The Orchid--A Natural Experience

My cousin and his wife have started up an amazing company called The Orchid. The Orchid features natural bath products that moisturize and replenish the skin.
Below are just a few of their products to check out. I think these soaps are so cute, and would be the perfect gift idea (and only $4.00)My mom was intrigued by this shampoo bar so she bought some and loves it (and it was only $6). She said that it lathers up just like shampoo, only it is shampoo in its natural form. I was thinking it would be the perfect thing to buy to travel with, since it's so small. You could just throw it in a ziplock or a soap dish (and not run the risk of having your shampoo leaking). My cousin gave the bath bubblers as a wedding favor, which I thought was a cool idea. They were great and made my skin super soft.

The Orchid's products are organic and don't have all the preservatives and chemicals in them, so they are just really good for you. They don't have their website up and running quite yet, but you can place orders via email. For more info or to see their products check out their blog at www.theorchidexperience.blogspot.com or you can find them at the Farmer's Market in Provo on Saturdays from 9-2 p.m. (I went to the Farmer's Market today and bought a few things. Can't wait to try them out! Oh, and the prices are even cheaper at the Farmer's Market!)

Happy July 24th!

I've posted this recipe before, but this time my mom and I added the blueberries for a festive red/white/blue dessert. If you're looking for a yummy dessert recipe to take to a BBQ this weekend, give this a try! It's sooooo good and looks pretty too. CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE (just add blueberries on top of each layer of strawberries for the patriotic look!)

Sienna at 11-months-old

I love it when she gives the stink eye. So cute.

I thought I'd post a little update on what's new with Sienna.

• Well, my little one is now 11 months old and has yet to crawl. She is so funny. She does the reverse army crawl, but just hasn't figured out how to get into drive. Actually, she seems to know how, she just doesn't want to. She'll crawl forward just a little and then just swing her legs around and sit on her bum. She just can't be bothered. Personally, I think she's just thinking that she's really cute (and gets lots of attention) when she waves, so she'll just stick with the waving, since it's so much easier! I don't really mind that she's not crawling, it sure makes things easier! It'll come soon enough. And she gets plenty of coverage just with scooting, rolling and sliding, so I'm nervous to see how she'll move once she does get going with the crawling & walking. Right now she loves to stand against the coffee table, the sofa, my lap...and her legs are pretty steady.
  


• Sienna has been such an easy baby so far (Yes, I am aware that I may be in for a real surprise with my next kid. "What?! Babies don't all sleep through the night at 6 weeks?!), but I will tell you that she has definitely got some spunk. We're just beginning to get a taste of her personality. I'm a bit nervous, we have a fiesty little one on our hands! She goes from 0-10 in no time at all. She has always been so easy to lay down, but now she's starting to fuss/scream/fight, she even throws her back into it. It's actually quite entertaining. Luckily she calms down pretty quickly, but I think we might be in for some fun times ahead with this strong little personality. I hate to admit it, but I was not a fun toddler. I was a major tantrum thrower. Payback's a B*#%! My friend Lara has a spunky little girl who has a "very strong personality" and she said that she likes to think positive by telling herself that Heavenly Father needs very strong spirits at this time, so if we just channel it in the right direction, it can be a good thing. I liked that thought.
  


• What else? Well, Sienna is such a friendly baby. She will go to anyone and loves to smile and laugh. There is nothing better than hearing her giggle. LOVE IT!
  



• Sienna is such a water baby. She LOVES water. Bathtime, pools, and Lake Powell are some of her favorite places to be, since splashing is her favorite thing to do!

• Other favorite past times include: clapping, giving high fives, getting thrown around by her dad, her exersaucer, ripping/eating newspapers, magazines/playing with anything she isn't suppose to, unloading the diaper bag, and anything but having her diapers changed.
  



• She loves, loves, loves fruit--especially watermelon. She loves trying new foods and so far will eat just about anything. I'm sure those days are soon coming to an end, but I'll take it while I can get it! (And yes, her diapers now smell horrible now! Now I know what all of you meant when you talked about how "newborn diapers smell so good".)
  


• Sienna adores her cousins. My sister-in-law Liz watches her on Wednesdays and her kids are so great with Sienna. Her face just lights up like a Christmas tree when she sees her cousin Claire (who is 11 and will be/already is a stellar babysitter!). She still gets spoiled rotten by her grandparents and aunts and uncles. My niece Taylor told me today that she thinks the reason Sienna can't crawl is because people are ALWAYS holding her.



• I think the days of 3 naps are over. I know those of you with several kids are envious that she took 3 naps for this long, but when you have just 1 kid you can just make the naps happen more often/frequently since you don't have other rugrats to worry about. She used to be an early riser, waking up around 6ish, but lately she's been sleeping in until after 8:00 a.m. (which is great, but I think is part of why her nap schedule has been a little crazy). I am learning that just as soon as you think you have these kids figured out, they throw you a curve ball.



• I think the days of actually feeling the spirit and learning something at church may also be gone. The past couple of weeks of church have made me realize just how priceless nursury is. I'm already counting down the days...just 196 more days to go...


• Still can't live without her binky, which I have to say I love. (Ask me that in a couple years and I might have a different response)


• Can't get enough of her "lovey". The second it touches her face, her eyes just begin to flutter and roll back. My brother Rob has one Sienna's loveys and is holding it random. I'm a little nervous that our back up lovey is all the way in Sugarhouse. She acts like it's her best friend. She just gets so excited (and kicks those little legs so hard) when it gets near her.
  



• Current nicknames include; sugar, boogers, Sien, Seenenna, nosy bear, lovey, polar bear (Dan came up with the polar bear--kind of a combo of the nosy bear, since she is insanely nosy and has to know/see everything that's going on AND bipolar baby, since she goes from 0-10 in no time!), baby girl and chica chica. I'm sure there's more...



• She should be around 18 pounds or so by now. At her last MD appointment, I think she was in the 20th percentile for weight and the 50th for height. Basically what I'm saying is that she is still a light-weight. We're totally trying to chunk this kid up. She's "long and lean" the doctor says...wish he's say the same thing about her mom! Sigh...If only! I'm just glad that she had cute chubby cheeks and some chub on her thighs. Sienna, enjoy is while you still can, girl!
  


• So, that, my friends is Sienna (at 11 months old) in a nutshell. I can't believe how fast she is growing up. I am so grateful to have such an amazing, beautiful, happy baby girl. She gives me more joy than I could ever imagine. It's amazing to even think of what life was like before she came along. (I think Dan kinda likes her too!) My cup definitely runneth over...
  

I LOVE this place!

One of my favorite family trips is our annual Hanson Family Lake Powell trip. Unfortunately it was just a few of us who were able to go this year, but we still had a lot of fun (though we missed Jeff, Carolyn, Tommy, Carter, Janelle & Brad). We had one day that wasn't the best weather, but overall it was a great trip (and the best weather we've had at Lake Powell in years!) I love that at 10 months, this was Sienna's 3rd trip (I guess 4th if you count when I was 8 months pregnant with her!). She loved it. She is such a water baby, so she just loved being able to splash around. Just before we left I took her to the doctor and she had an ear infection in one and the other eardrum had burst, so I was a little worried about how she would do on the trip. She was definitely a champ, and was really good. We just had to be careful with her in the water and make sure she didn't get her ears wet. I have some really cute pictures of her in the floaty uncle Rob bought her, and video of her splashing, but they are on the video camera and my mom's camera, so I'll have to post them later.

By the way, how in the world do you know if your baby has an ear infection if they don't have a fever, are still eating well, sleeping well, and are happy as can be. The only clue I had was the one day her ear got all nasty crusty, and she was pulling on the other ear, which is the day I took her to the MD. And by then they were awful! So frustrating! (And you walk out of the doctor's office feeling like the world's worst parent!).

Anyway, back to Lake Powell...We ate great food, slept in, read, took naps, wakeboarded, explored the canyons, went to church at the little Ticaboo branch, celebrated father's day, played games (looper and speed scrabble were the favorites this trip) and just relaxed. Sienna was the only baby, so she got spoiled (as usual)....which means Dan and I also got spoiled! The seconds my mom and dad heard Sienna squawking they would come into our room and take her. Needless to say, we loved sleeping in! My parents are always so generous and put so much time and effort into making our trips to Lake Powell so great! Thanks, mom & dad! You are the best!

Happy Father's Day to me! (That's what my dad's would sing quietly to himself, as though he was totally forgotten about!) "Oh, a new scrabble game and dictionary!? Just what I didn't want!" (that's my dad's favorite saying) It is quite the ironic gift, since he's not much of a gamer, but my mom thought she was pretty funny! No worries, the rest of us put it to good use! I think we even got him to play a couple of rounds, which is better than he usually does!

Mom playing speed scrabble. This game is addicting!

My dad would take Sienna for a walk with him every morning. So cute!

Me and my madre!

The flag boy

Sienna's favorite pasttime (unloading the entire diaper bag). But, hey, it keeps her entertained, right!?

sI love Lake Powell sunsets. And there is nothing better than laying on top of the houseboat stargazing on a clear Lake Powell night.

Sienna and her daddy. Dan just adores this girl. (Can you tell?) Who wouldn't!?

Brats have become a new family favorite

Hey, Rob, would you like some cake with your whip cream!?

Dan concentrating on suduko.

Uncle Rob. He is so cute with her (always kissing the top of her head and snuggling with her!)

I love the red rock. This place is AMAZING!

Easter Family Pictures 2009

Dan's mom took a few pics of us in the backyard on Easter Sunday, but I didn't see them until recently (so I'm a bit late posting them!). It was such a pretty day. I especially love the snow-capped mountains in the background.

I LOVE this picture of my handsome husband and beautiful baby girl! We just gotta work on Sienna cheesin' it for the camera!

How could you not just love this face?

You gotta love the under-the-binkie smile. It's a cell phone pic, so it's not a fabulous, but as my dad would say, she's "still cute!" I've been super busy studying for my LCSW exam and have totally neglected everything else in my life. So, now that it's over, (I took it Thursday and hooray--I passed!) I have lots of catching up to do. I promise I'll do better!