Monday, December 31, 2012

Updates.

Half a month since I last blogged. Busy? I suppose so. Unmotivated? You betcha.

Here's some stuff:

Our adorable, gigantic boy turned 5 months old!


 Is it just me or is the monkey getting smaller?


 Cannonball!



 Christmas was SO much fun! My favorite tradition is our Christmas Eve fajita feast and gift exchange. There was so much laughter, movie quoting, and photo-bombing.

See exhibit A:
My hilarious younger brother photo-bombing a sweet picture of my brand-new brother-in-law with one of our nieces.


Exhibit B:
My mom is just too cute.


Exhibit C:
The newlywed expresses her excitement for life in the middle of a rousing round of tortilla-cooking.



Sparklers! I smuggled a couple boxes from my sister's wedding reception. A fun activity for the kids, along with some s'mores. (Sparklers and s'mores... seriously, could this night get any better??)



Christmas Day! Little Bub's first Christmas. I can now say with much happiness that Christmas is most definitely more fun when you have kids. Even little ones.


Little Bub got a Thomas the Train toy in his stocking!


Being cute. He can now roll over and sit up with assistance.


My beautiful family, backdropped by the ASU Christmas tree. I'm wearing a "Remembering Ella" shirt. 



Little Bub taste-testing his present from Granny and Grandpa.


My SIL Brianne got a pose-able hand for artists. We got a few laughs out of this while she pretended to be "Judy" from the SNL skit of the Lawrence Whelk show. Seriously, look it up, you'll pee your pants. 


And we got my MIL a photobook of all her grandkids. I'm still patting myself on the back after this one. They both loved it. I think it will have to become a tradition.



We missed our girl especially on Christmas. But she was with us and we had a wonderful, fun day filled with great memories, laughing our heads of, and all our family.

Coming up next: Little Bub's first taste of rice cereal and Ella's birthday.

Friday, December 14, 2012

I am in shock.

Heartbroken for people whose lives are forever changed.

Angry that someone would use their agency to commit such a horrendous act of violence.

All that I know for sure is that God will take these innocent angels into his arms
    and He will judge the wicked.

For now, prayers will be offered for the families in Connecticut who have been affected by this atrocity.

You are in the thoughts and hearts of everyone in this country.


Wednesday, November 28, 2012

4 months

This kid, I tell you.

He is so much fun!
And SUCH a good kid. Holy cow.
We went to the doctor today. He had to get a shot. He cried for about ten seconds. Then he was fine and dandy.
Do all parents think their kids are just the amazingest?
Here are the stats:
Height: 26.75" 95th percentile
Weight: 16.2 lbs 59th percentile
Head Circ: 17" 86th percentile.
BIG boy!

And here's some cuteness:




My Thumb-sucker!


Hanging out with Dad. He was holding the bottle of water to his mouth and we thought it was cute but couldn't get a good picture of it.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Typelings post

My post on what I'm thankful for can be seen on the Typeling's blog:


Head on over, hope you enjoy!

Sunday, November 18, 2012

29 Reasons

why I love you

1. You took me to the temple to be married.
2. You're the father of my babies.
3. You're a fantastic father to our son on earth and to our daughter in heaven.
4. You ease my fears.
5. You make me laugh.
6. You're great at handling money
7. You've taught me how to be great (er, better than I was) at handling money too.
8. You're smart
9. You like old cars.
10. You work hard.
11. You're kind to people we come in contact with.
12. You fulfill your priesthood duties.
13. Sometimes you let me hold your hand.
14. You like movies.
15. You don't get annoyed when I quote movies.
16. You're supportive of my artistic whims.
17. You always say "thank you" for the meals I cook.
18. You take care of your possessions.
19. You put up with my emotional craziness.
20. You are good to your parents. And my parents.
21. You love the Lord.
22. You served a mission.
23. You like to plan and you're good at it.
24. You're honest.
25. You have a great bod.
26. You have a great smile.
27. You always encourage me to do the right thing.
28. You're patient.
29. You're mine.

This list wasn't hard to come up with. And I could go on and on.

Happy 29th Birthday, Bret.
It's a shame I can't ever call you "old man."







Thursday, November 15, 2012

Disneyland Hangover

Sore muscles.
Aching back.
Homesick for the smell of churros
and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Sharp memories of Mickey Mouse and Mater.

I must have a Disneyland Hangover.

Warning: a ton of pictures to follow. In no particular order.


we're in the front row. 
Hollywood Tower of Terror.

Waiting in line!

King Arthur's Carousel

Look closely... it's the evil Queen.

Big Thunder mountain!

Splash Mountain aftermath.

Yay! People to ride teacups with me! (Bret hates this ride.)

Have you heard of these? They're amazing!
A place to feed and change your baby.

And just outside the Baby Care Center, you might meet some friends.
Bert, Mary Poppins, and some weird hunchback with an adorable baby.


All snuggled up with blankies from Grandma and Great-Grandma.
He was an angel. 

Hanging out with Daddy.


Cars land was just too cool.


Me and the Bub on Flik's Flyers. He got to ride Pirates of the Caribbean, Winnie the Pooh, and Haunted Mansion too!

We bought the Bub his first Lightening McQueen! (Saving it for his birthday.) Thanks Granny!

Little Bub and Granny. :)



We had SO much fun. I didn't want to leave!
Weather was gorgeous. Parks weren't too crowded. We stayed in a hotel across the street. Got to do just about everything we wanted to (Indiana Jones was closed. :p)
Special thanks to Granny for all she did to help make this trip happen!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

My thoughts on this day

There are some people who will vehemently disagree with me.

To them I say, "by all means, please do."
Because guess what? In America, we're allowed to disagree. We're allowed to have our own opinions, beliefs, and values.
Isn't that great?

But I have to speak the truth--at least the truth based on my own thoughts and feelings.

I'm scared.

True, life is going to go on pretty much as it always has. There's going to be ups and downs, there's going to be changes. Maybe small changes, maybe big ones. But we're still going to get up every morning, we're still going to go about our routine.
But I'm still scared. I feel like the future is uncertain, as well as our freedoms.

I'm sad.

Two good men (yes, I'm going to call them both good men) ran smart campaigns to become the leader of the free world. One, I believe, was the better of the two. Some might call voting for one over the other choosing "the lesser of two evils." I called it "the better of two goods."
I'm not going to try and hide it because at this point, it's obvious that my candidate didn't win. I'm sad because I believed he was the better choice for our country. Some will disagree. I refer you to the top of this post.

I was angry.

I say 'was' because I've let my anger wane. I can't allow myself to react from anger. "Angry people are not always wise." -Jane Austen

I can't help wondering what's going to happen.

And I shouldn't feel that way. No matter who is in office, whatever their political party, I should not be feeling afraid and uncertain. I live in America. Thousands of people died so that I could feel secure in the country I was born in. I sincerely hope that the leaders of our country understand that half of the country is scared, sad, and angry--and I hope they try their best to work hard to remedy it.

In the coming weeks, months, and years, I hope my fears are unfounded.
And I'll pray that those who were chosen to guard the sanctity of our freedoms realize: It isn't about power or popularity. It isn't about debts or doles.
It's about restoring faith in those who are elected to lead and serve.



Monday, November 5, 2012

More random stuff... mostly for Granny & Grandma


My boys love the TV


I could eat him.


Our Halloween Jack-o-lantern. Showing our ASU pride.

For Halloween, we dressed as Muggles.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Updates...!



Little Bub, 3 months old.


On his daddy's dirtbike.


Beautiful weather this morning for a hike. (We had him in a carrier. Worked well for the first half. He had a hard time the last half.)

Taking a breather.


I love this adorable boy. I hate my chin.


My boys!

Monday, October 22, 2012

My Other other blog

I'm a Typeling.
It's sort-of like an Inkling.
But different.
The Inklings were such writers as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. They used to hang out and talk about writer stuff.

I do the same thing. But with a group called the Typelings.
We now have a blog.

www.typelingsaz.blogspot.com

Check it out.
I'm Hero.


Thursday, October 11, 2012

We're able to smile

We had a busy weekend. 
Drove to Utah last Friday for my Grandma's funeral.
Drove home Sunday. 
It's about a 10-11 hour drive. 

Little Bub was a DREAM!! Kid you not. I'm kinda freaking out because I'm afraid of what my next kid is going to be like. (A nightmare?) He slept a lot of the time, only cried when he was hungry or stinky, and only had a fit during the last half hour of the drive home. 

Something we learned: he does NOT like the cold. 
Grandma's funeral was in Provo. Her burial was in Logan.
I don't think we could have laid her body to rest in a more beautiful place.

Little Bub. Bundled up. He screamed in the 40 degree weather in Logan. Did. Not. Like. It.
Arizona boy.


Nieces at the cemetery. Smiling face.


My Dad. Lots of our ancestors (on both sides!) are buried in this cemetery.
What an awesome day the Resurrection is going to be for those who are buried here.


Another smiling face. My hubby!


Cool story:
Grandma knew she was going to be headed home to Heavenly Father soon. So she started setting aside money for her final expenses. Some of it was for a nice lunch for her family to have after her burial.
The total cost of the bill was $3 short of the amount she had set aside for the lunch.


You have to click on this picture to enlarge it. The look on my Aunt Ginny's face is hysterical.
Lookin' good.


And this guy celebrated his 8th birthday that day! He got his first set of golf clubs.
Another big smile.


Bret looooooves getting his picture taken. Isn't he adorable? 
Baby and Daddy. Of course.

I love this picture. SIL Cassandra having a laugh at her oldest boy's camera shyness.
Way cute smile.


And here's me and my adorable niece. More smiles.


It was a beautiful weekend. Marked by a solemn occasion. Lots of tears shed. Tears of grief, tears of comfort, and tears of love. The deepest and purest love in existence. The kind that lasts forever. We're a family. Forever. And because of that, we were also able to smile.

Whatever happens in this life, I want my family to be around me in the next.