A Special Surprise!

My mom was going down to visit her parents in California for the weekend and Maile and I decided to tag along as a surprise. Well, we sure surprised Mimi and Papa and had such a good time! :) Thank you for the great weekend....we love you! Four Generations!
Maile was soooo scared of Humphry, the little wooden man in Mimi and Papa's house. :)
Fun with cousins at Ann Marie and Tony's beautiful house.

Good to be home with my Daddy again!

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!!

"Whooooop!"

Little miss Maile is turning into a little girl right before our very eyes. I think she looks so grown up in this picture. :) She is little miss mischevious as well! The other day Lee bent down to do something and Maile went over and stuck her little finger in his plumber's crack and went, "Whooop!" in some high pitched voice! It sure caught him by surprise. :) Lately she has been trying to do that with our belly buttons, it looks like she found a new little crevice she likes. he he. I am loving this toddler phase, she is so much fun.

Free Christmas Books

Just thought I'd put a little plug in for my boss since he is giving away free sets of his book, The Christmas Box. The 25 books are free and you just have to pay shipping and handling. They make great neighbor gifts and are good stocking stuffers if you know anyone interested. Just go to http://www.richardpaulevans.com/ and click on "free books" to order. You are welcome to share this with anyone that may be interested. :) So glad the holidays are here!

"Step by Step...Oooh Baby..Gonna get to ya giiiiiirl!" NKOTB

The Old Men, I mean, NEW Kids On The Block Concert!

Sooooo fun! We had the best time at the New Kids on The Block Concert! It was so funny that so many of the words to the music came back to me and we were like a bunch of spazzy teenagers. We danced around and busted out our old stomp moves, that at the end we had to remind ourselves, "oh ya, better get back to the kids and husbands." he he. Thanks Melissa for the hook ups! It was the funnest night ever!

So sweet

Maile and her Dad just have a sweet connection. You know what I'm talking about between a Daddy and a daughter. I love that she looks so much like him (especially when she's sleeping), and how when he asks where his little "gatinha" is (kitten) she makes a little meow sound. Or when she sits on the step outside and then pats the spot next to her for him to sit. Or how she's starting to say "papai" in Portuguese. (daddy). It's just so sweet to see them together and he is such a good dad!

hApPy HaLLOwEeN!!

Happy Halloween! Enjoying the great weather!

Brazilian Soccer Stud!! (yes, that's a wig!)

At the ward "Trunk-or-Treat"

Princess Snow White

The Paradox

Lately it seems like I've been caught up so much in the rush of life it's been good for me to remind myself what really matters. Our country is going through scary times and I can't help take caution but also feel blessed for what we have. I read this the other day, it's something I've always liked and it always makes me think if I have my priorities straight and am enjoying all that I am blessed with these days.

The Paradox

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings,
But shorter tempers; wider freeways,
But narrower viewpoints; we spend more,
But have less; we buy more,
But enjoy it less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences,
But less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge,
But less judgment; more experts,
But more problems; more medicine,
But less wellness.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We learned how to make a living, but not a life;
We’ve added years to life, not life to years.

We’ve been all the way to the moon and back,
But have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.
We’ve conquered outer space,
But not inner space; we’ve cleaned up the air,
But polluted the soul; we’ve split the atom,
But not our prejudice; we have higher incomes,
But lower morals; we’ve become long on quantity,
But short on quality.

These are the times of tall men, and short character; steep profits,
And shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace,
But domestic warfare; more leisure,
But less fun; more kinds of food,
But less nutrition.

These are the days of two incomes,
But more divorce; of fancier houses,
But broken homes.

It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom.

-Anonymous

Princess Cell Phone

I got this little cell phone at Walmart for a few bucks and it's proved to be a great investment! :) It makes so many cute little noises and Maile loves opening it up and hearing the princess music. I get such a kick out of her the way she uses it...I think it tells me she sees me on the phone way too much. It looks like she's checking her texts, dialing and talking away. She is 15 months already and she's turning into a little girl right before my very eyes!

Funny Little Story

So I took Maile over to the daycare at Gold's Gym so I could go swimming. I noticed as I got there that this cute little mexican family was dropping off their little chubby twin baby girls as well. They were so cute. So when I got done with my swim I went to pick Maile up and as I peered in the glass door to see how she was doing I saw the Daycare lady over by Maile in a total frenzy. I quickly opened the door and asked if everything was okay. She said, "oh my gosh...your little girl just bit this baby!" I looked over at the little mexican chubby baby (she was about Maile's same age) and she had teeth marks in her little brown arm! Oh Maile. The lady said she would normally need to "write Maile up but she'd let it go this time". Oh goodness....write her up?! She's one!!! Well, Maile was reeeeal quiet on the way home, I wonder if she had sensed she was up to mischief. I'll have to keep my eye on this one. :)

My little Punkin

I am absolutely loving the Fall weather. Can it please just stay this way for 5 more months instead of getting cold?!! :) I took Maile over to the pumpkin patch to take a little Halloween picture and send it to Brazil. I didn't get much of a smile out of her but she loved the pumpkins.

Sister Sister!!

My sister Danielle has been here for the summer and I just have to say how much I love her!! I've always called her my "new and improved version" and of course she's well surpassed that! But I love her uniqueness and it is so refreshing. I love how she puts together the oddest pieces of clothing and looks adorable, I love that she can sew and just whips out funky aprons, bags and headbands for gifts, I love that she thinks splenda, applesauce, cocoa, and water makes a good brownie (uuuuggg!), I love that she never goes a day without working out and stays so disciplined, I love that she's the cutest aunt ever and plays with Maile all day long, I love her passion for life and how her enthusiasm is contagious, I love that she is so tender hearted and crys when she talks about tender things, and most of all I love that she is my sister! Thank you for all the great talks, "So You Think You Can Dance" late nights, fashion advice, chick flick nights, out to lunch with the Ferrin girls, and all the other fun things we did this summer. You are the cutest Danni. Love you! "Sista Sista!"

ThE MaNy fAceS of mAiLe

My mom used to say that when I was a baby and turned one I started to show some real personality and make some funny faces. Well....all I can say is that Maile has got loads more personality than I ever did!! Here are some favorites that I've caught on camera.....
She loves to steal my glasses.
Watch out for the scowl...she'll stare you down!
Here's the on-the-go face I am seeing A LOT lately

The messy face is turning into an "all the time" face
Of course the favorite "ooooohhhhh!"
The "look at me" face, I'm doing something funny

Now that's what I call a pucker!
The "I'm up to mischief" face And here's the latest....usually she scrunches up her face more and shows her little 2 teeth.

YOU ARE FULL OF IT MAILE NICOLE! We LoVe YoU!

Leigh Jones' big debut!

Little Family Plug Time: Remember my cute cousin Leigh from "Hollywood"?! Well here she is with her big album debut. Go to www.leighjonesmusic.com and listen to her cd and order it. You will not regret it! You can even download her hit "Free Fall" on itunes. So when I ask myself why I don't have enough talent to be on American Idol, I can conclude that someone else in the Ferrin genes got the talent! :) For real!

Brazilian Festival

So last Saturday I ventured down to Gateway with Maile for a Brazilian Festival. Lee was working and I figured someone had to represent for the family! :) lol. But I was in the mood for the food and music and I even saw lots of fun friends from Rodizio and the mission. I love that there were little ladies there decked out in the colors and dancing samba. I love their beautiful language and how expressive they are about everything. I felt like I was in a "mini" Brazil and it's refreshing how at home I feel with them. But of course I love the U.S.A. and am proud to be an American. I just think it's such a wonderful thing to explore and be a part of other cultures, it has added such a richness to my life. What culture are you fascinated with?

Me and my little Brasileira

See all the people down below? The band was so much fun!
This is my favorite professor from the MTC....Fabiane, and her cute boy, Carter.
Playing in the fountains at Gateway. They startled Maile quite a bit!Utah Brazilian Festival 2008. You need to come next year!!

Maile's favorite Elmo ball. This poor little brazilian has to cake on the sunscreen! :)

Summer Fun!

Oh wait, I guess I missed the memo that I was supposed to update my blog more often than every 3 months. ha ha. We have been so busy I don't even know where to start....I guess our summer highlights have included our trip to Brazil, spending time there with my in-laws and also fav mission companion, me turning the "big" 27, and Dad turning the "bigger" 60, Maile's first birthday, and a trip to San Diego with the family at a beautiful beach house.
Maile is getting so big and running around the whole house. She is busy doing some very cute, and not so cute things. You be the judge of which fits in what category.

-She flushes her toys down the toilet
-Let's out a big "mmmm!" when she eats ice-cream

-Knows how to give me a kiss on the cheek with a little "mwa" sound at the end

-Trys to eat my earrings

-Pulls out clips (or anything of that matter) from her hair. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

-Loves to hand me each item from the laundry basket as I put it away

-Pees on the floor when I take her diaper off just before a bath

-Gives the best little hugs

-Travels so well, making faces and entertaining strangers

-Claps her hands as we sing "Parabens" with her (Happy Birthday)

I could go on and on.

What can I say....I'm loving this little girl more and more each day.