It is amazing that I wasn't even 6 months pregnant when this picture was taken...

And now that little ultrasound picture is my beautiful 6 month baby girl...

Our little rosebud is a pure joy to have around. She is the best little baby. She only fusses when she has a real complaint: hungry, bored or tired. Sydney sits up so well, loves to eat carrots and plays with all of brother's toys. We have lots of nicknames for Sydney: I sometimes call her Ms. Rose, Dallen calls her Syn or Sydna and most often we call her sister. She is a great little sister to her super brother. The two were made to be the best of friends!! No one can get a laugh out of her quite like her brother can. He always has to kiss her first thing in the morning and last thing before bed. We all love to kiss on Syd, she is just so perfect. I couldn't have ordered a more perfect baby for our family. We love you Sydney Rose, happy half birthday!!

{Oh her eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining}

{Her hair, falls perfectly without her trying}

{She's so beautiful}

{And I tell her every day}

{When I see your face}

{There's not a thing that I would change}

{Cause you're amazing girl}

{Just the way you are}

{When you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while}

{Cause you're amazing}

{Just the way you are}

{Her lips, I could kiss them all day if she'd let me}

{She's so beautiful}

{And I tell her every day}

{Oh you know I'd never to ask you to change}

{If perfect's what you're searching for, then just stay the same}

{When I see your face}

{There's not a thing that I would change}

{Cause you're amazing}

{Just the way you are}

{Girl you're amazing}

{Just the way you are}

Pictures by: Alexia Sotelo of Ty Bebe Photography
Words by: Bruno Mars

It has been 2 years that we have lived in our house and with each new completed project it looks more like the house I pictured in my head than what my eyes actually saw when we bought it. I never imagined it would be so much work, cost so much and take so long, but every day we get closer to being done. Whenever I get overwhelmed with lists of projects yet to be completed, it helps to look back at all the progress we have made!! With much help from family and friends, we have painted every wall and ceiling, replaced all carpet and baseboards and so much more. I am so happy with my home and love living in it. So here it is, 2 years ago and now:

The Front:
{As much as we wish we could freshen up the paint (as does our HOA) it's just not in the budget, so instead we painted the door, trimmed the landscaping and got a cozy, distracting bench}

The Back:

{Doesn't that pool just scream buy me...well it does now!! A pool was not a "must" on our home buying list but we are so happy we bought a house with a pool. It's a lot of upkeep and work but it is a joy to have in the summer, we swim every day. And after a pretty penny well spent, we are nice and safe with that new fence}

The Entry:

{This area received new carpet, new paint and some new decor. My favorite thing is my collage wall. I've always wanted a collage wall and I am so thankful for such a beautiful family to fill the frames. Thanks Mom for helping with this one}

The Living Room:{Goodbye to the heinous curtains we used as paint drop cloths when it was time to cover that horrible faux finish and hello beautiful decor!! It took a while to get the furniture for this room. In fact, its only been furnished for about 6 months. But good things come to those who wait!! Thanks to Ma and Pa Bracken I was finally able to have what I've always dreamed of, a piano to fill my home. We still need a few things in this room (like some artwork on the giant blank wall) but we'll get there}
The Sitting Room:
{The layout of the house actually has this space designated as the dining room. But what 20-something year old needs a formal dining room?!? Not us. I LOVE my IKEA book shelf and the way my Mom helped me organize my books by color. I had no idea most of my books were black, haha. I also LOVE my re-upholstered chair from my Mom. Thanks to her and my Mother-in-law that project got checked off the list, along with the ottoman}

The Kitchen:
{Luckily this space came with the granite countertops, versailles pattern travertine tile floors and white plantation shutters. Unfortunately for them, the previous owners did nothing for them with their awful choices. Again, a huge thanks to my parents without whom I never would have had my white kitchen dreams realized. Although there are a few small projects left in this area, it is by far the biggest transformation in the house. I love how big and bright my kitchen is, if only it would stay clean it would be my very favorite room in the whole place}


The Kitchen:
{Another strange thing about the layout of this house, the middle of the kitchen is supposed to be the "eat-in" for a table and the far side is the designated family room. Not for me!! I wanted a big eat-in family kitchen and it worked out so great!! Picked up a great big table from IKEA (and the bench is the best thing ever for a family with kids) and the island from Crate and Barrel to bring it all together}

Downstairs Bathroom:
{Three days it took me to paint this tiny room, THREE DAYS!! It was well worth my efforts though. Got rid of the nasty wall paper border and gave this room a good scrubbing, got an accent mirror and it's good as new}

Laundry Room:{Really, with that wall paper border?? Lost that and got a little paint and some gorgeous new appliances and just like that, 100 times better}
The View from the Top:
{This is a great overall view of the work that we did. With the help of both our families and a long weekend we were able to paint the walls and vaulted ceiling to this beautiful chocolate froth color. I love having an open loft and tall ceilings, it makes it feel so much bigger than it actually is}

The Loft:
{The loft is where we live!! It is not the cutest room in the house but definitely the most comfortable. For a long time this room stayed empty so we could have furniture downstairs when people came to visit they wouldn't have to sit on the floor, but Dallen had a blast with a big empty space. Now we love having our big comfy sofa and TV (and mess) upstairs where no one has to see them and we can enjoy them}

Master Bath:
{What a difference a little effort makes. We got rid of the outdated light fixture and mirror and slapped a little paint on the vanity. There is still more to be done here, but only the expensive kind of stuff (like gutting the tub/shower and building a standing one) so that will have to wait. Until then I'll enjoy my Home Goods clearance mirrors and hand made fabric shower curtain}




The Master Bedroom:{With the way the bathroom looks you'd expect our room to look fantastic, however it is the most neglected. It's pretty much the one room no one ever sees and has the longest list of projects left, I guess it just seems least important}
The Kids Room:
{It's crazy to think that when we bought this house, this was Dallen's room, and now we have 2 kids!! This room like all the others got paint, carpet and furniture and it was ready to accommodate my 2 favorite little people} {We sanded and painted my sisters 20 year old dresser and it is as good as new. And Dallen graduated into a big boy bed back before the baby came}


Kids Bathroom:{We love America, just not on our wallpaper. A simple shade of blue and a bunch of my old beach collections and we have a great bathroom space for the kiddos}
Guest Room:
{Whatever they were thinking when they chose this color is beyond me. This room received our old bedroom set (as we grew into a king sized bed kinda family) and mostly it is just a room to keep our old furniture pieces in and to house our favorite people when they come to visit}Two years later and we love our house!! The location is so great and our ward is awesome. We know we are just where we were meant to be and so happy to be here :)