matt & brenda

2011-08-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

Charlie's 1st trip to the Cabin!

Waterfall Trail

2011-05-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

Today has been a busy day, and it's not even over yet!! This morning we woke up super early and hiked the Waterfall Trail at the White Tank Mountains. It was short, easy and fun for Charlie's 1st hike! Right after that we rushed over to her swim lessons to let her splash around for a little bit. Now Matt and his dad are out in the garage building some storage shelves..YAY! Those were much needed. After that, Matt is taking me somewhere for a pre-mother's day "surprise" then off to out neighbors for some "adult time". To top everything off, today I started Charlie on a schedule! We've accomplished a bedtime, now we gotta work on the day since I'll be starting school again soon. Oh man, is she not happy about this schedule! Wish me luck!

Just some cute photos!

2011-04-11T00:33:00.000-07:00

Charlie only a few days old

Charlie 7 weeks old

All photos were done by Jamie Harper! She does such an amazing job! Thank you Jamie! We LOVE our photos!

Charlotte Valene Del Vecchio

2011-04-11T00:21:00.001-07:00

On February 7th, my due date, I had a check up with Dr. Newman. During this check-up, Dr. Newman was able to see one of my crazy strong Braxton Hicks contractions. He told me that he’d probably be seeing me at the hospital within 48 hours but we still scheduled to be induced Feb 13 just in case. He was pretty confident that by seeing that contraction, I’d be in labor soon. He even sounded convincing by saying, “I’ve been doing this for awhile.” I wasn’t feeling that was the case since for months I was having these strong contractions. Sure enough, a week labor I was waddling into the hospital to be induced. I was terrified to be induced! From stories I have heard, being induced just meant a lengthy, difficult labor. We arrived at the hospital around 9pm. Around midnight I got my IV hooked up, they put prostaglandin gel on my cervix and I was sent to the bed for an hour. I was feeling great! At this time I was about 3cm dilated, and 90% effaced. The following hour they gave me freedom, and I chose to get in Del Webb’s amazing Jacuzzi tubs. The nurse even bubbled it up for me! Then all of a sudden….BAM! Contractions started coming every 5 minutes. They weren’t too terrible at this time. They were nothing a few deep breathes and positioning couldn’t fix. After an hour, I was checked again and I was at 4cm. Since I was progressing well, the nurse decided to let my labor ride out on its own and it sure did….Those contractions were quite a trip. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to stand, walk, lean, sit on the good ol’ ball, or just scream! I decided laying in bed on my side worked best. After 5 hours of trying to tough it out, I got the epidural. Ahhhhh *sigh*epidurals =o) In the morning, Dr. Newman arrived to break my water. Turns out mother nature already took care of that for him. This is when they found out that there was meconium in the fluid. Not a big deal, but they prepared themselves with the right staff for the job. I ended up with quite the party in my room (2 grandmas, hubby, Dr., Nurse, 2 interns, and Specialist). We waited around that morning, watching movies and trying to relax. Afternoon roles around and that baby is ready to come out, along with a few other babies on that floor! So I was put aside for awhile… I had no urge to push but I was feeling the pressure. Finally, Dr. Newman arrived. By this point I was so exhausted and THIRSTY! I was tired of ice chips and ready for a huge cup of water! I pushed for only 6 contractions and she was out! She was rushed to get her lungs sucked clean which only took a few minutes, so I was not able to see her right away. Luckily, there was no meconium in her lungs. Matt was with her and he was so excited! I cried as he yelled things to me like, “She has my eyebrows! She has long fingernails! She has dark hair!” They then brought my little precious baby over and placed her in my arms. The first thing I said to her was, “I’m so sorry, you have daddy’s eyebrows.” The first thing she did was wrap her little hands around my finger. =o) I was able to enjoy skin-to-skin with her for awhile and then she was taken to be examined. Everyone was so excited as she was passed around the room. At this time, I was more excited about my big cup of water. I was so exhausted that the excitement of my new daughter didn’t sink in until later that night when it was just Matt and I in the recovery room. I loved that new moment of getting to know your child for the 1st time. She was so noisy and alert. She was so precious in daddy’s arms and he has been wrapped around her little finger since that day. We love you Charlie!

Charlotte Valene Del Vecchio

7 lbs 8oz 20 inches

February 14, 2011

Gotta Keep Busy!

2011-02-04T13:21:00.000-08:00

So my mom came over Tuesday to help distract this expectant momma from going crazy! We pulled out all of our old frames and got to painting. We painted them all a color scheme of cool colors such as blues, greens, greys and white. We then whitewashed them to give them some character, and voila! Our project was complete! I hung them up, now I just gotta fill those frames with pictures. Our whole project cost less then $10!

The Waiting Project...

2011-01-28T12:36:00.000-08:00

This pregnancy is definatly dragging on! I'm at the end of my 38th week and have more time on my hands than I want! So what do I do? I make some home improvements of course! So this week I made a cute ladder and frames to go up on the wall. Don't give me too much credit, it was a stolen idea but it was alot of fun to make! I can't wait to put some baby pictures in those frames =o)

Matt cut the wood and sanded it down for me! This is the main idea of the project
First step of the frames is done. Just waiting for them to dry to finish whitewashing them.

Staining the wood!

Whitewashing is done!

The outcome! I'm so happy with how it came out!

Baby Shower!

2011-01-12T12:53:00.000-08:00

I had so much fun at the baby shower! Cindy and everyone did a great job at putting everything together! Thanks to everyone who came and made it a good time!

Linda made some stinkin cute favors!

Diaper raffle

We had alot good food...and I mean ALOT! The Guests!

Present Time!

Matt even got in on some presents!

The cute onesies!

Looking back on 2010

2011-01-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

Girls Cruise!

2010-10-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy with school, work and being pregnant that I got a little behind on some blogs! In September I went on my 1st cruise with my mom, my Aunt Kim and my cousin Kayelyn. We started off in New Orleans and made a stop in Cozumel, Mexico. Besides me being sick, we had a blast! Everyone, including myself, just assumed that me being pregnant and the motion of the ocean was making me sick. Turns out I had a nasty virus that lasted for weeks! It was still alot of fun to be able to go and spend time with family =o)

Our crew at Cafe De Monde!

Our mule "Hot Stuff" on our tour through New Orleans

Yummy Mexican Food!

Mayan Ruins

It's a girl!

2010-09-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

Charlotte Del Vecchio

~19 weeks~

~Baby D~

2010-08-05T15:21:00.000-07:00

Thats Right! My hunny and I are starting our little bunch =o) We are so excited to be parents! I'm already getting into mommy mode and it's amazing how differently you think about things when you're getting closer to becoming a parent. I feel myself becoming even closer to the Gospel and this experience alone has been strenthening my testimony of eternal families =o)

My hunny and I found out around 4 weeks that I was pregnant! We were speechless while staring at all the positive tests (yes, we took way more than one just to be sure, 5 to be exact) We went to the doctor the next week and they told us that usually people don't go into the doctors that early. They took my blood and made me wait 3 weeks to know anything else!! Torture!! 3 weeks passed and we were able to see Baby D for the 1st time. Even though he/she looks like a little alien, we were just excited to see that something was actually in there! At 12 weeks we went back to the doctor and heard the heartbeat which was racing at 170! Instead of crying at special moments like this, I get the giggles. For a couple seconds we heard the heartbeat, then came the laughs. So over the muffled sounds of my laugh, we weren't able to hear the baby's heart on the doppler. I finally was able to bite my tongue and she found the baby's heartbeat once again. That was a very exciting thing to experience and I am glad that my hunny could be there too!

This picture was taken just a couple nights ago. I'm beginning to sprout a little belly! I say little now....

This picture is proof that my hunny is the best husband ever. One night I was jabbing away when I mentioned I wanted to start recording everything about my pregnancy. Well, apparently he actually does pick up on these things! He came home from work one night and left a little present on the bed for me. It was a pregnancy journal! It was exactly what I was looking for =o) I love him so much!

I like to look for rainbows....

2010-07-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

Phoenix has been tortured with excessive warnings and overcast clouds that have been teasing us for weeks now...then BAM! Here comes the beautiful skies and rain that's more than overdue. Just open your windows and enjoy that smell of rain!

The Project

2010-04-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

Our new project is the BACKYARD! Working on a budget with high expectations requires a whole lotta patience! We do what we can, and hire what we can't. Slowly it's been coming together and it is so exciting!

This is Matt and his dad tilling the yard. They were prepping everything for the sprinkler system and to plant some grass!

Just this Saturday we made a trip to MVN and picked up some baby plants! They're just so dang cute!

YESSS! Our grass is FINALLY coming in!

On the side of the house we built a dog run. The dogs have been spending all their "outside" time in there since they can't run on the growing grass. They love it in there! Despite the heat, they just love to lay out and bask in the sun! Since our drip system is not completely set up yet, we have been out there watering the plants every day. Today when I was watering the plants I decided to be nice and give the dogs some water (it was their lucky day). So I tried spraying the water across the dog run to fill their water bowl. Then all of a sudden....INTERFERENCE! Josie jumped right in trying to stop whatever the heck was coming into the dog run (she's just a puppy so this was new to her!) It was so funny so I had to get it on video.....the 2nd video is actually the first one I shot, this is when she was trying to it out.

Master Makeover!

2010-01-24T20:05:00.000-08:00

BEFORE

AFTER

1st Complete Room!

2010-01-23T19:02:00.000-08:00

This is the before picture of our front room. I think of it as the "awkward room". It's a little space off to the side when you first walk through the front door.

Fresh paint is always good!

The finishing touches!

I'm happy with how everything turned out! This is Toby's favorite room, I think it's because its one of the few places that actually has carpet for him to play on! I'm glad he enjoys it because we don't get alot of use out of this room!

These are my under $20 craft decor! I got the idea from Michaels website!

http://www.michaels.com/art/online/static?page=greatdecorinaflash

Day 1, 2, 3...

2009-12-28T21:31:00.000-08:00

Here's some advice for anyone getting ready to move into a house:

-Bring toilet paper

-Have a local pizza place's # ready for delivery

-Know where the closest Home Depot or Lowes is cause whatever you have now, you'll need more of it!

-Lots and lots of paper towels and rags

-Bring your working crew....friends, family, anybody!

-Music

-Those old clothes you almost threw away will now be your new painting clothes

We're so thankful we've had so much help! Thank you Gary, Cindy, Allyson and Mom!

Tonight will be another night of prepping for Matt and I. We can't wait to see all of this come to an end! We're very excited to move in this weekend!

the best christmas present EVER!

2009-12-26T19:28:00.000-08:00

After months of torment and going through the crazy rollercoaster of being first time home buyers, we FINALLY have a house!!! More pictures to come!

Late on Labor Day Pictures!

2009-09-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day weekend we spent the first half with Matts family, and the last with my family!

PART I of Labor Day Weekend!

Matt and I with the wiggliest little guy i've ever known =o)

Josh playing with Crazy Uncle Matt and Grandma with Zak in the back!

Uncle Matt and Zak (and Morgan)

Josh and Grandma Cindy!

Jody playing with Josh! He loves the water!

Zak is so impressive in the pool! I tried to get him a couple times in the air, but he doesnt jump on 3!!!

Josh kickin back in his turtle!

Adam took Josh under water for his 1st time....

.....and it didnt work out so well!

Zak being his cute self!

Josh with Grandpa Gary!

Zak the "Tacoquito" and Auntie Alli!

He's so serious about his pepperoni pizza! I think we're looking at the next Iron Chef!

PART II of Labor day Weekend!

Me and Hadyen!

Toby lickin the poor kids head!

Hayden loved Toby and Toby loved Hayden!

Grandma and Grandpa

Hayden playing with Grandma Jayme!

Matt was playing with Hayden when Toby decided he was being left out!

Anniversary Part II

2009-08-31T12:53:00.000-07:00

There's more to our Anniversary!

This is what I walked into when we got home from Fossil Springs....I was so surprised!! My husband is romantic =o)

The next day, Matt and I enjoyed an amazing couples massage and stuffed ourselves at the Brazillion Bull!

My goal for our 2nd year is to make it even better than the 1st! I love Matt and he has been an amazing husband!

I can't wait to see what's in store for us!

1 Year Anniversary!

2009-08-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

Matt and I have been married for 1 year! Its scary how fast it goes by! For our anniversay, we had a weekend long celebration, which started with a hike down fossil springs! Last time we went we didnt get to actually hike down, so we made it our goal to make it out alive. It ended up being a few more miles then we expected!!

This is just the beginning!

We made it halfway! That was NOTHIN!

We're going the right way!!

The coolest thing about this hike was how the scenery kept changing!

Signs of water!

Ok, make a note...this is where we SHOULD have crossed for the easy access trail!

The boys stuck in a pricker bush! Here's some advice....dont follow the guy who claims he's been here before and is trying to show off for his new girlfriend....

This is where we ended up crossing instead.....

THE ENDING FINALE!

Right after this pic a deer ran 5 feet in front of us! Toby wanted to play with her!

Matt swinging from the rope!

BEAUTIFUL!

Halfway mark back to the top. It was so hot, both of us didnt think we would make it out! Lucky for us, after the halfway mark, the clouds came and the trail leveled out a little bit.

Toby did great! I think his favorite part was where we had to cross the creek!

Come over here rain!

Did you hear that thunder?!

Look! Yogi Bear!

What? Nobody's around!

My determined face!

Me after hiking for hours!

We cant give up!

Break!

Must.....get....to....top!

We made it!

CAMPING!

2009-08-03T16:18:00.000-07:00

Our Jeep was so crowded Toby had to stick his head in between our seats! Though it was cute, i think it was our hint that we need a bigger vehicle!

These are the boys at our camp site, it was BEAUTIFUL there! It was so nice to get out of the Phx and have to actually cuddle up for heat ;o)!!

This is the gang about to hike Fossil Springs, but their poor dog Elway wasnt feeling up to it! So instead we drove down the dirt road a few more miles which ended up intersecting the creek....PERFECT! Can you tell Toby didnt like the Forest Ranger who was taking the picture?! We think it was his hat...

My Baby Boy! The dogs were getting brave and jumping from rock to rock...with an occasional slip in into the creek!!

It was alot of fun having Joann and Anthony with us! Our friends Sarah and Loren met up with us on Sunday, sorry but i wasnt able to get any pictures of them! When they came up we went to Potato Lake. Toby and Elway were actually jumping in the lake to fetch sticks =o) That lake was small but so pretty, its too bad i didnt get pictures!

Cousins =o)

Toby Del Vecchio

2009-07-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

This is our newest addition....Toby! He is the funnest dog! For all of those who are wondering, he is a white lab-aussie mix. He's right around 7 months and his personality shows that =o) Its been a blast to have him around, but like any puppy, we have some things to work on. Check out these pics of our cute little family!

Our Summer!

2009-07-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

For our first trip of the summer we went to California with our friends Dillon and Hannah. I got to experience Six Flags for the 1st time (AMAZING!) The next day we rented some boogy boards, packed a lunch and spent all day at the beach. This led to me being a lobster for the following week! We ended that day with dinner in Hollywood! On the way out of California Matt and I stopped at Adam and Jodys to see the fam (Matts brother) It was fun being able to see the 2 little boys while we were there! Sorry, there were no pictures of that part =o(

The Del Vecchio's Memorial Weekend

2009-05-30T16:31:00.000-07:00

Matt and I spent the weekend with his family in Surprise for Memorial Weekend. His brother and sister-in-law were able to make it down here from Cali with now TWO little boys. Zak, is now 2 years old and absolutley adorable! This kid is hilarious and now has about 20+ catch-phrases! "How YOU doin" "Cry Ally, Cry!" "Wonderwomanman" We love him to bits! We also were able to meet Joshua...he took my place as the newest member to the family! He's the cutest little guy, and his facial expressions are priceless...even the pooping faces!!! We were also celebrating his brother's (Adams) birthday on Saturday! His mom (and everyone who pitched in) made lobster and ribs!!!! Mmmmm...the perfect combo!! Its always fun for us to see his family, expecially those stinkin cute boys!!

My Trash the Dress!

2009-05-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

So FINALLY I'm posting some of my Trash the Dress Photos! I cant tell you how nervous I was in the beginning! I was coming up with different excuses to get out of it...BUT I am soooo HAPPY I went through with it! I ended up with some amazingly fun and random pictures! My friend Brandon (photographer) and I had fun going out there and being creative! I didnt even actually have to TRASH my dress! I'm just still picking cactus out of it =o) Here's a few that I hope you'll enjoy!

Mom's Over the Hill!

2009-05-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

Trash the Dress

2009-04-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, it sounds worse than what it really is, but YES, I am trashing my wedding gown. I have been looking forward to this even since before my wedding. I am taking my wedding dress out to places that I would not have before my wedding day, for the reason of not RUINING it! In two weeks, me and my friend Jennifer (another bride) will be taking our dresses out to Jerome and Sedona with a fun photographer to so we can "Trash the Dress". Not to worry Mom! We may only go as far as going in water with it!

It's just all about getting another chance to play dress up and to get some fun, gorgeous pictures in your wedding gown! What girl wouldnt want that?! We have 2 fun brides, a creative photographer, and an amazing makeup and hair stylist. WE'RE SET!!

The link below is a video of a few girls "Trashing the Dress"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyd8KjR7LME

Matts Birthday Weekend

2009-02-13T16:01:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went up to Snow Flake for Matts birthday! We got to stay at Tifny's parents 'mad' house, I dont think Matt was prepared for all those kids! Matt and I also went snowboarding for our first time. Lucky for us, it was snowing all day so the powder broke our falls......notice falls was plural. Yes, we ate it every couple minutes in the beginning but I was surprised at how well we did after a few times down the hill. I will admit that nothing is funnier than watching someone fall down while snowboarding, i think its just seeing the board going over their head that gets to me. Matt had the best falls, you couldnt see anything but snow explode when he'd go down. I was done after my third time down the big hill, I was tired worrying about breaking a bone. We definatly want to do this again but next time we ARE getting lessons!

In between the snow storms...

during the snow storm...

Matt and I takin a break

We in Jamaica Ya Mon!

2009-01-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

Last year we went on our Honeymoon to Jamaica. We stayed on Sandals resort that was on a very secluded part of the island. It took over an hour to drive there from Montego Bay airport but the insane bus ride made it seem like much longer....

This was at Dunn's River Fall. We went on an intense hike up a raging river and waterfalls. That was my favorite part of Jamaica!

"Want to kiss my lucky egg?!"

Matt and I took a walk along the beach. Past the property is an un-touched beach, it was full of shells and trees from the jungle! this is how far out we dared to go alone!

These birds would just walk right up and join you for dinner!

Sailing was one of Matts favorite things about the resort. They made me nervous so I didnt go on them much. The water was so clear and beautiful but I was always afraid we'd get stuck in the reef!

This is the view from our room!

The resort had a pirates dinner out on the beach. They only had one long table for all the guests, it reached all the way down the beach. Right after dessert came out, the rain started down pouring down! The beach was cleared within minutes!

Sugar Cane! Or as the Jamaicans call it "Rum Stick"

It doesnt get more Rasta than this!

Some of those zip lines were over a football field long!

I LOVE THIS KID!

2009-01-27T16:19:00.000-08:00

Tifny and Aaron came over last night to have a BBQ and they brought over my most favorite thing.....CALLIE!

I'll show her boyfriends this picture when she grows up!

ADORABLE!

She's happy about the bow I made for her tiny head!

.Glendale Glitters.

2009-01-18T11:22:00.001-08:00

Last night we went to Glendale Glitters with Matt's Family. It was a night full of hot air and really cool hats!

Callie's Blessing

2009-01-18T10:54:00.000-08:00

Matt was asked to do his first baby blessing. Though he was so nervous, we all thought he did a great job. We love the McCrays!!!

The McCray Family

She would only laugh when she saw the flash of the camera. What a goober!

Tifny's family was able to make it down from Snowflake.

The Lion King

2009-01-16T19:15:00.000-08:00

Last night we got to see the Lion King with my family! It was so much fun, expecially since it was Matt's first broadway!!

Fun in Flagstaff!

2008-12-28T16:40:00.000-08:00

matt & brenda

Waterfall Trail

Just some cute photos!

Charlotte Valene Del Vecchio

Gotta Keep Busy!

The Waiting Project...

Baby Shower!

Looking back on 2010

Girls Cruise!

It's a girl!

~Baby D~

I like to look for rainbows....

The Project

Master Makeover!

1st Complete Room!

Day 1, 2, 3...

the best christmas present EVER!

Late on Labor Day Pictures!

Anniversary Part II

1 Year Anniversary!

CAMPING!

Toby Del Vecchio

Our Summer!

The Del Vecchio's Memorial Weekend

My Trash the Dress!

Mom's Over the Hill!

Trash the Dress

Matts Birthday Weekend

We in Jamaica Ya Mon!

I LOVE THIS KID!

*.*Glendale Glitters*.*

Callie's Blessing

The Lion King

Fun in Flagstaff!

.Glendale Glitters.