When You Wish Upon a Star:

Before I left for Oregon I asked Shane if there was any way possible to set an appointment for a family photo session with an old childhood friend of mine. Shane isn't really into photos of himself, plus we do have a photo session gift to make good on in Utah sometime (hopefully) this year. So naturally he hemmed and hawed and I dropped the subject, but not the desire.

Well folks, I'm here to tell you wishes do come true because Kristen Moss caught up with me and we got together to do AWESOME photos of Emma, and some nice ones of us both (I too don't care much for photos of myself). Check it out, and if you need a great rate and some beautiful photos book a session!

Breath-taking, am I right?

Ready, Ready, Ready, Ready, Ready to RUN:

It's time to get a move on. I've restrained myself from my 5K workouts long enough. I've done my best to follow the Doctor's orders of eliminating running as a form of exercise for as long as I could (you could mop up the sarcasm that's dripping from my voice just FYI).

But alas, I finally bought running shoes (Last new pair were from Nov 2007-not good on the joints that were already bombarded with extra weight). Plus my husband swears by these heart rate monitors. He says the reason I dislike running is due to ignoring the condition of my heart and the ability to optimize my speed to heart pump ratio. So we found this on Amazon:

And we looked up some races (There's something going on in May but I'm not sure I'll be comfortable with that time frame). Shane already has his Triathlons picked and his bike in the shop. It's going to be an active Summer in the Oldfield house. We have a lot of fun physical activities planned. Wish us luck as we try to find a jogging stroller for a decent price.

p.s. I'm not usually a fan of Nike running shoes-I much prefer New Balance, however, the Nikes were on sale...what can you do.

p.p.s. Anyone else having issues with the Blogger formatting? I can't see what I'm typing

Here Comes The Sun:

I was reminded yesterday of the sweet tender mercies of the Lord. I was in church listening to the testimonies of others and thought "What a blessing it is to share my testimony everyday with my Emma."

Really it is a blessing that our loving Father in Heaven would give us an opportunity to shape, mold, and invite our children-His children-to accept Christ as our Savior and use His atonement. I forget to look at the big picture some days. I forget that in reality this life is for overcoming our shortcoming and mistakes. We get a second chance because of the Savior, and I'm grateful.

That being said, I'll have to get over the long days, the busy hours, and frustrating moments. President Hinckley once said "It will all work out."

This is Emma getting ready to throw a fit because we wouldn't give her any more milkshake.

"...and your ANGRY eyes, just incase."

You get what you get and you don't throw a fit...

This is me not throwing a fit, this is me not loosing my temper because my child will sleep through the night (and has since we took her home from the hospital) but refuses to take naps.

This is me looking at the glass half full: sure she needs every speck of attention you can muster during the day-all day-but at least she sleeps through the night.

This is me counting to ten because even though my non-napper effects more than just me while on vacation it's not the end of the world, right?

Vacation, all I ever Wanted:

Vacation, had to get away...

It was time to touch base with the home town stomping grounds. Shane, Emma, and I came back to Oregon to remind ourselves what the color green looks like, and see how high the trees can grow. I just love Oregon. I love the small town feel, and the crazy personalities-that means Hippies, and I love how everything just grows here.

We've had a lot of fun, visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Succo, eating out, playing in the rain, shopping and never paying sales tax-aaahhh this is the life. We've been driving around the surrounding area to look at property and put some reality to our dream home vision. I am so excited to move back here some year!

One Year Older and Wiser Too:

Happy Blog-aversery to me. I made my first post exactly one year ago. If you're interested you can see it HERE.

A few days ago I thought, wow I should start planning on something creative, funny, and charming to say for my one year post. Yesterday I thought, oh wow, I have to blog something tomorrow. Today I thought: oh great, here comes another boring post because I haven't done or thought about how to make a fantastic post. Oh well, it's my blog and my style hasn't changed much in one years time.

Here are a few recaps for the year however:

1. We've lived in Las Vegas now for just over a Year and enjoy it very much. We do a lot of outside activities (when it's under 100 degrees). The house projects are never ending and we like it that way. Painting is still in progress, the yard is still growing green, flowers are always being planted, and dreams of new kitchen counters and light fixtures and often brought up in conversation.

2. My weight loss goals have been going very well. I'm now squeezing into single digit pant sizes and feeling healthier. Health and strength really are the goals here, not pant sizes (the cold hard truth is I may never see a size 4 again, and I've come to grips with it). Emma is worth every pound:
3. Shane and I are feeling very blessed to both have jobs and enjoy them. It's good for me to remember we are grateful (especially because Shane's busy season ended late and is already starting early).

At any rate, it's been a good year full of ups and downs and I'm excited to keep blogging about it. Hope you find something worth your read throughout this next year.

Old Park Bench:

We decided we needed a place to sit while we watch the grass grow. We found a cute bench for Emma and put it together tonight. Here's the details:

Emma was a big help...

when she wasn't sitting down on the job.

We had a small breakdown-snacks were spilled, and anger ensued,

don't worry, she used the best techniques for cleaning things up

Once things were cleaned up, we decided to try out the bench. Looks like she's watching football, really it's just the sprinklers. She got too excited and wouldn't stay seated.

Why buy a bench for a girl who won't sit still...oh well at least it's a cute bench.

A job well done!