The Sokia Family: Carl, Jenn, Marley James, and Irie Kinililani

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

2011-03-03T13:57:00.003-07:00

In honor of Dr. Seuss, we celebrated his birthday yesterday by eating green eggs and ham and reading our favorite stories of his. He was a genius! Marley loves his stories and we can always count on giggles with each one. Thank you, Dr. Seuss!

Valentine's Day

2011-02-16T12:25:00.004-07:00

I keep saying it- holiday's are so much better with kids! Marley had so much fun preparing for her big Valentine's Day party at school.

(These are the Valentine's we made. The left is the one Marley had for her friends at school and the other is for family and friends.)

When I asked her what she wanted to give her friends, she told me she wanted to make cookies. So that is what we did. We spent the entire morning making cookies for her classmates and teachers.
At the party Marley decorated a cookie in true kid fashion-with many, many sprinkles!

There was also dancing!

Irie slept most of the party but did wake up for the end. She was sure enjoying herself! ha ha

Marley's best friend, Daunte, gave her (and only her) a flower. What a perfect gentleman. She was so excited to tell her Daddy that Daunte gave her, "a beautiful flower!"

Marley had so much fun passing out the Valentine's we made for everyone. I remember my school Valentine's days and always loved receiving candy and cards from my friends. I am so glad that Marley was able to do that this year!

(Marley with her bag of treats!)

Irie is 7 Months Old Today!

2011-01-24T12:53:00.009-07:00

Irie is 7 months old today and had her 6 month appointment last week( I know a little late!). Here is what we found-

Weight: 16 lbs. 5 oz. 43%ile

Length: 24 1/4 in. 85%ile

Head circumference: 16 1/4 in. 15%ile

She seems to be growing the same way Marley did. Marley has always been tall, skinny, with a small head! Irie is the same! We love Irie so much. She is the EASIEST baby in the world. She loves to watch her sister. The moment she sees Marley she has a big smile on her face. Irie loves to read stories, bounce in her bouncer chair, and move around. She is already almost crawling. She uses her hands and arms and drags her legs behind. She is a Mama's girl and absolutely loves to sit on my hip. My favorite thing about her right now is when she cuddles with me. She is a cuddle bug! We love to make her laugh and see her smile.

New Year's Eve

2011-01-24T12:37:00.003-07:00

New Year's Eve this year was without Carl but not without fun. This is the first year I let Marley (or shall I say the first year she allowed herself to stay awake that long) stay awake until midnight. Even Irie was up! We watched "Dick Clark New Year's Rockin Eve" while singing and dancing to all the performances. When midnight hit, we banged pots and pans, shot confetti, and drank sparkling apple cider.
Irie was trying so much to be like her sister and blow the "blowers." She couldn't understand why hers wasn't shooting out like Marley's!

We have created a new tradition and I love it. If you know me you know I LOVE traditions!

The Beautiful Craig Snow

2011-01-13T12:46:00.002-07:00

Although the winters are really long in Craig, they produce beautiful snow! Marley and I have had so much fun playing the backyard while Irie sleeps nice and warm inside. We made a very cool snowman and even made a snow hill for Marley to ride her tube down!
This is Frosty the Snowman. Original right? :)

And who can play in the snow without making snow angels?

Hooray for winter and the massive amounts of snow!!

Christmas!

2011-01-13T12:13:00.004-07:00

Christmas was spectacular this year! We spent it in Salt Lake with both our families. It was especially fun with Marley because she really loves Santa. :) Irie had a great time eating wrapping paper and tags.
Christmas Eve was spent with both families. I don't know how we do it, but we somehow find a way to do both. The girls were spoiled from both Grandparents and Great-Grandparents. The picture on the bottom right is Carl's sister, Kini, who made all of her gifts. They were so special.

I know all parents say it, but the time flies by too quickly. I can't believe Irie is so big!

This is my Grandma, Agnes. She is so sweet-- it is lovely seeing her each time we are able to visit "home."

One of Marley's favorite gifts was a "Beauty and The Beast" tea set. She had a great time playing with cousin's and Uncle Bubbers aka Eric.

Christmas morning was spent at my parents house. It was so fun to watch Marley wake up and run down the stairs to see what Santa had brought for her. Even Emmy (the dog) got a gift from my parents. She is a kid too! :)

We feel so blessed that my parents always open up their house to us. It is actually a lot of fun staying in my old room with Carl. And there is so much room that each of the girls get their own rooms!

Christmas Day afternoon was spent at Carl's parents house and Auntie Beta and Uncle Raymond's house. We always look forward to their house because of the delicious food and great company. Marley loves her "cousin's" Simon and Piers.

Preparing for Santa and His Reindeer..

2011-01-12T18:52:00.003-07:00

Marley was so excited that Santa and his reindeer would visit her at Papa and Nana's house (we were in Salt Lake for Christmas). We made cookies and milk for Santa and food for his reindeer and that had "sparkles" in it so they could see their house. The joy on Marley's face was priceless!
I miss Christmas as a child!

Gingerbread House

2011-01-12T18:42:00.002-07:00

Since we started our family, it has been a tradition to build a gingerbread house during Christmas time. I don't know why because they are always more difficult than they look! I think after 3 years I have figured it out. I will probably forget all the tricks by the time next year comes along, though! Marley once again had a blast decorating this gingerbread house. She actually did it all by herself!
As you can see in the picture on the bottom right, we had to prop some things up against the top until the frosting dried. It worked thankfully!

Even with the mess and the struggles to get this thing up, it was worth it.

Fire Department Santa Visit

2011-01-10T23:48:00.004-07:00

Every year the Fire Department makes sure Santa stops by the Fire Station. Marley felt so lucky that she got to visit Santa two times!
This visit was extra special because Mrs. Clause also came with Santa!

Irie was more interested with the Christmas tree than Santa. Her hand hardly left the tree.

Irie the Grinch!

One happy family enjoying hot chocolate and cookies with Santa.

Our precious Irie Bug...We feel so blessed to be a part of the Fire Department family. They always provide amazing family activities for us and provide us with so much love!

Santa Came to Town!

2011-01-10T23:35:00.002-07:00

Marley was so excited this year to see Santa. It was a simple task here in Craig because our mall is so small there was no line (actually nobody else there)! Not to mention no photographer pressuring me into buying photos!
She was so excited that she continued to give him hugs.

Irie didn't mind Santa thanks to his cool beard to grab!

Cutest girls in the world.

Thank you Mr. Santa! And thank you for talking to Mommy and Daddy about the other languages we should learn (random, I know).

School Christmas Party

2010-12-16T18:13:00.005-07:00

Yesterday was Marley's school Christmas Pajama Party!
Marley loves her teachers; Miss Jamie and Miss Tracy.

Marley made a Christmas tree out of an ice cream cone, green frosting, and M&M's!

Marley LOVES to take pictures--she took this one!

We also made hot chocolate with marshmallows and cream!

She also made reindeer food for Christmas Eve so that the reindeer know to visit her. :)

Making her Christmas tree..

Thanksgiving Week

2010-12-16T17:30:00.005-07:00

This year for Thanksgiving we spent it in Salt Lake City with family. We feel so lucky because we were able to spend time with both sides of our family!
Traveling sure takes a toll on both girls. They would nap every chance they got, even together!

The week after Thanksgiving Carl worked at the St. Regis again. The girls and I are so lucky to get to tag along for a marvelous vacation at a gorgeous hotel! The picture above is Marley taking a bath while watching cartoons. Only at the St. Regis will you find a t.v. in the mirror!

The day after Thanksgiving we went to the JAZZ/Lakers game. It was extra fun because, for those that don't know, Carl is a Lakers fan and I am a Jazz fan. Marley got to go as a Jazz fan (thank you Carl for not putting up a fight for that one).

Marley got to be on the floor for half time!

The game was a little long for Marley so she took it upon herself to take a little "rest."

Thanks again Carl for buying Marley and I updated Jazz shirts!

Marley kept her fingers crossed for our Jazz, even though we didn't need that. :)

We were so happy that Eric joined us! He is another avid Jazz fan.

What a game. It is always so amazing to be in the arena and feel all of the energy. And even better that it was a Lakers game and that we BEAT them!

We always like to take advantage of being in a big city and do lots of activities. We went to Gorgoza Park for tubing but I unfortunately didn't have the camera with me. Marley LOVED it! It was so easy to ride up the hill instead of walking. I think I enjoyed it just as much as Marle did. We also hit Temple Square for the beautiful lights.

It is so nice to be on Temple Square and to feel of the Spirit. We had wonderful company, beautiful music and amazing lights. What a night!

Marley loves spending time with her cousins: Annette, Jayden, and Dani Rae

Before our trip, Marley had a school Thanksgiving party. Below is her best friend at school, Daunte. She talks about him all the time! They are cute together.

This is the pumpkin pie the kids made. It was delicious! During the trip was also Ashley's baby shower. I am so excited to have a nephew in about a month!

Maternity Pictures

2010-12-16T17:24:00.003-07:00

The day before my due date with Irie, these photo's were taken. A family in our ward runs a photography business and wanted to add maternity photo's to their portfolio therefore asked if I would be their "model." I wouldn't normally seek to get picture's taken of myself but I loved these two because of Marley.

Leaves, Oh My!

2010-12-16T15:19:00.003-07:00

Growing up in the Brown household meant yard work on Saturday's. I didn't look forward to it back then, but I get why my parents enjoyed it. I find myself enjoying the moments I can do yard work--it is some type of release for me. I must be getting older because I never thought I would utter those words! So when it came to raking the leaves, I wanted to be the one to do it.
I had so much fun with the girls. I ended up raking the leaves many times over, but it was worth it to watch Marley and Irie have so much fun.

School Pictures

2010-12-16T14:03:00.005-07:00

As Marley went to school to take her official school picture, I prepared myself for a picture that would just be okay (not because of Marley, of course, but because of the nature of the posed school picture).
When I got the pictures back I was so happy! Marley is adorable and they turned out great! I still can't believe Marley is in school.

These are pictures I took when we got home from the school pictures. We are so proud of you, Marley!

Travels

2010-11-07T14:43:00.012-07:00

We have been a very busy family this past month. We have been to Denver and Utah two times. The most recent trip was to Park City/Salt Lake City, Utah. Carl was asked to help at the St. Regis in Park City for a week, so me and the girls tagged along for a 5 star vacation. We were also able to spend a little time in Salt Lake with our family for Halloween!
Marley carved pumpkins at Grandma's house!

And trick-or-treating at Papa and Nana's house with Kaydyn, Uncle Davey and Uncle Bubbers!

I know not very original costume, but Marley thinks she is Dora anyway.

Uncle Bubbers was so fun to dress up with the girls and join in on the trick-or-treating fun!

It is amazing how the kids are so natural in saying, "trick-or-treat" as if they were born to ask for candy! :)

Marley and Kaydyn are the best of friends! At first I was a little bummed we would be missing Halloween in our town but quickly realized Marley would have so much fun with her cousin.

Irie was a hot dog. She spent a good 10 minutes in her costume.

One of these years we are going to dress up as a family...If we would have taken the time and energy (and we were at home) we would have dressed up as the Adam's Family. A nickname we have for Irie is "Uncle Fester" so it would have been perfect!

Our time at the St. Regis was amazing. We stayed in a suite that had a living room, kitchen, etc. It even had a cute tea set so Marley made "tea" every morning (she used skittles to make the water colored).

Marley was so excited to see snow again! We spent many hours going on "adventures" around the hotel.

Marley loves the funicular. We stayed at this hotel almost a year ago and even back then she knew and used the word funicular (impressing everyone of course).

Poor Irie kept falling asleep in her bumbo chair. We thought it was hilarious (see video below)! I have always wondered how babies can sleep in the most awkward positions.

The pool was almost hot tub heated so we took several dips!

Carl played in a charity golf tournament 3 weeks prior in Salt Lake so we had another fun trip. The girls and I spent a night at my parents amazing cabin with my family.

What a great uncle Eric is- I caught him swinging with Irie in the hammock and she loved it!

And by "the girls" and meant Emmy too!

Again, best buddies...

Marley and Kaydyn riding in the "cabin car." I know I am a little paranoid making Marley wearing a helmet but I don't care!

Some family friends have a cabin nearby with the coolest tire swing! Papa was able to get them the highest...by far.

There are lots of horses there, too.

Marley was very excited to practice her new love of fishing. Eric was so great with helping her. She has yet to catch a fish. :(

Irie is the best at tagging along where ever we go! She loves her Nana.

There is a moose that lives and wanders around the cabin. While we were driving around in the "cabin car," it happened to run right across us!

Timing worked perfectly because Carl's Auntie Nunia was in Salt Lake visiting from New Zealand. We were beyond thrilled to see her!

We love taking the girls to see Great Grandpa and Grandma. They are the cutest couple even after all the years.

Our trip to Denver was another work trip for Carl turned vacation for me and the girls. The weather was beautiful so we were able to spend a lot of time outside shopping, eating, and going to the zoo! Marley is the best big sister. She loves to hold her sister's hand.

It is tradition to take a picture by the Denver Zoo sign- this time the picture taker (a zoo employee) didn't get the best shot (his finger was partially in front of the lens).

Marley likes to pretend she is a gorilla and this is her gorilla walk. She insisted on walking around the zoo this way for about 15 minutes. :)

Marley was the tour guide always having her zoo map in hand! She showed me which way she wanted to go!

Still not as big as a polar bear...maybe next year?

The Yummiest

2010-09-27T17:57:00.001-06:00

I am so thrilled right now because I am eating these! Carl's Mom, Kathy so SWEETLY sent me some because she knows they are my favorite and that they don't sell the big bags in Craig. THANK YOU, KATHY! You are the best. :) I love you!

Daddy-Daughter Fishing Trip

2010-09-25T16:06:00.003-06:00

Yesterday Carl took Marley to pick her own fishing pole to prepare for today's Daddy-Daughter fishing trip. Marley, of course, chose a Dora fishing pole (thank you Walmart!). She could hardly contain her excitement and took a minute to fall asleep last night. She kept looking out the window hoping that the sun was already up.
I had to interrupt this outing to get some pictures! Marley was such a good "fisher girl" and would reel in her own line every time.

Unfortunately, this branch and "seaweed" (as Marley called it) were the only things caught by the two fishing poles.

Marley got a little side tracked when she noticed this. Fishing can wait for a little fun, right?

Marley also became "friends" with the bait. She enjoyed taking the worms out and playing with them.

Carl took Emmy too. She is a daughter too! :)

I think this is the cutest picture ever! This is what I drove up to. I was pleasantly surprised at Marley's patience with fishing. She has so much fun with her Daddy!

2010-09-23T23:29:00.002-06:00

As all mothers say, my girls are growing up too fast! Irie will be 3 months old tomorrow. Wow.
She loves her activity mat...

and to fall asleep watching movies with her sister!

Does anyone remember bath time being this much fun? Marley loves to make her bath water different colors and also to color pictures on the bath walls. This piece of art is, "the path to the mermaid kingdom."

This is Marley being the funny girl she is. She was laughing so hard at herself while doing the "shake face."

Irie's Blessing

2010-09-13T20:58:00.002-06:00

Here are some pictures of Irie in her blessing dress. Doesn't she look beautiful?

Marley also enjoyed taking pictures with her "camera."

As I mentioned before, Carl gave Irie a beautiful blessing. She is one lucky girl to have Carl as her Daddy!

Irie is Learning

2010-09-11T22:25:00.005-06:00

Irie is learning what we do with our time in Craig. Luckily it is still warm enough to go to the lake and the river! We have to get a lot more creative in the winter.
Marley loves to build sandcastles then loves to stomp them down!

This trip was a little windy and the ball went out into the lake. Marley watched as the beach ball drifted off..then a boat drove by, picked it up and drove off with it! She is still sad that "people took my beach ball!"

Our set up for Irie. She is such a content little baby!

The river is fun because we get to take Emmy with us! Emmy loves to play in the water, especially when Marley is throwing her ball into it!

Again, content little Irie hangs out with Mommy.

Marley got creative with sticks and was using them for boats for "boat racing!"

The Sokia's Visit The Sokia's

2010-09-09T20:17:00.007-06:00

We were lucky enough to have the "other Sokia's" visit us this past weekend for Labor Day weekend. John, Kathy, and Kini came on Saturday and stayed through Monday. We spent a lot of quality time together and just enjoyed each other's company.

On Monday we went to Fish Creek Falls and enjoyed a hike together. Marley LOVES hiking (she gained this love from my Mom).

Kini and Marley

Even Irie enjoyed the hike- well, until the end when she got tired. :)

Marley was also happy to play in the water. The freezing cold water I might add!

Grandma Kathy and Marley!

We even had a mini photo shot in the backyard. Irie loves to smile and show us how happy she is!

We feel so blessed to have family come visit us so often. Thank you John, Kathy, and Kini for such a wonderful weekend!

Marley Started School!!

2010-09-07T11:39:00.002-06:00

I can't believe I can say that Marley started preschool! It was very bitter sweet dropping her off on her first day. I was sad because it meant that she is growing up but happy because now she gets to have new experiences. I was worried she wouldn't want me to leave but once we got there she was so excited that she forgot all about me!
While it is still warm we are walking to school and of course Irie gets to join us!

Marley in front of her school on her first day. She goes twice per week for 3 hours each day.

This is when we were leaving the house. She insisted on bringing her jacket (even though it was warm), blanket, and backpack.

Fill the Boot

2010-09-07T11:28:00.006-06:00

Yesterday Carl spent most of the holiday gathering donations for Muscular Dystrophy. It was called "fill the boot." Many of you may have seen firefighters in your community doing the same thing and I hope you were able to "fill the boot." Marley was excited to put her money into the boot.

Only Carl would wear his Hawaiian shorts for the event. :)

Marley decided to put her sticker on the bottom of her shoe. Random, I know!

A couple days before we visited the fire station (we do this about once a week, it seems). Marley is so proud of her Daddy and loves to climb the trucks with him.

She even got to spray the fire hose this time!

3 Years Old and 2 Months Old

2010-09-07T11:11:00.005-06:00

Marley and Irie went for their "well baby" check up 2 weeks ago and this is what we found:

Marley:
Weight: 31 lbs. 39%ile
Height: 38 1/2 in. 80%ile

Irie:
Weight: 11 lbs. 8 oz. 70%ile
Height: 24 1/2 in. 98%ile
Head Circumference: 14 1/2 in. 10%ile

The doctor was stunned when he saw how tall the girls are, especially Irie! And just as Marley, Irie has a small head.

Marley is extremely advanced in her speech and loves to talk your ear off. She loves to play with Irie and refuses to play with her dolls now because they are "pretend" and she wants the "real baby." She is so incredibly sweet and is truly an easy child. She is still Mommy's girl and loves to cuddle with me and help with anything. She loves to be outside and can be found trying to climb trees or throwing the ball for Emmy. Emmy is her buddy and now sleeps in Marley's room.

Irie is such an easy baby! At this age Marley was very fussy, but not Irie! She loves to hang out and listen to what is going on around her. She smiles often and loves to be held by her sister. She sleeps great and goes 7.5 hours at night before needing to feed! Like her sister, she loves to be outside. I think it's because she likes to watch her sister play.

Carl and I are SO blessed to have these incredible girls. They bring so much love and happiness into our lives. We love you, Marley and Irie!

An End to Summer

2010-08-23T14:02:00.011-06:00

I am long overdue for an update, yes? :) Obviously things have been busy in the Sokia household with the added member of Irie. This is such an exciting time in our lives! Marley and Irie hit it off from the very start. Marley LOVES her sister and wants Irie to do everything with her. Her favorite thing is to invite Irie to lay on her bed with her to cuddle and take pictures.

July 26th was Marley's 3rd birthday! The weekend following her birthday was her BIG animal party. We had a lot of family come into town for the big event. My parents, my brother Eric, my brother Dave and his daughter Kaydyn, and Carl's sister Ashley and her husband Nate all came from Salt Lake. Also some of our local friends, the Walkers, Eddie and Jes, and the missionaries came to help celebrate. Marley got a bounce house for her birthday and the kids had a blast playing on it!

Irie also enjoyed celebrating her sister's birthday!

Of course Marley enjoyed opening her gifts!

Marley requested an elephant cake and I did my best to give that to her. I thought it turned out okay..you be the judge! :)

Let me say that this was my first cake that wasn't a rectangle!

Marley stealing a taste before I could cut it up for our guests!

After Marley blew out her candles I told her she could eat the frosting off of the candles. I guess she didn't understand what I meant because she went ahead and took BITES out of her candle (notice the bite on the bottom and the top left)!

My Dad and Mom with Irie.

Jesica and Me.

Denise (her kids are the others in the bounce house pictures) and Me.

Nate and Ashley.. And they told us that weekend that they are expecting a baby!! We are SO excited!

Kaydyn and Marley celebrating with some very loud horns.

Our precious Irie..

The following day was an exciting one for Irie. Carl gave her a beautiful blessing. It was so wonderful to have family there with us for this. I will post pics of that later.

A week later we were in Salt Lake to attend the wedding of Carl's cousin Nate. Nate and his new wife, Denise were married in the Salt Lake temple. What an amazing special day it was!

Daddy (groomsman) and Marley (flower girl) outside of the temple.

Our attempt at a family picture.

Marley making her grand entrance with the rest of the wedding party at the reception. Neat side note- the dress Marley has on was worn at Carl and my wedding by his cousin's daughter. Full circle!

Proud Grandma Kathy holding Irie at the reception.

Me and the girls were in Salt Lake for about 12 days and spent everyday doing something! We went to the zoo 2 times. Here is Marley with her cousin Simon. They were so cute holding hands with each other!

Jinju (my brother Eric's girlfriend) joined us! We just love her.

Marley chose some binoculars at the zoo and hasn't put them down ever since. She thinks it is fun to go on "safari's" to look for wild animals!

This is at the aquarium. Marley especially loves the penguins!

Our second trip to the zoo was with cousin Kaydyn and Nana.

Enjoying a train ride and looking for animals!

Irie even enjoys all of our adventures! She is an AMAZING baby. She just goes with the flow and is only kinda fussy when she is hungry. Even if she has a diaper filled with poop she doesn't complain! Look at those blue eyes!!

My parents recently bought a cabin in Oakley, UT and we were lucky enough to spend a weekend there with my parents and Dave and Kaydyn. Here is a moose that was wandering around their property.

Papa was nice enough to put a swing up for the girls!

It was a lot of fun for the girls to sit around the fire and make smores. They were very good about staying far enough back to stay safe.

Yummy!!!

Uncle Davey even took the girls fishing!

At the end of our trip we had another exciting wedding, Spencer and Tasha's. Spencer is like a brother to me so it was wonderful to see him so happy. I was honored to be a witness at their ceremony!

Their colors were black, cream, and lime green...hence the outfits!

We also went to Thanksgiving Point and spent time at the farm and the dinosaur museum. Marley was thrilled to ride a pony!

Aiona (Carl's cousin) and her two boys, Simon and Peirs, also joined us for this fun!

Marley loves dinosaurs therefore enjoyed showing Nana and I all that she was discovering!

We have had an exciting summer and are now gearing up for Marley to attend school for the first time. Where has the time gone?

Out for Ice Cream

2010-07-01T00:01:00.003-06:00

I have been really excited to try out our new double running stroller and today I did! We went out for ice cream so I could test out my new favorite thing and I am thrilled!
Marley REALLY enjoyed her chocolate ice cream. Doesn't ice cream taste better when you get it EVERYWHERE?

Irie was strapped in nicely. :) Marley was so excited that she got to sit next to her new little sister.

Thank goodness for developments like double runner strollers. They make life so much easier with TWO children. It is still weird to know that I am a mother of two.

Happy Birthday to....ME!

2010-06-30T23:39:00.003-06:00

My birthday was on Monday and what a wonderful day it was! Not only did I get a brand new beautiful, amazing baby, but I got to spend the day with my family, including my parents! I felt bad staying in the house all day so we went the the pool! Obviously Irie and I couldn't get in so we sat in the shade and watched while everyone played in the waves. It was actually quite relaxing soaking in some sun while sucking on a popsicle.
Irie stayed asleep the entire time. The temperature was perfect in the shade!

Marley was so thrilled to be at the pool with Daddy.

The swimming crew!

I love that our little town has this awesome wave pool!

"Splash Mommy!"

Marley loves letting the waves knock her around.

Irie also enjoying some Daddy time.

I thought it was so cute when I saw Marley sun bathing in the wave pool!

Of course we enjoyed some wonderful dinner, courtesy on my wonderful Mom and some amazing ice cream cake that Carl and Marley surprised me with! I say surprised although Marley was so excited about it she spilled the beans. It was really cute. She whispered to me, "Mommy we have a yummy cake with candles for you. It is a surprise. Shhh." Though I was still sore and recovering, I had an amazing birthday.

Home Sweet Home

2010-06-29T10:57:00.004-06:00

It feels so nice to be home! The best part about being home so far has been watching Marley be a big sister. She is always worried about Irie and wanting to hold her. It is so precious!!!
Irie knows Marley is her big sister because she is very content in her arms. :)

Looking at big sister..

Marley continues to insist Irie sleep in her bed. I allowed in for a minute or two!

"I love you Marley!"

Nothing like sleeping on Papa...Marley used to sleep on Papa the same way-spread eagle!

This morning I walked out to this beautiful site. What a wonderful Nana.

Here are two short videos. One is right before we left the hospital and the other is of Marley and Irie right after we got home from the hospital.

The Love Fest Continues..

2010-06-26T10:13:00.002-06:00

We get to go home today!! Can't wait to show Irie our home and allow her to meet Emmy! Who says you can't take self photo's with a newborn? :)

Holding Irie all y herself! Marley is such a proud big sister!

LOTS of kisses..

Meet Irie!

2010-06-25T11:01:00.003-06:00

Irie Kinililani Sokia was born yesterday morning at 7:31 weighing 8 lbs. 8 oz. and is 21 inches long! As I am sure you all know, she was 2 days late but of course she was worth the wait. :) The labor and delivery was fast-nothing like it was with Marley. I started feeling contractions around 1 am and by the time we made it to the hospital (50 minutes away from our house) I was already dilated to a 5! To makes things better I only had to push a total of 5 times to get her out! She is absolutely beautiful and it seems she will have blonde hair! She looks a lot like Marley did when she was born so we are excited to see what her skin color and eye color will be. We were so blessed to have Carl's mom, Kathy, surprise us the night before so we had her at the house taking care of Marley.
Right after Irie was born-the proudest Mommy in the world!

I couldn't believe she was bigger than Marley! I guess we just make big babies!

First bath!

Proud Daddy..

It was SO incredible watching Marley meet her sister. She was so excited and nervous about being soft with her. She keep telling Irie how "amazing" she is and how happy she is that she is now out of Mommy's tummy.

Marley kept grabbing a stool so she could watch Irie sleep.

Look at the blonde hair!

We are still in the hospital but will be released tomorrow morning. My Dad and Mom are here now and we feel so blessed to have them here! How lucky are we that Kathy and my parents drove all this way to be here? SO LUCKY! More pictures to come very, very soon!

Nothing is Working...

2010-06-22T12:31:00.004-06:00

That's right..no baby yet! I have been patient but am now losing that patience! Today is my due date! I am so excited to meet our precious little girl and welcome her into our family. That being said, I am quite done being pregnant. I have tried everything to induce labor this past week and nothing has worked. I have been walking EVERYWHERE, taking Marley to the wave pool, the lake, and have even continued bike riding. Yep, if those things haven't worked nothing will! I guess I will just have to wait until she is ready. :)
Marley loves the lake and playing in the sand. She would be entertained all day there if I allowed her to be!

This was a "castle" Marley built.

This is at Whittle the Wood. I didn't take many pictures this year but what a fun event! See last years post for a better description HERE.

It is always incredible to see how someone can turn a tree stump into a beautiful piece of art, all with a chain saw!

Wish me luck!

Why Marley Is The Brightest 2 Year Old I Know...

2010-06-18T22:24:00.004-06:00

This picture explains why I think Marley is the brightest little girl in the world. Tonight, after I got home from the Fire Station, I walked by Marley's room and saw Jenn reading her a story. Now for those that don't know our family, this has been a common occurance as far back as I can remember. Once Marley was born, it seemed like Jenn was always reading to her and telling her stories.

Why is this important enough to write about at 10:30pm on a Friday night do you ask? Because every morning I wake up early and drive an hour to Steamboat Springs to got to work. After work, I usually have either training/meeting or calls at the fire station, Lion's Club meetings, Church meetings & responsibilities, Board meetings for the 3 community boards that I sit on, and most recently I have added EMT classes 2-3 times a week for the next few months. But, as I am trying to accomplish all these things in this crazy world I have created for myself - I am missing out on all the days activites at the most important place in my life... MY HOME.

I think back on the night that Jenn & I ran into each other and decided to meet up for dinner to catch up on what has been going on in our lives. Never would I have guessed that she would end up being the uber-incredible mother and wife that she has turned out to be. Don't take that comment the wrong way - I knew she would be great or I wouldn't have asked her to marry me! But Jenn is such an amazing mother & wife that I look at my life all the time and am so grateful she is such a fantastic and strong person. Everything that our family has is a direct result of the mother and wife that Jenn is. I know that and am so happy that she is amazing enough to do all that she does - and then on top of that, put up with me. :)

Right now we are about 3 days away from bringing another little girl into the world. I have always wanted a big family of my own, but now I want a big family for another reason. I used to want lots of kids for the sense of love & unity that families provide for each other, but now I have also added to those reasons that because of Jenn's motherly ways - I know that Marley, Irie and the rest of the children in our family future are going to make a big difference in this world. I look into my daughter's eyes and realize that she is going to be so much more to this world than I could ever be - and it makes me so proud to say that I am her father. But, I can't really take much credit for her - because she is definitely a product of mommy. :) I come home from work and they have done arts & crafts, gone to the park, gone swimming, read lots of books, and the list goes on and on... those 2 are best friends and do everything together. I am so grateful that Jenn is so motivated to make Marley's life so interesting and fun. Because we live in such a small city, there aren't alot of things to do like if we were living in a large city like the "Jungle Jim's Playland" and those sort of places. But Jenn makes sure that they live every day to the fullest and also makes sure that she is continually teaching Marley about everything she can. I don't have the patience or the creativity to do the things she does and even if I did, I wouldn't be half the person Jenn is.

Sorry for babbling, but I am always too busy to jump on and write anything on our blog and so I usually leave it to Jenn to update the world of the Sokia's life in Colorado. But, seeing that Father's Day is coming up, I wanted my wife to know that she is the person who makes me the father that I am. Without her, I wouldn't have all that I have.

Jenn, thank you for marrying me. This Father's Day - I will be celebrating you and your greatness. I am the luckiest man in the world. :)

And Marley - not only are you beautiful, daddy also loves the way you look at me and smile. You melt my heart. I am the proudest daddy ever.

I love you Mommy & Midgey. And can't wait for Irie to join the "Best Friend's Club" that has been established in our home.

Daddy

Weddings, Fun, and Poor Marley..

2010-06-11T23:23:00.005-06:00

These past couple weeks have been crazy! You would think that being 11 days away from my due date we would be relaxing but not the us! We traveled to Salt Lake a couple weeks ago for two very important weddings- Talei (Carl's cousin) and Meggers (my best friend). Unfortunately they both fell on the EXACT same day.
It worked out though because we were able to attend the temple ceremony for Talei. She was such a beautiful bride...

Marley was so excited to see her cousins!! Aren't they the cutest?

Next we were off to Megg and Bobby's wedding at The Point. I was the Matron of Honor, Marley was a flower girl, and Carl was the D.J. It was such an amazing wedding and we feel so honored that we were able to be a part of it. I didn't get many pictures since I was so busy being a part of the day so i will have to share more later.

All of the flower girls were the biggest dancers of all the guests. It was so cute watching Marley with all of her new friends.

True Polynesian..can never keep her shoes on!!

This is one of the few pictures I got of the happy couple.

Another exciting event that happened in Salt Lake was that Carl got to ride in a stunt plane! Random, I know. He won the ride through a facebook contest Maverick was having.

It was so neat to watch him up in the air doing crazy stunts!!! He had an amazing time. Talk about something not many people can say they have done!

When we got back from Salt Lake, poor Marley had to have some x-rays done. She got a urinary tract infection (a couple days before we left for Salt Lake) that caused concern for her doctors.

First she had an ultrasound of her kidneys and bladder. She was so brave and stayed so still and didn't make a sound.

Next she had to have a more invasive x-ray that was a little painful for her. Again, Marley was so brave and was a champ.

Because I am pregnant, I wasn't able to be in the x-ray room with her. Luckily Daddy was there to fill in for me!

The good news is all the concerns that we had were put to rest. Marley is okay and has no problems with her kidneys, etc.! Thank goodness! The following weekend we had some friends in town, Tim and Tineka Shoemaker. What a wonderful visit it was and we are so grateful they were able to come spend some time with us!

And for the final "poor Marley" piece...We joined Carl on another business trip to Vail, CO. We had a lot of fun spending time at the pool and walking around such a beautiful place until Marley got hurt. We were playing around on the bed in the hotel room when Marley fell to the floor screaming in pain. We took her to the ER to find out that the bone from her elbow to her wrist had popped out of place. The doctor popped it back into place and within one minute the pain was gone and she was telling us, "It doesn't hurt anymore!" What a relief. We were so happy to hear she didn't need a cast! We are so lucky to have such a brave little girl.

We are SO excited to meet our new little girl scheduled to come in now 10 days! Marley is very excited as well and has been preparing to have a new baby around. She has really loved taking care of her babies and talks about how excited she is to take care of her new sister. I thought the above picture was so cute..she is taking care of two babies putting them to sleep.

Motherhood

2010-05-09T20:53:00.004-06:00

Today I haven't stopped thinking about how lucky I am to be a mother. There is nothing that makes me happier in this life than being a part of my little (growing very soon!) family. Being a mother is the best job in the world and I am so lucky that I get to concentrate all of my time to this job. Society today makes women believe being a full time mother is somehow lesser, but I am here to tell you it makes me better. I love that I get to watch Marley grow and become who she is. I feel so amazingly blessed and lucky to be a mother. It is wonderful because I feel so confident being a mother. I know it is said a lot, but I honestly believe that I am meant to be a mother. Everyday I remind myself how amazing it is that I have been able to have children and fulfill this amazing journey. I can't wait to see what is in store for me with our new addition and hopefully more! Thank you Marley for giving me the greatest gift. I love you.

2 Week Vacation

2010-05-05T22:31:00.007-06:00

What a wonderful 2 weeks Marley and I were able to have..It began with Marley and I being apart for the FIRST time ever in her life. I went to Las Vegas with Megg for her bachelorette party while Marley went to St. George with Papa and Nana. Luckily Marley didn't miss me too much because she was having so much fun with Papa and Nana! She was spoiled (as usual) and was able to do a lot of fun things. Unfortunately, I forgot to get the pictures from my Mom's camera! She went hiking through the Narrows (yes, she went up the entire thing!), went swimming, played in the fountains, and went shopping (among other things)! I am so thankful that I could leave her without worrying too much. :)

Las Vegas was a lot of fun and turned out to be perfect weather. While everyone at home was getting snow, we were in perfect 70 degree weather. Above is a picture from the first night on top of the Stratosphere where the girls rode all the rides. I have to admit, I was quite jealous and wish I could have gone with them.

We felt we had to get a picture in front of this sign. We were so lucky to have a very interesting Elvis take the picture for us.

Though most of the trip was spent shopping and eating, we did go out one night to the night club Tryst. For some reason I thought there was no smoking in clubs in Vegas, but quickly found out I was wrong! I spent a good minute or two in there.

Megg looked quite festive in her bachelorette attire--wish I had a picture with all of us with our boas! We HAD to visit Serendipity while we were there to have a delicious frozen hot chocolate! Yummy. The trip turned out to be quite relaxing and so much fun! Not to mention, the company was amazing.

When the bachelorette weekend was over I met up with Marley and my parents in St. George. We spent a lovely day there watching a Jazz game and enjoying the beautiful weather. We spent the rest of our time in Salt Lake City and did A LOT of things. I think Marley is bored being home because we did so much while we were there. The first day we spent at the zoo and thank goodness we did because that was the only day that had decent weather! Marley LOVES animals so she always asks to go to the zoo when we are in SL.

Here she is taking a break for a hot dog. Those that know Marley well, know that she loves hot dogs! We were lucky enough to have my brother, "Uncle Bubbers" come with us.

It is always fun to see what animal Marley will choose to ride--her first choice was the elephant, but of course that was taken already (elephants are her favorite animal at the moment).

The cutest girl in the whole world!

Riding the train with Uncle Bubbers! It was a wonderful day at the z00. Thank you Eric for joining us!

The following day we went to the Children's Museum. It has been about 6 months since we visited this particular children's museum and it was fun to see how different she played. She especially loved the building center. One of Marley's favorite characters right now is Bob the Builder so she had a ball pretending to be like him. She is such a tom boy!

She was also so thrilled to find out that Papa is a builder also. :)

She loved playing with the balls!

She spent a good 25 minutes building this masterpiece!

Marley loved this helicopter until she pushed the button that "started" it. She didn't quite like the noise that these produce.

She LOVED the grocery shopping this time. She thought it was so cool to shop like Mommy and even ring up her own groceries. She even pretended that there was a scanner on top of the register and scanned everything from her cart.

While we were in Salt Lake, Carl and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary! He surprised me the night before by coming to Salt Lake so we could spend the day together. It was such a nice surprise!!! So the next day we visited the Aquarium in Sandy and we were so happy Daddy could join us. This trip was special because we were able to spend a lot of time with Grandma Kathy too (Carl's Mom). She treated us to this fun adventure. Marley LOVED to pet the sting ray's!

Of course she loved the penguins too.

She was so excited to see the fish that looked just like Nemo.

Another adventure was visiting the bounce house playground with Kathy. When we first arrived I was a little worried that Marley wouldn't like it because there was a lot of kids there and most were much older than her. But in true Marley fashion, she fit right in. She didn't let her age get in the way. Her favorite bounce house was huge with a very steep slide and she spent a good hour going up and down without a break!

It was probably quite a sight to see me climbing up with her-pregnant belly and all!

I am so glad we were able to take this time before the new baby comes! I feel so blessed to be able to visit "home" so often. Thank you Dad and Mom for watching Marley while I was in Vegas! And thank you all that we were able to spend time with. We love you!

Children's Festival

2010-04-18T19:04:00.003-06:00

Last weekend was the Craig annual Children's Festival at our beloved mall. There were a lot of fun things to do! Marley's favorites were the crafts. She made a "magic wand," a crown, and an animal frame. She also loved getting her face painted! This year they gave out free helmets and books!
Making the magic wand...

and complete!

Showing off her crown and painted face.

Gymnastics

2010-04-13T18:45:00.004-06:00

During these cold winter months, Marley has been taking a gymnastics class! The "class" consists of the kids playing on all the equipment for one hour. It isn't until preschool age that there is actually instruction. Either way, Marley loves it! I was so thankful to find this class in our little city. I wouldn't know about anything if it weren't for other people around town. I have learned that word of mouth is the only way to find things around here!
She loves to hang on the bars all by herself.

Jumping on the long trampoline.

Doing her best to balance on the balance beam.

She loves to put these together and jump from one to the next.

She can be quite creative and make up her own games. She happen to notice some hula hoops in the corner and put them out for a jumping game.

Another creative game of Marley's- the "garden game." I still have no idea what the rules are to this game. :)

Daddy's Little Firefighter

2010-04-07T21:03:00.002-06:00

It is so adorable to listen to Marley talk about Daddy's fire station. She is SO proud of him.

Easter Traditions

2010-04-06T15:13:00.009-06:00

I am a person who LOVES tradition. Something I was sure of when I became a mother was that I wanted to make a lot of family traditions. Easter was no exception. I haven't come up with any original traditions for this holiday yet so we settled for the usual one's of receiving an Easter basket, having an egg hunt, and coloring eggs.

Marley met the Easter Bunny the day prior (see post below) and was excited to meet him but decided that once was enough. Before we allowed her into the living room (where all the eggs were hidden) she made sure that the Easter Bunny was gone. We had to reassure her that he came in the middle of the night to hide her eggs and leave her basket.

I was a little disappointed that we weren't able to have the egg hunt outside but we got tons of snow that made it impossible!

At the start of the egg hunt Marley opened every egg she found to eat the treat inside. This year I filled the eggs with mini oreo's, animal cookies, fruit snacks, and Easter shaped gummies.

This is the first year we were able to hide some eggs. We knew that she would actually find them! It was fun to watch her look and find.

I thought I fooled her hiding some in Daddy's shoe!

A bucket full of eggs!

Digging in once again!

After the exciting hunt we enjoyed a breakfast of bunny shaped french toast!

The egg coloring was extra fun this year because Marley was actually big enough to do it all by herself! I filled the cups and let her do whatever her little heart desired. She made sure to dip each egg more than several times.

It was fun to see how proud she was of herself.

An artist at work!

Marley decorated her eggs with many different stickers-some being funny faces!

Part of the fun is getting messy, of course! She actually still has green hands. It has been a little difficult to get that color off!

The finished eggs! I think she did an amazing job doing them all on her own!

Below are some videos from Easter morning. Note: Some are quite long. :) We don't have a video editor yet.

Easter Bunny

2010-04-03T16:13:00.003-06:00

What a difference a year makes! Last year Marley was terrified of the Easter Bunny. Below is a picture of Marley reacting...
And this year she loved him! We visited the Easter Bunny at the mall here in Craig (hence nothing going on in the background). He was very "friendly" as Marley said. :)

Of course Marley was thrilled to get treats from him!

Kaydyn is still very terrified. She wasn't so lucky!

We are hoping the several inches of snow will melt in the next few days so we can still have an outdoor Easter egg hunt. If not, well then the house will just have to do!

March

2010-04-02T10:48:00.006-06:00

I know I haven't been consistent on the updates, but I will work on it! The month of March was a fun one for us filled with a lot of great things. First, we got to experience going to stake conference in Rifle, Colorado which is about 90 miles away. It is crazy to think how large our stake is- it spans several hundreds of miles. It made us appreciate what it was like living in Salt Lake since a stake there is maybe a mile. Rifle is a small town. We got to spend the night at the local Laquinta Inn (yes, it is hard to go from the AMAZING hotels of Starwood to that :)) which Marley loved because she got to go swimming in the indoor pool. We are so thankful we were able to attend because, as always, the messages were so powerful.
An exciting piece for me- I have been able to participate in a local caucus! A friend of ours (he is the second counselor in our bishopric) is running for county commissioner. Colorado is one of five states left that require a lot of work to even get your name on the ballot. I made phone calls campaigning and attended my first local caucus. At the caucus (which I was surprised at how many people were there!) the main item of business is voting for and electing delegates. In our specific precinct there are 4 delegates. Well to my surprise, I was elected an alternate delegate! I was shocked I got enough votes. I think it was because Carl and I were the ONLY people under the age of 45 so they all thought it might be good to have some young blood in there. :) The next step is the county assembly on April 10th. The delegates will vote for all positions-hopefully someone will drop out so I can be a part of it! Each candidate has to receive 30% of the delegate votes to have their name on the ballot. Then the campaigning will come for the election in November! So exciting. This week will be fun for me because I am attending many luncheons that each candidate is sponsoring so I can learn what their platforms are and get some free lunch! Politics are so fun.
We also made 2 trips to Salt Lake. One was for an unfortunate reason, the funeral of sweet baby Hughie VanWagenen, and the other for a Grizzlies game. Although Hughie's funeral was very sad, it was also very amazing. The spirit was so strong. His parents, Hugh and Meg, showed so much strength, love, and faith that left me feeling so inspired. They are such wonderful people and we were glad that we could be there to support them and feel of their amazing love for Hughie. During this short trip we took a couple hours to visit the Hogle Zoo. Marley LOVES animals so is always talking about the zoo.
Luckily the weather held up enough for us to see all the animals and do all the things we wanted to. Grandma Sokia joined us which made Marley so happy.

Marley's favorite animal is the elephant.

Any animal she could love, Marley would-pretend or real. :)

And the train!

The train driver let Marley be the driver!

It is tradition to take a picture in front of the zoo sign.
Our second Salt Lake trip was to attend a Grizzlies hockey game. I was fortunate to win a suite to this game during a teamgive event so we couldn't pass it up. We had so much fun and were so glad we got to spend some time with family and friends.

Marley had a BLAST. She watched the whole game. It helped when Daddy would hold her up in the air!

We always say, Marley loves her sleep. So much so that she could fall asleep in the air.

Marley loves Uncle Nate. I love this picture because it captures the pure love she has for him!

I love my Meggers!

Papa and Nana are the best!

Family fun!

March was a great month but we are sure excited for spring to be here along with the warmer weather (I type this while snow is on the ground)!

Marley Does Yoga

2010-02-21T21:13:00.004-07:00

Carl is currently doing the P90X videos and Marley seems to think they are also for her. She likes to do each workout with her Daddy. This is a short clip of Yoga. She even grabbed her own towel so she could have a "yoga mat." What fun things I get to watch each night!

"Silly" Holidays

2010-02-16T13:59:00.003-07:00

I know that a lot of people think Valentines Day is a silly holiday. Though I partially agree, I also love to take advantage of it. While I heard and read many people complain about the holiday, I found myself asking myself, do they also dislike Mother's Day, birthday's, etc? Probably not like they do with Valentines. I myself love all holidays because it gives just another excuse to celebrate something. Sure, we should celebrate each other everyday but do we? Not like we would like. So the Sokia family enjoyed our Valentines Day and celebrated our love for each other. It was special to me and I am thankful I have so many people to love.
Carl took Marley on a date to the fire station for their time and did she have a blast! Marley is lucky and gets to go to the fire station often, but she is always excited. Here she is inside playing on the fire truck that is her size.

And here she is driving the real fire truck!

And calling the shots! She is so proud of her Daddy and loves to spend time with him.

Marley's favorite part of this trip was that she got to climb the ladder to the top of the truck! Look at the top right of the picture and you will see Marley waving from the top!

Couldn't this just be a poster for something? So cute with her fire hat!

I had several delightful surprises waiting for me this day. The first was Marley running in the house excitedly saying, "I have a surprise for you, Mommy! Happy Valentines day! Look what I picked for you!" I wish so badly I knew she was coming because I would have LOVED to film that moment. She was so proud of what she had done and the excitement she had was wonderful. She picked some pink roses for me (Carl said she was very insistent on getting me pink flowers), a balloon (of course-she loves balloons!), and some Toy Story chocolate (one of her favorite movies).

My second surprise was a singing telegram that came with the most delicious chocolate brownie! It was so cute and fun to receive a surprise at the door.

Of course Marley had to have the first bite. :) Also that night Carl and I got to go out alone. Living in a small town made this much easier since we didn't have to worry about over crowded restaurants, etc. We always welcome an excuse for a date night. It was wonderful.

Not shown is the adorable Valentine that Marley made for Carl. She was just so proud.

Overall, I am happy we have these holidays. I like any excuse to celebrate the people I love whether through Valentines Day or Father's Day. It is even more fun and special when you have children.!

January Travels

2010-02-10T22:39:00.007-07:00

I must start this post by saying that I have a blessed life to say the least. I know it isn't normal to have a lot of the experiences I do, and I am so thankful for them. What a wonderful husband I have who allows me to experience some of them without him while he works so hard to provide for Marley and I.
The month started with too much snow and far too cold weather. I swear everyday was in the negative, even in the middle of the day. Winters are hard where we are because it is too cold to even spend time outside! We did find a couple days warm enough to take the girls sledding. They

loved it! Both Marley and Kaydyn were soldiers and wanted to ride alone. No adult needed! I was a little nervous about it at first but had to allow them to spread their wings! So fun. We went from the freezing cold to.........HAWAII! What an amazing feeling it was to go from one extreme to the other.

Marley is so easy to travel with. She waited patiently for each airplane (3 legs) holding her own ticket. She didn't complain once and just loved the fact that she had her own t.v. to watch "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," and "Up."

We stayed in Waikiki right on the beach. We spent A LOT of time at the beach. Marley was a fish and rarely got out of the water. I had to carry her out each day because she was never ready to go. She was also so brave and would swim right into the waves and wanted to take care of herself!

Of course there was time for sandcastles. It was fun watching the girls have so much fun in the sand as I pondered back to when I was little and the wonderful time I had doing the same thing!

Marley enjoyed floating with her hippo also. This is how she got out where she couldn't touch. She used her little legs to kick her way out as far as we would let her!

How beautiful Marley is! She fit right in with her dark skin. Seriously, how is it possible to get so tan with SPF 50 on all day?

On a trip with Nana and Papa we also get desert!

Marley loved the water so much that we had to visit it at night.

Marley and Kaydyn were both spoiled and got to ride mostly on Papa and Nana's shoulders. The hat Marley is wearing is Nana's; she insisted on wearing it while on either of their shoulders.

While in the strollers, you could always find Marley and Kaydyn holding hands. They are the best of friends!

I made this lei just for Marley! The hotel we stayed at had daily activities and this was one of them!

We spent 6 days in Hawaii and flew back to Salt Lake City to meet up with Carl. He was working at the new St. Regis in Deer Valley. What an amazing hotel. It is always so fun to join Carl on his business trips because we get to stay in 5 diamond hotels. This was fun because it happened to be during the Sundance Film Festival so there was TONS of celebrities staying at the hotel. Marley and I got to meet up with some friends and spend time in the beautiful city of Park City.

Above is a picture of Marley riding the funicular. The hotel is so nice that you have to ride a tram like thing to get to the hotel! The hotel sits on top of a mountain which gives it its privacy. Marley thought it was wonderful that she got to ride this each time. She even surprised everyone riding when she would say things like, "look Mom, there is the funicular. It doesn't fly like a plane it is on tracks like a train." Yes, Marley can say words like funicular perfectly clear.

This is a video of Marley on the Waikiki strip dancing to the Jamaican drums (I can't remember what they are called?). She thought it was the most beautiful music. She danced until I wouldn't let her dance anymore.

Thank you Mom and Dad for an amazing vacation in Hawaii!! We had SO much fun! And to Carl for another wonderful getaway.

Sokia Baby Making Factory

2010-02-02T14:42:00.003-07:00

We now know that baby #2 is a GIRL! We are really excited that Marley will have a playmate, not to mention that we won't have to buy much to prepare for this little one. :) Everyone seemed to know that this little one was a girl; I changed my stance the night before the ultrasound. I thought the mother was supposed to know? ha ha Not me!
We found out this girl loves to suck on her thumb and fingers. The entire ultrasound she had her hands in her mouth and even opened her mouth many times. It was awesome to see!

If you can't tell, this is a leg and foot!

2D shot of the head, neck, and shoulders!

Another shot of the face with her hand next to it. It was fun to have a 3D for the 20 week ultrasound (in Salt Lake they only did 2D)!

Straight on face shot! We are so excited to bring this little girl into our family. Now that we know the sex, we will begin the name search- although I think we already know what we want. :) We are half way there!

Old But Exciting News!!!

2010-01-17T16:48:00.002-07:00

Almost 3 weeks ago Marley was potty trained! I had been dreading this task but decided to tackle it. I was AMAZED how quickly Marley learned. I am the type of person who likes to have a clear technique with these kinds of things, so I decided to buy an ebook (a book you buy off the internet that is emailed to you) from a so called professional. Let me tell you- it was worth every penny! Marley was potty trained in 6 HOURS! Including nap and nighttime! Yes, you read that correctly. I am so proud of her! What an angel she is.
Along with potty training came the conversion of her crib to a toddler bed. She loves her "big girl bed" and surprisingly never gets out of it when she isn't supposed to. But then again, if you know Marley, you know she LOVES her sleep.

Marley wearing her big girl panties so proudly.

Her beloved potty. It came with a nice cushy piece but Marley opted to take it off!

Naturally with the bed switch, I was worried about Marley falling out of her bed. I was searching the internet for solutions and found a great one! I am not a big fan of the bed rail as it can be an eye sore and isn't easily removable. I found these easy foam pads that were cheap, cheap ($6.50)! I am so happy with them! It fits nicely under her fitted sheet (to keep it in place) and can be removed in seconds!

It comes in many different sizes for different size beds! Thank you Ebay!

What I Try to Learn From Tragedy

2010-01-16T23:08:00.003-07:00

As I was watching Nightline last night I couldn't help but allow tears to fall down my face. The report was on the earthquake in Haiti and I had to force myself to watch. What a difficult thing it was to watch such a tragedy. My first reaction was to change the channel because what they were showing was so appalling, but I forced myself to watch. The first video I saw was a "morgue" of thousands of bodies just piled on the ground and a dump truck picking them up by the hundreds to fill dumpsters. They described that because there was no power there was no time to identify most bodies and they needed to be disposed of. This is terrible, but I imagined being there with someone I love missing and the possibility of that person in one of those piles VERY likely. What a sad, sad thought. For me it was just a thought, for hundreds of thousands it was a fact. The second scene was the "hospital" which was outside, with no shelter on the ground (the actual hospital was destroyed in the quake). There were so many people about to die without doctors to treat them and no medicine to ease their pain. The even harder part (if that is possible) was the sight of all the many, many children injured. What was strange about the hospital scene was that I didn't hear any cries, not even from the children. They weren't complaining about their pain- there was a woman they asked what she wanted to say and she responded by saying, "it could be worse." I thought, it could be worse? How could someone see positive in such a tragic situation.

There isn't much I can do here for these people except pray and donate a little money. BUT I can learn from this and make my life a little better. I found myself finding new ways to appreciate life and not worry about the little stuff. Someone else always has it worse than me. I think it is important for us to force ourselves to see the harsh realities of life to force us to appreciate what we have. I couldn't sleep last night because I found myself sneaking into Marley's room just to stare at her because she is so precious. Why can't we feel this way everyday, every second? I think one way is to allow ourselves to feel others pain whether it be a friend going through something, yourself going through something, or through a massive natural disaster as this earthquake in Haiti.

I am choosing to face this terrible, unbearable disaster as much as I can comprehend to learn something about myself.

Boy

2010-01-06T20:30:00.001-07:00

This movie is going to be at Sundance this year. I can't wait to watch it!

Too Cute Not To Share

2010-01-03T20:41:00.004-07:00

These video's are from Christmas Eve at my Grandma's house. We have a tradition that all the kids have a chance to perform something and Marley and Kaydyn took their opportunities. The first video is Kaydyn dancing. Her favorite is the robot dance so look for that. The second video is Marley singing, "Santa Claus is coming to town."

*Thank you Cousin Curtis for filming these and to Uncle John for sending them!

December

2010-01-02T14:44:00.007-07:00

This month has gone by so quickly that I can't even believe it! We have had so much fun putting up Christmas decorations, traveling to Salt Lake to be with family, and of course opening presents! It was a lot of fun this year to see Marley open gifts because she understood more than she did last year. Her favorite gift was probably her karaoke machine because she LOVES to sing. You would all be simply amazed by all the songs she knows.
Another exciting piece of news that happened in December is Carl graduating from the fire department and receiving his badge! He is no longer a probationary firefighter, but is now firefighter Sokia. He has been training all year long and has put in so much time and energy. We are proud of him and admire his need to help our community. For those that are confused as to how he can work for the fire department while having a full time job, it's the beauty of living in a small town. The fire department here is on call therefore ALL firefighters are part-time. It works perfectly because Carl responds to the calls he can while he isn't working.
Here is Marley and Kaydyn loving Emmy before the Christmas decorations went up. If you have children and don't have a dog, might I suggest a Golden Retriever?

Both girls wanted to be as tall as the star.

Each time Marley properly placed an ornament on the tree she would jump for joy. This is my best attempt at getting her face. *See video below for her reaction.

They were so proud of each other for their work!

Notice the bottom of the tree where the girls could reach. It was far too adorable to move them around so they tree stayed just like this all month!

Christmas Eve with Carl's family.

Marley kisses Grandpa John.

Carl and Marley love to make this face at each other and laugh.

One happy family!

Christmas Day with my family. Again, Marley and Kaydyn loving each other.

The cute couple- My brother Eric and Jinju.

Daddy and Mommy.

Marley singing with her karaoke machine. You can't tell here but she hasn't quite mastered not eating the mic yet.

A New Attitude

2009-11-12T23:29:00.005-07:00

Snow Angels!!

Getting a little cold.

Emmy loves the snow just as much as the girls!

For the first time in weeks I feel like I can see again. I have been completely overwhelmed by "morning sickness" and have been so sick that haven't really left the house. I finally caved and contacted my doctor for some meds. To my surprise they worked like magic. Now that I can be more like myself, I got to thinking about the person I was for those two weeks. I allowed my sickness to take over. Now I know it is a little difficult not to let it when I was vomiting all the time and any movement was making it worse, but none the less I let it take over. I was so sad that I couldn't be the mother I wanted to be for Marley. BUT I have a new attitude! Thank goodness. Funny enough, the snow is what jump started my new attitude. Most people have been complaining about the snow, but it has made me so happy! It is such a beautiful sight when I look down my street and see mature trees with snow perfectly placed on each branch. I also believe there is no better air than that after a fresh snow storm! Yummy! Above are some pictures from the park today of the girls (including Emmy) playing in the snow! Tomorrow is sledding!

New Beginnings

2009-11-07T17:34:00.011-07:00

We have had several changes these past couple weeks including Dave and Kaydyn (my brother and niece) who have come to live with us from Salt Lake. It has been a lot of fun for Marley to have a playmate around but a little more work with two kiddo's in the house. Is is nice to have family in town with us. :) Also for those that don't know, I am pregnant! Carl and I are so excited and can't wait until June when the new baby arrives. Unfortunately I have been really sick but I am hopeful it won't last too long. Good thing Dave is here to help me while Carl is at work! Here are some pictures from Halloween and a day at the park!

Marley was so excited to be an elephant but here she looks like a grumpy elephant!
Kaydyn wore Marley's monkey costume from last year.

Walking downtown to trick-or-treat at the businesses. We were lucky enough to have Papa and Nana here for the weekend!

Davey and Kaydyn.

Emmy found herself a friend!

Climbing!

Uncle Davey is so much fun!

September/October

2009-10-26T19:23:00.006-06:00

I have obviously been terrible on the updates lately and I am sorry! We have just been having so much fun! A LOT has been going on and more updates are to come. An exciting bit of news for me has been that I have been called to the Primary presidency. What an amazing calling! I am having so much fun. We are currently preparing for our yearly primary program that I am sure will be wonderful! Here are some pictures from September and October--

Marley and I like to visit Carl at work for lunch. Marley wanted to be Daddy for the day- notice her name tag!

Marley loved coloring on the sidewalk all summer.

Marley and I were so lucky to join my parents in Sun Valley Idaho for Labor Day weekend. It has been a tradition in my family for over 10 years now to go there. It is such a beautiful place.

Marley playing in the river. She is adventurous just like G Mama.

Nana giving Marley rides! Yes, it is suppose to be for the luggage.

Relaxing at the car show with Papa.

We love to jump on the beds in hotels!!

Marley waiting for the ice show to begin...she was just several hours too early! The ice shows at The Lodge are amazing. They always include gold medal Olympians.

Feeding the swans and ducks.

Marley helping sell the cars.

Boat ride.

And of course swimming with Papa!

After we were in Sun Valley we were able to spend some time in Salt Lake City.

Marley at Jungle Jim's. We went there twice in the week we were there because Marley loved it so much. She won lots of tickets!

What a cool Papa riding the roller coater with Marley!

This month we joined Carl on one of his business trips to Denver. Marley LOVES hotels so it is always so fun for us. Plus we get to stay in amazing hotels! We went to the Zoo and to the children's museum.

Marley's favorites, the elephants!

The merry-go-round

We always take a picture in front of the sign.

Marley's favorite part of the children's museum was the fire truck exhibit. She is SO proud of her Daddy being a firefighter. To be honest though, she gets to sit in the fire trucks a lot!

Painting one of many masterpieces.

They had a vet clinic. Marley loved pretending to help the animals.

Setting appointments.

We were creating our own train track.

Planting veggies in the garden.

Marley's other favorite part-the doll house! Here she is putting the dolls down for their naps.

She made everyone lunch!

Sorry so many pictures! I am so behind!

A MUST Read!

2009-09-30T20:38:00.003-06:00

For those that haven't read this book you must (I know I am a bit behind the times in just reading this). It is an amazing story about Afghanistan and the wars it has suffered. I learned so much about Afghan culture and the pain the woman, specifically suffered. It is a wonderfully written book that I think everyone should read!

P.S. I know I haven't posted pictures lately, but it is because I left my camera in Salt Lake! I will receive it soon. :)

President Obama's School Speech

2009-09-08T22:54:00.002-06:00

If you haven't yet, you must read or watch President Obama's school speech given yesterday morning. Though I don't agree with many of the ways he is leading our country, his speech is inspiring and appropriate. You can read it here.

Wild West Relay Part 2

2009-08-17T12:15:00.004-06:00

One of Carl's fellow running mates, Willis, sent Carl some pictures from the relay. Here are the few I decided to share!

The START of the race! Notice the Teamgive shirts. :) (Callahan's non profit organization)
The beginning of one of Carl's legs.

Run, Carl run!

The team taking a nap while in between legs. This is just like Carl- he can sleep ANYWHERE!

Another exchange point.

A different view from the finish line!

Who needs the ocean?

2009-08-14T23:01:00.005-06:00

Each time Marley has been to the ocean she has loved it. My way of making her feel like she is at the ocean? Taking her to the lake! She LOVES to get dirty and play in the cold water. She is going to be just like me- a tomboy!

Marley was so excited when she saw there were cows in the road! (On the way to the lake)
Shovel, shovel!

Dirty bum!

The other kids we were with gathered a butterfly which Marley was scared to hold. If you notice, it is on her head!!

She will touch but not hold!

Taking a snack break!

Teaching Dora how to swim.

She didn't want to get out! Her attempt of a protest.

Although Marley didn't want to hold the butterfly she wanted to be sure to show it some love. :)

While I was at the lake with Marley I had some time to think. I thought about how truly blessed I am. I feel SO lucky to be a full time Mom. I know there is nobody better to teach her and I wouldn't have it any other way. Marley brings me so much joy and teaches me so much. I am so lucky to have a husband to support me in this and one that will take on the entire responsibility of bringing in the dough. I still pinch myself sometimes when I realize I get to hang out at the pool, lake, etc. for my job. WOW. What did I do to deserve such a wonderful life?

Wild West Relay

2009-08-11T23:27:00.003-06:00

This past weekend, Carl completed the 200 mile Wild West Relay that was from Fort Collins to Steamboat Springs, CO! He was in a team with 11 others, each completing 3 legs. I still can't believe he did such a thing, but am so proud of him! What an accomplishment. During the relay Carl described it as pushing his limits and is glad he did it, but never wants to do such a thing again! In his words, "Checked it off of my bucket list!"

Marley and I are so proud of you, Carl. You continue to show us that we can do anything we set our minds to! We love you! (Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of Carl running the relay. Others took those pictures so we are waiting for them to be passed along!)

The van Carl was in. Their team had two.
One of the exchange points.

The finish line! Carl wanted Marley to finish the relay with him. She was SO excited to run with Daddy!

Marley was so excited to see her Daddy. It had been 2 days.

I was happy just to get the free stuff at the finish line...no need to actually run the relay!

The team. (Plus Marley!)

Daddy's Baseball Games

2009-08-10T18:19:00.003-06:00

In the summer, Carl plays softball with his fellow co-workers in a league. Marley and I really enjoy watching him!

Marley loves to help Daddy clean up.
Go Daddy!

Run, Daddy run!

Marley playing with her friends Annie and Lily. They think she is their very own life sized doll. ;)

The River

2009-08-10T17:20:00.004-06:00

A new thing we have started this summer has been going to the river to play. Marley is so outgoing and seriously doesn't even notice that the water is cold! Unfortunately, I switched something on the camera so the auto focus didn't work. Sorry for the poor quality!

Marley loves her friend Annie.
Marley discovered the goggles after all the swimming.

Marley playing "speed boats" with her friend William.

What a beach babe!

The friends we were with were awesome and brought a large tube for the kids to go down the river on! (And they tied it to a rock so they could only go so far! Perfect.)

Marley's 2nd Birthday Extravaganza

2009-08-08T23:45:00.009-06:00

What a birthday Marley had this year! Thank goodness Carl planned a weekend in Denver otherwise we wouldn't have done much. We were beginning to feel terrible that we hadn't had time (thanks to my surgery) to plan a big birthday party for Marley when Carl surprised us with this! We were in Denver for the weekend and spent most of our time at the Denver Zoo. Marley is obsessed with animals and seriously had the time of her life. It turned out to be amazing just celebrating her birthday just the three of us!

Marley thought it was cool to see how big the polar bears are!
She loved this.

She couldn't get enough of the snakes.

Mid-day nap. So much action!

Her favorite--the elephants!!

The great thing about it being her birthday was...she got everything she wanted! Hence the several rides on the carousel.

She had so much fun deciding which animal she was going to ride each time.

Choo-choo!

"Hi Daddy!"

We took this exact same picture over a year ago..

Marley enjoying her birthday cake!

No, I didn't make it myself. :) I actually ordered it on our drive home from Denver!

Before she blew out the candle..

And what Marley got for her birthday- yes she got her very own flat screen and DVD player! ha ha that is what you get when you let Daddy pick out the gift.

Here is the video of us singing happy birthday to Marley and her reaction!

Marley at Uncle Nate and Auntie Ashley's Wedding

2009-07-31T17:48:00.004-06:00

These pictures came from Creative Juice Photography. Amazing photography. For more pictures from Nate and Ashley's wedding visit the blog. :)

Visitors!!

2009-07-29T14:48:00.006-06:00

Bobby and Megg

Enjoying the wave pool
Lunch at the hotel (Sorry for the terrible quality picture!)
Fish Creek Falls- this was a self photo using the timer!
Marley just loves Bobby and Megg. Bobby is her boyfriend!

We have had a very busy past couple weeks..As mentioned in a previous post, we have had a lot of company and I have LOVED it! Unfortuately, I didn't get any pictures while Kathy, my Mom and Dad, and Eric and Jinju were here. Probably because I was still stuck at home (after the surgery). BUT by the time Bobby and Megg arrived, I was feeling much better. We were able to go to the pool and spent a day in Steamboat. Marley and I also took them to Fish Creek Falls, which was beautiful!! I just wish we could have done the actual hike. :) I am so happy they were able to come and am so grateful they came all this way just to see us! You two are the best. We love you guys. Here are a few pictures of the week.

For more pictures visit Megg and Bobby's blog here:

Marley's birthday post to come very soon!!

Last Salt Lake Visit

2009-07-19T20:14:00.015-06:00

About a month ago we were able to travel to Salt Lake as a family (usually it is just Marley and I). It was a special trip because Carl's sister, Ashley got married. While we were there, it happened to be my 26th birthday so it was nice to celebrate with family and friends.

Nate and Ashley's Wedding

During the week, I was lucky enough to co-host a family bridal shower for Ashley and Nate with Kerri-Ann. It was a success (except for the explosion of the chocolate fountain..something that won't be forgotten though) and we had an amazing time. Of course there was also a bachelorette party- It was a blast playing "Rock Band" and chatting with Ashley's friends.

We were thrilled to be in the Salt Lake Temple as Nate and Ashley were sealed for all time and eternity. It is always such a blessing to witness such an amazing event, and even more so when it is your family. We are so happy for them and are excited to have Nate in the family. The following day was the reception at Wheeler Farm. I was honored to be a bridesmaid and had a blast. Carl was the Deejay and had the whole crowd dancing-especially Marley! Marley looked so beautiful in the dress that Ashley chose and that Susan Wesley made. The reception was perfect and Ashley looked astonishing! We were so happy to be a part of it.

The Bride and the Groom at the Bridal Shower
Sokia family at the Salt Lake Temple
Marley in her "flower girl" dress. Doesn't she look adorable?
Mommy and Marley in the dresses that Susan made for us. She is talented!

Having fun at the reception!
Carl being the Deejay- and Zach being the Deejay's groupie. :)

Papa and Marley dancing.

My Birthday

I was so excited to be in Salt Lake for my birthday this year. The day started with breakfast at Village Inn with Bobby, Megg, Eric, Jinju, Carl, and I. We laughed the entire time. :) The rest of the day was spent at my parent's house eating good food and having great conversation with those I love. It was nice to have my entire family there including Dave and Kaydyn. My grandma was there and John, Craig, and Kini made as well. It was also nice to have Star and Taya stop by to see me. What a great day it was!

Marley and Kaydyn playing together. The suit Marley is wearing is the only extra my mom had- it was way too small for her. :)

Kaydyn is SO good with the camera. She loves to smile when you tell her to say, "cheese!"

So much love!

Four generations!

Kaydyn loves her uncle Carl.

Taya and Marley playing at the Lapoint swimming pool.

VIDEOS

Taya and Marley playing

Marley singing happy birthday to me!

John and Kathy tearing up the dance floor!

Marley dancing at the reception

Eric and Jinju are so sweet. We were on our way to the drive in theaters and they surprised me with this! Please excuse my annoying scream in the background- I was very surprised. I happened to turn the camera on to film the sunset. So fun! If you can't tell, they used cups in the fence on the overpass to say, "happy b-day Jen."

Marley and Mommy in the Local Paper

2009-07-19T00:17:00.004-06:00

While watching the fireworks on the 4th, I noticed a man taking pictures behind Marley and I (Carl was lighting the fireworks with his fellow firefighters so wasn't with us). The following day, my friend Cindy asked if we saw our picture in the paper. She then pulled out her paper and showed me this picture!

Now Carl isn't the only one in the family that has been in the "Craig Daily Press!"

Sadness

2009-07-16T16:28:00.003-06:00

For those that did not know, our family has had a difficult week. In just 6 days we went from being excited about adding another child to our family, to me having surgery and losing a baby. We have been trying to get pregnant again for about 9 months now so it was hard to lose this baby. Unfortunately, the baby was stationed in my right fallopian tube. This type of pregnancy cannot ever go full term because there is no where for the baby to grow. If the embryo grows to be larger than a jelly bean, the fallopian tube ruptures causing hemorrhaging. Because of this high risk and where we live, we decided to have laparoscopic surgery to remove the embryo from my tube. The doctor also had to perform a "d and c" because my body still recognized that I was pregnant and began growing a placenta. During my surgery, the doctor discovered the tubal pregnancy was caused by endometriosis (that I didn't know I had). It had caused scaring which ultimately lead to the egg getting stuck in my fallopian tube. Because of the way the embryo was stuck, it caused a lot of damage which required the removal of my fallopian tube. Needless to say, this has been an emotional time for Carl and I. It has been difficult to recover from surgery and deal with the loss of the baby and my fallopian tube. Luckily, the doctor says my remaining fallopian tube looks great and we should have no problem getting pregnant again. It is still still scary, though.

We have felt so loved during this time. Carl's mom, Kathy was here Sunday and left this morning. She not only took care of Marley and me, but she completed countless loads of laundry. I am so thankful her and can't express my gratitude properly. My Mom arrived yesterday and stays through Saturday night. My dad also comes tonight. Eric and Jinju come tomorrow night. How lucky we are to have such amazing family to travel to Craig to help us. It has not only been crucial they were/are here to take care of Marley (I can't lift Marley, let a lone walk), but it has lifted my spirits and made me feel so loved. Thank you. Also, we have an amazing ward that has brought dinners and stopped by for moral support. I have many bunches of beautiful flowers- thank you Jen Stephens, Lauren, and Sara. They have brightened my days! Of course great friends that have sent cards with such amazing words. (Megg, Star, and Kini) Again, we feel so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives.

Carl and I know that everything happens for a reason and know that this situation has taught us a lot, for a reason. We are so grateful for our faith and our relationship with our Heavenly Father to help us through tough times. We are grateful for this opportunity.

Marley Sings the ABC's

2009-07-09T09:37:00.005-06:00

This video was taken about 2 weeks ago. This shows how incredibly intelligent Marley is!!! She sings the ABC's and "I am a Child of God." I am a little behind on the updates but promise more in the next few days including Ashley's wedding and fireworks!!

Father's Day

2009-06-22T19:29:00.002-06:00

Father's Day this year was very quiet, but we liked it that way. Marley's new favorite thing is to have music time with Daddy- they dance and sing! Or sometimes they just listen and cuddle as you will see below.

The card Marley made for Carl

Marley chose to make a golf towel for Daddy with a picture of herself on it!

Marley cuddling with Daddy while listening to music

Hope all the fathers had a fantastic Father's Day!

Whittle the Wood

2009-06-20T22:29:00.006-06:00

Each year in our city of Craig there is an event called, "Whittle the Wood." It is a competition of wood carvings that are AMAZING. This is the first year we attended and we had no idea how big of a deal it is. Literally half of the entire city was there! There was a huge stage set up with numerous bands that played, restaurant stations selling yummy food, and a lot of amazing wood carvings to observe. We enjoy attending community events like this! Carl was gracious enough to volunteer his time to serve food with the Lions Club.

I think Marley had a little too much sugar..snow cone, cotton candy, and candy!
Carl serving some yummy food!

One of the carvings done this week..

and another!

A carver in the process!

Marley playing with her friend Dustin- sharing her sunglasses!

Marley loves taking "self photos" just as much as I do!

I can't wait for next year!

Right now Carl and I are listening to the police channel on his fire radio hearing the aftermath of the event. The police have set up a barricade to check for drunk drivers. I am happy to know that our police are taking care of us! Carl received a fire call about 30 minutes ago and on his way home was pulled over for a check. ha ha I love living in a small town!

McDonalds

2009-06-19T18:31:00.002-06:00

This is Marley's way of being creative in the McDonalds playland. After shooting many hoops, she decided she wanted to do something else with the balls..

Boy do I love her!

An Amazing Example

2009-06-18T16:10:00.002-06:00

Most of us focus on daily activities that include work or school, and for me that is taking care of Marley and the house. For Carl it involves much more. Not only does he have a very time consuming job and is working for the fire department, but he always makes time for service. Whether that is helping a friend move, cleaning up the highway, or serving food at a community event he always makes time for these things (Not to mention all of the time he puts into his calling at church and his teaching the temple preparation class). He is involved in every aspect of life. He simply amazes me. If you look at the hours he spends in the office and at the fire department, you would think he wouldn't have time for anything more. That is the wonderful thing about Carl- he MAKES time. He sacrifices sleep and "fun" time to serve others. I am so grateful for his example and the way he makes me want to be better. He strengthens me and continues to show me that it is always possible to fit more people into your life.

You are remarkable, Carl. I appreciate what you do because it makes you and I better. Thank you for being you! I love you!

Does it look like Emmy was having fun?

2009-06-16T15:08:00.003-06:00

When it rains Emmy tends to make it into the flower bed. Isn't she just too cute to be mad at though?

I thought I would add two pictures of Marley from this week...the first is Marley playing in the sandbox at a friends birthday party, and the second is what her face always looks like when she sees the swimming pool!

Rain, rain go away!!

2009-06-10T19:11:00.004-06:00

For the past two weeks it has been overcast and rainy, so we have been going to the library a lot and now it is Marley's favorite place! It makes me sad though when every morning Marley asks, "swimmin pool Mommy?" We did go one day (notice the dark sky) and she wanted an ice cream. I thought, why not? :) She had a blast but was shivering the whole time-when I asked if she was ready to go, she told me no! So we stayed for an hour! It is fun to swim in the rain. Shortly after, of course, they closed the pool for the thunder. Marley is such a trooper!

Marley enjoying Dr. Seuss by computer
She LOVES wearing the headphones!

She loves coloring...

and most especially the crazy mirror!

Reading a book in the comfy bean bag chairs.

Notice there is also nobody there?

5k run for MLD

2009-06-10T15:08:00.004-06:00

It was quite an adventure getting to Salt Lake for this event. We were planning on leaving our house at about 6 or 7 PM, which would get us into Salt Lake around 11 or 12. Well, that is not what happened. Our power went out about an hour before we were scheduled to leave, leaving us in the dark (It was a dark/gloomy and rainy day, hence the darkness so early in the evening). I also had most of Marley's clothes in the dryer at the time of the power outage. Luckily, the portable DVD player was charged so Marley watched Dora while I tried to pack in the dark. After much stress and figuring out how to open the garage without the "clicker," we were packed and ready to go. Of course that is when the power came back on. We waited another 20 minutes for Marley's clothes to dry and we were on our way...at about 9:30 PM. By the time we had many stops for the dog and to buy a Colorado lottery ticket (yes we won 10 bucks! Our lucky day), we didn't make it into Salt Lake until almost 3 AM. Carl was up by 5 to head to Bountiful to help. I didn't wake until about 6 but made it in plenty of time for the race to begin. Carl played DJ and my parents, Eric, his girlfriend Jinju and I ran!
We are so grateful we could be a part of the irace for MLD. For more information visit http://www.teamgive.org/. We are so proud of Callahan, Nikki, and Eliza and wouldn't have missed this event for anything!

Everyone registering
Start of the race

Eric and Jinju having fun, as always!

Finding new ways to walk

If you know Eric at all, you know he is always in the position to "find a place."

What a great family I have..

There is always time for play

I forgot to mention that I won a Grizzlies suite at the raffle! What a great surprise that was!

Our Hopes For Big Bucks..

2009-05-14T17:45:00.003-06:00

I missed the best part- she was turning the hymn book page as she played. Priceless moment.

A House Divided...

2009-04-14T01:16:00.004-06:00

We're back to that place in the Sokia household... that place where Mommy and Daddy don't agree and little Marley is split as to who to cheer for...

It's Los Angeles vs. Utah time baby! Tonight my Lakers will host the Utah Jazz, in what is probably going to be a preview of the 1st round of the Western Conference Playoffs for the Lakers. Last yeah was fun in our house, but this year all this winning is getting a little boring - so hopefully Utah can make the games sort of exciting!

I hope everyone tunes in tonight and watches the Lake Show do a little dance on Utah so they secure the 8th seed, and have to check into the Heartbreak Hotel (aka - the Staples Center) for another couple of games.

I'll just say it now - Lakers sweep through the playoffs and Kobe is MVP again. Who's going to stop us... the Cavs? Hahahaha.

30 by Thirty

2009-03-30T01:26:00.006-06:00

So, has anyone else been watching the new Travel Channel TV show, "Dhani Tackles The Globe"?? I must admit, I am addicted. Dhani Jones is my new hero. This guy is a super athlete - slash - intellectual - slash - world traveller. I think this show is so cool because Dhani gets to go around the globe learning how to play international sports while simultaneously exploring the culture of each location. It is very cool. In the first 2 episodes he has learned Muay Thai fighting in Thailand and learned Schwingen in Switzerland. On tomorrow's episode I think he picks up Rugby in England. Check it out on the Travel Channel - Monday Nights at 7pm MST.

Well, aside from Dhani's show, I have been motivated in many ways to get into shape. Now that summer is coming, I think it's time to shed some of this weight I have packed on and never given back. :) I have a lot of things I would like to accomplish which include my annual "Human Race" 10k, participating in the "iRace for MLD" 5k, the "Wild West Relay" which is a 200 mile team relay, and if I can I want to participate in my first Triathlon in St. George this fall. I know - lots to do you may say, but I am determined to succeed!!! I also want to be in good shape for the Fire Department, because it definitely takes it's toll on your body, and I want to be healthy and strong!

So, I have set a goal. I am shooting to lose 30 pounds by my 30th birthday (May 31st). So, starting tomorrow I will have 2 months to get rid of this excess baggage. I can usually lose like 10-15 lbs. in 2 weeks (I'm sure most of it is water weight), but after that I really have to bust my tail! So, we'll see what happens! To give you an idea, right now I weigh between 245-250. I would like to get down to a strong 215-220 and maintain it. So, if you see me, it's up to you to be my support team. :) We can do this together!!!

Then, once I'm at a much healthier weight, I am going to start rocking bow ties instead of neck ties. Don't ask me why, it's just another thing that I picked up from my man Dhani Jones! :)

LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN!!!

Salt Lake Visit

2009-03-25T16:31:00.006-06:00

These pictures are of two Salt Lake trips...I am a little behind on the updates! Anyway, we are so lucky to live so close to home that we are able to go often!

Marley and Kaydyn at Chuck-E-Cheese celebrating Kaydyn's birthday!
Don't I look good with TWO pretty girls in my arms?

Taking a cruise together.

This is actually in Marley's bedroom...She is giving her baby her medicine. Marley is still on the nebulizer twice a day but so graciously gives her baby some too!

Marley and I were able to go to the Children's Museum with Leslie, Kendra, and Tristan! We had so much fun!!

They had a lot of fun together!!

Giving us a show!

Marley's favorite part...the water! She was quite wet by the time we were done!

Girls night!

Visiting GG-Mama..KISSES!

Doesn't Grandma look beautiful? She loves Marley so much!

Marley playing horsey with Megg and Bobby! Saying Marley loves Bobby is an understatement. She seriously adores him! She wanted Bobby to do everything with her!

At the park playing with Kaydyn.

They LOVED going down the slide together...I promise Kaydyn didn't get hurt. It sure looks like it from this picture though! :)

This captures the love that Marley and Kaydyn have for one another! Best cousins!

"Free"

2009-03-24T13:24:00.005-06:00

I am looking forward to Gavin Degraw's newest album titled, "Free" that releases one week from today! He is amazing. Check out his music- he deserves your support! There is nothing better than an artist who writes their own music, plays their own instruments, and sings. AMAZING! Let it be known...I love Gavin Degraw!!!

http://www.gavindegraw.com/

GO AGGIES!! BIG DANCE HERE WE COME!!!

2009-03-15T15:40:00.003-06:00

For those of you that don't know, my cousin Tai, (one of the many talented Wesley children), plays basketball for Utah State - and they won last night on ESPN beating Nevada for the WAC Championship!! Posting a season record of 30-4, they are now headed to the NCAA Tournament!! (HERE COME THE AGGIES!!!)

Tai, we want you to know how proud of you we are out here in Colorado! You have been playing some great basketball and have been representing the Wesley name so well! We love you and wish you the best of luck in the BIG DANCE!! We love you buddy!

GO AGGIES!!

teamgive

2009-03-09T21:41:00.006-06:00

The iTrade Annual "iRace for MLD" 5k Charity Run/Walk

6.6.2009

http://www.teamgive.org/

Learn about it. Live for it. Love it!

"We Serve"

2009-03-03T21:44:00.005-07:00

It's official!! I am now a member of the Craig Cedar Mountain Lion's Club! For those of you that don't know, Lions Clubs International (LCI) is the world's largest secular service organization with over 44,500 clubs and more than 1.4 million members in 201 countries around the world!! We focus on programming related to sight conservation, hearing and speech conservation, diabetes awareness, youth outreach, international relations, environmental issues, and other programs that support the local communities where Lions live. Lions are also passionate about developing effective leadership skills in their members and have an extensive leadership development program including an online Lions Learning Center and several leadership institutes. The Lions Club Motto is truly fitting - "We Serve".

My grandfather, whom I absolutely love and admire, has been a member of the Lions Club organization for over 53 years, and his service has set the tone for my desire to serve along side him. I am so excited to be a part of this great international organization - and I am also honored to carry the tourch that my Granfather will pass on. What a neat legacy!

Anyway, my grandfather has done so much good as both President and member of the Holladay Lions Club (including all of his hard work to earn money and build the Holladay-Lions Fitness and Recreation Center in Holladay, Utah - where the baseball field is named after him!), and I hope to follow in his footsteps and make a difference in this world. I have always had the strange feeling that I have the power to make a real difference, and maybe this is the way.

Anyway - I am glad to call myself a Lion!