Allred Adventures

M.I.A.

2011-09-10T00:48:00.001-07:00

...which stands for Missing In Action,
and it is so true.

So, we have moved here to the Gila Valley with my grandma for the summer, then we were going to move to Pinetop when school started and we would lived there for the rest of our lives (at least that was the plan...)and then we decided we would stay and buy her home, that was already up for sale. Well, that was our second plan, and it was good for about 2 weeks. Then my grandma changed her mind and decided she was going to go on a mission and that is when plan #3 started...we could rent it from her for 2 years, and then upon her return, we could negotiate terms then and buy the home from her then. But, then she decided she didn't want to go on a mission, so now we are onto plan #4, which is, we are just living with her until one of us decides what we are going to do. Great plan huh!! But in the mean time, the girls have started school as Thatcher Eagles and are loving it. Saydee has her cousin in school with her, and Kyla is so happy because she has gained a new friend who moved here at the same time she did. Dave and I both volunteer in our girls classrooms. I teach Art for both girls, and Dave teaches P.E. for both girls. It actually works out really great. I am also the new classroom mom in one of the rooms.
As for life outside of school, Dave is working his XPose LLC. company, which is a Search Engine Optimization company that also does Web Master Services, and I am expecting Baby #4, and we are all really excited for a new baby. Of course, I am completely terrified, because we had the one miscarriage 4 years ago, and then the still born 1.5 years ago. So I really work on staying hopeful and positive, but I am scared to death that the Dr. is going to tell me the heart has stopped beating and we will have another unborn baby. Terrible thought I know, but I am being honest here...the thought does go through my brain often. I am 15 weeks now and get to see the Dr. for the first time next week. We are due on Leap Year(Feb. 29th) of 2012, but I was really hoping for a March baby, so if everything works out, we will deliver a little late! (I know, it sounds crazy because everyone else wants to go early)
My sister is also pregnant and is 18 weeks pregnant and after having 4 girls, she too is hoping for a healthy baby, but a boy would be great.
Anyways, this post is really just a quick recap of life right now, and in the next week or so, I will do a few more posts of specific events that have been happening with our little family! Hope this finds you all and well!

No News

2011-06-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I wish I had some cute pictures or something to announce, (it keeps things fun, because reading isn't very fun for some.) But anyways, if you are into reading....We have been living here in Central AZ for 2 weeks now and it's been great. We have visited a ton with Dave's family, and my sister and grandma as well. We went to the Gila Valley Temple with my Grandma, Uncle, and Aunt, and that was really nice. We have been to our nephews and niece's ball games as well. Grandma has a small pool and we have been swimming almost everyday, and the girls cousins come over and swim too! We have all been burned once or twice and so today we took the day off, hoping to give our skin a little rest. Being in Utah, and missing the sunshine has taken its toll on our skin and made it super sensitive. But I love all the vitamin D....it feels so good when I can feel the heat of the suns rays all the way down to my bones. I love it.
I know we have moved a lot and we have all met people who have touched our lives one way or another. Influential people like the girls friends and teachers, our neighbors and even individuals we have worked with in our church callings. I definitely miss people from each area we have lived in. So if you are one of those people, know that even though I am not there with you, I think of each of you often and miss you.
So.............as far as exciting news goes...............there isn't much to report. Just adjusting!!

Moved to The Gila Valley

2011-06-11T00:11:00.000-07:00

Well, it's true. We now live in the Gila Valley for the Summer and it's been so wonderful! I wanted to take the time to jot down just a few things about our move, so I don't forget them in later years.
Our trip down went all right...Macy got a small flu bug 15 minutes after driving away from our home and puked all over the inside of the moving truck, so we pulled over in Spanish Fork for half an hour and cleaned that mess up at a gas station. But we arrived in St. George that night fine. We stayed at my bro-and sis-n-law (Ryan and Heather)'s home. Our second day of the trip we got pulled over within 10 minutes of getting on the road, due to Dave and I both driving through a red arrow on a green light. We just got warnings, but I honestly thought we were getting pulled over for possibly having immigrants in our moving trailer. I had no idea we drove through a red arrow, I just saw the green light and went for it. We just got a verbal warning, but then we were on our way again. Then probably 4 hours down the road, a huge wind gust and whirlwind came, pushing the moving truck off to one side of the road and then Dave tried to correct it, and the truck came off of it's wheels on one side. It looked like it was going to roll, and I was driving behind watching in utter shock, and praying so hard that they didn't flip. It was very scary because my husband and two youngest daughters were in that all most flippy truck, I had a good cry while driving, partly for sheer terror, and the other part for gratitude that everyone was safe and the truck didn't flip. But everything else went smoothly and safely. We went to Pinetop from there, and visited with our good friends, Bethany and Curtis, and then dropped all of our stuff off in a storage unit there. We then went to return our moving truck and there was a ton of drama around that. The return place was 10 miles outside of town, so we filled up in town and then drove the truck out to her, and she flat out refused to take the truck and so we had to drive back into town and fill it up enough that it would litterally spill out while driving, and then the lady that worked at the return location took it back then. Later that afternoon we drove to Strawberry and visited with my parents for 3 days, and my brother came up for two of those and visited with us at the same time. That was great to see his little family, and their baby Walker is 1 year now, and so chunky and cute. So, now we are living with my Grandmother for the summer. It is hot and I love it. The sun shines everyday, (I am burned front and back....I guess I got a little too excited about the weather being so nice...)temps have been in the high 90's and low 100's and unlike the Valley (Mesa-PHX area) it cools down really nice here in the evenings. It has also been such a joy and so wonderful to spend time with all of our family and friends here. Anyways, being away, really allowed me to appreciate being close to my family again. How very lucky I am!!

Allred Family Ditch Day

2011-05-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I don't have the pictures uploaded yet, But I wanted to document the day, before things get too busy. (We are moving this next Wednesday...busy times)
So, on Monday, we had the kids get ready for school and then as we drove them up to the school, we said our prayer as we do most days before they get out of the car, and then before they un-buckled, Dave and I said,
"Happy Allred Family Ditch Day," def. a mouth full.
The girls were so excited, as we only do this like twice a year, and we haven't done anything really fun in a long time, since our job didn't work out and then starting the new business...needless to say funds have been a little tight, and are just now getting better.
But we had the whole day planned, and it turned out so great!
We started out by driving to Salt Lake City, where we went to the Hogle Zoo.
We had such a great time, because at this zoo, the animals are really up close and personal, unlike other zoo's we have been too. It also has a Jurassic Park type feel with all the new robotic dinosaurs. The girls loved that a ton. Some of the dinosaurs spit water, others growled really loud and moved certain parts of their bodies and eyes, making them seem very life like.
We saw the new baby elephant, and went on the carousel, and the little train.
The girls got to eat Pink Cotten Candy, and that ended the zoo trip on a high...a sugar high!
All in all, it was a zoorific time!!

Then we went over to Heritage Park, which has a small museum and lot's of sculpted monuments dedicated to the Pioneers, the Mormon Battalion, and Brigham Young.
This is the location marked for Brigham Young's, "THIS IS THE PLACE" inspiration.
It was very special for me to be able to share this with my daughters, and for them to be able to look out onto the Salt Lake Valley and explain to them, that there were no buildings or anything here before and that because of the inspiration from above, the sacrifices that were made, and the hard work of the Pioneers we have this beautiful place.

We then went over to Temple Square, where we walked around the Temple. All the trees and flowers are in bloom, which made for a beautiful spring afternoon. The Temple grounds were so quiet and peaceful and it felt so good to be there with my family and away from the rest of the world. We also toured the visitor center, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, and the New Conference Center. The tours that were given to us by the volunteers were so great. Normally, we are the type, that just like to do things on our own, without someone else's help....it must be a mental thing....who knows. But we had two different men for two of the tours, and I am so glad we did that, because we got to see and learn so much more than we would have on our own.
Not to leave out, was the incredible Spirit that was with us.
I can't describe it in any other way, than just to say, we felt very peaceful, and calm, and for a few of us, there were times when we were very much overcome by the Spirit.
It was wonderful.

Then, we ended our day at IHOP. Our family loves Breakfast, so IHOP is perfect for us!
(also kids eat free Monday-Thursday from 4pm-10pm)

Anyways, we all came home, showered, and conked out.
It was the most wonderful Ditch Day Ever!

Ohhh Macy

2011-05-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

Macy K loves shoes, generally sparkly princess shoes, but today, she is sporting her daddy's shoes. She is silly.

We Are Moving

2011-05-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's official, we are moving again...........7th time in 3 years! We found someone to finish our lease and are moving back to Arizona. And it will happen one more time before the end of the summer. So, here is the plan. We are moving from here in 2 and half weeks to The Gila Valley (Central to be more exact) where we will stay for the summer while my Grandma does a bunch of traveling, and then we will move to Pinetop, where we will hopefully live for the rest of our lives. We will rent for a few years, (just to make sure) and then hopefully buy a home there. (It would be great if that was the last time we ever move) but so far, that is not how are lives have been. But we are really excited to be back in the sunshine and warmth and to be near our family. The girls are counting down the days until they get to see their cousins and grandparents again.

EASTER 2011

2011-04-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

Well, first thing Sunday morning, the girls woke up and ran into the Living Room, where Dave and I had laid out a small puzzle, 3 sour sucker things, and a bag of jelly beans.
(These were just a few nice things from their parents, the Easter Bunny hides their baskets, so there was more to be found.) When Macy saw what type of candy we had given her, she started crying saying, "I don't like that kind." It was a wonderful way to start out our morning!!
Not really!

Kyla found her basket second, in the back coat closet under her dad's coat.

Saydee found her basket last in the front coat closet under a long formal gown.
She said "it was hid really good!"

Macy found her basket first in the quilt rack in the living room.
She was really thrilled and her tears went away!!

The girls in their Easter Dresses.
Grandma Neene had purchased these for the girls last year and they still fit.
They were all so beautiful in their white dresses.

To end the day, Macy made herself a little bed in between our couches and fell asleep.

And while Macy slept, Kyla, Saydee, and myself decorated Easter Egg Sugar Cookies to take to our neighbors. Aren't they cute!!All in all, it was a nice Easter!
(despite the fact that I miss my giant family events in AZ!!)

EASTER Eggs 2011

2011-04-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

(ps....if you want to see any of these pictures closer, just click on them!)
This Easter, 2011, we are in Utah with no family (which is crazy hard for me) so we decided to make the best of it while we are here. Saturday was cold and rainy, but it was beautiful because all the flowers and popcorn trees were blooming. We went to a small area across from the Mount Timpanogos Temple, where the trees are huge, the grass is green, and there was tonz of room for the eggs to hide. The girls actually hid inside one of the giant pine trees, while Dave and I hid the eggs. It was a good day.

Here we are coloring eggs. We tried a new technique this year that we won't do again. So we ended up resorting to the old school way of putting water in a cup with a few drops of food coloring. It seemed to do the trick!

Dave and the girls love the boiled eggs and after hiding them a few times, they ate them all up....yuck! It was still fun to practice these traditions with the girls. I hope, they too, will one day practice these traditions with their own children!!

Cute Bunkbeds

2011-04-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

This is what my girls bunkbeds look like.
They are queen on the bottom and an extra long twin on top.
But my girls have decided they like these ones...

or these ones...

or these...and lastly...I seriously love the idea of them being built into the wall.

Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas

2011-04-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

Have you ever made Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas without the Chicken? Well I did tonight, because I had already started, when I realized I was missing Chicken. Guess what? They were still yummy! Yeah hooray for me!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

2011-04-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

Dave is teaching the girls to play a few songs on the guitar. First up was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and both Kyla and Saydee picked it up super quickly. So, Saydee played it for her class talent show, and then she followed it up with the ABC song, which is super funny because they are the same song, so same notes played, but the kids in her class thought she knew 2 songs. Anyways....super cute to me!!

Cute Easter Wreaths and Blocks

2011-04-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

If you haven't been by the craft blog in a while, you should.....I guess only if you are in a craft mood that is. I just featured a bunch of Easter Wreaths and Easter Blocks that you could make to spruce up your home for the coming holiday. Anyways, just a mention!! Love ya!!

Random Ramblings of a Crazy Girl

2011-04-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share a few of my thoughts(ps..they are kinda long and a little up and down, so maybe you don't want to read)...first off, I know my readership here has gone down quite a bit in the last few years, so I know this isn't going to be read by a ton of people, and I hope those that read it don't judge me for my crazy ideas and thoughts.

1)I miss AZ so bad. Utah is just not for me. But there are reasons, and here are a few. *I miss family...there is nothing that can replace that. Even just knowing that I could visit them within a few hours, feels so much better, than knowing it would take me a whole day of traveling time, and a small fortune in gas to get there. *I miss the people of AZ...enough said about that. *I miss the sunshine of AZ, not so much the heat, but the actual sunshine. It must do something to me, but it makes me feel good inside, like it gives me life in my soul when the sun is shining. Our first few months here have been so dark and gloomy...yuck. Also, earthquakes scare me and we have had 3 since we've lived here. I hope we can move back to AZ this summer, and hopefully to Pinetop is our goal.

2)I feel fluffy. I have started working out again, which is a terrible thing to say. Like I haven't been doing it, but I haven't. I have a good reason though, that I will talk about in #3. I have dreams that I am this amazing runner with a long and sleek body, that runs so gracefully. But the truth of the matter is, when I actually go outside and start to run, it looks terribly painful, my butt jiggles more than a bowl of jello, and I am huffin' and puffin' so hard that I give up because I think my heart is going to stop beating. Anyways, I want to get pregnant in June, maybe mid-June, after we have hopefully moved back to AZ, so I don't put my self in harms way by moving during early pregnancy. I just know myself too well, and I will try and do it all on my own, and I just can't jeopardize a pregnancy. But my point here is this, I have a few months to lose some weight so I can get preggers. Some people don't care about being smaller when you get prego, but I do, because I know what happens to my body, and it BLOWS up, so I don't want to be the ultra-fat prego chick. So that is my plan there.

3)We just passed our year mark on March 23rd of losing our last baby due to still birth. I can honestly say, that this last year has been a roller coaster of emotions for me. I never thought that I could be a depressed person, but I believe this last year I experienced some degrees of that. I was just so sad and pissed for so long, that I felt distant from my Heavenly Father. I know he was with me and loved me, but I didn't feel close and I seriously can't express this enough, but my heart ached so bad, and I was full of sorrow, sadness, and frustration. I had a miscarriage at 12 weeks before Macy was born, but this still born was very hard on me. I came to learn that my distance between God and myself was my own doing. Did you know that the Holy Ghost does not want to hang out with a bitter soul? Well it is true. I had to come to a place of peace myself, and choosing to be happy on my own. I also had to do a lot of praying and apologizing for my bitter attitude during this time. After much pleading for forgiveness on my part, I feel a closeness to my Heavenly Father and Savior, and Holy Ghost I have not felt in a long time. I feel like I am starting to recognize inspiration and revelation again, which I don't think I had felt in over 3 years time. I also was too afraid to get pregnant again, not because I didn't want a baby, because I really did, but I was too afraid of losing another one. I knew that emotionally, I could not take that heartache on again. My mom and My sister were so amazing during this time and I just want to thank them for understanding. I am also grateful that I am starting to feel better about all of this.

4)I just want to add that part of my bitterness, was because of our business failing, and us losing everything. We invested all we had, money and time and lost it all. We still had each other, which is the most important thing, but we lost our homes, our cars, and we had to move. Our names were flung in the mud all over the internet, it wasn't true, but it still resulted in me feeling like a big fat failure. We moved to Payson and Dave took a job in the valley and started commuting every day until we finally decided to just move down there. Right when I thought things were starting to turn around, because of a stable job and us expecting our baby, that is when we lost the baby. Ironically enough, the same morning my grandmother passed away. I just felt like I was already so low, and I was being kicked while I was at my lowest point. That is when intense bitterness overcame me.
But I have since moved on, and am just chalking it all up to refinement. Because of my trials, I am becoming who Heavenly Father would want me to be. (Especially when I come to understand that being bitter doesn't help anything. haha)I have been doing my very best at serving others whenever I can, and this too has helped me in so many ways. Just seeing others trials, and being grateful for mine. It also takes my mind off of feeling sorry for myself. We are all instruments in the Lord's hands and are here on this earth to do what he would do. "I am the Lord's Hands on this earth."

5)Since then, our job in the Valley wasn't paying enough for our monthly survival, so Dave started a business on the side doing peoples SEO (search engine optimization) and web design. But we were offered a job here in Utah that would double our income of that in Gilbert. So we came, and guess what.....it didn't double our income. It reduced our income into less than $1000 per month. Which, most families, including ours, can't survive on. So I have been bummed again, because we moved here for this job, and now there isn't a job, and that is just frustrating.

6)Anyways, Dave took his side business and made it full time, which is actually working. So he gets to be home with me and that is so wonderful....I love having him here with me. Even if he is working the entire time, it's just nice knowing he is here. We are blessed with a super duper fantastic relationship, and so being together is absolutely the ideal situation for us!!

7)I am so grateful to have such loving family members who call, write, skype, or even visit us. I feel so loved by so many and I know that is a huge blessing from above. I live for that communication, and am so blessed to have it in my life.

8)The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the Gospel are such a huge part of who I am and I love being part of that. I love having family prayer, Family Home Evening, Scripture study, and even couple prayers and individual prayers. I love attending my meetings and the spiritual nourishment I get there. I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father's Plan and what that means for my family.

9)I love love love my little family so much. Getting to be a mother and a wife are so fulfilling and wonderful to me. I love baking cookies for them and doing things that make their day better. I smile so much and am overwhelmed with love because of them. Yes, there are those days in every mother/wife's life when we wish we could turn the arguments/and or crying into giggles and loving smiles, but for the most part, being a wife and mother are wonderful.

10)I want my girls to stop growing. It seems that every time I turn around they are growing taller, eating more, having pre-teen conversations, or just smiling at me...and it's those moments that I want to freeze time. I know it's part of life and everything will grow and change, but I just want them to stay little longer. I haven't been able to do everything with them, while they are little, that I wanted to. I was thinking the other day, that I would love to get them a nice swing set and play house when we move back to AZ, but Kyla is going to be too big for that soon and won't ever want to play with it. I wanted to have them in Dance and Gymnastics, and all kinds of sports while they were little, so by these ages they would be well on their way. But things have been so crazy, and we haven't been able to do that, and I keep thinking, they are growing so fast and all the things I wanted for them are passing by so quickly before I can give it to them. I think often about the temptations and trials they will have as they grow into their teen years and I wish I could keep them safe from all of that. Anyways, I just want them to stay little, so I can protect them, spend more time with them (I feel like school gets so much of their time,)and give them more opportunities while they are the appropriate ages.

So, those are some of my thoughts right now. There are so many more, but I will bore you half to death if I keep going.

Magnetic Macy

2011-04-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

Macy loves her fridge magnets. She mainly organizes them by color, or makes beautiful necklaces out of them.(put all the magnets in a big giant circle and calls it a necklace!)

Macy is Rockin'

2011-04-06T10:03:00.000-07:00

Macy was helping me fold the laundry and wanted to wear my bandana!! (ps...Macy and I hang out all day while her sisters are at school, so she gets lots of pictures taken! hehe)

This is for my Mom

2011-04-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

This is for my mom because she made Macy this scarf, and Kyla a red and black one, and Saydee a Blue one, and all three girls where them to church every Sunday, but Macy wraps hers around her neck whenever she is going to eat ice-cream.
So here she is eating her ice-cream and wearing her scarf.

Poor Puppy

2011-03-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

Sleep Deprived?

This is a story to which every mother can relate…”An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard. I could tell from her collar and well-fed belly that she had a home and was well taken care of. She calmly came over to me, I gave her a few pats on the head; she then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in a corner and fell asleep.
An hour later, she went to the door and I let her out.
The next day she was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed her spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks.
Curious, I pinned a note to her collar:
‘I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful, sweet dog is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.’
The next day she arrived for her nap, with a different note pinned to her collar: ‘She lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3. She’s trying to catch up on sleep. Can she come tomorrow?’ ”

Such a funny story.....I know there were are days that I sure feel like this!!
My friend Jen shared this and I loved it and wanted to share it with you!!

Macy K turns 3

2011-03-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

Macy turned 3 a few days ago. Before I tell you what we did for her birthday, I want to point out some things I love about our Macy....
*Macy is a true Princess
*She wears tutu's everyday
*She also wears ruby red slippers or pink slippers everyday
*Macy loves hair-bows and head-bands
*She also loves wearing sparkly necklaces and rings.
*I love that she asks for her nails to be painted daily.
*Macy is our chatter bug...she loves to talk, and sing
*Macy LOVES candy, and would rather have it for EVERY meal
(we don't give it to her, but she still asks for it every time)
*Macy thinks tennis shoes and pants are for boys.
*I love that she calls her sisters "the sisters," here's an example...
"Mom, I love The Sisters"
*She loves to play with play-doh, color(with only markers), and make beaded necklaces.
*She begs to hear stories. (loves loves loves fairy tales)
*Macy wants to play barbies with "The Sisters" as soon as they walk in from school.
*She loves her daddy the "mostest"and always runs to the door screaming "DADDY" when he gets home, and he always gets a BIG hug and a kiss from his Macy!
*Sometimes in the morning, she will give me a big hug and say,"Mom, I am so glad I came back to our family," as if she left our family during the night...regardless of where she thinks she went, I am so glad she is here with us!!
*Macy loves to take baths with her barbies and pretend she is a mermaid.
*She swallows her gum, and when I say, "where did your gum go?" She answers, "Mom, I didn't swallow it, it's just bouncing on my food in my tummy."
*Macy loves dancing in circles, up on her toes, with her hands in the air--like a Ballerina.
*Sliced sandwich cheese is her absolute favorite.
*She really likes strawberry/chocolate milk,"warmed up and shaked, please."
*She says the best prayers and remembers everyone,cousins, grandparents and
even our dog Summer (who now lives with another family.)
***I could go on and on with this list....but most importantly, Macy came into our lives when we truly needed some happiness. She has been our saving grace, and at times of intense sorry, seeing her smiling face has brought joy into our lives.
We just love the heck out of our little munchkin!!

For her birthday, she (with a little persuasion from her older sister) decided she wanted to get her ears pierced. We went to the store, and she picked out some "pink diamond heart" earrings. I thought this was so funny, since she walks around our house, all day with 3-4 pink crystal hearts in her hand. If I ever catch it on camera, I will post it, just so you know how she is...
...so her choice of earrings were perfect for who she is.

Here she is at the beginning with her daddy!

There were two women, one on each side, they were a little shaky, but things turned out right.
She was supposed to "look at mommy's nose."
She did really well, immediately following the piercing, she said "ouch" and then the ladies started talking to her, and it was all over, and the tears started to roll.
Her daddy gave her a big hug!!
...and with wet cheeks, here she is sporting her new pink diamond hearts.
Beautiful huh!!

Her cousin Darby, wrote this poem about her...

"This is what a Princess Wears to Bed"
Princess Macy said with Glee!
"All of my jewelry, has to sleep with me!
All of my rings and necklaces too!
I also must have at least one sparkly, red shoe!"
After she was ready, and snuggled in her bed,
Miss Macy decided to finally rest her head.

Then we had her birthday that night, it was small, but she loved every minute of it.

We had some family and friends meet us at a nearby play center.
She ran wild with her friends and "the sisters" and had tonz of fun.

Our really good friend, Amber, made Macy a Barbie cake and it turned out absolutely perfect!!
Look at all the detail. It was lined at the base with strawberries, had a frosting necklace, and even a frosting hair flower. It was SOOOO perfect. (Thank you Amber)
A few of her presents were a fairy barbie and lip-gloss from her friends, and a dress up trunk with lots of princess dresses from her Great Aunts. In the mail, she got this Cinderella barbie and skittles from Grandma Bonnie and Papa Kyle! She was so thrilled. At first she opened her mouth in utter shock, it was so cute and she was so happy.
She still looks shocked...or worried??(not sure)Then Aunt Amber and girls mailed her this adorable little pink tutu, and she loved it!
She was also mailed a nice card from her Grandma Neene and Papa Max.We Love you Macy!!

Macy Is....

2011-02-25T12:03:00.000-08:00

In our family we love learning all the new faces that can be made, so here is Macy practicing.....
Mad...Surprised....

Sad...

Crazy...

Happy...

Ice Fishing

2011-02-25T11:59:00.000-08:00

Dave took Kyla ice fishing. They didn't catch anything, but had lots of fun!!

Saydee Won The Reading Competition

2011-02-25T11:51:00.000-08:00

Our Saydee Lady won the reading competition in her class and won 2nd place out of her entire grade! She got a 2 books and a blue stuffed Lizard!ps...she smiles more now than ever since she lost her teeth, she thinks she is cute and so do we!

Getting it right, is so hard!

2011-02-25T11:48:00.000-08:00

Macy says, "did I do it right?"Well are we talking about your shoes being on the wrong feet, or two legs in one hole?

Just a pic of the Girlies!!

2011-02-18T09:07:00.000-08:00

They are growing up so fast!!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-18T09:05:00.000-08:00

The Girls and Big D made me a lovely Valentine, with x's and o's made out of criss-crossed pretzels and oreos. So Sweet...I love you 2!

Holes in my Head

2011-02-18T09:01:00.000-08:00

Saydee Lady lost another tooth this week and has another loose one on the opposite side. She is so cute with her little missing teeth!

ps....does she seem really "white" to you, we have spent our winter inside...no sunshine

Watching Movies

2011-02-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

Since it is usually too cold for us outside, we watch movies a lot and Dave snapped a pic of our "Usual Movie" position. RIGHT ON THE COUCH!!
(note...my eyes are having a hard time staying open..haha)

Macy's Tough Style

2011-02-14T11:03:00.000-08:00

This girl cracks me up with her style and her tough smiles.
She picked out her own outfit, beanie included, then said "take a picture of me mom,"
and this is what I got...
I even asked her to smile pretty for me, and she said, "this is good mom."

Saydee Lost Another Tooth

2011-02-14T10:58:00.000-08:00

Our Saydee Lady, lost another tooth. I believe this is number 3, right in front, and I just wanted to share it and her adorable new little smile. It is so cute when she starts to giggle hard!

Macy's Winter Wear

2011-02-14T10:50:00.000-08:00

It was a cold day here in Utah and Macy fell asleep in the car. Dave transferred her into the house, but she looked so comfy, so we just let her continue to sleep on the couch. Her big coat and beanie remind me of the Christmas Story, when the kids are so bundled that they can't really use their arms at all.

Saydee Lady Turned 7

2011-02-11T13:52:00.000-08:00

Our Saydee Lady turned 7 and we had a Glitz and Glam Party!
(Saydee is in the Gray Striped Shirt)We had pink cupcakes, apple juice, and ring pops...all of Saydee's Favorites.
The girls goody bags had a sparkle nail polish, eye shadow, and candy!
The girls made beaded necklaces, painted their nails, and put eyeshadow on one another!!
Saydee loved her presents!!
They included, a journal, a necklace, 2 new fairy barbies, skittles, a new hair flower,
a hair clip holder, a little money, and a blue ipod shuffle.
I feel so very blessed to have a daughter like Saydee in my life and a member of our family.
She is extraordinary. I know every parent believes the same thing about their children, however I do have 3 wonderful girls and I can tell you, Saydee is extraordinary!
In every way...kinda like a super human...haha..not alienish though!!
She is really brilliant.
She is naturally athletic beyond normal.
She is super duper silly, with the cutest smile.
She is so sweet...probably the sweetest person I have ever met.
Her loving embrace, warms my heart.
She is so very organized and particular about things.
Anyways, I thank my Heavenly Father every day for her sweet influence in our home,
because she truly reminds us of what is most important!
I LOVE MY SAYDEE LADY!!

New Easy Dinner Meal Site

2011-02-02T08:24:00.000-08:00

My sis just started a new site for Easy Dinner Meals....This is her Description
ps....we all need easy dinner meal ideas, so please share your ideas on the site, and we can all benefit from one another's clever meals!!

EASY DINNER MEALS

"I recently had a conversation about what I make for Dinner, you see I am a mom of four very active young girls aging from 1 to 6 years old, and so I make very quick inexpensive meals. That is what you will find here, what my every day meals consist of. I hope you will find it useful in making fast meals so you can have more time to spend with your family. If you have a quick easy meal leave me a shout out, I will add it to my blog!"

Glamis Dune Site

2011-02-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

Are You A Glamis Dune Fan....Check this **Fun Site** out Where you can share your pictures and stories!!

Funny Family Faces

2011-02-02T08:10:00.000-08:00

Just thought you might enjoy our funny family faces. What a bunch of wackos.....

I WANT THIS SILLOUETTE SO BAD....MY TEETH ARE GRINDING!!

2011-01-19T23:58:00.000-08:00

GIVING AWAY A SILHOUETTE SD!!

{$400 value!}

http://tinyurl.com/6joxqun
Over at Craftaholics Anonymous they are going to give one away....my head is spinning and my teeth are grinding at all the possibilities!!

WE MOVED AGAIN

2011-01-07T17:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's true...we have moved again. Macy is only 2. She was brought home to a huge home in Pinetop, AZ. We then moved to a smaller home in Pinetop, AZ. Then we moved to a home in Payson, AZ. Then to Gilbert, AZ on her 2nd birthday, and as of yesterday....January 6th, 2011 we now reside in Lehi, Utah. it's nutso....but we are all about adventure, right?!! It's one of those things that I said I never wanted to do (move to Utah) and here we sit, in Utah. It is super cold here, the snow never melts, and smiling is difficult because my lips are frozen shut. Some may say that's a good thing....but I still love to gab---gab away!! We found a nice house right on the edge of Lehi and Saratoga Springs. There is a picture below, but it was taken during the summer, so you can see the grass, which is covered right now with white stuff. We registered the girls for school and they will start on Monday. Dave was recruited for a company here as a sales guy and he is also working on two other ventures on the side. Things are looking brighter....super bright since the sun shines off the snow!!

Pomplamoose - If You Think You Need Some Lovin

2010-12-20T17:21:00.000-08:00

Miss K is 9er

2010-11-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

At our house the term "9er" is awesome and Miss K is finally 9er and we are so excited. She invited a few friends over and we tie-died shirts, made handbags with giant flowers glued to them, had chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting, and opened presents. The "LIV Barbies" are big this year and she got two of them. Also an Ipod Shuffle from Mom and Dad.
She says it was the greatest day ever!!

TUTU's and Smiles

2010-11-24T11:10:00.000-08:00

After Halloween, these cutie patootie tutu's went on sale for $2.50 and so I had to grab a few and the girlies love to wear them! SO STYLISH.....

Miss K goes Greek

2010-11-24T11:03:00.000-08:00

Miss K, had a day at school where they got to dress up in a Toga, and we made her's out of a pillowcase, and she looks super cute!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-24T10:55:00.000-08:00

OOHHH, I have to get better at this picture taking thing. We had such a super busy Halloween this year, and I just quickly snapped pictures of Miss K, who went as a Gypsy, and Miss S, who went as Rapunzel, as they were entering their classrooms. I didn't even get any pictures of Miss M. Dangit.....however, she was a beautiful pink princess.

Cabela's Big Game Hunter

2010-11-24T10:49:00.000-08:00

For Big D's birthday, the girls and I gave him "Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2010" for our Wii, and talk about a super fun game. Our family loves the heck out of this game. It's especially exciting when the BIG BEARS and MOUNTAIN LION start to attack you! With a family full of girls,
Big D, has had to do some rescuing. The girls SCREAM..."DAD, it's killing me, SAVE ME!"
It's some serious Family Fun!

"Summer"---OUR BIG ol' DOG

2010-11-24T10:32:00.001-08:00

OH MY GOSH, SHE WAS SO CUTE...

So, I never assumed that our tiny, little puppy would turn into something GI-NORMOUS!! She is growing inches every month. Now at 7 months, "Summer" can completely nock me off my feet, drag me or one of my beloved girlies down the street, is as tall as my thigh (but then she stands on her hind legs and is as tall as me), and she is now eating us out of house and home. BUT....the kids love her to pieces...so I guess she is ours to love forever!!!

Halloween Pumpkin Carving

2010-11-24T10:22:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't take very many pictures, I guess I got caught up in the moment. Miss K's pumpkin was strictly carved by her dad, after she and her dad drew a scary face on it. Then, Miss S's pumpkin was completely custom painted by hand...she did all on her own, and then Miss M's pumpkin was a mixture of the two, caved a little and painted too. The funny thing was that they molded on day 2. I guess living in the HOT valley doesn't help carved pumpkins at all. When we used to live in the mountains, they just sat there frozen!....HAHAHA

Beautiful Message

2010-11-01T09:13:00.001-07:00

REMEMBER TO MUTE THE MUSIC BELOW BEFORE WATCHING!

Fall Break in Colorado

2010-10-17T22:35:00.000-07:00

These are a few pictures from our Fall Break Vacation in Colorado. It was so wonderful and the scenery was gorgeous. We stopped our first night in Farmington, New Mexico and visited our friends, the Shepherd's, but forgot to snap any pics. We were also able to stay a few days with my cousin Dusty and her little family as well. They showed us around and took us to some hot spots and it was so nice getting to spend time with them. However, I didn't put all of the pictures we took of her family in the slide show, because that is her bizness....ANYWAYS....enjoy...it was so pretty and wonderful. We spent our time in Southwest Colorado, so this included Durango, Telluride, Cortez, Silverton, Ouray, and the Million Dollar Highway! I wish we could have seen all of our loved ones and friends in Colorado, but it didn't happen!

Grab My New Button...it's cute

2010-10-05T08:42:00.000-07:00

I would love your support in adding my new button to your blog. It's super simple, you just copy and paste the html code in the box below and then go to your blog and go to the design section and add it as a gadget on the side, click the html portion and paste it in, click save and there you have it! Thanks so much, also, come visit anytime, I am always sharing fun ideas and would love you to visit!!

SESAME STREET DOES IT AGAIN--WILL.I.AM

2010-09-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

ps...before you hit play, scroll to the bottom of the screen and mute my music playlist!div>

SO PROUD OF MY SAYDEE LADY

2010-09-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of my Saydee Lady...She won a free ticket to Golf Land/Sun Splash and an Award for "READING MORE THAN ANY OTHER 1st GRADER" in her Elementary School. In one weeks time, she read over 1050 minutes! Way to go Cutey Patooty!!

TANK TOPS

2010-09-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

K....this isn't anything super special, but Old Navy is having a crazy, great sale on Tank Tops. (The store is selling them for $9-12, the website is still showing them at $16, so go in if you can)Now, I have told a few people about the sale and they are like, "what will I wear a tank top with?" So here are a few options. Under a shirt or a bolero (little jacket covering shoulders)is always a great way to add some color to your outfit. This is totally not me...but photoshop just made me a hottie!! Then this is "ALL THE RAVE" right now...wearing your tank top over a cap-sleeve tee. So, I am giving you a few shots of my tanks........please remember, I am not a fashionista...just showing you what you can do with your tank tops!!...ps.....sorry about the blurred vision...

And this one is my favorite one of all...if you don't know just how to accessorize your tank top, you should get some muscles and then you could look like this!!!

OOOOHHHHH ...THAT DOG

2010-09-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

SO many of you know we have this new dog...not so new anymore, "Summer" and she is now 5 months old and half great dane/(slash)lab. And uuurrrgggghhhhh.....I don't know what the heck I am doing with her. She is a pretty good dog, most of the time, but I was kind of in the market for a really lazy dog (one that just sits there and gives you puppy dog eyes)...and she is nothing of the sort...she is so hyper.. and she won't listen to any of the commands given to her....we say "SIT" and she runs speedy circles around us. We say, "DOWN" and she jumps up like she wants to lick our lips because words are coming out of them.....I need to train her....I thought about looking for a good home for her, a family that new how to train her and suggested it to Dave while the girls were listening and....oh boy...the tears starting streaming down their little puffy cheeks. I guess that is not an option. We are working with her everyday, walking her lot's to help keep her energy to a minimum. Even looking for an older friend for her so that she will have a calming example...............and again I repeat..................I don't know what I am doing!! How is it they come home with you all tiny and cute and then they grow up so darn fast!!! I am thinking that I am a bigger fan of new born babies....

The Girls 1st day of School

2010-09-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

So, if you've been following me, you know that my camera situation is crazy right now, however I can take a few at a time....so this is a little late, but I wanted to share this pic of the girlies right before they headed out the door for the first day of school. Now you might be asking yourself, "ARE THEY TWINS" and my answer is "NO...They just like to dress alike on somedays, but not everyday!" Thus, the matchy matchy outfits...Anyways, I love my girls, they love their new teachers, and the school district we are part of is really awesome and gives the girls something to strive for, which always makes a mamma happy...and they get to wear flip flops, which rocks!!

Help Cure Val - Part 2

2010-09-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU..........you know who you are and it's not just one of you!!! YOU GUYS ROCK so much. Thank you....Of course I feel so blessed to be surrounded by people who are willing to give a little to help save a mamma!!!! Good WORK....I could just hug you right now....so imagine my arms around you!!!! SQUEEZE......ok, I'll let go now

Help Cure Val

2010-09-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

Valerie Aguinaga , is an amazing, young mom of four and has been diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Please help her by spreading the word to your friends or by donating $10, $20, or even $50 if you can. I don't have to explain why I am so emotional about this story...but WOW...let's all do what we can to help!!

You can see her story and find ways to help right ***HERE***...THANK YOU So MUCH!

P.S......If you're wondering how I know her, well...I don't.....but I can still help....she is still here on this earth and there is still a chance to help save her so she can be there for her kids, and I can't deny that!

Great Quote

2010-08-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

‎"You know, I once thought about quitting. I was diagnosed with brain, lung and testicular cancer. But with the love and support of my friends and family I got back on my bike and won the Tour De France 5x in a row....but I'm sure your reason for quitting is more serious than that. Good luck. " -- Lance Armstrong

CHECK THIS OUT!! WOW!!

2010-08-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

Check Out my new blog post **HERE** if you have little girlies and are getting ready for Halloween, birthday, or just everyday fun and fashion!

Okay---Just a few things

2010-08-27T10:22:00.000-07:00

(p.s. kinda long....but worth it)
First off, my apologies about there not being any pics in a while...but I have a perfectly good excuse. Our really nice camera was dumped into the lake for 10 minutes before we found it floating there....so that hasn't worked in a month or so, but I was able to salvage my chip with what pics were on that. But the good news was, when I got home I had another Digital Camera that Dave and I bought, right before we had won the other one. So I pulled that out and started taking pics and blogging with that one and it felt so right...but guess what...one day I transferred the pics from that camera's chip onto my computer and then I CAN"T REMEMBER WHERE I PUT THE CHIP....urrgghhhh. So, I have said about 4 prayers total and have pleaded for help in finding the darn thing, but NO CHIP. So....hopefully that explains why there haven't been pics in a while. I will keep looking though, (just in case you were concerned!)

Next...on Wednesday was when our baby would have been due. I want to clear up something real quick that I feel is important. It wasn't a really hard day for me, I have learned to push those feelings back, but part of my grieving originally was that I just wanted the whole world to stop and recognize what just happened and mourn with me. However, that never happens, but on Wednesday, I was kinda feeling the same way, and I just want to give a shout out to my sister who was the ONE, who checked on me, she remembered the date, and she made sure I got out of bed and was functioning....she was there for support and I just want to announce that I have the greatest sister on the face of the earth.....she is amazing and I am so eternally grateful! I love you Amber.

Okay...so onto today, with a little back story. Last month our electric bill shot up from $200 to $478.00 for the month of July....small crap in my pants. So, when I sent in the rental check to my landlord, I sent him a coupon for an AC tuneup and asked if he would have things checked out so we could ensure that we weren't paying a ton just because the unit wasn't running right. Well this month our bill was $498...not much of a difference, but WOOOWWWW. So, my landlord called this morning and let me know that he has an AC guy coming out....yeah!! So I thought I would clean up the yard a bit so it would look presentable. I don't want him going back to my landlord and saying....YUCK...those people are somewhat piggy.

Now remember, we now have a puppy...who is a mix between black lab and great dane....so she doesn't really look like a puppy she is huge and so are her poopies. SOoooooo....yuck, I went pooper scoopering in the yard so the AC guy wouldn't step in any of that. Well as I was trying to scoop things up with my shovel, it wasn't working very good because it was all dryed and crumbly (I know you want to know about my doggies poopies....oooohhhh gross....I know) So I went into the garage and got two paint gloves and I put one on my right hand and then I put the second one over the other one on my right hand...yes you read right....I double-gloved my right hand. I then preceded to pick up the dry crusty poopies and throw them in this poo-collecting box we have. Anyways...I hit some wet new stuff....let me just leave you with this...YUCK...then I noticed that the yard could probably use a good mowing...so I got out the mower and started her up and did the whole yard until it ran out of gas and so half of the front yard is left unfinished for those who truly understand yard-art. But then I saw that the edge of the grass was growing over the side-walk and I thought, I should trim that....well I remembered the weed-wacker needed a new gas hose, so I would have to either leave it or come up with another idea.

Thus....the kitchen shears came to mind. I got out there and trimmed my whole yard....along all the sidewalks with my kitchen shears...it looks pretty good....my finger hurts where I grew a blister and popped it and then got dirt in it. oh...during this time, Macy came out with her dress pulled way up with her diaper in her hand and said, "mommy it fell off...here." How cute is that!!
Anyways...it all looks great, so I decided to go inside and take a quick shower....then I realized I sweated all the way through my clothing including my super sweet padded, might I add...extra padded b.r.a. (boob restricting apparatus.) So, it was a way big bummer because now I am all clean, make-up on, super hot looking with wet hair, and flat chested.......dangit.....

Today Is Better

2010-08-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

Just a big giant Thank you to all my friends and family who send their love randomly. So today, I am getting back on track. I am going to clean like a crazy woman, sew a baby quilt for a friend, paint Macy's toenails, have lunch with my studly husband, pick my girlies up at school early for half day, and then..........who know's but it will be a great day!! I hope YOU have a wonderful day 2!

To TOP it ALL off

2010-08-23T07:55:00.001-07:00

Well this weekend started a little early when we got a call from Dave's Dad saying that his 90 year old grandma had just had her second stroke and that it was really bad. So we packed up everything and headed down to Safford on Thursday afternoon. We took turns sitting with her at the hospital. We were so glad to be able to help, but it was hard seeing this woman who we love and has been so vivacious in her life, just lying there, unable to communicate, swallow, or even blink. We did a few night shifts, and then came back to my in-laws home, and tried to catch a few zzzz's.
**In the mean time, I came down with an intense sinus infection and had a serious headache, sneezed my brains out, and had a runny nose that wanted to run away without me.
So, here is where my story begins...I was just leaving the hospital, on very little sleep with my newly acquired sinus infection, feeling really crummy. I got into my new car and started backing out of the parking lot, and low and behold in my blind spot was an old historical truck. I backed my car right into it, just broke the tail light on the truck, but I really jacked up the back of my car. A guy comes over and claims he owns a body shop and that my car is going to cost a small fortune to fix.....thanx for the info Buddy.
So, then I have to go back to my in-laws and tell my sweet husband that I just hurt my new car. At least he was understanding and let me go take a nap...I love you honey.
Then we decide to go to the hospital to say one last goodbye and the family tells us they don't expect grandma to live longer than 14 days, and then ask the girls and I to sing (Families Can Be Together Forever) to grandma before we go...we couldn't sing that song and chose to sing "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam" because it was a little happier, but talk about heart wrenching. Everyone in the room was crying. **Then before we leave town, I was asked if I was expecting (because I rubbed my protruding stomach and guess what, I have just lost 10 pounds...so that means I probably still look pregnant) and I then realized this Wednesday would be the day our sweet baby would have been born. That is sad. So far, our grandma is in the process of passing away, I just crushed my cars rear-end, asked if I am pregnant the week I would have been due, and have a sinus infection.
**Then THIS IS WHERE I TOP IT ALL OFF....it's Monday morning and I go to drop the girls off at school and as I'm leaving, there is a whole group of "THE PERFECT MOMS" walking their kids to school and they need to cross the road, but because there are so many of them, they wave me on, and so I look right, and then left, and I start to go, and hear a big giant HONKKKKKKKK and almost ran into another car, I waved with a big SORRY look on my face, and the guy throws his arms up in the air, begging the question, "HEY LADY< WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?" and I just say "Sorry" hoping he is some kind of silent lip reader. Then I glance into my rear-view mirror at the group of "PERFECT MOMS" and they are all laughing and staring, and I felt like that big nerd in school who has a giant booger on her cheek and doesn't even know why the popular girls are laughing and pointing.
UUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH, I am bound and determined to make this day and week go better.
So...I am going back to sleep for a little bit and will hopefully wake up all better........oh wait, I am a mom with a starving 2 year old, I guess I won't be going back to sleep!!

So Funny (HIL-arious), I had to Share

2010-08-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

****BEFORE WATCHING, SCROLL DOWN AND MUTE OR PAUSE MUSIC BAR**

Back-To-School + lots of pics

2010-08-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

I am bummed summer is over....I don't want the girls to go back to school yet. We have had so much fun together this summer and I'm sad it's all over. I was sitting in church on Sunday, and the lady in front of me, excitedly announced that it was 68 hours and 15 minutes until school started and she couldn't wait. She must have been excited in order to count it down like that. And I am sure there are other mom's who will read this and may agree with her, but I am just going to miss them so much.
As a side note: to me, it seems like the girls argue more when they are going to school. They come home and are mean to one another, but when they only get to hang out with each other during the summer, they are really so much nicer to each other. ANYWAYS, we have had such a great summer. The girls have almost completed all of their parent-hosted summer camps and have really loved it. We completed, Snorkeling Camp, Outdoor Camp, Cheer Camp, Baseball Camp, Basketball Camp, Princess/Mom Camp, and are now finishing Golf Camp. Their backpacks are covered in patches from all the summer camps, and some giant horse patches as well. If fact, they are thrilled to be going back to school. They each have their outfits picked out for the first day, know what their hair will look like, and what shoes they will wear. They each made a little gift for their new teacher and have loaded their backpacks full of things they are sure to need for the new school year. My biggest hope, is that each girl gets a good teacher. Kyla and Saydee both had such amazing Kindergarten teachers, Mrs. Daniels at Frontier Elementary and Mrs. Yost at Blueridge. If I could hire those two women to teach the girls all through their school years, that would be the most ideal situation!! They were truly AMAZING.
But anyways, a little briefing on our summer, we went fishing and camping, shot bows, we swam every single day but Sunday, we went to the dollar theater a lot, the drive-in movies, played with cousins as often as we could---too bad we can't live closer, went to visit Grandparents a few times, visited the park after 8pm a lot (before that we may have melted), sewed lots, learned alot of scripture stories at the breakfast table, pretended and played house, barbies, school, kitchen cook, church, beauty salon and fashion designer, office, bank, and the list goes on. When it's so hot outside we either swim or make up random things to pretend inside. So that is where our long list comes from. Here are some pictures of our summer, I will explain as I go!

Macy got a new "Big Girl Bed"
Cousins Playing On The Tramp

Playing Red Rover---Check out I's Pose

Kyla and Her New Backpack

Macy Posing in a Pillow Case Dress we Sewed

We had FHE at the Temple with My Bro's Family

Cousins
Amber's Girls
Here's All the Grandbabies minus Baby Amelia who was with Her parents in Cali

We took a drive to Canyon Lake, Apache Lake, and to Roosevelt. This is the back of the Dam.

Saydee and the Canyon lookout between the two lakes.

Me and My Girls

I love this picture, if you click on it and look closely, she is cross-eyed!! It's truly Classic.

Kyla swimming!

Saydee Lady

We got a new puppy named, "Summer"

Swimming some more with Aunt Catherine and our Cousins

Macy is 2 and learned to swim this summer. It's kinda like a wiggle worm in water, but it works!

Macy dressed herself, showing us her big muscles!

Dave and all the girls in the pool. I LOVE this picture with their goggles. They are all so cute.

We went to Blue Ridge Reservoir and Dave paddled us around the lake. It was a tough job against the wind! WOW!!

Oh what a Stud I am married to. We went camping and he helped remove a big tree.

Papa Kyle spent much of his time pushing all the kiddos on the tire swing! It was the greatest part of camping in the girls eyes.

Cousins Forever

Just a little taste of our summer fun. It was the greatest. I have decided the reason we had so much fun was probably because of our tragedy in March. Going through that really helped me focus on what's most important, and to me, that's family and my girls. I adore them now more than ever. They and Dave are my everything. I live to be with them!!!

It's Raining, It's Pouring

2010-07-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

It has been raining all over Arizona, and it seems to be all around our house, but never here at our house. And finally, within the last 3 days, we have had a little bit of rain every day and it has been so gorgeous. It makes me miss the mountains so much. During the summer monsoon months, every afternoon at 1pm, the storms roll in and at 55*-60*degrees it is like a piece of heaven. Last night, I was driving home from Globe and after the valley had just been poured on, what was left was the most amazing sunset. Full of oranges, pinks, purples, and yellows. The rays shot straight up through the clouds above, and the sun laid down behind the mountains, leaving us a sensational array of colors. I thanked my Heavenly Father for such a gorgeous site, and I believe the greatest artist of all is he who created our little planet. There isn't a painter known to man kind that can capture the sunset like the one I viewed last night. Arizona is incredibly diverse and I love it. I took a few photos with my phone, but they didn't quite capture the magnificence of it all. However Mr. Tony Crow from Tucson, Arizona took this gorgeous photo.

CHEAP SCHOOL CLOTHES and SCRUBS $3.99

2010-07-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

Tonight we went to Arizona Mills Mall and the Scrub Store across from Old Navy is having a close-out sale, so each piece is $3.99! A great deal if your in the Medical Field.
ALSO, if your looking for some good deals on kids clothing for Back-to-School...sizes 5t-12, JC Penney in the Mills Mall has a bunch of items for $3.99 as well. I bought the girls a bunch of long plaid shorts, with matching shirts. So each outfit cost me $8.00....so great!! Also, there are (HUGE lots=many pieces)of clothes on Craigslist and e-bay that are excellent. Also, consignment shops like "Once upon a Child" will take your last year clothes (in good condition) and give you store credit to buy school clothes for this year. They also take baby gear and toys in trade of store credit, which you can also use on clothing, or more gear. I also have lots of friends who are purchasing their childrens clothes at thrift stores and Good Will. In fact, I just heard that Good Will has half off Saturdays, so all the $2 shirts are then $1. You may think I am a cheapo when it comes to new school clothes, but why spend a ton??? Also, "The Children's Place" has really adorable jeans for $4.99. I have also been to "Burlington Coat Factory" this week, that has a ton of cute clothing, and also "Ross" which I wasn't very impressed with this time. If you live close to a K-Mart, they have slashed back their prices for "Back-to-School" and if your budget is tight, I believe they still have lay-a-way. ANYWAYS>>>>>>HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING

Camping This Week

2010-07-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

We went camping for the 4th of July with my immediate family. So my sister, her husband and their 4 girls, my brother, his wife and their 5 kids, Us and our 3 girls, my parents, and two puppies...coco(my sister's new chocolate lab) and summer(our new black lab). We played cards, horse-shoes, swang on a tire swing, went on Rail rides in my bro-in-laws Sand Rail...which is super awesome, saw lot's of big elk, ate some really delicious food, watched the dogs attack each other, played with babies, floated around on Blue Ridge Reservoir on our inflatable raft, and talked a lot. It was super fun...we are all a little tired....but it was super fun. We did miss the fire-works but plan on catching them during the Gila Valley's Pioneer Day Celebration. I would like to add the reason there are no pictures to accompany this post is that we dropped our super awesome camera into the lake.......so dangit. That seems so quick and impersonal, but it's just a recap.

I Heart Mesa Dot Blogspot

2010-06-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to tell everyone of this new great site I was referred to by my cuz and it's great. I go on every few days to check out new and exciting things to do here in the valley, and since I am a new comer and clueless about all the fun activities available, it is such a great resource. It is called www.iheartmesa.blogspot.com There is also a link here on the right! Check it out! It's great!

Freebies for Your Birthday in Mesa

2010-06-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

This is an incredible list made by a fellow blogger about all the wonderful things that are free on your birthday in Mesa...It is stock full of all the different things you can get for free on or around your birthday. It is great because it means we get to celebrate all month long! Alot of these are here in AZ, but there are still some that are available in other areas. Just check to see if there is a location near you.

I.D.’s or birth certificates are usually checked and you must do these on your actual birthday:

Hollywood Video: free video rental
Joe's Real BBQ: free lunch or dinner
Joe’s Farm Grill: free lunch or dinner up to $10
Korean BBQ on Northeast corner of Alma School & Guadalupe: free meal
Outback Steakhouse: Free Blooming Onion - W/Photo ID
Krispy Kremes: Free Dozen Donuts (right now the only one open in AZ is at Power & the 60)

I.D.’s are not usually checked:

Most restaurants will give you a free dessert on your birthday so I don’t usually list those unless it is a little different

Red Robin: free birthday sundae plus free dinner if you are signed up for their email list below
Mi Amigos: free dessert with a Polaroid picture of you on your birthday.
Chevy’s Fresh Mexican: free dessert, song, and sombrero
Claim Jumper: Free mudpie
Macaroni Grill: free chocolate cake and Italian opera singer to sing Happy Birthday
The Gilbert House: Free dessert
Oreganos: Free Pizookee (half baked cookie with ice cream on top)

Some websites that have sent me freebies on my birthday (What’s great about these is you usually don't have to use them on your birthday -allowing you to spread the freebies out longer throughout the month- most give you 1-4 weeks to use them):

Register at any Danny’s Family Car wash for their rewards program and you will get a free birthday car wash, a free wash for joining plus other goodies!

Register for the Abuelo’s e-Club and they will send you a card for a free appetizer just for registering and then a free entrée on your birthday and on your anniversary!

Register for the Golden Spoon eclub and you will get a free frozen yogurt coupon emailed to you on your birthday plus other coupons throughout the year.

Register at Arizona Auto Wash and get a free car wash on your birthday-you can register the day of your birthday too!

Register for Z'club at Z Tejas and they email out a coupon for a free meal or $10 off your order.

Register for the email club at Pasta Pomodoro and they email out a coupon for a free entrée.

Register for the Souper Fresh Club at Souper Salad and they email out a coupon for a free buffet.

Register for the Birthday Club at The Keg and get a free prime rib dinner on your birthday- you have to register at the restaurant and they send you a postcard by mail. (This is by far the best one on this list! The meal is worth $30!...and the food is amazing!)

Register for the Club at NYPD Pizza at any of their locations and they will email you a coupon for a free dessert on your birthday.

Register for Marie Callenders at a location and they will send you a coupon for $5 off an entrée and a free piece of pie.

Register for the eclub at Red Robin and they will send you a gift for signing up and then a free burger on your birthday (which you can use on any of their entrees.)

Register for the mailing list for Malees and they will send you an email good for an entrée up to $19 for free!

Register for the email list for Maggiano’s and they will send you a coupon for $10 off of a $20 purchase.

Register for the free birthday dinner at The Vine Tavern & Eatery and they will send you a postcard for a free dinner up to $10

Register for the Sonic Cruisers Club and they will email you a free cream slush coupon on your birthday.

Register online at Damon's Steakhouse Buy 1, Get 1 Free Entree, Birthday song and More!

Register online at Daphne's Greek Café, Join their eClub and get a free meal on your birthday as well as other discounts

Register online at Quiznos Subs and get a Birthday Gift

Register online for Rockfish Restaurant and get a Free Item near Birthday - Locations: Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, North Carolina

Join the Pig Club at Famous Daves and get a SURPRISE BIRTHDAY GIFT ( maybe a piece of birthday cake, an appetizer, some ribs, or even an All-American Feast! )

Register for Buca di Beppo’s e-club and receive a free dessert

Register for the Subway Birthday club and get a free 6 in. sub for your birthday

Register for the Juice it Up! SmoothE club and get a free birthday gift.

Register for the Peter Piper Pizza eClub and you can sign your kids up for the birthday club to receive a postcard for a free kid pizza

Register for Auntie Anne’s perfect rewards club at and you get a coupon every month.

Just for kids:

Baskin Robbins Birthday Club: get a free ice cream cone

Marble Slab Creamery: for a free ice cream cone (kids under 12)

California Pizza Kitchen:free kids meal

Bob Evans Restaurant Birthday Club: free kids meal coupon

Chevys Fresh Mex Restaurant: you have to register at the location and they send you a card for a free kids meal on your birthday.

Burger King: Join the BK Kids Club at any location you can get an application and they will send you a coupon for a free kids meal in the mail.

Sonic: Join the birthday club for a free wacky pack kids meal on your birthday at

Bookmans: Join the Kids Club at any Bookmans and receive $5 postcard for your birthday plus 10% off all year plus a membership kit with cool stuff.

Denny’s: For kids under 10 – you can get the form at Denny’s or on the web, mail it in and you will get a free entrée and sundae on your birthday.

EXCUSES

2010-06-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, I really do have a lot to blog about, but actually sitting down and blogging about it just isn't appealing to me right now. In fact, after losing our baby, I jumped on a few times because typing out loud my feelings, helped me deal, but then shortly after that, I have lost all motivation to be on the computer at all. So my slightly addictive ways of computer days, blogging and facebooking, and checking e-mails, are gone for now. I really feel that the most important part of my life is right here in my home, and so I am focusing on lot on my girlies. So....I will one day ...soon.....blog about all the things I should be blogging about. But for now, I just want to share a quick something, that we are doing for our kids this summer and it's been really fun! There are a ton of summer camps out there and available, and Dave and I compiled a list of summer camps our girls seemed interested in and we are doing our own. So, for each week of the summer we are doing a different camp. The first week, we went to Big Lake on a camping and fishing trip, so we had fishing/outdoor camp. Second week, we did Snorkel/Mermaid Camp, we also have Basketball Camp, Softball Camp, Cheer Camp, Vollyball Camp, Band Camp, Super Mom Camp (this one they learn to sew, cook, do the dishes, laundry, and other mom things that they will one day use when they grow up). So we do the camp for 1 hour for 5 days during the week, and at the end of the week, they get a patch, so they can put them on their backpacks or wherever they want. Anyways, the girls are loving it and really looking forward to each week and the new camp they get to enjoy! Just one of my ideas that I thought you might be interested in!!

RELAY FOR LIFE -----WIN an AMAZING QUILT

2010-05-24T13:53:00.000-07:00

My Friends Kirsten and Jaden are doing "Relay for Life" which is the main volunteer-driven cancer fundraising event of the American Cancer Society. There family has been hit numerous times with Cancer and they are now fighting back and earning money to do so. Their fundraiser includes an amazing quilt made by Kirsten's mom. It is levi on one side and flannel on the other with two matching pillow cases to go with it. For every 5$ you donate, you get 6 entries in for this beautiful quilt. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...... worth it. Click *****HERE***** for donations. There are also a few other options if you'd like to help out. Then e-mail her at kitrosser@hotmail.com and let her know what you would like your donation to go towards. This is an incredible opportunity to give back and help others for such a small amount. DO IT!!

Today is the Day

2010-05-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

Such excitement is in the air. Today is the day for the dedication of the Gila Valley Temple. My sister is in one of the choir's which will sing today, and she said the Spirit is so very strong. I wish I could be there in person, however I am so excited for this day. Good things are happening today!!

Half Full Glass or Half Empty

2010-05-11T10:46:00.000-07:00

You know the more I think about it, (a principal I have taught for the last 5 years) that the glass really is half full.
There are two parts of the glass and basically two parts of life.
There are all the good things that happen or aren't having any problems (this is your water in the glass) and there are the crummy parts of life (the empty part of your glass) and I believe it's human nature to focus on the void of things we want or don't have and the present problems.
So if you didn't get any of that.........let me put it this way.......We are on vacation on a gorgeous little island, plenty of delicious food, warm sun, shady spots to read, lots to drink, tons of fun for the kids and we are thoroughly enjoying ourselves when a swarm of bees decides to hang out with us for the entire vacation. Human nature causes us to FOCUS on the bees and how horrible they are, instead of focusing on how amazing the rest of our vacation is. So, there it is, the glass is half full with an awesome vacation, but half empty with the presence of bees. Anyway, no matter which part you focus on, that's your natural tendency and that's who you are.
So put that in your back pocket.....so random I know.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

2010-05-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

So I had a wonderful Mother's Day. We went to Central, where I grew up, and attended the Gila Valley Temple Open House. It is still open until the 15th of May, so if you have the chance, or even need to make a special trip, DO IT! It is really so very sweet, and emotionally moving for me to see a temple built where we grew up, and in a valley we all cherish so much as home.(no matter where we are)It was very exciting to take my daughters in and let them see how very beautiful Temples really are, and to let them know that one day they may be married to a worthy companion in a Temple just like this one. It brought tears to my eyes. We also spent lots of time with all of our family. The kids love spending time with their cousins so much, so it's always fun!
For Mother's Day, I received so many beautiful home-made gifts and cards from my girls, one card that played the "CHICKEN Dance," and they also got me an AB CIRCLE PRO, which I am very excited about. Here is a picture of it... I found this funny description/review of it on the internet, apparently someone who is not fond of the contraption. "Essentially, you climb onto the thing, get into an all-fours position, and swing your hips from side to side against resistance to work your abs. SO...you are going to present your ass like a donkey ready to mate, and swing your hips from side to side repeatedly? Have you ever tried to stay on your hands and knees for an extended period of time? If yes, please don’t explain why..." Just totally cracked me up, because I have been wanting one of these and then to read this review about the donkey, just made me laugh. But it is true, you get on all fours, straddling the devise and move your hips from side to side. It looks pretty funny, especially if you are out of shape.
I also want to give a shout out to all the wonderful mother's I know who influence my life daily. There really are so many of you that I admire. For my own mother, simply put.....THANK YOU for being such a wonderful mom, I LOVE YOU.
Dave also bought our family a new car which we are all very excited about. It's a Lincoln SUV with a 3rd row seat and it fit's our family perfectly. We were able to take it on our trip this weekend and there was plenty of room for everyone and the ride was fantastic. Here are a few pics of our new car, outside and inside. I am full of gratitude for our good life.

Macy Kay

2010-04-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

Macy turned 2 at the end of February, and it was actually the same day we moved, so things were a little disorganized and chaotic, and then everything else happened, so I just wanted to notate a few of her adorable characteristics.
*She is a chatter bug, always talking and in not just in sentences, but in whole conversations.
*She is a bit of a pack rat, and has to take everything with her everywhere she goes.
*She throws her head back and does an evil laugh! It is so cute.
*She loves everyone so much and misses them when they are gone. This includes her daddy #1, then her sisters, her grandparents, her cousins, and occasionally her aunts and uncles.
*She loves babies and literally smothers her new born cousins.
*She chooses Diego over Dora any day.
*She loves band-aids and wants them all over her body, but not on her actual ouies.
*She loves dresses and twirling in them.
*She likes to torture her sisters for fun, like poking them in the eyes or vigorously grabbing them while pinching a little bit of skin.
*She loves to play barbies with Saydee and coloring is a pretty close second.
*She brushes her own teeth, and puts on her own shoes.
*She sleeps in her own big girl bed and drinks out of a sippy cup only (no more bottles!)
*She knows all the animals and their corresponding noises.
*She knows all her colors and most of them in Spanish and Sign Language.
*She randomly counts to 12
*She is the best snuggle bug ever and her kisses are long and slimey ( I love them)
*On a personal note, she has been my saving Grace during yucky times, watching her smile and laugh, enjoying life, and watching her discovering new things has been such a wonderful blessing in all of our lives. We love her endlessly!

This is Macy shooting this last weekend with her papa Kyle.

Days R Getting Better

2010-04-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

My days are getting better, and that's about it. I've been busy taking care of my family, painting rooms, making cards for a card club, making hair bows for the girls summer outfits, working out, cleaning, having lunch with Dave on a daily basis, shopping on craigslist, and anything else I can fill my day with.
This last weekend we went to Payson to my parents home and we had a really nice time just relaxing and playing games. We also, went shooting(pistols), had a picnic, and skipped rocks down the river! It was so great to get out of town and spend some time in the outdoors. I forgot my camera, but I guess sometimes it's okay to just enjoy the moment rather than watching behind a lens.
Also, I had a great hair day today. I know it's lame, but every once in a while my hair works out great, and today was that day. Too bad I didn't have anywhere special to go, so my hair just made my 3 dollar wal-mart shirt and Yoga pants look good.

The Mask We Wear

2010-04-19T13:46:00.001-07:00

I went Visiting Teaching today and it was so eye-opening. I guess, I DIDN'T, realize what a mask we as people or myself wears. I was so bummed after coming out of church yesterday, and I haven't had the courage or the DESIRE (a big word) to go to Relief Society or Sunday School after everything we just went through because I know I will cry and I don't want that headache. Literally, my head kills afterwords, so I just hang out in nursery with Macy. I am sure the Nursery leaders want me to get out of there, but I don't care.
But the truth is, it seems like everyone has it all together. All the women are so well put together, and seem to have it all under control, gorgeous, and just picturesque almost. So I came home from church a little bummed and just knowing that this plain jane, (t-shirt wearing, jean wearing, flip-flop wearing) girl would never fit in with these women of accessories, these women who appear to be so perfect. Then, I went out to the back porch where my intention was to call my mom and see how she was doing, but instead my Aunt Rachel answered the phone. And she was so inspiring to me and let me know that what we see on the outside isn't always what's really going on. And that it's okay to just be me, weird, unique, classy or whatever.
Then, I went Visiting Teaching today and WOW, she was so right. One lady told me, "I am so happy to be surrounded by real people, not people who are concerned about their appearances, but are just REAL." And then the next woman, who appears to have it all, just feels very disconnected with where she's at in life. However, you would have never known. My new Visiting Teaching Companion, who really IS amazing, is battling with something personal, but again, YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW.
And I just realized, it's okay to BE REAL, I don't need to wear a mask, or be something MORE than I am. It's good to strive to be THE BEST ME, but there is no need to wear a mask and appear that I AM SOMEONE BETTER THAN ME. Now this is old knowledge and I have never really tried to be someone else, but I have tried to be something more than I am. Something BETTER!!

ANYWAY.................NO MORE MASKS HERE, WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET, LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME!!

Getting It Back Together

2010-04-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

So, I am getting it back together. And by that I mean "MENTALLY BACK TOGETHER" and I am still avoiding things I shouldn't, like phone calls. Don't hate me if I ignored your phone call. I had generally just cried and it was not worth the conversation. Speaking of crying, I had a dr.'s appointment 2 days ago, I was doing a little better, and the nurse calls me back and says, "OH MY, I bet your feeling your baby kick and move around all over the place?!!??" and...well I just put my head down and cried. I wanted to take my hand and place it on the back of her neck and slam her head into the counter. And Then while I had her head in my hands, I wanted to knee her in the stomach so hard and make her bleed internally. (I think I saw that one time on one of my husbands killer-die movies) I am sure that thought is sheer evil, but truthfully, I thought if I knocked her out, maybe she couldn't ruin anyone else's day or life from that point forward. But....back to what really happened.... I just cried. And then she had the nerve to try and make her big-fat-idiot mistake better by coming in, while I am right in the middle of a very yucky woman's exam to stare at my ear. She literally bent over and was staring at my ear, and then mumbled something, and I was like, "WHAT?" with a bit of a snide tone to my voice. And she says, "I like your earrings, they're pretty." WHATEVER, (that's what I was thinking, just leave me the heck alone please.)
I know it was a mistake, and we all make them, but come on, PULL YOUR HEAD OUT!
ANYWAYS, I am doing a little better at not breaking down, and thinking so evil.
(ps...I know some of you thought I was really sweet and lovely, and I am sorry to disappoint you, but when you mess with me, I turn all ghetto....I working on that)

So now, I am focusing on organizing our home we had moved into a 1.5 months ago, and painting walls, making bows for the girls hair, and thank-you notes.
So.............there we have it. From this point forward I am going to start blogging about life outside my head and thoughts. You know, the stuff that's been going on around me that I have somehow missed during the last 2 weeks.
AGAIN, I just want to send out a big thankyou to everyone who has been so supportive and to my fabulous mom, sister, and mother-in-law who turned their lives upside down to come and help me out for a few days. I know it wasn't easy or enjoyable, but I truly TRULY needed you and am so glad you were here. I seriously dislike using the word NEED, but it's true, I needed you and you were there.......THANK YOU so much.

RECOVERY

2010-03-31T17:03:00.000-07:00

So, my head is slamming, my body is cramping, but I am recovering. I guess it's like this, I am just getting back on track mentally and physically. I really don't know how someone recovers from something like this, or even just BUCKS UP and moves on. It doesn't feel right to "just move on" because then I feel like I am pretended our baby never existed or that this trial never happened. The truth is that it did, and I am so very sad about it, and there is a huge whole in my heart, and I want to cry all day long. The truth is that I feel like a complete victim and that this "thing that happened to me" was unfair. Do I feel like it's okay that it happens to others?, NO, not at all. I hurt for anyone who's ever been through this. It's just so sad.
I really wanted to feel our baby kick and move, I really wanted to have my huge, beautiful, pregnant belly. I really wanted to hold and smell and feed our sweet little baby, and it's all over and I can't do any of that. Instead, in place of all those wonderful things, I have a knot in my throat that will only go away with a good hard cry, a massive headache, a broken heart that aches so bad, a mushy tummy where my baby should be, and a fat butt that won't fit into my jeans.
I have two sister-in-laws who are expecting right now and one of them is due this next week, and she was telling me how very miserable she was feeling and how she couldn't wait for it to all be over and just be able to hold her baby boy. Now I've heard this so many times from so many people, but this time I thought, "don't wish it to be over yet." And another thought was, "hopefully everything goes okay and something doesn't go wrong so she can actually hold her baby." What a HORRID thought, I know, but that is the exact thought that entered my brain.
Then the other sister-in-law came over and we were due at the same time, and I'm sitting here with a huge blanket pulled up to my neck, wishing I could pull it over my head, and here she is in her cute little outfit with her protruding belly and I envied her so bad. I wanted to have a belly with a purpose. Right now, mine has nothing behind it, yet her's has this beautiful little baby growing in it. And I LONGED So HARD for that belly to be mine, or just to have the same thing again like we did a week ago, to have my baby back.
I just wish it never happened and that I was still expecting our little baby, but wishing doesn't fix anything. Nor does crying, or sleeping, or drugging myself up.
I know I can get through this, but I don't know if I want to yet. I read in the March Ensign an article, "Learning Through Life's Trials" and it gave me a bit of strength. It read, "Each of us has the strength to bear our challenges in life because of who we are, who God is, and who we are together." It just hit me so hard that I am a daughter of God and I have qualities that enable me to be God-Like and I, with his help, can make it through anything. I am the woman I am today and tomorrow BECAUSE of the trials I've experienced and will experience, not in spite of them. So I will be a better person because of this, right? It's still very hard. But one really good thing that has happened is this incredible love I feel for my girls. Don't get me wrong, I have always loved them so much, but now I truly appreciate the miracle they are and every moment we have together. I love every little thing about them, their adorable freckles, their giggles, their warm hugs, holding their tiny hands, kisses their sweet cheeks. I just love them so much. They really are amazing miracles.
Anyways, I know these thoughts are all so random, and sad, but I have to get it out of my head and heart. Otherwise, it's just sitting here and making that lump in my throat larger and harder.

Thank You during our Tragedy

2010-03-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

I just want to thank everyone who has sent their love and support. We are so heartbroken. It seriously hurts so bad. We had our emergency D and C yesterday and where our baby once was in now a mushy whole and it aches. Life sucks today!

BIG NEWS PART 2

2010-03-23T22:02:00.000-07:00

Well, My goal was to Share Part 2 of the Big News a little earlier, but things didn't work out. Today we went in for our Ultra-Sound to find out what the sex of our baby was. If it were a girl, we would have 4 girls all together, or doing the math, if it were a boy, we would have 3 girls and finally our boy. But as our last two years of trials have been, we have another. Our baby is 17 weeks along and is now a still birth. It is very sad and devastating to us. We heard the heart beat less than 2 weeks ago and it was a very strong beat, but today, the heart had stopped beating. We are heart broken. So give me some time and I should be back. So bummed to have to make my BIG HAPPY NEWS such sad news.

DELETE, DELETE, DELETE**PART 1 OF BIG NEWS

2010-03-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

Hey Ladies, If any of you have my blog button on your blog, PLEASE DELETE!! I will explain...ps...only read beyond this point if you are curious ! TWO Weeks ago, I announced that I had some big announcement coming, well this is PART 1 of the BIG NEWS. Dave and I have decided not to be on the leadership of our International Internet company. We are so thrilled about this decision.
***(Following info is VERY PERSONAL TO US)****As of this month, Dave and I have worked with this specific company for 5 years. We have built an incredible team of leaders and made more money than we could have ever imagined was possible. It started out as the perfect opportunity for our family. We could spend every moment of every day together, we could make a great income, it was legit, and we could travel to incredible places all over the world. However at this time, the company has taken a turn, and it is a turn David and I cannot support. So we are headed in a new direction and as that comes about, I will keep you posted. I can tell you this, I have never felt so relieved and free as I do now, it feels so good to be able to breath fresh air again. SO ANYWAYS, this is PART 1, stay tuned for Part 2 coming this evening....is it a boy or a girl!! PS..........if you did have my blog button, thank you so much for your support! I love you!!

BIG NEWS

2010-03-11T08:11:00.000-08:00

WE MOVED!!!! Yep, you heard it right, but many of my friends (if we kick it on facebook together....if we don't that's cool too!) already knew, but we have moved to Gilbert and are loving all the restaurants and shopping, the perfect weather *for now* and just being so close to so much! We are renting a 20 year old home, so it's not super old, but has some charm! We also have a fun diving pool that we are all looking forward to using when the weather gets a bit warmer!! SO COME VISIT!!!! Just call first K!!!

Our other BIG NEWS is that we are expecting again. We are all super excited and I am about 4 months along now. Yesterday I had the sweetest opportunity to hear the new beats of our baby's heart and that was excellent!! I am due at the end of August!! So we moved to the valley just in time to truly appreciate being pregnant in the Summer of the Sun!! It's All good though! We are Really Excited To Have A New Baby Again!

I have some more REALLY BIG NEWS coming in About 2 Weeks, So stay tuned in!!! I am sure you have a life of your own, so staying TUNED in isn't really necessary!! Lot's of Love to All!! PS......during the move, we are still waiting for our internet connections to take place, so I won't be back on for a little bit!!

Saydee Turns 6

2010-02-09T13:05:00.000-08:00

Well, Our little Saydee Lady turned 6 on Sunday and we celebrated her birthday all weekend. On Friday night, we had a cake/ice-cream party for her, my mom, and my neice Galatea. It was fun with all the balloons and streamers. Then on Saturday, we took the girls bowling. That was a lot of fun. It was really great to be able to watch the kids bowl. I took a few pics, but they are on Dave's phone, so I will have to wait a bit to download. BUT ANYWAYS>>>>>to get to the point, we are celebrating our little Saydee. She was born in 2004 in the Army Hospital in Alabama. It was really a wonderful birth, with a perfect Epidural--which means very little pain, I gained very little weight with her, and she was the sweetest baby ever. Very cuddly, and kissable, and so sweet. And the wonderful thing is that she has stayed that way throughout the last 6 years! This last year she has learned to swim in the ocean, ride her bike, read, and tie her shoes. Having Saydee in our home has been such a wonderful blessing and I would take 100 of her!!! She really tries her very hardest to please and help others and loves babies so much. So you are probably thinking, she can't be ALL good, well she really is! She is terrific!
Saydee----LOVES to Play Barbies
----------Loves to Color
----------Taking long warm baths
----------She loves to pretend school
----------She loves to play outside and ride her bike or scooter
----------She loves to bake cookies and help with dinner
----------She is very meticulous about her hair and choosing her outfits
----------Very Girly with highly Sensitive Emotions
----------People Pleaser
----------Independant and Tattle-tales just a bit too often
----------loves to snuggle and give hugs and kisses to babies and her parents
----------100% pure joy

SNOWY SATURDAY!!

2010-01-26T12:06:00.000-08:00

Well all last week we had some intense storms, which began with tonz of rain and then ended with tonz of snow. But WE LOVED IT. So we spent our Saturday playing in the snow. I didn't get a ton of pictures of the girls sledding, but we have a little sled hill across the road from our house which worked out perfect for the kids. Not too far to hike back up, but sloped enough to make it fun. Then Kyla and Saydee started rolling a snowball that got bigger and bigger and turned into our awesome snow man! He is leaning back a bit and that makes him even cooler! This was also Macy's first time to sled. It lasted about 30 minutes and she was done. One time she bent over, without bending her knees, to lick the snow by her feet. Unfortunately, she biffed it hard and all the fun was over for her. But all in all, it was a great day to remember!!! I am glad we took action. It's these days, that I pray our girls will one day remember as the moments that made their growing-up so fun. They grow up so fast and I often times think, "I hope they are remembering their childhood as a great one." 10 years from now, Kyla will be 18, Saydee will be 16 and Macy will be 12. Can't I just SLOW TIME DOWN!! I wish I could!!

WOO HOO, I'M BACK ON TRACK

2010-01-12T09:47:00.000-08:00

Okay, I uploaded our pictures for Christmas and there are definitely some good pics, but I was really disappointed because I thought we had taken so many more pictures than we actually had. We had a wonderful snow just a few days before Christmas, and my sister-in-law Leslie was here with her kids and I would have loved to capture some of that fun on the camera. Then we went to Thatcher and hung out with Dave's family and went to my Sister's for her new baby, Amelia's blessing and didn't get any good pictures there either. In fact, even for Christmas the pictures are few. I guess we just get so caught up in enjoying the moment and we forgot about our camera that is supposed to capture our memories, because one day our memories will fail us and the pictures will remind us of all the fun and love we shared! New Goal---TAKE MORE PICTURES!!

Here we are making Sugar Cookies for all our neighbors! We did consume a few ourselves, but they were too good to pass up!! We used Florescent Green and Neon Blue icing.Kyla at her school program. She is the blondie in the back row!

Saydee at her program, she is the beautiful snowflake in the back row. Seems our girls always get put in the back. They are taller than the other kids!Christmas Eve, we drove around and looked at lights, we went to my parents and had a wonderful dinner, Papa Kyle read the Christmas Story, then the girls got to open their presents from their grandparents. My mom took the time, and made each of her grandkids a beautiful crocheted blanket. The girls were so pleased with such a thoughtful gift. Then they each got a little leather purse too. We came home and let the girls open one gift from us, it's always PJ's and they loved them!Here is what our living room looked like Christmas Morning. Yes, you do see two school desk and then some presents under the tree. Our girls were so excited to see the desks. They ran in and said loudly, "WE GOT SCHOOL DESK-eS!!!" That was plural for desk. Thanks to our little elves who helped make that possible. Our girls love to play school and they were so thrilled to be official! They also received an art easel with a chalk board on it and beautiful dresses from their Papa Max and Grandma Neene. Santa brought the Kyla a DS and Saydee a Leapster and Macy an ELMO doll, but she was way too busy to pose for any pictures.

The Girls got scooters from Mom and Dad! They have ridden them all over the house since receiving them, and the park, the neighborhood, the basketball court, and the house some more. Macy got lego's, but again, she was too busy enjoying them!

Here are all the wonderful Christmas Cards we received from our Family and Friends. Opening and displaying our cards was one of our favorite parts of Christmas. Love to all of you!

So that's all the pictures of our Christmas, like I said, wish I had taken more and really captured the moments, but I was too wrapped up in them!!

SOOOOOO BEHIND, and I'm Not Talking about my BackSide!

2010-01-07T14:53:00.000-08:00

Yes, It is true....I am so behind in my blogging. I don't know what it is, but I am definitely blaming the holiday season. I just spent so much time off, just relaxing and enjoying the peace. Unfortunately, I have become a LAZY BUTT. So my next goal is to upload my Christmas pictures and get going with all the updates!!! SO....I WILL BE RIGHT BACK!!

Consistent Journaling--Goal for 2010

2009-12-30T11:10:00.000-08:00

"You will have significant experiences. I hope that you will write them down and keep record of them, that you will read them from time to time and refresh your memory of those meaningful and significant things. Some may be funny. Some may be significant only to you. Some of them may be sacred and quietly beautiful. Some may build one upon another until they represent a lifetime of special experience."-Gordon B. Hinckley

The Baby Jesus, by Kyla Max Allred

2009-12-30T10:50:00.000-08:00

This is a school project Kyla did, and I just wanted to share her dramatic nature in her telling of the Christmas Story as well as the her new writing skills and spelling. ENJOY!!

The Baby Jesus
by
Kyla Max Allred

Mery was planting in the garden and a angel apired and it spoke, you may have a baby Jesus. And it went to Josif and it spoke the same. Josif was a karepinder. And Mary ran and said "I...I'm pregnet and I saw an angel to: And they traveled to Bethlham. And almost all the people are being mean. BUT! One man let them in and got a place to sleep....And baby Jesus popped out! And so far I know he was a great man!

BIG 32, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME

2009-12-19T09:54:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to give a big shout out to those of you who wished me Happy Birthday! I love you all too and am grateful for your shout out!! As for the day, it was good. We went out to eat with my parents and had icecream, played a few games of settlers and the kids sang to me!! It was a great day to turn 32! I like to use my birthday as my ReSoluTIOn party for myself, rather than the end of the year. It really is so close anyway. So, I have set some new goals, and am really excited about the coming year! I sent a cards out that looked exactly like this one, so if you didn't get one, just know I love you and it was this exact same thing. So, print this one out and hang it up, and feel LOVED by the Allred's! Lot's of Love and Merry Christmas to everyone!!!!

SURPRISE FOR MY GIRLS

2009-12-15T16:56:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is a surprise for my girls, but I am turning the office into a little school room/play room for them. Everyday when they get home from school, they go in there for hours and pretend they are still at school and take turns pretending to be the teacher. I am getting the girls an art easel for Christmas with a chalkboard and dry-erase board, with a huge roll of art paper. Also, I have called all the local schools and asked if they had 2 or 3 school desk that they would be willing to donate to my project! But, while I wait for them I have a few items that I have to clear out of the office space for CHEAP... So if you have any desks, hopefully 2 or 3, let me know. Also, if you want to buy any of this stuff, it's all great, just let me know.

1st-I have this Rustic Tv/Armoir for $350. I am going to throw in the Philips 32" TV for Free. It is older, but works fantastically.

Next thing I have to move out of this room, is this super plush Futon. It is queen size and has an outdoor theme on it, including moose, bear, and mountains. I am asking $300 for it.

Then the final item, is this great desk. Remember it was our office, and we are turning the office space into a play room so, the desk, with matching upper hutch and bookcase are going for $600.
They are all black, with rubbed edges and the desk has an oak top.

So, let me know if you have the desk's or if you want any of my office stuff!!! Thanks a ton!

Baby Jesus Christmas Tradition

2009-12-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

This is a little story e-mailed to me by my good friend VELMA JEAN and I wanted to share it with you. If you want to do it or even if you want to do it for someone else...so good!!

BABY JESUS STORY- (12 DAYS of CHRISTmas)
Halfway through December, we were doing the regular evening things when there was a knock at our door. We opened it to find a small package with a beautiful ceramic lamb inside. We looked at the calendar and realized that the 12 days of Christmas were beginning! We were waiting excitedly for the next night's surprise and only then, with the gift of a matching shepherd, did we realize that the lamb was part of a nativity set.

Each night we grew more excited to see what piece we would receive. Each was exquisitely beautiful. The kids kept trying to catch the givers as we slowly built the scene at the manger and began to focus on the birth of the Savior.

On Christmas Eve, all of the pieces were in place except for the baby Jesus. My 12 year old son really wanted to catch our benefactors and began to devise all kinds of ways to trap them. He ate his dinner in the mini-van watching and waiting, but no one came.

Finally we called him in to go through our family's Christmas Eve traditions. But before the kids went to bed we checked the front step-No baby Jesus! We began to worry that my son had scared them off. My husband suggested that maybe they had dropped the baby Jesus and there wouldn't be anything coming. Somehow, something was missing that Christmas Eve evening. There was a feeling that things were not complete. The kids went to bed and I put out Christmas, but before I went to bed I again checked to see if Jesus had come - but no – the door step was empty.

In our family, the kids can open their stockings when they want to, but they have to wait to open any presents until Dad wakes up. So one by one, they woke up very early. I awoke to watch them. Even before they opened their stockings, each child checked to see if perhaps during the night the baby Jesus had come. Missing that piece of the set seemed to have an odd effect. At least it changed my focus. I knew that there were presents under the tree for me and I was excited to watch the kids open their gifts, but first on my mind was the feeling of waiting for the arrival of the ceramic Christ Child. We had opened just about all of the presents when one of the children found one more for me hidden in the branches of the tree. He handed me a small package from my former visiting teaching companion. This sister was somewhat less-active in the church. I had been her visiting teacher for a couple of years and then, when she asked to be a visiting teacher, she requested to go with me. I had learned over time that they did not have much for Christmas, so their focus was on the children. It sounded like she didn't have many gifts to open, so I had always given her a small package- new dish towels, the next year's Relief Society lesson manual – not much, but something for her to open. I was touched when at Church on the day before Christmas, she had given me this small package, saying it was just a small token of her love and appreciation. As I took off the bow, I remembered my friendship with her and was filled with gratitude for knowing her and for her kindness and sacrifice in this year giving me a gift. As the paper fell away, I began to tremble and cry. There in the small brown box was the Baby Jesus! He had COME!

I realized on that Christmas Day that Christ will come into our lives in ways that we don't expect. The Spirit of Christ comes into our hearts as we serve one another. We had waited and watched and listened for Him to come, expecting the dramatic "knock at the door and scurrying of feet" but He came in a small, simple package that represented service, friendship, gratitude and love.

A CHRISTMAS TO REMEMBER!

2009-12-01T11:36:00.001-08:00

If you are Christian and have had difficulty linking the birth of Jesus Christ and Santa Clause during Christmas...I have a friend who (last year) wrote an excellent book and is working on publishing it, check it out HERE

FREE CHRISTMAS CARDS ANYONE???

2009-12-01T11:33:00.000-08:00

Hey friends, I have an awesome deal for you. I just ordered 50 Christmas cards for just the price of shipping which was $3.19. Here is the website you go to : http://www.seehere.com. Shop around and order the card you like (the code only works on the 4 x 8 photo cards ) Then when you're ready to check out, there is a promo - code box at the bottom. Enter this code : newbaby and there you go, 50 cards for only the price of shipping ! HOW GREAT IS THIS!!!! At SEEHERE.com they have incredible deals on so many items and are high quality.

Happy Shopping!!!

NINTENDO DS IT IS...LEAPSTER IT IS

2009-11-30T20:56:00.000-08:00

If you were curious I purchased the DS for my 8 year old on Friday Morning and I will be purchasing the Leapster for my 5 year old. I just wanted to thank all of you on your awesome advice that was so helpful!! So, I took in all the advice and have decided to purchase one of each!! Thanks again girls. Good Luck with Your Christmas Shopping!! Lot's of Love!!

HERE IS THE BIG BIG QUESTION

2009-11-22T20:00:00.000-08:00

I know Black Friday is coming and here is the thing. My girls are mixed with what they want. I know they both want two-wheeled scooters, which I see Wal-Mart will be selling for $15 bucks, but then they are asking for Nintendo ds, a leapster, a laptop and the list goes on. So here is my big question? My girls are 8 and 5.5 so if you have had any experience with these ages, what are good gifts for them, that they will love for long periods after Christmas is over? Is Nintendo ds or leapster better and for which ages.
HERE is my main reason for asking. Our 8 year old was given an ipod slim last year, and it was good for a week, but then lame to her. The year before, we gave her a fur-real pony (the huge ones that really move and nay) and well that didn't even the last Christmas day and it was $260 bucks and she was done with it, half way through the day. Now our 5 year old, was purchased a gigantic barbie house two years ago, and she still plays with it everyday and loves it more than anything. Last year we bought her a bike and a new barbie. She was excited about the barbie, which she has way too many, but the bike has only just recently grown in popularity to her. SO, I need some suggestions!!! GIVE EM TO ME!!!

Amish Friendship Bread GONE BAD

2009-11-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

I had a friend who gave me this bag of GOO and a recipe. She said it was Amish Friendship Bread and that a small portion of this mixture has been going on forever and ever. In my mind, I was thinking "Like a bad Virus or Germ travels from one recipient to the next and never ends, and after you get rid of it, it may come back to you." So those were my thoughts, but then she quickly added how delicious the bread was, once the process is done. So, I, with a little apprehension, took the bag of goo and the recipe and started my 10 day journey to delicious bread. I squished the bag and it's contents for days, and did the recommended steps to make it perfect. Then on the fateful evening I was to actually prepare and bake it, I opened the bag and it smelled so rancid, so I call my friend and asked, "is this mixture supposed to smell so horrid?" She responded with, "yes, it ferments and that is part of the process, trust me, it will be delicious." So I move forward with the process and I get half way down the recipe and notice that it calls for 1 1/2 CUPS of Baking Powder. Now, I am thinking, there is NO WAY that is right. I have baked a ton of stuff and it has never called for that much Baking Powder. In fact, I started to think about the last time I actually purchased a new can of Baking Powder and it had been a years, possibly even a full decade. So a cup and a half would be the complete contents of my can. I wanted to call my friend back and make sure, but she was on bed rest for early labor. So, being the great baker I am, I decided to follow the recipe exactly the way it was given to me. But, luckily I had some amazing inspiration to put a cookie sheet under the baking bread, because...guess what happened????? DISASTER!!!! My husband comes in and says, "oh my gosh, it smells so good in here, what are you baking?" So I open the oven for him so he, himself, can witness my NOT SO FRIENDLY AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD DISASTER!I am really bummed right, because I have been squishing and preparing for this delicious bread for the last 10 days, and now it has just blown up inside my oven!! Anyways, my friend calls in the morning and asks me, in a giggly tone, "how'd your bread turn out?" And I started thinking, "she tricked me, she knew what was going to happen and she TRICKED me. OOOHHHH" But I answer, "well it kinda blew up in my over." She starts laughing hysterically and apologizes profusely. Her husband had retyped the recipe for her to hand out, and he made the typing error. So, that night, she brought me over a delicious loaf and a new can of baking powder. How nice huh. Next time I am thinking I should take her husband over a plate of chocolate chip cookies that taste like salt, and tell him my recipe called for a cup and half of it. Only teasing, but it is definitely an experience to remember!!

AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD RECIPE

1 cup starter (see below for starter recipe) in a glass jar or ziploc bag at room temp (do not refrigerate throughout entire recipe–it’s supposed to ferment so don’t put your nose too close either!
Day 1 – Do nothing
Day 2 – Do nothing
Day 3 – Put starter in glass or stoneware bowl (or large ziploc bag) do not use metal bowls or spoons.
Day 4 – Do nothing
Day 5 – Do nothing
Day 6 – To starter, add: 1 cup milk, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, stir with wooden spoon (if in ziploc bag, smoosh and squish until mixed)
Day 7 – Do nothing
Day 8 – Stir with wooden spoon (or smoosh and squish)
Day 9 – Do nothing
Day 10 – Add: 1 cup milk, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour-stir well. Take 3 portions (1 cup each) and put into ziploc baggies or glass jars and give to friends with recipe. To remaining starter, add 1 cup oil, 1/2 cup milk, 3 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla. Stir well. In separate bowl, combine 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1.5 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 cup chopped nuts (optional), and 1 large or 2 small pkgs of instant vanilla Pudding mix. Add flour mixture to wet mixture, stirring well with wooden spoon. Pour into 2 large loaf pans, greased, floured and sprinkled with cinnamon & Sugar. Sprinkle cinnamon & Sugar on top also. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.

VARIATIONS:
1. Substitute equal parts mashed bananas or applesauce for up to 1/2 the oil.
2. Use lemon or banana pudding (and lemon or almond extract) in place of vanilla.

STARTER RECIPE:
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup flour
* 1 cup milk

Directions:
Put in glass bowl or jar or large ziploc bag-stir or smoosh until well blended. Let stand at room temp for 5 days, stir or smoosh each day. On day 6 add 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour, and 1 cup milk, stir or smoosh until blended. Let stand at room temp for 4 more days, stirring or smooshing each day. On Day 10 you should have enough for 3 1 cup starters to give away plus 1 to use for your recipe.

Turkey Apples

2009-11-14T08:01:00.000-08:00

I love Thanksgiving and all the delicious food and family. It is definitely one of those holidays where the tag, "good friends, good food, good times" completely applies. When I was a child, my classroom did a really fun craft...where we took an apple and after sticking a few candy-filled toothpicks into it, we had an amazing, one-of-a-kind turkey!! So I wanted to share some pictures I found of the famous Apple Turkey Craft and how to make these adorable little gobblers!!

Recipe for Apple Turkey Craft

1 Apple

About 10 Toothpicks

Turkey accessories include;

Mini Marshmallows, Raisins, Gum Drops (our favorite), Green Olive (for head) or Giant Marshmallow, Fruit-loops or Cheerios (colored), and maybe a candy corn for the beak.

Assemble by starting with the head, then the feathers, and then the feet. Some people leave off the feet, but we think they are cute. So we do two feet with Gumdrops as the stoppers, so it doesn't scratch wood surfaces, and we use a third toothpick in the back as a stabilizer so our turkey won't fall over. PS...These can be used as your Thanksgiving centerpieces or even as your holders for seat assignments.

Happy 10 Year Anniversary Baby

2009-11-05T23:35:00.000-08:00

Yep, today is our 10 year Anniversary

I could make a list of all of his wonderful traits, or all of the wonderful times we have had together, or all the wonderful places we've been or even all of our wonderful blessings. However, I feel the most important thing is that we are Eternal Companions and

We are IN LOVE!!
We feel so blessed to have one another, and it doesn't get any better than this!

Kyla is 8 and Baptized

2009-11-05T23:26:00.001-08:00

WELL we had a fabulous weekend. Obviously we had Halloween and that was a lot of fun. I made the girls costumes. Macy Kay was a bumblebee, Saydee was Dorothy, and Kyla was the Corpse Bride. Dave and I went as modified versions of Frankenstein and his bride. We had a great time. Many of our family and friends were in town earlier that day because Kyla was baptized and that was awesome. So great to see my oldest making the right choices and decisions and to see how happy she was and proud of herself for doing so. She was literally glowing during the baptism. I will post pictures a bit later when I upload them!!

Halloween Gift Idea

2009-10-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

These are cute little Fall Gift Ideas. I made them for my visiting teaching route as well as for the girls school teachers and neighbors. Take a plastic cup, fill it with candy, stick the scarecrow in, and wrap black or orange tulle or netting around tied off with a ribbon! They are perfect, adorable, and super simple!

WE ARE BACK!!!

2009-10-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

We are back and Puerto Rico was so great. We spent some great time by the pool, cruised over to a small island and hung out there, kayaked at midnight through the jungle channels to the point of the Bermuda Triangle with the Bio-Luminescent waters, did a Day hike of the Rain Forest where it rained on us the entire time, spent many mid-nights in the eternity hot-tub under the stars on an ocean cliff, and basically had the best time ever. In fact one mid-night when we were in the hot-tub and huge thunder storm came and we sat their in the hot-tub while the rain pelted our backs and necks. What an amazing experience, I seriously felt like we were living in fairy tale of some kind. It was perfect. Not to mention, we had the greatest room with another private 8 person jacuzzi on our deck that overlooked the ocean. Oh it was perfect. Here are a few photos!!

THIS IS WHAT THEY CALL JUNGLE FEVER!

OUR CAR RIDE OVER WAS IN AN EXPEDITION LIMO WITH TV SCREENS, CAPTAIN CHAIRS, AND A MINI BAR!! DAVE HAD A PEPSI!

HERE WE GO

2009-10-09T21:12:00.000-07:00

HEADING OUT TO PUERTO RICO BABY!!!! CAN"T WAIT! ps....spent some time with my sis and her new sweet Amelia and I am so grateful and feel so blessed to have such an amazing Sister. I love you Amber, Congrats to you and Aaron on your new miracle!!!

CONGRATS ON THE NEW BABY

2009-10-08T09:14:00.001-07:00

My Sister Amber had a baby girl last night. She named her Amelia Maurine Richards and she weighed 8lbs 2oz and 19in long. She has the chunkiest little cheeks. We are going to see her today and I can't wait!! ALSO we are headed to Puerto Rico on Friday evening for a week. Just Dave and I!!! LIFE IS GOOD!