The Lefrandt Family

Summer...I didn't capture much

2011-09-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our summer. There aren't many because I've been too consumed with getting through this pregnancy, but here is what we have...

The airplane ride at our local Smith's...I finally gave in!

This is actually on Mother's day. The 2 most beautiful girls in the world have made me the happiest mommy!

Lily started swimming lessons. Her biggest accomplishment was to go all the way under water and she has been doing it all summer!

Grandma had an Amazing English Tea Party with all the granddaughters.

That's all for now. One day I'm going to focus on my writing and actually make this blog something fun to read. But as for now, I'm 36 weeks pregnant and it's all I can do to just get some pictures up before they get lost on our hard drive and we never see them again :)

Our first family crop... totally blog worthy.

2011-08-28T11:18:00.001-07:00

Frogs and snails

2011-05-10T18:47:00.000-07:00

Cats out of the bag....

2011-03-13T13:30:00.001-07:00

Baby number 3 due in October... Are you as surprised as we were? :)

Sophia Marie

2011-02-09T10:46:00.000-08:00

Since I'm in blogging mode and Sophie is almost 1, I thought I'd tell just a little bit about her. I've loved being a mother since the day Lily was born, but it is so true that your love just grows and grows with each one. Since having Sophie, I have felt love for both she and Lily that I truly didn't know was possible. This baby just lights up my life. My mom calls her Sunshine, and it fits perfectly. The comment that I get most often from people is that she looks like she just observes and takes in absolutely everything. That is so true. She is always observing and I can't help but feel that her spirit is old and wise. I can feel that she is such a special little chosen spirit of our Heavenly Father and I feel so blessed that he gave her to me.

Sophie is so funny! Jon and laugh every day at her faces that she makes. Her Gigi once said "Sophie is the cure to any bad day". My sentiments exactly! I really never have a bad day with her around.

LOVE YOU, LOVE YOU, FOREVER AND EVER SOPHIE GIRLS!

Blogging...

2011-02-09T09:49:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure Jon's heart is going to stop when he sees that I've actually blogged. I'm making a new resolution to keep up on this blog so my children will have a record of their childhood. So here is what we've been doing lately...

We had some friends over to decorate Valentines treats and exchange Valentines

Lily was in Heaven

All the party people!

New Years Eve

Our friends Zack and Katie. We can always count on them for a fun indulgent dinner.

Christmas Eve

Sitting on the stairs waiting to see if Santa Came!

Sophie got a little Kitchen

Lily's beloved Dollhouse. Santa Delivered!

And so we will blog...

2011-01-03T08:29:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess I shouldn't feel like I need to "perform" on this blog. It should just be a good place to put up memories and photos and have it be a good family record. Thanks for the reminder.

Well I haven't posted these photos yet... I love them. They capture Sophie so perfectly. Here little personality is such a hoot. She has 8 teeth. She is 10 months old. Only recently mastered the art of sitting up, although she still tumbles backward every now and then. She WILL NOT crawl... and to be honest, we are ok with this. One less little person getting into things. We just hope that she crawls by her first birthday :)

Without further adieu... here are her latest shots.

Also, we have to give credit to Tiffany Johnson for taking these photos. She is INCREDIBLE. If you are looking for a photographer for your kids and you live in SOCAL check her out here: www.elizajphotography.blogspot.com

To Blog... or not to blog in 2011?

2011-01-01T13:52:00.003-08:00

Not sure if anyone has us in the blog roll still or not... but I ask the question. Should we blog in 2011 or just let it die...

Happy Anniversary To Us!

2010-10-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

Lily the dancer

2010-09-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

Our daughter LOVES to dance. In fact, I am pretty sure that is an understatement. She is ready to dance at the drop of a hat and LOVES the attention she gets. We signed her up for a local dance class that was done out of a girls basement but she did a great job and Lily loved going to Ballet. Here are some photos of her final ballet show.

Now the search is on for a dance school in Heber. YIKES! If any of you know of one let us know...

Sophies Blessing Day

2010-09-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

This is about 3 months late but I wanted to at least post the pictures so we can remember it.

Sophie is seriously the happiest baby alive. She smiles ALL DAY LONG. She is pretty easy and only gets fussy when she is hungry (or lately when she is tired). She continues to crack us up with her little personality.

Her big sister Lily just adores her. Always wanting to give her a big squeeze and play with her. The two of them just laugh and laugh in their car seats in the back of the car. It really is soo cute.

Sophies blessing day was so special. Ash did a great job with all the decorating and the food. We loved having family there and are always so grateful for their love and support.

Sophie Marie! We are so glad you are apart of our little family.

Roughin' it!

2010-09-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

We love when Labor day rolls around... the whole fam gathers on Grandpas property in Woodland and roughs it... it was colder this year but still a fun family memory for sure!

A POST!

2010-09-16T08:13:00.001-07:00

Ok people... I created this blog for my darling wife to blog about the family etc. But we have been AWFUL bloggers lately. I am taking matters into my own hands and will try and blog more often. I doubt there is anyone out there who even knows that this blog exists but oh well... I will do it for our own record. So, since I am the blogger today I am going to post what I have been working on. Rather than reading up on it... here is the youtube video. enjoy!

California Pictures

2010-06-04T15:11:00.000-07:00

Pictures of Lily!

2010-05-29T14:36:00.001-07:00

We are so excited to see more of this!

My (Jon) incredibly talented cousin Tiffany took these when we were down there visiting last week. She seriously is AMAZING. Check out her blog at www.elizajphotography.blogspot.com She does shoots in Cali and Utah.

Lately in Jon's life...

2010-05-10T20:36:00.001-07:00

This past month has been adventurous to say the least. It was an emotional roller coaster! I figure I need to document it and may as well do it on THE BLOG.

First, I got this really crazy idea that I wanted to do two half marathons back to back (two weekends in a row) so I did. I signed up for the Salt Lake City Half and the Thanksgiving Point half. I honestly did not have even one free second to train (more on that in a minute) but decided I needed to just go for it. Here are some pics.

This is with my buddy from my Masters program Jared.

The first marathon was HARD... I thought it would be good to do it in the same place that I did the full marathon the year prior. WRONG. It was harder on me emotionally because it brought back all the pain and frustration of the previous year. The weather was great... but I don't think I will do this race again.

Second, was a local run. Thanksgiving point was raising money for the new childrens museum and the whole run was AWESOME. It was gorgeous, great money and thanksgiving point pulled off a fantastic race. I beat my PR by 2 minutes too! I ran it with a bunch of guys from my neighborhood. They are awesome. I would love to do more races with them again.

Then I had my graduation. I am a master of real estate development! (well kind of... I have a couple classes left to take this summer and then I will for sure be a MASTER!) I have LOVED going to school at the U. It was hard, and I constantly felt like I was betraying my alma matter BYU... but it has been great. My classmates have been awesome, my employer (Clark Ivory) has been very accommodating and supportive and I have loved learning at this level. It will be great when I am officially DONE.

And lastly... I have been so fortunate to get a promotion at work. I am now the Project Manager for Ivory Homes in the Red Ledges community. This is totally up my alley and I am THRILLED at the opportunity. We are the exclusive builder for everything under 1 million dollars and have already created 5 new floorplans with 100% natural exteriors and all the luxury upgrades. Here is a picture of what our new model will look like. We just broke ground last week!

Red Ledges is located in Heber Valley and is on the number one new golf course in the nation! It is a Jack Nicklaus SIGNATURE golf course and also just won BEST OF STATE in the state.

With this new promotion... we have one last bit of news. WE ARE MOVING!!! More on that later :)

WHAT A MONTH!

More family pictures!

2010-04-16T10:26:00.000-07:00

Sophie Pictures!

2010-03-31T22:42:00.000-07:00

Sophie and her chubby cheeks made it home!!!

2010-03-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

ALMOST THERE!!!

2010-03-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

Well we are almost there! They took her off oxygen and the clock has officially started... if she can make it these next 48 hours without her levels dipping too low (below mid to upper 90s) than we are in the clear and can take her home. If she fails this test than we take her home with oxygen. Which isn't ideal but we will be so glad to have her home.

Please pray that she can do this on her own! We know that prayer works... and this is the last stretch! We can't wait for all of you to meet her and for her to be home.

The days seem like months...

2010-03-20T12:54:00.000-07:00

Sophie turned 1 week yesterday!!! We are so grateful for her little life and all that she has taught us so far. We are even more anxious to get her home! Her antibiotics will be done at the end of the day Sunday... we were planning on bringing her home Monday morning but today we found out that she needs to be off oxygen for 48 hours before we can, so it is looking like Tuesday at the earliest.

At first we were told 24 hrs, and we were also told that they would release her with an oxygen tank... but now the Dr.'s orders are 48 hrs... breathing on her own.

This has been quite the roller coaster ride. We can't wait to bring her home.

Pray that Sophie can breathe on her own! SHE CAN DO IT!!!

Happy St. Patricks Day! (from Sophie in the NICU)

2010-03-17T11:02:00.001-07:00

Well Ash tried and tried to convince the nurses that our little girl would only be wearing PINK bows... but we decided it would be best for her to have a little "luck" today and so Ash caved in and let them put on a shamrock bow. She is cute regardless of what she is wearing...

Just a little update. She is still in the NICU and will be until Monday. She is responding really well to everything. She is off oxygen and is nursing like a champ! They are now just making sure that she runs her course with the antibiotics.

It breaks our heart to leave her at the hospital every night. But we are grateful that she is doing better and will be able to come home with us soon!

NO MORE OXYGEN TUBES!!

2010-03-15T16:27:00.000-07:00

Well today has been another good day for our little Sophie. She is done with her Oxygen tubes and is breathing on her own. They are taking the last cord out of her belly button tonight and will finally be able to dress her in clothes! She is responding to everything and doing well. We are just anxious to get her nursing... Ash is especially... but tomorrow should be a good day for that!

Again, we are so grateful for all of you that have called to check up on us and have prayed for Sophie and our little family. We believe whole heartedly that there is power in prayer and that it is working! Thank you so much.

Yesterday in our "Sunday School Lesson" that Ash and I had together we studied the Ensign article entitled "Learning Through Life's Trials." What a wonderful article and so timely for our little family. I don't want to be all preachy but did want to share just two little highlights that touched our hearts....

Orson F Whitney of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles helped us understand the purpose of adversity. He said, " No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God... and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire. "

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught us how we can benefit from adversity by relying on Christ. He said, " the Lord is intent on our personal growth and development... Progress is accelerated when we willingly allow Him to lead us through every growth experience we encounter... If we question every unpleasant challenge... we make it harder for the lord to bless us. But if we center our hearts and minds on the Lord's will, we will gain more happiness in the journey and more fulfillment in life."

We are so grateful for the knowledge that we have, and for the comfort that it gives us through life's trials.

Guess who got to hold Sophie???

2010-03-13T20:18:00.000-08:00

Sophie Update

2010-03-13T10:21:00.000-08:00

(CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE FOR IT TO ENLARGE)

Thank you so much for your continued prayers. We love you all for your love and support. Here is the update from this morning:

She is off of the big oxygen and Ash and I were finally able to see her cute little face. She doesn't look anything like Lily so far :) We are so happy to see that her respiratory health is improving. She has started taking some of Ashleys milk that she has been pumping through a tube which we are very excited about.

On the flip side, there are still a lot of unknowns. They found group b strep in her placenta and are worried that that is what has caused all of this. Her red blood cell counts are decreasing and may need a blood transfusion. They may need to up the antibiotics...

We are trying our best to focus on the positive and look for the little miracles because we know there are many. We continue to focus on our family scripture found in D&C 123:17 "Therefore, dearly beloved...let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power, and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for His arm to be revealed"

We have been fasting and praying and know that many of you have as well. Thank you so much. We are so grateful for you! We will keep you posted and hopefully continue to get some good photos of our precious baby girl.

All our love,

Jon, Ashley, Lily and Sophie

Baby Sophie Update

2010-03-12T14:10:00.000-08:00

Dear family and friends:

Well, Sophie came into the world with a bang and is now having to be a bit of a fighter. She was born with a punctured lung and has an infection. She is also running a fever and because of all of this she will be in the NICU for at least 10 days. We are trying to keep our spirits up. Ash is doing well. We just really want to snuggle on our little Sophie.

Please keep Sophie in your prayers that she will be able to get off her oxygen and that she will be able to battle this infection and come home.

Love,

Jon

2010-03-11T19:39:00.001-08:00

2010-03-07T22:27:00.000-08:00

Our 100th post!!!!!

2010-03-03T10:16:00.000-08:00

Wow. This is our 100th post... we have been trying to pick up the slack lately with our countdowns... but I am sure we will be back blogging again with the addition of our little girl Sophie sometime this month! Hurray! Poor Ash is in horrible pain right now... she has a pinched nerve and is struggling to do just about everything right now. She is a trooper. I have a tremendous amount of respect for her and women everywhere for their hard work in bringing these little kids here to earth. Mad props.

Here is a commercial we were just in for Ivory Homes to celebrate our 100th post! It goes by quick... see if you can see us (don't mind me... jon... I am more awkward than anything)!

Love,

The Lefrandt Family

2010-03-01T20:47:00.001-08:00

2010-02-28T10:58:00.000-08:00

2010-02-26T12:48:00.001-08:00

Letter to Sophie

2010-02-25T21:07:00.000-08:00

2010-02-24T08:48:00.001-08:00

2010-02-23T13:21:00.000-08:00

2010-02-22T15:24:00.000-08:00

2010-02-20T22:20:00.000-08:00

2010-02-20T08:58:00.000-08:00

27...

2010-02-19T11:55:00.000-08:00

Counting down...

2010-02-18T19:56:00.001-08:00

Top On My Baby Wish List

2010-01-02T20:53:00.000-08:00

Doesn't this diaper bag just scream my name? I'll be dreaming of it.

We were wrong again...

2009-12-16T21:10:00.000-08:00

Well... We were wrong again!!! Last year I thought that Lily would for sure freak out when sitting on santa's lap... she loved it. This year I thought, ok THIS YEAR FOR SURE she is going to flip out.... she couldn't wait to get on his lap, and we saw Santa again for our neighborhood party and was just screaming to go sit on Santa's lap! She is too funny.

The past 3 years we have gone to Deer Valley with Jons family for Thanksgiving, we have stayed in the same place every year. It is so much fun! We are so grateful to Diane for providing such a fun year.

We are excited and loving the holiday season. Especially since Jon is finally finished with his first semester of graduate school! We never thought it would end.... Grades should come out in the next little bit. Hopefully all that studying paid off :)

Our favorite cougar

2009-11-22T08:58:00.001-08:00

We are so proud of Scotty. It has been a long road for him, but he was finally able to suit up for the game! He won't be playing this year because he wants to keep his red shirt status, but when he comes home from his mission to Madagascar! GAME ON. Congrats Scottie!

Sugar and Spice...

2009-10-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

Sugar and Spice...

and everything nice
that's what little girls are made of

Sunshine and rainbows
and ribbons for hair bows
that's what little girls are made of

Tea parties, laces
and baby doll faces
that's what little girls are made of.

Announcing Baby GIRL Lefrandt

Due March 19, 2009

Ivory Ridge Spooktacular!

2009-09-30T14:18:00.001-07:00

This is an event I am in charge of at work. I would love for all of you to come and bring your friends and family!

Remembering the Big H, Papa, Uncle Harry... our Dad.

2009-09-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

Today is a bittersweet day for sure. There is a lot of reflection, a little bit of sadness, but mostly happiness as we reflect on Dad and the incredible man that he is and the life that he lived. We miss him often and I am sure that the more time that goes by the more we will miss him. Having him not be here physically when Matt came home from his mission was tough. It was one of the first big family events where Dad was not present. There will clearly be many more of these instances throughout life. But we feel his presence and know that he is watching over us and is very much still a part of our life.

My only fear is that my kids won't know him. There is a pretty big responsibility I have to convey to them how amazing their Papa is, and that he would have loved to wrestle with them, and take them on fun adventures. They would have loved him. I am sure the stories will be some of their favorites. We miss you Dad and will remember you forever.

June 4, 1962- September 14, 2008

In the quiet misty morning when the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing and the sky is clear and red.
When the summer’s ceased its gleaming,
When the corn is past its prime,
When adventure’s lost its meaning,
I’ll be homeward bound in time.

Bind me not to the pasture, chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling and I’ll return to you somehow.

If you find it’s me you're missing, if you’re hoping I’ll return.
To your thoughts I’ll soon be list’ning, and in the road I’ll stop and turn.
Then the wind will set me racing as my journey nears its end.
And the path I’ll be retracing when I’m homeward bound again.

Bind me not to the pasture, chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling and I’ll return to you somehow.

In the quiet misty morning when the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing,
I’ll be homeward bound again.

-Music and Lyrics by Marta Keen

The Size of a medium Shrimp

2009-09-11T12:38:00.000-07:00

I have seen a lot of blog posts where people update their blog and say that their baby is the size of a lime, a lemon, a tomato etc... No one ever posts about the fact that their baby is the size of a medium shrimp!!!! Well according to our update that we just recieved, that is the size. Kind of a sick image, but we are excited for another week down and only 187 days to go! (our counter on the left side is wrong, our doctor moved us up a week!)

Ivory Living

2009-08-27T10:35:00.001-07:00

For those of you that don't know, Jon is going back to school to get his masters in real estate development at the University of Utah. We are very excited about this opportunity! It is only one year... and so far Jon is loving it!

Because of this, Jon isn't able to sell homes full time anymore. Ivory was kind enough to create a job for him to do marketing in Utah County and part time sales on the side. So for those of you that are looking for a home/townhome! Jon is still the guy you want to talk to!

At his meeting yesterday that talked about Ivory's new blog... www.ivoryliving.com This blog is totally focused on lifestyle, and gives you great tips for your home. Decorating ideas, maitenance, etc. I figure that since many of our friends are new homeowners, or will become homeowners in the future this would be a great tool for you as well! For example, did you know you can use RAIN X to clean your glass shower doors! NO MORE SQUEEGY! It keeps it clean for a long time.

Anyways, you should totally check it out. So far... we love it! www.ivoryliving.com

Scentsy- September 1st!

2009-08-18T18:25:00.001-07:00

The New fall Scents are going to be available September 1st! This is my favorite time of year, and best time for Scentsy! If you are interested in ordering some new scents let me know, I will be putting in an order the first week in September!

Also, if you are interested in hosting a Scentsy party to earn free product let me know. The fall/winter time is the best time to host!

Sleeping in...

2009-08-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

Lily slept in until 12:30 today... she NEVER does this, we thought for sure something was wrong. Turns out she was just tired. What a wonderful gift sleeping in is.

This is definitely a story for the blog.

March 25th

2009-08-06T11:19:00.001-07:00

Please pay note to the new addition of the ticker on the left side of our blog.

Thank you.

Only 27 days...

2009-08-04T10:16:00.000-07:00

Until this Elder comes home!

We are so excited for him to finally meet Lily... 2 years later!

Attention:

2009-07-25T12:39:00.000-07:00

Due to recent budget cuts, layoffs and the rising cost of electricity, gas and oil, "The Light at the End of the Tunnel" has been turned off. We apologize for any inconvenience.

It has been one of those weeks.

Jackson Hole!

2009-07-15T09:41:00.001-07:00

Jackson Hole has always been a tradition in the Lefrandt Family... for as long as I can remember we have gone to Jackson Hole for the fourth of July or sometime around there. The trip usually includes Bubba's BBQ... I only go for the buttermilk pie, fly fishing (didn't catch anything this year... water levels too high in the rivers), White Water rafting, Running, eating lots of food, game nights, TEE PEES for breakfast, the parade, fire work shows... it is the most amazing little Norman Rockwell town. We love it and hope the tradition lives on! Here are some pictures of this year. Happy Fourth of July.

Bad bloggers...

2009-07-08T16:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry you guys. We are horrible bloggers lately. We will try to be better. PROMISE. Here are some pictures to make up for it.

Happy Birthday Dad

2009-06-04T20:48:00.001-07:00

Today is Dad's 47th Birthday. I guess it is true, only the good die young. We miss him everyday, but today is one of those days where you wish he could come if even for just one night. We miss you PaPa. Happy Birthday.

I heart Mothers

2009-05-11T12:50:00.000-07:00

I got an email from my mom yesterday for Mothers day. She always knows just the right thing to say to uplift and inspire me. I am posting a couple little excerpts from her letter, and hopefully they will inspire you too. But more than anything she knows just how to love and cherish her children as a mother should. And I am so grateful for her example. I love you Mama!!

"To My Beautiful Daughters for Mother’s Day

With tears streaming down my face, I am writing to tell you that I feel I couldn’t be a more blessed Mother. I have 7 of the most beautiful daughters in all of the world. Many people have always commented on your outward beauty and that is a nice thing, and oh so true, but the beauty that melts my heart is the inward beauty that I see in each one of you. I could not be more proud as I watch and hear about the service and support you are all giving to each other.

I want you to know that I know how challenging and discouraging your job as wife, and mother can be. I have been there and remember so many times when I cried to my mother, “ I have no idea how you raised 8 children, I have had it and wonder if I can deal with some of these challenges even one more day.” She would smile and say, “ I know just how you feel, because I had those same thoughts and feelings along the way.” As I have said many times, “ I have come to realize that ANYTHING WORTHWHILE IN THIS LIFE TAKES WORK AND SACRIFICE.” Believe me when I tell you that you are engaged in the most worthwhile, significant, life altering , magnanimous work on this Earth. There is nothing you could be doing that would make more of a difference in this world than being a righteous Mother.

I feel that President Spencer Kimball’s statement pertains to each one of you.

To be a righteous woman is a glorious thing in any age. To be a righteous woman during the winding up scenes on this earth, before the second coming of our Savior, is an especially noble calling. The righteous woman’s strength and influence today can be tenfold what it might be in more tranquil times. She has been placed here to help enrich, to protect, and to guard the home – which is society’s basic and most noble institution. Other institutions may falter and even fail, but the righteous woman can help to save the home, which may be the last and only sanctuary some mortals know in the midst of storm and strife.”

Our Little Mini Vaca

2009-05-09T10:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we were able to go to my brother-in-law Riley's parents house in St. George. It was so much fun!! It was the perfect little vacation for us. Riley's mom was so adorable and made us feel so welcome. We just hung out by the pool the whole time, and on Saturday we left the kids and went to Vegas with Mykelle and Ry. As I look at the pictures I'm thinking "Did I have to come home?"

Uncle Ry playing with Lily

Sweet little baby Adelaid

Lily LOVED swimming with her Daddy!

Riley and Bella Jumping off the rocks. They tried to get Lily to do it. I said "NO WAY". Maybe next year.

The most fun slide ever. Lily even started to go down by herself. We were so proud.

Isn't Jon so hot?!?! We love our night together in Vegas.

MARCH MADNESS!!!

2009-04-02T15:10:00.001-07:00

March was a crazy and fun month for us. I love March because we kick it off with Jon's birthday on the first...that's always a great start! And then there is always the 1- 1 1/2 weeks of really great weather in March to give us a break from all this bitter cold. The down side of that however is going back to the cold once Spring has decided to tease us. Seems like the depression gets twice as bad, because I realize I now have to go back to the hideousness of winter clothes just when I got all excited getting out my spring clothes. The good news is, I know I can suffer through because I've done it for 25 years previous to this one. Meanwhile, here are all of our fun photos from March :)

We kicked off the birthday weekend with the Vanilla Ice/MC Hammer concert...I realized how old I've become by just sitting in the seats and having no desire to join all partiers down below.

Our theme song for the day was "Lucky to be in love with my best friend"

Lily had so much fun at Kangaroo Zoo for Amy's birthday!

Except for when she tipped the stool upside down and then got stuck.

Making Caramel apples at Gigi's.

I took away the apple the Gigi had dipped in white chocolate for her...oops.

Then she got it back.

We babysat baby Adelaide overnight and Lily was the best helper. She LOVED to hold her and of course, give her her bink (or occasionally steel it).

We figured out how to work the ipod

And finally, this picture was taken just a couple days ago when she got the flu. We got our TV in our room just in time...it was a lifesaver!

Um... time for a new post?

2009-03-30T16:31:00.001-07:00

The Lefrandt family seriously fell off the blog wagon. I think Ash spent so much time on her list of one thousand things (see below) that she felt like she was done blogging for the year. This post is for all of you to comment and razz Ash to get her to blog... after all we don't want her to turn into her sister Mykelle who blogs 3 times a year now do we?

2009-02-06T08:22:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Lisanne did this on her blog and I loved it. I realized how similar we are in so many way that I didn't know before, and of course I loved to learn about her and the unique qualities she posesses that make me love her. So I'm copying her.

MY TOP 40

1. I used to be a morning person, but since having Lily I'll do anything to sleep in till 8
2. The part I get the most compliments on is my hands
3. I have no clue how to bargain shop. For me it's all or nothing...something I'm desperately trying to figure out how to change.
4. I love to get captivated in a good book.
5. I love, love, love when it's pouring rain outside.
6. I love to bake when it's cold
7. When I get a pedicure it's either a classic red, pink or french. Never anything else.
8. Since getting older I prefer to ride in silence in the car...it's my time to think.
9. My favorite movie in the world is You've Got Mail. My mom and I have watched this hundred of times together and my dad and Jon love to make fun of us for it.
10. I believe my husband can do anything in the world
11. My baby girl is the most precious thing in the world to me
12. I've always wanted to live on the East coast. For whatever reason I feel like the people there are hightly educated, successful and full of class...which I love.
13. I'm a total homebody
14. A day with my sisters is just about as exciting to me as anything in the world. No matter what we are doing.
15. If I could play any sport it would be tennis, and I'm determined to learn to play better this summer.
16. If I could collect anything it would be dishes...just like my momma.
17. The best day of my life, hands down, was my wedding day
18. The best experience of my life has been having Lily and being a mother.
19. I love my friends and need them in my life but only in small doses, and my truest friends understand that about me.
20. On a totally shallow note, I think being a high society girl on the upper East side of Manhattan would be so amazing
21. I love to surround myself with people who inspire me.
22. I love to watch my husband watch The Office.
23. My absolute biggest pet peeve is chewed up gum anywhere but the mouth. If I see it laying around I get so grossed out. And those people who take out their gum to save it for later absolutely astonish me!!
24. I have the most amazing family. We all have our differences, but at the end of the day we allknow how to forgive and love one another. We are each other's best friends.
25. Most of the time I would much rather put $40 toward clothes than spend it on a nice meal...something my husband totally hates and ignores about me. In fact, we can't even discuss it anymore.
26. I hate confrontation, but I don't shy away from it if I feel it's necessary.
27. I'm so sad that David Osmond got kicked off American Idol:( I don't think anyone in this world has a better voice. I've begged him in the past to record How Great Thou Art and he still hasn't done it. So David, if you ever read this...I'm still begging.
28. I gained the most insight on myself when my older sister went on her mission and I stopped comparing myself to her.
29. I met my Hottie Hubby after scoping him out at my best friends wedding
30. I am the worst gift giver. I get anxiety over giving the wrong thing. And having to be sentimental...forget about it.
31. I love sunday dinner
32. I rarely put lotion on
33. I LOVE Chik Fil-A chicken nugget with polynesian sauce and diet lemonade...YUM!
34. I get so nervous to give to much mac-n-cheese or too many hot dogs to Lily for fear of giving her cancer one day
35. My dream car is a brand new black Tahoe (not to be confused with my current grey, definitely not brand new one) or X5
36. I am ALWAYS looking for a new hair do and new make-up
37. My old white house will always take me back to my childhood and some of the best memories of my life.
38. All of my High School girlfriends (they absolutely hate this term but I have no other way to distinguish) are obsessed with fantasizing over vampires, phantoms, warlocks, wizards and other weird things, and I couldn't identify less. It's in these moments when I realize it's okay to be different.
39. I want to own a house in the Hamptons one day. Or at least rent one out every summer
40. I Love to cook dinner. I believe that dinner around a table every night is one of the best places to teach children and create memories.

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2009-01-09T10:40:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful Christmas. It was our year to go with Jon's family and we had so much fun. We did Christmas eve at Di's and went home at about midnight to sleep in our own beds. On Christmas morning we woke up and did our own little Christmas at our house and then went back to Jon's mom's for the rest of the day. We just hung out in our jammies all day and ate. It was the perfect day.

Who wants to have to eat breakfast on Christmas morning?
She was wearing pants, she just likes to take them off.
Lily loves her Aunt Abby
I'm aware that this is kind of gross, but anyone who knows Lily knows that this is her classic face. Unfortunately there was food in her mouth at the time, but this is the only picture I have of it.

Lily's favorite part was all the pretty ribbon

Lily was so excited that Bella shared her Princess dress ups. Lily just loved being Snow White for a day!

Santa Clause is coming to town!

2008-12-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

You better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout I'm telling you why.... Santa Clause is coming... to town!

Here is Lily practicing her smile in her jammies for Christmas morning!

Every year Santa comes and visits all of the kids on the Christensen side. This year he came to Gigi's house! (or Diamond as the other kids call her) They were all so good and sang as loud as they could when he came in. Can you see Aunt Abbie holding her?
Here are all the kids singing, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Santa Clause!

Lily got her turn to sit on Santa's lap! We know that Santa has a lot of helpers that dress like him to be with all the children, but we are convinced that this guy is the real deal! Ash and I made a bet to see if Lily would scream when she sat on Santa's lap or not... I won. She didn't. She did great.... we will see about next year!

Jing a ling... Jing Jing a ling...

2008-11-28T10:49:00.001-08:00

Attention: For those of you that have your volume on silent, I suggest turning up your volume now. It will give this post a little bit more ambience and get you in the mood for some incredible holiday pictures... Also, if you would like to look at a more detailed version of the picture simply click on the photo of your choosing and the photo will instantly enlarge. Now sit back and enjoy.

With Lowell and Judy on their mission in Singapore we figured this was our year to go "all out". We had a "festive sweater" Thanksgiving this year with prizes for the best get ups. We were impressed with everyones outfits. It made it a ton of fun, and now we have some pretty awesome pictures for our posterity.

None of the pictures fully captures our attire however... Ash won the grand prize with her denim christmas jumper, polygamist poof hair, wreath earings and french braid. I actually won 3rd place.You really should have seen me in my polyester blue pants, snowflake turtle neck and Mr. Rogers sweater... my nick name for the evening was Chester...

Here are all the guys. I was a particular fan of Rileys dangling bells from his Red Cowboy Christmas sweater (he won 2nd place) and Andrews last minute sweater with the beautiful Noel hanging from it. Good times had by all... It really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!

Happy Birthday Lily Girls!

2008-10-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe sometimes that our little Lily is one! She is walking around everywhere, getting in to every cupbooard and drawer... We are starting to get the screaming thing a little bit more under control. But in the end, we think she is the cutest little thing. We love her sweet kisses and that she is starting to snuggies mommy and daddy. She brings us more joy than we ever could have imagined, and are so grateful for the purpose and meaning that she has brought to our life. We love you Lily! Happy First birthday.

As many of you also know... we didn't waste any time getting started on our family. In October we also celebrated our 2 year anniversary! 2 years of pure bliss! (right hon!) It is amazing how fast time flies, and how much you can accomplish and your life can change in 2 years. It is so fun doing it all with your very best friend. And now we have our little shadow (Lily) to join in our journey. Happy Anniversary hon. Loves. xoxo.

Date Change!!!

2008-10-11T10:33:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone:

Just wanted to let you know we had to change the date of the Lily Bella Boutique for the following weekend due to UEA! So mark your calendars and tell all of your friends.

Friday October 24th
2:00-8:00

Saturday October 25th
10:00-3:00

Because the facility is so large, if you are someone you know would like to participate in the Boutique let me know! We would be more than happy to have you come and join us.

I will be sending out a flyer too for everyone to send via email to their friends and family tha includes some of our vendors.

See you all there!

2008-09-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars!

When: October 17th 2:00-8:00

October 18th 10:00-2:00

Where: Ivory Ridge Clubhouse

(3 miles East off the Thanksgiving Point Exit)

Featuring: Precious Baby Items, Candles, Aprons, Designer Jeans and Sweats, Clarisonic Skin Care, Books, Crafts and more! You won't want to miss this!

See you there!

Homeward Bound

2008-09-14T08:28:00.001-07:00

H a r o l d W i l l i a m L e f r a n d t

June 4, 1962- September 14, 2008

In the quiet misty morning when the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing and the sky is clear and red.
When the summer’s ceased its gleaming,
When the corn is past its prime,
When adventure’s lost its meaning,
I’ll be homeward bound in time.

Bind me not to the pasture, chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling and I’ll return to you somehow.

If you find it’s me you're missing, if you’re hoping I’ll return.
To your thoughts I’ll soon be list’ning, and in the road I’ll stop and turn.
Then the wind will set me racing as my journey nears its end.
And the path I’ll be retracing when I’m homeward bound again.

Bind me not to the pasture, chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling and I’ll return to you somehow.

In the quiet misty morning when the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing,
I’ll be homeward bound again.

-Music and Lyrics by Marta Keen

Funeral Times

Wednesday, September 17th 2008

9:30-10:30 Viewing

11:00 Funeral

Alpine North Stake Center

1125 East Alpine Boulevard

Alpine, UT

Lately....

2008-09-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

Thought I would let you in on our lives:

* Lily took 3 steps on Sunday during church. I swear she learns everything in church... this is where she learned how to wave bye bye, and clap her hands and my favorite... scream!!!

* Lily actually crawled all the way up the stairs all by herself (literally) yesterday. Ash was in the bathroom getting ready, and I was down stairs working on dinner and low and behold, Lily crawled all the way up the stairs. She was SOOO proud of her self. This morning we tried working on getting her to go down the stairs... but she thinks the only way to to do it is face first. I think we need to keep a better eye on her...

* Lily has figured out how to strengthen her vocal cords. She screams when she is happy, screams when she is sad, screams when she is hungry, screams when she is tired, screams when she is excited, screams when she wants something, screams when she lacks attention, screams when she has attention... she screams ALL THE TIME. Yes, our sweet little Lily has entered the screaming stage. Too much fun...

* Her favorite toy of all time is the cell phone. It is shocking to me that the baby toy makers can not make a toy that compares to Mom and Dads cell phone. She has a huge basket of toys downstairs and they could not bore her more. The remote and the cell phone are her toys of choice. And she always says Da Da into the phone... her only word she knows.

* The other morning she got up a little early, and we were too tired to take her downstairs so we decided to let her roll around in our bed. It was during those hours that she FINALLY learned how to give kisses... she took turns giving them to each of us. During these moments, we forget how much she loves to scream.

* It has been so cute to see Lily light up when she is around my Dad. Many of you know that he is in hospice and has a hospital bed at my parents home. Whenever she sees him she wants to crawl right in bed with him and cuddle up to his face. It is so cute. She is going to miss her papa when he is gone.

Goodbye Mom and Dad!

2008-08-23T10:16:00.000-07:00

My parents recently left for a mission to Singapore. They will be serving as public affairs missionaries and will cover Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. As public affairs missionaries their primary responsibility will be to create relationships between these countries and the church so that more doors might be opened to spread the gospel over there. We miss them soooo much but are so proud of the work they are doing. It was an incredible sacrifice for them to leave all their Grandbabies and us kids at home, but they are firm in their faith that there is no better way they could bless our lives as their children than going and serving the Lord. Love you mom and dad!!!

My Dads blog

2008-07-30T16:12:00.001-07:00

Hello friends and family:

I thought I would post a link to my Dads blog. Many of you have heard the news that the cancer came back and many of you have asked about his current condition. So here is the link. We will try and update it each week, and any time anything happens.

Thank you so much for all of your love and support. It means more than you know.

http://www.thelefrandtfamily.blogspot.com/

Love,

Jon

Our Sweet Sweet Lily Girls...

2008-07-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

Lily is growing up way to fast... honestly, where has the time gone? She turns 9 months old on Sunday. She is on the verge of crawling, we catch her sitting up in her crib, she wants to eat everything and her little personality just keeps blossoming! We are loving being parents... she has brought us so much joy. Michele Reyes did such a great job capturing all of her fun expressions. Thank you Michele! Hope you all enjoy these pictures as much as we do! We can't stop looking at them!

A Sneak Peek!

2008-06-21T09:13:00.001-07:00

We just received this proof from our photographer and had to share! She is the most beautifulous baby girls in da whole wide world!

We are so excited to see the rest and will be sure to post them as soon as they get here! We can hardly wait!

A Time For Change...Again

2008-06-16T09:37:00.002-07:00

So I'm a little late on posting some of these but now I have a fully functioning computer and my camera back!

Me and my sweet Lily on Mothers Day...she really is an angel and fills my life with so much Joy

Happy Birthday Bryce! Partying in true Bryce fashion.
Go Bees! We went to the Bees game with some of my family and took Jon's little sister and her friend with us. We made it out with no spilled beer on us and no foul balls hitting us so overall it was a really fun night.
Mommy, big girl and daddy on tracks up to the game (this was right before Lily threw up everywhere. I think she gets a little motion sick like both her parents).
Playing at my friend Jenn Fossums house. Thanks for the lunch Jenn, it was so much fun!
Jon thinks this is Lily's most unflattering angle, but I love this picture and had to show the teeth!

Time for change

2008-06-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

Well... Life in the Lefrandt household has been some what chaotic and full of change. I am posting just three pictures, simply because I haven't had time to upload the others. You would think that things like that would be so simple, and things like posting on blogs would be simple as well... I guess we are just going to have to try a little harder.

Jon finally graduated from BYU with a degree in Advertising and Marketing. He opted to not start his new job with Ivory Homes until May 20th and we spent some time together as a family without the stresses of school and work. While the bank account is much lower, and it was a struggle for Jon to overcome the stresses of not seeing money come in the bank like it used to... it was exactly what the Lefrandt family needed... some time together.

We also took some to go back to where Jon is from, Seattle! Jon grew up there and always said, "You will never fully know me until you have been to Seattle." We are going to save our Seattle stories/memories for the next post... stay tuned!

Lily is growing like a weed and we can tell that her crawling days are just around the corner. She has now entered the world of eating solids!! she loves banana's, sweet potatoes and rice cereal... She also loves to squeel during Daddy's lessons at church. Needless to say, we have never appreciated church in peace and quiet more ;) But we get a kick out of her and love watching her through all of her little stages.

We would also like to apologize for the lack of posting. Please forgive us. We will try to be better as we enter the new, fun filled stage of full time work, and full time parenthood... wish us luck!

It's a SMALL WORLD!!!

2008-05-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

A little over three years ago I got back from my mission. I served in Sendai Japan and loved my time there! I had a lot of companions that were from the States and I had two companions from Australia. My little brother Matt got his mission call to Brisbane Australia and has loved his experience thus far. It was shocking to me to recieve a letter from my brother informing me that my former companion (that I had TWICE) Elder Ngtai was his ward mission leader!!! Elder Ngtai is the man, we had a blast together, we served as Assistants under President Bird together and it has been fun exchanging emails and catching back up. He is the father of two and seems to be doing really well. As if this wasn't a small enough coincidence...
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The last picture is at a Zone Leader Conference. The Elder right below me (we are both wearing pink ties) is Elder Semaan. He was my last companion in the mission home. He is also from Australia and was visiting his brother who just so happens to be in the same ward that Matt (Elder Lefrandt) is serving in!

It has been extremely fun for me to see Matt interacting and doing missionary work with two of the Elders that I loved most. They were both amazing missionaries and are good friends. Elder Ngtai often saves Matt when they are out of food and will bring a loaf of bread over, and has gone tracting with him on a couple of occasions. They both told Matt that he is just like me, and when we talked to Matt on Mothers day he says it is shocking that I act a lot like them! We all seem to be rubbing off on each-other. It truly is a small world after all...

Happy Mothers Day!!

2008-05-10T12:18:00.000-07:00

Dearest Mothers,

I just wanted to take a quick second and write a quick thank you to all of the mothers out there. Whether you are my mother, my mother in-law, the mother of my children or simply someone else's mother... I wanted to say THANK YOU. I often think about where my life would be without my own mother and realize... I would be a much different person without her influence.

I am grateful that I married a woman that is an amazing mother. I never doubted she could do it! This is what she has lived her life for! She always longed for the day when she would have a baby to call her own. Lily has brought us so much joy, but she is a lot of work. Ash does it effortlessly. She loves what she does and she is great at it! I think she is the greatest Mom out there and I am so glad I married her. For time and eternity. Love you Ash! Happy FIRST Mothers day!

Love,

Jon

Farewell to BYU...

2008-04-23T15:11:00.001-07:00

I thought I would first just share some insight with each of you readers. To attend Brigham Young University has been my dream since I knew what it was. My parents both attended BYU, and several of my cousins played football for BYU. What can I say? My blood runs blue... cougar blue! What many of you don't know is that I didn't get into BYU at first. I was completely devastated when I received my rejection letter. I attended BYU Idaho my freshman year. It was fun, but still not the goal that I had set. After returning home from my mission I was committed. I actually applied to BYU again while I was on my mission and still did not get in. After my third attempt of applying my hard work, determination and perseverance paid off. I became a full time student at Brigham Young University. I began my journey to fulfilling my life long dream.

There were semesters that I really struggled. Those long nights studying for American Heritage and Accounting in the Library are oddly some of my fondest memories. Staying at the library until 2:00 AM when you hear the music blaring and having them tell you to GET OUT and GO HOME.
There were also those semester where I really thrived. Last semester I got a 3.7 while taking 16 credits and that was the semester that Lily was born. That is certainly something that I never thought possible.

Today, I presented my capstone presentation in the basement of the MOA to our faculty and our client that flew in from Los Angeles. It was a great culmination of everything that I have learned at BYU and gave me an appreciation for the education that I have received. There is an amazing feeling when you are on campus. Today as I made my way across campus and drove home it started to set in... I am done! Am I really done? or is it just the beginning. Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve. May be a cheesy line, but for me it exhilarates me. This is what BYU is all about.

To sum up my thoughts, and not bore you to death I thought I would make a list of some of the things I will miss most:
* Eaves dropping on random couples DTR's in front of the Wilk or Library. These DTR's usually evolved around whether they received a spiritual confirmation to date or not... these are some of my favorite eaves dropping convo's.
* The random singing guys that sing between classes.
* The couples that choose to sit in a very public location, usually on the grass in-between buildings and just stare into each-others eyes... SHOCKING what some people will do.
* I will miss being a BYU student when we beat the U of U at Basketball or Football. Being an Alum and watching it will be fun,but never the same....
* I am obsessed with the vanilla frosting sprinkle donuts that are offered at the bookstore. Nothing is better... the month of December was dedicated to a bi-weekly visit for these donuts.
* The Brimhall. This is the building where all my advertising classes were held. It was my home away from home, and I felt that all the people that were on campus that were most like me took classes here. We had some good times.
* Doug McKinlay's classes. He was the best professor I had. Loved his dedication to helping students learn. He is... THE MAN.
* Favorite food joints included: Fro yo, Pudding on the Rice, Hollywood Juice Cafe (RIP), Smart Cookie, Guru's, California Pizza Kitchen, and Outback.

Now it is time to work for a living! Wish me luck! I just got a job as the Sales and Marketing Coordinator with Ivory Homes and am very excited!!

HUSBAND TAG!

2008-04-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

His name: Jonathan William Lefrandt
How long have you been married? 1 1/2 years
How old is he? 24 (he's my second baby)
Who eats more? In one sitting...him. I snack more throughout the day though.
Who said "I love you" first? Him of course...I would have never.
Who sings better? Well he's the one that gets calls to be in the ward and stake choir so I'll go with him :)
Who is smarter? When it comes to math or directions...definitely me. When it comes to creativity or money management...definitely him.
Whose temper is worse? Sad to say, mine. And that's saying something.
Who does the laundry? Me
Who does the dishes? We both do.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Jon. He claimed it the second we got married.
Who pays the bills? He does. I claimed that I didn't have to the second we got married. :)
Who mows the lawn? HOA
Who cooks dinner? Me
Who drives when we are together? He does...but I am always navigating. And not because I'm a back seat driver. He even admits that when I'm in the car with him his brain shuts off.
Who is more stubborn? Jon
Who is the first to admit they are wrong? Me
Whose parents do you see the most? I feel like it's pretty equal.
Who proposed? He did...so romantic.
Who has more friends? probably about the same. Most of his are still in Washington though.
Who has more siblings? Same Same 6 and 6. One oldest, one baby...they say that's the best combo!
Who wears the pants? Jon, only because I let him :)

Spit up and Sleep Overs!!!

2008-03-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

We are still going private so please keep leaving your email addresses, we don't want to leave anyone out.

Every time I get Lily out of her crib I am greeted by this adorable smile...this time it was accompanied by a bed and face full of spit up! I couldn't resist sharing.

My mom planned a girls night for all of us a couple of weeks ago. We got pedicures, went to dinner and a movie and of course stayed up all night talking in our matching PJ's (compliments of Judy). I was thrilled to have a night without Lily and get a full nights sleep...it turned out to be anything but a restful night but sooo much fun. I love my sisters! If anyone is wondering why look like an Indian it's because my sister Kimberly and I got spray tans that day too. I'm so sad it's already gone!

I have been promising Paigie a sleepover ever since I was pregnant but never came through. One day Brit told me that Paigie was asking why I haven't had her for a sleepover yet...I felt like the worst aunt. So we immediately scheduled it and had so much fun. Sailor came too and they were so good!

The time has come...

2008-03-26T08:50:00.001-07:00

Hello Blog World!

We are going to go private. We live in too crazy of a world! So please send us your email (and your spouses... we are always logged in to one of the two so it is sometimes nice to not have to just sign in all the time so just give us both) and we will add you to the list. We are going to do this pretty fast so get your email addresses to us quick! Or just email me at ashleylefrandt{at}gmail.com. Thanks everyone!!!

Happy 5 Month Lily Girl!

2008-03-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

Lily is growing so much! It is just shocking. Hopefully she will not be embarrassed by the picture of her adorable legs! (don't you want to just SQUEEZE them!!!) But I had to share. She is laughing, and giggling, playing, and loves to stand. She still has yet to roll. (I think it is because she has to many rolls!!!) But in all reality she is the best baby. Ash and I are understanding more and more the joys of being parents. We often are able to sit and pause and think, what was life like before Lily was here? In fact, Life has truly begun for us since she entered into our life. Now we can start living!

The Birthday Boy!

2008-03-04T16:03:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun on Jon's birthday! Jon's sister Jeanette took Lily all day and night so that we could just be together for the day...it was a dream! We woke up and went to breakfast and then got massages. After that we came home and just hung out with no baby to worry about. I felt like it was my birthday too!

We went to dinner that night at the cutest little restaurant. It's called the Paris Bistro. It's in the cutest little neighborhood in Sugarhouse. We highly recommend going for a romantic night.

Happy Birthday To The Love of My Life!

2008-02-29T12:21:00.000-08:00

So this is my first official post. Jon has done absolutely everything up to this point, but I decided I couldn’t let his birthday pass without a tribute to him to let him know how much I love him. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think that Jon was absolutely made for me. I can’t possibly write all the reasons why I love him, so here are just a few…
• Each and every day he gets out of bed with a resolve to accomplish as much as he can in that day and gets to work. He never lacks the motivation to become the best version of himself that he can possibly be and is constantly striving to reach his full potential.
• One of the things I love and adore most about Jon is how he always makes sure he makes time for me and Lily. He has one of the busiest schedules of anyone I know between his school schedule, work, and now he’s just taken on a new internship, but I never feel second. His priority is his family and he lets us know that every day.
• Jon is so thoughtful. It amazes me how he pays attention to everything I say and then the evidence shows up in a gift, or a treat I’ve been craving or just something I simply need. He is always taking time to think of my needs and wants and fulfills them for me.
• He is the BEST gift wrapper you’ve ever seen. Every package that he turns out looks like it’s straight out of a magazine. I’ve taken many gift wrapping lessons from my husband, and I’m proud to say I now take pride in my gift wrapping abilities…however I still don’t hold a candle to him.
• He is the cutest Dad in the whole world. He has an ability to make Lily laugh in a way that nobody else can. She can tell when her Daddy walks in the room. My favorite is when she just stares at him. It’s like she may have forgotten about him while he’s been gone all day but the second he shows up she looks at him and knows he’s someone special. And then he begins to speak to her and play with her and then she remembers…it’s her Daddy, and the world is perfect again.
• He always helps around the house. Almost every day he’s picking up my slack. He’ll fold the last batch of laundry, do the dishes, unload the dishwasher, straighten up the house, make the bed, and even cook dinner if I didn’t get to it. It may not be more than grilled cheese and tomato soup, but he’s always willing and never complains.
• He is such an example to me! He truly is strong in all of the areas I’m weak. I never worry about anything because I know he’ll always take care of me. I have the kind of confidence in my husband that I always had in my dad as a child. The kind that is pure and unwavering. As stressed as he can get about life and how he will provide and how he will accomplish all he has to do, I never worry. He has all the capabilities and attributes of a successful person. Not just financially, but physically, spiritually and emotionally. He puts the most important things first and knows that the rest will fall into place.

Happy Birthday Honey! I love you more than you will ever know!

Our Valentines Vacation Fulfilled :)

2008-02-19T08:42:00.000-08:00

For those of you who haven't seen Wicked. You are missing out. This was Ash's 3rd time seeing it, (two times in New York...) but she said that hands down the LA cast was the best! They were A M A Z I N G. That was well worth the trip in and of itself. We had never really been to Hollywood Blvd. But it was fun to be down there.

Here we are at the happiest place on earth... I have literally been dying to go for soo long now. Eventually Ash caught the fire as well and we ended up going! We met up with Ali and Jess Hobbins as well as Jess's husband David. Nicest guy alive. We had an absolute blast. The park was a little bit crowded but we got in pretty much every ride we wanted too... we wish we had one more day to enjoy the magic kingdom!
We also had reservations at a hotel, but... our Nephew Tanner convinced us that the Sofa Sleeper Bed in Breakfast was the best in Southern California... so we decided to stay! Thanks Tan for making us breakfast in bed! You are the best!
While Lily didn't get to go to Disneyland or Wicked with us... she still had the best time with her Aunt Kimmy and Godmother Allice :) (She really was such a good baby through both of the flights and sleeping in the port a crib) Isn't she the cutest?!?

And to top the whole trip off we had to see baby Halle Rose Zeedik! She is so cute and soo tiny. Brit and Matt are doing really well... Ash took some video footage to show all of her high school girlfriends so don't you worry!

We had the best time and are officially obsessed with California! We are going back in April to babysit the Hunters! We are so excited!

Happy Four Month... To Our Baby Girl!

2008-02-07T14:44:00.000-08:00

Our sweet baby girl just turned four months! It is unbelievable how fast time has gone and how big she is growing! I know most of you have already seen this picture, and as soon as we find our adaptor for our camera to upload new pictures again... we will post some pictures of our little peanut! Lily we sure do love you!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Happy Valentines Day... a little early!!!

2008-01-30T21:30:00.001-08:00

Well, this year... I decided that I wanted to take my little family on my dream trip for Valentines Day. I have literally been dreaming of California for months now (ok, really its been Hawaii, but since we can't come close to affording that trip we will have to settle for California) No, but seriously... If the cost of living wasn't so high, I would seriously consider moving there. But anyways... California here we come!!!!

So starting on February 14th, 2008 our travel itinerary includes the following:

1. WICKED (just got done buying the tickets!)
I have just heard that this musical is amazing for far too long. My wife has blasted the soundtrack and it is time to finally see this story come to life!

2. DISNEYLAND!!!
Ok, ok... we know Lily isn't old enough to enjoy this part... that is why we are leaving her with a sitter. But Ash and I are kids at heart and for some strange reason have had this overwhelming desire to go to Disneyland since the day we got married... this was a large part of the inspiration for this trip!!!

3. BABY ZEEDIK
We are going to see our friends Brit and Matt Zeedik and their new addition!! Lily has been waiting for her friend to get here and now the time has finally come.

4. The Biff
(Miss Allie Hobbins) lives there now, and we miss her too much. So we have to see her.

5. And of course... the Hunter Clan! Lily is so excited to see Aunt Kimmy (they share the same birthday...)

This is our one moment of splurging on a trip! But we figure its now or never... reality is going to kick in soon enough, and trips like this will not happen as frequently. We are soooo excited. Expect some fun pictures soon! Goodbye Snow... hello SUNSHINE!!!

We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet...

2008-01-27T19:57:00.000-08:00

President Hinckley we will miss you! He was the prophet of our generation and a man that we will remember forever. I bet he is so happy to be with his sweet Marjorie!

We thank thee O God for a Prophet...

Lily's Baby Blessing

2008-01-07T08:41:00.001-08:00

This was such a surreal day for Ash and I... it is kind of like leaving for a mission, and getting married... blessing a baby was always something my parents did, and now it was our turn! The day was so special with so many of our closest loved ones there. We could not be more grateful for each of you and for all that you did to make Lily's big day so special! Thank you to you all!

Love,

Jon, Ashley and Baby Lily :)

P.S.

Can I just say that I am so grateful that we have both sides of our family that like each other. It makes our get togethers that much more fun!!!

Christmas, New Years... Catch up time!

2008-01-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

We be Blogging...

2008-01-02T12:15:00.000-08:00

Well... since we are constantly trying to improve our blogging skills... My parents bought Ash and I the new Flip Video cameras... We haven't used it much yet, but we know... it is going to change our life! haha... we are now able to directly upload videos from our camera to our blog. Amazing.

We had an amazing Christmas with the Anderson family this year. Here is a shot of Christmas morning...

ok, please ignore the fact that I sound like a complete idiot when I talk "baby talk" to Lily, but hey... I am new at this parenting thing, and besides... I think she likes it :) I am sure she is smiling and thinking, gosh, my Dad is weird.

This is Lily with her cousin Sailor. Sailor was sooo cute, i think she more excited about playing with Lily than any of her presents. She just kept coming up to Lily and kissing her, and saying "My baby..." She is such a doll. We love her so much!

Long story Short. This is the camera. We LOVE ours... now, we can officially say that we are BLOGGERZ4LIFE!

Happy New Year!

Joseph, Mary and.... Baby Jesus?!?!

2007-12-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

We are LOVING our ward here in Lehi. We have met some great friends, and have loved almost everything about it... For our Christmas party they asked us to be Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus... For the most part I think the church is true wherever you go... but apparently in our ward in Lehi they think Jesus is a girl... :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2007-12-03T09:10:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of our first family trip with Lily! Mom and Dad rented out a place up at Deer Valley... this was also the first Thanksgiving that we have done away from home like that too! It worked out great! We had an absolute blast.

GO COUGARS! With Ash being a BYU Grad, and me... just 12 credits shy of my degree, we were glad that we had one more year of bragging rights against our Ute family and friends... it was a close one once again, and once again Cougars take the win! Thanks Dad (Lowell) for great season tickets! We loved every minute of it!

Lily has lots of boyfriends!

2007-11-28T07:44:00.001-08:00

Lily and Baby Cooper Broadbent... he came to visit after Lily was born!

Cole and Tommy were fighting over Lily....

it looks to me like she chose Cole! Do you notice the sucking of Cole's cheek in this picture!

It's Christmas Time!

2007-11-26T09:23:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you... but in our house, we are EXCITED for Christmas to be here! Thanksgiving was amazing, we went up to Deer Valley with the Lefrandt clan, and couldn't of had more fun! Thank you Mom and Dad for an amazing trip! We ate a lot of yummy food, went shopping at the outlets (day after Thanksgiving sales!), saw some movies... August Rush is amazing for those that haven't seen it, relaxed and had a ball. Couldn't of been more happy. We are excited to openly listen to Christmas music, everyone is getting their lights on their homes, and trees up. We decorated our house last night! I will post pictures soon!

This Christmas is a special one, it is a dream fulfilled for me. I have always dreamed about Christmas with my own little family... and now with my wife and baby I feel like it is a dream come true. While Lily may not remember this Christmas, I always and forever will :)

I hope this post finds each of you well, and enjoying the holiday season! Hopefully we will all be posting more pics soon!

Merry Christmas to All!

Love,

Jon, Ash and Baby Lily :)

Our Sweet Sweet Baby...

2007-11-10T13:02:00.001-08:00

We just had to share... Lily is so adorable, these pictures just captured her beautifully. We couldn't be more excited to have her here, and couldn't LOVE her more!!!!

Sweeet, Sweet Baby....

2007-10-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

These are just a few little pics our photographer sent us, we can't wait to see the rest!

Lily has brought us so much Joy and Happiness, and such an amazing feeling into our home. It is truly hard to imagine what life was like without her. We couldn't be happier and more grateful that she is ours forever.

Totally Tagged!

2007-10-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

First, sorry to Steph and Lis! I have been slightly distracted with the baby lately, and... we don't have internet at our new place yet. My apologies.... here we go everyone! I've been tagged!!!

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1. When I was little I had more imaginary friends than probably anyone you know. I could entertain myself for hours. I would teach school, tennis, and pretend to take carpool while riding on my bike. My brothers and sisters still tease me, but hey, they say that children who have great imaginations are smarter:)

2. I thought I was a creative person until I met my husband. He puts me to shame so much that I really don't even try anymore. But that's about to change. One of my goals for 2008 is to pick back up the fun creative things that I used to do all the time.

3. I was actually the one who spotted Jon first. I saw him at Lisanne's wedding and wondered who he was. I didn't say anything to Lisanne about it for a couple of months because I was a little bit scared of being rejected. But one day I had a little voice in my head tell me to just ask her about him...what did I have to lose? Boy am I glad I did!!! Love you honey.

4. I have stayed in the original Bachelor house. My friend Brittney's Husbands best friends parents (got that?)own a house in Malibu and they rented it out to ABC for the Bachelor. We all got to go down and stay in the house for a few days...that was a trip I will never forget.

5. I don't have many regrets in life but if I could do it over I would change a few things. I would have taken my voice lessons more seriously and really persued developing my voice.

6. My whole life I've dreamed of being a mother, and just 12 days ago, my dream came true. I have the most beautiful baby girl in the whole world and I am in heaven every day! Words can't describe how incredible this experience is. I feel like I've arrived!!

So Fun! Ok, so I tag... Shanna, Katie Hillstead, Shannon Cornelius, Kari Tuttle, Jenna Vela, and...Brit Anderson! GO!!!

Happy One Year Anniversary!

2007-10-15T07:02:00.001-07:00

It was just one year ago that Ash and I got married. This year has been so amazing, and so crazy all at the same time. Our wedding anniversary is actually on the 14th, so we celebrated it on the 13th this year because it was a Saturday. I took Ash out to dinner at La Caille... it was GORGEOUS out there and the food was amazing. Lily stayed home with Grandma Judy. It was hard to leave her, but we figured being that it is our anniversary we needed to go out and celebrate!

Last night, we celebrated by eating the top part of our wedding cake. Suprisingly yummy after a year of sitting in the freezer! Who knew! And we watched our wedding video while holding Lily in our arms. This year has been so fun! What a fun way to top it off with the most adorable baby in our arms! Ash... thanks for the best year ever! Here's to many more! Loves.

Hi Everyone! My name is Baby Lily!

2007-10-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

This is our first family photo! Ashley had to have an emergency c section after her water broke unexpectantly while I was at priesthood session in Alpine! Her water broke at 6:15PM and Lily was born at 8:11PM on Saturday night! She weighed 7 lbs 5 ounces and is 19 1/2 inches long! We couldn't feel more blessed as we watched the Lord protect our little family throughout the day of her birth. From doing 360's on the freeway, to having the doctor miraculously in town when he wasn't supposed to be. We know that he is mindful of us and we are grateful that he has trusted us with this precious little spirit.

I know I am going to be a pretty strict Dad... but we decided to let her go on her first date with her friend Tommy. We approve ;)

Ash with all of her high school girlfriends and their adorable babies!

With Auntie Lulu and second cousin Cha Cha... who is going to show her the ropes ;)