The DeCoria's

Cruise

2011-11-28T16:21:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous time on our cruise to the Bahamas with friends and family! HUGE thanks to my mom and dad (and sister) for taking care of Sydney, she had so much fun and we know she was well taken care of!

I would highly recommend taking a cruise with family/friends, it was so fun to have people on board that we knew!

We left Sunday evening from Pasco and flew all night, with stops in Salt Lake and LA before finally arriving in Miami on Monday morning. We arrived at 6 am, and we couldnt board the cruise ship until noon. So we went to an outside shopping complex that was right on the water. We were super exhausted so we just hung out and relaxed there until we could board. I think that was the longest 6 hours of my life. Next time remind me NOT to take a redeye flight. Finally it was time to board and we met up with a bunch of family and friends for lunch! We spent the first day exploring the ship, napping, and eating! It was a nice relaxing day!

Day 2: We were still pretty tired from our trip to miami and not used to the time change yet, so we slept in which was super nice! Our stop for the day was Grand Bahama Island. We met up with our group (most of them) and headed to the Island. We had so much fun at the beach that day!

Burying each other in the sand (some had a little too much fun with this by giving the ones buried extra body parts, hahaha), swimming in the water, which ended up being a bit colder than we thought it would be, and just soaking up the sun! We also all passed around coconuts, which we later realized had a bit of alcohol in them, oops! Guess there is a first time for everything! I could have sworn there wasn't anything in them, it tasted fine to me. Guess I was wrong about that!

After we got back on the ship we met up with everyone for dinner. Dinner on board was very nice, the food was good, not great, but good. But the best part was you could order anything you wanted, as much as you wanted, for free! Ahhhh it was so nice! That night we watched the comedy show on board, which was funny! I along with a few other family members were participants in the show. Good times!

(Fred with the comedian)

Day 3: This was such a fun day! Our whole group booked an excursion together and went to Atlantis! I had never been there before but it didn't disappoint! We easily could have spent a few more days there! We spent the day floating on the amazing lazy river, going on water slides, enjoying the aquarium, and more! I would definitely recommend going there if you have a chance! In the evening we enjoyed dinner and more shows on board!

Andrea, Brooke, and I at Atlantis

Part of the group at dinner one evening

Day 4: Thursday was spent relaxing at the beach, soaking up sun and enjoying each other's company! The ship stopped at the cruise line owned island and it was great. We rented snorkeling gear, and a giant "party" innertube. The guys had lots of fun with the tube playing king of the mountain and trying to get eachother off of it. Im pretty sure at one point we had a record number of people on the tube, which said maximum occupancy was 4 people.

After returning to the ship we again met up for dinner with the group. Later, we watched the Newlywed game onboard, in which Marshall's parents and his brother Dallas and his wife participated in. It was hilarious!

the hubby and I at dinner

Day 5: Sadly we had to pack up and leave the cruise ship! We had a great time on the cruise! After getting off the ship we took a taxi to find our motel that we had previously booked. Online the place got really good reviews. In person however it was a completely different story. Without question this was the junkiest place we have ever stayed. The only good thing about the place was that it was right on the beach, which was way nice! We walked to a nearby restaraunt for lunch, which ended up having some really amazing food. On our walk back to the motel we all decided to walk on the beach. That was our first mistake. Our second mistake was ignoring the sign that said "you may encounter nude bathers". We really didn't think there would be very many. We were wrong. Very wrong. We saw more skin than we ever have in that short walk back to our motel. We were not aware when we booked our motel that there was a nude beach about 100 yards down from it. Haha! We went to dinner later that night and had the most expensive dinner I have ever eaten. It was way good. But crazy expensive. I still have a small heart attack every time I think about how much it cost! We spent the rest of the evening walking around Miami at a huge outdoor shopping complex.

We spent the next couple days enjoying Miami and soaking up as much sun as we possibly could! We also went to the Miami Zoo which was great! One of my favorites that I have been to! They build the exhibits so that you feel so close to the animals! We also got to be there when they fed some of the animals, which was awesome! We watched as they threw live fish in for the otters, and the otter would chase the fish down, catch it and eat it whole on the rocks. Then we watched as the zookeeper fed oranges to the monkeys. It was such a fun experience!

I personally loved Miami and would go back there in a heartbeat! It was sunny, warm, the beaches were great and there is lots to do there! We were sad to leave it behind, but it was great to come back home to our sweet girl that did amazing while we were gone!

Thankful

2011-11-28T13:56:00.000-08:00

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough."

We had a good Thanksgiving this year full of food, family, games, and fun. We hope you had a good one too! Here are some things I am grateful for.

1. I am thankful for family.

2. The gospel. I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have and for my eternal family.

3. The blessing of being a mom. I love my job. There are crazy, stressful days but I wouldn't trade it.

4. Trials. This is a hard one, but I am grateful for trials and the things I learn through them.

5. Laughter. What would I do without it? It really is the best medicine!

6. Life in general. We've had a bit of a rough year to say the least, but I am grateful for the good moments we have had. We really are very blessed!

7. Friends. The ones that I can laugh with, cry with, and everything in between. I have the best friends. Seriously.

There are so many more things, these are just some of the many things I am grateful for. My goal is to try to be better about seeing the positive things in life, and holding onto them rather than the negatives!

Those Moments

2011-11-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

I love those moments that melt your heart and make all the craziness of having a toddler worth it.

Yesterday Sydney woke up from her nap and was crying and calling my name, so I went upstairs to her room and she said she wanted mommy to lay down with her, so I laid next to her and we snuggled. She feel back asleep in my arms. This is such a rare occurance in our house, in fact this is the first time anything like that has ever happened. It was so sweet, and it made the chaos and craziness all worth it.

Today I laid her down for a nap and she is currently upstairs singing "animal crackers in my soup...." over and over. I love that girl. I am so grateful to be her mom. She makes me smile!

I know how the saying goes...

2011-10-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

"Everything happens for a reason" and "Things will happen when they are supposed to"

but is it "when it's supposed to" yet??

Because I'm really kind of getting impatient....

Rexburg Pictures

2011-10-14T19:30:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures from our fun trip!

Roadtrip, Babies, and Bears!

2011-10-14T14:21:00.001-07:00

Last week Sydney and I packed our "Soupcases" (as Sydney calls them) and headed out for a roadtrip with my parents to go visit my brother, his wife, and their sweet new baby Caden!

We packed the car Thursday late afternoon, grabbed Sydney a happy meal and were on the road! We drove half way Thursday and stopped in Boise where we got to stay with my aunt and uncle and their family! It was great so nice of them to let us crash at their house, and it was great to see their family!

Friday morning we woke up, ate breakfast, and headed out again to drive the rest of the way to Rexburg. We made it about 5 minutes out of Boise before we started hearing strange noises coming from the car. We pulled over, only to discover we had one of these:

Bummer! So we (and when I say we I mean my dad =) ) unpacked the entire car, put on the spare tire, turned the car around and went back to Boise to find a tire shop. We got brand new tires and were on our way. Again. We pulled into Idaho Falls later that afternoon, where we stopped at Winger's where my brother is the manager and had some yummy food! Sydney did AWESOME on the way there. She only complained once or twice that her bum hurt and asked me to fix it for her =) other than that she did fabulous!

Once in Rexburg we spent Friday evening hanging out at my brother's house, catching up, and snuggling baby Caden! Here is his adorable little self:

He is SO stinking cute and so cuddly! He is seriously the quietest and happiest little baby! I had NO idea babies could be that quiet and calm! I hope my next one is as good as he is! I could have snuggled and held him the entire time we were there! It was so good to cuddle a new baby again! Its been way too long!

Saturday we got up and headed to Bear World! Oh Bear World! Sydney LOVED it there. She would have been happy spending all day, every day there. We first drove through the are where you drive around and look at the animals, we saw lots of deer, a moose, buffalo, elk, albino elk (I had no idea these even existed!) and lots of bears! It was so cool! After we drove through once, we went into the gift shop and it was heaven for Sydney! You walk in, and there are stuffed animals EVERYWHERE. Seriously. Her dream! We ended up walking out with only one new one, a cute white, super soft bear. It is her current favorite! (I would post a pic, but of course it is currently napping with her)

Other activities at Bear world included feeding the ducks:

Petting the animals in the petting zoo area:

Watching these super cute bear cubs wrestle and play:

And one of her favorite things, riding the rides! She would have gone on the rides over and over all day long!

Later that night we got some way yummy mexican food from the infamous Taco Bus in Rexburg. Sunday was the baby blessing and it was beautiful! After leaving church we all got to take much needed naps, and eat some seriously amazing homemade pizza. Later that night we went and saw some pretty waterfalls, but it was too dark to get a great picture. We had so much fun meeting baby Caden and hanging out with family! We stayed up late and woke up early amd didnt nap a whole lot so we were a bit worn out when we got home, but it was worth it! The drive home was uneventful and went better than I ever could have imagined, Sydney did so good! We hope to visit again sometime!

Prayers

2011-09-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

Please keep my neice Olivia and her family in your prayers, she has been diagnosed with Stage 5 retinoblastoma, which is Stage 5 eye cancer. She has a long road ahead of her and needs all the prayers she can get. You can read more about Olivia and her condition here: http://13pavements.blogspot.com/

Please feel free to pass this blog on, it would very much be appreciated.

Two!

2011-09-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little Sydney has gone from this

To this!

Sydney Jade turned 2 today! She is so full of energy and so much fun! We just love her! Here are some 2 year stats for record purposes!

Height: Shorty (exact measurements will be taken at her 2 year checkup in a couple weeks)

Weight: Not very much =) (again, we will have official measurements later)

Favorite Color: Blue and pink

LOVES stuffed animals and anything soft

Talks, and talks, and talks. And never stops.

Loves rap songs. No really. She does.

Is now sleeping in a "big girl bed" and LOVES it

Loves elmo still

Is a mommy's girl most of the time

Is not a fan of hugs, kisses, or any type of affection really

Is very spunky, and very opinionated

Amazes us with how smart she is and all the things she can remember

Knows and sings her ABC's on a regular basis

Makes us laugh. A lot.

Is seriously adorable. But my opinion is slightly biased =)

Changes Ahead

2011-08-17T17:47:00.001-07:00

Well I have made the decision to go back to school. I will be going back to be a RN, with the ultimate goal of working in an OBGYN office setting. I'm very excited to persue this and I know its going to be a long and challenging road, but I couldnt be happier about it! Im a bit nervous, as I havent been to school in over 5 years (yikes!), so I'm sure it will take some time to get used to school again, but I can't wait! Wahoo!

Wanting

2011-08-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

I've discovered lately how much it hurts when you want something so much that you can't have. At least for me I know I eventually will have it. It doesnt take the hurt away for now though. Sometimes I feel like life is happening around me but I'm stuck in place. I have however had peace in knowing everything happens for a reason, and that through trials we learn and grow leaps and bounds. I also know that everything happens in Heavenly father's time, when he knows its best. And sometimes we just cant have what we want. For now while Im waiting, I think it would be nice to be a bear. Why a bear? Well....

"If you're a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could deal with that.
Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that, too.
If you're a bear, you birth your children (who are the size of walnuts) while you're sleeping and wake to partially grown, cute, cuddly cubs. I could definitely deal with that.
If you're a mama bear, everyone knows you mean business. You swat anyone who bothers your cubs. I could deal with that, too.
If you're a bear, your mate EXPECTS you to wake up growling. He EXPECTS that you will have hairy legs and excess body fat.Yup. I wanna be a bear."

Doesn't that sound great? =)

ABC's

2011-08-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

It is amazing to me how fast Sydney learns....she had this down in less than a week.

So Excited....

2011-08-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

That THIS girl, is finally home!

Wahoooo!!
Cant wait to catch up with my sister again!

What We've been Up To

2011-08-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

This summer we have.......

~Gone Camping to Lake Wallowa.

~Booked a cruise for Novemeber. (Wahoo!)

~Consumed many slurpees.

~Had many Bachelorette nights.

~Watched lots of soccer. (Marshall plays, Sydney and I watch)

~Witnessed the birth of a sweet baby boy. (Just me)

~Went to Beehive Camp. (Just me)

~Made an endless number of invoices.

~Received some bad news.

~Gone through some rough trials.

~Shed lots of tears.

~Had my sister come home from her mission!!

~Gone to the park. A lot.

~Discovered a love for sushi and Yoplicity.

~Tried to pretend a certain BFF is NOT really moving at the end of summer.

~Realized we have some seriously amazing friends and family!

Here's hoping the rest of the summer is fabulous!

Out of the mouth of Sydney...

2011-05-27T14:49:00.000-07:00

Sydney has become more and more fun and she continues to talk like crazy, as you can imagine, she comes up with some pretty funny and sometimes weird things to say! Here are a few =)

~As I'm cooking dinner she comes into the kitchen and says "Mom!" when I ask "What?" she responds "peace out!" then turns around and goes back to the living room to play

~Sometimes when Sydney toots, we will ask her "who tooted??" and she will respond with a straight face "Olivia tooted" (her cousin)

~Also after she toots we ask her "what do you say?" to which she normally replies "excuse me" but occasionally we will get something like "BIG toot!" instead.

~If you ask her who is pretty she will normally respond and say "Uncle Bubba pretty" or "Uncle Dustin pretty" or name other uncles

~If you ask her "where do we go poo poo?" she will normally say potty, But sometimes she says "bathtub!"

~Me: "Sydney do you want a hot dog for lunch?" Sydney: "No." "TWO HOT DOGS!"

A bird? A plane? A SYDNEY!

2011-05-27T14:37:00.000-07:00

Here is Sydney showing you how to be a bird. Just in case you were wondering how. =)

New Love....

2011-05-27T14:30:00.000-07:00

I have a new love thanks to my SIL Julie..........what is it you might ask?

THIS

Yes, sushi! It is so dang good! Thanks for introducing it to me Julie! Regular sushi dates will be a must!!

Seaworld Tickets?? Yes please!

2011-02-28T13:59:00.000-08:00

This blog is giving away 4 tickets to Seaworld! Umm sunny Florida?! YES PLEASE!

Enter to win here:

http://theseversons.net/?p=838

Hope I win!!

Proud Momma

2011-02-13T17:40:00.000-08:00

Today in church I hung out in nursery with Sydney (she's still a few weeks away from 18 months)

It comes time for the lesson so all the kids sit around the table.

The teacher starts off by showing this picture:

The teacher asks the kids, "who is in this picture?"

Sydney is the first little kid to yell out Jesus.

I am one proud momma!

Charity

2011-01-27T15:14:00.000-08:00

We listened to a talk by President Monson the other night and I felt like he was talking directly to me. This part especially got to me.

"I consider charity or "the pure love of Christ" to be the opposite of criticism and judging. In speaking of charity, I do not at this moment have in mind the relief of the suffering through the giving of our substance. Tonight, however, I do have in mind the charity that manifests itself when we are tolerant of others and lenient toward their actions, the kind of charity that forgives, that is patient.

I have in mind the charity that impels us to be sympathetic, compassionate, and merciful, not only in times of sickness and affliction and distress, but also in times of weakness or error on the part of others"

So that is my goal! To be more compassionate, merciful and sympathetic, especially in times of weakness and error form others!

Loved his talk...go here for the full article.

Vocab (Part 2)

2010-11-30T14:03:00.000-08:00

After my last post about Sydney's vocabulary she quickly learned LOTS more words. She knows so many now I can't count or keep track ofwhat all she is saying. But here are some of them:

car
Abby
ball
no more
stop it
diaper
elmo
baby
popper (for her ball popper toy)
down
light
bye bye
ba ba (bottle)
toe
coat
go
please

She is also starting to put 2 words together, like Hi Abby, go bye bye, up Dad, etc. If you ask her to try to say a word that she doesnt know yet, most of the time she will try to repeat what you are saying. We definitely have to watch what we say around her!

Loves as of Lately

2010-11-29T21:14:00.000-08:00

Glee
French Fries
Shopping
16 and Pregnant
Stuffed Strawberries
Oreo Truffles
My new super warm and cozy hoodie
Target
My close girlfriends
Fireplace
Jacuzzi tub
Hockey games
New camera (that isn't here yet but I know I will LOVE)

Life

2010-11-29T20:51:00.000-08:00

What have we been up to lately?

For Marshall:

~Being sick
~Helping babysit
~Enjoying not working
~Relaxing
~Paintballing
~Spending quality time with wife and baby
~Shoveling snow
~Teaching the 16-17 year old sunday school class

For Tasha:

~Being sick
~Shopping all night long and being on the news (and staying awake for 38 hours straight)
~Babysitting
~Cleaning
~Cooking
~Playing Wii Just Dance
~Taking Sydney to the baby gym
~Avoiding the snow and cold
~Acheivement Days (LOVE this calling)

For Sydney:

~Loving Elmo
~Talking
~Learning TONS of new words
~Reading books
~Teething
~Being sick
~Playing at the baby gym
~Sleeping in til somewhere between 830 to 11
~Boycotting wearing shoes
~Being silly to make us laugh

Vocabulary

2010-11-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

Sydney is adding to her vocabulary on a daily basis. Here is what she says so far:

~yummy
~mom
~dad
~no no no
~papa
~ga pa (grandpa)
~ya
~apple
~stop
~bath
~cup
~up
~hop (she only said it a couple times)
~tickle tickle

Its crazy how fast she is learning words!

What Sydney with Roseola Looks Like

2010-10-29T17:19:00.000-07:00

This is Sydney with Roseola....so sad!

Sad, Sad Day at our House

2010-10-29T12:36:00.001-07:00

Sydney was diagnosed with roseola today. She had a high fever and now she has a rash all over and most of all she is SAD. So very sad. I feel terrible for her and it is rough having a little girl that is sad all day. Anyone been through this roseola thing before? Any recommendations? We are on day 6, so we are hoping she is on the mend, but no sign of her feeling better yet. Poor poor Sydney.

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

Sydney and I ventured out to the Country Mercantile TWICE for the pumpkin patch, petting zoo, climbing on the straw pyramid, riding the carousel, and having one of their yummy sandwiches for lunch! The first time we went with friends and the second time we went with my parents. We had such a fun time! Here are some pictures!

Conversation

2010-10-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

Sydney and I had our first actual conversation the other day. We were getting ready to go and I grabbed her shoes and she wouldnt come near me. So insued the following conversation:

Me: Sydney do you want to go bye bye?
Sydney: Yah.
Me: Well then come here so we can put your shoes on.
Sydney: Nonononononono.

Grateful

2010-10-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

Today I am grateful. Grateful for Sydney. Grateful for our eternal family. Grateful for each and every day.

Sydney has been having some rough days lately and today wasn't any different. Just this morning I sat complaining to friends about how difficult she has been lately. I keep having these days that by the time 8 o clock rolls around I feel like I'm going crazy. But then something happened. A friend posted a link in her blog post that changed how I felt. A blog of a family that lost their 18 month old girl recently from a drowning accident. I sat and read their story and cried. And my complaining spirit soon turned to embarrassment, and then to gratitude. Embarrassement because I am SO blessed and instead of counting my blessings I complained. While this other sweet family lost their sweet little girl, Im sure they miss even those rough days with their sweet baby. I am so blessed to have Sydney in my life. I am grateful for every day with her. Even on days like today. Especially on days like today. My heart is so full right now. Tears are still streaming down my face. My sweet girl is napping and I cant wait for her to wake up so I can give her a big hug and kiss. I am grateful, so very grateful today. Are you?

If you would like to read the story go here: http://patrickandashley.blogspot.com/

One Year

2010-10-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

Im WAY behind on blogging so please forgive my tardiness. =)

A month and a half ago Sydney Jade turned 1! She's such a big girl now! I love seeing her grow and develop and she is such a blessing in our lives. I love her more than I could have ever imagined possible. I love that she is my little buddy that goes everywhere I go and hangs out with me all day long. I can't imagine life without this sweet girl. Happy Birthday Sydney!

How do you stop?

2010-09-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

How do you stop from going crazy when.....

You have a baby that has been teething for 2 weeks straight, and there is no end in sight.

You have a baby that suddenly loves hitting, pulling hair, clawing at faces, etc.

You have a baby that cries at the drop of a pin.

You have a baby that is cranky beyond belief.

You have a baby that is into EVERYTHING, no matter how many times you tell her no and try to distract her with something else.

HOW DO YOU NOT GO CRAZY?

If anyone knows please fill me in.

10 and 11

2010-08-02T15:02:00.000-07:00

I never got around to the 10 month post for Sydney so here is stats for her last 2 months!

~She stands on her own now.

~She took her first steps a few weeks ago.

~Altho she isn't completely walking yet, but she will take a few steps at a time here and there.

~Now that she is mobile she has been getting lots of bumps and bruises.

~She has hit her head on our entertainment center so many times I cant even count.

~She also has smashed her mouth on the entertainment center which caused massive bleeding.

~Yet she still plays on said entertainment center on a daily basis.

~She rocks back and forth to music, in particular to the hymns at church. Through the WHOLE hymn. It is hilarious.

~She still only has 4 teeth. How do you wean a baby off of bottles when she doesnt even have enough teeth to chew regular food?

~She likes to brush her own hair.

~She loves crawling up the stairs.

~She LOVES books. And is now learning to bring me one and climb on my lap so I will read to her.

~She points. At EVERYTHING. From the minute she wakes up her litte pointer finger is out and pointing at everything.

~The pointing is nice tho because she can point to what she wants.

~Her favorite snack is goldfish crackers.

~She loves her sippy cup.

~Lately when she wakes up from her naps she holds onto her blanky and doesnt let go of it for a while. And then if there is a blanky sitting around she will randomly stop playing to go over and snuggle with it.

~She is saying mama again! She used to say it fo about 2 weeks then just stopped. Im glad to hear her say it again.

~She still wakes up at night.

~She is such a joy and a blessing!

Sisterhood

2010-07-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

I am part of an amazing group that I will just call the Sisterhood of the Traveling Petunia Pickle Bottom. From here on out I will refer to this group as the "Sisterhood" or "SOFTTPPB". The other three ladies in this group are amazing. I enjoy playdates and lunches and long chatting sessions with these ladies, and walks and swims and all sorts of fun! One of the members of SOFTTPPB won this GORGEOUS Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag. She already had one PPB diaper bag so she decided we would pass this new one around! These ladies are so fun and I am so glad to call them my friends!

What do you get?

2010-07-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

What do you get for being the newest Mom in the ward? (Even though I'm really NOT the newest mom in the ward) Words can't even describe it so I will just show you:

HAHA! I could not stop laughing when I received this award! Hideous? I think so!

And then there were 4.....

2010-06-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

.....Teeth that is! Nope sorry to disappoint but we aren't adding another little one to our family yet! =) But Sydney now has two bottom teeth and two top teeth, the fourth one just popped through her gums today. At the beginning of the teething process it was easy and Sydney wasn't cranky at all. But I definitely take back my statement about it being easy! Sydney is not a happy camper when her teethers are coming in. Too bad they cant all come in at once and then you're done!

Sleeping Positions

2010-06-14T16:04:00.000-07:00

Whenever I go into wake Sydney up from a nap (I only do this if she's still sleeping and we have to be somewhere!) she is always in the funniest positions while she sleeps. I have captured pictures of just a few of the many. Her favorite seems to be on her tummy with her little bum in the air =) so cute! Enjoy!

9 Months

2010-06-02T17:19:00.001-07:00

Sydney is 9 months old!

She weighs 16 lbs 8 ounces
This puts her in the 12th percentile
She is 26 1/4 inches long
Which is also the 12th percentile
She crawls all over the place and is into everything
She is getting really good at pulling herself up on things
On a couple occassions she has stood by herself for a short time
She says mama and dada now
She isn't a fan of riding in the car. At all.
She gives loves to anything resembling a stuffed animal, it's adorable
She loves to try rolling and crawling away while Im tying to change her diaper or clothes
She loves drinking out of our cups and gets mad if we don't share
She is becoming very shy around strangers
She knows exactly where her toy basket is and often will crawl to it and tip it over so she can play with all the toys
She likes to play with other babies, but she isn't very gentle with them
She makes us laugh on a daily basis
We love her so much!

These are my Confessions....

2010-05-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

~I hate folding laundry. It piles up into a big heap on our sitting room floor and sits there for days before I finally break down and fold it.

~I love Insanity workouts. Yet I very much hate them.

~I love cooking. But I still have my nights that all I want to do is go buy a pizza for dinner.

~Most days its still hard for me to fathom that I am a mom. Even though Sydney is almost 9 months old.

~I like calling Sydney Syd for short. But I honestly hate how Syd sounds.

~It scares the bageebers out of me to have more kids. Because 1 is hard enough.

~I am trying to get better about not being so irritable. Lately thats been quite difficult for me.

~I love Marshall like crazy. But I've been terrible at showing it lately. And it makes me sad.

~I am trying to grow some vegetables. But I am terrible at keeping plants alive. And I have no idea why.

~Sometimes I miss working. But I know I should just be grateful that I get to stay home with Sydney.

~I love shopping. Probably a little too much.

~I covet people with naturally tan skin. I know. Shame on me.

~I love cake batter ice cream. Again, probably a little too much.

~I miss being able to see my family. All of my siblings live out of state or out of the country.

~We are leaving for our first ever camping trip with Sydney this week. And I am less than thrilled. I'm sure I will write about it once we are back.

8 Months

2010-05-07T17:13:00.000-07:00

I cant believe our baby is already 8 months old! Could the girl get any cuter?

~She still says dada a lot. And still does not say mama.
~She is just starting to crawl! I can't believe she's mobile!
~She still adores her jumper.
~She still wears some of her 3 month size onesies.
~She hardly ever wears shoes or socks. They just dont stay on.
~She likes to eat her toes when I change her diaper.
~On a couple occasions she has pulled herself up on things to a standing position.
~She has A LOT of hair
~She is ticklish
~She loves giving us "kisses"
~She also loves pulling hair and clawing at your face.
~She loves splashing in the bath
~She throws little mini fits, she will lasy on the ground and kick her legs and yell. Its kinda amusing.
~She is adorable and we love her!

My Day From You Know Where

2010-05-06T16:42:00.000-07:00

Today has been rough. To say the least. It all started with me waking up late. So Im in a hurry. And everything in the world always seems to go wrong when Im in a hurry. Here are today's events:

~Sydney woke up and her pajamas were soaked from head to toe in pee. Her bedding was also soaked. This has been happening every morning lately. We just switched to Target brand diapers and I am NOT a fan so far.
~So I wiped her down real good with disinfecting wipes and called it good for the time being, since I was already running late.
~I jumped in the shower and put Sydney on the bathroom counter in her bumbo seat with some toys. Well she got ahold of the ceramic soap dispenser and threw it on the floor, it broke into lots of tiny sharp pieces, and soap went EVERYWHERE.
~After cleaning up that mess I discovered Sydney had leaked through her diaper AGAIN. This time poop. Everywhere. I discovered this after picking her up and getting it all over myself. So in the bath she went.
~This is all before 930 am.
~We got home from the meeting at noon. Sydney had not napped at all yet. So of course I lay her down for a nap. She slept for only a half hour instead of her normal 2 hours. She still hasn't napped any more than that today.
~She leaked through 3 more diapers.
~She has been in 6 different outfits today.
~Im REALLY hating these Target diapers now.
~She went into the bath for the second time, and peed on our bed after the bath.
~We went to Walmart. Big mistake. She had a massive meltdown while waiting in the checkout line.
~Its only 5 pm.
~And we still have a baby shower to attend tonight.
~Im beyond done with today.
~Thank goodness for chocolate and Dr Pepper.

Speed Eater....Oops!

2010-04-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

Today, I ran to walmart to pick up a prescription. We only live literally 1 minut from walmart, so I let Sydney hold the prescription bag and play with it on the way home. So we get home I take Sydney inside and take the bag from her so I can open it up and this is what I find:

She ate THAT much of the bag in literally like a minute. So then we noticed she kept chewing on something and after several minutes of struggling with her we finally managed to remove a wad of the paper bag from her mouth. Oops. Guess I wont give her a paper bag to play with on the way home anymore. Even if it is just for a minute.

SEVEN

2010-04-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

Ok so this is a tad bit late. But I still wanted to post Sydney's 7 month info:

She weighed in at 14 lbs 6 ounces. Which makes her in the 5th percentile.

She was 25 1/4 inches long. This puts her in the 25th percentile.

As noted above. She's kinda little.

She cnt stand it when we eat or drink in fron of her without sharing.

She no longer sleeps through the night. Kinda disappointed about this one but what can ya do??

She still has zero teeth.

She went swimming for the first time. Wasn't so sure about it at first but by the end of it she loved it!

She has been sleep trained!! WAHOO! She now will put herself to sleep without assistance! Occasionaly she will protest a bit, but most times she just goes right to sleep! SO nice!

Her hair is now long enough to put in a pony tail on top of her head! Love it!

Her first word was dada. When he comes home from work she gets really excited and will say dada. I'm not gonna lie....I was a bit sad her first word wasn't mama! haha!

She also says babababa over and over again. Bu we havent figured out a real meaning to it yet.

She talks A LOT.

She constantly needs to be entertained.

She loves jumping. ALWAYS.

We never knew that having a baby could be so entertaining!! We ♥ her!!

Videos

2010-04-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

The first is Sydney's newly discovered talent for blowing raspberries.

The second is her love for jumping.

WARNING: Sleep Training in Session

2010-04-02T17:31:00.000-07:00

Sleep Training.

Has Begun.

To teach Sydney to go to sleep on her own in her crib.

I'm not very excited about it.

But it needs to be done.

The amount of sleep Sydney and I get will without a doubt decrease.

But in the long run it will be SO nice.

Wish me luck.

Next time you see me I might be cranky from lack of sleep. And now you know why.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

R-S-V

2010-03-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

RSV- REALLY SUCKY VIRUS or Respiratory Syncytial Virus. But personally I like the first defnition better.

It has now been one week that Sydney has been sick. And boy has it been a week.

The past week for Sydney has been filled with:

~A constant runny nose

~Fluids gushing from nose, mouth, and eyes

~Tylenol and Motrin for fever

~A night in the Emergency Room

~A nasty cough

~Waking up several times in the night

~Throwing up on a daily basis

~No appetite

~Trip to the doctor

~Crying and fussiness. And lots of it.

~Having to change outfits several times a day. Lots of laundry for mom.

~Just overall a sad sad sick baby.

Not. Fun.

And its not over yet.

RSV sucks. We are sick of it.

Meet Puffy.

2010-03-17T12:54:00.001-07:00

This is Puffy.

Puffy the Penguin Nebulizer.

Cute right?

WRONG.

Sure when its just sitting there you might think it's pretty cute, but as soon as you switch him on things turn ugly. At least for Sydney.

Puffy has become our best friend and Sydney's worst enemy at the same time. She screams and fights the mask the entire duration of the 15 minute long breathing treatment. However, this is what hopefully will clear out little Sydney's lungs so that she can breathe better. So for the next week, Sydney will get treatments from Puffy every 6 hours.

I hope it gets easier.

I hope the treatments work.

They dont always work.

Wish us luck.

6 Months

2010-03-04T14:11:00.001-08:00

This cute little girl is 6 months old already! Holy heck! The time flies by! Here are her stats:

~13 lbs 4 oz
~24 1/4 inches long
~She is in the 5th percentile for weight
~She recently discovered that she loves rolling over, which makes diaper changes a little more interesting
~She likes the bath, especially splashing in it
~She does not like riding in the car
~She goes to bed now around 830 which is super nice
~She is getting better and better at sitting up on her own
~She still loves her swing and is often found napping in it
~She is not a fan of sitting through church
~She loves her baby food
~She can have a bit of an attitude at times =)
~Instead of crying right away when she is upset, she now will just scream
~She still wears mostly 0-3 month size clothes, except for her jammies she wears 6 months
~She all of a sudden loves jumping, ALL the time

She is starting to have so much personality and it is so cute and fun! We just love her!

A Little Help?

2010-02-25T21:41:00.000-08:00

Ok so I've had this blog for how long now? I dont know, like 7 or 8 months probably. And some of you may have noticed that my background has been the same the entire time. So Im asking for a little help. And I know its sad. But. I dont know how to change the darn thing! Haha! Where do you all find those cute backgrounds?? And how do I go about changing it?? So if you would all be so kind.....fill me in on this secret so I can change my background because I cant stand the one I have now any longer!! Please accept my thanks in advance.

IN~SAN~I~TY

2010-02-22T13:27:00.000-08:00

Websters Definition: Extreme folly or unreasonableness, something utterly unreasonable or foolish

Today was Day 1 of Insanity. And by that I mean the new work out program that lasts for 60 days that I began doing today with a few others ladies. It is intense. It is crazy. But it feels GREAT to be working out. I think for the first week I will be walking around like an old lady because my muscles will be like noodles. But Im excited. Im excited to look like this:

Ok, I might be dreaming a bit. Haha! But really, Im excited to be in shape again! I will keep you posted on how the insanity goes. Wish me luck. I need it.

Dear Readers: Please Disregard......

2010-02-12T15:54:00.000-08:00

...my last post.
I now have a cranky baby who has been woken up from ALL her naps by previously mentioned Dog after only 30 minutes or less.
EVERY TIME.

Sincerely,
Mom of Cranky Baby

2010-02-08T10:49:00.001-08:00

Ever since Marshall's parents moved into their new house we have had Misty, the black lab living with us. Now, I'm not going to lie, at first I wasn't too excited about having her live in our brand new back yard to do what she pleases to it. Dont get me wrong its not that I dont like dogs, but it's just even more responsibility having one, responsibility that I didnt really want to have. Feeding, walking, playing with, picking up cow size 'presents' from the grass (and yes they really are cow sized!), etc. But yesterday, I had a bit of a change of heart, and here's why.

It was Sunday afternoon and Marshall suggested that we take Sydney and Misty for walk. So we bundled up Sydney in her stroller, got Misty from the backyard and we were on our way. When we go on these walks we dont normally bring a leash for Misty because she is really good about staying close by. So not too long into our nice calm walk we hear something fast approaching from behind us. We turn around only to find this running straight for us:

And what did good 'ol Misty do? She defended us and more importantly little Sydney laying innocently in her stroller! Now, I know what you all are thinking, "that dog is puny and pathetic and probably couldn't hurt a fly" and ya know you are probaly right. But the point is her first instinct was to protect us and stand close to the stroller so that it couldnt hurt any of us. Misty has grown on me a little. And I dont mind having her so much. However.....ask me again in the spring and summer when I want to take our little girl out on the yard to play but it is nearly impossible because of all the 'landmines' everywhere. =)

Mexico Pictures

2010-02-02T15:51:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics from our Mexico trip! It was so beautiful there and we had awesome weather the whole time we were there! Enjoy!

Five Months!

2010-02-01T18:05:00.000-08:00

Yep thats right! Sydney is FIVE whole months old today! She is growing so fast and getting so big!

The latest on Sydney:

~She now eats pears or other ground up fruit with rice cereal and LOVES it.
~She giggles for us on a daily basis now and it is ADORABLE.
~She "screams" (a happy scream) when we play with her and when we pretend like we are eating her extremeties. (We do this only in the privacy of our own home however because if we did it in public people would probably think we were nuts.)
~She loves her sleep!
~She is not a fan of riding in the car
~She loves faces. Grabbing them. Eating them. Slobbering them.
~She loves going on walks and riding in the stroller.
~She is small for her age and for now is still wearing 3-6 month size clothes.
~She enjoys sitting in her bumbo seat.
~She still isnt quite sure if she likes the bath.
~She does not like sitting through church meetings so you will often find us wandering the halls on Sunday.
~We LOVE her SO much and cannot imagine life without her!!

Mexico!

2010-02-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Marshall and I headed to Cancun for a little vacation! We were there for a week and let me just say it was SO nice to be in the warm sunshine again! We left early Wednesday morning and flew out of pasco and we arived in Cancun about 5 that same evening. When we got to the resort we were a little disappointed because the room they had for us had 2 full size beds instead of a queen or king like we were supposed to get, so the 2 of us slept in 1 full size bed for a week! The room also was pretty old and kind of dirty feeling, when you turned the hot water on in the bathroom it turned a brownish color which was quite gross. In the first day we were there we used the word ghetto to describe the place MANY times. Kinda disappointing. This is the picture the website had, which doesnt look half bad, but the room definitely wasnt this nice.

Anyhow it ended up being ok because we didnt spend a lot of time in the room anyways, and we ended up really liking the resort. It was right on the beach, and the beach was beautiful! It had some yummy restaurants and a nice really big pool. They also had a few shows at night that we went to that were pretty good. The 2nd day we were there we went to the flea market in town. That was an interesting experience. You walk thru the flea market and the people that work in the shops stand out in the hallways and try to get you to come into their shop, they say stuff like my things are almost free and let me have a chance to rip you off. No joke. And once you get into a shop they will do just abouth anything to sell you something. If you show any interest at all they will try to barter with you on the price. Marshall bought a pair of sunglasses there and at first the guy wanted $48 for them and marshall ended up paying about $15. They seriously try to rip you off. At one store marshall was looking at a tshirt and the guy that worked there had the shirt in a bag trying to put it in marshall's hands before we could even say no we dont want it. It was crazy! I was definitely glad to get out of there! Then we walked across the street to look at a mall, where we were approached by a man that asked if we wanted to buy some party cocaine. Oh my goodness! You will be happy to know that we declined. HAHA! The following day we went to Xel-Ha and Tulum. Xel-Ha is an all inclusive place that has snorkeling, wildlife, dolphins to swim with, and much more! We got to go snorkeling which was a lot of fun! It was my first time and I loved it! After that we visited Tulum which is some sncient Mayan ruins right on the coast which was pretty cool too.

Another day we went to town to another shopping plaza where there was an aquarium, which ended up being really small, but it was cool because we got to pet sharks and sting rays! We also got to watch some dolphins perform which was way cool! Some other things we did were, hang out at the beach, hang out by the pool, we went on this paddle boat which was fun but we both got sunburned pretty badly! But it was cool because the water was shallow in spots and we got to see some neat fish. One of the days we took a bus to Playa Del Carmen where we spent some time at the beach. All in all it was a fun vacation the downside was Sydney did not go with us and we missed her so so much! I will post pictures later!

Pictures

2009-12-18T22:18:00.000-08:00

Never Again

2009-10-19T14:32:00.000-07:00

So last week I had my 6 week checkup with my doctor. As I was getting ready to leave I thought to myself....We are only going to the doctor's office and back, we shouldnt need the diaper bag. Well as we were sitting in the waiting room Miss Sydney projectile vomits ALL over, I had never seen her throw up so much before! So here I am sitting in the waiting room with Sydney who is now soaked all over with throw up along with the blanket i had over her. So what do I do? Nothing. Except for wipe her down with the small part of her blanket that was dry, that's all I could do. Lesson learned. We will never leave the house again without the diaper bag. End of story.

Sydney's latest favorite things

2009-10-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

~Licking or sucking on anything that comes close enough to her mouth
~Smiling! but we have yet to get a picture of it!
~the bath
~sleeping for longer periods of time at night
~cuddling
~music
~riding in the car
~looking at windows or anything else that puts off light

1 month

2009-10-07T11:04:00.000-07:00

I cant believe my baby is already a month old! She is actually 5 weeks now and it has gone by so fast! She is such an amazing little girl that we love so much! Here are some things about Sydney:

~She loves being awake during the day and USUALLY sleeps pretty good at night

~She loves her binky sometimes and sometimes she hates it

~The times when she loves the binky she likes to hold onto it with her hand while sucking on it

~She is getting really good at holding her head up

~Everyone says she looks like her daddy

~She LOVES to be held

~She loves to cuddle

~She has the prettiest blue eyes! (just like her daddy)

~She hates sleeping in her bassinet and is most often found sleeping in her car seat which she loves!

~She is constantly making her mommy and daddy laugh with her facial expressions and noises

~She loves looking out windows

~She hated the bath at first but now loves it

~Still hates diaper changes

~She is very wiggly all the time!

~She still wears newborn size clothes at 5 weeks old

At her 1 month checkup yesterday (she was actually 5 weeks) she weighed in at 7 lbs 13 ounces and 21 inches long, which is how big some babies are or smaller than some babies are when they are born! She is in the 10th percentile for weight and the 30th for her heighth so she takes after her mommy in her size! She brings so much happiness into our lives we just cant get enough of her!

Sydney Jade DeCoria

2009-09-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

So Sydney Jade was born Tuesday September 1st, 2009 at 11:34 pm, she weighed 6 lbs 11 ounces and is 19.5 inches long and she is such a doll! Im SOO in love with this little girl! So lots of people have been asking about the labor so here's how it went:

I started having contractions that were 5 minutes apart around 11:30 am on the 1st. At first I wasnt really thinking I was in labor because I had contractions previously that were 5 minutes apart or less but they always went away. So after a couple hours of constant contractions I called Marshall and he came home from work and we got ready and headed to the hospital! When I got to the hospital they checked me and I was 3 centimeters so they had me walk to hospital halls to see if I would progress a little faster. After walking for a while they checked me again and I was at 4 centimeters so they admitted me. Now this whole time Im thinking if this is what labor feels like this will be easy! Ha! So after they admit me and I'm in my room the Dr. comes in and breaks my water to speed things up a bit. Almost immediately the contractions went from being not painful at all to extremely painful! So after waiting for the anesthesiologist for about 45 minutes I FINALLY was given the epidural. Oh my let me just say that was AMAZING! I have no idea how anyone goes through giving birth without an epidural! After getting the epidural I told Marshall that now I know why I was born during this time, it's because Heavenly Father knew that if I was born during any other time theres NO WAY I would give birth more than once without and epidural haha.So after having the epidural I was completely fine and comfortable, I wasnt able to feel the comtractions at all after that. So then I went from 4 centimeters to 8 in a little over an hour and soon after that I was completely dialated. Once I started pushing my contractions slowed down to about 4-5 minutes in between each one so I really didnt get tired or worn out because I had a nice little break in between! After pushing for a little over an hour Sydney Jade was born! It was such an amazing experience, I had this idea in my head that it would be so difficult and hard but really it wasnt at all for me I guess I just got lucky! The only thing that is different than I expected is the recovery. I had no idea it would take me this long for my body to recover, I did tear quite a bit though so I know it will take my body longer to heal itself. Now as of today Sydney is 9 days old and she is a healthy happy little baby! we are so blessed!

Almost 38 Weeks

2009-08-20T17:21:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I will be 38 weeks along! here are a couple pics of my almost 38 week belly! Only 2 weeks or less to go WAHOOO!

A Name

2009-08-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

So we have officically decided on what to name this baby! Her name will be Sydney Jade! took us forever to finally decide on one but thats what it will be! As of today I am 37 weeks and 4 days and my Dr. said I am 1 and a half centimeters dialated. I have been having braxton hicks contractions A LOT more now so hopefully the end is near! Im very nervous and very excited! We will keep ya posted on when Sydney arrives!

I know I'm a slacker!

2009-07-25T15:14:00.001-07:00

I know it has been forever since I wrote anything so just a quick post about whats been going on in our lives. I am 34 weeks pregnant now so only about 6 weeks left to go! I still have been working but next week is my last week and then I will be focusing on getting prepared for this baby girl to come! Im excited to get everything ready and organized because I have been feeling very unprepared lately! A week ago I went to girls camp with our ward as one of the leaders and had a blast. It was so fun to get to know the girls in our ward better. While I was there I had such an awesome confirmation that being a mom is the next step in my life and I am so excited to step into that role. By the end of the week I was so ready to be home and sleeping in my own bed instead of a tent! It wore me out a little bit too but Im glad I was able to go. Marshall has been staying busy with work, helping build his parents house, playing soccer and occasionaly riding dirt bikes with his brothers. Everything is going great we are so blessed and so happy!

24 weeks

2009-05-19T18:03:00.000-07:00

So here are a couple pics of my 24 week belly. My doctor didnt officially change my due date so September 4th is the day. That makes me just over 24 weeks along. Thats 6 months holy cow! So far its going good only 4 more months to go!

RUDE

2009-05-11T17:41:00.001-07:00

I just had to share this moment I had.....A lady that I had only met once before came into my work for an interview and this is what she asked me:

So....are you pregnant....or are you just fat?

She said those exact words to me...what the?? I didnt think I had gained that much weight...apparently it was still too hard for her to tell if it was a baby in there or just flab. SO I chalked this one up as the ruddest thing anyone has said to me thus far during my pregnancy! Can anyone top that one? I tried not to be too offended but I couldnt help it to be a little offended, I think it really took me by suprise because I didnt think I looked that bad! I mean yeah I have a belly and yeah Ive gained almost 20 pounds total already but I still didnt think it was THAT bad. oh boy the joys of being prego! I think Im over thinking it too much and that she was just a rude person. Anyways just thought Id share my lovely story!

San Diego

2009-04-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

So a couple weeks ago my brother got married in the San Diego temple which was BEAUTIFUL! We decided to save money and drive down there instead of fly which was definitely a mistake! If I could do it over again I would totally pay the extra dough and fly! The wedding was on saturday morning so we planned on leaving Thursday and driving Thursday and Friday to get there in time. Well we got a late start, we didnt end up leaving tri-cities until after 6 pm on thursday night with a 20 hour drive still ahead of us. So we drove till about 2 am and finally stopped to sleep for a bit, then we got up and were back on the road by 8am the next morning. Friday we drove ALL day we finally made it to our hotel at 11pm Friday night. While driving Friday I started getting bad cramps in my stomach which I was told is a sign of pre term labor so I was freaking out and crying part of the way because I was afraid I was going to lose the baby. Not fun. It ended up being nothing Im totally fine now and the baby is good too so no worries but at the time was soo scary! I think Marshall got a little frustrated with me on the way there and back having to stop so frequently so I could go potty and I felt bad because it made the drive just that much longer, but when you gotta go you gotta go! Anywho so the wedding was great that temple is amazingly beautiful, I cried during the sealing and forgot to bring tissues with me haha my emotions are so crazy right now! Being pregnant has made them like 10 times worse than before! So later Saturday night was the reception which was also great. Then Sunday morning which was also Easter we woke up and started our drive back home! what a vacation huh?! lol Ok so it wasnt much of a vacation considering we were driving practically the entire time BUT it was really nice to have my whole family all together which doesnt happen very often now that my oldest brother and his wife and baby live in Alaska and my other siblings are in Idaho. It was also awesome to be there for my brothers sealing I love going to the temple and I especially love seeing people get sealed it reminds me of when Marshall and I were sealed and it makes me realize how blessed we really are! So that was our trip we returned Monday night only to get up Tuesday morning and go back to work! I hope we get to go back to san diego sometime its way pretty there and hopefully next time we can stay longer!

Pregnancy....

2009-04-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

So far my pregnancy has been pretty darn good especially when I look at how miserable it can be for some women, so I am very grateful! Here are my likes and dislikes so far....

Likes:
-Feeling little kicks and punches
-knowing we are having a little girl
-not feeling sick anymore and being able to shower without throwing up
-having an excuse to eat a lot
-seeing Marshall excited that hes going to be a dad
-having my SIL Julie to talk to about everything that happens when you are prego because we are going through it for the first time at the same time
-getting cute baby stuff

Dislikes:
-Heartburn... it is seriously already horrible Im afraid to see how bad it will get in the coming months
-Having to pee ALL the time
-Gaining weight (this one right now more so than the others because today my scale said I gained 4 pounds since yesterday...what the heck??)
-Not having very many clothes that fit and not being able to find prego clothes that fit when shopping
-knowing that im doomed to have stretch marks afterwords

Overall Im a pretty happy camper and things are going great...Im halfway there!

New to all this!

2009-04-19T18:24:00.000-07:00

OK so I am new to all this so it probably wont be all fancy till I get it all figured out but I figured it was about time to get one of these. Especially now that I feel like I have more to write about since we have a little one on the way! It seems like life is a little crazy and we dont always see or talk to family and friends as much as we should so I thought it would be good to keep people updated on how things are going through this blog.....so enjoy!!