Colby, Cayley, & Miles

I love this! You may need a tissue :)

2011-12-04T11:55:00.001-08:00

3 months

2011-11-23T14:46:00.001-08:00

I can't believe how much time has passed. I have really been slacking at this blog. Miles is growing so big so fast. He will be 3 months tomorrow on Thanksgiving! We have been enjoying watching him grow and learn to do new things. I get so excited for each little milestone he reaches, and then I get a little sad right after because I don't want it go so fast. It is so hard everytime he grows enough to get into the next size of clothes or diapers because I just want him to stay little forever. But then I am also so excited to watch him do the new things.

He loves to smile and talk to us especially after he has just eaten and had his diaper changed. He is so funny to talk back and forth with and his little smile just melts your heart. He is already sleeping through the night too!!! Lucky mommy :) He has always been a good sleeper.

He loves his hands!!

Carving pumpkins :)

He was a tiger for Halloween.

Papa Mick with Miles and his cousin Ike. They're only 3 weeks apart.

My sisters and I made these cute turkeys for Thanksgiving to give to the cousins.

Lot's of fun....thanks for the idea Susan!

Newborn Photos

2011-10-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

Little Miles is already 6 weeks old. It is so crazy how fast the time can fly. We have been enjoying every minute of being parents to this little boy. We feel so blessed to have him in our home and so grateful for how wonderful everything has turned out. We couldn't have asked for a better adoption experience. I have loved staying home with him. Colby always asks me if I am bored yet - of course I haven't been! I could hold this little angel all day long and not even care. He is getting so chunky and we love his little double chin and leg rolls he has now. I can't wait to see what he weighs when we go back to the pediatrician.

Ashley, Colby's sister, took his newborn photos and did an amazing job! Thanks so much Ash!!

My Sister's Home is For Sale

2011-10-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

If you know anyone looking for a home right now, have them check out my sister's house. They are really motivated to sell it. Click Here.

Baby Miles

2011-08-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

Miles Jay Holmes

7 lbs 2 oz

20 in long

August 24th

11:56 am

Perfect in every way! We love you little man. :)

Almost Baby Time

2011-08-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to welcome baby Miles into our home. I have been watching the baby ticker at the top of my blog for months now and I swear it has taken much longer than it should have. But now I can look at it and know that he will actually be here sooner than it says. Our birthmother is going to be induced early, so we get to meet baby Miles even earlier than we thought!

I have been enjoying my last week alone before I go back to school and finishing the last few things so that I'm ready for him to come home. I have been thinking a lot lately about how things are going to change and be different. The other day I was at the grocery store and the lady in front of me was complaining to the cashier about how much harder it is to go to the store now that she has kids. I know that she was frustrated and I don't want to judge her in any way, but it made me think about that and how things will be different. I guess it just made me think about how many times I have been to the store in the past and it felt like there were moms all around me helping their kids and getting frustrated and doing all those normal things that moms do and how it made me feel sad that I couldn't be doing that right then. It is hard to go somewhere and feel like it is always in front of you that you are alone and you don't have kids yet. So now I am so so excited to be able to have this change come into our lives. Everyone always tells us: "Your life is going to change!" I know it isn't going to be easy and that a lot of change is coming, but because of what we have been through, I really believe that when those hard days come around, I will be able to tolerate it and look back to a time when I would give anything for the hard days. We can't wait for our lives to change! This has given us the opportunity to be so much more grateful to have a child in our family and to appreciate the opportunity to be a mother and a father much more than if we were able to get pregnant without any trouble.

So here we are ready and waiting for the CHANGE :)

Here are some pictures of his nursery so far :)

New York!

2011-07-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

I can't believe July is basically over already! July practically flew by...which is good, because that means we are that much closer to adopting :) July started out great with a trip to New York with my family. Colby decided to stay home to save money and his vacation days for when the baby comes. So I went solo, but I still had a great time.

We went to New York to tour my little brother's mission. He came home in October and has wanted to go back and visit all of the people he got to know so well. So most of this trip included a lot of driving. We basically covered the whole state of New York in only 4 days and we stayed in a different hotel room each night (kinda crazy). But we still had a great time! Here are some fun pictures of our adventures in the big apple.

Flying there my parents and Brittany went on a separate flight so Bryce and Cassie were my travel buddies. This was a really cool tunnel that lights up in the Detroit airport.

The first day, we stopped and ate breakfast at a park in Ithica. As we were walking to the car to leave, we turned around and this is what we found. It was so cute and we all laughed :)

The Palmyra Temple

The Sacred Grove: It was so peaceful!

I was really amazed that it looked just like all the pictures and paintings you see of it.

Before we went to the Hill Cumorah pageant, we stopped to get a pizza for dinner. Before the pizza came out, my dad bought flowers for my mom and gave them to her.

This was the HUGE pizza "sheet" we got.

Brittany, Me, and Cassie waiting for the pageant to begin.

Hill Cumorah Pageant

The next day we pretty much traveled through a bunch of towns. This was at a little diner we stopped at for lunch called "The Golden Unicorn." It was kinda creepy with little unicorns all over the restaurant. But Bryce really wanted to come here to do the "Pancake Challenge." They give you 2 super extra large pancakes and if you eat them all, you get a t-shirt that says "I survived the pancake challenge at the Golden Unicorn." (He didn't do it)

They also had these fun little games called "The Original IQ Tester." You had to move the pegs until there was only one left. We all tried and tried and tried, but no one could do it. Then my dad grabbed one and did it on his first try! We were all so shocked!

One night we stayed at a hotel on the historical registry called "Hotel Utica." I loved all the fancy wood work. This was above the lobby.

This was the whole travel group on the front steps of the mission president's home.

Left to Right - Top: Brittany, Mom, Dad

Bottom: Me, Cassie, Bryce, and Abigail in the background

Another place we stopped to eat. I really liked this quote they had.

In Albany at the "egg." It's kinda hard to see but this was on the roof of a building and on the left and right behind me there were two big ponds. In the winter they freeze and use them for ice skating. It would be so fun to be there in the winter!

Downtown NYC.

It was good, but I didn't like how smelly and dirty it was. Nothing like home!

Statue of Liberty

I found this at one of the little stands on the street. I was so amazed because whenever you see anything like key chains or magnets with names, my name is NEVER there, and if it is, it definitely isn't ever spelled right. So when I saw this I was so excited I had to take a picture of it!

At the top of the Empire State Building

Thanks Mom and Dad for a great trip!

It was a lot of fun and we made many memories we'll cherish for a long time.

Draft Party, Baby-sitting, and Baby Stuff

2011-06-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, we are big JAZZ fans. Well, Colby is I guess....and I just follow :). So last week he was so excited for the draft so he invited his dad and Dwight & Ashley's family over to watch it. It was a good time.

The girls played UNO while we watched the Draft.

The other day I watched Capri's boys while she worked. Her step-son, Kaldyr, doesn't get to come over very often so it was a lot of fun to have him. One of the first things he did was look at all my pictures on my fridge and then he asked me why I didn't have a picture of him. I told him I didn't have one and felt bad so I told him we should take a picture right now. So this is the picture that will go on the fridge :)

And then we had to take a picture of Daxon too.

So I have been searching and searching to find a dresser for the baby's room. I finally found one that I love! I wanted a longer one like this because I am also going to use it for my changning table. I am so excited! Now I finally have a place to put all the baby clothes I've been collecting.

In my spare time (that I have grundles of now since it's summertime) I have been cleaning out the storage room so that we could add more furniture to it to make room for the baby's room. We moved our computer and Colby's gun case and hunting stuff into our spare bedroom and got rid of the TV and entertainment center we had in there. Now I have just baby stuff in the baby room. :)

We have the crib put together and I just bought the crib set yesterday! I can't wait to have it all come together. People have been so generous already. We really appreciate your thoughtfulness and all you have done for us. We received many cute outfits for the little boy, as well as diapers. I have also been trying to stock up by getting a package each time I go to the store. We're getting there!

I Luv Summertime

2011-06-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

I love spending the summer in the mountains. We just got back from the Uinta's and had a nice relaxing vacation. While we were there, Colby taught our niece, Quincie, how to ride the mini motorcycle. She loves it and does a great job. Colby started out by holding the back fender, then just ran next to her in case she tipped, and then eventually she could just do it all by herself. Way to go Quincie!

Quincie & Jovie

Me & Daxon

Colby & Daxon

Colby playing around on his motorcycle.

And I got really brave and chopped my hair off! It feels so good for the summertime.
Before

After

Our Summer Adventures

2011-06-02T20:22:00.001-07:00

Well school has been out almost one week now and we already have several fun "projects" coming along.

Last weekend we headed out of town for our first camping trip of the summer. We knew it was going to be bad weather, but we didn't care. We just wanted to get away to the mountains.......little did we know that we would wake up to this!!!!!

We left Friday night and stayed until Monday. Saturday was a nice day, just cold. But then Sunday we woke up to snow!! We debated about going home, but then decided on just toughing it out and making the best of it. It actually turned out to be fairly nice. All the snow melted by noon and just rained a bit here and there. But then Monday we woke up to snow again! So we just decided to head home home early in the morning. All in all it was a fun experience we won't forget. :)

Other fun adventures:

I bought a crib today!!! I am SOOOO excited to get it all put together.

We (well I guess I should say Colby) started building a shed. It is so nice that he knows how to do this stuff. It saves us ALOT of money! And the shopping cart?????? Ya, I guess you could say...."You might be a redneck if you use an old shopping cart as your toolbox!"

Colby came home from work yesterday with these:
I guess a guy he works with bought a whole bunch and asked Colby if he wanted any and he was like, "Sure! Why not?" I won't tell you what his plans are for when they grow up. It makes me sad.

So that's our summer fun so far!

Change 4 Cody Benefit Dinner

2011-05-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

My teaching partner has a son that has had a rough time with his health over the last few years. He was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and after many surgeries, including having his colon removed, he later developed another damaging condition that has caused him to be in need of a liver transplant. Unfortunately, the health insurance has deemed a liver transplant an "elective surgery." Family and friends have come together to plan and organize an event that will help raise money for Cody's family. He is married and has two little boys, 5 and 2. Anything you can do to help out this adorable little family would be greatly appreciated. They are having a benefit dinner on June 4th along with a live auction, bake sale, 5k, and many other activities all in support for Cody and his family. If you are interested in reading more about their story or to help donate, just click here: http://www.change4cody.com/ or go to http://www.anythingforafriend.com/ and click on Cody's picture on the side.

Our Moab Trip

2011-05-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

So way back in March I had a work trip in Moab (Yay!!). So I invited my Dad and brother to come along to keep Colby entertained while I was in class all day. It was a quick trip, but lots of fun. It's kind of sad because I had never been to Moab before until this trip. (I swear, it seems like I have been all over Utah ten times over, but for some reason never made to Moab.) So I was really excited to see what it was like. It was perfect weather with just the right amount of sun.....not too hot and not too cool. Colby has a motorcycle that he hadn't ridden for awhile so he brought that along and my dad took his Rhino and 4-wheeler. The boys had a blast going on all different trails, and I was lucky enough to tag along for a couple of rides after my classes. I have been meaning to post these pictures, but it took me awhile to get them from my brother and then everything happened with the adoption (which is much more exciting, so I had to post about that first). So here they are.....finally.

IT'S A ...

2011-04-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

Our Adoption Story, So Far...

2011-04-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

So this is going to be a VERY long story. I want to tell it from the time we first decided we wanted try to begin our family together. So bear with me as I recount our experiences with infertility and the adoption process. I debated about whether to post all of this or just skim the bare minimum, but I feel like if I tell you the long version, that hopefully I can help others going through similar trials, and just help everyone become more educated and aware of what it is like for people to go through infertility and adoption. My heart goes out to you all and if you ever need advice or help, I am happy to give it.

OUR INFERTILITY STORY (Kind of long and sad, so skip it if you're not in the mood)

Ok, so my story really begins as a teenager. I always thought that the hardest thing anyone would ever have to deal with is not being able to have kids. I remember being really anxious about what my patriarchal blessing would say about having a family because deep down inside I think I really did know that this was going to be a challenge for me. So fast forward to our married life. Colby and I were happily married for 2 and 1/2 years and had just bought an older home that we fixed up and remodeled to live in when Colby came to me and said that he felt it was time to start trying to have a baby. (If you know Colby, you probably remember how scared he was to have kids, so this was like a big happy surprise for me.) I knew that we would begin trying soon, but I was so glad that it was Colby that first started the conversation, because then I knew he was ready. So of course, we tried and tried and tried. We were so anxious every month to see if this was going to be "the month" that it worked. We decided not to share with ANYONE that we were trying to have kids. We really wanted it to be a surprise when I got pregnant, but unfortunately that never happened. It was the hardest thing to deal with and not know if it was ever going to work for us. After trying for about 6 months I went to the doctor and she basically said, "Just keep trying and don't worry about it too much. The average time it takes for a couple to get pregnant is 7-8 months, so I will probably see you in a few months!" I was so mad after that appointment. I know the doctor was just trying to be positive, but it really made me angry because I think deep down inside I really knew it wasn't going to work. So basically I just had to keep trying until it had been one year. (They won't even really look at you until it has been that long.) About a month later I went to the temple and I remember feeling so down and frustrated and hoping to feel better. The minute I walked into the room I remember having the thought, "You should feel so lucky that you can adopt." I remember it as clear as day and I know that I was supposed to hear that. At first I kind of disregarded the thought and told myself that I don't need to worry about that yet. It really hadn't been that long, and it was going to work out for us. But, of course, we continued to face disappointment month after month. This was probably the hardest time for our marriage. We were both frustrated and anxious and upset. We fought, cried, doubted things, and it really was an ugly time. We still hadn't told anyone about our problem yet, so we only had each other. Looking back, I think it was a good thing not to tell everyone about what we were going through (as hard as it was to choke back tears secretly everytime anyone mentioned anything about kids or babies). We had to lean on each other for support and our relationship grew so much (blessing #1). So as we continued to try and try and try, I very casually began to mention the idea of adoption to Colby. At first he was completely against it and just said, "We don't need to worry about that. It is going to be just fine." But as we kept trying, I think he began to feel too that getting pregnant really might not work out after all. When it had been one year of trying with no success, I went to the doctor to get some answers. He started by checking me all out and he couldn't see any problems with me. He put me on fertility and I began to go in for follicle checks each month as we continued to try (this is what they do to make sure you're ovulating.) Every month I was ovulating just fine, but it still wasn't happening. So then we decided to have Colby tested at the U of U (Not the easiest thing for him to do in his life). When we got the results back, his score was just a little low, but not low enough that it shouldn't be working for us. So then our doctor suggested we try Artifical Insemination (AI). By the way, this is not the same thing as Invitro Fertilization (IVF), it is MUCH cheaper and a simpler procedure. So we went through 3 AI treatments and they didn't work, obviously. At this point of our story, we had a breaking moment when our families all found out what we had been going through. My younger sister Susan was pregnant with her 2nd and my sister-in-law Ashley was pregnant with her 3rd. Christmas day my other sister-in-law Capri announced to the family she was also pregnant with her 1st. Then of course everyone turned to us and said, "What's wrong with you guys? Aren't you ready yet?" and we just lost it. We didn't want it to happen that way, but we couldn't hold it in any longer so we broke down to our families and revealed it all. It was hard, but then we were able to have their love, support, and advice through the rest of this trial (blessing #2). Our next step was for me to have surgery to see if I had endometriosis. So we did that, and they didn't find anything wrong. The only thing they found, was that one of my tubes seemed to be a little blocked, but that shouldn't make it so that I couldn't get pregnant. About a month after surgery, my doctor I had been seeing for infertility died of a sudden heart attack. This was so sad and frustrating and it was just like really???? One more thing?!?!? So this was kind of like our turning point. It had now been two years and the new doctor I went to basically told us that there was much they could do for us now, and that we either needed to begin spending lot of money and consider IVF treatments, or adoption. (By the way, most insurances don't cover the cost of any infertility. It all comes out of your pocket. Just one more thing to add to your stress.) So we really began to get serious about adoption.

CHOOSING ADOPTION

After we had stewed with the idea of adoption, we went to the temple to watch Colby's sister Capri get her endowments taken out. We also went there with the hope that we would get some guidance or direction as to what we needed to do now. Amazingly enough, there happened to be a couple that lived in Colby's ward growing up that have adopted like 4 kids. They ended sitting straight across from us, and we knew it probably wasn't just a coincidence. That was the first little "sign" and then we both couldn't deny the spirit and the confirmation that adoption was our way we needed to build our family. So the process began. We first met with LDS family services in June of 2009. We were so excited and quickly began to get all of our paper work done. At this time we also decided to sell our home, and begin building our house we live in now. It was a very busy summer. Colby was heavily involved in everything with our home, and I was busy trying to get everything together for our adoption papers. After completing our background checks, homestudy, filling out all of our preferences and information, getting our profile together, we were approved and on the waiting list in October 2009. Then began the wait. We waited and waited and waited. It is so hard because you don't have a plan, you don't know when it will happen, how to prepare, and what to expect. In March we finally received our first email from a birthmother, and we also later talked with her over the phone, but she ended up having a miscarriage. Then we through another long period of waiting. We hit our year mark and still hadn't received any other emails or contacts from birthmothers. We had a few people tell about someone they had heard about that was pregnant and we would have them look at our profile, but no one ever ended up contacting us. So it began to be really frustrating once again and we really doubted that it would even end up happening.

CONSIDERING PRIVATE AGENCIES

After one family party this Christmas, I talked with my cousin that has adopted two little boys. I asked her for some advice and what we could be doing to get more contacts and get a baby. Somehow the conversation led to us considering the option of going through a different private agency instead of LDS. The biggest concern with going through a private agency is that on average it costs $20,000-$30,000 to get a baby (versus LDS which only requires that you pay 10% of your annual income). But because of some changes in tax credits you can now get, we began to seriously consider it. We talked with lots of different people, researched the agencies we felt good about and I even had one application all filled out and ready to send. We would have to take out a loan for some of the money and I was going to work full time to pay off that loan. We felt good and excited because the average wait time for a private agency is only like 6-8 weeks (versus LDS which has an average wait time of 2 years). So we decided to go to the temple once again to make sure this was the right thing to do. This time I went to the temple, I didn't get any answer at all. I remember feeling just so empty and plain and I was trying to help myself feel something that would tell me it was right. But it never came. I remember just sitting there crying and praying to my Heavenly Father that I just couldn't do it anymore. I was sick of this trial, I was angry, and I was done. The only thing that did stick out to me that day after leaving the temple was that I needed to listen to my husband and lean on him. When I told Colby that, he was nervous because now he felt like he needed to make the final decision. Colby drives to Provo, Salt Lake, and the Layton area for work each week selling and delivering products. So he has a lot of alone time to just "think". That next week he began to feel really stressed and sick to his stomach about going through a private agency. I just told him that he was just nervous about the money issue and that it would all work out, we just needed to have faith. EVERYONE told us not to worry about the money. It will just work. But Colby couldn't get past his feelings. So then we made our final decision. We weren't going to go through a private agency. It was a hard thing to do, because we felt like that was going to be the end of our long dark tunnel, but it just wasn't right. After making that decision, we really did feel a peace that everything would be fine. But I didn't really listen to everything Colby said. I also ordered 250 pass-along cards with our adoption information to help spread the word. (Colby felt we didn't need to do this, but I didn't listen to him. Now we have 250 adoption cards that I have no idea what I am going to do with. CHALK THAT UP TO A LEARNING EXPERIENCE!!) :)

THIS IS WHEN IT GETS GOOD

So about two weeks later, we received a phone call from our caseworker letting us know that there was a birthmother out there that was considering us. She said that she would let us know when she heard more. We didn't hear anything for another two weeks and finally I decided to call our caseworker because I couldn't handle the anticipation and not knowing what was going on. My caseworker said that this birthmother was getting very serious about us and was ready to put us on a soft hold (this is when they block your profile from anyone else seeing it, but you aren't officially chosen yet). The next day I found out who the birthmother was and the whole situation surrounding the adoption. I called Colby at work and told him about it all, and we felt really good about it. So we thought about it for a couple of days and then we went to the temple again. This time I was really nervous to go to the temple for fear that I might not get an answer again, or that we might not feel like this was right. But it was so so good. The spirit was so strong and my heart just pounded so hard that I knew this was the baby meant for us. We told our families about it the next day and we all fasted on Sunday for the situation. I called my caseworker on Monday and told her that we felt good about it and were ready. She said that we just had to wait now for the birthmother to make her final decision. Again, we waited another LONG week to hear anything. (later I learned that the birthmother had made her decision, but she wanted to surprise us somehow). That week Satan worked on us really hard. We began to doubt that it was going to work and we really thought she would changer her mind, or find another couple that she liked better. Also, the week before we got our first original phone call from the caseworker, we had signed up for a profile website that gives you more exposure to other birthmothers. This week we received 7 emails from birthmothers and birthfathers wanting to know more about us. This was very hard because we had just gone a year and a half with only one email, and now that we had a hopeful adoption about to work out, we just received 7 more emails! We didn't want to lose out on other opportunities, but we had to go off the faith that we felt this one was right. So after a week, Tuesday, March 29th our caseworker called me at lunch and said that our birthmother had a letter she wanted us to read before we met with her. (We knew we were going to meet her, but we thought that she would also be meeting with other couples she felt serious about and then make her final decision from there). Of course we over analyzed it and thought the worst. We thought she had probably changed her mind about us, and that she was writing to apologize. But thankfully, when our caseworker came, she had a letter and a basket full of baby stuff. We opened the letter and I read it out loud. Our birthmother told us in the letter that she had chosen us, and what had lead her to choose us to be the parents for her baby. She told us that she wanted a family that did things together outside, and who knew how to play. She also wanted a family that knew how to work, but didn't let work consume their life. She also wanted a family with similar personalities to her. (We found out later that Colby's favorite restaurant was her's too, and my favorite movie was also her's). She then proceeded to explain all of the things in the basket. She had picked out a few things from her that had special significance. One of which was a baby blanket she made (by the way, this will be the baby's favorite blanket). She also had her mom and dad and her two sisters pick out something to put in the basket that had special significance to them. SOOOOOO SPECIAL!!! Colby just balled as I read the letter and I was just so happy I couldn't stop smiling. We took pictures and then called our moms and the rest of our families to tell them the good news. This was the happiest day of my life. I was so touched by the things she wrote in the letter and I could really tell how much this baby meant to her and her family. I knew that this was a hard thing for them to do, but I also knew that they knew it was the right thing. Two days later, we were able to meet her and her parents. We met with just her for about an hour and then with her and her parents. It was such a good meeting. When we met with her, we each told our side of the story and how we came to this point and then she asked us some other fun questions. We just felt so comfortable and laughed and laughed together. It was so good. And then when we met with her parents, we had more good conversations. It was so spiritual and the spirit was so strong. Her parents were wonderful people with such good intent. I am so thankful for them in my life already. The birthmother is such a good person, with goals and a plan for her life. She already has a scholarship to go to college after the baby is born. We just feel so blessed to have such a wonderful birthfamily. We really couldn't ask for anything better. (Blessing #3) Another positive to this, is that our birthmother has invited us to go with her to her big 20 week ultrasound next week to find out what the baby is. YAY!!! This is going to be so exciting that we get to experience it with her. Her due date is not until Aug. 31st (actually I think they changed it to Sept. 1st). So this is our VERY LONG story. I am a little embarrassed about how much I wrote, but it was very theraputic for me. And hopefully it will help someone else out there. More than anything, our testimonies have been strengthened and we have learned so much. Going through this has been the hardest thing I have ever done (and I know I'm not done yet). But it has been SO worth it. I almost can't believe I am saying that.

THE END!

(And REALLY, the beginning)

Very Good News!!!

2011-04-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

We have been chosen to adopt!!!! I know this is not enough information, but I will be posting all about it very soon. :)

New Favorite Store

2011-02-26T09:04:00.000-08:00

I love to go shopping for home decor. I can sometimes get carried away, but I would rather buy decorations for my house than buy clothes. I don't know why, but I hate to go shopping for clothes. I love new clothes, but I hate the shopping part. So anyways, Monday I had work off for the holiday and I decided to go spend a gift card our friends gave us for Christmas. I went to ROD WORKS in Layton. I have heard of it before, but I have never made it out there to check it out. I was so glad I went because they were having a 25% off sale for the holiday. There were so many cute things and I ended up putting a few items back when I started to add up how much I really had in my cart. I am so happy with what I got!

So I have this sign above the door to our garage, and it is so annoying because it always goes crooked. I can't tell you how many times I have straightened it, and it drives me crazy. So I found this easel that had a thing on the back that made it so you could hang it on the wall. So I had to buy it. Now I don't have to worry about it anymore ... no more crooked pictures!!!

Hanging Easel only $3.95

I really needed something for my table so I bought this cute pitcher vase and these geraniums. I love that they add a pop of color.

My bathroom walls in our second bathroom have been bare since we moved in. I have struggled to figure out what to put in here. So when I saw their vinyl was 50% off on clearance and found the perfect colors to match, I had to get these. I love them. They were only $3.98 each.

I also bought a few other things to hang from my shelf and go above my kitchen cupboards. I love love love this store!

Christmas, Vegas, and Snowmobiling Date

2011-01-29T17:09:00.001-08:00

Christmas was really good this year. Normally we just get gifts for our families and the names we draw and we don't buy anything for each other. But even though we really didn't need anything, I wanted us to give each other at least something. I was really happy we did it and it made Christmas morning a little more special and a little less boring. Colby went way overboard and decided to surprise me with a laptop. I was absolutely thrilled! I have really needed/wanted one for awhile now. Thanks hon!

Me and my sweet laptop :)

Colby had connections through Dwight and got this TV for 50 bucks! :)

On Christmas Eve, we went to Colby's grandma's house and played Minute-to-Win-it games.

We also went snowmobiling with my brother and his date and our friends Mike and Kathryn. It was a nice and fun day. For lunch we decided to build a fire and roast hot dogs. I had never done this before in the snow, but it worked out great! It was an awesome date :).

Over MLK, I had a 4-day weekend and so did Colby so we decided to take off to Vegas. We have both been there before but it had seriously been like 10 years since the last time we went (even longer for Colby). We also just had our 6 year anniversary, so we thought we would do this to celebrate. I am so glad we went. It was nice to spend some one-on-one time with Colby.

On our way down we stopped to see Bryce's new apartment and eat lunch with him. He is going down to SUU for the semester, so he was right on our way. The ride there went so fast, we were only like a half hour from Vegas when we realized we hadn't even had the radio on the whole time!!! Can you believe that? Either we are really boring, or we just had a lot to talk about and enjoyed being together :).

Vegas was really fun....we walked and walked and walked. And seriously, my right foot still hurts from our first day there. I must have done something to it. I guess that's why they say flip-flops are bad for your feet. But hey - I was so excited to be able to wear flip-flops in January!! I don't think I have ever been somewhere warm enough in January to be able to do that.

Another thing that made it fun was that Bryce and his friends and Susan and her family had coincidentally planned to go to Vegas that weekend too. So we met up with them a couple of times and hung out together. It was alot of fun!

Great Video on Adoption

2010-12-28T18:22:00.000-08:00

I found this on YouTube and thought I'd share it. More posts coming soon about our Christmas! :)

Yay for Colby!

2010-12-12T19:31:00.000-08:00

Colby finally did it! He's graduated! I have to admit there were definitely times when I never thought this would really happen. He has been going to school for 6 LONG years. Of course, he took a couple of semesters off and there were a few here and there that he only took like one or two classes. But he finally finished his bachelor's degree in Technical Sales! After his last semester of 21 credits and working full time - this is a HUGE relief. We are very blessed and I am so proud of this accomplishment. I love you honey! :)

After graduation, we went to dinner at El Matador with both of our families. It was a good day and nice to have everyone there. Thanks for coming everyone.

All the kids - Left to right (Annie, Ellie, Jovie, Kaldyr, Daxon and Quincie)

What a great day!

Where has the time gone?

2010-11-24T21:25:00.001-08:00

I can't believe my last post was clear back in August!! Please forgive me for being such a huge slacker...I need to do better. Here is a little of what has been going on in our lives the last few months.

We sold Colby's truck :( We have had this since right before we got married. It was sad to see it go, but it will be ok. Colby loved taking care of this truck. Hopefully the new owner will enjoy it just as much as we did.
One of our last trips of the summer was to see the Castle Valley Pageant. If you haven't been here before, I highly recommend it. It is a little pageant they do out in the middle of nowhere about the pioneers. Before it starts, they have all kinds of activities like wagon rides, how to milk a cow (this was my first time - talk about gross!), mountain men, etc. It was a lot of fun.

Of course we had our annual hunting trips. Colby went muzzle loader dear hunting and rifle elk hunting. Unfortunately, he came home empty handed on both trips. But my dad was successful. This is his elk.

My bro is finally home! We were so excited to see him and hear all about his great experiences. I am so proud of him and the great missionary he was. It's good to have you home Bryce!

Me and my mom with our signs :)

All of us siblings (Me, Brittany, Bryce, and Susan)

Gross!!!!!!

2010-08-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

This has a short advertisement before the actual video begins.

Girls Camp!!!

2010-07-26T10:08:00.001-07:00

I had such an awesome experience last week at Girls Camp. We went to Heber Valley and had such a blast. It was a stake camp and so there was a lot less stress on me since I was the camp director. I have to say the stake leaders that planned the camp did such an awesome job. We had the perfect balance between activities and free time. We are a small ward and so we were able to fit everyone in the same cabin without splitting up. The girls had a lot of fun and I really enjoyed staying up late playing games, talking, and just having fun like you do at girls camp. It felt so good to feel of the wonderful spirit there. I was so glad that I was able to go and get to know these amazing girls!I can't quite do the splits like I used to! :)The zip line at our challenge course was probably one of the scariest things I have ever done. First you had to climb up a telephone pole to a wire.Then you had to inch your way across the wire to the platform where the zip line begins. I was so scared! But it was so much fun!

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our camp. I felt so lucky to be able to go and have such a good experience.

Summertime

2010-07-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

I love summer! It is so nice to have a break from school. I really love my job, but I couldn't do it without summer break. This summer I have been able to do lots of little things like: teach a summer kids camp, plan girls camp (we go next week!), get our yard together and plant grass, grow a garden, go camping, and babysit for my family and friends. I can't believe summer is half-way over. I don't want it to end!

One of my favorite things about summer is that I can be a better aunt to my nieces and nephews. I love spending time with them and helping out my sister and sister-in-laws. I watch Susan's girls once a week and our friends' baby boy Case once a week too. It is a little something to keep me busy and have soem fun and I am glad that I can help them out. Here are some fun pictures of my nieces and nephews. I love you all so much! :)

One day I had Quincie and Jovie sleep over and then Susan brought over her girls the next morning. Here is a picture of them all together. We had a good time! :)

Annisten, Quincie, Ellie, Jovie
Kaldyr - the day he ran in the stick horse race at West Haven Days.

Fun little Daxon! :)

For the 4th of July we spent the weekend camping out. What a nice break! We relaxed, rode 4-wheelers, and went up to the lake one day. This is a funny story - All of you that know Colby, you probably know that he occasionally does random things to be funny. Well we were all standing by the lake watching the dogs swim and talking when all of a sudden Colby comes running down from the truck with his shirt off screaming! Then he dives head first into the water with his shorts, shoes, and sock and all! He starts yelling, "I can't swim! I can't swim!" We were all laughing hysterically. I love these crazy moments he has. He gets it from his dad - what a weirdo! :) But he makes our lives fun and spontaneous. Love you hon! (I got some pictures of the moment, but he wouldn't let me post them because it shows his fabulous farmer's tan and his hairy belly :) Oh well.)

You Can Help Us Adopt

2010-06-11T13:00:00.001-07:00

We have now reached our year mark for when we first started the adoption process. I can honestly say that it feels like it has been much longer than a year. Colby and I have had numerous experiences that have revealed to us that adoption is the way we should build our family.

We have a great support system of family and friends and we are so grateful for that. Many of you have asked us if there is anything you can do to help. Well, there IS something you can do.

Most adoptions happen today through word of mouth. Today, it is more likely for an adoptive couple to find their baby through someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone. We strongly feel that this request we are making now could be the stepping stone to finding our baby.

So what I am asking you to do is to help spread the word! I appreciate family and friends that have included our adoption profile link to their blogs. If you haven't yet, it would REALLY mean alot to us if you did. Whether it be on your blog, facebook, or wherever - it will help spread the word! Having a quick link to click on in your sidebar makes it easy for people to find. You never know who might see it........ We feel that the more people that know we are trying to adopt, the better chance we have at making our adoption a reality. (Our profile link is on the right sidebar at the top in case you haven't seen it)

YOU COULD BE OUR STEPPING STONE WE NEED TO FIND OUR BABY!

Update

2010-06-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

It's been so long since I've updated. May is always a busy month trying to get everything wrapped up for the end of the school year. But then it is so nice to have my summer break! I am happily enjoying every minute of it so far. :)

Last weekend we took off camping and it was so nice to just sit and relax.

I finished watching the series finale of LOST!

I planted my vegetable garden! Yahoo! I really missed having one last year because of our move. This year I have corn, banana squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers.

The weeds are beginning to overtake our yard. I miss having grass. :(

New Calling for Summertime

2010-05-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

"The Temple in the Mountains"
I am so excited! Last Sunday I was called to be the Young Women's Camp director. It's kinda funny because their camp this year is almost identical to what I did with my Hooper ward last year. We are going to Heber Valley Camp again and it's a stake camp again. The only thing I am a little worried about is that I don't have nearly as much time to prepare. Last year I was called way back in October and we had meetings leading all the way up to camp. It's already May and we go in July! I guess they had already called someone but it didn't work out, so it will be interesting. From what I know so far it seems like it won't be too hard to put it all together in time. The stake is actually carrying quite a bit of the load. So anyways - I can't wait! Late night talks, games, fun at the fire...it should be a lot of fun!

U of U Gymnastics Meet

2010-04-05T16:13:00.000-07:00

Ok so the other night Colby took me to see the Ute's gymnastic meet against BYU. I know this might be kinda childish and weird, but it was so much fun! I remember when I was in elementary school that my dream was to become an olympic gymnast one day. I loved watching it on TV. My mom used to take me to watch U of U's gymnastic team and I remember just being in heaven! One of my favorite childhood memories is of the time we were able to go watch a meet and after we got to go down on the floor and get our pictures taken with the gymnasts. It was so fun! (I need to find that picture) I also remember that every recess we got my friends and I would practice our gymnastics and pretend we were competing. I remember the sandbox was lined with railroad ties and we would stand on them and pretend they were the beam. So anyways - Dwight had some free tickets through his work and gave them to us. Colby decided that since I always go with him to basketball games and all of "his" stuff, he needed to take me to "my" stuff. It was so much fun. He even stayed the entire time! Thanks so much honey! :)

Ute Gymnastics Team

Not the greatest picture, but the only we had.

This was the 1996 Olympic Team that I used to watch for hours! I even remember a folder I had at school with this exact picture. Dominque Moceanu was my favorite - she is on the top row in the middle.

St. George Trip

2010-03-18T14:56:00.001-07:00

All of the girls on Colby's side of the family went on a little trip to St. George. Colby has an aunt that lives there and we all stayed with her and enjoyed a short escape. We were hoping to leave winter behind us and experience a touch of spring, but that wasn't exactly how it all worked out. We left on Thursday evening after work and ended up getting almost to Fillmore when we we hit a whiteout blizzard. So unfortunately we didn't make it all the way to St. George that night and we ended up staying the night in a little hotel in Scipio (I had never heard of the city, but from now on I will never forget it). It wasn't the funnest thing dragging our bags inside with no men to help in the middle of a blizzard....Then the next morning we packed up and finished the drive. So we ended up getting to Aunt Kim's house at like 1:30 in the afternoon. Our Friday plans were basically shot and we just ended up going out for dinner. Saturday we did some swimming at Colby's grandma's place she has down there and then went shopping at the outlets and ate dinner at the Pizza Factory. Sunday we packed up and drove home. It was a quick trip but a good little escape. And it was nice to see green grass! I don't know what it is, but for some reason when I see the palm trees I really do feel like I am on vacation. It was fun staying up late talking and playing games. I am lucky to be a part of a family where we all get along and can be comfortable and just have fun together. Thanks for the great time girls!

All of us minus Kim and and Grandma Dixie

Little Kendall eating her yummy dinner.

Capri, Me, Tahler, Jovie, and Ashley

Tahler decided to entertain us by putting two fruit snacks up under her lip and acting silly.

Then we convinced Grandma Dixie to do it too So then we all decided to try it :)

The Wedding and Salt Lake

2010-03-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

The Wedding

My little sister Brittany tied the knot a couple of weeks ago. She got married on a bright, sunny and freezing cold day in Idaho Falls. The day went just perfect (except for the part when we figured out I packed the wrong slacks for Colby and he had to wear his levis to the reception....OOPS!). They got married at 12:30 in a newly remodeled room in the temple. I guess they were only the second couple to be sealed in that room - pretty neat. Then they had a luncheon and reception that night. Then the next week they had a reception in Hooper. Congrats Sis! Here's a slideshow of the pictures I took.

_____________________________________

Salt Lake

So last weekend I had a training for work in Salt Lake on Thursday and Friday. They paid for our hotel on Thursday night and Colby came down and spent the night with me. We had class Thursday afternoon and then we went on a tour at KSL. I was so excited because we got to meet Kevin Eubank. I know you might think I'm weird for wanting to meet him and get a picture, but we are learning all about weather in my class right now and I was so excited to get a picture with him because my students would think it was so cool. But I do have to say that I think Colby might have been even more excited than I was. :) Then we all went to dinner at Biaggi's in the Gateway. I must say it was wonderful! We left feeling more stuffed than we ever have before. If you haven't been there, I would definitely recommend it. It is Italian and they bring each course to the table separately on a big plate for the whole table to dig into. It was really yummy! We stayed at the Embassy Suites and our room was huge! There were two T.V.'s a microwave, fridge, wet bar, full size bathroom and a really nice bed. I don't think I have ever slept on a softer, more comfortable bed in my life! It was to die for. Then on Friday we just had class all day and then went home. It was a nice little getaway.

Us with Kevin Eubank

I took this picture from the inside of the hotel room. The entire center is all open and at the very bottom is where they serve breakfast and have the lounging area.
The front room sitting area of our room

This is kind of an awkward picture. I was in the sitting room looking through to the bedroom.

The most comfortable bed I have ever slept on!!!

My Hubby

2010-02-18T19:49:00.000-08:00

Ok first of all, he is going to kill me for putting this big picture of him on here. But oh well! This week we celebrated Colby's 26th birthday on Tuesday and Valentine's Day on Sunday. Sunday, Colby spoke in his grandparents ward on gratitude and did a great job. I love listening to him speak. I also made sugar cookies for our Sunday School class we teach and I got tired of cutting out a ton of hearts and baking them. So I ended up just taking all the dough that was left and made on huge heart and gave it to Colby. :) Let's just say he thought I was corny. Then on Tuesday we celebrated his birthday. We went to dinner and splurged with a huge dessert. It was great!

I want Colby to know just how much I love and appreciate him. He is the love of my life and I can't even imagine what life would be like without him. I love how he is such a hard worker. I love that he has a fun personality and always keeps me entertained. I also love how he is one of those guys that actually loves to cuddle. Love you honey!

Snowmobiling and LOST!

2010-02-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

Saturday we took off to my family's cabin to go snowmobiling. We had a good time. We went with Susan and Jeff, my dad, and my uncle. Jeff and my uncle had a tag to hunt for a cow elk so we went along to help and to have some fun. Thanks for the fun everybody! It was a great day.

I also can't wait for the season premiere for LOST tonight. I honestly never watch TV unless it is a Jazz game or the news. LOST is the only show I really get into and have to watch. About a year and a half ago Colby's sister and her husband bought the season sets and started watching them. Then they got me hooked and I haven't missed an episode yet. So I can't wait for it to start tonight. It is the final season and it should be the best one yet!

You're Invited

2010-01-05T17:52:00.000-08:00

Date: Sat. Jan 9

Time: 1-4pm open house

Place: My house

Bring a friend - anyone is welcome!

Hey Everybody! I am having a pants party at my house this Saturday. I didn't mail out any invites so this is your invite! There will be the designer jeans at great discounted prices (like $40 on up). There will also be shirts, purses, jewelry, etc. So come on over any time and check it out. I don't feel good about putting my address up here, so just call me and I can give it to you and tell you how to get there. Hope to see you there!

Our Holidays

2010-01-01T09:53:00.000-08:00

Well we had a great Christmas and are very grateful for being able to spend it with both sides of our family. Colby and I don't really do presents for each other because we feel like our parents spoil us enough. So we started out the day at my parents house. We go there every year for breakfast and then open our presents afterward. Thanks Mom and Dad for a great Christmas! Then we went to Colby's side of the family in the afternoon. He had a family party with all of his cousins, and then we went to his parents house to open gifts. This year Bryce called from his mission at night so I had to jet out for a while to talk with him while we were at Colby's parents house. Thanks everyone for being patient and waiting for me! It was really good to be able to talk to Bryce. He is doing so well and I am so proud of all his hard work as a missionary. I can't believe he is on the downhill to coming home. He gets back in October - Yay! All in all - our Christmas was just great.

Us at my parents' Christmas morning
Cute little Anniston :) I love this picture!
Ellie all fancy in her princess dress up

Later that night at Colby's parents'

My SWEET new comforter set
Colby's Parents
On New Year's Eve we went Ice fishing with Mike and Kathryn. They took us to a pretty cool place in Idaho. We had a lot of fun - mostly because we weren't freezing thanks to their Ice Tent and heater that blocks out all the cold wind. Everyone caught a fish but me :( Oh well I am used to it. I never have been very good at fishing. We had a great time - and the fish we caught were HUGE! (At least that is what I thought)

Colby's catch

Tis the Season

2009-12-12T07:35:00.000-08:00

I've been slacking a little. I can't believe it has already been more than a month since my last post! Time goes so fast. Well this last week we celebrated my birthday. Thanks to everyone for the great gifts. I have to especially thank Colby for his love and support. It was kinda hard for me this year and I feel bad that he has to deal with my whining :) This time of year for some reason is really depressing for me. I hate to see just another year go by that I keep getting older and older and we still don't have a baby. And it is hard to go through the holidays and visit at all the family parties and get togethers. It's weird but it's just like another reminder that yet again another year has gone by. But Colby said it best when he said that I will only be 26 once and I can either enjoy it and make the most of it, or feel depressed and live it miserably. So I am really trying to have a better attitude about it.

I am also trying hard to be positive and stay hopeful. I know that one day we will have that blessing. I just have to keep thanking my Heavenly Father for all that we DO have and not get caught up on what we DON'T have. And most of all, I have to be thankful for Jesus Christ and his sacrifice he made for me and know that he understands better than anyone else what I am feeling and going through right now. I hope that we all can remember him this Christmas and be thankful for the blessings we have been given.

This is a way cool picture Capri made for me. She went to a class and put it all together. I am so excited to hang it up.

Colby playing with the girls.

Roses from Colby. (Thanks Honey!) I have always told him not to waste his money on flowers, but it is still nice to get them every once in a while. :)

Our annual pheasant hunt after Thanksgiving with Colby's family

Busy Month

2009-11-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

Well I haven't posted in awhile as you can see. We are in our home and still just trying to get settled the best we can. It has been so nice and we are so thankful to be where we are. I have to say that I have the cutest neighbors of all. The first night we moved in we had dinner brought over and then a couple nights later another neighbor brought over dinner too. Then we also had popcorn, cookies, apples, and walnuts brought over randomly here and there. I just love all the cute little widows and older couples we live by. They just want to take care of us and help us out as much as they can. I don't think I will ever be able to move! :) So our experience in our new home so far has been so great because we have been totally spoiled. Here is a little video of our home from start to finish.

A Good Day

2009-10-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

Thursday I was off work and so I went with my mom and Susan down to the Salt Lake Temple and we did a session. It was so nice to get away and be in the temple. We had a great time together. It was neat to be there this time of year because that was where we got married and Colby proposed there 5 years ago on Oct. 2nd. So it made me think back to that time and I loved it. After the session we went up and had lunch at the Garden. We missed you Brittany!! She was planning on coming up from Provo and meeting us, but she ended up having to work. :( That's ok - we still love ya!

House is almost done! We are probably going to close next week and move in. I can't wait to finally get a dishwasher and a garage after almost 5 years of being married. Yahoo!!!

Pictures

2009-09-27T15:02:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago we had our pictures taken for adoption (yes we are waiting to adopt - it's a long story and I am going to be posting all about it soon). Colby's sister Ashley took them for us at his parents' house. Thanks a ton Ash! They turned out great.

Colby's youngest sister Tahler also went to homecoming and it was fun to be here to see her get picked up by her date. It is kinda sad that Tahler is the last one in both of our families in high school and that gets to go to dances. So it's kinda fun to be a part of it since we are living here. You looked great!

Our house is coming along just great! Our brick, stucco, and siding is all done and I will get a picture up here soon. They are painting it all this week and I get my cabinets on Friday. I can't wait! It looks like we only have about 3 weeks left! Yahoo!

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

We went camping over Labor Day weekend. It was such a nice break to be able to just sit around and relax. We have been crazy busy the last few weeks and this just made us feel so refreshed. We had a good time hanging out around the campfire and relaxing. We also took some time to go up to Causey and take the dogs for a swim.

Our house is making good progress. The sheetrock is up and should be finished this week. I can't believe how fast it is moving. Before we know it we will be all moved in. Yay!!!

Tyson and Capri, Colby's sister, also had their baby boy Daxon on August 31st. I don't have any pictures, but he is such a cute little guy. We love snuggling and loving him. Congrats you two! You will be great parents. Let us know anytime you need a babysitter!

Making Progress

2009-08-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

We have been terribly busy lately with our home and me starting school. Colby has done a great job working on our house. He is a very motivated person and I am thankful for all he has done with the house. He works full time and goes out to the house and works until dark everyday. Next week he will also be going to school full time. I don't know how he is going to do it all! I am lucky to have a great husband that is willing to do all that and has the skills to do it too.

I have been busy at work because I ended up having to move my classroom at the last minute. I am going to be so sick of moving! :) My parents sold their house a few weeks ago and have to be out by the end of the month. They are looking for a home up in Liberty and haven't found exactly what they want yet, so they will be living with my grandma until they find something. So we will be helping them out too. Just within a few months I will have moved Colby and me twice, my classroom, my parents twice, and Capri and Tyson when their house is finished (they've been building too). AHH!! Oh well, they are all moves for good reasons.

Another fun thing was that we got 2nd place in our Co-ed softball team. We started playing with the county league in May. It seems like the season has lasted FOREVER because we had to make up 3 games due to rainouts in June. We all were so surprised how well our team did because none of the girls had ever really played before. Looks like we have something going for us though!

Moving Right Along

2009-08-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

Well we've been pretty busy lately. We got all packed up and moved from our cozy little home in Hooper. It was a big job, but it went pretty smoothly. Thanks to all of our family and friends that came out to help us. We really appreciated your help! Now we are living with Colby's parents until our home is done. They have been really nice to let us bring our junk into their home and shack up with them inbetween homes. Thanks so much!
We started digging the hole for our new home last week and now we have a foundation. Now the fun starts with framing :) Colby has been working hard and is doing a great job. He goes out there every night after work and doesn't get home until the sun sets. I am so glad he can do all this handy stuff cause it will really save us a lot of money in the long run. We have also had a ton of help from friends and family. Thank you thank you thank you. It is so nice to have your help!

Island Park

2009-07-15T10:20:00.001-07:00

Last week we had a great vacation in Island Park, ID. We went with Colby's extended family and rented out a big cabin for all of us to share. We left on July 4th and Colby came home the next Wednesday and I stayed until the next Friday. It was really a good break from all the stress of moving lately. Saturday we watched the fireworks over the lake, Sunday we went to church and visited Johnny Sacks cabin at Big Springs. Monday was a beach day and we boated, took the waverunners and just hung out on the beach. Tuesday we did some more boating and we rented rafts to float down a river. Wednesday we shopped in West Yellowstone and Quake Lake and Thursday we went inside Yellowstone and visited Old Faithful and some of the hot pots. We had a great time and it was such a great break. I am trying to figure out how to post a slide show so hopefully this will work.

Our House is Sold!

2009-06-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it! I have such mixed feelings right now. We sold our house today to a cute old man. He will be the perfect buyer for our home. I am glad that we are selling it to him, but at the same time, it is going to be so hard to leave. I am really excited for our future, but it is hard to see our first home go! We have absolutely loved living in Hooper and our ward has been so wonderful! I am seriously worried about having to say goodbye. I love my calling in the young womens and I don't want to leave our awesome girls. It has also been nice to live so close to my family. They live just right down the road and it is so convenient to have them right there. It really has been so good. Now we have to figure out where we will go while our house is being built. It is going to be hard to move twice and live with someone, but we try to keep reminding ourselves that it will only be temporary. Big changes are coming our way!

Home for Sale and GiRLs CaMp!!

2009-06-13T14:41:00.001-07:00

Well I can't believe we actually have the sign up. We are selling our first house! I can't believe it has already been 2 years since we bought our home. We bought it as a hudd home and remodeled and updated everything before we moved in. It was a lot of work, but we are so glad we did it. Now, it's 2 years later and our plan is to sell and build a home in Plain City. Everything is not for sure yet because we have to sell our house first. So we just decided we'd put the sign up and see what happens. If you know anybody that wants a house in Hooper with horse property, let them know about our home!

Also, I spent last week up at girls camp with the young women. What an awesome experience. I am the Beehive advisor and they needed a camp director. So since I don't have to work during the summer, I was the lucky leader. :) It was actually such an awesome experience. We went to Heber Valley Camp as a stake and it was so nice. One thing that really impressed me was that this camp was actually dedicated just like the temples are. So they like to call the camp "The Temple in the Mountains." It was a very nice facility and you could really feel the spirit. Even the animals there seemed to feel the spirit and peace because they weren't afraid of anything. We saw deer, moose, and tons of squirrels. I was so glad that I had the chance to go. I love being in Young Womens. It really is my favorite calling. Our ward has the best girls too. They all just get along great and we don't have to worry about them. It's wonderful. This will definitely be a really hard thing to leave if we move.

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-27T19:47:00.001-07:00

For the holiday weekend we went camping with Colby's family up to some property they have access to called Evergreen. It is the perfect camping place because it's not too far, there is tons of shade, and a river that runs right through the camp. We had a great time relaxing and talking with each other around the fire. Here are some pics:

Colby is funny - he just can't stand to sit around and do nothing. The first morning we were there, he had finished building this deck by the fire and had his whole truck waxed and shining by only 10:30 in the morning. We all teased him for waxing his truck when he was camping. :)

This is Surry, Quincie, and Drake.

After we got home on Monday, I went to see Night at the Museum 2 with my family. I thought it was a pretty cute movie and we had a lot of fun. All in all it was a great weekend!

Baby Birds and Mother's Day

2009-05-13T16:46:00.001-07:00

I know these look kinda freeky, but I thought it was so cool. The other day Colby was getting out his airboat to sell it and when he pulled the tarp off the motor there was a nest with two brand new baby birds. They looked like they were only a day old and there were two other eggs that hadn't hatched yet. It was kinda cool to see what they looked like.

Also, Mother's Day was just great. We tried our best to split the time between both families. We went to church with Colby's family and then had dinner with them after. Then we headed out to my parents. Bryce called us (from New York on his mission) and we were so excited to talk to him. It was just great! - And much easier than Christmas.

Thanks Mom for all you do! You really are such an amazing woman and I look up to you so much and in so many ways! You are such a good example to me spiritually and I'm so grateful you're my mother. I love you!

Supercross

2009-04-26T09:52:00.000-07:00

Last night we had a fun date night out. We went to the AMA Supercross at the Rice Eccles Stadium. Colby has a motorcycle and has always been into this kind of thing. In fact, when he was younger he even raced a little. We have been to the Supercross a couple times before - like 5 years ago when it was last here in Salt Lake. It was a lot of fun and something different. Colby decided to invite some friends - Mike and Kathryn, Matt and Jennica, Jarrett, and Lattin(his wife was out of town so he and Jarrett went together). We all rode down together and went to dinner before at some Hawaiian barbecue place (which wasn't all that great). Thanks Colby for the fun date! Next year we will have to go the finals in Las Vegas - that would be fun! :)

We love you Zoe!

2009-03-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

This week Ashley (Colby's sister) and Dwight lost their baby girl, Zoe Jean Parker. Ashley was 23 weeks along and was just going in for a regular check up when they found out. It was a very hard experience for the family, but it has also been a testimony builder for us all. I don't know how we could get through this without the knowledge we have of the plan of salvation. We all are heartbroken that we won't be able to hold her and see her grow on this earth, and we can't wait to meet her one day. It makes us all want to work much harder so that we know we will be able to be with her again. I admire the Parker family for their strength and love as a family at this terrible time. We love you all so much and hope that we can give you whatever support you need to help you through it.

Fun Weekends

2009-03-22T17:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was lots of fun for both of our families. Susan and Jeff had their second little girl on Saturday the 14th. They named her Annisten. I was so glad that she had her on the weekend so that I could be there. I was worried that I would be at work and would miss all the fun. But luckily, the timing was perfect. We all love baby Annisten so much. She is such a precious little angel in our family. I am so happy for you Susan! Now you get to raise your little girls 18 months apart, just like we were.
Me, Sue, and Annisten
Holding Annisten for the first time.

Susan and Ellie

On that same day, we were able to be with Capri (Colby's sister) and Tyson at the temple to see them get their endowments taken out. That was also a special experience and we are very proud of them for the choice to go to the temple. They are going to be sealed in the San Diego Temple on their anniversary in just a couple of weeks, but we won't be able to be there. So we were happy we could be with them for this.

Then yesterday Colby was going to go snowmobiling, but once he got up to Monte, he realized the snow was like concrete. So he and his friend Mike decided to turn around and come home. Instead, they decided to take their wives (Kathryn and me) up to my family's cabin. We went up for the afternoon and had a lot of fun. We just kinda drove around and had fun. We went on a really steep hike because Colby saw an elk shed he wanted to pick up. So we all followed him up the mountain. I got some neat pictures from up on top. Then on our way home we stopped in Morgan and ate at the Spring Chicken Inn. It was a cute little restaurant I have never been to before. All in all we had a lot of fun!

Spoiled Rotten!

2009-03-05T16:22:00.000-08:00

Well Colby is an avid Jazz fan. He loves to watch them and has always said that he would love to go to a game and sit close to the court. Well he got his chance at the fun on the 4th row. All I have to say is that he is just spoiled rotten, but he deserves it. He works hard and I am glad he got the chance to see his team up close and personal. :)

Happy Birthday Colby!!!!

2009-02-16T15:05:00.000-08:00

Today is Colby's birthday and we had a lot of fun. I can't believe we are already 25! WOW! I had the day off because it is President's Day and so Colby took it off too. We went up to Monte snowmobiling and had a blast. It was a quick run, but just perfect. I was really worried that it would be really cold but it actually wasn't bad at all. Then we just came home and he opened his gifts from me. I gave him some new pants and a sweater for church. Last night we celebrated his birthday at the Holmes. This year he asked for money to fix up his airboat from everyone so his presents were kinda boring. His parents also gave him money for Jazz tickets. He can't wait. Here are some pics of last night. Happy Birthday Colby! I love you! Thanks for all you do and the fun we have together.

We finally have a blog!

2009-02-14T17:06:00.000-08:00

So I finally broke down and decided to create our own blog. I love looking at friends' and families' blogs and always planned on making one for us, but just never did it. So finally here it is! I am still kinda trying to figure everything out so hopefully it turns out ok.