Jeff and Stephanie

Brynnlee Update

2011-12-14T15:38:00.000-08:00

Our little Brynnlee is growing up so fast. She is doing so many new things every day and I wanted to take a minute and write down all the new things she does. First she is starting to make noises and try to talk more and more. I was really worried that she wasn't talking but I know that it is in there and one day she will just explode with words. She already says mama and dada really well. She wakes up every morning and runs into our bedroom looking for her dada! She also loves to make noises. She roars like a lion, and makes monkey noises, and Jeff has taught her to hohoho like Santa. It is so cute. She even knows when to say it during the song Up on the Housetop. She is also running everywhere. She loves to explore and you can't let her down in a store or she will take off. She did that the other day when I was at See's Candy. She took off out the door and I practically shoplifted to run after her and drag her back in the store. She thinks it is so fun to run as fast as she can and have mommy and daddy chase after her. She is so smart with remembering things. She can tell you where her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears are... we have also just learned belly button and she loves to fold her arms when it is time for a prayer. She picked up on the last one after just one day of mommy showing her. She loves the movie Tangled and will watch it intently all day long if you let her. She doesn't show much interest in any other movie or show, but Tangled she'll watch over and over again. She loves to explore, loves to sit in big kid chairs, loves to give hugs and kisses, and absolutely loves spending time with her cousins. She plays pattycake, and head, shoulders knees and toes, and imitates her Grandpa Stephens. She also does the cutest thing now with tissues. Jeff taught her to blow her nose, so now when she can get ahold of a tissue, baby wipe, or even towel she will blow her nose in it and then throw it away. She actually loves to throw anything away we let her. She will throw her diapers in the trash, wrappers, and anything else we give her. Luckily right now she only throws away trash and not her toys. She also likes to brush her teeth (the few she has), and wipe her face off on a towel. I can't believe all the fun things she does every day. We are so lucky to have such a fun little sweetheart! I am so glad I get to be home with her so much!

Home from New York

2011-10-29T08:44:00.000-07:00

While I was in New York with Jeff's mom and sisters, Jeff and his brother Drew decided to scare up our house for Halloween. Jeff has never really gotten into decorating so I even though I knew that he was going to add a few things I had no idea what I was going to see when I got home. They had make tombstones for our yard. Have spooky ghosts that fly, rats that run across the porch and this stuffed mask guy to put in the tree. Well the masked guy can't be in the tree until Halloween so for now it is in our kitchen and has make a new friend out of Brynnlee. She reads to it, gives it hugs, jumps on it's legs, and all around loves it!!! What kind of crazy girl do we have. We even took her to the Halloween shop when I got home and she loves the creepy things in there as well.

We have also discovered that we have a little closet drinker in our family. Brynnlee loves to get into our pantry, grab the sodas off the shelf and will just stand in the closet and pretend to drink them. She has never been allowed to have real soda, but she must have just picked up on what her daddy and mommy do. It's so funny. She does it every time we accidentally leave the pantry door open.

Brynnlee's Books

2011-10-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

Brynnlee has recently really taken to her books. She has always liked books, but had the atttention span of about 3 minutes with reading them. Lately though books are her favorite toy. She pulls them out of her box and will spend tons of time just looking through them herself. At night she loves listening to mommy and daddy read, and even when she is getting her diaper changed will grab a book to look at while we change her. She is turning into her mommy! What a cutie.

She pulled all her books out of the box!

Then sat and read them all to herself!

Brynnlee's Birthday

2011-10-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

I know I am super late on this post. I thought that by only working part time I would have so much more time to do things like this, but the beginning of the school year has been crazy and I find very little free time to do anything. Anyway last month was Brynnlee's 1st birthday. It was a great celebration filled with lots of presents, family, and cake!!! Brynnlee loved the attention until it was past her bedtime and then decided she had enough. So we put her to bed and continued with the party. It started out with just daddy, mommy and Brynn opening up her gifts from us. She wasn't much into it but played a little with the things we gave her. We ended up just putting most of the presents away and will probably give them to her again for Christmas. Then all the family arrived. Almost everyone was there and Brynnlee was loving the attention. She had fun cousins to help her open her presents and enjoyed watching them play with most of her toys. The big toy of the night was a car for her to ride in. She absolutely loved it, until she got a little too much attention and had a little meltdown. We decided at that time it was probably time for cake and bed. We stripped her down put the cake in front of her and let her go at it. As you can see in the pictures she was pretty hesitant at first, but once daddy pushed her hands both in she realized what was going on and started gobbling, pausing only to share a little with others. After that we cleaned up and sent Brynnlee to bed and the rest of us enjoyed a nice bonfire and some socializing. It was a pretty good night. I also wanted to post what Brynnlee can do now that she is 1 year old. We took her to the doctor a few days after her birthday and she has grown from the 6th percentile in weight to a whopping 7th weighing 18 pounds. She did grow though in height now measuring 30 inches and coming in the 80th percentile. She is developing in so many other ways as well. She mastered walking at 11 months and is now everywhere!!! She loves climbing up and down the stairs and putting her arms out like Frankenstein and running. She is also always talking-mostly sounds of course, but has mastered mama and dada! She loves waving bye-bye, playing patty cake, and showing how big she is. She also will blow kisses, point to mommy's nose, eyes, and mouth, and clapping all the time. I can't believe our little baby is sooooooooo grown up.

The pictures are a little out of order. Here she is playing with the cake

Daddy getting the ball rolling.

Sharing with family

Loving the big car!!!

Lots of presents

Cousins helping. Thank you!

We love Bracelets!

Celebrating with lots of family

The delicious cake

Mommy and Daddy's Presents

Family Pictures

2011-07-25T18:15:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had our pictures taken by Jeff's super talented sister Megan who has started her own business called Megan Hauze Photography. She did such a wonderful job for us that I had to post a whole bunch of the pictures she gave us. I would post even more since we have most of the pictures in black and white as well, and they are beautiful but I didn't want to repeat too many pictures. If you like these you should definitely go to her blog meganhauzephotography.blogspot.com to see the many other pictures she has. She is excellent with babies and has some really cute backdrops for any age. We just loved our pictures and are so happy to have gotten them done. I know this is a lot of pictures but they were all so good we had to post them.

10 Month Stats

2011-07-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it! Our little cutie is 10 months already. She has been the most amazing little girl, and just grows and does new things every day. We went for her 9 month check-up last week (it was a little late - more like a 10 month check-up) and here were her stats:

Height: 28.82 inches - 74th percentile

Weight: 16.64 pounds - 6th percentile

I guess she is just going to be tall and skinny like her dad. She is also doing so many fun things now. She just today stood up all on her own without holding onto anything. My dad, sister, and I were all sitting around her and she just decided to stand up. It was so cute. She wouldn't do it again but later tonight she tried to take a little step. She kind of scooted and then fell, but I just know she is going to be walking all around really soon. She also talks all the time now. She isn't saying any real words except for DaDa which she is really good at, but she loves to make noise and try to make the same sounds as we do. She loves crawling up the stairs and wears her mama out chasing after her all day. It has been so fun spending so much time with her this summer. I just love seeing all the things Brynnlee does. Here are just some fun pictures we took around the house and at my father's birthday party.

Chillin' in the bag

Grandpa's Birthday

Being silly with mama

Loving her time with daddy

Brynnlee's summer activities

2011-06-24T20:02:00.000-07:00

Brynnlee is now 9 months old and doing so many things. She quickly started sitting up, crawling, and then pulling up against everything and even trying to stand on her own. She finally got her first tooth about 4 days ago. She never even complained about it. She didn't have anything for so long and then one night she slept really well and when she woke up a little tooth and started to break through. She loves to lick it, but hasn't let it bother her. Now that I am off for the summer we have tried to do some fun things with Brynnlee. We bought a little baby pool and she absolutely loves it! We have also gone swimming at a real pool and most recently to the Zoo. I am loving the different and new experiences we are having with her each day. She is such a doll!!!

Our first swimming pool experience

Playing around at home

We loved the giraffes! We love grandma more!!

Playing around at the zoo with Aunt Bitty!

I'm a little gorilla! (She really is, or at least tries to sound like one)

Jeff's Graduation

2011-06-24T19:51:00.001-07:00

Last month Jeff finally hit a milestone in his life, he graduated from college. He has been going since I met him. It has taken many years and way too much of our money, but he is finally done. It was a wonderful day with great speakers and lots of support from his family. I am so proud of him and all his hard work. I have seen some of the books he read this last few years and I know I couldn't do it. Brynnlee is also pretty happy about daddy's graduation because now he can be home to play with her before she goes to bed. Yea! Daddy!

Random pictures from the last 3 months

2011-05-03T20:16:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted for a really long time so I thought I better post some pictures that we have taken lately.

Brynnlee loves her food. Sometimes a little too much.

It looks like she is doing a good job with the sippy cup, she is very good at tricking you. She really is just good at biting the end.

She loves this book. It's so cute. She will sit on her tummy and turn the pages all by herself. It plays music and she just loves it.

When Brynnlee was 5 months old I entered her in a Baby Beauty contest. It was crazy. Have you seen Toddlers and Tiaras, well that was exactly how it was. It was really crazy. Brynnlee did win the most photogenic though, which was pretty neat. Her picture was in the program and everything.

Brynnlee just chillin' with her daddy.

I am not very creative, but had to make an attempt this last month for my friend Bre. We had a baby shower for her at work and it was my job to make a diaper cake. This is what I was able to do all on my own. I was pretty happy with it. It's not the best ever, but Bre seemed to like it.

Picture above just the cake. Picture below has the cake along with presents attached.

I also made this diaper wipe bag for her. Actually my mom sewed the bag. I was in charge of making the flower that attached to it. Thanks mom.

Finally Jeff has been working for a whole year on a team project for school. They have entered a Mini Baja competition and had to build this go-cart looking machine. I think it looks pretty cool. They are really excited about the competition which is at the end of this month in Kansas. Go Utes!!!! Another thing I love about this project is that it is almost all ready to go which means Jeff is at the end of his senior year of school!!! He graduates on Friday. I don't even know how it is going to be to have a husband that comes home from work at a normal time, who doesn't have homework each night, who isn't paying for school each semester, and who isn't always trying to balance school, work, and a family. Yea!!! Brynnlee and I get our daddy!

Where have we been, Easter, and New Things

2011-05-03T19:49:00.001-07:00

So where have we been. I really haven't forgotten about my blogs, I just can't believe how fast time flies when you have a sweet little one to take care of. Jeff and I have been so busy with work and school lately and feel like we only get a few minutes each day to spend with Brynnlee. I really try to cherish those moments. I wanted to post though and write all the fun new things Brynnlee has been learning before I forget all about them. We had a wonderful Easter this year. Brynnlee is finally to the age where she can at least have a little fun with the holidays. We bought her this fun new outfit and she looked so cute in it I had to take a ton of pictures. She was totally spoiled by all her family, and loved it all.

Her little nose smirk. She learned this from her aunt Bitty.

Searching for eggs with Daddy.

Brynnlee with fun uncle Drew Bug.

We loved sitting with Aunt Brittany.

I also wanted to take this time to write down all the things Brynnlee has been accomplishing the last few months so that I have these as a record. At around 6 months she learned DaDa, baba, gaga, nienie (we think that means no-she only says it when she is mad), and pretty much any other sound but mama. She still doesn't say that. She did start doing her dinosaur call though, which everyone loves. It pretty much is just a grunt. She loves to say dada all day long. It must be because she loves her dada soooooooo much. You should see her when she sees him. She gets all excited and kicks her legs. She also started sitting up really well around the 7 month mark. She almost never falls over anymore unless she is trying to get onto her tummy. The newest accomplishment just started on Saturday. She started to CRAWL!!! It is of course very rough and most of the time she gets her arm stuck under her but she is moving forward. I am so excited about all the fun things she learns each day. She is so happy, and loves to explore. She is always looking around and finding new things to get into. It is so fun right now, and every time I play with her I feel so blessed for having such a beautiful fun baby girl.

Brynnlee's Spring Pictures

2011-02-27T20:20:00.001-08:00

My mom and sister convinced me to enter Brynnlee in a Baby Beauty Contest that is being held in March. We needed some new pictures of Brynnlee to send in so Megan was super sweet and took some spring pictures of her. Here are some of my favorites. Megan did an awesome job (like always) and Brynnlee looked so cute, even though she was being pretty moody the whole time we were taking pictures.

Harnesses and Hip Displatia

2011-02-12T14:18:00.000-08:00

About a month ago at Brynnlee's 4 month appointment our doctor became concerned about her hips. She has been watching them since Brynnlee was born because she was breech, but never thought we needed to do something about them until now. She told us that we should probably head over to Scriner's Hospital and get them looked at. Last Friday we took Brynnlee over to the hospital and they did an X-ray and decided that Brynnlee has Hip Displatia. Her hips are in the socket but there is a space between the socket and her bone and so she is at a risk of them dislocating. I guess because of the space her hip socket is not growing around the bone. The options she gave us were to first put her in a harness for a month to see if that pushes her bone into the socket better so that the socket can grow around it, and then if that doesn't work to go to some more drastic measures such as surgery or having a body cast for a few months. We were really worried about it all but are willing to try anything to avoid the more drastic measures so our doctor strapped her in. I feel terrible because Brynnlee can't stretch her legs at all in the harness and so every time we take her out of it to change her diaper she pushes her legs as straight as she can, but luckily Brynnlee is a trooper and has adjusted really well. We only have to have her in it for a month and we are already a week down. Yea! We're just praying that this works and her little hips will be fixed!

Here is what it looks like completely strapped on.

It wraps around her shoulders and chest and hooks onto her legs.

Even through it all she still smiles!

Eating Solids!

2011-02-12T14:15:00.001-08:00

Brynnlee has just started eating some solid foods. She has done so great with them. We started her about a week ago with some rice cereal and every time I feed it to her she just gobbles it right up. I am waiting for her to be difficult with new things, but we were definitely blessed with an easy child (so far). What a cutie!

Valentine's Cutie

2011-02-12T14:11:00.000-08:00

Megan took some really cute Valentine pictures of our little cutie. We have just loved all the pictures she has taken. If you like these and the others of Brynnlee you should head over to her blog http://meganhauzephotography.blogspot.com/. She has some wonderful pictures of babies, teens, and families.

4 Month Stats

2011-01-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

We went to the doctor on Wednesday for Brynnlee's 4 month check up. She was really sick when we took her in, so her weight went down a little, but I couldn't believe what went up. Here were her stats.

Weight: 11. 53 lbs. Went from the 17th percentile to the 9th (like I said she had been sick all week and wasn't eating much. Before she got sick she was almost 12lbs).

Height: 24.96 inches. Went from the 17th percentile to the 75th. Now I know why she is wearing 9 month clothing. She has been growing like a weed the last few weeks!!

I couldn't believe how much she had grown. She is going to be so tall like her daddy! Everything looked well at the doctor except for her little hips. Since she was a breech baby the doctor has always been concerned and had us watch for hip displatia (where her hip doesn't grow correctly in the socket). Well at this appointment we had some x-rays and her hip is about 1-2 degrees out of place. It doesn't sound like much, but it concerned the doctor enough that we are taking Brynn down to Schriner's Hospital at the beginning of February to have some tests. They said that they might have to splint her legs if their findings are severe, but might also just watch her as she grows if they aren't as concerned. I am hoping that they don't find anything wrong, but we will just have to wait and pray and see.

What a wonder it is to see her grow each month!!!

Great Couponing Trip

2010-12-29T15:13:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law are wonderful couponers. They are always getting amazing deals at different stores on all their items. I have tried to get into it a little, but usually end up not getting as good of deals as I thought at first. Well every once in a while I have a shopping trip that I am really proud of. Today was that day. I bought all these items for an amazing deal at Smiths. I ended up buying 5 Old Spice Body Washes, 5 Old Spice Deodorants, 2 Olay Body washes, 7 Cover Girl eye shadows, 1 12 pack of Charmin Bath Tissue, 3 Dawn Dish soaps, 1 Large Tide, 5 Herbal Essences Shampoos, 5 Herbal Essences Hair Care products, 2 Head and Shoulders Shampoos, 5 boxes of Crest Toothpaste, 1 large pack of Tampax Tampons, 1 Cover Girl Powder, and 2 Cover Girl Mascaras and only spent $40.03 for all 45 items. With just the sale prices and no coupons I would have spent $155.48, but I had enough coupons to save $115.45 which is a 74% savings on this deal. I couldn't believe it!! The best part of it all is that usually when I get deals with coupons I get a lot of things that Jeff and I don't usually use, but this time I only got things we use everyday. I was so happy about it that I called Jeff and he didn't seem so impressed so I thought I better blog about it. Yea!!!

First Christmas

2010-12-29T15:06:00.001-08:00

Saturday was Brynnlee's first Christmas experience ever. I was really worried about how she would handle all the business of it all, especially since our preview day on Sunday at Grandma and Grandpa Great's house didn't go so well. Luckily she was a trooper and did wonderfully for the most part. She already is as crazy as her mom, not wanting to go to bed on time Christmas Eve (she stayed up until 11:30), and then getting up at 3:00 in the morning ready to go. We made her go back to sleep and wait. I didn't know a 3 month old would already get so excited over Christmas. We had a great day though, with one little spoiled girl from both sets of grandparents and Mom and Dad. She couldn't quite open her gifts by herself but she loved playing with them after. Thanks everyone!

Christmas Pics

2010-12-19T12:44:00.001-08:00

Last week Megan took some super cute Christmas and summer pictures of Brynnlee. I loved them so much that I just had to post some of them here. I had a super hard time picking which ones to post because they are all so cute. I was showing them to Jeff and we couldn't believe how big our little girl is getting. We were picking out pictures to put up around the house and looking at how much she has grown since we first took her home from the hospital. She is such a beautiful girl and we are so grateful to have her in our home. Megan has taken some super cute pictures of Brynnlee. We are also thankful to have such a talented photographer in our family to spoil us with cute pictures of our girl.

Thankful

2010-11-26T15:44:00.000-08:00

This year I am so thankful for wonderful families that have helped Jeff and I with Brynnlee, and are willing to sacrifice their time to take care of her for us. I am also very thankful for the two most important people in my life: my wonderful husband Jeff and our beautiful girl Brynnlee. I am also thankful for all that Jeff did so that I could take 3 months off to be with my girl. I love you all. Thank you.

Beautiful Blessing

2010-11-14T12:01:00.000-08:00

Brynnlee was blessed last Sunday. It was a beautiful day. Her daddy did a wonderful job on her blessing and she looked beautiful. I was worried she would cry during the blessing since it was Daylight Savings so her blessing fell right during the time she normally eats, but she did just wonderful. It was a great day and I was so glad to have everyone over after for lunch. I am so grateful to have a wonderful family that was all there to celebrate this great day.

Grandma and Grandpa Stephens with Brynnlee!

Our happy family.
4 Generations of Family

Aunt Britty with her favorite niece

Our beautiful angel happy as can be.

I love my little angel. She is such a blessing to our family.

Hanging out, Hats, Halloween, and Heads Up

2010-11-06T21:21:00.001-07:00

Jeff and I have been taking some random pictures of our adorable Brynnlee. It seems like we just can't get enough of her. She has been such a wonderful addition to our family. The last two months have flown by and she is growing up so fast. Here are some fun things we have done lately with her.

Brynnlee hanging out at the Stephens' house. She loves to kick and punch on her back. She is awake most of the day just smiling and playing around. Luckily she sleeps through most of the night, so I will take her being awake during the day.

Brynnlee loves her doggy friend Ben. He is amazed by her and she just loves to stare at him. We don't have a dog at home, and Ben has never seen a baby before so they are both just in awe of each other.

Our adorable neice and Brynnlee's cousin Madi made this cute hat for Brynnlee. She is such a sweetie. We love her and miss her and her sisters so much. We can't wait to see them again. Thanks Madi. Brynnlee loves the hat, and I think she looks so cute in it.

Brynnlee has been working on Tummy Time lately. For the longest time we would put her on her stomach and she would just lay with her head on the blanket. Well the other day we put her there and she decided to surprise us with this. She stayed up like this for about 3 minutes before we even thought to get the camera and snap tons of pictures of her. We are amazed at what she will surprise us and do.

For Halloween we dressed Brynnlee up as a pumpkin. Luckily Jeff had a Halloween party at his work and we were able to get these pictures of her because on Halloween day Brynnlee had a melt down and we weren't able to dress her up again. I guess 2 months old may be too young to appreciate Halloween. I guess we will try again next year. At least we got these cute pictures of her.

Houdini

2010-10-16T09:48:00.001-07:00

Brynnlee has turned into Houdini at night. Jeff and I always swaddle her pretty tight for the night since our house gets a little cold. She has always been able to kick out of my swaddling but Jeff gets her really tight. Tonight though, she finally accomplished the task of breaking free from her dad's best attempts at swaddling, not even once but multiple times. Here is what she looks like when we put her to bed.

And her is what we have been waking up to.

I guess I should have known though. In the womb she was always kicking as soon as I wore something tight around my waist. Brynnlee was also very busy in the night because not only did she manage to break free from her blanket but she also broke free from her hand covers. We put her to bed looking like this:

And we woke up to this:

What an efficient little pill she has become. Good thing she is so cute.

I also wanted to show my latest purchase at Walmart. It's much too big for her now, but will be perfect for next year's football season.

1 month old!!!

2010-10-11T12:54:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that Brynnlee is already a month old. It really does seem like we were just in the hospital getting ready to have her and here she is already growing up so fast. We have had so many fun experiences already with her including smiles, laughs, crying (for good and sad reasons-mostly good from Jeff and I), peeing on family, cuddling with mommy, throwing up on mommy, blowouts in outfits, staring at the mobile for long periods of time, late night feedings, playing with daddy, no sleep, reading books with mom, walks, spending time with grandparents and aunts and uncles, and most recently peeing and pooping all over mom and dad's bed at 4:00 in the morning!!! See I wouldn't ever change any of the last month for any thing in the world. Brynnlee is the greatest blessing in our lives. We wanted to have some fun pictures of her for her 1 month birthday so on Saturday we found this cute coat that Megan and John let us borrow and dressed her up in it. She fell asleep right away (if we only knew that before all those late night cryings). We then took way too many pictures of her in it because she is just way too cute. She is still a little small for it, but it will fit great all winter long. I can't wait to put her in it again, my little Brynnlee bear!!!!

Grandpa's 89th Birthday

2010-10-11T12:51:00.001-07:00

Last week was Jeff's Grandpa Bonner's 89th birthday. We went over and had a great time eating cake and ice cream and seeing Jeff's family. Here are some pictures of the Great-grandkids with Grandpa.

Our Precious Angel

2010-09-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

Jeff's sister Megan came over last Saturday to take some pictures of Brynnlee. Of course our little angel didn't want to cooperate, and after multiple peeing and pooping incidents, along with crying and refusing to fall asleep or stay in any poses that Megan tried to put her in, we finally got these cute pictures. Megan did a wonderful job, and I am so grateful for her patience with our angel. Thanks Meg!!!

11 days old

2010-09-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

Wow!!! I can't believe how fast time flys and my little girl is getting bigger each moment. It has been a huge change for me, but I wouldn't trade any minute of it. I love her so much. She can make me so frustrated, in love, and laughing all at the same time. Here are some of our cute pictures from the first week home.

She's here!

2010-09-11T22:01:00.000-07:00

Brynnlee joined our family Thursday night at 6:18. It was a super easy delivery, but c-sections definitly have their hard recovery. It has been very painful to move around, and today was the first day I even ventured outside my room. I only made it down the hall and back. Brynnlee is doing really well. She was only 6 pounds 1 ounce and 19 inches long. The nurses were worried about her blood sugar since she was so small, but she has been a trooper and hasn't had a problem. She loves to suck on everything, especially her fingers, but her sucking has been a great thing for me because she nurses really well. We just love her and can't wait to spend the rest of our lives with our beautiful baby girl.

Brynnlee is on her way!!!!

2010-09-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Friday we found out that Brynnlee is arriving Thursday!! We are so excited, and a little nervous. I guess 9/9 is her special day.

My Birthday and an Air Show

2010-07-27T09:48:00.001-07:00

This last weekend was my birthday. I can't believe that another one has come and gone and now for a month and a half I will be 2 years older than my husband. I never think of it that way but he sure makes fun of me about it. Well it was a wonderful day. Jeff is such a sweetie and like always can go shopping for me without me even giving him any hints of what I want, and gets me everything I could hope for. Later in the day my family came over and we went out to dinner at The Spagetti Factory and then back to our house for some presents, brownies, and fireworks!!! Here are some pictures from that day.

Me and my brownie cake. Thanks mom and Britt, I love it!!

Brittany gave me some fun books for Brynnlee or my class.

Mom and Britt riding Jeff's new go-cart.

Dad, Mom, and I watching some fireworks!!!

Well my birthday wasn't the only fun we had this weekend. Jeff and I got up early Sunday morning and drove up to Idaho Falls to see the Blue Angels flying. We did this for Jeff's birthday last year in Reno and now for my birthday this year. It must be a new tradition of ours. They don't come around close enough to go see too often so we have to jump at the chance to see them when they do come. Here are some pictures from that day. We were so glad to have bought a new camera because the pictures turned out awesome!!!

There were other planes flying as well. This was amazed me because there was a lady strapped up to the top of this plane while it was flying in circles and all sorts of other tricks.

Here is another cool stunt plane that flew.

All the Blue Angels lined up to go.

All six of them in the air. It is amazing how close they get to one another.

Here are four of them all on their sides.

This is one of my favorites. Two of the planes flew past us. One was upside down and the other right side up. They are so close you can't believe that they wouldn't crash.

This is my favorite picture we have. They announcer said that when the planes do this trick they are only 18 inches apart from one another. Crazy how close they get.

We had a great day. I can't wait to see them again.

Happy 3 Years

2010-07-07T09:37:00.001-07:00

Happy Anniversary. We made it 3 years!!! I love you Jeff. Here is to many many more!

Yellowstone

2010-07-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

This summer has been really fun for Jeff and I. We have had the opportunity to go on vacation with both our families. At the first of June we went to Yellowstone with my family, and then later in the month we went to Pineview with Jeff's. Our Yellowstone trip was so much fun. Both Jeff and I grew up with families who traveled to Yellowstone quite a lot, but haven't gone recently. It has actually been quite a few years since either one of us has gone so we were both really excited. We originally were going to camp out during the week, but after figuring out that I would be about 6 months pregnant when we were going we decided to stay in a cabin with my family. We were so grateful for that decision mostly because it rained the whole time we were there. It didn't ruin our vacation at all though because we were able to see so many animals out. We also saw all the things we wanted still. It was such a fun vacation and I can't wait to visit again. Thanks mom, dad, and Britt for taking us, and putting up with my side pains. Here are a few pictures from our trip.

Here is one of the thousand Bison we saw during the trip. This one was walking right by our car.

Another animal that was super close to our car. We saw thousands of elk as well.

Britt and I at one of the many beautiful waterfalls. The water level was so high this year that a whole bunch of new waterfalls were falling everywhere.

Jeff, Mom and I at Mammoth hot springs.

The Grand Tetons at night. We spent many nights sitting at this bay looking at the mountains. They were so beautiful.

Yep that's a bear. It actually ran over this hill and then came back down the other side and ran right in front of our car. It was the closest we have ever seen a bear. It was huge!! We saw 2 more bears on our trip, along with a bunch of coyotes, moose, deer, eagles, bison, elk, etc. The only thing we didn't see was a wolf.

The family at another waterfall.

Mom and I at a hot pot.Our one sunny day during the trip. It was still freezing though. Here we are looking at the lower falls. This is my dad's favorite spot.

We had such a fun time. Even through all the rain, it was such a beautiful place. I can't wait for Brynnlee to get old enough to go with us.

IT'S A.....

2010-04-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

GIRL. Yep Jeff and I are having a girl (we hope). We went to the doctor a few weeks ago and the doctor said he really felt like it was going to be a boy. Jeff was always a little skeptical about it, but I thought if he says it's a boy it usually doesn't change. Well I now am eating my words. We went back to the doctor last week and they just couldn't tell. I was distraught so Jeff called and they made a special appointment for us to go back this week just to see what it is. Well when we went it the doctor said he was 99% sure it was a little girl. Jeff and I are super excited. I was actually a little bummed at first because I was really happy it was going to be a boy and had thought for a month now all about my little boy. Jeff took it really well and has been happy about it either way. I am more excited today now that I know for sure. I guess it just runs in our family. Jeff's little brother said last night that now he will have 6 nieces and only 2 nephews. I guess we should have known it would be a girl. Jeff finally gave me the go ahead to tell people since we know what we are having and are 19 weeks along. Our little Brynnlee is due September 16!!! Yea! We are so excited (and hopefully it doesn't change again)!!!

Concerts

2010-04-14T11:01:00.001-07:00

Wow! I can't believe how crazy life can get sometimes. I have been wanting to post about our life for some time now but it seems like every time I get a second to get onto the computer I have thousands of other things I have to do. Back in March Jeff and I were able to go to a really fun concert. Jeff's favorite comedian Brian Regan came to Salt Lake. I got him tickets years ago to a concert and we were lucky enough to be on the front row. This time I didn't think that was even going to be possible, but when I ordered the tickets there we were again right in front. It was off to the side quite a bit so we were a little worried that the view wouldn't be as good, but it was still awesome. We were right there seeing and hearing everything right up close. He was great, but I would have to say that the best part of the whole evening was the fact that after his encore he went down part of the front row and shook hands with some of those that were sitting there. We were the lucky ones that got to shake hands with the famous Brian Regan!!! Jeff couldn't stop talking about it all night. He didn't even want to wash his hand ever again. He was excited. It was a good night. Brian also commented on liking Jeff's shirt. Brittany was super nice and made Jeff a shirt that said one of Brian's jokes on it. Jeff loved the shirt, but probably even more after Brian made a comment. Thanks Britt- you're the best.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-17T10:19:00.000-08:00

Well Valentine's has come and gone again. Jeff is always really thoughtful and does the nicest things for me on Valentine's day. This year I was once again surprised with Chocolate Covered Strawberries (my absolute favorite). They were so good that they were gone almost immediately the first day. We also went out to Texas Roadhouse for dinner which was excellent. Jeff also took care of me all weekend long. Helping me with chores around the house, and just cuddling with me when I felt sick. I have had a few weeks here where I haven't been feeling so well, and Jeff has been the best husband ever during this time. He never gets upset or angry, he just is understanding and loving all the way. Thanks hubby!!! I love you.

So Excited

2010-01-27T12:05:00.000-08:00

Well, I now have something really exciting to look forward to this summer. Jeff and I are going on a Vacation with my parents to Yellowstone. That used to be a regular summer vacation for my family and I, but when I got older I lost interest in going every year. I haven't been since I was about 20. It has been way too many years and I am really excited to go again this year. My dad got all the reservations set and we are now commited. I can't wait. It totally gives me something to look forward to, and helps me get through this gloomy winter weather. Thanks Mom and Dad for getting everything going!

Christmas Break

2009-12-23T12:55:00.001-08:00

Yea!! It's finally here. Christmas break is wonderful. I love having two weeks off of school and getting to spend time with my wonderful family. We have had so many crazy things the last two months happen and I feel like my life was just on overload. It is so nice to feel like I finally have some time to recover and relax. I just love this season and the love that my friends and family give me. Thanks everyone for all your love and support to Jeff and I this last month. It really helped us cope with everything. We love you!!! Merry Christmas.

Parent Teacher Conferences

2009-11-10T17:57:00.000-08:00

This week is parent teacher conferences. This is the one time of the year that I get to know what it feels like to work for more than 12 hours a day. I always worry so much about them, yet they always go really well. It is actually really nice to meet all the parents and celebrate the wonderful things their children are doing. The problem is I look and feel like this when they are all over:

Now I have much more respect for Jeff for doing both work and school every day!!! He is AMAZING!!

My two husbands

2009-10-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

Jeff and I had a busy Saturday this last weekend. It all started with Jeff finally getting a hair cut (it has been almost six months). This is what brought up the title of my blog. Every time Jeff gets a hair cut I swear I have married a whole new man. He looks so different. I really like his hair both ways but sometimes when he lets it grow too long it starts looking kind of shaggy. Well you see for yourself and tell me I didn't marry two men.

Long Hair Jeff
Short Hair Jeff

Well this wasn't all we did of course. Jeff ended up replacing brake pads for two different cars Saturday and then we headed up the canyon to see the leaves and go out to dinner in Logan. We were so excited to go eat at the Bluebird because Jeff got ribs last time we were there and they were to die for. We got up to Logan this time and they didn't have ribs. He had to settle for a steak which wasn't very good. My dinner wasn't too hot either. Hopefully this is just a one time bad deal at the restaurant, because I don't know if Jeff and I will want to go again if that is the quality of food they always have. Good thing we had one last thing to do that night, see the temple. I spent a year up there in Logan for school and my favorite thing by far was to look at the temple at night. Jeff and I have made that a tradition each year and I still love it. It is just so beautiful.

Awesome Air Races

2009-09-22T06:23:00.000-07:00

The day finally came. Jeff and I packed our bags on Friday and headed out to the Air Races in Reno. The drive there was super long, and for just a 3 day vacation, the drive seemed almost too much. But we did make it along with a few bugs we picked up along the way. Well I guess there weren't just a few bugs, it seemed more like outside of Winnemucca we picked up every bug alive. We got to the hotel late Friday night and pretty much went right to bed. The next morning though, we got up early and headed to the show. It was so cool. There were stunt planes doing tricks, races by airplanes, and our favorite Blue Angels flying. I never thought that planes could race each other but that was a really neat sight to see. They all take off and make a huge loop around the sky so that they are all lined up then the take off and fly around a track 5 times. They get going really fast and it is neat to see some of the photo finishes they do. We also saw a lady who did stunts in her plane. She did this amazing thing where she flew upside down only 20 feet off the ground and cut a streamer that two men were holding in half. I couldn't believe it. She also spun her plane around in about 30 circles right in a row. She is crazy, but awesome. The culmination of it all was the Blue Angels flying. I don't think I could ever get bored of seeing these planes. They are so neat flying in their formations and getting so close to one another. It was wonderful and Jeff and I are already planning our next year's trip.

Back to Busy

2009-09-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated my blog in a long time because Jeff and I haven't had much time to do fun things. We both went back to school a few weeks ago. He is now attending University of Utah, and spends most of his time either at school, in a lab, at work, or doing homework. I feel so bad for him, but hopefully we will be done soon. I have gone back to school teaching, and it has felt like I have had so much to do every night. I think September is the most busy month of the entire year. We finally had Labor Day weekend, but we still didn't do much together because Jeff went backpacking with his family and I spent the weekend with my sister. I guess our lives are pretty boring right now. Hopefully I will have something more exciting to post after next weekend. It is Jeff's birthday and we are headed down to Reno to go the Air Races and see the Blue Angels. I am sure that will be the highlight of our month! Yea!

Baseball and Sisters

2009-08-21T14:14:00.001-07:00

August has been a very busy but very fun month. Jeff and I have enjoyed spending some quality time with my parents and sister. We have been shopping, having dinners, slumber parties, and of course some good old fashioned Baseball games. Dad bought us all tickets to go to the Bee's game last week, and Mom got us tickets to the Raptors Game on Tuesday. Jeff and I love going to these games with the family. It is always nice to sit at the ball park, have our ballpark pretzel and hot dog and just enjoy the game. Thanks DAD and MOM for the fun time.

I also wanted to add that I am really glad that it is back to school time. Not only because I love going back, but also because I am hoping that Brittany will be able to get back into school and stop hurting herself. She has spent the last few weeks down with Kidney Stones. They were actually bad enough that she had to have surgery on them last week. I am glad she is better now, and I hope it stays that way. I love ya sis.

August Camping Trips

2009-08-03T12:44:00.000-07:00

Jeff and I had a fun night on Friday going camping. We have tried to have a lot of traditions between us but most have just fallen by the wayside or we just got too busy to do it again this year. Luckily we still were able to continue our oldest tradition of going camping overnight each year one weekend in August. It all started when I first met Jeff. My friends and I were going camping the very next weekend after I met him and we invited Jeff and his friends to come along. It ended up that all of Jeff's friends bailed on him except Klint, and I didn't think that he was really going to show up, plus I had decided that he liked my best friend at the time and that I didn't really have a shot with him anyway. Well he surprised me and still came along. That was probably the first time we really let on that we liked each other. We spent the whole night sitting by the fire or in my car talking. I think we got about 1 hour of sleep that whole night. Well ever since then we have been inseparable. It was a great camping experience. So Jeff and I have done it every year since. The first year we had no trouble finding a place to camp. Last year we were a little late heading out and we tried to go camping over Labor Day. That was not a good idea. We drove up the canyon quite awhile but every camp site was full, so we finally turned around and camped out in our back yard. It was fun for me, but we live by the freeway and it was really hard for Jeff and I to sleep. Needless to say we weren't about to do that again. This year we thought that if we went at the beginning of August we would have more luck. We headed out Friday at about 5:00 and thought that we were giving ourselves plenty of time. We got down the canyon and realized that we were seeing a repeat of last year and that all the campgrounds were full. We didn't want to give up on our oldest tradition so we ended up driving all the way up to Monte Cristo (which by the way was where our first camping trip was). We saw some hope when they didn't have a campground full sign. We drove on in and found only 2 plots left. Boy were we lucky. After that things were just great. We talked by the fire and Jeff played with some matches(he used the whole box making towers and such). Then went to bed, got up the next morning and headed home. We don't do anything special, but I sure enjoy the time we have just sitting and talking by the fire. It really gives us a chance to feel closer to one another. I hope we can continue this tradition forever and eventually with our own family.

Happy Birthday and the Best Husband

2009-07-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

Well I have made it to 26 years old. It seems really old to me but maybe that is because my cute adorable husband keeps reminding me that he is only 24 right now. I had a wonderful day. We went up to Bountiful on the 23rd to see the parade so that we wouldn't have to get up early on the 24th. It was nice except something happened that postponed it for about 20 minutes. Well we weren't going to sweat to death waiting so we left. We went over to Jeff's friends house for fireworks which were awesome and headed home. On the 24th we were able to celebrate my birthday with my family. It was a great day filled with delicious food from the Gray Cliff Lodge. Neither Jeff nor I have ever been there, but it was one to remember. They fill you pretty full. We then went back to our house and did our own fireworks and ate Chocolate Pie. It was a very nice day with my family.

I also want to mention how wonderful my husband is. He is definitely one of a kind. I think it must be from growing up with 5 sisters. He didn't want any help getting my birthday presents this year. He did it all on his own and he did such a good job. He paid attention to hints I gave over the last few months and showered me with everything I love. I am amazed at his ability to get the perfect gifts every holiday. He always outdoes himself and surprises me with things I actually love. Now I dated many guys that didn't have a clue about gifts for girls so I am pretty excited that I have a husband that does such a great job. Thanks Jeff!!! I love you!

Washington D.C.

2009-07-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

So my plan was that I would update my blog regularly during Jeff and my trip to D.C. this last couple of weeks, but unfortunately time just got away from us and all we had time to do was walk around all day and crash when we made it back home. The few days we did get home early were completely taken up by our really cute nieces (which was fine by us). So instead I will show some of the pictures we took along the way.Here we are the first day walking and walking and walking to see all the memorials we could. We were excited to start and we saw everything we could. That day alone w e started with a tour of the White House and then went and saw the Washington Monument, the WWII memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, the Lincoln Monument, The Old Post office, and Rob's work.Day two included a long walk to go see the Jefferson Monument and other sights along that area of town. We also got a chance to go through many of the Smithsonian museums that day.

Finally on day three we got to relax a little since it was the 4th of July. Here are some pictures of us at the US Capital, where we went to see the fireworks. And of course a picture of our sweet new niece Jocelyn. (What a cutie!!!)The next week started out with my favorite part of the trip, a walk around Arlington Cemetery. Here is a picture of the Unknown Solder and the Solder that guards his tomb. That was a neat thing to see. We also drove out to Mt. Vernon and took a tour of Washington's house, and a short stop to look at the Washington D.C. temple.For the next two days we traveled up to New York on a bus and spent our anniversary up there. We were able to go see my favorite thing about New York - Wicked, and something Jeff really wanted to see- The Statue of Liberty. They were a very packed two days as we tried to fit in everything we could along with a 5 hour bus trip and then another 2 hours on the Metro. Thursday we returned back to D.C. to see the Capital building, Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Holocaust Memorial, and then to stay late to see the monuments at night. This day started off wonderful since all the first buildings were all right around each other. By mid-day though that wasn't the case and after that day was over we had walked about 16 miles. Boy were we tired. Here is a picture of Jeff at the Capital, me at the Library of Congress, and the monuments at night.Friday we took a trip with Meredith and the girls out to Monticello to see Thomas Jefferson's house. This had to be my favorite tour because the tour guide was so knowledgeable. It was a fun day to spend with the girls. The last day in Washington was probably Jeff's favorite. We went and looked around the National Air and Space Museum (here is a picture of the Wright brothers plane) and then hung around to eat at Fogo De Chao - a Brazilian Restaurant. After that day we just packed up and on Monday we went out to Baltimore with the kids to an Aquarium then out to eat and back on the plane to come home. What an awesome trip we took.

Off to Washington We Go

2009-06-29T13:01:00.001-07:00

It is finally here. On Wednesday Jeff and I leave for Washington D.C. to visit Jeff's sister and her family and to see all that Washington has to offer. I have never been back there and Jeff hasn't been since he was a little boy so we are really excited. It took us two years to save enough money for this trip and now we are only a day and a half away. It still doesn't seem real though since we bought our tickets about 5 months ago and didn't really plan what we were wanting to do until just a week or so ago. I couldn't ever get Jeff to sit down and plan anything out before then. But now we have a pretty good idea of what we are going to do and what we are going to see and I can now get excited about it. I can't wait to leave. We are also going up to New York for our anniversary and I convinced Jeff to take me to Wicked (my new favorite Musical). I love my husband. He is so sweet and wonderful for taking me on this trip. I am also excited to see my beautiful nieces. Jeff's sister has four of the cutest girls in the world and we can't wait to play with them. This is definitely our trip of a lifetime.

End of School and Airshow

2009-06-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

YEA!!!! School is over for another year. I actually have some mixed emotions this year because I had a wonderful group of kids. Two years ago I really struggled with my students, and actually thought to myself a few times that maybe I shouldn't be a teacher anymore, but this year redeemed all that. My students were great! They listened and worked really hard, and after I saw their End of Level Scores I felt like I really am where I need to be. It was pretty rewarding, and so to know that this year is over and I get to start all over again was pretty sad. I guess though it is a new adventure each year and I should be excited for that. Well after having a pretty stressful last month of school, Jeff and I were able to go have some fun this weekend. We started out Friday going to a car show in Ogden. Jeff loved it, and I thought that nothing would top that experience for him. I was wrong. Saturday afternoon we headed up to the Airshow at Hill Air Force Base. Jeff left that night after watching the Thunderbirds saying that there is nothing in the world he has ever seen that was cooler than seeing those planes. I probably have to agree. They were really neat. Jeff has even started looking up their schedule to see if they will do another show anywhere close to Utah. We found a show at Reno over Jeff's birthday so we may be planning a fun vacation to Reno in a few months!!!

Happy Graduation

2009-05-03T14:30:00.000-07:00

Well, we have finally reached a Milestone. Jeff has 4 more days of school and he will be a Salt Lake Community Graduate. He has worked really hard in his program and finished all he can do now at SLCC. He has to now go on to the University of Utah. It is great that he is almost finished, but at the same time it is sad that we will be spending so much more for school than in the past, and it is further drive for him. But we do what we have to do. I am so proud of all the work he has put in to his education, and being a wonderful husband as well. I hope he knows that I am so proud and so excited for him to be graduating and getting his Associates Degree. Just a few more years to go!!!! Congrats hun!

SPRING BREAK

2009-04-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I finally made it to this week. I know that kids just love having time off of school and I have to admit as much as I love teaching, I get really excited for spring break as well. Now I just have to figure out what to do with my time. Today I spent the whole time paying bills and getting my car registered. That isn't really the most fun way to spend my break, but I guess I have to get it done so I might as well do it now. Tomorrow Jeff and I get to play though, so that will be fun. It is funny because when we first were dating we thought that when we got married we would have so much time to spend with each other, but in reality we spend less because of our work and school schedules. We have to just enjoy the few days off we get to spend with each other. So we will try to find something fun for tomorrow. The rest of the week is just relaxing for me. That is fun, but feels like a waste. Hopefully I can find something exciting so that I can feel like I spent my Spring Break in a good way!!!

Babies

2009-03-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

It seems like babies are all around us lately. Jeff has had two sisters who have recently just had babies and we have some friends that are trying to have children right now as well. It has been interesting to us because we are not ready to start trying to have children quite yet, but with all the things surrounding us it sure does make us think. I was actually thinking about the parents we will be in the future and if our children will be like us in any ways. I know that Jeff and I have many differences, especially with how we view school and how we viewed school as children. I think though from our recent expenses that our children will be a nutty, fun combination of both of us. For instance I think that whenever I think about my own childhood I think back to school. I loved school and everything that surrounded it. I would go home from school and teach my sister all I learned. I am sure she hated me for it, but she at least put up with me all those years. From that love I have become a school teacher, and now spend far too much money on reading centers and activities to help my students love school as much as I do. Jeff jokes that our kids won't know how to play normal games because they will have too many learning games to play. Jeff on the other hand was the type of child that took things apart and built them back again. I therefore see a whole bunch of little engineers running around our house taking everything apart and probably driving me nuts doing it. At least they will have a dad that can help them put them back together again. I see that in Jeff every time he buys a new K'nex roller coaster and creates new and different ways to use and build them. He is so creative. So when we finally do get around to having kids they will probably have a little bit of a love for school and a little bit of a love to build and that is fine with me!

Dinner and Jazz for $10

2009-03-02T15:30:00.000-08:00

Jeff and I had the best date on Saturday night and it only cost us $10. Jeff surprised me this weekend by winning tickets to the Jazz game on Saturday night. He is so lucky. I swear he wins things all the time. He just has some type of gift for winning free tickets. Anyway he won tickets so we headed down to Salt Lake early afternoon. Took a trip down to Lakeshore (my favorite teacher store where I spend way too much money), and then went out to dinner. We had a giftcard from Christmas to Macaroni Grill so all we ended up paying there was our tip. Then we went off to the game. The tickets were pretty good seats and the game was really fun. Then at the end of it all we went home and went to bed. All in all it could have cost us about $150 yet it only cost us $10 total. I love dates like that. Especially when you're married and you have no money.

Dinner and Some Chocolates

2009-02-17T15:41:00.000-08:00

Jeff is the best husband ever I have decided. He always remembers the sweet things in life and makes sure I feel extra special. He may sometimes try to trick me into thinking he isn't going to do something romantic or sweet, or that he couldn't get what I wanted, but in the end he always comes out with the sweetest things. For Valentine's this year I was feeling pretty sick. I started with a cough on Friday and it just got worse from there. I ended up actually spending the whole weekend in bed. That didn't stop Jeff from being super sweet though. On Friday he surprised me with my absolute favorite treat Chocolate strawberries. He said that the store was sold out but he brought me some anyway. Then on Saturday he took me out to a nice lunch at Texas Roadhouse. It was so good. He then took me home and just held me and rubbed my back as I laid down sick all night. I really owe him big for taking such good care of me. He is really full of love. He must have learned it from all his sisters!!! Thanks hun! I love you.

Our fun little life

2009-02-11T08:08:00.000-08:00

So I wanted to post some pictures of what Jeff and I seem to spend our free time on. Jeff of course is going to school to be an engineer and loves building things. Because of this he has been obsessed with the whole K'nex roller coasters ever since Christmas. Since Valentines was coming soon I let him buy another one for our living room. Here is what our living room now looks like. I am pretty sure it would be much worse, but I think the only thing that is holding him back is that we are running out of room in our living room to hold that many coasters.

On the other hand here is what seems to be my new obsession. I have had a student teacher in my classroom for the last 6 weeks and that gives me quite a bit of extra time to get things ready for future weeks in my teaching. Therefore I have been planning center activities for my kids. That means I have spent most of my time in the faculty room laminating different activities. That also means that I have spent most of my free time at night cutting lamination. Oh what a fun family we are: Jeff playing with roller coasters, and me on the couch cutting. Marriage is so fun!

Fun and exciting weekend

2009-02-02T08:41:00.000-08:00

Jeff and I had quite the weekend full of fun. It started kind of before the weekend began but who's counting. Thursday night we went to a Josh Turner concert. Jeff is super lucky and always seems to be able to win tickets to places off the radio. He called in a few weeks ago even though he had no idea what he would win and won these tickets. He didn't even know who Josh Turner was. Well I was super excited because I love his music. It was really fun. It was at a bar and there were a lot of drunk people all crowded around us, but we still had such a great time. I included some pictures from the concert. Then this weekend Jeff and I were lucky enough to be able to attend the baptism of one of my students. I love the experience of seeing such a sweet innocent little girl take such an important step in her life. She was so cute and I was very happy we were able to attend. The gospel is so true and I can see it in everyone of my sweet little students. I love them all.

The joys of owning a home

2009-01-28T12:41:00.000-08:00

This weekend Jeff and I had an interesting experience with our home. We have been trying to figure out what is going on with our leak in our ceiling and have decided it has to be coming from outside. Jeff on Saturday went and looked, and thinks that it must be a spot that is puddling on our roof, and so he spent a few hours out in the rain putting some flashing in that area that will hopefully make the water slide off the area and down to the rain gutters. Well we were so excited because when he did that the dripping stopped in our living room, but it is still flooding our bathroom. I guess this leak will never end. We also fixed a leak in a valve for our water heater, but in order to do that Jeff turned off the pilot light. Big Mistake!!! We couldn't get it lit again. So after trying for two days straight we finally gave in and called a plumber to come out and do that. Well it took him about 3 tries and the plumber got the pilot light on. I thought maybe he would be nice about it since it took him about 2 minutes and no tools, but of course I am not that lucky and he charged us $88 to do that. Bummer!!! Oh well, I am still grateful to have a beautiful house that Jeff and I live in. I have been told that we are at least lucky enough to not have had our sewer back up. I will just stay grateful for that!!

Our amusement park and a hole in the ceiling

2009-01-21T06:11:00.000-08:00

So our house seems to be turning into an amusement park. For Christmas Jeff helped his mother out by purchasing a K'nex amusement park ride for his brother. I knew when he was staring at it drooling that he probably wanted one for himself as well, so we bought a small Ferris wheel for Jeff's Christmas gift. I had no idea at that time what a can of worms I was opening. The day after Christmas we spent wandering to every store we could think of to find the other rides in the set. After a few weeks we finally purchased all 4 rides in the set, and Jeff continues to find more on the Internet. So this is now what our living room looks like.

On the other hand I guess it is better than what is going on in our ceiling. We found a leak and Jeff made a hole to see if he could figure out where the leak was coming from. It dripped a ton, but then of course when we called a plumber the leak mysteriously stopped, and hasn't dripped since. The plumber couldn't figure out what it was so he just said to wait a while and see if it starts dripping again. Of course it hasn't dripped even once since that happened, so we are stuck just waiting with this hole in our living room ceiling and a big garbage can underneath it. Oh what is my house turning into!

Our wonderful home

2009-01-09T15:35:00.001-08:00

I was so excited to post this blog because Jeff and I have been working really hard on finishing our living room so that it doesn't look so bare when people walk into our house. We have done a lot to it since we have moved in like getting couches, making drapes, putting up a bookshelf and pictures, but we just had a few finishing touches that were bothering me for a long time. Finally last weekend we were able to get most everything done. Jeff's mom gave us some vinyl letting that we have been waiting for. We got ready to put it on our walls and it turned out to be a much bigger task that it should have been. See we have textured walls so the vinyl wouldn't stick. We ended up having to take off each letter and stick it up there with our fingernails. We did get it done though. After that, we ventured out to Pier 1 to look for something to put up on our vaulted ceilings. We got a gift card from a friend at our wedding and we never used it. Jeff and I just are creative like that. Well we went and a nice lady helped us find something and we were able to get that done as well. So now we have a few more things to add to our living room. It is looking quite nice and I am really excited to have it done. Unfortunately now we have a new room to work on. Yesterday afternoon Jeff came home and found a leak in our family room ceiling. So now there is a huge hole in the ceiling and water leaking out. I guess the work on a home never ends!

Family

2008-12-09T06:13:00.000-08:00

This weekend Jeff and I had an amazing experience. My mom has wanted to be sealed to her parents for some time now. She started going back to the temple about a year and a half ago and is one of the most devoted temple attenders I have ever met. Well ever since she went back she has been saying she really wants to get sealed to her parents, but then things seemed to get in the way and she kept putting it off. Well finally on Saturday we went to the temple and she was sealed. It was such a spiritual experience. Jeff and I were able to proxy for her parents. It was such an honor and privilege for me to do this for my mom. I have never felt the spirit so strong in all my life. It was such a testimony of eternal families to me. It was also a very touching experience there for me as well. Having mom do this has not only sealed her to her parents and ancestors, but it has also sealed Brittany and I to them as well. It is such a great feeling to know that I will be with the people I love for all eternity. I am very blessed to have the family I have.

Movies, Movies, Movies

2008-11-23T16:24:00.000-08:00

I love this time of the season, when great movies start to come out again. Jeff and I haven't been to the movie theater in a while because we just didn't find any movies we really wanted to see. Well this weekend changed that. On Friday I went with Brittany to go see the one movie we have been waiting and waiting to come out. Yep, we went and saw Twilight, and we LOVED it. I know that no movie can be as good as the book, but this movie really did a good job trying to stay right along with the things that happen in the book. I loved the characters, and just everything about it. Britt and I are even going to see it again on Wednesday, since we thought it was so good. Well then on Saturday Jeff and I went on a double date with some friends from work and we went to go see Quantum of Solace. It was really good as well. I didn't follow the storyline as well as Twilight, but I still love James Bond films and this one was great like the others. Full of suspence and action. It is so fun to go out and see movies every once in awhile. It makes me feel like I am dating again, which can be fun sometimes in a marriage.

Busy, Busy

2008-11-17T14:34:00.000-08:00

Wow, Last week was crazy. I have been meaning to write for a couple of weeks, but unfortunately this is a crazy time for Jeff and I. Last week was parent teacher conferences which I love, since I get to see all the neat parents I have, but it is also very exhausting since I was at work until at least 7:00 most nights. I am glad that my life is kind of back to normal, at least as much as it can be a week before Thanksgiving. Really I also didn't know what to write about since Jeff and I are basically back to our normal routine of work and school, work and school. Jeff has been cramming every night to get as much knowledge in as he can since he only has about 2 1/2 weeks left until the semester is over. I am glad he will get a little break coming soon. He works so hard and has very long days. Some times he leaves at 6:30 and I don't see him again until around 8:30 at night. I think he definitely deserves a break. The only real fun thing we did this last weekend was go out to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant Su Casa in Bountiful. We don't get to go out there as much now that we live in Kaysville, but we were up for Megan's baby shower (which by the way she is looking so cute) and so we got to go. It was so yummy. I loved it.

Leaves, Pumpkins, and 7 things

2008-10-26T15:13:00.001-07:00

I never should have said a few weeks ago that Jeff and I don't ever do anything other than work and school. Lately we have been having some very busy weeks, full of fun adventures. Last week Jeff and I finally took our annual trip up the canyon to see the leaves. We usually try to make it all the way up to Logan and have dinner, but this year we were side tracked by my moms wonderful cooking at home and so we ate there and only drove up to Huntsville and back. We still got some amazing pictures from the trip so I think it was well worth it. This weekend was just as exciting. We went to the Warren Miller show yesterday and then on the way back we bought some pumpkins and carved them last night. It is always fun to do things that bring you back into your young age. I love spending those moments with Jeff and being able to have annual traditions. Lastly since Megan tagged me here are 7 random facts about me:

1. I absolutely love Watermelon!!!

2. I always have to be wearing a watch. Even though I mostly look at the clock on the wall, I have to have a watch with me.

3. Jeff and I have both worn a stretched out soda pop plastic ring around our wrists since before we were married.

4. I love the smell of hairspray.

5. I used to lay at night and think of how to say things backwards when I couldn't fall asleep, and because of that I can say the ABC's backwards in like 5 seconds.

6. I love spending time with family more than doing anything else.

7. I hate wearing shoes without socks, even in the summer.

Now I am passing this on to Mary, Meredith, Becky, Carrie, Heidi, Samantha, and Steve. Your turn to say 7 random facts about you. (Sorry about this)

What a Crazy Day

2008-10-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

I think I jinxed myself when I said Jeff and I don't do anything but work and school. This last week has been full of things. Jeff's sister was up with her family this week and so Jeff and I did so much with them including swimming, a BBQ, and going out to Buca De Beppo's. It was so much fun but our week was so crazy. I think we were both looking forward for some relaxation this weekend, but we didn't get much of that either. Saturday we went up to my mom and dad's house and Mom and I made our yummy soup that we make every year around this time. It is so good!!! Then yesterday was a super crazy day. We went to church like normal but at the end of the meeting the Stake presidency got up and told everyone to meet at the Stake Center at 4:30 because there were some realignments of our wards. We didn't think much of it other than our Bishopric got released so Jeff and I decided to go to the meeting. Well we got to the meeting and found out that our ward was being dissolved and that we all were released from our callings. They then broke our ward up and put them in other wards. So in one night we lost our ward, got released and put into another ward all without prior knowledge. Crazy huh. I am sad that we won't be with some of the friends we just barely met, but I guess we always deal with change so it will just be like we were moving to a new ward. Fun for us!!!

What a Weekend!!!

2008-10-07T17:06:00.000-07:00

Jeff and I finally have something to talk about. Most of the time we just work and work and do nothing exciting, but we had a great weekend. It started on Friday. We were going to go up the canyon to see the leaves, but it was a pretty rainy day and so we went to Walmart instead and bought the movie Ironman. We then went home and spent a relaxing night watching the movie. Saturday was when the real excitement began. Jeff and I watched conference (I can't believe how good the talks were!!!) and then packed up and headed for Park City. Carrie and Jon invited us to stay overnight at their brother's condo. We arrived around 5:15 and shipped off the boys to go to Priesthood session and the girls went shopping. I bought some nice pants, soap, and I bought Brittany the most fun toy: a dinosaur crust cutter. After the boys were finished we went to a really yummy Mexican place called something like El Cantina. Anyway it was great!! Then we did the highlight of my night, we went to The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and I got my first ever caramel apple. Oh it was so good. It had white chocolate and cinnamon and sugar on it. Now I am craving caramel apples all the time. Well after the whole apple experience we went back to the condo and played games until way late at night, went to bed, woke up the next morning and watched another wonderful session of conference. Jeff and I then headed home for another fun night because we got to see our beautiful nieces and Jeff's sister Meredith and brother in law Rob. We had a fun night spending time with the family and finally got home just in time to go to bed and get up the next morning for work again. We had a great weekend but it went by way too fast.

Welcome Back Mom and Dad

2008-09-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad returned Saturday from a two week vacation to San Francisco and Yosemite. They were able to go on a mini cruise of San Francisco, to two baseball games, and many other things. I am so jealous. We did get some fun stuff from them when they got back though. We each got a sweat shirt and a t-shirt, and a beautiful wind chime. While they were gone Jeff and I just worked and went to school like always again. This Saturday though we went out to eat at Tucanos. It was really yummy. If you like Brazilian food you should go. That was about it for us this week. We are just looking forward to next week when we get to see our cute nieces again.

Happy Birthday Jeff

2008-09-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Jeff. We celebrated Jeff's 24th birthday last Friday. It was such a fun time. We went out to eat at the Manderin on Thursday and then for his birthday we didn't do much other than spend some time together. With our busy school and work schedules lately we don't get to go out much or spend much time together so it was so nice to get out of work early and just hang out at our house. Then on Sunday we had practically all of Jeff's family over for dinner. It was nice to have them all there to celebrate his day, but WOW what a huge task it was to have them all there. I didn't think it would be that crazy, but after everyone left Jeff and I just crashed, and it was only like 8:30. We had a great weekend though. Jeff really appreciated all of his gifts and the love from his family and mine. He especially loved his new movie The Sasquatch Gang which Brittany gave him. She is a great sister!!!!

Our Busy Lives

2008-09-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

Well another week is here and Jeff and I are still just doing our busy things. I can't believe that I have been back to school for almost a whole month. It is crazy how fast time goes by. Jeff is still trucking along at work and school. He is pretty far into his major now so his classes are really difficult. He spends most of his time at work or school, and then the free time he does have is spent studying. We do get out for a little fun once in a while though. We are so excited for all the change going on in Jeff's family. A lot of new additions are coming soon and we can't wait to have more neices and nephews. I think we get our excitement from everyone elses exciting lives since ours is just normal. I wanted to include some pictures from our one adventure this year though. We were lucky enough to go backpacking this summer with Dad, Drew, and Natalie. I won't lie, it was the hardest thing I have ever done, but I loved it also. It was so beautiful up there and Jeff has a great talent with capturing the beauty with his camera.

Our First Blog

2008-09-07T16:23:00.000-07:00

Hello!!! Since our family has been bugging us for some time now, we finally decided to create a blog so you can all see what is going on in our life. Jeff just started back to school a few weeks ago and is still working full time so he is very busy. I started my 3rd year at West Point Elementary teaching 2nd grade and I love my class this year. They are so sweet. Other than that we are just trying to spend some time with our family and enjoy the time we have at our new home in Kaysville.