cooper in action

the week we got cooper, i recorded a bunch of footage with the intention of making an introduction video about him. i wasn't patient enough and just took millions of pictures instead, but this weekend, i finally got around to editing the footage. me and my amateur iMovie skills... this is him at 7-8 weeks old. cute as ever. he's grown so much since then!

an early start to resolutions

because waiting until the end of December is sort of not the point, right?

I started this blog in 2009 when I was living in St. George and and really unhappy with my life and some of the people in it, as a way to deal with it all - i've since deleted a lot of those posts and now it starts somewhere in september, after I had been home for about a month and my great grandmother had just died - those older posts were irrelevant to the life i'm living now, and i didn't want to or have a reason to remember those things in that sort of detail. Anyway, we've had a lot going on lately, and I feel like back then, I was blogging every little detail of my life, and sometimes I still feel like I do that, but not as often, I guess. I don't really feel the need anymore to share all of the details. Those are mine. Lots of really great things happen, lots of sweet moments and lots of surprises, but sometimes I just choose to keep those to myself. Some of the time, I feel like if I don't write it down, I'll forget it, which explains most of the random and pointless things I sometimes post, but when it comes down to it, this blog has become something I'm really proud of. I've been able to watch myself grow, and at the same time, keep track of everything I've done and been through. It's been a pretty amazing 3 years, looking back on it. I've come a long, long way. and in september of 2009? i surely didn't think that by november of 2012 i'd be cuddling under a fuzzy blanket in herriman with my husband, laughing at our puppy. (to name a few...) 

That being said, a lot has gone on lately. We've been very busy and very involved and very happy. 

I've been in love with Herriman since the second we moved here and it's been good to us. What an awesome place to live. 

Cooper is as hilarious and sweet as ever, and he's proven himself to be not only my little, sweet baby puppy, but also a good friend. He's our little buddy! And he's getting so big! I can hardly believe he was only 7 pounds and sleeping in my lap just 2 months ago. He has at least tripled in size. He's also a genius. 

Devin continues to be the greatest part of my life. He is so sweet to me and so caring. He is always so aware of me. I love that about him. 

I've been taking my job very seriously and love how appreciated I feel at work, even though all those guys think it's so funny to play pranks on me on a regular basis - i'm grateful to work for a family owned company - it's exactly the kind of atmosphere I wanted in a work place. and you know what else? being the only girl in the entire shop is actually a good thing. all those guys are great to me. they have changed my oil, covered my butt, backed me up and respected me like I wouldn't have ever thought they would. i love them all! (on most days, haha!)

Devin and I are gearing up for holiday season and are making all sorts of plans. I can't wait for Thanksgiving, and more so, Christmas. Ever since last Friday, when we had that first big snow fall, I've felt pretty fulfilled. I've also been thinking a lot about the new year, and have already started compiling a list of resolutions:

> get our finances in order (we've gone this long without a strict budget, and plan on changing that to build up savings and pay off student loans as fast as possible)

> take up... something. i need a hobby or an activity. i'm thinking of something like a spinning class or maybe something artsy... painting? i have no clue. i also want devin to show me the ropes in photography (pretty sure i only know how to turn his camera on.)

> expand my repertoire of cooking skills - i want to learn a bunch of new dishes and start experimenting more with baking. i'm thinking like... cupcakes from scratch, my own brownie recipe (which will obviously be to die for) and maybe even try my hand at pastries.

> go on a big trip - 2013 is sounding like a good time for somewhere beachy.

that list is only going to get bigger! hopefully. i'm trying to be realistic and also risky. i want to push myself and also understand my limits. i think it will be a great year!

mini sessions!

that's right, folks! Devin and I are back at it! We are so excited to offer these mini sessions just in time for the holidays! Whether you want to send out Christmas Cards or replace that outdated family photo on the mantel - let us know! This is the perfect opportunity to grab a few photos! Quick and easy :) I've got all kinds of cute ideas for styling the shoots and lots of props to personalize them! If you're interested, send me an email! katieashby26@gmail.com or text/call me at 385.201.6529

a good place

F R I D A Y

first real snow. awesome. gorgeous. antsy to ski.

crashed ryan and danica's date night and met up with them at olive garden, then went home and grabbed cooper and headed to their place for some basketball and an impromptu puppy play date.

watched the new office. a classic. i loved it!

S A T U R D A Y

slept in an extra, glorious 2 hours.

watched the snow fall from our bedroom window.

grocery shopping trip (which we actually like, so...)

devin hung out at home with brandon.

i went to city creek with my sisters and had the best time ever. girl talk, cute clothes (finally found a really great pair of thick, long, black leggings. score!), delicious Cheesecake Factory food, hilarious jokes.

cuddled up at home in blankets instead of turning the heater on.

S U N D A Y

slept in again. (looooove.)

church. (we have such an awesome ward and we love it so, so much. we love it!!!)

devin had to work

i went down to my parents with cooper for family dinner. kelli and sean came down with zero. so much fun. delicious homemade chili and cornbread. card games. playing puppies. i love my family.

more cuddling at home in blankets and relaxing, sans husband this time :(

it was a fantastic weekend. the snow has made me peculiarly happy (in that giddy, christmas feeling way). i'm terribly in love with my husband. i have an adorable dog. my family is amazing.

I ' M  I N  A  G O O D  P L A C E .

festive decorating for the first time ever

i enjoyed going a little crazy over Christmas last year - but I feel like that's a normal thing that everyone does. Decorating for holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving are a little harder for couples without any kids. Last year we didn't do anything because we lived in a basement. We didn't get any trick-or-treaters. Nothin!

But this year, I expected tons. And maybe it has something to do with the entire population all of the sudden being obsessed with Fall, but I'm on the bandwagon, too. I've loved everything about it so far! I decided I wouldn't do anything big, but I wanted to make sure the trick-or-treaters knew we were up for their visit, so I put to use one of our apple crates and filled it with glam pumpkins. I'm talking puff paint, metallic spray paint, glitter, and patterned tights. I'm not going to list instructions or tutorials because you've already read them or at least seen them on pinterest.

The bust? We had maybe 25 trick-or-treaters. Our neighborhood has TONS of kids?! I have no idea where they all were. lame. At least my pumpkins are also suitable for November.

my week via iPhone

i realize i don't actually do these posts weekly.. at least not anymore... but maybe you should be grateful i'm not blowing up your instagram feed like i did when i first got an iphone? whatev. now i'm just blowing up every feed with dog photos. sue me. 

< vet appointment. the vet said he's right on track and doing great. he was very impressed! all good news.
> where did my puppy go? in the 5 weeks we've had him (at the time this picture was taken), he had doubled in size. when we got him, he was 7 pounds, and now he's 16!


< gloomy day. birds on a wire.
> the cuteness. it doesn't end.


< my entertainment while i recovered from my emergency root canal
> he's crazy


< icing my face and cuddling my pup
> he gets very fuzzy after a bath. very fuzzy indeed.


< the halloween section of the grocery store is dangerous territory.
> the most amazing thing: oreo donuts. but not just any. food ranch donuts.


< my terribly attractive husband rock climbing like a champ
> food ranch art

 
< riverside at Joe's Valley on our climbing trip. so gorgeous
> waiting for trick-or-treaters, very excited, obviously.


< a tbt
> stomach ache cure


< i spy cooper, and an adorable phone case...
> family photo


< riley and his new shadow
> finally found the bottom of that bill bottle! i hated those antibiotics. bleh :(


< our afternoons mainly consist of trips to the park
> autumn in herriman looks like this: baby trees with bright orange leaves.

 
< finally used our kitchen aid. too bad i still can't master the chocolate chip cookie.
> can you see him?

dog party

we spent our friday afternoon in Kamas with Brandon and the dogs. it was glorious. i've been welcoming the strangely warm November weather, and we've been spending a lot of time outside. not to mention, it's so great that cooper is finally big enough and old enough to hold his own with the adult dogs. it took a few minutes for Riley and Koda to warm up to cooper, but by the end of the night, cooper and koda were chasing each other around and wrestling. having a dog is the best. brandon cooked for us (i don't think you've really lived until you've had a meal cooked by chef brandon) - amazing steak and grilled vegetables and we ended the night with a funny movie. i love kamas. i love that our siblings are our friends. we had a blast and i'm sure there will be many, many more dog parties.

> > A L S O  T H I S  W E E K E N D < <

- on Thursday - i'm pretty sure I got food poisoning, or maybe the flu. Anyway, some awful bug. I threw up a few times and on Friday, left work early. i was totally miserable. i hate puking, it's the worst. by friday night, i was feeling better, and we drove up to Ogden to see my sister's play. Kelli is in her first year of teaching! She is a choir teacher at a charter school in Ogden called The Da Vinci Academy and her students put on "Little Shop of Horrors" - which is probably the strangest thing I've ever watched, but it was so cool to see Kelli living our her dreams. Ever since she was in junior high, she knew she wanted to teach choir and be involved in music education. I went to every dang play she was in and a zillion choir concerts and now? She's directing them. It's so awesome, I can hardly believe it. Kel is one of my best friends, and I look up to her probably more than she knows. She is absolutely gorgeous, so talented, freaking hilarious, and uber successful. I love her! And even though Devin and I both left the play a little wide eyed and weirded out, it was so worth it. And for the record, I didn't hate the play. It was actually pretty funny. And the kids did an awesome job.