Recent Picture of Harlow

First I want to say Sorry to all you dedicated people who always come to our blog to see whats new. Im apologizing because I have become lazy and have not posted anything for awhile. I don’t really know what my excuse is, so I won’t try to make one up. Lets just pretend I have kept current on it and this is just another posting! How about that?

This is a recent picture of Harlow that her grandma Melissa took with her bear. As you can see she is a lot bigger from the last post. Her hair is longer and she has more characteristics to her face. She is adorable and so much fun. She plays like a busy little bee transporting her toys one by one to the other room as though it was her job. We don’t really know why she does this. She does it with a serious face too, as though it was her job and her life depended on it. She is full of personality. She always pokes at her cheeks and says “Happy”!!! She really is happy. She is extremely ticklish and you can always get a giggle out of her if you nibble her belly or tickle her under her armpits. She loves to take baths and gets excited when you tell her and won’t stop saying “bubbles”!! She loves vegetables and fruits. She now says “leche”, “Agua” and “pan” in Spanish. I still only talk to her and Spanish in hopes she will be bilingual.

Hiking in the Wasatch Mountains

On Saturday we went hiking in the Wasatch mountains. We love to hike, mostly in the summer, but we decided we wouldn't let the snow bother us. We have a great time hiking although on most trips we get headaches from Skeet not listening to us. The minute we get to the hiking trails he begins crying in the car because he can't wait 2 seconds for us to get out and let him out through the back. Then when we finally do let him out and loose from his leash he peels out of the car and goes off running as fast as he can. Sometimes he gets really far and we call him to come back to where we are. He does of course, but he has never gotten in the habit of staying close to us, or should I say we didn't train him properly. We encounter alot of dogs on hikes, and so whenever we see dogs, we call him to come. Sometimes he listens and sometimes he doesn't. Regardless of skeets ADD, we have a great time.

The cutest baby contest on Regis and Kelly

Everyone cross your fingers. Melissa has submitted one of Harlow's pictures to the cutest baby contest they have on Regis and Kelly.

Harlow's homemade clothes

Melissa made us all matching pajamas for Christmas. Here is Eric and Harlow with their pajamas. Aren't they soooo cute!

Harlow's complete little outfit with hat

This pattern is super cute. Its nursery rhymes in pastel colors

This is amazing, so I just had to blog about it. Harlow's welly's (grandma) makes her the most amazing clothes. All these clothes featured in these photographs have been made by Melissa. She makes Harlow the cutest outfits. A big reason as to why I wanted a sewing machine was so I could learn how to make hats, and pants, and shirts.

Sledding in Sugarhouse Park

We had so much fun taking Harlow sledding. At first she didn't really know what to think. I think part of it was that she was cold. Eric took her down the first run, and because there was fresh snow on the ground, as they were going down, they got hit with fresh powdered snow right in the face. We were both so surprised because she didn't even cry! She is a tough little baby! There was a family with 3 girls sledding right next to us. As the dad went down with one of his daughters, the same thing happened to them, and the 4 year old little girl started crying immediately. Harlow continues to amaze us with her spirit and character. She is very tough and when she falls, she gets right back up and doesn't even cry. She definately didn't get that from me, Im a big baby.

Christmas

For Christmas we went to Las Vegas, where Eric's parents now live. This was Harlow's very first Christmas, so it was very special to us. This was also the first time Paul, Eric's brother had met Harlow. We had a great time spending Christmas in Vegas. We watched "Shrek the Halls" Shrek's Christmas movie, we baked chocolate chip cookies for Santa, enjoyed lamb on Christmas day, and spent lots of quality time together as a family. Harlow received a fish bowl that sings songs and a small little cart from Santa, and she got a snowsuit and a giant bear from her great-grandparents Sandfort, and she received a Bronco’s cheerleader outfit from her uncle Paul, a beautiful Christmas book and money for her college fund from her other great-grandparents Ervin, and from her grandparents received a carrying pack for backpacking, from her Aunt Catalina and Uncle Roberto she got a cute sweater and a warm bodysuit, and from her Aunt Geraldine, Uncle Glen, and cousins Anthony and Anecia she got a play phone that vibrates and talks. Overall, Harlow had a very healthy and joyous Christmas. Thanks to all our family and friends who helped make it special.

Me using my new sewing machine for the first time

Harlow trying out her new little car

All 3 of us hanging out

Move back to Utah

As many of you know, we have moved back to SLC. Eric decided to leave EBS, a biotech firm in San Diego, and go work for ATK, a defense contractor in Utah. The decision was hard since San Diego has wonderful weather, and the beautiful beaches, but in the end moving back to Utah was the best best decision for us. We couldn't afford to buy a home in California, and the cost of living was ridiculous. Not to mention, there is so much traffic and of course we didn't have any family or friends nearby. After considering the options, we made the decision to come back to Utah.

We left San Diego on Saturday, November 22 and headed to Las Vegas to spend Thanksgiving with Eric's parents. We had a great Thankgsiving and Geraldine and her family even came up. Then on Sunday, November 30 we drove the rest of the way to Salt Lake City. We arrived in Utah late on Sunday night. On that following Monday, December 1st, the movers arrived with our things. We began the hard task of unpacking and unboxing our things.

We are renting a home in Sugarhouse, until we find the right home to buy. Eric and I are both very eager to leave this house. Its old, really drafty, and has alot of issues, not to mention the rooms are small and because the home was built in 1942, the closet is a teeny small little space with 1 rack, which they call a closet.

Eric and Harlow at our new home

So far we are happy to be back here. We are adjusting to the freezing cold weather, and have had to invest in winter hats, mittens, and jackets. We have also stocked up on tea's, coffee, hot chocolate and any other drinks that are served hot.

Election Day

We are soooooooooooooo happy Barack Obama won the Presidential election. We are a Barack family without a doubt. Eric and I both went to the polls this morning and voted. And although Harlow is not old enough to vote, she did her part in supporting Barack by making a sign for him, a picture is attached below. The pictures that you see of Eric, Melissa and Me are pictures that we snapped at the exact moment that we heard Barack was named President. As you can see we are all happy and celebrating our NEW PRESIDENT!

Halloween Night

We had such a fun Halloween. Eric got home from work around 5:15 p.m. and then we left and walked down to the shopping center down the street from our house. We trick-or-treated with Harlow until 6:00 p.m. She got so many compliments on her kitty cat costume her grandma made her. Melissa dressed as a clown, Eric was a hockey player, and I was a witch. Harlow had not done very well with her naps that day, so on our way home, she fell asleep. She got quite alot of candy too. We can't wait until she is a little older and can fully understand Halloween and trick-or-treating. Having her makes every holiday so much better and fulfilling.

Weekend with Chaleh and CJ

We just had Chaleh and CJ over to our home over the weekend. We had such a great time with them. They are alot closer to us now, now that they live in Pasadena. They arrived this past Friday night, and we stayed up talking till 1:00 a.m. On Saturday we walked to get breakfast at Champagne, and then went to dog beach to take Skeet and Tica to run around. They had such a good time. On Saturday night I made refried beans and we had burritos, along with margaritas and plum wine. We also invited Nicole over. She just recently moved to San Diego from Utah as well. We knew here because she was in the chemistry graduate program with Eric in Utah as well. Nicole brought desert, and we had ice cream with berries and whipped cream. Here are pictures of the weekend.





Eric and Skeet playing fetch

The top 2 percent

So you want to know where your hard earned tax dollars are going, and you would like to know what is happening with the bailout. Well.........

"WASHINGTON (AP) -- Days after it got a federal bailout, American International Group Inc. spent $440,000 on a posh California retreat for its executives, complete with spa treatments, banquets and golf outings, according to lawmakers investigating the company's meltdown."

it looks like it went to good use. Great job guys.... I suggest if you get insurance or have any money in AIG, you get it out.

Until next time.
Eric..........................................

Quote of the Day

I read this and thought it was entirely appropriate for today:

“Gentlemen, I have had men watching you for a long time, and I am convinced that you have used the funds of the bank to speculate in the breadstuffs of the country. When you won, you divided the profits amongst you, and when you lost, you charged it to the bank. You tell me that if I take the deposits from the bank and annul its charter, I shall ruin ten thousand families. That may be true, gentlemen, but that is your sin! Should I let you go on, you will ruin fifty thousand families, and that would be my sin! You are a den of vipers and thieves. I intend to rout you out, and by the eternal God, I will rout you out.”

This quote was from Andrew Jackson (United States President #7), to a group of bankers in 1832. It seems as though this economic crap has been going on for quite a long time.

Until next time,
Eric.....................

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween to you all! I hope everyone has a fabulous Halloween, either during trick-or-treating festivities, or at a party. Eric and I will miss dressing up and going to Halloween parties, but this year will bring new experiences with Harlow. We are taking her trick-or-treating so we can have extra treats during movie night.... j/k. Stealing candy from kids is mean.

Bats!!!!!!!!!!!!

I should start by saying this is NOT a bird, its a BAT. Yes, a bat. Because of my great photography capabilities, I was able to snap a picture of bats while we were at Lake Powell. They begin coming out around sunset, and once it is dark, they fly all around. They are friendly supposedly, and we should all really believe that because Christian Bale was a Bat-man and he was friendly!!! I know my rationale is a little off, but I will say the bats never bothered us.

Davanza's

Davanza's is our FAVORITE pizza place in the entire world! Davanza's now has 3 locations I have heard, one in Salt Lake City, and 2 in Park City. Our favorite though is the one that is located right off of Main Street in Park City because our good friend Jesse is the manager at that one. Their pizza is really really good, so if you have not gone already, you need to go. The pizza is just very distinct, and I know for a fact they use wine in the pizza sauce, so that is one of the many secret ingredients that produces the perfection that is the pizza at Davanza's.

The history behind Davanza's is that it is one of Eric's previous employers. During High School Eric worked their and made Pizza. I know, I know, can you believe it, Eric a pizza maker. He and most of his hockey buddies worked their during High School.

One of our first dates took place at Davanza's. When Eric brought me there I thought "Okay just another pizza place", but I was wrong, very very wrong. Davanza's is the BEST! The real goodness comes from their fry sauce that you use to just smother everything from the pizza to the fries with.

Harlow in a fountain

This pictures was taken on August 30, 2008 in Lake Las Vegas. We stayed at Eric's parents house in Lake Las Vegas for 3 nights on our way to Lake Powell. The water in the fountain was cold, but Harlow didn't even mind, she loves playing with water.

For those of you wondering, yes, I did have to paste that bow on her head since she doesn't have any hair, but I promise you it is very safe and painless, so don't worry. In fact hospitals do it too.

We had a really good time in Lake Las Vegas. We went to the Hoover Dam while we were there and even went to the Rio in Las Vegas. Goes to show you, having a baby doesn't prevent you from doing EVERYTHING!

Lake Powell Trip

We just got back from our trip to Lake Powell. We got on our houseboat on September 2nd, and then got off on September 8, 2008. Here is a picture of our houseboat the "Indian Summer". We went to Lake Powell with Eric's parents Pat and Melissa, Eric's grandparents, Jim and Shirley, and gunnar (Pat and Melissa's dog) and Skeet.

We had so much fun. The water levels at Lake Powell were 30 feet higher than two years ago, and the water temperature was 79 degrees, so warm. The weather was also perfect. Here are some pictures from our trip. Enjoy!


Harlow trying on her life jacket for Lake Powell











Me and Harlow playing in the water on the first beach we docked on the first day in Lake Powell. Harlow is wearing her cute little rash guard her grandma bought her.






Eric getting into the water to go spear fish, with his spear. Its this big stick that has 3 spears at the end, as you can see in this picture. At the other end is a rope that you release once you have the spears angled right above a fish, and once you release, it shoots down on the fish and spears him. Pretty barbaric if you ask me, but it works.






Eric and Harlow in the ski boat going out for a ride.













Me and Harlow getting ready to go play in the water. Harlow in her cute little cherry swimsuit.











Me wakeboarding


















Eric wakeboarding













Pat and Skeet out on the water relaxing, sharing a bud light.













Me and Eric











Shirley, Melissa, me and Harlow (The Ervin girls)











Me knee boarding

Melissa's Barbie Cake

For Melissa's birthday while we were on the houseboat, I made her a barbie cake. Here it is! As you can see, the actual cake (the part you eat) is supposed to be decorated like a dress, Barbie's dress. The decorating clearly did not turn out that wonderful, but I blame it on the heat at Lake Powell. The red stripes were actually little flowers lined up underneath each other, but because of the heat, it all just kind of melted together and thus, the stripe look. But I saw this cake decorating experience as a trial, since beginning when Harlow turns 1, I am going to start making her these kind of Barbie cakes for her birthday. When I make her her very first one, in 6 more months, my decorating should have improved by them. I will post pictures of it when I make it.
Although the decorating didn't turn out the way I wanted, the cake was a success, and everyone loved it. Especially since I made it a "Pastel de Tres Leches" (3 milk cake) meaning the cake had sweetened condensed milk, heaving whipping cream, and milk, all added to the cake to make it a wet cake......... My Favorite!

Harlow crawling

Some of you may see this video and think "that is not a crawl", but I would beg to differ. It may be a jimmy rigged, army crawl, scooch of a crawl, but nonetheless it is a crawl. Here is Harlow crawling to get to her olympic mascot toy that her grandpa pa gave her. As you can see she is growing so fast and making progress in her development. Im happy about it, but sad too. I feel like she is growing so fast and soon she isn't going to be my baby anymore. Isn't she a cutie patootie?

Sorry if you can't understand what I am saying, since it is in Spanish. Basically Im just calling her to come to me.

Geraldine's Wedding

On August 6th, Eric, Harlow, Skeet and I traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah from San Diego, California for Geraldine and Glen's Wedding. We left Wednesday night and arrived in St. George in the early morning on Thursday. We slept a couple of hours there and then awoke to drive the rest of the way to Salt Lake City. We arrived at Geraldine's home on Thursday around 11:00 a.m. Catalina and Geraldine were so excited to meet Harlow, and Anecia and Anthony loved playing with her. It was so nice to get together with my sisters. I wish we could see each other more often. Catalina and I bought matching purple dresses for the wedding. We looked great! Geraldine's wedding took place on August 8th at a small church in Murray, and her reception took place at a friend's home in West Valley. The trip had its ups and downs. I was in a bad mood for some of the time because of several reasons. I was running on lack of sleep when we got there. Then when we went to go check into our hotel, the bed linens had not been washed let alone changed, so I did not feel very comfortable there. Also, our room smelled of cigarette smoke, so when I woke up in the morning I was very congested. On the day of the wedding I went with my sisters to get my hair done. It is a unspoken cardinal rule that when you do my hair, you do not brush it out, otherwise it will be very pooffy and ugly. However, the girl who did my hair clearly did not know this. To make a long story short, I looked like Medusa but with a fro. I looked awful. The worst part was it took her 3 hours to give me the worst hairdo you can imagine. We were already late for the wedding, so I couldn't go home and fix it. I was embarrassed to be in front of all of my sister's weddings guests looking like I did. After the wedding, I took a shower at Geraldine's house and washed and styled my own hair. Fortunately it looked much better than when the professional did it.

Our last day there, we drove up to Park City to meet up with some friends and eat at our favorite pizza restaurant, Davanza's. The pizza was as good as I remembered it, and it met my expectations. I love dipping my pizza and french fries in Davanza's fry sauce.

Harlow did amazingly well in the car during the 10 hour drive to and from Utah. Although the actual drive to Utah wasn't too awful, I have told Eric we will never drive to Utah again from San Diego, its just to wearing on all of us, and why drive such a long distance in a car, when you could fly for a much smaller duration of time.