memories of us

Tulips!

2009-05-10T12:06:00.006-06:00

Spring is my favorite time of year. I love the blossoms, the flowers, the sunshine. I love the perfect weather - warm, but not too warm. I love that the days are longer and there is more light. I love that everything is so green and ALIVE. I've been wanting to go see the tulips at Thanksgiving Point for a while, so on Saturday I took Madeline to the gardens. The tulip festival officially ended a week ago, but the tulips were still absolutely beautiful! We had such a fun day playing in the water, having a picnic lunch, and enjoying the warm sunshine and pretty flowers!

Drawing is fun!

2009-05-08T23:37:00.004-06:00

For the past few months, I've tried several times to give Madeline crayons and markers and show her how fun they can be. She wasn't interested until a few weeks ago she figured it out and decided she really REALLY likes this new drawing thing. So now I have to keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't color on anything too important. She seems to have a pretty solid understanding of where she shouldn't scribble. Every once in a while, she points a crayon toward the floor or the counter or another forbidden place and says "no!" in a very stern voice. It's been really fun to watch her discover her creative side.

Happy Birthday, Tasiah!!!

2009-01-14T23:01:00.004-07:00

Well, I'm a day late getting this posted, but Tasiah turned 8 on January 13th! It doesn't seem possible that she could already be that old, but it's true. She is such a fun kid, and we are so proud of the smart, talented, and funny girl she is becoming. She keeps us laughing with her great sense of humor, and she's an awesome big sister! Happy Birthday, Tosh! Thanks for being a good kid and bringing us lots of happiness! We love you bunches!!!

Cupcakes, Balloons, and other Blessings from Heaven!

2009-01-12T22:53:00.019-07:00

Madeline's First Birthday party started out with a few songs on the piano by her talented cousin Katelyn. She even played the Birthday song. Maddie was lovin' it!

She also had a great time chasing, playing, and attempting to eat the balloons.

Lots of cousins were there for the celebration, which resulted in lots of happy chaos! We were able to get a few of them to hold still long enough to pose for a picture together...

Then, more music...this time, very LOUD singing. Madeline just looked at everyone with a blank stare. Or, maybe she was just staring at Grace, who was about a foot away from her face for most of the song, singing the loudest.

And finally, the BEST part... CUPCAKES!!!! She didn't hesitate to dive right in for some of that goodness. There was a lot going on all around her, but as far as she knew, she was all alone in cupcake heaven!

I think she liked it!

Ava didn't get in on the cupcake action this time, but she was a good sport anyway and kept her party hat on the entire time! What a little cutie.

Then things started to get silly...

This went on for a while, and we all thought it was pretty hilarious, but when Maggie approached Nate and I to announce that "my boobs are so big I can hide my MOUTH behind them!!!" (as she lowers her chin into her balloon stuffed chest) we weren't really sure how to respond. Nate went with "THAT'S AWESOME!!!"

Happy 1st Birthday, Maddie!!

2009-01-06T13:38:00.004-07:00

I can't believe this precious girl is a year old already! The time went by so fast. She has brought us SO much joy! Lately, she has been busy playing with her doggies (she loves puppy dogs and gets excited and starts panting and barking every time she sees one), reading her bups (books) holding her sister's baby dolls, and watching her favorite show - Baby Einstein. She has also learned a few words in the past month, and seems to add a new one to her vocabulary every other day. These are some of the words she knows:
Mama
Dada
Tasa, Tata (Tasiah)
Bup (book)
Baby
ball
Baboo (bubble)
Cracker
Tay too (Thank you)
Apple
Up!
Ty Ty (Tyler)
Nana (Banana)
Boo! (Peek-a-boo)
ah eww (Uh, oh)
Hot
Hat
Weeee!
Ouch

We love you, Madeline! Thanks for a fun first year! Happy Birthday, Sweet Baby Girl!

Our Holiday Season

2009-01-04T12:57:00.003-07:00

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas, and 2009 brings you and your family all that you hope for... Happy New Year!

easily amused....

2008-07-03T11:41:00.001-06:00

Photos at 4 months old...

2008-06-11T13:55:00.008-06:00

Baby Buddies

2008-05-06T13:40:00.010-06:00

Like many other areas of my life, I have proven to be a slacker at this blogging thing. I guess I have some catching up to do....

On Saturday, Dylan and Maddie got to hang out and drool on each other. It was fun to watch them interact with each other. They are only 6 days apart, but Dylan seems quite a bit more advanced than Madeline. He is such a happy little guy, and he wants to MOVE! He actually seems to be on the brink of crawling. At 4 months old. Madeline is still mastering her rolling over skills. Dylan lives in St. George, so we don't get to see him as much as we would like, but hopefully these two can watch their first fireworks together on the 4th of July.

{ Richelle & Dylan }

Four

2008-04-26T23:24:00.011-06:00

FOUR THINGS you may not know about me.

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. I worked on a "cruise" boat on the Great Salt Lake. It was one of the funnest jobs I've had. I worked there 4 summers during college. The sunsets are gorgeous, and it really doesn't smell so bad once you are out on the lake.
2. Ice cream scooper...in Alaska! I'm serious.
3. McDonalds. It was my first job, when I was 16, and it really did suck. I lasted less than 3 months.
4. Right now, I design scrapbook products for Close To My Heart. I love my job.

B) Four places I have lived:

1. Grantsville, Utah
2. Logan, UT
3. San Marcos, CA
4. Skagway, AK

C) Four current TV shows I love to watch:
1. The Office
2. Saturday Night Live
3. South Park
4. Nanny 911

D) Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Europe
2. Mexico
3. Ireland & Scotland
4. Maine

E) Four websites I visit daily or almost daily:
1. yahoo mail
2. my bank
3. closetomyheart
4. google

F) Four of my favorite foods:
1. Sushi
2. Enchiladas
3. Chocolate cake
4. Cheesecake

G) Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Hawaii
2. In bed asleep
3. Switzerland
4. Mom & Dad's

H) Four of my favorite movies:
1. My Cousin Vinny
2. Juno
3. Office Space
4. Shawshank Redemption

Sunday at Liberty Park

2008-04-23T19:59:00.005-06:00

It was one of the first warm weekends of spring and we wanted to spend some time in the sun so we headed to Liberty Park to feed the ducks! It was so crowded we could barely find a place to park so we ended up taking a pretty long walk just to get to the pond. Steph and Scott and I laughed because Tasiah was pushing the stroller like a drunk. She couldn't seem to keep it on the sidewalk. After nursing Madeline in the hot car with the ice cream truck blaring the same circus music behind us through a megaphone the entire time, she had an enormous blowout that somehow managed to make its way through her clothes and onto mine, and the carseat. By the time I was finished changing her on the grass, I was ready to punch the popsicle man in the face. It was SO loud! Going to the park isn't as relaxing as it used to be. But it was still fun to watch Madeline's reaction to the frantic seagulls and birds competing for whatever scraps they could get. Of course, Tasiah had a great time. I was just thankful I didn't get pooped on. Well, I mean, by a bird.

{ April 13, 2008 }

{ Aunt Stephie }

Welcome, Madeline

2008-03-30T13:12:00.023-06:00

Our new baby girl made her entrance into the world January 6, 2008. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 7 oz. and measured 20.5" long. Her head is covered with brown hair and she has some little curls. It's amazing how much love you can have for someone the instant you meet them, and every day, that love grows. She is now smiling more and more each day, cooing and "talking" to us, and we heard her giggle for the first time on March 25th. So cute. I absolutely love being a mom. It is the hardest, but most rewarding thing I've ever done. I feel like I have had some pretty cool experiences so far in my life, but this is by far the greatest thing I've ever experienced. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the past 3 months...

{ MADELINE NICHOLE GRIFFITH }

{ OUR LONG-AWAITED BABY GIRL }

I went into labor during the night, and my water broke at 5:20 am. After 9 hours of pain, the contractions got so excruciating that I gave in and got the epidural. I was so glad I did! About 4 hours later, after pushing for 10 minutes, this perfect little tiny baby was finally placed in my arms. Truly a miracle!

{ FIRST BATH }
Madeline screamed and cried, until the nurse swaddled her and started scrubbing her head. She seemed to like having her head massaged, but she still hates taking a bath. She screams every time we place her in the water. It can get pretty intense! Last time we bathed her, I had a pounding headache by the time it was over! We hope she will get more comfortable and soon learn to enjoy a nice warm soak in the tub.

{ TINY }

{ DADDY & MADELINE }
My sweet Nate. He was right there beside me from the second my water broke, til we (err, I guess I should say HE) finally put her in her car seat and drove home. He was an amazing support and I never could have gotten through this without him by my side. He even made sure I had my Lorna Doon cookies whenever I needed a shortbread fix! Thank goodness he has already done this once before - he's taught me so much. I'm pretty sure I didn't change a single diaper for the first week or 2 of Madeline's life! He is so good at taking care of his girls - no matter what we need, he is there, and happy to help. Lucky us.

{ BIG SISTER }
Natasiah loves her baby sister and wants to hold her any chance she gets. What a lucky little baby to have such a great big sis to take care of her!

{ LOVE THIS VIEW }
The new Intermountain Medical Center opened a couple months before we delivered. They built the labor and delivery wing so all the rooms have a great view. We were happy to be able to look out at the gorgeous mountains during the 2 days we were there.

{ GRAMMY LINDA }
I was so grateful to have my parents with me to share this experience. Mom and Dad came to stay with us on December 21st. I was really hoping to have this baby early, but she came 4 days past the due date (January 2) instead. It was so nice to spend time with Mom and Dad during the holidays, and have them there for Madeline's birth. Mom was an incredible support and coach through each contraction. I couldn't have gotten through it without her. After Madeline was born, Mom and Dad stayed with us for 10 more days. They cooked, cleaned, held the baby, practiced spelling words with Tasiah, and took such good care of all of us the entire time. We were all sad when they had to leave. It's been a while since I've been able to spend that many days in a row with my parents. It was lots of fun, and I think we all started to get used to seeing each other every day. They were a tremendous help and I don't know what we would have done without them. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

{ LOOKING OUT }

{ SO LITTLE }
Looking at this picture, I can't believe how small she was! Just 3 months later, she fills up this same tub! She is growing way too fast!

{ CAPITOL REEF }
At the beginning of February, we got out of the house for the first time since Madeline was born, and drove down to Torrey to spend a few days with Mom & Dad. It was so nice to finally get some fresh air, sun, and exercise! I needed it bad. We hiked every day while we were there.

{ GRANDPA CHIP }

{ MY SWEET GIRL }

{ BIRTHDAY SMILE }
This was taken on my birthday. What a great gift! I couldn't ask for anything better than a smile from my little one. This was one of her first "real" smiles. By about 5 pm that day, I was overwhelmed and in tears (the first couple months were a little rough) but these smiles make it all worthwhile.

{ CHILLIN' AT WORK }
My job is letting me bring Madeline to work until she is 6 mo. old. This was taken in our office.