Looking Back at 2007

Happy New Year! Tonight we spent a couple hours at some friends' house in our ward. It was a lot of fun but we decided to retire early and get Sienna to bed. (I am going to bed soon too!) These past couple of days I have thought a lot about all of the wonderful things that happened this year. Matt and I have experienced and seen a lot together. What an amazing year 2007 was. We have seen ups and downs but I am truly humbled by all the blessings we have witnessed and received. We were able to strengthen existing relationships while also developing many new and priceless friendships. We are in a great house, neighborhood, ward, and we have been blessed so much by the people that have come into our lives. Here are some of my favorite memories of the year.

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-At the very beginning of the year, Matt and set out on an adventure I never thought I would look forward to. We moved away from both of our families (me being 7 1/2 months pregnant with our first baby) and started our first home in Keller, TX. As much as I miss both of our families, this has been such an irreplaceable experience for me. We have grown so much together and I have learned so much.

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-Driving to Texas with my mom and dad. Really, they did all the driving while I vegged in the backseat scared to death of my new life in Texas.

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-Matt and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary in February (almost 3 years).

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-Matt has a great job with TWG that we both love. It is such a blessing to have such a beneficial job that is as enjoyable as it is rewarding. We have made some very strong friendships with many different people that he works with.

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-Hanging out with Carly at my house while Matt was in Utah for work. For as close as we are, we don't see each other enough!

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-March 21, 2007 My dream of becoming a mom came true. Sienna Anne Shumway was born at 5:45 am weighing it at 6 lbs 11oz and measuring 20 inches long. What big miracles come in such tiny packages. She really is such a joy to us and I couldn't imagine life without her. *Thanks to my mom and Matt's mom for being such great examples to me as what a good mother should be. I have the best to look up to and try to pattern myself after.*

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-Spending time with my mom after having Sienna. Catching up on "The Office" and trying to figure out everything that comes with being a new mom.

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-Going to Utah for the first time with Sienna and showing her off to all of my friends. Yes, I'm really a mom!

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-Having Matt's family come to Texas. Eating out, ball games, 6 Flags, and more.

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-When my dad and Jake came out for a whole 24 hours to see the new house and just so happened to buy a car...

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-Meeting my new niece Kate and new nephew Max!

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-Hanging out with Cole and Ella. Two of the most entertaining and fun kids ever.

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-Spending lots of time with Baby Ben.

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-Having "Girls Night Out" in Alabama with Ella, Kate, and Sienna. My favorite girls in the world. Even though they were sick it was a blast.

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-Going to Les Miserables, playing catch, and just hanging out like we used to with Jamie before she left for her mission.

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-Em, I know May was a roller coaster month for you with Max being born and you losing Eric, but I am glad I got to spend so much time with you. I felt bad being so far away while you had to go through all of that. We had some great talks and spent some quality time together. Love ya!

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-All the phone calls with my daddy.

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-Going to San Antonio to see Carly and her family.

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-Watching so many of our friends have babies.

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-Playing Tennis with Matt.

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-Giving Sienna baths.

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-Thanksgiving in Utah. I missed my people and I got to see so many of them. I have the cutest nieces and nephews in the world. I love when they will get on the phone and talk to me.

-Having Christmas in Texas with Matt and Sienna. What a wonderful holiday and perfect way to end the year. Even if we were all sick, everyone is happy on Christmas!

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I could go on forever. This past year will definitely be an unforgettable one. I very much look forward to what 2008 has in store for us. I have been blessed more than I deserve and most all of those blessings have come in the form family and friends. Thanks for everything. I love you all!

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Mom and dad- Thanks for everything. I truly appreciate all of the support even though you don't like that we live in Texas.

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Dan and Andrea- Ditto! You guys have been so wonderful and supportive. Sienna loves to preform for you over web cam.

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Brit and Kyle- Enjoy 'Bama. As much as "I hate the south" we'll come visit and see the new house. It looks great and we're extremely impressed with renovation done by Kyle.

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Jake and Reni- Enjoy Grandma and Grandpa while you have them to yourselves. Regardless of how it looks, it won't last forever! :) Give the boys lots of kisses for me.

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Kirk- come home to us safely! I can't wait to see you in April. Love ya, little bro. Semper Fi! Go Marines.

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Bryan and Allie- Sienna would still love a Shumway cousin, but enjoy school and work while you can. You'll need to come out and visit us sometime before you do have a little one on the way. We would love to be closer to you guys so we could hang out. Plus, I am already getting a little tired of Guitar Hero, Matt needs some competition.

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Adri and Dana- We miss you so much. Sienna loves her aunties and looks forward to every chance she gets to see you. You guys couldn't be any more beautiful or talented. We love you!

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Elder Kyle Bruce Shumway- Thanks for calling on Christmas. We are so proud of what you are doing in New Zealand. We can't wait to see you again but know you are doing well. Stay safe and keep writing.

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I'm sorry this was so long (and no pictures) but I have a lot on my mind. Happy New Year! Good night!

Merry Christmas!

We are late posting about Christmas because there has been so much going on. Poor Sienna has been really sick and cuddling her has taken up most of our days. Christmas was wonderful. We had such a fun morning together. We opened presents, played some Guitar Hero, and ate our Christmas cereals.

It was such a nice relaxing day. We had Mike and Dyan Colby and Licy and her girls over for dinner and just hung out the rest of the night. One of the highlights of the night was talking to Uncle Kyle on his mission in New Zealand. We're so happy he was able to call us!

Sienna enjoying her new sippy cup.

Matt was so excited about Guitar Hero. He has played it so much.

Matt did really well at getting me awesome gifts and they were all surprises! Most everything was from William Sanoma, and you can't go wrong with that store.

Every year we get a box of our favorite cereal for Christmas. This started with Matt's family. Yes, I love grape nuts!

Sienna has so many new toys and she loves them all. Thanks to grandmas and grandpas!

Funny Faces

First, an update on sweet little Pierce. He had his first open heart surgery on Tuesday and is doing well. Every hour in recovery he continued to improve. We'll have to wait to hear the latest, but as of now, it could be a couple years before he has to get another surgery! That is such a blessing because it will give his little body time to heal. Please keep them in your prayers. Hopefully, Lauren can rest a little now so she can heal too.

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We are doing great. Sienna has been so funny lately. Some our favorite things that she does is dance, wave goodbye, clap, and pretend talk. Matt also taught her to throw golf balls back to him.

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She loves banging the golf balls together and chase them around the room. Please notice that they are BYU golf balls, not Utah!

This was my favorite face I got. It reminds me a little of her cousin Cole's face that he always does. So cute and fun.

Showing off her teeth. Still 'only' 8 but I think she is working on 12.

Getting ready to throw the golf ball.

I don't know what she was thinking in this picture but it sure looks like she is up to something. Aren't her overalls adorable??

PJ Pals

Sienna got to hang out with Ben again while his mom went to the hospital to have another baby! Ben is now a big brother to adorable little Pierce. Pierce was born last Wednesday. Please keep the Davis family in your prayers. Pierce was born with some heart defects and will have to undergo multiple open-heart surgeries. Considering everything that poor little Pierce has gone through, he is doing considerably well.

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Cute little PJ Pals. They had so much fun together. Sienna misses playing with Ben. They were both so good and more importantly both went to bed super easily!

Sienna looked so cute the other day in her new sweater. She is also getting used to her new bows.

Ariana loves Sienna and is constantly giving her hugs. Sienna usually goes crazy with laughter when Ariana is around but she doesn't really know what to think when Ariana is hanging on her.

Sienna's new favorite thing is brushing her teeth. Good thing because she has a mouthful of them to clean.

Yes, I am a hypocrite. I always make fun of people that put huge flowers or bows on their baby girls... but at least this flower isn't the size of her head!

Slowly Jumping Back Into Blogging

I haven't quite got the hang of blogging again since we have been home. Sienna and I have been so busy doing other things. We had a great weekend but it went too fast. We had a baby shower over here for a good friend from work and had a million things to do for church, yesterday.

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"Grandma, I'm ready to come back!"

My mom and dad are trying very hard to convince us to go back to Utah for Christmas. Even if it is only a couple days, they really want us there. It is very tempting because we'd go snowmobiling Christmas Day and get some skiing in too, I'm sure. Plus, who wants to be away from family for Christmas, but it would be way too hectic to be there for only a few days.

Sienna really isn't looking at me or the camera. Matt's mom sent some adorable bows for her and I wanted to get a picture but I couldn't get her to stop watching Baby Einstein, so I just stepped in front of the TV. She hasn't seen Einstein in quite some time so she wasn't going to miss a thing.

Pictures from Utah

Here are some pictures from our trip to Utah.

Ella and Sienna in a box.

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Matt and a lot of his buddies playing guitar hero. This is Matt's new addiction. It was fun to see all of his friends... they all have babies now!

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Santa came to visit us on Thanksgiving. We did this every year with my mom's side of the family as we were growing up. We haven't had Santa visit for quite sometime but it was a fun surprise.

Sienna playing with the koosh ball on the bean bags.

What can I say? We like boxes, even gramma-gramma.

We came home to find both babies asleep on grandma. That's talent.

This is the beginning of some Christmas decorations. My mom's nativity scene on the left and her Santa on the right. She is so talented. We still have a lot of work to do but I love the ornaments on the tree. They are all either painted by my mom or from Hallmark (from my mom) that sing or do fun things.

Back to Blogging

I'll put more pictures from the trip up later. I am running out the door to do some Christmas shopping! We went to Utah for Thanksgiving. Matt was able to stay for 9 days!!! It was such a great trip and we had so much fun seeing everyone. Sienna and I stayed a week longer with my family. As fun as it was, it is nice to be home and working our way back into the groove of things.

Last night for family night we decorated our tree. Lots of Christmas pictures to come as well. Thanks grandma and grandpa Liechty and Shumway for everything. We can't wait to see you again!

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We had some family pictures taken while we were in Utah. I think we are going to get some more done before we blow any up for the wall. It was a long day and Sienna used all of her smiles right before picture time. (Plus I don't like all the rolls in my sweater!) Kudos to Matt, he looks great!

Psycho eyes and smile from me but Sienna looked so cute so I'll show it anyway. Look how red that hair is.

Daddy and his little girl. Precious! You'll notice that Sienna is smiling a lot more in the picture with me... that is because Matt was there to get the laughs.

A B C

We've been tagged by Bryan and Allie... I will do as much as I can while Sienna is asleep.

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I tag everyone that reads this to do the same...

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A- Attached or Single? Attached. I have the best husband in the world!

B- Best Friend? Matt and My dad (the rest, you know who you are!)

C- Cake or Pie? I think I would usually say cake, but it is pie season all the way!

D- Day of Choice? Saturday! Matt and I get a lot done on Saturdays and have tons of fun playing with Sienna.

E- Essential Item? My camera - I take so many pictures.

F- Favorite Color? Probably Red

G- Gummi Bears or Gummi Worms? Bears but the worms are yummy too.

H- Hometown? Orem, Utah!

I- Favorite Indulgence? Eating

J- January or July?July in Texas is really hot, but I do love summer time. January is fun if I can snowmobile with my fam.

K- Kids? Yes. One adorable girl with many more on the way! :)

L- Life is incomplete without? The Gospel, Family, and Laughter

M- Marriage Date? February 19, 2005! Coming up on 3 years already...wow!

N- Number of Brothers & Sisters? 1 Sis, 2 Bros and a whole lot of wonderful in-laws!! I love Matt's fam! :)

O- Oranges or Apples? Oranges but Apple Juice!

P- Phobias or Fears? Phobia: Spiders Fears: Something happening to my family

Q- Quote? I recently got a fortune cookie that I love "Your love of life will carry you through any circumstance" and "I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it"

R- Reason to smile? Children! I love kids, always have, always will.

S- Season of Choice? I really enjoy lots of things about every season. Spring and Fall are perfect weather though.

T- Tag Four Friends: Emily, Reni, Alyssa, Kierra, Anyone that reads this!

U- Unknown Fact About Me? That'll just have to stay unknown.

V- Vegetable? Broccoli, Grean Beans, Avacado (that may be a fruit?)

W- Worst Habit? whining... it even annoys me. I only do it to Matt when I really want to make him feel bad but it only drives him crazy.

X- X-Ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasounds. Usually when you get an x-ray it is because you broke something or are at the evil dentist.... and usually when you have an ultrasound it is because you.... well, you're having a baby! :) Allie, you're right. It is a really special neat experience. Hopefully, you guys can find out soon how exciting it really is.

Y- Your Favorite Food? Mexican! I crave it all of the time.

Z- Zodiac Sign? Taurus

"According to the map, we only have 4 inches"

Utah, we're on our way. We are leaving tonight for Utah and we are all super excited. Too bad we don't get in until about midnight.

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I wanted to post some cute pictures of Sienna with Ariana and Sophia before we leave, but the camera is in the car with Matt. This morning Sienna and I have been packing and babysitting Ariana. You'll die when you see a picture of these girls, they are absolutely beautiful.

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GRAMMA-WE'RE COMING!

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

Emily and I went to "So You Think You Can Dance" tour last night and it was FANTASTIC. We really had such a great time. I think we'll have to make this an annual occurrence if the seasons to come are as good as it was this year.

While we were at the show, Matt was at a HUGE work dinner where they fed him more than you could imagine. He even accidentally consumed a little bit of alcohol. He had ordered a few virgin daiquiris and then one came out that wasn't so virgin...oops!

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This was one of my favorite dances. It was a Broadway dance with the final 4 from this last season.

Sabra and Danny. We love Danny.

It was so sad when the show was over.

Sienna and Max

We're about to head out for lunch or shopping, but here are some pictures of the kids.

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6 Month Pictures

These pictures are from the last time Emily and Max came out. We went and had Sienna's 6 month pictures done and we just got the CDs back. I have to admit, I am more pleased with her 3 month pictures but these are pretty cute too. I can't believe that she is almost 8 months old.

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We went to the botanical gardens for her pictures (probably why things didn't work out as well... too hot). They had this fun butterfly chair. I was happy with these pictures.

We kind of just had to prop Max up and hope he didn't fall off.

"hi"

Peekaboo

I love this skirt.

She had fun getting a little dirty on the rocks.

The gang.

Cheesecake, YUM!

Emily and Max arrived safely, AGAIN!! :) We have taken some fun footage of the kids together but not many still photos, oops. I am sure we will get a bunch before they leave. We have been up to the same things we usually are when Em and I get together - eating and shopping. The highlight of last night would have to be Cheesecake Factory with Emily and the Poyfairs. It was lots of fun and super delicious.

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Things That Make Me Happy

I don't have many new pictures right now but I wanted to post anyway. This week has been tons of fun and is only going to get better. There are many things that have made me really happy lately.

1. My Family! Matt and Sienna can both make me laugh and smile regardless of what mood I am in. Sienna has been extremely entertaining lately. She is off the wall hyper and just keeps us going. I love it!
2. Good Friends! Yesterday, Sienna and I spent almost the entire day with some of my favorite people. Sharee went with us to the Northeast Mall and to lunch at Panera, (similar to Zupas). Then, she joined us for a play date at Licy's house for a for a couple hours. Last night ended with feeding the missionaries again. It is always fun having them over. The BEST is yet to come too - EMILY COMES TOMORROW!! I couldn't be more excited for the next few weeks.
3. Holidays! Celebrating holidays is always fun. I love them most because we get to see our families. Emily comes tomorrow and leaves Wednesday. Friday, we head to Utah for 2 weeks. I love our families so much and can't wait to see everyone. I am sad that Uncle Kirk and Uncle Kyle won't be there but everyone else will. Sienna can't wait to play with her cousins.

Here are 2 of the people we love most. Ella and Cole are growing up so fast. I can't believe Cole is turning 3 next month and is potty training...and Ella will be 4 in February. CRAZY! It'll be fun to see the babies interact with each other too.

More Friends!

What a wonderful weekend it has been. Friday night we just hung out the three of us and took it easy. Saturday, we played tennis, washed the car (inside and out!), went shopping, and played games with Brooke and Ryan from the ward. It was great seeing the Brownings again. They have a 6 week old girl - Savannah- and so it has been quite some time since we've been able to do something with them. Plus, the girls one for once!
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Today has been wonderful. Church went really well. There is a new family that moved in and they live in our neighborhood! I am so excited about that because there are only a few families from the ward that live in our development. I am most excited because Licy, the mom, is a stay at home mom of Ariana (2 years old), and Sophia (7 months old... a week older than Sienna). Her husband is in Iraq for work until January and then he'll be home for a month and gone again. He isn't in the military anymore - but can't stay away from Iraq so he took a job doing something very similar to what he did as a Marine. She was actually in the Military too and that is how they met. Anyway, she is really fun and we had them over for dinner. We seemed to have clicked pretty well, pretty quick. I am really hoping that Matt and I can have her family over a lot. She doesn't have any family around and I am sure she would appreciate some adult conversation from time to time! :) I love meeting new people, especially when they are as sweet and fun and Licy and her girls.

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On the way to church.

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Kind of a goofy/scary picture of mommy, but Sienna was so happy.

This is Sienna's signature move. She does it all of the time. Mostly, when we read her "SO BIG" book to her, but occasionally she'll just break it out for fun.

This is for you Grandpa Doug. I have tried and tried for over a week to catch Sienna in the act of sniffing. She is constantly doing it but for some reason, I have had the hardest time catching it on camera. This isn't the best picture because she looks angry, but really she is just sniffing. I did that to my dad when I was a baby.

She still loves taking baths.