Come Rain or Shine.

As we all know, Utah weather can be so weird and unpredictable. Last week the RAIN in the morning and the SUN in the afternoon was perfect for two little outings with Brie. It was so cute to see her fascinated by the rain...




...and enjoying the sun, running around barefoot with her balloon.

** Thanks Grauntie and Mémé for the
perfect rainy/sunny day outfit :0) **

A Life to be Remembered.

A few weeks ago Bry, Brie and I flew to Seattle to honor the life of one of Bryan's Grandfathers--William Frederick Graden. Such occasions always bring mixed emotions, but how grateful I was to spend time with so much of Bryan's family. (I even got to meet relatives that I'd heard about but hadn't yet seen.) Some of life's most meaningful and sweetest moments are with family, wouldn't you say?

14 April 2010

Bellevue, Washington

Although things will never be the same with Grandpaw being gone, what a life he led and what a legacy he leaves us...
one of faith, love and service.

Funerals always get me thinking about my life...when I pass on, what will my family and friends have to say about me? What will they remember most? Will I have given them a legacy to live up to?

How grateful I am to have known Grandpaw
and to know that we will all see him again.

The Youngest of the Single Sheets.

Where did the last 18 years go?...Tim, old enough to go to PROM?! My little brother isn't so little. In any case, it was fun to see Tim get all dressed up for his big date. (His poor date, my Dad and I practically did a full photo shoot of them. Oh well :0))

Lots to post about, not enough time.

I have so many things I want to post about from the last few weeks, but not enough time to get to them right now. (I'm heading out this afternoon to spend a few nights with my nieces & nephews in Stansbury Park. It'll be fun :0)) So by way of reminder to myself and as a little head's up, here are some things I want to post about when I get a chance:

• Tim's Senior Prom
• Our bitter-sweet and wonderful time with family while in Seattle for Grandpaw's funeral
• Sweet Brie playing in the rain
• Graduation 2001 & 2008 (2009)
• A particular Hawaiian luau two years ago

I think that's it. In the mean time...my first round of pictures are up from the wedding. If you haven't seen them yet, check 'em out by clicking here.

Hope you're all doing well...Til next time!

Could I ask for anything more?

For those of you who may be wondering...the wedding day was AWESOME!! It started off with total butterflies in my stomach, but ended up going SO well....weather and all. I felt so blessed for things to go smoothly. I still haven't gone through most of the pictures, but decided to quickly skim through them and upload a few so you can have a sneak peek. I haven't had time to retouch them, so here they are straight from the camera...





Realistically I probably won't get to them til next week, but keep an eye on my photo blog (www.bellepetitephoto.blogspot.com) for more favorites from their wedding day.

AND, I just have to say THANK YOU to my sweetie. Things would NOT have gone as smoothly without him. He was seriously my life saver...my right hand man, pack horse, 2nd photographer, picture uploader, batter charger, etc.




After having spent an awesome day working together we joked about teaming up to get into wedding photography. I think we'd both love it, so who knows. It could happen :0)

When the pink dress is hung...

...and the photo shoots are over...

BRIE...

1) loves sitting in our laps and reading books.
2) gets up on the love seat (and has been known to throw things over the side while saying, "uh-oh!")
3) continues to do a great job feeding herself...and making BIG messes in the process!
4) loves to color and draw whenever she gets a hold of markers, pens or pencils. (Here she's coloring in a coloring book Aunt Rachie gave her for Easter. It's great...the marker ONLY works on the specific coloring book that came with it!)
5) undresses and "dresses" herself. She also loves to pull her clothes out of her chest of drawers and drag them around the apartment.
6) has taken an interest in changing diapers. Unfortunately this has meant going in to get her from a nap and finding her diaperless! Now I just have to make sure to put a onesie on her...thank heavens she hasn't figured out how to unsnap those yet!
7) takes the boppy, plants herself in the middle, tucks herself in with her blankie, puts her thumb in her mouth and is heaven.
8) bites her nails...already?! Hmm, I wonder where she gets this one from ;0)

Ever heard of Chihuly?

(got this picture from http://www.chihuly.com/installations/kew/)

"Dale Chihuly, born in 1941, is a contemporary glass artist whose imaginative work as a glassblower and sculptor revolutionized the art form. His method of glass blowing is primarily responsible for the evolution of the Studio Glass movement, which no longer involves the lone artist creating work on his own in a studio, but it is now more of a collaborative effort among a team of artists. His use of dramatic, vibrant color, line of the glass and unique assemblage of the sculpture has made him a pioneer in his field." (www.wisegeek.com)

I'm sure that I had seen blown glass before, but it wasn't until my family's happening upon Chihuly's Bridge of Glass a few years ago (Summer 2007) that I really took a liking for it. His work is AMAZING!!!

To learn more about Chihuly's Bridge of Glass, click here.)

In any case, I had forgotten about the art until my friend Ashley Petersen invited me to "make some glass flowers" at Thanksgiving Point.

Walking into the studio and art gallery made me feel like I was back in Tacoma...of course it wasn't Chihuly's work, but it only took us 30 minutes to get there :0)


Ashley made two flowers and let me make one (that she'll be giving away as a mothers' day present). It was a pretty quick and fun process...well, considering that we were highly assisted by one of the workers! In any case, if you want a bit of culture and a fun artistic outing, head to Thanksgiving Point and check out the Art Institute and Art Gallery.

Paparazzi & Peeps.

Easter morning Bry, Brie and I snuck up to the grand room...decorated a bit and hid plastic Easter eggs. We decided to fill the eggs with facts/quotes about the Savior, origin of Easter traditions, etc.

Since Bry and I were married I have put more thought into holidays and the sorts of traditions I want our little family to have. One of my goals is to bring the true meaning back into certain holidays, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. If you have any ideas, pass 'em my way.

That Elaine, she always finds the CUTEST things!



(Thank you Bompa & Mémé for the
CUTE Easter dress. Yay for Costco!)


We had originally planned on everyone searching for eggs, but instead the fam followed Brie around and helped her fill her basket...it looked like the paparazzi with at least 3 people behind cameras snapping shots. Oh dear :0)




One idea I found online was numbering and filling 12 plastic Easter eggs with objects & scriptures that have to do with the Savior's atonement. You can open them all at once or open one each day leading up to Easter.

Rach brought a few mini Brie-sized eggs filled with candy.
Oh boy did Brie like the peeps!
(If you look closely you can see residue of
yellow Peeps on her face. Saving it for later :0))



Everyone pitched in to get lunch ready
and put dinner together for later...

(Here's a great example of the importance of focusing on the right thing when taking a picture. Sure the flowers are pretty and all, but I was kind of hoping to have the group in focus. Oops!)

I love working with everyone in the kitchen.
BIG kitchen + family + cooking = Quality bonding time!
(Well I guess a small kitchen would make an even closer knit family...
due to a lack of space. Ha ha :0))
Someday Bry & I will have a nice BIG kitchen for whipping up all sorts of fun international dishes. Someday. Til then!



Our little Easter bunny...several peeps later...a little sugar high!

I love the years when General Conference falls on Easter. Not only do we get a whole weekend full of inspiring and uplifting messages, but we get to spend it all with our families and friends. (It's kind of weird that this was the last conference we'll be spending with our families for several years. October we'll be spending it with our ward family and it won't be the same, but it will be great too!)

For the last two years around Easter time I have added an entry each day while writing in the gratitude journal...one reason why I love the Savior. Last year, after a few days of wondering what I loved about the Savior that particular day, it dawned on me that I could take note of the promptings I'd gotten from the Spirit. For instance, if during the day I had been inspired to take time to listen to a friend...that prompting shed a little light on the Savior. If He had been there He would have compassionately and lovingly listened to my friend and that is why He prompted me to do so. Does that make sense? This year I realized that I could learn more about my Savior by watching others. For instance, after listening to Elder Kopischke speak with such enthusiasm and optimism, the thought came to me that the Savior is very much the same. Anyway, it was really neat to better "see" and get to know the Savior as I watched those around me.

I'm grateful for the person He is. For the love He has and for how that love affects all that He does. I am grateful that with His resurrection He brought new life, new chances...new beginnings. Now it's up to me to make the most of what He has given me.

Happy Easter!