Merry Christmas

From the Bliss home
to you and yours!

Why I love Mr. Bliss

A couple weeks ago Mr. Bliss and I finally watched Kung Fu Panda. He was rolling in laughter as I fell asleep on the couch. (I later watched the movie start to finish with him for his third time).

Well, fast forward to just a few nights ago. We were getting ready to retire to bed. He was locking the door and I asked if he would put out the candle while I finished up something on the computer. I heard a couple snaps, maybe a clap or two when I looked up and realized he was pretty determined to use his Kung Fu to put out the candle. This made me giggle and he looked up at me with his innocent expression that soon turned into a huge grin that spread wide across his whole demeanor.

And that is one reason why I love Mr. Bliss.

Sophie's first day of Piggy-tails.

WHAT A CUTIE!!!!

Oh, and I put together a dress for Sophie last night.




And then she charged the camera.

This last week...

Sophie discovered a hat and insisted upon wearing it. She wore it all day. I couldn't believe it. Usually she wouldn't touch a hat with a ten foot pole, but once she found it she came running out of her bedroom exclaiming "Mama Mama Mama Ha ha ha."


I made wrapping paper.



And today I fashioned up a toy box for Sophie.

Pictures

Ahhh. Mother-daughter pedicures. They're never too young for this are they?


My baby is not a baby anymore.


22 Weeks


24 Weeks

Love ya doll!

It's that time of year again...travel, turkey, and snowy roads. I feel so blessed that this time of year brings back such wonderful memories of one of the greatest girls I ever knew: Katie (KT) Renville. This year marks the third anniversary of her tragic accident and death. I don't want to get all depressed about it this time around, instead I wanted to write to tell the world that my recollection of and experiences with Katie make me want to live a better life.

I met Katie at my first ever read through for a play at BYU: Grimm Tales. What an excellent play it was. It was the place I really got to know Katie. Katie and I had many laughs as each of us took our turn learning how to drive the van with the trailer. We would go out to The Malt Shop for shakes and had a few sleepovers. Funny that through all this interaction with Katie I never knew so many of her intricacies that are absolutely fascinating. She truly served others. As much as I felt she was one of my best friends, there were many others who were so fortunate as I to say that she was a best friend to them too. She loved freely and openly. She knew how to have fun and she also knew the ethic of work. I don't know anyone who worked as hard as she did. And she excelled at so many things: acting, dramaturgy, directing, friendship, stage managing, school. She put her heart into her work. And, I find it so interesting that half of the things I know about her today I didn't find out about until after she died. It wasn't because she kept them from me. It was my being oblivious. Nowadays, I will think about Katie at least weekly. And every time I ponder her life I realize something else I took for granted while she was here. (I really should have drank out of three straws with her a little more).

One day in our van ride home she looked at me and just said "Debra doll, I love ya." I never even once thought she didn't mean it. I want to live a little more like Katie. I want to work and mean it. I want to love and mean it. I want to laugh and mean it--just like she did.

Katie Doll. Love ya!

Hitler reacts to BYU loss

We're Expecting

Here's the news: Baby #2 is on the way. We are due toward the end of March. We're already at the beginning of 6 Months--not much further right?

Here are some pics

16 Weeks



20 Weeks


Baby ultrasound at 22 weeks (today)


ccrctxcffrce4eAxfd5rgg ycrr v cg n g cvvds
uioiuhu

That last part is Sophie expressing how excited she is to be having a playmate.

Sophie's Christmas Dress

I wanted to get some dresses for Sophie, so I decided instead to make one. This is the outcome.

No longer a scooter

People have been asking lately, "Does Sophie walk?" And here is video answer to that question. Even though it seemed that she would be content to scoot around for the remainder of her baby days she took her first few (10 on the first try) steps about one week before she turned one.

For another month she still scooted and scooted and occasionally if she thought that T or I were not looking she would pull herself up and walk. So, she was perfectly capable of walking for sometime but just didn't. I think that she had a hard time of letting go of scooting herself.

Then, one blessed Tuesday morning, we were at the church for a music play group of sorts. Sophie scooted over to the wall, pulled herself up and ventured out. She hasn't stopped walking.

This video perfectly depicts everyday life of Sophie. She walks into the kitchen, then out and into the living room, to her bedroom, to our bedroom where she stops at the closet and pulls off some hangers and pulls out our shoes. Repeat this sequence about five to ten times and that gives you a glimpse into Sophie's habit of walking.

There have been a couple of times that she will be sitting down and she'll scoot once or twice, look up at me knowingly ("remember, mom when I would do this"), smile, then stand up and walk to her destination.

Oh, how we love this little girl.

A strange obsession

Every once in a while we'll catch Sophie walking around the house holding something under her chin. Usually it is one of her cell phones, or her sound machine, but this time it was a deck of playing cards. She never stops amazing us with her many talents and skills.

B.L.T.

This year for Halloween TJ, Sophie and I went as Bacon Lettuce and Tomato. It was a lot of fun. Sophie was so cute and LOVED all the attention. We had a costume parade at the church and she smiled SO BIG as everyone gawked at her. That's what we get for having a cute baby (or should I say toddler?) then, right? TJ's choir robes threw us off a bit, everyone guessed "Adam and Eve." I think the lettuce leaf in my hair threw them off a bit too. But, the fact of the matter is that we had an absolute BLAST.

Sophie is Silly

Sophie loves to sit on things...and in things. We couldn't believe she was able to contort her lower body in such a way as to fit in the back of this little dump truck. But she sure enjoyed the ride once daddy started pushing her around at high speeds.

Announcing: Our new Arrival!!

You may not have even heard the news, but we've been expecting another addition to our family for some time now. And after much duration and patiently waiting our newest little one is finally here! We've named her Chloe Jane Bliss and she has a LOT of dark hair. She came in at a whopping 10 lbs and is 21 inches long. Deb is pretty tired, but she is nonetheless excited about our bundle of joy. And we can tell that Chloe is very happy to be the newest addition to our growing family.

We've posted some pictures for your enjoyment.

Isn't she cute?

Who does she look most like? Me (TJ) or Deb?

Today I will be resurrecting a soup disaster from Sunday.

Sophie loves sliding!

Our cute little Sophie only gets cuter and cuter day by day. I can't believe she's already one year old. She's learning so much and is growing so much every day. She's discovered the slides at the park and really enjoys them. In fact whenever we see a slide she about goes crazy trying to get out of her stroller or my arms.

I've added buttons!!!

If you frequent my blog you will see some changes in my sidebar: BUTTONS!!! First of all, I added these via html. And, I actually figured out how to get them right where I wanted them. (applause)

Now, secondly. I've added these buttons because these two blogs WILL make a difference in your life if you take the time to read them. The first one is Nie Nie. Basically it is an Arizona Super-mom blogger blogging about her family, home, and activities. Unfortunately, you may have heard that Nie Nie was in a plane crash and is in for months of recovery. She (and her story) is truly inspiring.

And, that is what brings me to my second button: C me read C Jane. This is Nie Nie's sister who is also an incredible woman who has devoted her time, home, and heart to take in three of her sister's children (along with her 3 month old newborn)while Nie is recovering.

I happened upon Nie Nie's blog over two years ago. I got so enthralled with what I was reading that it was more than an hour later that I finally got up from the computer feeling very, very uplifted. You know, the whole "I can take on the world and survive" uplifted. Or, "I, at least, don't have to be a basket case while doing everything I am supposed to do" uplifted. And the "I want to be just like her when I grow up" uplifted.

I hope you can be uplifted too. And one day I really do hope to be like these two women.

Sophie's First Birthday!

One year ago today we were tremendously blessed with the birth of our daughter Sophie. She is a true joy. She brings so much light and happiness into our lives. Today we celebrated her arrival. She was overjoyed at times, grumpy at other times, and even had to suffer a bit of diaper rash toward the end of the day, but it was definitely her day!
I have a video to share with you all. We wish that you could have been with us, to surround our Sophie with many friends and family, but we are ever so grateful for technology that allows us to share this milestone with you.
Here's a recap of the day:
Sophie woke up and ate BANANA PANCAKES. Then she opened her first gift (see video).

After that she rode in her new forward facing carseat to drop daddy off to work. Then we came back home to a movie and phone calls from Nana and Papa. Oh, and I forgot to mention that her alligator xylophone (first present)was present on this excursion. She would not let go of it. Later we made cupcakes, took a walk to the park and rode on all the toys, saw the goose, made a new friend; Aiden, and ate tuna noodle casserole for dinner. Yum.
Then our friends/cousins the Yergensens came over for cupcakes and ice cream. It actually took Sophie a minute to realize she was to eat the cupcake. I had to give her a little taste so she could catch on that it wasn't something she wanted to smear all over her high-chair, but rather something she really wanted to eat. Then we started a fire in our firepit, saw it burn for a bit, and headed in for bath time. It really was such a great day for our little Sophie. We love her so much.

I forgot to mention that because of the diaper rash she didn't want to scoot on her bum so she finally tried crawling for the first time. It was pretty comical as she is still getting the hang of it. But she seems to enjoy doing it.

Hope you enjoy this lengthy, but important post.

Help Needed

We are finally considering entering Sophie into a Photo contest (after months of everyone telling us we ought to). We want your help. What picture do you like better?
Picture A:
Picture B:

Tag! I'm it!

So I've been tagged like a million times so here goes one of them:

Rules: List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions, and 3 random facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end.

Three Joys:

Sophie and TJ
Entertaining-or making people laugh
Aaaaaand visiting UT/ID

Three Fears:

The Dark (seriously, I am afraid of the dark, but not too afraid)
Losing TJ or Sophie
Young Women

3 Goals

Organize my messy places (closets, and cluttered places)
Get more food storage
Finally print off and do something with all my wedding pics (It's been two and a half years, come on already!)

3 Current Obsessions

Updating my kitchen
Ikea
Wishing I were more "green"

3 Random Facts

I sleep walk (It's getting better though)
My favorite parts of a newspaper are the ads, the classifieds and Sudoku
I haven't been to Wal*Mart in about 6 months!

I tag whoever wants to blog this tag.

Last night at play practice Deb's friend Brandi was reading Sophie a story (okay, so it was more like looking at animal pictures and giving the corresponding sounds). After a while of this they realized that Sophie was repeating the sounds. She is super smart. Really! And, she'd definitely win the cutest baby contest. Don't believe me? Just watch the vid.

On all fours!

Sophie and Trey (but mostly Sophie)

So...Sophie has been running from the boys lately. Here we find her flirting with the camera while ignoring the boy. Good girl. Daddy does not approve of boyfriends now (or possibly ever).

TOOC

The persons who normally post on this blog are temporarily out of commission (TOOC). We will return to regularly scheduled blogging when or if the virus finally leaves.
beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

Sophie is a Scooter

Sophie has started scooting and she always scoots herself right up against an object: The coffee table, the chair, the changing table. And she doesn't know how to use her "Reverse" So she either plays and scoots even closer to the object, or in this case we have to come to her rescue.

Weekend Wedding

So, the fishing didn't happen on Saturday because TJ and I realized that our garden HAD to be planted on Saturday or it would never get done. So Saturday evening we borrow our neighbor's tiller and tilled away. Our other neighbor was having a get together in their back yard. We've been invited once before to one of their other BBQ's but no invite on Saturday. So, we kept on gardening, tilling, planting, and what not, all the while, sort of wondering in the back of our minds why Fred* did not invite us to his barbecue. Later I saw some cake and wondered whose birthday it was.

Fast forward to Monday morning. It is about 7:30am and TJ decides to mow the lawn. So the mower is going, Sophie is sleeping, and I too am working in our yard, planting, pruning, and watering. Fred comes out while TJ and I are finishing up our yard work and I am about to teach T a couple Sun Salutations and have a great morning yoga routine in our back yard. This conversation ensued.

TJ: Hey I hope I didn't wake you up with our lawn mowing this morning.

Fred: Naw, we needed to get up. We're going to the zoo today.

TJ: Oh, do you have the day off?

Fred: I took the weekend off and a couple extra days.

Deb: Was it someone's birthday?

Fred: No, we got married.

TJ and Deb: Congratulations. When did you get married?

Fred: Satuday.

TJ: Oh. Did you get married here?

Fred: Yep, right here in our back yard.


So T and I realize that our tiller was going and we were gardening pretty much during the whole celebration. There was a break when we went inside for dinner. But once dinner was done we were outside again, planting and such. What great neighbors! But then again, they didn't even tell us it was a wedding. And there wasn't any white dress or tuxedo. I guess, what happens in your neighbor's yard, stays in your neighbor's yard.

*Name has been changed.

Tomorrow, May 17th, is FREE FISHING DAY in Nebraska! I think I may just have to sink some lunkers!!!

All in the Family

As the newest author on this blog, I just want to say that it's good to finally be an official member of the Bliss family (of Nebraska).

Sitting in the Grass

I thought that since it is just one month before we are at Papa Bear's house (and there with his lush lawn) it is time for Sophie to get used to the lawn so she can enjoy it at Nana and Papa's. So I took her out tonight and set her down on the lawn. She took it well. She thought it out and although she didn't so much care how it felt on her right leg, she didn't cry. She just kept on lifting up that right leg and slowly setting it down again to only lift it yet again. You can see in this picture how she's holding up her leg a little. Cute huh?

A little swing

I recently read in a magazine that a Souffle should be in every "home cooks repertoire." I accepted the challenge.


Faith is like my Cantaloupe Seeds. They are growing.

Come on Watermelon Seeds! You can grow too!

A conversation

Here's a little snippet from my life with TJ.

TJ: Did you say you wanted popcorn?

Deb: I don't want to eat anything else tonight unless it is a vegetable.

TJ: What part of corn isn't a vegetable?

TJ saunters into the kitchen and fiddles around with things while Deb gets the movie ready. Deb hears something happening in the kitchen so she inquires:

Deb: What are you doing?

TJ: Nothing

Deb walks into the kitchen to see TJ plopping cookie dough onto a cookie sheet

Deb: TJ...VEGETABLE...I said Vegetable.

TJ thinks for a moment, points to the cookie dough, and says:

TJ: Vegetable Oil.

The Big 24! And a rude awakening!

So, I've turned 24! Big Delio! Sophie woke up screaming at 5am today (NOT the rude awakening) and as I went to get her out of TJ's arms there were lights shining in and out of her bedroom window (Rude awakening). The first thought that came to my mind was "I'm not dreaming, and aliens DO exist" Because really, who would be driving their car in our backyard, flashing lights in all our windows at once and so on at 5am. So we looked out the window and what did we see? A helicopter searching for something, someone. So I sat down and started feeding Sophie and AGAIN, the search light scanned our back yard flashing it's brights into Sophie's bedroom window. CRAZY. So this helicopter circled overhead for a good 20-30 minutes, scanning our neighborhood. TJ and I decided that we ought to find out if we should be on the lookout for something so we called the station. The conversation went something like this:

TJ: Hi, how are you? (He's so gentlemen-like even at 5am). We got up to feed our daughter and noticed a helicopter's search light scanning our back yard, um are we safe?

Lady: Hold on a minute.

(Minute)

Lady: They're just looking for someone in your area. The officers will let you know if you have any need to worry.

TJ: Oh, okay. Um, thank you!

I am not joking. This was not a test, they were really looking for someone.

So, fast forward three hours, TJ and I wake up again, and I do a sun salutation while he runs to his lab and the store. I check the news online and there's nothing about a manhunt. NOTHING.


So, we forget about it. TJ made me some of the best French Toast (Pictured Above). And he proceeds to give me a couple more birthday presents (Pictured Below).



A cooking magazine and Essential Oils! Not to mention a new Living Room Set. I feel like I won on "The Price is Right." Because the prices were just SO right. We got some good bargains. A Drexel Armoire (Pictured Below) for 50 bones. And a couch and sofa for 50 bones too.