Here's to...

Wow... 2009 was a year to remember!  Life gave us the greatest joys and the greatest stresses at the same time.  Don't get me wrong... I love Larkyn, I love being a stay at home mom, I love my husband who lets me do pretty much whatever I desire {which is a little bit of everything}, I love everything & everyone I have in my life.  I'd say that 2009 was the most humbling year that we have ever had as a family.  I have had to learn to put others first {which I haven't done in a long time}, I have learned to have faith that things will work out, I have learned that hard work is the only way out, I have cried more than ever, I have learned what true love is, I have swallowed my pride and accepted help, I have learned what it means to be a true friend, I have gained 60 pounds and only lost 50,  I hope that everything we have learned as a family stays with us. 

So here's to...
Being a GREAT wife & AMAZING mother
Getting out of Debt
Being a better Friend, Daughter, Sister
Owning a SUCCESSFUL photography business
Designing clothing & putting myself out there
Cooking more from scratch
Working harder to be healthier
Running more races
Expanding our family {hopefully}
Learning how to build frames and other home decor
Setting the best example I possibly can
Serving those around me
Getting to know my neighborhood better

2010 is going to be a great year!  I will be expanding my photography business, so please watch for all my promo's, its gonna be fun, crisp, beautiful and colorful!, my friend and I are going to be pushing our childrens clothing and accessories, and I want to try to share more of  my cooking, cleaning, spiritual, beauty, and health tips... so if anyone has anything they want me to touch on let me know! 

Here's to becoming a woman extraordinaire!!

Faces of Larkyn...

The other day I decided to play around with my camera {its been a long time}...  seriously I think I have been given a daughter that will not smile for me!!  What is up with that??  How I am supposed to practice getting great shots when I end up with a booboo lip and popeye??  :)

Merry Christmas

It's that time of year again... when all the madness and shopping begins.   It's Christmas!  This year Logan and I are not buying Christmas gifts, we didn't even put up a tree.  This was brought on by a number of things {that I will not bore you with} but I am extremely grateful for this opportunity and for the growth that we have had as a family. 

We have had a great December, for the most part, and we have been able to focus more on Christmas and the true meaning behind this wonderful holiday.  We haven't been stressed out about what to buy each other or other family members, we haven't nearly killed each other, and the time that would be spent shopping our hearts out is going toward better causes. 

This year we have been focusing more on our Savior's birth and the life He lived.  This man known as Jesus gave every second of his life to others.  Not only did He serve others, but He did this with a smile on His face and with pure love. 

At the Christmas Devotional given by the 1st Presidency, President Monson urged us to take a step back, relax, and remember. 

Every year we always get caught up in this Holiday, and the true meaning of Christmas almost seemed forgotten in our home {well to me anyway}.   It has always been fun to get showered with gifts and to spoil other family as well, but it's been fun to bring back the spirit of Christmas to our home.  It's been a relief not be be apart of the hustle and bustle this year.  I hope that Logan and I will always remember the things that we are going through and I hope that we will be able to look back and reflect on the things that we have learned.  I hope that we will be able to teach our children the importance of Christmas and about our Savior's birth, life, and legacy.  I hope that giving our time and talents will be the most important thing to our family for years to come. 

Merry Christmas Everyone! 

Larkyn - 6 months!

I can't believe my baby girl is 6 months old.... Mindy Young Photography took these adorable pictures and there are too many to just pick one! Mindy does such a great job and she was marvelous with Larkyn.

I love my little chub a lub so much.  She is so stinkin' cute.  So far she can... 

Sit on her own, laugh, squeel, dance (wigglin' her head and shoulders), sing in the car, splash in the tub, eat food and some how manage to get it up her nose, tries to wave, says ma ma ma, da da da, ba ba, and lots of other ooh's, she can blow raspberries (I think that's what they are called), she loves her jumper, the BYU chant with dad :) , drool everywhere, smiles at everyone, and the best of all gives hugs and kisses (tries anyway ;) ). 

I will never forget the overwhelming feeling I had when the doctor placed her in my arms 6 months ago.  She is such an angel and brings so much happiness and love into our family.  She is my sunshine on a dark day.  We are so lucky to have her sweet personality in our home! 

The Hot Tamale

So we are going to be selling our red car... aka the Hot Tamale.  This is a sad departure for me since this is the car I bought in high school.... so many memories.  LOL. 

It is a 99 Pontiac Sunfire and it is in decent condition.  We are asking $700 (o.b.o.).  If you know of anyone that is interested please let me know or feel free to stop by.  I can be reached at 801.390.2288 or Logan (probably the better person to call about the car) 801.358.4550.

Tootles! 

Haylie Lyn Photography

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five years

This past Friday, Logan and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary!  WooHoo.  I feel like we have accomplished so much and grown more than I ever thought possible.  We went to dinner to celebrate (I know super exciting ha!) and we were talking about everything we have done, bought, learned, loved, and given.  We never in our wildest dreams would have pictured our life the way it has been!  Logan said that he thought we would have had more that one child by now (where was he when I wanted to have kids??  LOL)  We have been through many many challenges and I am sure we will have many more. 

I am so thankful that Logan took me to the temple to be sealed for all eternity.  He is my knight in shining armor.  I love him more today than I did that beautiful day 5 years ago.  I wouldn't be who I am without Logan and I wouldn't have learned all that I have.  Logan is the most forgiving person that I know... and for that I am extremely grateful.  I have made so many mistakes, but he always sees the bigger and better picture.   Logan always makes me feel beautiful inside and out.  I am lucky to have such a wonderful husband! 

Larkyn Ainsley

I cant believe my little girl is almost 6 months old! 

Happiness Is A Grateful Heart

Lately I have been thinking a lot about everything I have been given.  I don't think its Thanksgiving do you?  : )

I have wanted to post this for some time now and just the past couple days I have felt the urge to spread this token to pure happiness in this life. 

About 6.5 years ago my visiting teachers came by and with them they brought goodies {of course} and attached to those goodies was a little tag that said Happiness is a Grateful Heart.  Little did they know that this would have such a huge impact on my life and that it would hang on my fridge for years and years.   I have noticed that the times when I have struggled are when I am not being grateful for everything I have been given; the times when I am being completely selfish and unwilling to soften my stubborn attitude.  Does that sound familiar?  Yes, I honestly think all of us were given that little hint of stubborness just to make this life a little more difficult and interesting. 

Life gets crazy all to fast and the world will break us down if we allow it.  It is soo important to atleast acknowledge the blessings in our lives.  Some of you might not believe in praying, or are too afraid to get down on your knees and pray, but maybe if we were all to carry gratitude with us in our hearts the world could truely be a better place. 

When I express my gratitude and recognize the blessings in my life, this positive impact tends to rub off onto others around me.  I feel more loved therefore I can spread more love. 

Every single one of us struggle because of something {debt, money, sex, depression, children, religion, and lots of others} I don't know a single person who has the perfect life.  I hope that when all of these struggles seem overwhelming that your heart will be softened and that you will be able to recognize ALL of your blessings to enjoy happiness.  I hope that your struggles will not bring down those you love or those who are around you. 

I have been blessed with so many things that I am grateful for, so I will keep my list short..  I have a wonderful husband who forgives all of my short comings, a healthy baby girl who looks at me with loving eyes, a messy house, food on the table, clothes in piles waiting to be folded,  and great friends and family. 

What are you grateful for?

Pet Peeve #1

Why is it that when people go grocery shopping they can't ever put the shopping carts away?  ooooo This gets me going every time.  If you are guilty of this please dont take offense.  :)

So we were out doing our regular shopping this past Saturday and its snowy and cold... So what does every one in the world do???  They leave their shopping carts every where... not only in parking spots or the medians but right in the way of people driving.  This only causes more frustration for all of us who are trying to park or leave the parking lot.  What does it take to put a cart away?  Maybe a whole 10 seconds..  Who's lives are affected by this laziness?  Drivers, Pedestrians, ME, The Dear Employees at These Wonderful Grocers, ME, ME  and yes ME again.  My wonderful husband learned of this pet peeve of mine back while we were dating and so he is wonderful and will walk the shopping cart to any cart return just to keep the peace LOL. 

What do I ask?  Quit being LAZY and return the cart! 

That's All! 

Pish Posh Open House

We are having an open house for Pish Posh Designs at Amy Twitty's home this Saturday from 10 am - noon!  If you need her address or directions please call me at 801.390.2288

Visit us at www.pishposhmama.blogspot.com

Jag

I seriously love taking pics of Jagger!  He is so stinkin cute... He was soo interested in all the twigs, rocks, and leaves so he wouldnt look at the camera.... ALL boy that is for sure!  Thanks again Tawny!                                    

Blessings

Today started out as any normal day for me...  About an hour ago I decided it was time to sit down and pay bills... This is something that I know we all love doing :)

I logged into access my student loan and it said that my balance was 0.  Me being me thought oh there must be something wrong with their online system.  I read a little more and it said  that I should be receiving a letter in the mail regarding my loan.  Oh yes... I did remember seeing something from UHEAA but I never opened it... like most of my mail. 

After I rummaged through the pile I found the letter...  And it said that my loan had been forgiven because of my excellent payment history. 

So me being me again  decided to call their customer service just to make sure that someone hadn't hacked into their system and sent out foney (?) letters.  So I am talking to this gal and she's like... well I need to put you on hold so I can talk to my manager..

This can't be good right?...

After being on hold for a few minutes I was connected through to this manager.  I expressed my concerns and asked him if the letter was accurate and he said YES!  They received some donations and for some lucky reason they drew my name out of a hat (pretty much) and decided to apply part of that donation to my student loan to pay it in full. 

When this manager said those words... tears of appreciation started to roll down my cheeks.  And I said thank you probably a million times!  And I am pretty sure he shed some tears too.  I seriously feel like I won the lottery!  I was one of the few that was impacted by these donations. 

Life is crazy random sometimes... 
You never know what you are going to get...

To me this is considered a huge blessing!   My loan wasn't a large amount or anything, but even the smallest acts of kindness will have a huge impact on someone's life and a burden could be lifted. 

Ma Ma

So last night we were at my sister in law's house for Japanese night...  and lo and behold Larkyn said "ma ma".  That is right people... right on her 20 week mark she has spoken her first real word!  I am so proud right now.  Yes Logan is a little upset that it wasn't dada first.. but at least I won this one.  He got her to laugh and felt his proud moment.. and this one is MINE  - muahahaha!  (that is my scary laugh)

Today my eyes have been opened to what it feels like to either have twins or more then one small child at home.... AND kudos to all of you moms that do this everyday.  I have been watching one of my neighbors little boys who is 1 year old and he is a hand full.  I have been running around like a crazy woman for the last few hours and I am exhausted.  So I would like to give a shout out to ALL of my friends and other women out there who are raising more then one small child right now.  YOU ROCK!!

HELP!!

So I have 2 things that I need desperate help with...

1: I have a 4.5 month old little girl that I am trying to teach to sit up and nothing seems to be working. Her pediatrician said to give her a lot of tummy time... well what if she doesnt really like being on her stomach that long?? Any tips??

2: Our spare bathroom TOILET has an awful ring! This is absolutely disgusting and I just want everyone to know that I really do clean my bathrooms (ha ha!) Eagle Mountain has SUPER hard water and if anyone has any tricks to getting rid of these nAsTy rings I would appreciate the help.

Affordable Hair Cuts & Color

So my friend Jill is going to hair school. She is going to be doing hair cut & colors for $25 - $35 depending on length (and possibly the # of colors lol) and mens cuts for around $10.

This is a great deal for anyone who has been affected by the ecomony and wants to still get their hair did!

If you are interested just leave your email or let me know somehow and Ill give her info to ya!

Thanks everyone!

Jill & Jacob

Meet Jill & Jacob. I worked with Jill at Highland City for a while... she is by far one of the nicest and most patient people I have ever met! This was my first shoot with pets... and I loved it! Thanks Jill for asking me to take your family pictures!

More Murphy!! :)

So I have these pictures in full color too... BUT I am totally diggin this color scheme! Logan and I had a blast taking the Murphy family pictures... Thanks so much Kariann!

N & V Murphy Family

Giggles & Wiggles

Larkyn finally shared her adorable giggle with us last night at my moms! YeAh! I honestly thought my heart melted. We were begining to worry because she never really tried to laugh... except the weird inhale that she would do... lol. I am sure some of you have heard it. Logan thought that would be his protection when she turned 16.. but little did he know that she had this cute laugh tucked away. Yep his heart definitely melted too... she has him wrapped around her little finger.

Larkyn is 19 weeks old.. and gets bigger and cuter everyday. She is a bit sassy tho and I think we could be in some double trouble with this.

She loves to grab her feet. Last weekend I went into her room Saturday morning and she had both of her feet in her hands! And she can almost crawl... I think a couple times she faked me out by crawling a little bit, but now she hangs out on her tummy and arms watching the world around her!

Sneak Peek!

I love this time of year...

We had our family pictures taken by Amy Twitty this past weekend... And looky how cute we are! lol.

Larkyn is 4 months old now - WoW the time flies. Looking back... One year ago on the first day of fall (09.22.2008) was the day that I found out I was pregnant with Larkyn. It was a Monday morning and as soon as I had the results I cried tears of joy. I remember thinking "I have wanted to be a mom for so long" then I said a little prayer and asked Heavenly Father to look out for us and asked him to bless me with the capability to have a healthy baby. I wasn't planning on telling Logan right away.. but decided to tell him that night... I get way too excited about things :). We decided to announce the pregnancy at Logan's dads 50th birthday - that was also unexpected and the only reason we did was because my mom threatened to spill the beans for us. LOL.

I really do love this time of year tho. I know we all complain about the cold weather because by the time March rolls around it feels like its been an eternity since feeling the warm sun. I love being able to layer my clothes (fall fashion is soo much fun), I love the colors, I love the scents, I love love love Halloween... This is by far my favorite holiday. I love getting ready for Thanksgiving and black Friday. You better believe I go every year! This year will be our 5 year anniversary on black Friday.. and I am going to be dog tired!

I know I say I want to do better with blogging, but I haven't - DARN. So here is a quick update.... I quit my job the beginning of September.. YEAH. I have been getting ready for the womens show Nov 6-7 at the south towne expo center. I had a few shoots this past weekend... I will try to post those soon. I am very busy between Larkyn and everything else going on. Logan's boss just bought him a 07 Chevy Silverado. And for that we are extremely grateful. We will finally be getting rid of the red bomber... YeAh!! His work has finally slowed down some so he is enjoying his break. YES people... believe it or not Logan does work hard :)

Happy Fall Everyone!!

my baby girl

Larkyn turned 12 weeks old on Sunday. She is seriously the cutest baby ever! I love her more and more each day. She stares at Logan and I with such love and she shows it though her big smile... which still makes my heart melt. I tear up so often because of the love that I have for her and the love that she expresses towards me. I have wanted to be a mom my entire life and i would never trade it for the world. I honestly don't know why we waited as long as we did to be parents, experiencing all of the emotions and finally knowing what love is, is something I could never give back.

Larkyn... we Love you!

(here is her picture from Sunday in b&w and color... I couldn't decide which one i liked better. Check out those blue eyes!!)

Family Photo Contest

For more information about my 2009 fall family photo contest please visit...

http://www.haylielynphoto.blogspot.com/

Thanks!

SuMmEr Of FuN!

4th of July - Bear Lakin It! - Larkyn 5 weeks old and camping!!

Family Reunion 2009 - Larkyn & Great Grandma - Grace, ID (can i get a woop woop)

Larkyn - 8 Weeks old

We have had a great summer so far! Larkyn is almost 12 weeks old and she is such an amazing baby. She is sleeping through the night and has been since she was about 5 weeks old. She is growing like CraZy and at her 2 month check up she was in the 97% for her height! Larkyn loves to smile at people and loves to stick her hands in her mouth. She occasionaly like tummy time - mostly when dad is around - AND she will take steps when she is held up on her feet. Last weekend she started reaching for things and started focusing more on her hands opening and closing... she stares at them in amazement. Its pretty funny to watch.

We blessed her on July 12th and were so lucky to have so many family and friends come for that. My dad and step mom flew in from Florida for the weekend... it was nice to have them here even though it was only for a couple days! Larkyn met her great gradma on July 11th and I am convinced she loves her. (see pic above) Larkyn just stared and smiled at Grandma - seriously she is an amazing little girl.

I am officially quitting my job! YEAH!! I will now be able to focus on things that I love like my family, photography, sewing, and fashion. I found a fashion program in Salt Lake that I am hoping to enroll in maybe in January or Spring - just depending on how life gets :)

Logan still loves his job and is getting the greatest gift a boss could give... We will post more on that when it gets here (wink). He is loving his little girl and daily tells me how cute she is. Little does he know that she has him wrapped around her little finger HA!!

Update

Sorry I havent posted anything... This summer we have been extremely busy. I promise to post more this weekend... but I have been working on my photography blog

www.haylielynphoto.blogspot.com

Let me know what you think. I posted a few to get me started and there will be LOTS more to come!

PS - I think there might be too many colors on it so far and I am still learning this whole blogging thing, but if you have any tips I would appreciate it. :)

Thanks guys!

Larkyn Ainsley

Larkyn Ainsley Studebaker came into our lives on Sunday May 31, 09 right at noon. She was 8 pounds 20.5 inches. She is absolutely stunning in every way. She looks just like her dad with a few things from her momma. She has what Logan likes to call "hound dog cheeks" lol. I love to kiss these adorable cheeks... whoever thought so many kisses could be given in 1 day. She has blonde / brown hair and I honestly think she will have bright blue eyes just like Logan.

I honestly didn't ever think I could love another as much as I love Larkyn. I have waited a long time to be a mother and I am extremely grateful to have a healthy beautiful little girl. I am extremely blessed to be given something as precious as Larkyn. I hope that I can live up to Heavenly Father's expectations for being her mother and teach her all that she needs to know in this life.

Logan and Larkyn already have a special bond. He can kiss her neck when she gets fussy and she will instantly stop. When I do this I get the opposite reaction lol. She loves his voice and laying in his arms is so soothing for her. I know Logan is going to be an amazing father and example for her to follow.

Quick insight on how our labor and delivery went: My water broke (finally) at 1:00 am Sunday morning. (We think it was the hot wings I ate for dinner haha!!!) I just happended to be in the kitchen trying to eat an otterpop. Ha! And yes it was an explosion and I would have died if this would have happened on my couch or clean sheets lol. We got to the hospital at 2 am and they started to do their tests to make sure it was my water that broke and not urine. Ya of course the tests came back negative and finally at about 3 am the nurse came in and she said that they finally saw the "fern" on the slide with the water juices on it. My epidural was administered at 3:30 by Dr. Garnder and he did an amazing job! I didnt feel a thing. I think he thought I was crazy because I kept thanking him for being so quick!! My contractions at this point were any where from 1.5 minutes to 3 minutes apart, but I wasn't really dialated. I was at a 4, but things kind of came to a halt there for a while, so the nurse gave be petocin (spelling??). Baby Larkyn didnt really like this and so they took me off the petocin and let me and her relax for a while. Nurse Katie checked me at 8:30 ish and not much had really changed, she checked me again at 9:30 and I was at a hundred percent!!! YEAH! Again she let me relax for about an hour while she set up the room and by 10:30 am we were pushing. I was so tired from lack of sleep and lack of food, so what happened... YES by about 11:15 I had an emotional break down. I started to ball my head off and I honestly didn't think I was going to survive pushing.. That is hard work! Dr Dayton came in about 11:30 to help me deliver her and he had to use forceps!! OUCH! I hope no one has to go through that. It wasn't the pain that hurt but the pressure. Maybe that doesnt make sense?? Noon finally rolled around and an extremely exhausted Haylie finally had her precious baby girl laying on her stomach. I was so exhausted I could barely hang on to her.. plus she was pretty slimey. They cleaned Larkyn up and I finally got to hold her it was at this point that Logan finally cried! I knew he would too!! He did very well during this whole adventure though. I was kind of worried he was going to pass out, but he didnt. He was an amazing coach to have during the pushing and he encouraged me with positive humor the whole time! My mom was also apart of this coaching and she did very well. She wasnt planning on helping out, but she kind of got volunteered for the job haha. There are so many other details, but those are kind of boring.

I am just grateful that everything went well for us and that Larkyn is here for me to hold. She has so many people that care for her and love her with all their hearts.

Thanks for everyone's support! We really do appreciate everything!!

My Bump... My Lovely Lady Bump

Here are some of my maternity pictures... One of my most favorite people took them, Amy, and she did such a good job working with me. I hate having my picture taken and I would rather be the one taking the pictures. Amy is sooo creative and talented!! Kudos to her!!!