The Ford Fam

Lily is One!

2010-05-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

We love you Chub-a-Love!

How old are you, Ari?

2010-04-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

Two!

Getting Better

2009-12-31T09:39:00.000-08:00

My Poor Baby

2009-12-28T10:33:00.001-08:00

In case you missed the story, Ari tripped on the blankie that she carries everywhere and fell into the frame of our bed Christmas Eve morning. We skipped the trauma of going to the E.R. and assembled a panel of family members when we got to a party that afternoon. The decision: liquid bandage! It seems to be working very well and the cut has already improved so much. Unless you were poking at her eye, she was the same happy, high-energy little girl she always is! She just looks a little pitiful.

A Few Christmas Touches

2009-12-28T08:25:00.000-08:00

I wanted to put this up so the fam could see, especially the ones who gave us the decorations!

Our Charlie Brown Christmas tree

Our little candy cane thief

Little tree in the girls' room
There used to be two snow globes underneath, but someone wouldn't heed Mommy's warning of "Don't hit those together!"

Little Nativity

Rudolph on Ari's bed

Clarice in Lily's bed

Waiting to see Santa

2009-12-28T07:49:00.000-08:00

A few pictures Jeremy took while we were hanging out at Bass Pro Shops when we saw Santa.

In the Winter Wonderland

Sweet Ari Sue

Lily with something to say

Daddy's Girls

For those of you who wanted to see my sweet little girl in despair

2009-12-21T14:22:00.000-08:00

The reindeer is hiding some of her face, but there were tears!

Santa Pics

2009-12-17T08:25:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

Halloween Party

Halloween Night

An Afternoon in the Park

2009-10-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

Jeremy came home early the other day and took us all to the park!

Thanks Daddy; we love you!

Rice Cereal!

2009-08-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

We had been putting off giving Lily food, but we were at her Gram and Granddad's house yesterday and they had juicy Utah peaches. For some reason I decided to cut a slice and let Lily suck on it. Well, she really seemed to enjoy it, devoured it quite actually. Then tonight I tried to hold her while I was finishing eating and she tried the whole time to grab food or pull my hand to her mouth if I was holding food. So, I decided to add a little cereal to her diet. Here we go...

After the first spoonful:

Warming up to it:

Big bite!:
(She was a really good eater.)

All full!

I like to bathe with my sister...

2009-08-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

First bath together:

What happens when Mommy and Daddy ignore the baby?

2009-08-10T21:36:00.000-07:00

Well, apparently at our house, this:

Big Sister to the rescue!

Ari started out swinging her and when that didn't work she went and got the bottle and burpie from the couch. She actually did quite well! It makes me wonder how many times this has happened... Lily ate well at first, but by time I got the camera she wasn't so hungry and just wanted to smile up at her big sis. Ari even wiped her mouth when she was finished! Do they even need me?

Introducing

2009-08-07T23:17:00.001-07:00

The Frugal Foodie

Ari's Quilt

2009-07-10T08:43:00.001-07:00

Arianna and her beautiful quilt from her Great-Grandma Welker

Lily's Quilt

2009-07-10T08:39:00.000-07:00

Lilian and her beautiful quilt from her Great-Grandma Welker

Only four days left, please vote!

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

Please vote for my friend's hubby:

Live with Regis and Kelly - From Local to LIVE Co-host for a Day Search

This is the info you need:

Christian Steckel Station: WAPT Jackson, MS

Oh, Ari!

2009-06-25T09:11:00.000-07:00

I got Ari dressed and ready to go this morning and then it was Sister's turn. I gave Lily a bath then turned away from the tub long enough to dry her off minimally and put a new diaper on her when I heard "splash, splash!" I turned around and saw:

So... then I got Ari dressed and ready to go, again. Story of my life, but lovin' every minute!

Cute Father's Day Gift

2009-06-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

Our ward has the best Nursery ever and started letting Ari go a few months early so J.O. and I could teach our Primary class. Church had just ended and we sending all our kids out of the room with the gifts they had just made for their dads when Jeremy went to get Ari. I had totally forgotten that the nursery kids would be getting to do a project too until they came back with this:

It's a tray to stash your wallet, keys, phone etc. in. Jeremy will totally use this and what a perfect little handprint! I was so excited!

The Next Morning

2009-06-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

Yea! We made it!

The very next night, Lily slept from 7pm until 6 the next morning. That crib is magic!

And the Little One Said Roll Over...

2009-06-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

So we decided that today was the day! Lily is officially banished from our bedroom (and bed!) and tonight will be her first night in the crib instead of the bassinet. Which means... big girl bed for Ari! Thank you to the Grandmas for such a cute, safe, comfy bed! We took our baths, brushed some teeth, said our prayers and gave it a shot.

All tucked in...

But not sleeping yet!

Wish me luck!

Visit from Grandma

2009-06-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

This past week my mom and little brother Colton came for an awesome, but all too short, visit. It was so good having them and we were able to squeeze quite a few activities into a week. Here are some of the highlights:

Lily got to meet her uncle:

Ari and Uncle Colton shared a new book:

We did some shopping in Scottsdale:

And even got to splash in a fountain:

One of the days we visited the Children's Museum of Phoenix. It is an amazing place and I highly recommend going if you have the chance!

We also stopped by Pop for some very yummy Dr. Peppers. Went to Rio Vista to splash, but it was too cold! Too cold in Arizona in June?! So we played on the playground instead.
We got Lily all dressed in her swimsuit, but she fell asleep and never knew we there!

Friday night Jeremy and his brother Casey took Colton out jeeping in the desert and met some of Casey's friends for a bonfire and s'mores until a friendly Sheriff's Deputy asked them to put out the fire! The next morning the boys met Jeremy's uncle David for some fishing on the Gila. No catches, but some fun time in the boat. They brought my little bro back in one piece, much to his own surprise and delight!

(Not them, but same spot)

Saturday night we had an adults' night out and took in a Diamondbacks game while Colton was visiting some fam and the girls stayed with their rockstar aunts. We had an amazing time and I hope they did too. I can't wait to be with them again soon. Love you guys!

Father's Day print-out

2009-06-19T15:57:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't get the Place emails, this is super-cute! Our girls are too little, but I thought I'd pass it on. Have fun!

Click Here!

Cute Girl!

2009-06-12T09:37:00.001-07:00

Sweet Smiles

2009-06-08T09:12:00.001-07:00

Wait for it...

Almost...

There it is!

I love this little girl!

Lily's Blessing Day

2009-06-08T09:03:00.001-07:00

Click here for pics!

Popsicle Faces

2009-06-01T16:04:00.000-07:00

Ari's first popsicle compliments of her friend Keelin.

I heart summer!

Our Sweet Lily

2009-04-22T13:34:00.001-07:00

Easter with Ari

2009-04-21T06:52:00.000-07:00

Hunting eggs at Gram and Granddad's on Saturday

Easter basket Sunday morning

A visit from the Great-Grandparents

2009-04-20T15:43:00.000-07:00

Recently, my grandparents came to Phoenix for a week to visit. They came with the hope to meet our new Lily, but it didn't work out. She came, of course, while they were on their way home! While they were here they celebrated their 51st anniversary and my Grandpa's 70th birthday! We loved seeing them and miss them all ready. As usual, they didn't come empty handed:

Ari had a blast showing them her superb present-opening skills and has since had a blast playing with her new toys and eating her yummy treats. Thanks again, guys! We love you!

The First Glimpse...

2009-04-20T15:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome Lilian Dorene Ford!

April 14, 2009
8 lbs. 9 oz.
21 in. long

Happy Birthday Kristen!

2009-03-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

We wanted to give a special birthday shout today to the most wonderful sister / sis-in-law / (and especially) aunt in the world! Kristen, you are such a beautiful person and we are so proud of everything that you do. You are a major blessing to our little family and we appreciate so much your love and support.

I'm so glad that we have gotten to know each other well and have grown so close.

I hope that we are able to return even a fraction of your love, kindness and generosity.

Have a great birthday! We love you!

Ari is One!

2009-02-27T08:37:00.000-08:00

These are the proofs from Ari's one year old photos. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday (More Presents) Ari!

2009-02-24T21:40:00.000-08:00

We saved Ari's birthday package from her Grandma Sherree for her to open on her birthday. We set them in her play area while she was eating breakfast and she was stoked when she saw them. She headed straight for them and knew just what to do. She got them open and had a blast playing until her nap! Thank you Grandma! We love you!

Happy Birthday (Presents) Ari!

2009-02-24T21:04:00.000-08:00

After eating half a cake, we got Ari all cleaned up and went into the family room to open presents. I wasn't sure what to expect. At Christmas, she liked playing with her new toys, but had no interest at all in opening any packages. She spends all day at home emptying drawers, bags/purses/backpacks, armoires, cabinets etc. and tearing any paper she can find. (The paper is usually found in Daddy's textbooks!) So, opening presents seems like it would come naturally to her, but even at Valentine's Day she still needed a lot of prompting to open her treats from her Grandma Sherree. Well, that is not the case any longer. She started out on Daddy's lap, but it seemed to slow her down so he put her on the floor and she went for it! She has a system that she is pretty consistent with. If it is a wrapped gift she starts at the corner and gets every bit of paper off. If it's a bag all the tissue must go. The paper and tissue is placed behind her and if you happen to move any of it she stops, gets it back, and returns it to the pile. Any gifts that happen to be clothes are also placed in this "discard" pile. She even learned a couple of tricks along the way: if she runs her fingertips down the back of a box she can find the edge of the paper to tear and if a corner is too stuck, use your teeth! (There's a pic of this in the slideshow.) Thank you Gram and Granddad, Aunt Kristen and Aunt Lara for all the great gifts! Notice the rockin' outfit that was an early birthday present from Aunt Kristen!

Happy Birthday (Cake) Ari!

2009-02-24T20:49:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday we celebrated Ari's birthday at her Grandparents' house. The highlight of the day I think was her cake. Her rockstar Aunt, Kristen, made her the cutest, yummiest First Birthday cake ever! She did a great job and we all enjoyed it, but none of us quite like the Birthday Girl. We love you Aunt Kristen!

My Snuggle Bug

2009-02-13T07:56:00.000-08:00

Daddy doesn't leave for work on Fridays until about 8 so we have a little time in the mornings to play. One of Ari's favorite things is to be tossed up on our bed where she attacks the pillows and anyone brave enough to join her. And if you've ever seen her pounce you know this is a real attack! She was just so snugly and cute this morning still in her jammies that I thought I'd snap a few pics to share. Enjoy!

Ari's first trip to Chick-Fil-A

2008-12-30T20:37:00.000-08:00

Today was my first trip to Chick-Fil-A since Ari was born. I know, tear. Since she is old enough now to share some chicken and play in the toddler area and since it was my birthday and we had nothing else to do, we savored the event.

Happy Free Birthday to Me! (Pt. 2)

2008-12-30T19:58:00.000-08:00

This was my amazing lunch:

Free birthday Keva Juice for joining the email list and a free Chick-Fil-A sandwich for taking a survey a couple of months ago.

Happy Free Birthday to Me! (Pt. 1)

2008-12-30T11:20:00.001-08:00

This morning I got up just before six and headed out for a dozen free doughnuts from Krispy Kreme! They were great!

I also made some hashbrowns and bacon so we wouldn't get sick. I even squeezed some juice from the Orange Grove oranges we got from Jeremy's parents. Delicious; a perfect birthday breakfast!

Lilian Dorene... Come on Down!

2008-12-22T08:33:00.000-08:00

You're the next member of the Ford family! This is a little late. I blame my scanner; it blames my incompetence. I recently had my first appointment with the Perinatologist and everything went great. I've been able to feel her swim around for a while now so it was cool to finally get to watch her in action. They printed a couple of the shots for me, but they are not the best. It took a long time to finish all the checking and measuring. Turns out that it's pretty hard to measure one chamber of a heart when the 10 oz. fetus it is growing inside won't stop doing flips! I'm raising gymnasts, I guess!

Here's the first little glimpse of our Lily:

We love you, Lily! We are so excited to meet you!

Cute pics with Great-Grandpa

2008-12-07T08:06:00.001-08:00

My grandpa was in the valley for a few days to be with his brother, Gerald, who passed away the afternoon of the 27th. While he was here we were able to have dinner with him and spend some time together one evening. Here are some cute pics we got of him and Ari together:

She was being pretty wiggly that day, but she had a great time showing Great-Grandpa her three teeth and how fast she can crawl!

Really?!

2008-10-25T13:13:00.000-07:00

We recently got a box from my mom that had stuff for our anniversary, some cute clothes for Ari and some old stuff of mine that she had found moving things into her new house. It was mostly old certificates and ribbons, things I wrote in English classes and some pics. Hilarious! Among the items was a packet of these pics (I don't think I gave any away!):

Really?! I don't remember taking this picture and I don't know if I had anything to do with choosing this look. I also know that the people that did this to me read this blog and although I wasn't told "no" very much growing up I think this would have been an appropriate time. Oh, well! I hope you all have a good laugh and Ari, I vow to you that there will never be a picture taken of you that resembles this one!

Did anyone order an Ari?

2008-10-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

So, lately I've been in a little trouble from the Grandmas about the lack of Ari pictures on the blog, so here we go! This is a set of pics that Aunt Kristen took of Ari playing in the box to the new booster seat that Grandma bought to have at her house. Enjoy!

And a silly one of her enjoying some lasagna in the new seat!

J. O.'s Birthday Cake

2008-10-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

Those of you who facebook already know that I made my first carrot cake at the beginning of the month for Jeremy's birthday. I appreciate the luck that was wished and wish that I could have filled the out-of-state requests for slices. I used a Martha Stewart (shocker) recipe and was quite pleased by how it turned out. I couldn't quite pin Jeremy down with an answer as to whether it was better than his mom's. He would only say that they were both very good, just different. Lawyering skills, I guess!

Martha's:

Mine:

After:

I think it was pretty close! Next time I make this you are all invited; it's pretty big! Jeremy ate it for about a week but wasn't able to finish it!

Just to substantiate the rumors

2008-09-12T16:46:00.000-07:00

All right, you caught us, we're pregnant! I'm about seven weeks and everything is great. I'm pretty sick this time, but that's ok because it's a good sign. My due date is April 29th which puts the little ones about fourteen months apart (unless this one comes a month early like Ari!) Kind of crazy, but we're very excited. The ultrasound isn't much to look at (he/she is only 8mm long,) but we got to see a good, strong heartbeat when they did it. I feel like this one is a boy so check back in a few months to see if I'm right!

2008-09-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

For the last vacay of the summer, we took a Ford family trip to Brian Head, UT. All the siblings were there except for Casey and Tianna who were closing on their new house. We all stayed in a really nice cabin at the ski resort. One of the evenings we took in a play at the Shakespearean festival in Cedar City. We saw School for Wives. Not Shakespeare, i know, but it was pretty funny and really well done. Ari had to stay at a day-care center across the street that the festival uses each year. I was anxious, but she did great, of course and I got to go check on her during intermission. They were showing a Baby Einsteins video when I got there at intermission and I started to say something, but I decided that her language and social skills wouldn't be delayed too much by just one. And you can't blame the staff for showing it when they have a bunch of little ones they've never met and that are only with them for a couple of hours. On one of the days we headed over to Bryce canyon and even though a lot of our group are direct descendants of Ebenezer Bryce we still had to pay to get in! Oh, well. While in the area we split up into groups and a few people went horseback riding while others rode quads. Me? I shopped! Heather, James, Jeremy and I stayed around the touristy area. We ate at a buffet place in a hotel that was pretty good and spent the rest of the time in the shops. I got a T-shirt, of course, and a really cool piece of petrified wood! I'm a nerd, I know! We also picked up a Christmas ornament. (We get one each time we go somewhere as our mementos.) Back at Brian Head we rode up a ski lift that they open for the summer for mountain bikers. It was really relaxing just looking at the beautiful area and during the ride we watched two storms come straight at us from different directions and listened to the thunder so it was a little exciting too! It was starting to rain by the end so we had great timing. Ari did a great job until I said, "I'm glad I have such a good baby that I don't have to worry about doing things like this with her." Jinx! She started crying about half way up so we sang to her, which helped, and Daddy rubbed her forehead just above her eyebrows and she fell asleep when we were half way down the other side. It went a lot higher than it looked and I think her ears may have been hurting. Poor baby! We also got to see lots of wildlife. The first morning we were there Jeremy, Mom and Dad went fishing and on the way saw dozens of deer including quite a few babies! They said they were all over the road like cattle. We had a few that would visit the cabin also. Down the road a little ways there was a colony of Southern Utah prairie dogs living under the storage units of a set of condos. We hung out with them for a little while. Then on the quad tour of Bryce canyon there were antelope! We all had a blast on the trip and Ari was perfect on the whole trip. Such a big girl!

Medicine Park

2008-07-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

While we were in Chickasha, we headed down to Medicine Park with my mom and brother for their centennial celebration. We watched a comedy/music show, ate lunch, fed the fish and turtles, did some shopping, and bought four rubber duckies for the annual duck race. We didn't win. Oh, well. We tried to get Colton to volunteer to help catch runaway ducks at the end of race, but he was too cool so I decided I'd go do it. Apparently rubber ducks don't move very quickly (see below) but I got to cool off in the creek. All in all it was a very fun day.

Fourth of July

2008-07-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

I know this is a little late, but July has been pretty busy. To start off the month, Ari took her first plane ride. She was perfect, of course. She continues to amaze me by how well she handles every situation. We went to Chickasha to see family. It was the first time Ari got to meet her Grandma Sherree and we had a blast. It's funny to go home now; my mom has moved to the city and my grandparents have moved back to Chickasha from Phoenix but have bought a new house. They were just moving in when we got there. I like to think I helped a little, but mainly we just distracted them! We had a great trip and I was so grateful to have the opportunity to go.

The Grades Are In!

2008-06-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

One down, two to go! Jeremy has had, I believe, a pretty impressive first year of Law School. A letter came yesterday from the University that I figured was his official ranking. It was, of course, but he was doing some work for the Pro Bono association and was coming home late. So it sat on the end of the dining room table as I anxiously awaited his arrival. When he got home he opened it up... his official rank at the end of his first year is 18 out of 154! That puts him in the top twelve percent of his class. Not too shabby considering we bought a house, put in a lawn and had a baby this year as well. He also found enough time to complete many interviews, receive a great job at Stone and Davis, work ten hours a week at the end of this last semester and catch a good amount of fish! Most importantly, he has more than upheld his position as an actively loving husband and doting father. It has been a very full year, but he has seemed to enjoy himself and I am continually grateful for all his hard work.

"Solid" Food

2008-05-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, so Ari has been getting bigger and learning a lot of new things. She has also been staying hungry ALL day so I started looking at the baby cereals. After reading their purposefully vague age recommendations we decided that she was a “supported sitter” and was hence ready to launch out into the exciting world of single-grain rice cereal. So we cracked out the bibs, sat her up in her bumbo seat and went for it:

I wouldn’t say she enjoyed it, but she started to get the hang of it. It actually wouldn’t have been quite so messy if it wasn’t for her new infatuation to live life with her little fingers in her mouth at all times. But she’s getting better at it and it has cut down on the number of times she has to eat in the day. Yea Ari!

Eating is hard work!

Happy Graduation Day!

2008-05-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

Yea Kristen!! I wanted to take a minute today and congratulate my sister-in-law on her graduation. She is graduating this afternoon from Desert Ridge high school in Mesa. For the next two years she will be attending MCC with a full scholarship. Awesome! She'll be studying, at least for the time being, elementary education. We'll see what her major is in a year and a half or so; am i right? Kristen - you're beautiful and I love you so much. I'm very proud of you! So, congratulations and best of luck to the Desert Ridge class of 2008!

Just for Fun

2008-05-15T20:14:00.000-07:00

The rules are simple:

1. Go to http://www.flickr.com/.
2. Type your answer to each question in the “search” box.
3. Using only the first page, pick an image.
4. Copy and paste the picture into your blog.

What is your first name?

What is your favorite food?

What high school did you go to?

What is your favorite color?

Who is your celebrity crush?

What is your favorite drink?

What is your dream vacation?

What is your favorite dessert?

What do you want to be when you grow up?

What is your favorite indulgence?

What do you love the most?

Things I Love, by Ari Ford

2008-04-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

My bouncy seat

Taking a bath

Drying off after my bath

Riding in the car (especially to Grandma and Granddad's house!)

Sleeping on Daddy

Chillin' in my Boppy

Slumber parties with Aunt Lara

My fishy swing (Thank you to my cousins Bethany and Adam for sharing!)

Sleeping in my crib like a big girl

Tummy Time!

Who are these people?

2008-04-27T17:40:00.000-07:00

For our first entry I just wanted to sort of tell what we have been up to. So, we were sealed in the Mesa, Arizona temple on October 10th of 2003. (That'll be five years soon -- Wow!) We have lived in the valley since. Last May, Jeremy graduated Suma Cum Laude from ASU with a Bachelor's in Political Science and a Bachelor's in Sociology. He started Law School still at ASU this Fall and is facing finals for the next two weeks. He was able to get one of the few, coveted paying jobs for first year students. We are very thankful for that! He is working at Stone and Davis, a small family law firm in Scottsdale. He enjoys the people he works with there and is eager to learn more from them about the logistics of actually practicing law this summer. On February 23rd, two whole months ago now, our daughter was born. Her name is Arianna "Ari" Sue Ford and is absolutely perfect! She is the sweetest baby I've ever met and is just a joy to be around. I may be a little partial, I admit, but she enjoys to be held by anyone, has learned to smile and coo and sleeps each night from about 9:30 to between 5:30 and 6:00! I am very grateful to be able to stay home with her each day and watch her grow. Right now we are teaching two combined CTR classes in the Primary in our ward, Shadow Mountain, in north Phoenix. Our class is 6-8 years old, a great age to teach. We have a wonderful group and I can definitely say that I'm learning a lot from them; I just hope they are learning something too! We have truly been guided in the decisions we have had to make together and are very happy about where we are and what we're doing.