Robert, Aleasha, and sweet little Hannah

2012-02-01T20:56:00.000-08:00

9 months old
It is hard to believe that Hannah is already 9 months old. It seems like yesterday that she was born yet that she's been in our life forever. Children are truly one of life's greatest treasures.

Hannah is sweet, funny, happy and always moving in one way or another. She is very self entertained yet loves to sit and "chat" with anyone near her. She loves to roll from her belly to back but isn't very interesting in rolling from her back to belly (though she can). She isn't yet crawling but loves to stand up and does will while holding onto things.

She currently has 8 teeth that have broke through her gums and she loves feeling them and biting on everything. She hasn't quite learned that biting her finger isn't the best idea. She will be chewing away and start crying because she has bit her finger hard but keeps her finger in her mouth still biting it. She has this look like "what is happening?".

Don't let her tiny size mislead you.. she loves to eat!!!! Now that has teeth she loves pieces of just about anything she can chew (bananas, blueberries, cheerios, bread, pasta, green beans, etc).

One of her favorite things to do is play peek-a-boo in her high chair. She will turn her head so that she can't see you then turn around and just crack up.

2012-01-03T13:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2011

Hannah is our best present!!
This year we stayed in Utah since Robert had to work on Christmas Eve. It was fun to watch Hannah as she explored opening presents, playing with the paper and seeing her gifts for the first time.

We dumped out Hannah's stocking and let her explore what was inside. She had fun picking each thing up and feeling it or putting it in her mouth.

Hannah and her new friend Violet which you program to add your child's name, favorite food, animal, songs, etc. I love how when she is excited or happy she moves her arms so fast. She does this every morning when we go in to get her. It's a highlight of my day!I'm not sure who likes it more her or her dad :) He said, "I want a animal like Violet that will sing to me". We had a good laugh about that one! We find ourselves walking around singing the song.

Hannah and I just love her little tub. It is perfect for her to sit up in and keeps her toys close enough to reach. She loves playing in the tub but would always slip if I didn't sit and hold her. This is perfect for us both!!

Just my size!! She loves the little books set she got from her Dad. They are just the right size for her to hold herself.
One of her new favorite things to do is stand up so she loves her Leap Frog toy.

It was a very Merry Christmas! We feel very blessed to have such amazing and supportive family and friends. We celebrated our 6 year anniversary Dec 15 and we have seen how everything we've learned and gone through over they years have brought us so much closer together and closer to our Heavenly Father. We are grateful to have a beautiful home, great neighborhood, and that Aleasha can how work from home. We have truly been blessed this year! The windows of heaven have opened and showered us with blessings. We are the most grateful for sweet Hannah. She has brought so much joy into our lives in the 8 months she has been in our home. Her sweet spirit feels our home!

2011-12-03T20:34:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!!!

Thanks to everyone at Thanksgiving for helping to put up the tree and lightsWe had our Ward Christmas breakfast this morning. Hannah sat on Santa's lap. She didn't cry but didn't know what to think of him.

Hannah in her new dress from her Aunt Liz.
It is so adorable and perfect for Christmas

Hannah being Hannah
She loves to sit up now and smiles all day long. Being a parent is one of the most rewarding things ever. I love how excited she gets when you walk into the room and she see's you.

2011-12-01T22:03:00.000-08:00

The weight update:

Today we had Hannah's weight check. Though she only gained 1.5 oz since her last visit (Weighing in at 10lb 9.5 oz) her Pediatrician said she looks healthy and is on track with everything else and won't need to do another weight check till her regular 9 month check. He just wants us to increase her food intake to 3 times a day plus bottles as normal. We are not concerned considering both her parents are small. I (Aleasha) was actually hospitalized when I was about 1 year for the same reason. They just determined that I was burning more that I was taking in (I sure wish I still had that trouble....ha,ha)

2011-12-01T21:31:00.000-08:00

Learning through play

We spend time each day exploring and doing hands-on experiences

Hannah loves exploring with her little piano

Exploring with water

Visiting her class
We went into her old classroom to visit her teachers and friends. She was very excited to see everyone. Her teacher said she had to come visit to teach the other children "Baby 101" because she was always so happy and good for them.

2011-12-01T21:18:00.000-08:00

BYU vs Idaho

We wondered how Hannah would do at the game..she was great. She enjoyed watching the people around us and watching the game.

When she got tired we just bundled her up extra and she slept next to us under the bench (One benefit from having seats so high up and lost of extra seats around us)

2011-12-01T20:49:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2011

Our dental office gave all their patients tickets to the Thanksgiving Point's Cornbelly's event. It was really cold but Hannah loved seeing the pumpkins and watching the pig races.

Aleasha's former work did a "Parent's night out" where the children came for Halloween activities and the parents went out for a date night. Since we hadn't found an outfit for Hannah yet; we dressed her as a "monkey"; using her towel. She had fun and we were excited to go out on a date.

I didn't really want to spend very much on a costume since I figured she would be sleeping for most of the time we would do anything plus I couldn't find anything that was small enough for her. I considered buying a dog costume :) I finally found this costume on Halloween for 50% off. That is my kind of deal! She did as I predicted went to sleep early and woke up in time to see a few trick or treater's at our door. Now she can use it as PJ's.

2011-11-05T20:51:00.000-07:00

I'm a big girl now...

Hannah loves to stand and does pretty good on her own if she is leaning against something.

"Thank Heaven for little girls"
This outfit is one that was handed down (Robert's sisters wore it when they were little). I love these clothes..they have a history behind them.

2011-11-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Robert's cousin Paul (who actually won the tickets but wasn't able to attend); we were able to attend the BYU radio show with head coach Bronco Mendenhall. We had no idea what to expect but really enjoyed the experience. Thanks Paul!!!

Before the game they took us on a tour of the logue areas and we also got to see where ESPN broadcasts (the roof). That was an amazing view.

This is the amazing view of the field from where the radio show was done.

Our ride up the elevator to the president's lounge.

One of the guests was David Nixon who played for BYU and went on to play in the NFL

The other guest was Matt Putnam who is currently playing for BYU

At the end Coach Mendenhall selected a few of the audiences questions to answer. Robert's question was selected but they ended up only having time for one.

2011-10-31T21:11:00.000-07:00

We picked the last of our spaghetti squash.. 11 to be exact plus we have 2 already in our kitchen. When we first planted we only intended on planting one plant but came home with two on accident. Looks like breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be spaghetti squash..ha, ha, Just kidding!

Love these two!!!

2011-10-24T19:58:00.000-07:00

Alpine Loop

We have always heard how beautiful the Alpine loop is during the fall. We finally made it this year before the leaves were gone.We stopped at a small waterfall along the way and Hannah put her toes in. She loved it till she realized it was cold.

The mix of snow on the mountain peaks and colors were beautiful.

Love these too!!

I loved how the trees arched over the road most of the way.

Love this little girl!! It's hard to have a bad day with her around. She keeps me smiling all day long.

2011-10-24T19:46:00.000-07:00

Successful trip to the park!

This times Hannah loved the park. I think she would have stayed swinging for hours if I let her. We also enjoyed the slides and exploring in the grass. The park has become our new favorite place to go to play or have a picnic.

It was so funny to see her hair sticking up from the static...She loved the slide!

We had fun going down the slide together

2011-10-20T21:52:00.000-07:00

Summer Water Adventures

We tried to take advantage of our "Pass of All Passes" we got last year which included Seven Peaks Water Park. Hannah loved the "Lazy River" but didn't care for the kiddie park because the water was cold. We will try again next year!

We went to the lake with some friends. Hannah didn't care for the cold water but enjoyed hanging out on the beach with us. Robert and Aleasha enjoyed the wave runners..It was the first time for both of us and we had a blast. Such a relaxing and fun weekend! (expect for the fact we hit a deer on our way there. Luckily it only damaged our side mirror)

2011-10-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

Hannah's First Trip to the Park

We quickly realized that she doesn't like the sun in her eyes.

Cool Shades

Hannah loves her new shades. She is now prepared to face the sun (plus she looks so cute)

Oh yea!!! Lovin' my new shades

2011-10-20T20:39:00.000-07:00

Hannah's first ride in the shopping cart

Hannah loved being able to look around while we went shopping. She is getting better and better as sitting up with little help and on her own. She is also practicing rolling over. It is hard to believe how fast she is growing.

2011-10-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

Our Garden

We enjoyed being able to have a garden again this year. We build two garden boxes, found some free dirt and enjoyed our produce. This year we planted cucumber, zucchini squash, spaghetti squash, cabbage, tomatoes, lettuce, and a variety of herbs. We also planted cauliflower and cantaloupe but they didn't make it :( We also planted asparagus and blackberry/raspberry bushes to enjoy for years to come.

2011-10-20T16:32:00.000-07:00

Some of our favorite moments!!!
Aleasha is now working from home and loving it! She loves being able to capture Hannah's moments of growth/development. It seems like she is changing and learning something new everyday and we are grateful that we have more time with her to share in this journey. Here are just a few of our favorite memories so far:

One of Hannah's favorite games is Peek-a-Boo..I was working on the computer the other day and hear her chatting away. I looked down to see she had found a tab on her mat and was playing Peek-A-Boo.. We love this girl so brings us so much happiness.

My first taste of Brown Rice cereal:

Hannah wasn't so sure about Rice cereal. We keep trying a little more everyday.

Happy Halloween!!!

Our dentist office gave us free tickets to Cornbelly's @ Thanksgiving Point. We all enjoyed the corn maze, pig races, pumpkin match and other festivities.

2011-08-13T07:48:00.000-07:00

The royal update!

It has been A LONG TIME since we have updated our blog and now we have a lot of catch up on. Since our last post we have moved to Utah, was shocked/excited to find out I was pregnant, and now we have our precious "little" Hannah..

More than 4 years ago we were reading a book together and one of the children's names in story was "Hannah". We loved it and decided that if we were to have a girl we would name her "Hannah". We never knew if that moment would come. Many of you may know that we tried for over 4 years to get pregnant and were told that we might not be able to have children without doing fertility. We tried some but had taken a break from it all (about a 2 yr break). We were about to start checking into options here in Utah when Aleasha found out she was pregnant. She had always felt that we would be able to have children but in Heavenly Father's own timing; which is better than we could have timed ourselves.

Before/During/After

The cute "little" house
( Before we knew we were expecting we had downgraded to a one bedroom house to save some money..a few months after moving is when I found out I was pregnant. Luckily it was only a 6 month contract then month to month after that. I didn't believe that it was true but after the 3rd pregnancy test I finally decided to break the news to Robert. We enjoyed living in this house and it had a beautiful yard for our dogs and garden)

Hannah's new room..
ready and waiting for her arrival
We moved to Lehi a few months before I was due. We feel so blessed that Hannah now has her own room. It made it seem more real as we got her room ready.

38 weeks along

During:

(I have always wanted to go unmedicated but didn't know if I could do it..My midwife said that it was best to stay at home as long as I could.. All day on Thursday, April 20 I was having increased contractions at work. I worked until 7pm that night and went home; where the contractions continued. Finally about midnight (when I could barely walk) I called my midwife and she said to go ahead and come into the hospital and they would check me out.. That was the longest drive to the hospital. When I arrived I was told that my water had broke..though I was only dilated to a 3. (I thought I had just lost all bladder control..ha, ha).
I had called my mom when I headed to the hospital and she got ready to make the drive from Farmington, New Mexico. She got there about 1 1/2 hrs before Hannah was born.

After:
About 10 hrs after I first called the hospital and then finally went in; Hannah made her grand entrance. A priesthood blessing Robert gave me, my midwife and labor coaches (Robert, Jamie Jiminez,and my mom) all help me get through it "unmedicated"..

A kiss from Daddy!!

Hannah and Uncle Taylor

Hannah and her great aunt Kathy

Uncle Keyton and Rod came to visit Hannah

First Car ride and first few days at home

2007-08-29T08:42:00.003-07:00

2007-08-29T08:42:00.002-07:00

2007-08-29T08:42:00.001-07:00

Well, i thought that wince i had some time on my hands, that i would send along some pictures for everyone to see. The reason that these pictures did not go through before is because i did not push the " i accept the terms button, so i apologize. Here are some pictures of Aleasha and i in Rome from back in December, and then there are some pictures of Aleasha and i with some friends up in Durango at the Bar-D Chuckwagon. we just got done having our family reunion, and so those picturees will be fourthcoming here soon. but continue tio come by and see what is new in our lives. love Robert and Aleasha.

2007-08-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

2007-08-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

2007-08-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

well much has gone on since we have last posted anything onto our blog. we were able to travel to Italy in december so that Aleasha could meet my dad( since they had not met before the mission. i have included pictures specifically for Paul and Nichole who asked to see some pictures. here they finally are. This whole last week Aleasha took off of work, and so we were able to go to Vallecito for a week, and then we got together with some friends and decided to go do the Bar D in upper Colorado. here is a few photos from that.
Rachel and i ran a 5k race together during riverfest, and that was really fun. i ran the 5k, which is 3 miles in exactly 32 minutes flat. well, i cannot think of a whole lot of other news at the moment. there are quite a few more photos that i will post of girls camp, and some other fun things that Aleasha and myself have been doing together. love Robert and Aleasha.

2006-11-05T09:10:00.000-08:00

Monster Jams

October 2006

We took a trip to Albuquerque with Steve, Melissa and Kyle to watch the Monster Jams.

They had the Monster Jams and Motor-cross competitions. Steve and Melissa were selected to be 2 to the 3 judges for the motor-cross and Monster Jam free-style competitions camera died half way through so these are the only pictures we got. It was a fun adventure and change of our normal routine.

2006-11-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

Robert's Birthday Trip

October 8, 2006

On Sunday Morning we stopped by the Conference Center and listened to Music and the Spoken Word. It was very interesting to watch how they practice and record it. What a great start to a Sabbath day!

Before heading back to Farmington we stopped and visited the Bang's (a family that Robert knew growing up). Aleasha enjoyed meeting them for the first time and Robert loved being able to catch up with them. We went to thier ward then had dinner.

2006-10-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

Go Cougars!!!!!

We went to the BYU vs San Diego State football game for Robert's Birthday. Last year, we went to the BYU vs New Mexico for his birthday and decided to carry on the tradition.

One of Robert's gifts was a new BYU football hat. What do you think?

Way to go Cougars!!!!! They had a beautiful 47:17 win.....

That night we went to BYU World of Dance at the Conference Center. We saw Elder Eyring with his wife and other family members. I didn't believe it when Robert first told me till I looked and we asked a Usher. On our way out we stopped and took this beautiful picture of the temple. What an amazing structure!

2006-10-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

Oregon Trip

Over Labor Day weekend we took a quick trip to visit Merrilynn in Cannon Beach. We got really lucky and hit a unusually warm weekend. It was a nice break from the stresses of work and school.

The night we got there we enjoyed a beautiful sunset on the beach before dinner. There was smoke in the air from some fires so the sun was a bright pink.

We spent a lot of the time on the beach. We walked down in the morning and stayed for most of the day. Robert enjoyed being able to relax and not worry about homework for a couple days!

Before going to the airport we stopped at the Asian Gardens in downtown Portland. It is a huge square block full of flowers, plants and Asian architecture. It was a very beautiful place.

2006-10-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

Trip to Visit Aleasha'a Dad!

Are we there yet?????

We finally made it to Texas!!!

We stayed the weekend with Aleasha's dad, step-mom and step-brother. Oh yea!!! We can't forget the dog that Robert wanted to take back to Farmington with us...

Before we headed back to Farmington we stopped by the Lubbock Temple which was right behind the ward building we attended. The bishop in that ward grew up in Farmington and knew Robert's family. What a small world!

2006-10-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

Let Freedom Ring!

July 2006

I know were a little late on our timing but here's what we've been up to. On July 1, 2006 we went to Stadium of Fire in Provo. It was an incrediable experience which made us so much grateful for the freedoms we enjoy.

One of the performers was Taylor Hicks.

The girls went crazy when he came out!

Thankfully we still have normal hearing.ha, ha....

Leann Womack was the other performer.

She didn't get a good of response from the crowd.

Before we left we stopped by Brial Veil Fall. It was beautful and a nice end to our trip.

2006-04-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

What a long couple of months this has been for the both of us. With us both working, and Aleasha taking 1 single class this semester, it has been crazy seeing each other. It was enjoyable being able to view conference this year, and to be able to listen to the brethern and what they had to tell us. In a couple of weeks Rachel and Jusin and Elias will be moving back to Farmington to live for a while, and so we are excited to have them come and live in with us till they find a house!!!!. We appreciate being able to spend the time together when we can find it, and we are enjoying being married to each other. Please continue to stop by our blog. love Robert and Aleasha.

2006-04-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

December 2005

Here are some pictures of Aleasha and i shortly after coming out of the temple from our temple sealing!!

This is one of my favorites. It was a privelage of having my mom travel all the way from Italy to be at the wedding.!!! I think that this 3 some companionships is truely one of the best!!!.

Here is another picture of Aleasha and i.. These smiles on our face relfect how we have always felt about each other.

2006-04-02T18:49:00.000-07:00

Well, spring has finally begun coming in like a lamb, and we are enjoying being together. This weekend was General conference, and for me i felt like i will be forever changed because of what i heard. It has been sort of wierd for the both of us as we both had to work all week long during spring break... This week it will be back to the griding stone with school, and work, not to talk about the fact that i feel thrown out of my usual routine !!! AHHHHHH.For the past week we have been busy and through it all i have come to appreciate so much the love that Heavenly Father has shown twards us. I know that we will continue to grow together as we seek to strengthen our marraige. Thanks again for all of you have done so much for us. love Robert and Aleasha !! Check out our blog. !!

2006-03-19T16:23:00.000-08:00

Hey, it is Sunday March 19th, and it was oficially time to post again. so here it is for all of you who have been waiting. How fast the month of March is going by, not only that, how quick the year is going for all of us.!!!. I am really excited to view general conference, and to be able to hear what the Lord has for us in a couple of weeks.!!!. School is going ok, i am done with my 2nd semester the second week of May, and then it is back to working the whole summer before returning to school again in the fall.. We continue to do well, we are awaiting the arrival of Rachel and Justin and Elias and Wilson and scout( wilson and scout are the dogs). Justin found a job here in Farmington, and come next July we will have mostly our whole family back in Farmington once again.. Mom and dad are done in 14 months, and then they will be home from serving in Italy. We are going back to Italy for 2 weeks in December!!!!. well good bye everyone. please know of our love and support. love Robert and Aleasha Rhien

2006-03-14T19:14:00.000-08:00

This is Leah and Bryce frost and Doug Moretensen
Aleasha and Alise Mortensen are in the kitchen making the cookies
We have been having a love of life, and we are trying to do alot of fun things together. We are oficially at our 3 month anniversary come tomorrow, and we actually have plans... we will be going out to dinner, and then come back here and maybe watch a movie. we love you all.. love Aleasha and Robert.

2006-03-14T18:58:00.000-08:00

Well, things are going well, we are just making it pretty wild in our new marrieds life. I think that we have grown together like i never knew we could..well we thought that we would include some pictures from our family Home evening on our blog. We love you all and keep you all in our thoughts and prayers. love Robert and Aleasha

2006-03-14T18:50:00.000-08:00

Well, i thought that i would include the pictures that we had from our family home evening last night.. We had a blast with a few married couples that get together once a month to do family home evening together. Tomorrow is oficially our 3 month anniversary.!!!!. How exciting!!!. well we just wanted you all to know how much we love and appreciate you all. love Robert and Aleasha