New York | Post #1 Dot and Ella...Ella...Eh eh eh

Dotty and Ella were almost inseparable while we were in New York. Neither one has a sister, and so it was as if they were filling that void! They danced, played games, practiced the piano, made forts. Dotty wanted to do anything and everything with Ella.







Ella even took Dot to the potty (no photo) and when I told her that Ella shouldn't have to wipe her, Dot had a meltdown. They are bosom friends and they were both crying when we had to leave. As it happens, Dot drew Ella's name in the Christmas Cousin Gift Exchange and she is dying over what to give her. We are so excited.

Disneyland

So here is the disneyland post. At the end of September we took the kids to Disneyland. For months, Cory had been showing Dotty Youtube videos of all the different rides. She was really excited. But Cory was probably more excited. So for the first day Cory and Dot went by themselves. I don't have any of the videos of Dot and Cory on that first day but you can imagine it was non-stop fun, ride after ride, with just a little bit of rain.


Townes and I tagged along on the next day and it was honestly the best time I've ever had at Disneyland. It was a rainy day, but we were prepared. Cory knows Disneyland so well that he had a plan of what rides to go on when, to get the most for our time. We started out at Peter Pan because it always gets the craziest. Then we hit the rest of Fantasyland, with some teacups at the end. Unfortunately Dot saw the whale and we had to do the Storybook ride, but whatever. Then there was Matterhorn (where Dot went with no hands, saying "Wooo" the whole time).



We hit up Tomorrowland at just the right time since it started to rain and we could do Captain EO and Buzz Lightyear to avoid getting soaked. As you can see Townes wasn't too into the giant Buzz, but he did like the Buzz ride.

Then we were on our way to ToonTown when we found the princess place and got in line to meet the princesses. We didn't know which princesses were going to be there, since as you know, the Princesses have a lot of work to do, writing policy and whatnot and so they can't just all be gone at one time (my sad attempt to make princess worship a little more feminist) But we were happy that we got Belle, Ariel and Cinderella! Dot was over the moon.

Home Sweet Home

We're back from our coast to coast trip. First Disneyland and then New York. It was awesome. But before I post all the gazillion videos I took of Dot with Disney princesses and wonderful cousins, I have to post this video of the amazing friends we came back to.
After playing for a long time, Dot and Soren ended up just chillin in a tube. They're just telling jokes. Its awesome because I was doing the same thing with his mom

Still Standing

So as many of you know, we evacuated our home Sunday night because of a wildfire in Herriman. Pretty scary. But everything is okay, we are back at home and unpacking all the things that we wanted to save. Do you know what you would grab? It is such a weird thing to decide what will make up your new life if you need to start over. This is what we took.
1. clothes for three days (after we got everything else we went back and added more clothes including sunday clothes)
2. Cory's computer
3. Cory's camera's and all equipment
4. Cory's business cards - seems silly, but they were a lot of money and part of his business
5. Pictures off the walls, family portrait, family tree, temple graphic
6. Dotty and Townes' homemade quilts, our wedding quilt
7. box of wedding photos
8. important files (insurance, title to our home, title to cars etc)
9. passports etc
10. wedding dress
11. Other random things to last through evacuation, you know like diapers, rice milk, toiletries

I went through waves of feeling like everything would be okay to really thinking that we would wake up homeless. It was just so windy and those flames were just so big! I'm sorry if you got a text from me in the middle of night asking for prayers - I just knew they were going to be helpful. So thank you.
This is an illustration of how close things were to our house.



A really big THANK YOU! to the firefighters, police and volunteers who worked tirelessly to save our community. You can see from these pictures how close things got to some homes.

The World's Strictest Parents

I just finished watching an episode of a BBC show "The World's Strictest Parents" that I found via fmh
This particular episode features kids in a Tooele, UT home.

It is a beautiful example of how just love and respect can change behavior. Also, hopefully they are only singing the national anthem because it is memorial day?

Please enjoy

you didn't think I had it in me did you?

Beautiful, I know. Cory is a lucky man.

pen story

This would make me cry if it didn't totally stress me out with how complicated this must have been to produce.
via designmom.

Family Portraits

So you've probably already seen them all, but we just got our family portraits back and I'm so happy! I was pretty obsessed with our outfits for a long time, since we want a large colorful print in our Kitchen. We'll probably order the one above. I like the composition and the relaxed feeling, almost similar to this one I couldn't stop thinking about.






There are so many wonderful shots to choose from, its going to be really tough. If you are a big Dotty fan, all print orders are for a good cause! But seriously, there a couple beautiful shots of the Wasatch Mountains if you like Utah and hate cancer.

Take a look at the entire shoot

Tres-Formes

So today was my last day at the office (I'm going to Chicago to help set up for a tradeshow so technically not my last last day at work). Unfortunately I don't do sentimental very well, and so I don't think I did a very good job at saying goodbye. I'll compose a nice email to all the people I will be sad not to see everyday and hopefully that will make up for it. Because I've been so blessed and have enjoyed so many rewarding experiences, it would be incredibly ungrateful of me to leave without making that known.
Cause really, everyday was pretty much like this picture. lots of fun.

Final Countdown

I gave my desk to the incoming intern and moved in with Cory at the "freelancers" table. He was pissed when I tried to document our lovenest. So don't tell him I posted it.
2 more days in Salt Lake, then 2 days in Chicago and then I'm done! I don't know who is more excited, me or Dot. Probably me...but maybe Dot.

Sick Day

So we're home sick with a weird virus and so we are watching a lot of videos. Dot likes Youtube. It used to be all about kids singing Annie songs, or Disney songs, or other things. But now we've branched out.





We spent a lot of time watching this guy, and watching this guy with a face drawn on him, and watching this guy edited into King Kong - the opportunities on Youtube are endless...
I think Townes likes it so much because he's pretty sure he could sing those words.
If you haven't watched his original performance, you really should. Find it here

Books to Read | Surprise Guest Post by Gregory Hudson

I recently got an email of book suggestions from my extremely well-read literary brother and it was as fun to read as it will be to read the books. So I thought I'd share. Greg, I hope you don't mind.

1) SUM by David Eagleman. In this short, but absolutely beautiful work, scientist David Eagleman describes 40 different possible after-lifes. That sounds really new agey, but it isn't. They are smart, sweet, sad, and suprisingly often very true. Really, a great little book.

2) Bonfire of the Vanities, By Tom Wolfe. I thought I didn't like Wolfe, mostly because he's a bit of a pompous, conservative jackass, but this book, with very few likable characters, is somehow very, very likable.  A  nice view  of a  decade that i was alive for, but didn't experience. And oh so many exclamation marks!  a classic! funny!

3) In Persuasion Nation, by George Saunders. An amazing selection of short stories by a modern Vonnegut. That comparison gets thrown around a lot, but since I read this right after I read SlaughterHouse 5 (for the first time! so late!) I can attest to the similarities. He's wacky, without ever being excessive. And he's smart, and sharp, and the last story (I think it was the last story) was oh so touching, too.

4) I'm just reading a book called John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead. It could stand to lose a few chapters here and there, but the story of a journalist living off free promotional swag struck home with me. I maybe only liked this because of that. Though the writing is impressive. I always know if I like a book if it inspires me to write. and this one does.

And because, what the heck--here's a bonus: I read this a couple of years ago, but it still remains in my mind a great book. I recently read a short story by this guy, so I'm intrigued again. Then We came to the End by Joshua Ferris. Think The Office, if the office was more literary. It's about the travails of bunch of workers in a Chicago ad office at the end of the dot com boom. Can you say relevant? no, really, can you?

Big News

Come June 11th I'll be working for this guy. I resigned from my 8-5 to devote more time to marketing my best asset. This dude. Wish us luck.

Maybe its Icelandic Heritage Appreciation Year

Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull - May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.

We're Back

We made it back home after a great weekend away. We realized we had never taken a trip like this, just for fun, just by ourselves. I tried to take pictures, but Cory wasn't very cooperative. He said "you aren't supposed to steal things from Vegas" - he didn't buy the rights to the real slogan.
Here are the highlights:
1. This guy opening for Conan and Cory turning to me and saying "he stole my bit" right when I was thinking, he stole Cory's bit.
3. Loving Conan and thinking "this is what people feel like when they get to see their favorite band"
3. Almost getting a picture of a billboard that said "Punch your Way to $5,000". Only funny if you've heard Cory's bit.

Sorry

So the month I decide to make it Icelandic Heritage Appreciation Month - Iceland's volcano erupts and blazes air travel throughout Europe. Coincidence?...probably.

It's been a hard week

But I'm hangin' in there...

Things to be excited about:

1. I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow. Going back to the supershort - I blame Carey Mulligan.
2. We pick up Brady from the airport tomorrow night!
3. We paid our taxes and our cars are finally both registered!
4. I bought my dream chairs from a 3form photo shoot (pictures soon)
And best of all...

5. I'm surprising Cory with tickets to see Conan in Vegas for our Anniversary in two weeks!!!
(well I held it in for a whole month...but just told him 30 minutes ago)
* image taken aboard the Royal Carribean Cruise Ship

We're a couple of twos

Go Do from Cory LeSueur on Vimeo.

Cory made this video of our highlights from 2010 so far. This year has been incredible. Mostly incredible in how many times Oliver runs to the trampoline...giving Cory ample footage for a two-cameraesque edit.
Other highlights:
- Visiting The Rices in Oregan
- Dot turning 3
- Easter!
- Townes making Dot laugh over and over.

And yes, I saw this at work for the first time.
And yes, I may have cried a little bit.

More Colours!

So I'm still thinking about our family portrait, even though it is months away. What pallette do you think we should go with?
I like "a new pop" and "carbohydrates"
Explore pallettes at colourlovers

Easter Eggs and Ears

Easter weekend started with some egg dying with Grandma Donnay. I'm glad Dot gets to experience that - because there is no way I would do it on my own. Too messy. But Dot had a blast, and I love her apron.



I asked her to pose - this is what she came up with.



Then the Easter Bunny came on Sunday and dropped off a basket full of toys and games (I'm pretty impressed with myself for resisting the candy!). I asked Dot who she liked better, the Easter Bunny or Santa Clause and she said "Santa Clause, the easter bunny doesn't talk"...hmmm good point.

Here is her "enthusiasm" for the candy-less basket. Sorry for her "witch hair" as Greg would call it.



Happy Easter! We enjoyed the peaceful reminder of our Savior's atonement. Hope you did too.