Happy New Year 2012

It's almost here...a brand new year.  I have decided to not write ANY new years resolutions.  Why you ask?  All I want this year for myself is to be better, in every way.  A better mom, wife, sister, daughter, friend, and so on.  I find I always write resolutions and then I'm saddened by the fact that I didn't meet some of them.  I'm pretty sure I can't fail at just being better than I was the year before.  Looking back on this past year... it's been a crazy one.  Lots of traveling(which I hope won't end), new babies in our extended family, heartache with not get pregnant yet, business growing and moving, family moving away, and the typical getting older and wiser.  I look forward to this new year and the surprises it may have along the way.  I wish you all a year full of hope and joy.  A year that brings blessings and clear thoughts!  May you have a wonderful last day of 2011!

My wonderful new camera...

Such a joy that I finally get to capture moments like these!

The Living Planet Aquarium

Today my mom, Remee, and I headed up to the Living Planet Aquarium.  Since the last time I went there, about 3 or 4 years ago, things have improved.  Thank goodness.  It was a total dud the last time I went. This trip, I had a lot of fun, and so I'm sure Remee and mom did too.  That and, with my new camera... all the pictures I took actually turned out great!  Yipee!

The picture below is one of my favorites.  Such a darling pic!

I thought this just looked really cool!

Christmas time and a great gift!

Having a kid makes Christmas way more fun. I was so excited to see Remee open her gives and even more excited that she loves playing with every single one of them. She is really into pushing things around so Grandma Leesa got her a baby doll and a stroller. Remee loves giving her dolly a walk around the house.

I gave Mike a trophy case to display his half marathon medals. I thought it was awesome...still not sure if he does!

Christmas this year was wonderful, relaxing, and full of love. Oh yeah... guess what I got? A NEW CAMERA! I'm thrilled. Aren't you?

For Sale Page

We are selling some furniture! Check out my FOR SALE page(above)!

Oh Remee...

Sweet little Remee had her 18 month Dr's appointment on Monday and she was on one. Usually she does pretty good but this time she cried when she got weighed, she cried when they measured her head, she cried when the laid her down. In fact, the only time she didn't cry was when the Dr. was listening to her heart. She sat there quietly and looked at the Dr. like he was the boogy man. Anyway, the Dr. finally said that she's growing well, she's just petite(I could have told him that). She weighs in at 18 lbs. 12 oz. and is 31'' long. She's hitting all her milestones, and she's getting quite a sense of humor.
On Tuesday we took Remee to see the Santa at the Riverwoods. Which is the best one... why? IT"S FREE! You have to wait in the cold but you can take your own camera and snap pictures whenever you want. Here's Remee with Santa. She wasn't so sure about the whole idea!

A Day to Indulge

Today I indulged and got a wonderful facial by our esthetician, Alicia, at Relik! Let me just tell you... I have had my fair share of facials(my roommate at one point was in esthetician school) but I have few facials from an esthetician with massage therapy background. The facial was amazing but the hand, arm, and neck massage was just as amazing! If you are looking for a little relaxation, especially around these stressful holidays, then give her a call and get a little R&R. You deserve it! 801-216-4057

Summer already?

I went to Gap yesterday, for fun, and saw these adorable swimsuits for Remee. I have to get them. Obviously I'll wait til they go on sale... but oh my gosh, are they not the cutest things ever?

Happenings

This past week has been crazy busy... or at least it felt like it. I planned the Relik Christmas Party and made all the food, I got our Christmas cards done and mailed, decided to plan a cookie exchange party, and all the while ended up singing a solo for a Relief Society activity, and watched my darling niece Charlotte. And to think it's only Wednesday! Anyway, I enjoyed it all. Stressful at times but wonderful. I like feeling busy every once and a while. It makes me feel important. Anyway, here are some pics from the week, so far.
Remee seriously LOVES her baths. If she hears the water running in the bathroom she runs over and screams to get in. Mike was filling up the tub for her the other night and she could hardly contain the excitement. She was trying her hardest to get in the tub...as you can see!

Watching Charlotte was a dream. She is so adorable and easy going. Remee loved watching her too. She sat next to her the whole time and handed her toys to play with. Sometimes Remee got too close for Charlotte's comfort and she would start to cry... which immediately made Remee back away. That little Charlotte is a smart one!

I insisted that Mike get a hair cut. I mean his hair was out of control... that, and it's been styled the same since I met him more than 5 years ago. So, it was time for a little change. It's nothing drastic but a huge improvement. Handsome yeah?

We are Hiring!

Relik Salon and Spa is hiring for hairdressers and a massage therapist. If you, or someone you know would like to work there contact at www.reliksalon.blogspot.com!

Remee at 18 months

• She loves to do things all by herself. Like feeding herself, but she hasn't quite gotten down the whole stabbing your food concept.


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  She loves to scream, and by scream I mean breaking glass scream. I hate it... and am praying she grows out of this stage FAST!


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  She answers everything you ask her with a "YA".


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  She signs more and please


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  She finally fits in her age size clothing.


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  She loves to dance.


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  Her vocabulary has grown. She now says(in her own mumbo jumbo, which I seem to be the only one who understands) 'Hi Ray Ray' 'There it is(which really sounds like...dewtis)' 'Bye(which sadly sounds like die)' 'baby' 'mama' 'dada' 'juice' and that's only a few of them.


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  She loves to push things around, whether it's the grocery cart or her toys with wheels.


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  Has learned to blink on command (watch the video below)


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  Love to dip all of her food. In fact, if there's anything I think she might not eat I just give a little bowl of ranch or gravy or ketchup to dip it in and she'll eat it all up!


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  She lifts up her entire shirt when you ask her where her belly button is


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  She loves to run and play hide and seek. She'll jump out infront of you and say 'DAH'(her way of saying boo)


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  She loves to talk on my phone. She opens it up and say 'YA' and then carries on a conversation with no one but herself. It's hilarious.


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  She loves to give hugs and kisses.


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  She makes almost all of the animal sounds. My favorite is the lion. She makes the funniest roar noise.
  

Hair update...

I have been growing my hair out for 1 whole year!!!! I can't even believe it. The last time I grew my hair out this long was for a stupid guy I wrote to while he was on his mission. That was a waist of my time. Anyway, now that I'm doing this for a good cause I have not had any temptation to chop it off! I would say I have come a long way. Check out my progress so far!!!

This pic was taken December 2010

This pic was taken Thanksgiving Day 2011

Little Dancer Girl

My little one is a lover of music. She dances in the car, in the store, while we are eating. Seriously, anytime she hears music, she starts to move. We played the movie Robots for Remee one day to keep her entertained while we worked on the salon and at the very end of the movie there's a fun dancing song. Remee shakes her grove thing more in this song than any other song she's heard. I think it's adorable.

Growing and growing

I was amazed this Thanksgiving with how much my extended family has grown. What once used to be a quiet dinner with the family is now a dinner full of screaming, crying, laughing, and baby talk. It's so fun to be able to see all of these adorable children play together. I can't wait til they are all older and hopefully will be best of friends!

The Concrete Jungle and Me

New York City. I am so in love with this city. It fascinates me. This trip I finally got to learn the bones of New York. With Mike being in classes all day Sunday and Monday I had to be alone in NY and find my way around by map! It wasn't all that bad. Mike and I rode on the NY Site seeing buses. At first I thought they were going to be so stupid. I mean it's the typical tourist thing to do, but they turned out to be really fun. It was worth every penny. My favorite tour was the drive through Harlem and Uptown. We drove around Columbia University, which was gorgeous. Every building was jaw droppingly beautiful.

I figured out the subway system and now ride it like a true New Yorker. Well, almost. A real New Yorker comes equipped with headphones, a book to read, and a bag or backpack full of food and other hobbies to keep them entertained. I brought nothing and I'm sure I stuck out like a sore thumb, but I had way more fun watching everyone around me than I would have listening to music or reading. The sound of the Subway is like music to my ears. You can feel the rumble inside your chest! Below you can tell I was to inspired by all of the cathedrals. There's one on almost every block. Each one different than the next. They are huge and amazing!

This trip was also ALL about shopping and food. I am a huge foodie and I knew I had to stop by a few places to get some good grub. One of those places was Bill's Bar and Burger. Below is a pick of the wonderful delicatessen we indulged in (thanks Kathi for helping us find the place). This, my friends, is the Campfire Milkshake. Oh my, it is soooooo good. Made with homemade ice cream, home made marshmallows, and roasted and toasted for the finishing. It's amazing. You must have it if you ever go to NYC!

3B Yoga Boutique

I recently did a photo shoot with 3B Yoga, located in the Riverwoods shopping center in Provo. I had a blast and really love how the pictures came out. Here are just a few to peek at. Did you know that 3B Yoga has a Boutique inside their studio? Well, let me just tell you how awesome it is. They don't only have great yoga gear like clothing, mats, and bags. But they also have beautiful jewelry, shoes, and lounge wear. With name brands such as, Lululemon and Om Girl, you are bound to find something you love at the store. I have my eye on a really cute and comfy sweater. Hurry in before the end of the year and use the coupon at the bottom of this post to get a special discount. If you are looking for a great Christmas gift for yourself or someone you like...you'll find something great at the 3B Yoga Boutique!!! Photography by Kiera Haddock

check her out HERE

Print off the coupon above to receive a discount in the boutique! Enjoy, and tell them Allie sent you!!

Happy Anniversary

To my loving Hubby... thank you for 4 splendid years of marriage. I love you!!!

Happy Halloween?

You might have wondered why there's a question mark at the end of my happy Halloween. Well let me inform you that our Halloween was very happy up until about 10:00 pm when Remee woke up vomiting from an overload of cookies. Poor thing didn't go back to sleep until 3:00 am when she finally stopped spewing! But before that, Halloween was a blast. Remee loved taking candy from people and stashing it in her bag. And surprisingly she loved being in her costume... and I loved seeing her in it. She was adorable. Everyone was wondering where I got it. I found it online for only $15.00 plus shipping. Now it's even cheaper than that! Not bad right?

Halloween prep

Yesterday we decided, along with our friends Trish and Brandon, to go out and get some pumpkins. We got ours at a pumpkin patch and Trish and Brandon got theirs at Wally World. Who's was cheaper? Trish and Brandon's. But really nothing can beat how cute my little girl was in the patch! We took our pumpkins home and carved away. This year was our first year using stencils and I'm lovin' the way they turned out. We might use stencils every year.

Brandon's and Mike's
Mine and Trish's

New obsession

If you have not seen this show...you are missing out. It's just amazing. Can't wait til next Friday's show!

Looking forward too...

These next couple of months, I feel, are going to be crazy!!! I might lose my mind, or my hair, or my sanity, but I am so looking forward to all the craziness. The salon will soon be finished(thank goodness) and then comes our trip to NY(anyone want me to pick them up something? Cause seriously I'll be wandering the streets of NY alone for 2 days) and then come the holidays. Oh the 3 F's of the holidays... FOOD, FAMILY, and FUN... or FLASH DANCE (I guess it depends on what kind of family you have). Either way I can't wait. I'm looking forward to Christmas music and setting up the tree. But first... Halloween is next week. I am so excited to share with you all how adorable my little girl looks in her costume. I might make her wear it more than just one day because it's really that cute! Well, so much to look forward to...I can't wait to share it all!!

*I was serious about the picking things up for you in NY. If you want it...let me know. Yes, sister, I already know what you want.*

I'm BAaack!

After weeks and weeks of our computer being dumb, we finally got it all fixed and hooked up the Internet. Now, I can start working on getting photos uploaded and getting this blog of mine all updated.
We have had so much going on these past few weeks. We are building the new location for the salon in American Fork, and hopefully it will be up and running VERY soon.
This last week, we took our annual trip to Disneyland for some R&R and family time. I enjoyed every minute of it. I miss my family so much I can hardly stand it. Remee LOVED Disneyland! I was amazed at the different experience I had this year as apposed to last. This year was our first year taking Remee with us to Disneyland and to be honest I was a little hesitant. I mean she's only about a year and half and I wasn't sure if she would enjoy herself or just be overwhelmed and scared. Well, she definitely loved it, and I found myself loving that she was loving it too. Instead of enjoy the rides and looking around I found myself constantly watching her to see her reaction. She would dance and giggle and be completely in awe at the same time.

During our trip to California we also got to go to the Conan show. It was really cool to see how everything was done 'behind the scenes'. In fact, if you watch the show on October 20th you will see me in the audience. I finally got my 15 minutes(more like 5 seconds) of fame. Lucky me. That, and I'm pretty sure Conan looked right at me. Cool.
Anyway, busy times! I'm glad I can finally get beck to blogging. Hopefully I'll be better at updating. In the meantime, here are a few photos to enjoy.

The bugs are coming...

For those of you that have the same issues as we do, meaning, scared of spiders, hate ants, etc. Well, we have been getting our house sprayed every year around this time to keep them out and we have been so happy with who we've been using that I thought I would share in case anyone needed a referral. His name is Orion and he owns his own business. He is the only one that will be coming to your door, so you know he is going to do a great job. Go here for more info! Oh yeah... The price is only $50 to spray inside and outside your home for ants and spiders(this does depend on your home size...like if you own a mansion or something).

Hurt feelings

I used to work for an orthodontist... Many years ago, and I have always had a special place in my heart for all of the people at that office I worked with. I am still friends with some of them today. Well, I recently found out that a few months ago a party was held in honor of my ex- boss' 20 years in ortho. Many people were contacted from those 20 years of whom he has worked with....but I wasn't. I have to admit, I didn't think it would bother me this badly that i wasn't even thought of. I worked there for almost 3 years and have sent many patients and workers their way and no thought? It got me to thinking...how many people in my life have made a difference to me and I haven't thanked them or expressed their importance to me. So, to those of you who think that they have been forgotten or not been appreciated. I have your back!

TMI

Of course I realize that I have been absent for quite some time. Well, thanks to technology*sarcasm* I really haven't had a choice. Our computer got a virus...thanks PC... and now we are finally up and running again. With that we had a sick child, teething child, roach and ant issue, and a menstrual disorder. Before I go on I must warn some of you that read this blog and think to themselves 'this girl shares way to much'. For those of you out there... don't read on because I really am going to share too much. Really I am only doing it because I'm ranting a little, or a lot. I'm bugged and I must get it off my chest.
Some of you may think...menstrual disorder hmm that's strange. I thought the same thing... and then I laughed a bit because it's a funny way of explaining that you are completely messed up inside. Now let's back up a little. Mike and I have been trying for baby number 2 these past 3 months, and as exciting and fun as it should be... our situation is a little different. Thanks to hormonal imbalances, I have to go on a few medications to get pregnant for one and stay pregnant for two. So the meds began and after two months of trying and nothing happening I decided to give my body a break from drugs and let things run its course. Stupid me cause I think I have ruined myself forever. I started my cycle like normal...6 days of bleeding (again normal) and then 5 days later...MORE BLEEDING??? What the crap is going on? Well, at first I'll admit I cried my eyes out and called my friend (who's a nurse) concerned that I was going to die, cause I can't die right now... I mean who's going to take care of Remee, Raven and Mike? She assured me that it was normal... especially given the fact that I was coming off of fertility drugs. So I calmed myself and then... laughed at how dumb I was being. A few days pass and I'm still bleeding. So I called my Dr's office. I just love everyone who works there. They always make me feel better about my issues. The nurse told me that we needed to do a blood test to see what was going on with my hormones and then we could decide what to do. The next day I find out from the nurse that my hormones are low...duh as always... and that the Dr. wanted me to either wait it out and let me body fix it or I could go on some more meds to help stop the bleeding. I picked the later. I mean, at this point I was at 10 days of bleeding. So I started taking the pills and sure enough I stopped bleeding... for two days anyway. I am here to tell you that I am bleeding once again!!! I called the nurse today and, get this, she tells me ' Well I'm stumped...I'm going to talk with the Dr. And then call you tomorrow'. All I can say is I'm contemplating a hysterectomy after this whole ordeal. Cause I am so over this. I've been bleeding for almost 27 days straight... and I have decided for the next week I'll be eating nothing but red meat and spinach to get my iron level back up. Poor me... yeah really. Wahhh. I don't feel bad for myself. I am more pissed at my stupid Uterus.

Today...

I feel

• lazy


• exhausted from listening to a screaming, teething child


• overwhelmed with all of the chores I must get done


• unenthusiastic about the weeds I need to pull


• annoyed with, once again, having ants in the house


• grateful that my tomatoes are finally ripening


• and lazy... really lazy!

Hilarious!

Mike showed me this video the other day and I couldn't stop laughing! It's hilarious. Enjoy and watch over and over again when you're feeling a little low...it will for sure brighten your day!

A new Blog

I have started a new blog!!! I have thought about doing it for such a long time, and now I feel like I can finally get it up and running. This blog is all about eating local. We have such amazing local restaurants here in Utah and I hope to showcase that on my new blog. It's called... Eating Beehives. Get it? The beehive state? Anyway, it's still in the works but check it out here and there if you are looking for a great place to eat.

click Eating Beehives and check it out!

Camping

I can't help it...I love camping. The smells, the sounds, and the company(and I don't mean the bears). We, once again, had a salon camping weekend. It was a blast. Yummy food, cute kids, and lots of laughs. I think Remee had the time of her life; getting dirty and snacking all day. We had fun!

Tent time with Daddy meant tickle time! This little girl loves her da da!

We sat Remee in one of the other kids chairs and she was in love. It's a must have for next years camping trip. She looks like such a big girl. It makes me want to cry.

Craft Night!!!

Thursday August 18th

7:00 pm

(it's project runway night too...so you know we'll be watching)

I am so excited for this craft night. I spent a lot of time figuring out what I wanted to make and here are a few photos of what I'm planning to make! They are all things that I can keep Remee entertained with...she loves jewelry! The best part is...I'll be supplying everything. All you have to do is come. If you are going to be there just let me know so I have enough things for everyone! Give me a shout out in the comments or e-mail me at alliekow@gmail.com so I can give you the address. See you there!