Ercanbrack Family

We had Alaynah's birthday party on Sunday, September 28 (the day before) at 5:00 at our house. We had a fire going in the fire pit and BBQ ed steaks and chicken. It was a yummy dinner. Alaynah enjoyed running around the yard with Peyton and Tyler the most. They had such a blast jumping on the tramp and playing on the putting green. Alaynah LOVED her cake. I made it Sunday night and it turned out pretty good for a rookie. I made a chocolate brown cow with hot pink spots. I also made Alaynah a miniature one that looked just like the big cake. Sunday morning I was getting Alaynah her breakfast and heard her say, "Oh, Oh, Oh W.O.W (stretched out long)." I thought, what in the world is she so excited about. Well, she saw her cake and was way excited about it! When we gave her the little cake she touched it a little and then dove in. She loved it! Soon, she was covered in chocolate frosting. The best part was her sounds of her enjoying this sugar feast. She would say, "Oh, Wow, Mmmmmm." She was hosed down afterwards and opened some presents. McKay, Lindsay and Peyton gave her 2 cute Peek A Boo books and some darling pink pig slippers. I keep putting the slippers on her feet and she is confused because she thinks they are like a teddy bear and wants to hold them. Silly Girl! Dan, Wendi and Tyler gave her the cutest fairy outfit. It came with a flowery skirt, wand and fairy wings. Grammy and Papa gave her $20 dollars (she loves money. . bad sign?), and this backpack with wheels that is pink, soft and furry. It has a princess bear that straps on the front. Inside, there is a smaller backpack with another princess bear, and inside that was a beany baby pink poodle. Alaynah adored the bears and gave them each a hug and kiss. Kimball and Melissa gave her this electronic book that sings and reads stories. It is very cute and Alaynah loves the music. Max, Heidi and Jeremy gave her a dancing Elmo that is really fun. The Eagar Family gave her a purse that sings and counts with lipstick, keys and other goodies to go inside. Grandma Darlene, Grandpa Dan, Justin and Michael gave her a baby stroller with a baby that laughs and a miniature cabbage patch doll whose name is Alaynah. The Brown Family gave her blueberries (her absolute fav) and a potato head man. Thanks everyone for such wonderful gifts, we love you all! Alaynah did not enjoy opening presents (though I am sure she will love playing with them tomorrow) and was pleased just to run around outside.

Alaynah,
Hey baby! I can't believe you are 1 today! I can clearly remember exactly 1 year ago when you were born. It has been amazing getting to know you. You are so special and I love you. I love all your hugs and kisses, big smiles, squinchy nose faces and funny laughs. You are so beautiful, a mix of your dad and me. You long hair, beautiful blue eyes, cute teethies and fat jiggly buns! I think you are the smartest baby ever. I always ask daddy if he thinks you are EXTRA smart for a 1 year old. He just smiles. You are starting to communicate really well to me with your sign language and talking. You tell Heidi "nigh nigh" when you are ready to take a nap, unbelievable! Just today you pointed outside and said "Out." I can't believe what a cute little person you are turning into. I am excited for so many more years to spend with you. This has been the best year of my life being your mommy. You are my favorite person in the world. I love you Alaynah Banana, Happy 1st birthday, I love you! -Mommy

My baby turned one today. I felt really excited about it over the past few weeks, and it was fun. But, as I put her to bed tonight I felt thankful, sad, and happy all at once. I am so glad that I have had such a special girl in my life for the past year. She has changed me in so many wonderful ways and I wouldn't want to live life without her. I kept trying to take pictures of her today so save the moment, to not forget the days. I feel sad that she is getting bigger and wish I could have her at 1 month, 3 months . . . etc for just another day. Time goes by so fast, and I want to cherish each moment.

Yes, it is true. A miracle has come to pass at our home and it is a true celebration. Alaynah is sleeping through the night! No more waking up 2-3 times a night to nurse and get soothed by mommy to sleep. I get a full 7-8 hours of sleep and it is heavenly. It started Sunday night with a 45 minute crying session when she woke up, and then another about 4:00 am. She is doing well, and I am so proud. She has seriously been a nightmare of a sleeper, and my next baby better sleep like a rock, I deserve it! You know those babies that fall asleep anytime, anywhere and there can be horns and bands and bombs going off and they don't move? Yeah, I'll take one of those. For any of you that have one of those, I'm not sure I like you at this point.

Fall is my favorite season. There is just a certain atmosphere about it that makes me feel comfy. I love the changing leaves, cool breeze, harvest and yummy vegetables. I don't know what it is, I just love it! Plus I got married in the fall and Alaynah was born in the Fall.

Alaynah loves this car. I think everyone had one when they were little. She opens the door, gets in and then shuts it. The funny part is that every time she shuts the door she say, "Nigh-Nigh." She seriously played for half an hour in this car. She then proceded to push it from behind all around the driveway. Somehow through this whole Grandma Ruthie birthday ordeal, she turned black and filthy. I mean head to toe filth. Cute Peyton is spotless and looking darling clear till the end. I have NEVER seen Peyton messy. It is truly amazing. Props to my sister Lindsay, I strive to be a mom like you someday. Peyton is always looking excellent.

Yesterday was Great Grandma Ruthie's 80th birthday party. We had a great time. We went early and Alaynah got to play with cousin Peyton. They had fun playing house in the smoltering hot playhouse. Lindsay and I thought we would truly melt inside. This playhouse is AMAZING. You cannot believe it until you see it. It is truly a miniature cottage. Inside there is carpet, tile, electricity and a rock fireplace. All the furniture inside is kid size. It is the coolest thing ever! There is a porch around, and 2 floors on the inside. There is also a deck that the 2nd floor opens up to, stairs and a sliding pole to get down. FABULOUS!

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME, unless you can get a babysitter. Then, GO! Get out! Hurry!

Wow. . . I must've kidproofed the cleaning supply cabinet a little too well. Apparently, even my husband can't get into it.

I can't believe how BIG my kids are! Especially the one I married!

Telling another adult you have to "go potty" doesn't make you pathetic. Okay, but just a little.

I'm not positive, but I think I can hear a choir of angels whenever I open the fridge and discover leftovers.

This picture is from March 2008. Aunt Angel left to dance on a cruise ship in August 2007, a month before Alaynah was born. They finally got to meet in March when Angel came home. It was so neat to see them together. We love you Angel!

There are things that I want to blog about, but they happened before I started my blog. So, I am going to blog about tidbits so they can be remembered. March 2008, Alaynah and I went with my family to Alamo, California to visit my Aunt Vicky and her family. We flew into Oakland and were off to her house. We spent a day or 2 there. We went to San Francisco with our lovely tour guide, the one and only Marianne. She did an excellent job, and I really enjoyed spending time with her. I absolutely love San Francisco. There is something very cool about the city in general, including the hills, buildings, people and location. We rode B.A.R.T, which is a train. This was an adventure, and Alaynah got to go on many transportational things: Air Plane, Train, Bus and the Trolley. As soon as we walked out of the train station, heaven was there awaiting us. . the hugest Forever 21 a person could ever wish for. 3 stories of pure bliss! We rode the trolley (Alaynah fell asleep) and took a boat tour around the bay. We then hitched a bus and made our way home. We spent the rest of the time at my Aunt Vicky and Uncle Jay's Beach house. It is near Monterey Bay and Carmel. It is a beautiful location and always brings back memories to be there. The beach was bone chilling (meaning FREEZING), but Alaynah took advantage of the great "tasting" sand. We had a great time and Alaynah was a fantastic girl. . during the day. Poor roomate Jilly got a taste of an insomniac baby. She was awake so much in the night and half the time I brought her to bed with me. We had such a great time.

There are things that I want to blog about, but they happened before I started my blog. So, I am going to blog about tidbits so they can be remembered. March 2008, Alaynah and I went with my family to Alamo, California to visit my Aunt Vicky and her family. We flew into Oakland and were off to her house. We spent a day or 2 there. We went to San Francisco with our lovely tour guide, the one and only Marianne. She did an excellent job, and I really enjoyed spending time with her. I absolutely love San Francisco. There is something very cool about the city in general, including the hills, buildings, people and location. We rode B.A.R.T, which is a train. This was an adventure, and Alaynah got to go on many transportational things: Air Plane, Train, Bus and the Trolley. As soon as we walked out of the train station, heaven was there awaiting us. . the hugest Forever 21 a person could ever wish for. 3 stories of pure bliss! We rode the trolley (Alaynah fell asleep) and took a boat tour around the bay. We then hitched a bus and made our way home. We spent the rest of the time at my Aunt Vicky and Uncle Jay's Beach house. It is near Monterey Bay and Carmel. It is a beautiful location and always brings back memories to be there. The beach was bone chilling (meaning FREEZING), but Alaynah took advantage of the great "tasting" sand. We had a great time and Alaynah was a fantastic girl. . during the day. Poor roomate Jilly got a taste of an insomniac baby. She was awake so much in the night and half the time I brought her to bed with me. We had such a great time.

*Her wonderful babysitter, Heidi, has the cutest little boy named Max (6 years old). He is their only child. He adores Alaynah, as Alaynah does him. He made up a song that he sings to her. It goes, "Laynah, Laynah, Laynah, I love Alaynah." It is adorable. Now she sings it with him and it is the cutest thing you have ever seen.

*She will sit in her high chair and throw food onto the floor, look at me and say, "No."

*If I pick her up when she doesn't want to be, she crazily slaps at my face and head. It is like being battered by a wild cat!

*Everytime she shuts a door she says, "Nigh-Night."

*She eats EVERYTHING and ANYTHING that is gross. Wood chips, dirt, sand, grass and her favorite, soap.

* She grabs at her bum while I am changing her poopy bum. This makes for a very gross mess. I have actually become very good at wiping before she gets there.

1) Uh-oh
2) Dadda
3) Mamma
4) No
5) Dog
6) Nigh-Night
7) Out
8) Hot *This was like her 2nd word. Strange?
9) Who's that? (in a whisper) when the door opens and the alarm chimes
10) Wow
11) Ba-boo (peek-abo)
12) Laynah (Alaynah)
13) Thank you

Sign Language: Dog, Fish, Milk, Bird and (rarely) More.

Funny Story. Today, Sunday September 20, we went to "uncle Tim's" farewell. Well, Alaynah fell asleep in the car on the way home which was great. The only problem is that if she is moved or id there is any loud noise, she wakes up. We tiptoed in the house and left her in the car, in the garage with the windows down (it was cool enough). I left the garage door open for air and also left the door from the garage to the house open to listen. I started cooking lunch upstairs and Ben "dragoned" (inside joke) his way on downstairs to "Duke a Luke." For those of you who do not know what this means, figure it out. He left the door open because he was by himself downstairs. FYI: we do not own any pets of any kind, so we are so very not animal people. I didn't hear any commotion, but I heard footsteps coming upstairs. I am laughing right now thinking about it! I turn around and see . . . Ben holding a very large white and gray cat with a towel wrapped around it so he wouldn't have to touch it. I start laughing hysterically, and it started peeing on our tile! He quickly threw it out and had the funniest look on his face. I guess while I was in the kitchen a cat had snuck in and went downstairs. He must have (laugh) smelled the commotion and found Ben. Ben said the cat scared the piss and vinegar out of him! He reacted quickly and found a towel because, quote "I didn't know if it had any strange diseases or anything." Strange to say, this is not the first time this has happened to us. A year or 2 ago, my family was over and Lisa was scared to death by a strange cat wondering our basement. Our dang neighbors need to learn to stop multiplying and replenishing the cats!

I made up this game with Alaynah and it was so funny! She actually got a hole in one! I then started to play with the putter and she followed. Ben has taught her a little bit about putting. Better watch out, there is a little "Tigress" on her way the the PGA women's division!!

Saturday September 20, 2008 we celebrated Lindsay, Melissa and Alaynah's birthdays. We planned to go to Wayne's cabin near Park City for 'the boys' to haul wood and eat dutch oven. Well, Lindsay and I decide that since we have toddlers that hauling wood is just not for us. So. . instead we have made it a tradition to go to the shopping outlets (Tanger) in Park City to shop and then go up to the mountains for the food. Sounds fair, right? Melissa comes with us because, why not? I am sure she is not thrilled to haul wood eithor and it is no fun without us! It was a great shopping trip with some good deals. Alaynah refused a nap on the way up because she was too excited about sitting next to cousin Peyton. I missed our exit on the way home and we ended up searching our way out of SLC, thanks Linds and Melis (I would have roamed the streets of SLC for days without you)! We ended the day at the Ercanbrack's house to eat dutch oven due to rain. It was a great time and great food. Now about the picture of Alaynah with money. She has the cutest white, furry boots. Uncle Kimball thought they were silly and looked like the boots that Lloyd wears on Dumb and Dumber. It is the part where they discover the money in the briefcase and go out and spend it all. They pull up to their hotel in a really fancy car and Lloyd is in these awful looking furry boots and starts handing out money to all the workers and says, "Here ya go, her ya go, here ya go!" So poor Alaynah got teased and money put in her pockets to hand out to us. Alaynah looks much sexier in these darling boots.

I thought for memories sake as I look back on my life, I should include pictures of my house. This is our lovely kithen. It is absolutely fabulous and I would build another just like it! There are so many cuboards that I don't even have anything in some of them. We love our cute kitchen. . . now if only I could cook!

This is Alaynah this past Sunday right before church. She looked very pretty but was VERY annoyed all through church because her feet would get caught under the dress when she tried to stand. This is her Easter dress (yes, she was monstrous as a small child and has not grown much and it still fits), thanks Grandma Dar and Grandpa Dan!

Life ain't always beautiful
sometimes its just plain hard
Life can knock you down, it can break your heart.
Life ain't always beautiful
You think, you're on your way,
And it's just a dead end road at the end of the day
But the struggles make you stronger
And the changes make you wise
And Happiness has its own way
Of taking its sweet time
No, life ain't always beautiful
Tears will fall sometimes
Life ain't always beautiful
But it's a beautiful ride
Life ain't always beautiful
Some days I miss your smile
I get tired of walkin'
All these lonely miles
And I wish for just one minute
I could see your pretty face
Guess, I can dream
But life don't work that way
But the struggles make you stronger
And the changes make you wise
And Happiness has its own way
Of taking its sweet time
No, life ain't always beautiful
But I know I'll be fine
Hey, life ain't always beautiful
But it's a beautiful ride
What a beautiful ride.

by: Gary Allen

YOU GOTTA READ THIS! I got this cute book from Ben's aunt at my baby shower and it has the cutest, funniest insights in it about motherhood. It's called it's a mom thing by Tina Neidlein.
1) I still try to buy cute underwear. .but not too cute, because what do you think got me into this mess?

2) Kids grow up too fast! Unless they're throwing a fit in public. Then- jeez. . grow up already! Get a move on!

3) When it's that time of the month and there's only one cookie left in the house, that is NOT the time to teach the kids how to share.

4) RELAX! Nowhere on your gravestone is it gonna say, "She gave her kids too much soda."

5) The longest road you'll ever travel isn't a road at all. It's called "the cereal aisle."

Last night I was bathing Alaynah after a LONG, GROUCHY day. FYI, she loves to eat soap, strange-YES, but true. She will scavenge out the bar of soap (which I hide) and if she can't grab it to bite it, she will touch it with her fingers, lick her fingers and repeat. I have tried licking the soap myself (strange?) just to see if it is really bad, because she LOVES IT. It is absolultey retchid tasting. Anyway, I was washing her up with her baby soap, and lo and behold. . . she started licking her arms to eat the soap!!! She was frantic about it and kept doing it. Does anyone else have this strange problem? It is quite hilarious.

I never just write like this, but I want to keep this blog as a journal in addition to keeping in touch with family. I have learned an important lesson over the past 6 months of my life, "Only you can truly make yourself happy." This may sound just too simple, or silly, but these are words I have learned to live by. There are people in this life that can make the journey more enjoyable, or help to make us happy. But we are the ones who ultimately decide to be happy or miserable. For example, trials happen in every one's life. We can face these trials with a frown and negative attitude, or pick up the pieces with a smile as we learn and walk away. I believe that honesty, integrity and happiness all come from within. I find joy in true friends and family that really care and love me. I find my ultimate joy in the eyes of a beautiful little girl. This little girl means more to me than she may ever know. She has saved me, and kept me afloat on days I thought I would surely drown. Heavenly Father is real, and I know he loves me. He loves Alaynah and has a greater plan in mind for us. I must trust him as I walk this winding road of life, because I cannot do it myself.

I could just kiss her to death! She is so cute. I love this little girl so much.

Alaynah and I went to the Bountiful Temple today. My cousin, Levi, got married and we got to see a lot of family. My Mom and little brother Justin were there. It was a great day, and Alaynah loved the flowers, and Justin too (she adores 'Uncle Justin'). We have to watch Alaynah because not only does she pick flowers, but she eats them as well. We went to Aunt Jeanne's house afterwards for the luncheon. Grandma Darlene gave Alaynah her birthday presents. I thought she would not pay any attention to unwrapping them, and get annoyed when we made her unwrap. Oh goodness no! Uncle Justin and Grandma helped her and she was having a party. She pulled and waved the paper. She got a baby stroller with a cute dolly that giggles. She thinks this is just the coolest thing since. . well. . the nip! She pushes the stroller around like a madwomen. I didn't think she thought much of the baby, but she gives her kisses and actually puts her in the stroller. She is a dangerous driver and anyone in her way is toast! She also got the cutest little cabbage patch girl, and her name is Alaynah (spelled a little different). That is so thoughtful of Grandma Dar, we love her. Thank you for the birthday gift!! We ate lunch, played with the dogs and cousin Addie and left. What a great time.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa! I love my slide.

On Wednesday September 10th, we went to Jaxson and Brittany's house to play and catch up. We love our great friends, and haven't seen them for a while. Alaynah loved Jaxson's cool toys. Jaxson is super cute, and we joke about a future wedding! Jaxson will have to grow a little bigger! We love you guys!

Alaynah loves her Daddy! She says his name all day long.