So sorry the pics are so small. Maddie has been doing this "trick" (that's what Katie calls it..."hey mom! Maddie is doing her trick again!") for some time now and I think it's funny. When she does it she grunts really loud and then falls on her stomach and laughs.
Katie has been getting harder and harder to put down for naps, and even though she still has quiet time in her room, (most of the time she falls asleep after 45 min or so) she doesn't sleep as long as she used to...even though she needs to. That combined with having the girls share a room and Maddie being the ONLY morning person in our family, it has meant earlier mornings for all of us. Anyway, as you can see....she's been pretty tired. She falls asleep in the car almost every time we go somewhere. Too bad I don't have the time (and money for gas) to spend a couple hours a day just driving around during nap time! :)
MOBILE UPLOADS
SHE MUST HAVE BEEN HUNGRY
This may be one of those instances that you had to be there for it to be funny, I'm not sure. But I'm going to post it anyway...
So yesterday was a busy day. Maddie woke up with a bad cold and was pretty fussy all morning, but I had to get grocery shopping done. I spent about 45 minutes walking through our house making a list of all the things we needed, paranoid that I was forgetting something. I was pretty sure I had everything written down, so I bundled up the kids and we were on our way to Wallmart.
Katie wanted to look at all the Halloween stuff so we spent about 15 min there, just looking at all the costumes and such. I was holding the list I made in my hand and pushing the cart with Maddie up in front, facing me. I must have been really distracted by all the Halloween stuff and Katie showing me all the cool little doo-dads, because I looked down at Maddie and she had EATEN my list right out of my hand! That's right, folks. SHE ATE MY LIST! Ha ha... 
Little bugger.
NO, NO, NO!
Sorry to those who have been waiting to see this video. I had a problem with the settings on the blog, but a friend directed me to a site that helped big time. (thanks Breezy!) Anyway, as you can see, Maddy has learned the word "no." It's pretty cute.
PUMPKINS
I'm excited, it's only the 12th and we've got our pumpkins carved. That means that this year, we actually get to enjoy them for Halloween! In past years I've always procrastinated until the last minute and we end up driving all over creation looking for the last of the pumpkins to carve the night before Halloween and it always is so stressful....no fun. BUT THIS YEAR....we had a LOT of fun!
TA DA!
LOOK AT MY BEAUTIFUL PEARS! I was taught by an expert last week how to put up the most beautiful pears. We did half the box together, and I braved the other half on my own. I'm so proud of them! I got 14 bottles out of one box. Other than the beautiful bright pink color, my favorite thing about canning these pears is that it took me less than an hour! (to do the second half after learning how to do the first half, of course.)
FAMILY PICTURES
We got our family pictures taken yesterday at Target. I'm really happy with the way they turned out...especially of the girls. Katie was so good the whole time and I think she actually had a lot of fun getting her picture taken. Mady, of course, was very good as she usually is. How did I get so lucky to have two beautiful and such well behaved kids!? Not to mention my good-lookin' hunk of a hubby..... :)
QUESTION
Does anyone know how to post a video? The video icon is gone from the toolbar in the posting section of blogger. Did they change it? Where do I go now to post a video?
LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER
WHAT A SUMMER!
MAY: I was always one of those people that swore up and down that if I lived in Utah, I would never drive a minivan. I guess I forgot to knock on wood. I'm eating my words now, as we purchased our first family vehicle. 2004 Toyota Sienna. Boy what a beauty! I actually really love having it. Great storage, good gas milage, lots of room to move around and take care of the kids inside....not to mention the nice big windows and smooth ride. We really scored on this one and got it for a great price, too! So on Memorial Day weekend, we packed up and headed to AZ for the weekend. It was a lot of fun! I don't remember a lot of what we did, but it was fun. :) On the way home we decided to "stop by" the Grand Canyon since Sam and I had never seen it. It was really cool...and SO BEAUTIFUL! However, it added about 8 hours to the trip making the grand total 18 hours, and Maddie didn't even make a sound the whole time.
JUNE: This was a busy month. My brother, Sam, got his mission call to Tampa, Florida! He came over and opened his mission call at our place and we had dinner with him and my Grandparents. It was so exciting!
My Granny had a bad car accident and broke her back over Memorial Day weekend, so I got to go up to Washington to help her out and keep her company. I left Katie home with Steve and just took Maddie with me, and it was fun to visit with her and spend some time with them. I was gone for a week. 4 days after that we left the kids with my Aunt Christine while we went back to AZ for a weekend to be there for Sam's endowment. I think this was the first time since I was married that I got to be in the temple with my parents. It was really neat to be there with Steve, my parents and my brother on his special day.
JULY: We had a family reunion for Steve's family in July at Rockin'R'Ranch. It was a blast! There was no internet connection and no cell phone service...I swear it was the best. We went on walks at night and we could see all the stars, we swam in the lake, rode horses, played games and visited with family. We really had a lot of fun and so did Katie. She rode a horse for the first time! At the end of July, my parents brought Sam up to go into the MTC and we got to say goodbye. That was hard, but I'm so glad he decided to be a missionary! We're so proud of him!
AUGUST: Nothing really happened in August. We were sick for a straight 3 weeks, and honestly, I think it's a miracle that we are all still alive and didn't kill each other. Ha ha....no really.
SEPTEMBER: Is almost over!!? What the heck? Don't ask me where the summer went. Earlier this month we got to get away together, and that was very much needed especially after August. We left the kids with some good friends and went to Bountiful for my cousin, Heather's wedding. (Which was beautiful, by the way.) We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast in Salt Lake and the next day just did whatever around the city. We spent some time at Temple Square and had lunch and stuff. It was a nice break, and a lot of fun to be away together for a couple days.
Well, I think that pretty much brings us up to date! Sorry about being so neglectful toward blogging...I swear I'll do better. :) Above are some pics from the last few months....enjoy!
MADELYNN'S BLESSING DAY
What a gift it was this Mother's day to have my little Maddie blessed by her dad. Here are some pictures of her in her beautiful blessing dress...you better believe my mom MADE it! Isn't it gorgeous? We had some wonderful family that were able to be there...my brother, grandparents, aunt and a few cousins, and Steve's cousin and their family. Thank you to all who came and shared this special day with us. We missed those of you who weren't able to come and hope we get to see you soon! Enjoy the pics.
MOTHERHOOD
Last night as Steve and I were laying in bed, he asked me how my day was. I just said, you know, there some days I think moms should be allowed to have a little drink, just a little one, to loosen up a little, be in a good mood and keep from going crazy. Really, just a little drink, that's all!
My 2 year old has learned to talk very well. She repeats everything she hears....which is not always a good thing; like when she scolds ME to "sshhh mommy! Be quiet!" Or points to the teller at the bank and says to me, "Wow, mommy, he's fat!" Talk about embarrassing! I just take her hand and say, "Katie, that is not a nice thing to say about people." But the guy is still giving me that look. Great. Ok, time to go now.
She is going through this phase where she follows me around the house trying to 'help' with the housework. Yes I will admit I think it's cute how she has to wear an apron just like me and help with EVERYTHING including toilet cleaning. I try to praise her and let her know what a good helper she is, even though it pretty much doubles the work load for me. The important thing here is NOT the house, right? I try to remember that as I wipe up the toothpaste she just got all over the bathroom floor I just scrubbed.
I fix her hair every day. I do. The minute we walk out of the bathroom her hair is once again all over the place and she looks like an orphan. If one of you mothers out there knows a secret trick to keep your kids looking nice throughout the day, or even just while in public, please. Let me know.
I try to prioritize. What is the most important thing for me to accomplish today? Every morning I ask myself this. Everything gets done in order of importance, right? Ha. In a perfect world maybe that's how it would happen. Let's just say there are a few things I won't budge on. Showering for one is first. I don't care if I have to get up at 5:00 in the morning, or shower at 7:00 at night. I will shower every day. Why? It is SO GROSS NOT TO! That and brushing my teeth. I saw on Oprah a few days ago, this mom confessed that she had not brushed her teeth in 4 days. Sick.
I finally got the baby to sleep through the night. That's right! 8 weeks old and it finally happened last night. I put her down at 9:30 and she was up at 7:30-8:00 this morning. However, that does not mean that I got any sleep. As a result of getting up at night for the past 8 weeks, I am now in the habit of waking up every 3 hours! Dangit. Weather the baby is up or not, I am wide awake every 3 hours. Ironic how that works out.
We went to Target today to get groceries and some other things. Katie likes to help push the cart and get things off the shelves for me to put them in the cart. Well, she not only gets what I tell her to get, but adds things that she thinks we should get as well. I said, "Katie, you need to put that back. We have just enough monies to get what's on our list." "Ugh. UGH! Fine mommy!" Is what she growls at me as she puts it back on the shelf. We get to the check out and she tells the checker, "My mommy is mean." Thanks.
Can you make breakfast, dress a toddler, make your bed, and clean up the kitchen? All while talking on the phone and feeding the baby at the same time? I can. I did it this morning!
Well, the kids are finally down for an afternoon nap and I finally get a little break before I start on cleaning Katie's beautiful artwork off the walls and making dinner. After that, the hubby is home and it's play time for him with the kids while I clean up and hopefully join them for a few minutes before we say our prayers and put the girls in bed. What? It's Friday night? Isn't that date night? Can you believe...and you better because this is true...that I have a bottle of Martinelli's in the fridge that we're going to dring while we fold laundry tonight? HA HA! That's our date. True story. (and i guess thats my drink, too)
Here's a secret: I used to be so judgemental of moms. It's ok, I know you used to be too, or that you sitll are! It's all right. Someday you will have your work cut out for you, too. Yeah, that's a warning. Just wait. And then you will be the one people are judging. Being a mom is the most rewarding, best, funnest, most exhausting thing I have ever done and I wouldn't trade it for anything because I love my kids to death. I'm just saying....if you've ever seen a mom who's hair looked like she just rolled out of bed and who's kids were a mess and saying things or acting up, and you thought, "Ha! That will NEVER be me! My kids will NEVER act like that!" YOU ARE IN FOR IT!
KATIE'S NEW LITTLE DO...
Katie has baby fine hair, and when it gets long, unfortunately, it gets stringy, hard to fix, crazy static...basically it's a mess and it drives me crazy. I try to fix it every day but to no avail. It ends up getting messed up and in the same state it was before I started.
Well, I got sick of it. Now with two kids to take care of, I don't get to Katie's hair every day....so I chopped it.
I think it's adoreable. And SO MUCH NICER than before! I can still do a cute ponytail up top if we want to...but if I don't get around to fixing her hair, she doesn't spend the day looking like a lost little orphan child.
The top picture is after I cut it yesterday...and the bottom is after my friend, Alene, fixed it this morning. I think she looks so cute!
FAMILY PICTURES
I got the CD in the mail today! Here are some more of the pictures Heather took of us.
NEW CHAIR AND OATMEAL
Maddie is holding her head up so well, I got the bumbo out to see if she liked it. She really does! She is such a cuddler, though. She always has to be hugging something, it's so cute! She'll get tired of holding her head up and sigh, and lay her head down on the side of her chair and just cuddle her blanket. So cute! And...of course because I had the camera out I had to take a picture of Katie with oatmeal all over her face. Nice. 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME
Monday was my birthday. I don't know what else to say about that, really. You know when you're a kid and your birthday is this long-awaited glorious event...yeah, it's not so much anymore. I guess there comes a point when you realize that along with cards and gifts, you are also getting more gray hair as the years go by. Then there's the increasing forgetfulness that comes with age! It's embarrassing, but I can never remember how old I am. I always have to do the math every time someone asks my age! Or how about the classic confusing your birthday with one of you're kid's birthdays, or even your husbands! It wasn't that long ago I was filling
out an application for something and I had to get out my driver's license to find out when my birthday was! Ugh.
Well, as dreaded as the day was, it was a great excuse to get out and have some fun! Steve was a sweetie and took us out of town for the weekend! He took Monday off work so we could take our time, and we headed down to St. George with the kids. The first day we were there it rained all day. We ended up going to the Pioneer museum for a little while. It was hard to keep Katie from touching everything. They had old dolls, dresses, shoes...everything she loves! Steve chased her around most of the time so that I could listen to our guide...I love that kind of stuff. They even had an old dentist drill - which was cool to see. It had a foot pedal that they used to operate it. Man! How would you like to have your teeth worked on with one of those!? That afternoon, Steve took off to do a session at the Temple and I took the kids with me and went birthday shopping with my Cousin, Heather. We had a lot of fun and got a lot of great stuff, too! Then we left the kids with the guys and took off for a couple hours to Walmart. I know it's not the ideal getaway, but since I have only had an hour or so to myself since the baby was born, I really appreciated the break! For Easter we colored eggs later that night. Katie had so much fun doing that! She was so proud of her eggs and thought it was so cool that they turned colors in the water. After church on Sunday Heather took us around town and took our pictures. She did SUCH A GREAT JOB! I love how they turned out. Katie was cooperative for about the first 45 min, but after that it was hard to get her to sit and smile. (to be expected from a 2 year old, I'd say.) Heather miraculously was able to still get some really cute pictures of both her and Madelynn. I haven't got the CD in the mail yet, but when I do I'll post some more. Here are the ones I have so far, though. Monday was nice and sunny and warm, so we took Katie swimming. She had a blast and we got some adorable shots of her playing in the water in her treasured princess swimming suit.
So I had a really fun birthday weekend. It was nice to get out of town and enjoy some nice, warm weather. Plus, I got to spend some time with some of my favorite people and do some things I wanted to do! It was great!
THINKING....
Oh how time flies! It seems like yesterday when Steve and I were looking at rings, planning our wedding and doing all that stuff. I guess when you're at that point you never realize that after the big day, your life will not only keep going, but change drastically and a few years down the road you find yourself wondering where all the time has gone. Now we haven't been married THAT long...only a little over three years. But sometimes I feel like I've been married FOREVER already, and sometimes it seems like we're still newlyweds. In some ways I still even feel like a teenager...not nearly old enough to be doing this mom stuff. I said to Steve just last night, "Don't you ever feel like we're just playing house?" My friend said it well on her blog...What on earth are babies doing raising babies?
Late last night, or should I say early this morning around 2am, Madelynn woke up wanting to eat. Again. Steve changed her and wrapped her back up and brought her to me to nurse, then laid down and fell back asleep beside me. While Maddie was eating I realized how incredibly exhausted I was and thought to myself, "remember the days when the most I had to worry about was what to wear on my date that weekend and the only sleep I lost was lost to parties and dances and dates?" Sometimes, I'll admit, sometimes I wish I could go back to those carefree days. But then I look at my husband and my girls. What would my life be without them? My life now is much more complicated and no doubt more challenging than it was then, but even on the bad days, I would never trade it for anything. Being a wife and a mom is, yes, the hardest thing I have ever done, and consequently, the most rewarding. I'm not saying that I don't have moments when I want to scream and pull my hair out because I do. But lately I keep thinking about the day when I will watch my "babies" get married and have babies of their own, and how bad I will miss these days when I want to scream and pull my hair out! But more so, I think I will miss these days when it feels my heart could almost burst with love for my little family. I have always heard that being a mother is a sacrifice. I'm sorry, but I don't agree. It's never a sacrifice when what you recieve is so much more than what you give, even when you give all you have.
You know, this parenting business has a way of making a sap out of you.
So here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks. The first three are from today. My mom sent this Easter basket for the girls, and I thought Katie was going to have a heart attack she was so excited. You can tell by looking at her face! First she gave Maddie the pink bunny, but then changed her mind and traded back for the purple one. She set it in the chair with her and a few minutes later I looked over and Maddie was going to town on that bunny's left ear. Nice. Then we have a sequence of pictures of Daddy with his girls. The last two were about a week or two ago...Katie eating her toast (she LOVES toast.) The last one is funny. Katie likes to walk...or run...around the kitchen table and pretend she is going to school, a meeting, or to visit Grammy. Well, this day she was going to the "hosible" (hospital) to have her baby. She said she needed her back pack, stocked with a blanket and a bear, her purse with her cell phone and her wallet and of course, her princess hat. Holding her baby she says, "Mommy, quick! Take a picture of me before I have to go to the hospital!" So she sat down a posed for a picture with her baby.
I can't believe how grown up she is! And how much she talks. She is constantly talking and singing! Good grief she is only 2, but I swear, sometimes it feels like she's at least 5. Maddie is doing good. I took her to the Doctor yesterday because she wouldn't eat and she's just been screaming non-stop. I literally mean non-stop. Turns out she has a double ear infection, poor thing. They put her on antibiotics and I can tell she's already feeling so much better. They weighed her, too...she weighed in at 8lbs 10 oz. A whole pound and a half more than 2 weeks ago. YES!
HOGLE ZOO
Yesterday, the weather was SOO nice, and after a week of being inside for the most part, Steve recognized that we desperately needed to get out! So he got us all ready and loaded into the car and took us to the zoo. Katie had a blast, and I really enjoyed getting out of the house for a change! Madelynn slept in the stroller the whole time, too. It was a nice break. Afterward we went to my Grandparent's house in Pleasent Grove for dinner and a visit.
This morning Steve left town for work...to go to Memphis Tennesee. He won't get back until Tuesday night. What are we going to do without him 
here to entertain us!? Especially Katie...she is so bored with me. Anyway, today the weather was kind of bad, just really windy, cloudy and cold, but we went out anyway. We drove up to the Provo Temple (one of Katie's favorite things to do) but we stayed in the car and just looked through the windows. Then we went on a drive up the mountain...up by where you go to hike the Y. It was a nice break from the house again. I don't know what we're going to do tomorrow and Tuesday...probably errands tomorrow and then we'll take it easy on Tues. One thing is for sure, Katie sure misses her daddy, and I miss him too!
WEEKLY REPORT
Yesterday I took Madelynn to her two-week doctor's appointment. I can't believe it has already been two weeks! Katie was a good helper, and of course brought her baby along for a check up, too. We have an awesome doctor...I feel more like we are friends at his office than patients.
Anyway, they were all excited to see us and to check out the baby of course! She surprised me and gained more than what they expected her to. I was so relieved to hear that!
Things are going well here on the home front. Learning how to juggle a newborn with a two year old has it's ups and downs, but I'd say for the most part it's been up. Katie had a hard couple of days when my mom left (oh, that was a sad day for all of us!) but since then has gotten much better. She has been very 
helpful and, for a two year old, pretty easy to get along with most of the time. Steve helps out a TON with her when he gets home from work, as well as helping to keep the house clean. For those that know me well know that THAT is the one thing that will send me over the top...a dirty house. I am proud to say that as tired and busy as we've been, we somehow have been able to keep a clean house and still get some rest during the day! It really wouldn't happen if I didn't have such a great and helpful husband!
I am happy to say that Madelynn is sleeping very well at night, only waking up once to eat and have a diaper change. Last night I even had to wake her up to nurse around 3:30. I think she would have slept all night, too! She's been more awake during the day and that has been fun. She is very alert and curious. She loves it when Katie talks to her...or when anybody talks to her. She's just a real sweetheart and LOVES to be cuddled. It's hard not to cuddle her all day!
I can't believe how fast time flies...Katie is talking more and more and becoming more grown up every day. Yesterday on the way home she told me, "Mommy, we need to go to the mall." What!? THAT is not supposed to happen for at least ten more years...right? Anyway, she loves Beauty and the Beast, and has memorized many parts of it. She acts them out, too. This is her in her high chair acting as Bell, singing about how she refuses to marry Gaston. Ha ha...it's so fun to watch her play and do all the fun little things kids do. The weather has been warmer this week so we've tried to go out every day and get some sun. Katie's absolute favorite thing to do is to go to the Provo Temple and see the fountains, look at the flowers and run around on the grass. She asks me if we can go every day!
Well, there is my update this week. I know I haven't been great at keeping this up lately, but I will try to do better. We kind of went into survival mode for a few days...but now that we're getting a little more sleep I think it will be easier to keep you up to date.
JUST FOR YOU
This post is for Granny....sorry it took me a few days!! Here are some more pics of our Madelynn! She is such a wonderful baby...she sleeps so well and is a GREAT eater. Since we've been home from the hospital I have only had to get up with her once or twice each night to feed/change her. And that's great because I've really needed the extra sleep! She had her first Dr appointment yesterday, and we found she is almost back up to her birthweight...which means my nursing is actually working this time! YAY! Katie is doing great...she loves to hold her and kiss her. She likes to help give her her passifier and is a very good big sister. My mom has been here the last few days and will be here until Thursday - I honestly don't know what I'm going to do when she leaves and things go back to "normal" but she keeps telling me it will be ok and we'll figure it out. I'm sure we will, but I will definately miss having her here to help and to talk to!
INTRODUCING....
...MISS MADELYNN UNDERWOOD!!
Well, I started feeling it Saturday night/Sunday morning and by Sunday night we decided to go to the hospital and see what was going on. I kind of had a feeling that it was time, but I wasn't in too much pain so I wasn't quite sure. We went in at about 9-9:30 ish and I had made a little progress, but not enough so they sent me home! (DANGIT!) We were home for all of 30-45 minutes and things got pretty painful, so we went back in at about 1:30 or 2am. I had progressed quite a bit so they said they'd keep me. I WAS SO HAPPY!! They gave me my epidural, broke my water, and then we waited. I love epidurals. I didn't feel a thing!
About 6:30am the nurse checked me and I had only progressed 1cm. She walked out to get something and came back in and checked me and I was at a 10!!!! WOW! So they set things up and Madelynn was born at 6:43am on Monday!
She was 7 lbs and 19 inches long! She has brown hair and brown eyes...and is the BEST baby! She's so mellow and she sleeps like a rock and is a good little eater, too. Katie just adores her (so far) and we get to take her home tomorrow.
I'm doing great, too. I feel awesome and am really enjoying having a little baby again. Really, I know it sounds crazy, but I haven't felt this good in a long time. I'm so happy she is here and part of our family!
VALENTINES DAY
Valentines was GREAT this year! We went out the night before....we went and bought a double stroller. (a red one, even!) Then we went out to eat and went to Comedy Sportz (a comedy show here in Provo)
While we were out, my friend, Jess, took Katie with their family to Chuck-e-Cheese! They have a little boy her age that she LOVES TO DEATH. Anyway, they had a great time.
On Valentine's day Steve made us breakfast...PINK PANCAKES! We exchanged gifts. I got Steve a card and some chocolates, and I heart-attacked his car. He got me a BEAUTIFUL white Orchid. I love Orchids! He made me this giant card with candy bars...I LOVED IT! He had been telling me he was preparing something special for me for 3 days before, and I love that he put so much thought into it. He was really proud of it, too, and he should be! It turned out great! We got Katie a little stuffed animal and a card with a dog on it. She loved it.Katie took a great nap so we played phase 10 (and I beat him, shamelessly. Score was like 250 to 25.) Then we got Katie up and had dinner, played and popped popcorn. When she was in bed, we watched 'While You Were Sleeping'. It was a great day!
I love the weekends. I love being able to spend time with Steve and Katie together! I'm so glad that he gets Monday off, too. YAY! Maybe we'll have this baby! (ha ha....wishful thinking.)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE!!!!!!
So for the last two weeks since Steve's birthday, Katie has been singing happy birthday to herself almost non stop. She sings it to her dolls and her toys and to her food, too. You can imagine, then, how excited she was when we celebrated HER birthday! All day she kept telling me she wanted to call this person and that person and tell them it was her birthday and that she was now "two fingers!"
On Wednesday we invited some friends to go with us to JUMP ON IT in Lindon. I love that place...the kids always have so much fun, I get a break, and they always take great naps afterwards! Steve met us there and played too....and Katie just had a ball.
Her actual birthday was Friday and we took her to the museum at BYU to
see all the animals. She loved the bear the most. We would try to get her to look at other things and she would look at us and say, "No, I see the bear again." Then turn and run off. Every time she'd look at the bear she'd say, "Oh the gosh! He's big! Oh the gosh!" Ha ha....it cracked us up.
Then we took her to the Krispy Kreame store for a donut. She really liked watching all the donuts go down the conveyer belt being made. She liked eating the donuts even more! She felt like the luckiest girl in the world with her new Krispy Kreame hat and her new stuffed animal from the museum. (a horse, of course, which she named "pete")
On Sunday we had some family over for cake and ice-cream, and presents too. I made her a Cinderella cake and decorated with blue and pink balloons...you should have seen her face when she woke up from her nap and saw all the "birthday stuff." She was so excited! We were lucky to get my and Steve's parents on Skype for 
the party, too! It was fun to have them there...I hope they enjoyed it as much as we did! (although I felt kind of bad having cake and ice-cream and not being able to share....sorry guys!)
I can't believe it has been two years already....and that she's going to be a big sister soon! It's incredible how much you can love a single person- I didn't know it was possible to love someone this much! The past two years have been among the best of my life! She brings us so much joy...I'm trying, but there really is no way to describe how we feel about her. She is absolutely THE greatest blessing in our lives! Happy Birthday, Katie bug....We love you immensely!
LIVING ROOM
This is what nesting has done to my house. I've been going crazy...but I think it's been a good thing. I really liked how it turned out. I got some killer deals on stuff and barely even touched our bank account and still did all this! It was a lot of fun, too...I think it may become a hobby of mine. You know, fixing up old things and coming up with new ways to use stuff - it's been nice to have something to keep myself busy with. The only thing left I want to change in here are the curtains. I think it would look better with tan curtains (like the color of the chair...I could make them for way cheap) and then painting the walls a shade or two darker. What do you think? Anyway, I have a few little things to touch up in Katie's room and my room and then I'll post more pics!
Also...if you have any ideas/suggestions on what would look good or better, please tell me! I would love the input!
HERE'S A GOOD LAUGH...
My brother-in-law sent me this hillarious email. Hope it makes you laugh as hard as I did!
Make sure to read the mother's comments at the bottom....so funny.
Dear Mrs. Jones,
I wish to clarify that I am not now, nor have I ever been, an exotic dancer. I work at Home Depot and I told Sarah how hectic it was last week before the blizzard hit. I told her we sold out every single shovel we had. Then I found one more in the back room, and several people were fighting over who would get it. Sarah's picture does NOT show me dancing around a pole. It's supposed to depict me selling the last snow shovel we had at Home Depot. From now on I will remember to check her homework more thoroughly before she turns it in.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Smith
WHY YOU HAVENT HEAR FROM US...ALSO, I LOVE CRAIGSLIST AND KSL!
I really do. Just this last month I've sold SEVERAL things...all within a week and a half of posting them and got close to 800 bucks! And I still have a couple things to sell! Not to mention the great deals I've got there, too. I got a FREE queen bed for our guest room (thanks to my friend Jess who spotted and picked it up for me), a 10 drawer dresser for my bedroom, and a really cool-looking entertainment console! Ok, that last thing I got at DI...but still. What an awesome deal! I also was able to find a twin bed and box-spring set for Katie for 10 bucks....and lucky me, my mom still had all the cute bedding and stuff from when I was a little girl. Still in great shape, too! Perfect timing, too....I'm nesting so bad. There's been so much I've wanted to do...decorating and getting my house just the way I want it before this baby comes. I've been able to do it SO CHEAP! I even found that I could make my own picture frames for about a fifth of what it would cost me to buy new ones. And they look great! I will post pics of all the rooms I've done when I'm all done with them. (should be in the next week or two.) Anyway, that's what I've been up to lately. :)
Christmas was GREAT. Unfortunately I we forgot to take our camera on our trip and so I don't have any pics! We went to AZ to visit our families and we really had a great time. We stayed with my parents and they guys played Wii almost the whole time. Katie loved being spoiled by both sets of grandparents and of course, playing with my brother's dog whom she calls "Tody." It was a great Christmas. We got to spend some of it with Steve's family as well, and we got to see his Gma and Gpa which was great. We really missed having Kevin and Desi there, though.
We celebrated our third Anniversary while we were there, too. We went to the Hyatt resort and had dinner and went on a Gondola ride. It was nice to get away together for a night...especially with all the bustle of the holidays.
We spent New Years with my cousin in St. George. It was so fun! They are just the greatest people, and we had a great time playing games and being silly together. Thanks you guys for such a great welcome of the new year!
Anyway, since we've been back we've been extrememly busy. We've had a couple rounds of the flu, which doesn't help. Then we've had Steve's birthday, and I've been doing a lot of work around the house getting settled and ready to have this baby. Steve's been looking for a second car since I will be taking over the Corolla once the baby is born, and finally found one this week that we're pretty sure he'll be getting. We've also got Steve's best friend, Jake, getting married on the 31st, so we'll be going to AZ again for that. This time I won't forget my camera! :)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE!!!!
I'm a little late posting this, but my babe turned 25 last weekend! I can't believe we're already that old....not that that's old, it's just that - well, you know. You get married and you think you'll stay the way you are forever. HA ha......nope. Anyway, I think we had a good weekend. I really wanted to take him to this car show that was going on. I heard on the radio that they had ferraris and porches and all kinds of cool cars there...I knew he'd love it! Come to find out it was a trade show, you can only go if you have something to trade or plan to buy one of those fancy cars. (I said, that's ok...we could trade our Corolla!) Anyway, so that didn't work out. We went to dinner at Tucanos and a movie instead. We really had a great time! On Monday (his actual birthday), he had to work so I made his favorite dinner and we had cake and ice cream. As you can see, Katie loved the cake. :)
I'm really grateful for Steve. He's the best husband I could hope for and such a great father, too. I love him so much and appreciate how hard he works to provide for our family. I'm so lucky to have a man that is so good to me and that my daughter just adores! Thanks for all you do, Steve....I'm so lucky you are mine!
MY "NEW" COFFEE TABLE
When we first got married, my sister-in-law Kristi gave us this cute little coffee table. I've always loved it...I think it's the cutest table. Anyway, it's always been painted white and it just didn't match my stuff anymore. So Steve suggested we work on it together and see what we could do with it. Those of you that know us know we're always working on something!
So here we are...this is what we've been up to the last couple weeks. It was a pain to strip - it had so much paint on it. Steve spent HOURS sanding it all down...then we stained and glossed it togehter. Now it's done and I love it! Of course, there were a few little spots we couldn't get to be perfect....it is an old table and in some parts the paint soaked into the wood...so no matter how much he sanded it, some still shows through. Anyway, I am really pleased with how it turned out. Our next project is a six foot shelf in our living room. I'll post pics of it, too, when it's done. I think we're going to start on it tonight. Hmmm....can you say, NESTING?
POPCORN POPPING
One of my favorite memories growing up was making popcorn in the popcorn maker with my family...so this year, I got a popcorn maker for Christmas! I was so excited to get home and show Katie how it works. She loved it. She got so excited and just squealed when it started to pop...then she ate like 3 little bowls full of popcorn. It was so cute to see her react...she is so fun. Anyway, here are some pics of us popping and eating the popcorn.
BIRTHDAY PARTY AND A VISIT FROM GRAMMY
Yesterday was such a fun....and long....day. First we had a birthday party to go to....(Katie's best bud, Jackson turned 2!) It was at 'Jump on It' in Lindon. If you haven't been there, you should go sometime. There's a ton of trampolines that the kids just go wild on, and a few of those huge blow-up slides and cages. The kids had a blast and the moms got to sit and talk, which was SO nice! Then we went and had cake and ice-cream and the kids played some more.
After the party we went straight to Salt Lake to get my mom from the airport. Katie had been excited about this all day and was just thrilled to have my mom stay at our house! In fact, today when we took her back to the airport, Katie was so sad to see her leave and she cried the entire way home! I wish she could have stayed a little longer, but we'll get to see her and the rest of my family at Christmas in a week or so. We look forward to that!
ANY BIGGER?
I can't tell by looking, but I definately FEEL bigger this last week or so. I'm 27 weeks this week.
AN END IN SIGHT
I really shouldn't complain, I am blessed to have very good, very uncomplicated pregnancies for the most part. I'm sick at the beginning and a little at the end (but not as bad) and with Katie I had a little pre-term labor. Other than that, it's really smooth sailing for me.
But that doesn't mean that I like being pregnant at all. Yeah, there are things I like about it, but in general, I really don't like being pregnant. SOOOOO... I am pleased to announce that as of tomorrow, my THIRD trimester has officially begun! YAY! 12 more weeks, and counting....
RING AROUND THE ROSIE
Katie loves to play this with us. But she won't do it holding our hands like it's supposed to go...(of course, she has to be in the spotlight, so it's totally a one-woman-show) But she loves it and it's cute to watch her....
THANKSGIVING
Our Thanksgiving was great. We went to Arizona to spend it with Steve's family, and we had a lot of fun. We stayed with my Bro-in-law Kevin and his new wife, Desi. They were so great to us....thanks you guys for such a wonderful stay! The couple of days preceding the big one, we spent shopping and cooking...and just enjoying being together. I love it when there are new members of the family to learn from...and I learned from Desi how to do a great pie crust and how to make some really yummy green beans! The two of us and my mom-in-law worked together to make a really yummy chicken casserole for dinner a couple nights before, too.
It was fun. On Thanksgiving Day, Kevin and Steve went to play football, so Desi, Katie and I went to do a Turkey Trot that her Uncle puts together every year. It was a perfect morning, and it had rained the night before. The route led up and down the canal, so the stroller was just CAKED in mud by the time we got back. I was impressed with Desi, though! She estimated her time, ran the whole way and was only a minute and twelve seconds off her guess!
Then we headed to Cheryl's for the day, and everybody came. All of Mike's side of the family came from Payson, including his parents...Steve's Grandma and Grandpa Underwood. We all just visited and ate a ton while the kids ate and played in the back yard. So fun.
Later, Kevin, Desi, Steve and I went and saw Quantem of Solace. I LOVED IT! I think it is by far the best bond movie...not to mention Daniel Craig makes the best bond in history....but anyways-
I took my camera with me, but of course - every time I remember to bring my camera I don't take pictures...and every time I forget it, there's a lot of pics I would take! Well, I did take ONE pic. We met up with our good friend, Jake Beech and his new fiance for lunch one day at Joe's BBQ. (my favorite BBQ place in the world. I got to pick...cuz I'm pregnant. HA!) Anyway, this is Katie hugging the chef.....
SAD
So I guess I'm losing my 2 hour block of "me time". Katie has decided she is done with the nap thing. I hung on there for as long as I could...but now even when I put her down for a "nap" she just plays in her bed or screams at me for a bit. She's just not tired anymore. She's still a great sleeper at night though....she always has been. She's in bed around 8-9 and sleeps till 8-9 in the morning. I guess that's all she needs? I love spending time with the girl....she's a ton of fun. I just really enjoyed my time to myself too. Oh well. It's not hard to get things done with her awake, it just goes a little slower because she wants to "help" me. :) It's cute.
PREGO-22 week photo
OK, I got a request for a belly shot. Yes, I cut my head off because I had been working all day and looked gross, so sorry. You'll have to wait until the next time I post a pic like this to see my smiling face. :) Anyway, Steve took this pic a couple of weeks ago, I think it's about 22 weeks. I'm 25 weeks now, so obviously a little bigger. I'll post another one down the road a bit. 
JUMP ON IT!
We had a fun day yesterday. Shana, Stephanie and I took the kiddos to this place called JUMP ON IT. It was so fun for the kids to just go crazy and play....and get all their energy out. They have a ton of trampolines and big blow-up slide castle thingies for them to play on, too. Even though there was so much to do, Katie kept running over to the arcades to ride the horses. The girl loves horses and every time she sees one she can't leave it alone...so we went on a couple horsey rides. There was a pink elephant too...(a pink elephant? ooooo kay....) Anyway, here are the only pics I got that weren't really blury. Thanks Shana and Steph for such a great time! 
LONG DAY
My friend Shana and I left my house at 10am and went shopping until around 4 or so (I don't remember) but the kids were totally zonked out when we got home. They played for a bit and then just layed down on the kitchen floor together to rest...I thought it was cute! Jackson is her favorite friend. They play so well together, which is nice both for her and for us!
Shana is great. She comes all the way out here to Springville from Wymount to pick me up and we go do stuff all day. It's so nice to get out of the house and spend time with a friend. We really have a good time together. Plus, I was able to go shopping for Katie's winter clothes and some maternity clothes, too. Poor Katie...she grows so fast it's hard to keep up with her. She is almost 2 and was still wearing 12 mo, 18 mo, and even some 9mo sized clothes! I got her some really cute things, though, so I think she's set until spring....and then we get to go again! (darn!) Oh, here she is in her new Cinderella shirt...which she is obsessed with.
I had some things left over from 2 winters ago when I was pregnant with Katie, but I needed an update, so I snagged a few things at Target for myself. Let's just say Katie and I are now much more comfortable in warm clothes that actually fit us!
PLAY BALL
One of Katie's favorite things to do is play ball with her dad...(who she now calls "teeve." She has recently started calling us by our first names...Bucky and Teeve.) Anyway, it's fun to watch her. She concentrates so hard on catching the ball. I think it's cute...
LONG TIME NO POST...
THE REST OF THE PICTURES
OK, so these are the rest of the pics. Sorry, didn't get too many good ones. I think there is one more actually that I need to post, I just don't know where it is. When I find it I'll post it. The first two in this pile are from last week when we took Katie to HeeHaw Farms in American Fork. She liked the pigs. They had all these little piglets and had the kids chase them. It was cute to watch, and Katie thought it was funny when they would squeal. The last picture is the one they took of us at Steve's work Halloween party. Oh yeah....can't get enough of Katie's face....anyway, you can kind of see the back of her hair in this one......
TRICK-OR-TREAT
So this Halloween, Katie was adorable in her costume....Steve and I on the other hand had to settle for what was left at Wal-Mart. We were there a few weeks prior and had seen these really funny Adam&Eve costumes. They were a full nude-colored body suit with leaves attatched....ha ha, that would have been good. So we looked around to see if there was anything else we wanted to be and decided to get those, but when we went back, they were gone! So we settled for pretty much the only costumes that were modest, and here we are! (crazy how the majority of costumes now days are so scandilous. It was hard to find anything!) We ended up being, well, I don't know what we were. Roman Emporer? Cesar? I heard one guy say to his kids that I was dressed up like Cleopatra? Anyway, the point was that we dressed up. Halloween is for the kids anyway, right? Katie looked awesome. You can't see, but I did her hair so cute in the back and put a ton of ribbons in it....I wish I would have gotten a better picture. Anyway, she was really excited and kept saying, "princess Katie" over and over when I was getting her ready. So cute!
DAD AND.....DAD?
This is going to be LONG. Don't say I didn't warn you!
I know there is a lot going around right now about how to vote on Prop 8. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Not because I have been confused as to how to vote, but about the consequences that voting "NO" will have on my family. We're such a big country that sometimes when things happen and we're not always directly effected. So I was trying to think about this Prop 8 thing and how it would impact individual families, like mine.
Most of you reading this are LDS, and probably have children. Most of you are married in heterosexual marraiges...man and woman. I know that our personal religious beliefs play a huge role in our decision about what to do with Prop 8, and I personally believe that is reason enough to protect marraige and vote "YES." HOWEVER, the rest of the world who doesn't have any set standard on what marraige should be, wether it be one way or the other, doesn't understand why we would only use our personal belief as grounds to vote against gay marraige. They see it as being narrow minded and stubborn...like we are not willing to look at the facts from a "tolerant" point of view.
So, I took that to heart and looked at the facts, putting aside my religious beliefs for a second. I tried to keep an open mind and look at the big picture, to be understanding and empathetic to those who love each other and are 'depending' on our votes. Now, before I go any further, I wish to say confidently that I will be voting "YES" on Prop 8. I feel it is my duty to protect marraige and my children. Yes, after doing my homework and "opening my mind" to all this, I still am against gay marraige. So, rest assured all you that are reading this....
First, several studies have been done about children growing up in single-parent or same-sex parent homes. Studies have shown that children have less emotional and mental health problems, are less likely to engage in promisuous or harmful behavior, are a greater contribution to society, do better in shcool, are helthier, are more socially apt, and believe it or not have higher IQ's! These are only a few benefits to children who grow up and are raised in stable, mommy-daddy homes.
Second, may I just say that the majority of what I read or heard while learning about Prop 8 was all about "the rights of the people." This is where I decided to put my religious belief aside and focus on "rights." (at least, what people think are rights these days. I think the world has no idea...everything should be a 'right' and should be able to just be claimed by saying so. What's the point of law, then?) Anyway, I still don't understand how voting "YES" would take anyone's rights away. They say it would take away their right to choose who to love. But I say, 'people all around the world, gay or not, choose not to get married and just cohabit....they still love each other! There is no law against who you can love, only who you can marry. And when straight people who have the 'right' to marry decide they don't need to because, well, after all, you don't have to be married to love each other...well then that argument doesn't even stand as valid.' Right? I mean, if we just look at facts....
Especially when in Massechusetts, California and every other state in the nation allows couples to cohabit, have children, combine assets, file taxes jointly, and all the other things you do when you're married...yes, gay couples who live together have the same 'rights' as married couples. They just cannot be lawfully married as 'husband and husband' or whatever.
So this can't be about 'rights' if they have them already. Do you see my point? Now, have an open mind here....religion aside for a sec....
I'm saying, so they can't be married by a judge or a priest. They can cohabit. They have all the same rights as a married couple....better yet, as any other couple, gay or not in the country. I don't see the discrimination here....especially when the majority of people now days don't get married anyway. Everyone is just living together and has the same rights. Heck, if they want to still have a wedding....go ahead! It just won't be leagal or recognized by the state. So what!? Marraige hardly is anymore.So if it's not about rights, then what is this about? Let's talk the other side of rights for a second, shall we?
Do you have kids? Do you send your kids to school? Do you try to teach them values and religion and to be good, upstanding citizens? If you're LDS, you are trying to teach your children the difference between good and evil, what is sacred and what should be abhored, right?
Making gay marraige legal takes away the rights of parents to intervine when their children are being taught to accept gay marraige. If it is leagalized, any teacher, adult, magestrate....ANYONE can teach your children about it....and there is nothing you can do to stop them without presumably "taking away their rights." In 2004 in Massechussets, a teacher read a book to her class about gay marraige and taught them 'tolerance' for it. When the parents found out and were upset, they demanded only to be notified when teaching of this sort would take place in the classroom so they could remove their kids from class. (note, they did not try to stop what was being taught...only to be notified.) They said that as parents, they have the right to decide what their child is taught because they are responsible for the learning and upbringing of their children. The parents were told that the state did not recognize their right to take their child from class, and that since the practice of gay marraige was legal, the teacher had the right to teach the children whatever the state or district deemed appropriate.
Now you tell me.....who's rights are at stake here?
Jay Leno recently stated..."I don't care what you do in your personal life! The economy is falling apart so why should I be concerned with who you marry?" Let's go back to religion. We read in the Book of Mormon that this is a promised land and that as long as the people here listen to and remember God, then we will prosper. Well, we have, haven't we? I would say we are very prosperous.
Now all of this....the economy going to crap and we wonder why? Look around you. Look at everything. Movies, TV shows, video games.....all about sex and gore. Look at what is accepted and what is considered "old fashioned, traditional, or prude." Very quickly are people turning away from truth and replacing it with filth. Everywhere. And we wonder why the economy and the country is falling apart? We know why. This has been warned about for ages....and there's no way around it, really. The only thing we can do is face it together and hope that somehow our efforts will be noted by him who's opinion on this really matters. Vote "YES" on Prop 8. Let's keep our families together and fulfil our duty to do all we can to protect ourselves and our children.
CAROLINA IN MY MIND
I lived in Rock Hill, South Carolina for a good part of my life. I haven't been back there since we left in June of 1999. So the last few days I have been thinking of that time in my life, a good part of my childhood. (we moved there when I was 8) I found these pictures of where we lived and places we visited while we were there. I have a ton more pics here at home, but I don't have a scanner! Anyway, I'm sure you've noticed the song I've added to the playlist. I heard this song the other day in the car and I guess that's what got me remminiscing....
This is Kudzu. Yes, you see this ivy on the trees? It's all one plant. I think it came from Japan or somehwere....I guess someone thought it might make a nice house plant. It wouldn't be long before your house was covered in it, though. I remember on the way to church when we lived here, (our building was about 45 min away) it was all over the trees and stuff on the sides of the freeway...just like this picture. They say it is impossible to kill or control! Crazy!
This is in Charleston. We went and visited several old plantations and I remember this one was my favorite. It's Boone Hall. Of course this is not the plantation house, these are the slave cabins. We went inside one or two of them-they all have dirt floors and they are SO much smaller than they look in these pictures. But look how green it is...and all the trees! Just a note, this isn't in the woods somewhere, either. 
This is the Catawba River. This river ran behind my house a ways...pretty huh? The site said this was taken toward the end of the summer. Again, see how green it is!? What you don't see, though, is how humid it is, too.
Here's another shot of the Catawba. I remember going with my family around the time of year this pic was taken...in the spring. These flowers are called "Spider Lillies" because the roots grow and entangle around each other in the water, like spider legs. They're everywhere in the spring.
This is another picture at Boone Hall. Believe it or not, but this is the driveway! This is a famous picture and you might have seen it before, but I like it because I like these trees. Can you just imagine how old these trees are? And I love how they drape over the road like that.
Yes, this is my house. Isn't it cute!? I think this pic has been taken since we moved, but the yard is the same. When we moved in it was just a big dirt pile and my parents worked their butts off making it look nice. It looked a lot nice than this, though. This pic must have been taken in the fall. (on a cloudy day, too!)
See that big tree in our back yard? My Dad and Grandpa built us a treehouse in that tree back there. We had a huge yard...a trampoline, swingset and sand box...and a zipline from the treehouse all the way to the opposite corner of the yard. All that and there was still a TON of space! My mom had a huge veggie garden back there, too. There was a little fence all the way around, and behind that was all forest. Oh, and the front door was red. My mom LOVED her red front door...
In the woods behind our house there were the old brick remains of a dairy farm. I remember we thought it was a castle or something and that there was treasure inside somewhere. We used to sit up in the treehouse and come up with plans to find it-ha ha...we never did. I also remember that every fall, my brother and I had the responsiblity to rake the leaves in the back yard. I'm sorry, but unless you have lived somewhere like this and had a yard like that, you have no idea how many leaves there were! The woods were behind us, and that huge poplar tree....there were a lot of leaves. If we procrastinated, sometimes it could get knee deep, the entire span of the yard. No, I don't remember playing in them as much-I think mostly because my brother and I were too busy fighting over who had raked up more than the other and who deserved a break. Ha ha....Then I would tease him that there was a huge snake in my pile looking right at him and it would freak him out so bad! (he is 4 years younger than me...so he was little at the time) We got a lot of snakes in our yard. The worst is when one would get run over by the lawn-mower.
Anyway....sorry to keep going on about this. I just have so many memories of living there. I would like to go back someday, but I have heard that it has changed so much...I know it wouldn't even feel the same. I'm glad I have a lot of stories and pictures of my life there. I need to sit and write them all down....
Hope you enjoyed the pics, and the novel......
PICTURE TAG
Apparently, someone (not mentioning names here) thinks I don't post enough pictures on my blog and has tagged me. The rule was to go to the 4th pile of pics, post the 4th pic in the pile and
tell about it. Well....here it is.
This picture was taken in Orlando, Florida about a month or so after we were married. We went with Steve's parents to an auto convention and one night we went to a private party at the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal Studios. (I guess it's the largest Hard Rock in the US? That's what I was told) Anyway, if you know Steve and I, you know we love to dance. That night we swing danced for like 3 hours straight and I remember people were throwing money at us and cheering us on. I guess we were pretty good!
It was a really fun trip, and a fun night. We were so tired afterward I think we slept in the car on the way back to the hotel! Ha ha...good times.
HALLOWEEN DRESS
Sorry it's been a while since I last posted. Hopefully I will make that up to you today, as I have been tagged and have a pic or two to share.
First....the picture.
My mom found this dress in AZ where she lives, isn't it so cute!? I've seen Christmas dresses, Easter dresses, even Valentine dresses....but never have I seen a Halloween dress! She wore it to church and she thought she was just the prettiest girl there. (I thought she was, too...of course!) She liked pulling out the little ghost that's in the pumpkin and saying "BOO!" to everyone. Then she'd kiss it and put it "night-night." So funny. Anyway, hope you enjoy the pic.
BOY OR GIRL.....PART 2
SOOOOOO....we went in for the ultrasound appointment this morning. I was kind of nervous because I kept thinking they wouldn't be able to see between the baby's legs.....it hardly ever moves. That's a big reason why I think it is a boy-because it's temperment is COMPLETELY different from Katie's. Katie never stopped moving...I mean, never ever. This baby only moves once or twice a day; big movements that is. The rest of the time it just sways back and forth and then nuzzles down low and falls asleep I guess. That's the other thing. It's so LOW. Very low. Plus, you know that feeling you get when you're expecting; the one that tells you what it is. Your Grandma, Mother-in-law, friends and even complete strangers will tell you what you're having according to some old wife's tale, but no one knows like you do when you get that intuition. You know what you're having before anyone else does, and the majority of the time the mom is always right.
PUMPKINS
Being Katie's first Halloween (last year she was too little to do anything) we decided it would be fun to have her carve a pumpkin...or at least take all the guts out. She really had fun! Here are some cute shots we got of her and her pumpkin.
FAMILY PICTURES
we got some family pictures taken last month in Arizona with Steve's family. I think they turned out really cute. Katie was in an ok mood the whole time...with the exception of a few times, and I think the shots of her turned out super cute. There are more...but these are just a few of my favorites. (and I don't know why this is underlining....it's anoying but I can't get it to stop.)
BOY OR GIRL?
So we find out in 2 weeks from Friday what we're having in March. I think this one is a boy. Why? Well, first of all this pregnancy has been very different from my last one, and I'm carrying a lot lower than I was with Katie. I was a lot sicker, too. My moods have been different, too. I don't know if it's because of other things or the pregnancy....Anyway, I think it's a boy. But who knows? I hear EVERY pregnancy is different with each baby, so it could be a girl. I think it would be fun to have another girl. I always wanted a sister and I think Katie would love it. A boy would be fun, too...just very different. I guess I'm already used to a girl and I already have most of what I need. It would be cheaper....but a boy would be fun.
So I checked the Chinese Lunar Calendar (just for fun. I do not take that stuff seriously) and it said I was having a girl...but who knows? What do you think?
LAKE POWELL
This weekend we had a BLAST at Lake Powell with Steve's parents, Mike and Cheryl. Every year they visit the lake and invite their family to come stay on the house boat and play. Katie was fearless! She loved riding on the jet ski and Grandpa's big boat, and playing in the water. She even caught her first fish! (picture to be posted soon) She really liked watching Steve and Mike jump off the top deck into the water, and going down the back slide. If you know Katie, you know she couldn't resist going down the slide herself! But it was pretty steep and only took once for her to realize she didn't want 
to do it again. We put her on the tube for a ride with Steve and she started fussing...we thought she might be scared so I got on the tube with her and shortly realized that she wasn't scared! She was upset that she couldn't get off the tube and into the water! Funny girl....
The bottom pic is my favorite. We took Katie for a ride on the boat up the canyon to see all the cool rocks. She was really excited that they were so big! You can see how happy she is...she was really having a good time!
Anyway, I didn't get many pics with 
our camera. Most of them are on Mike's. So when I get them from him I will post more.
It was a really fun trip and we had a great time visiting and playing and getting sunburned. Looking forward to next year!
GROWING UP TOO FAST...
I finally just had to do it. I cut Katie's hair...the poor thing couldn't see because it was so long and in her eyes! I am pleased with how it turned out, the only problem is she looks so grown up! I don't know what to do....is there any way to stop them from growing up so fast?? Anyway, here's a shot of her hair just after we got it in piggytails. Isn't she so cute?
PRAYERS
We reached a milestone tonight....Katie said her first prayer! It was so cute I almost cried. Last weekend when we went to visit in Arizona she became obsessed with my parent's dog, Cody. Upon returning home she named all her stuffed animals "Tody" (Cody) So tonight when it was time for family prayer I asked Katie if she wanted to say it and she emphatically nodded her head. The following prayer was said..."Hevny fata, tankoo oh Tody, nahm Gee Cry, Ahmeen!" Translated, that is, "Heavenly Father, thank you for Cody, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!" Wow, you think she loves that dog or what?
THE ESCAPADES
It drives me crazy to be stuck at home and not be able to go anywhere. I mean, to the point of depression....especially since we are new here and no one else is ever home! I needed a way to get out of the house and take Katie to meet new people and make friends for both of us. Soo.....Steve started carpooling with a friend from work that lives nearby so I have the car half the week. They started today, and man, it's made a big difference for me, even though today didn't quite go the way I would have liked, we still got out for a bit.
It was raining today, but I thought it would be fun to take Katie to the indoor pool over by the high school. What a great idea! So I got all our stuff together and we got in the car. It took me forever to find it....not because of bad directions but because it was kind of hidden behind the school. It wasn't that easy to find. Anyway, it was about 11:30 or so when we pulled in. Katie was so excited and kept talking about her swimsuit and the water and splashing.....etc. I asked for a pass...the lady asked how old Katie was and then told me that they are open for free public swimming from noon to 6. BUT only for kids above 3. DUMB. Ok, what was I supposed to tell her now!? She was so excited! So we got back in the car and she started bawling. Not throwing a fit...just brokenhearted that we couldn't go swimming. I felt soooo bad! So I said, "let's go get a happy meal. That will make it better." She thought so too...she loves chicken nuggets. She got real excited about it and started chanting, "tikin! tikin! tikin!" (chicken, chicken, chicken) So we go to McDonald's and I order her food. I get to the window and alas! I left my wallet at home. Dissapointment number 2. Poor thing, I felt so bad. Ya should have seen her face. It was like the world was ending! So we came home and had honey sandwiches and chocolate cake. She seemed better after that.
Next time I think I could plan a little better. Ya think!? Oh well. I think it still was good for us to get out of the house even if all we did was drive around. I don't know what else there is to do here in Springville with kids her age. I'll have to look around. Anyone got ideas?
PIZZA!
Katie loves pizza. Any kind of pizza. And, she loves to help me cook and watch things cooking in the oven. So it's no surprise that the other night when I had no idea what to make for dinner and picked up a Digorno pizza as a cop-out, she was thrilled! You can tell by the look on her face just how excited she really is! She just kept pointing and saying, "pitsa! pitsa! pitsa!" and kissing the glass. Yeah, she loves pizza.
BIG GIRL
We have started to slowly train Katie to use the potty. This is new for me....and for her! I don't even know where to start, but I know she's ready...she "pretends" and "plays" potty with her dolls and stuffed animals, and tells me when she goes potty in her diaper every time. She wants to use the potty like mom and dad and is really upset that she has to keep wearing diapers. When she gets to sit on the potty she is so excited! She thinks she is really grown up! So anyway, I think she's ready.
But what do you do? She's still in diapers, but I've started to have her sit on the potty every time she tells me she has to go or is going in her diaper. I'm hoping that eventually that will evolve to telling me earlier and earlier until she doesn't have any more accidents? We went and bought pull ups and panties and talked to her about them. I told her that when she started going in the potty she could wear the pull ups and when she didn't have any more accidents then she could wear the panties. She was really excited and sat and arranged her panties into different piles for a straight 15 minutes...then showed me each pair. Then we had her sit on the potty for a bit until she went. We have had one successful trip so far, and I know it's clicking and making sense to her because when she tells me she's gone in her diaper she tells me to take her to the potty, I just am kind of lost on how to get her to get on the potty BEFORE she goes in her diaper! The thing is I want to leave most of it up to her because I'm afraid I'll end up being a trained parent instead of having a trained child if you know what I mean...anyway, any tips on where to start would be helpful and appreciated!
WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING
Getting settled into a new place takes a lot of work. I finally unpacked our last box a week or so ago, so everything is unpacked or stored, now I just have things like decorating to keep me busy, and of course, organizing. Mostly everything is organized and put away, it's just all the papers, mail, and bills that keep piling up. Anyway, I've been trying not to stress too much about it and just 
take one project at a time. This week was sewing. I made curtains for the windows downstairs and pillows for the couches. (this is our living and dining room by the way) I got all the blinds hung up upstairs and curtains in Katie's room, too. (I would have taken pics but she's napping.) Also, last week I did the bathrooms. The one with the fish is next to Katie's room, and the other one is our master. The downstairs one is just a half bath and I just put
a rug in there with some towells....it's the boring bathroom so I didn't take a pic. Anyway, there is still lots to do, so I'll take more pics as I go. Stay tuned!
LABOR DAY CAMPOUT
So we were planning to go to AZ to visit over Labor Day, but due to things taking a bit longer to close on our house, we missed the cheap prices on airline tickets and had to wait a couple more weeks. So instead of sitting around all weekend doing nothing, I suggested we go camping with our awesome friends, the Utterbacks. It really was a lot of fun! We got there and the weather was pretty nice...not too bad, so we started gathering wood for our fire. Katie liked that part. She held Kims hand the whole way as she gathered sticks...it was cute. She had a good time discovering holes in the ground and all kind of bugs, and she liked that there were so many trees and birds around. But you know what was also cute was Steve chopping down dead stumps with a $7 machette. (see the photo below) Oh yeah.
So we got all our firewood and built a fire, ate hot dogs and potato salad. Then we took a walk down by the lake and threw rocks in it. Katie had a blast doing that, too!
Then it started raining. Hard. Katie went to bed fine and was warm and asleep all night...except for once...it was suprising she didn't wake up more since there was so much thunder and lightning...and it was raining so hard! We had hot chocolate and played games in Kim & Aaron's tent, then we started telling stories for a little bit before we went to bed. We didn't sleep at all. Tried to, but my feet got wet and were ice cold until the next morning when we discovered all our firewood was soaked and we couldn't lite a fire. We had brought food for breakfast and lunch, and had planned to rent a little tin boat to take out on the lake for a bit that day, but it was still raining and didn't look hopeful. We just packed up our stuff and headed for Heber City to look for a Denny's.
There is no Denny's in Heber City. But we ate at this awesome little place called 'Chick's Cafe' and it was so good. I don't know, it could have been that I was sooooo hungry and cold and wet that any food would have seemed gourmet...but I'll tell you this, they had the biggest pancakes I have ever seen! Anyway, we really did have fun in spite of the rain. I hope we go again soon. Thanks Kim and Aaron for a slammin' time! Ha ha....
(sorry some of the pics are a little small. I don't know why it did that....)
JUST SOME THOUGHTS....
So something has been on my mind lately. I hope this doesn't offend anyone, that really isn't my intention here. I've just had some thoughts and couldn't help feeling like there are probably many of you girls out there who feel the same way. So here goes...
TAGGED
YES, IT'S TRUE.
There is a rumor floating around....and yes, it's true. We are expecting a baby in March!
OUR OWN PERSONAL ZOO
So every other night or so, Steve takes Katie on a bike ride. Around the corner from our house, by the church, there is a huge animal farm. Among other things there are roosters, chickens, geese, ducks, horses....but the most interesting of all are the lamas, kanaroos, and emus! They are really interesting to watch and Katie likes to go see them. It's fun to watch her excitement when they come up to see her at the gate. Take a look...
YUM YUM
Katie had spaghettios for the first time today for lunch. She liked it...but it made a mess!
OUR NEW PLACE
We found a nice townhome in Springville that we love! I like it because it has a lot of space, and it's out a ways from the bustle of the city. There are farms all around us...I love it! We have been here a week now and I unpacked the last box yesterday. YAY! We are all settled and it's starting to feel like home. We have really nice neighbors and we like our ward, but it will take us a while to break in our roots. I am excited though! Here are some pics of the inside and out about 2 weeks before we moved in. 
GOODBYE LITTLE FRIENDS
One of the things that made moving from wymount so hard was knowing how much Katie would miss playing with her friends, Jackson, Addie, Blake, Naomi and Aiden. They are all the same age and just had so much fun together. Hopefully we can still play sometimes! 
CHILD FAMILY REUNION
BALLOON DAY
Katie LOVES
balloons. The day before the fourth, we took a walk and saw all the hot air balloons in the sky from that morning. She was so excited! Then when we came around the corner and there was one right there that had landed she just about peed her pants she was so thrilled! Here she is, running to touch the "bawoon!"
A NEW LEAF
So.....we finally decided to just go ahead and do it. We've wanted to for a long time, but just thought it would be too expensive. (and it was, kind of) but it's been so worth it! We went to see Ironman, and on the way home I told Steve to drop by walmart. We went in and bought some mountain bikes and a child seat. The next day we went on an 8 mile ride up Provo Canyon. It was so fun! It's so easy here in Wymount to get in a rut of just sitting at home, watching movies, playing games...etc. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that, but after a year or so, it gets a little old. We've decided to turn over a new leaf and be more active and have more fun. I think it's a good goal! We got a tent so we can go camping and now that we have our bikes, we're set! Steve mentioned last night it would be fun to go to Jackson Hole and to Yellowstone. I've never been there before. He said it's not too far away from us, we should do it! I agree....we should! I'm excited for this new way we'll be doing things. I'm going to listen to more music, play more...and have more fun and exciting times with my little family.
So what brought all this on?? Oh, I don't know. I was thinking this morning about something a friend told me not to long ago. It's a story....goes like this.
A man came and visited this little town and saw behind the church a cemetary. He went to walk around in the cemetary and noticed that every single one of the graves indicated that the person died young. 4 months, a year, 6 months, 2 months, 4 days, 5 years, a week. This concerned the man, so he asked the sexton at the gate why the cemetary was full of these children. He suspected it was an epidemic. Well, the sexton told him that in their community they decided that when someone died, instead of writing the dates of birth and death on the stone, they would write the dates according to when that person actually started to really live their lives. He pointed to the one that said 4 months and told the man that that person was really 82 when he died, but he only really lived his life for 4 months!
Of course this story isn't true, but it got me thinking. How many days do I get caught up on things that don't matter, or say no to doing fun things because of stupid reasons (like having to do the dishes or getting other stuff done? Or because I just don't fell like it...) I do this a lot, and you know, I'm missing out. My little girl is a year and a half now! Time goes by so fast. I guess what I'm saying is I don't want to live 80 or some odd years and only enjoy a little part of my life. I'm not going to waste any more time being silly about things that don't matter! It's time for another attitude adjustment. I'm going to get involved and love my life, and I think after Friday's 8 mile bike ride, I'm off to a good start! So you can expect to see lots of fun pictures of new and exciting things. Here's to happier living!
PEEK A BOO!
So Katie found a cupboard just her size and had fun playing peek-a-boo with my mom one morning. It was pretty funny.
FINALLY SOME PICTURES
I wish I would have been able to get some of Katie with the horses and playing with her cousins. She was especially cute at the reception, dancing by herself in front of the speakers in that poofy little dress. Oh well. Here are the pictures I did get.
DANCIN' THE NIGHT AWAY
Visiting AZ is always fun....but I think I've changed my mind about coming in the summers. It's flippin hot! Yesterday it was over 100...but for some reason, 100 in AZ feels so much hotter than 100 in Utah. Anyway, we got here Friday after our flight was delayed 4 hours...(yeah, and right after they announced we would be delayed, they boarded and sent off another flight to Phoenix with 40 empty seats. I was so bugged.) It was a long afternoon.
Saturday we went to visit Steve's sister, Kristi, and got to see her new house she just remodeled. It is so nice! Plus, along with the tour she threw in a chance for me to read the first chapter of the 4th book in the twilight series. That was a treat!
That night we went to Kev and Desi's reception at Steve's parent's old house. It was fun! We got to dance a lot, and Katie had fun playing and dancing, too. It was fun to see Steve's Aunts and Uncles, cousins, and Desi's parents. Funny story....the DJ played a lot of swing, so Steve and I got to swing dance quite a bit. Well, he decided it would be fun to do the lawnmower spin and flilp me....which he did, and when he did the wedding party got a view of my lovely bottom! Ha ha.....I don't know if anyone noticed, (good thing) except for Aunt Valerie. Ha ha....
The three of us were so beat that night, especially Katie! We went straight to bed and slept so good that night.
There are some great pics of the party. The photographer let me look at them on his camera. I'll see if I can get a hold of some and post them before long.
KEVIN AND DESIRAE
No....this isn't Steven marrying another woman. I know they look a lot alike, and many people mistake them for each other, but this is Steve's older brother, Kevin. We got to go to Manti last weekend to see them get married. Steve and I got there a day early and stayed at The Manti House for the night. It was nice to have a little time a way just the two of us. We ate at the resturaunt downstairs and watched movies; we also got to
do a session at the Manti Temple...which was gorgeous and such a cool experience. After our session, one of the sweet workers took us on a tour of the temple and told us a lot of really cool stories and facts about the Temple. We got to see all the sealing rooms and walk the long hallways, we even got to see the staircases and the baptistry. It was so cool. She told us that the prophet said the Manti Temple was the Lord's pearl of
his temples and that he walks the halls of it often. I thought that was so neat. You really could feel it strongly, too. If you want to walk where Jesus has walked, all you have to do is go to the Temple!
SWINGING
This is Katie swinging in a swing for the first time. She loved it! I couldn't get a good shot of her lauging, but she laughed almost the whole time! She really had fun. Thanks to Aaron and Kim for playing with us!
SPOONFED
Katie has taught herself to eat with a spoon. The first thing she ate with a spoon was refried beans at Bajio Grill....when we went to lunch with Kim. Since then, she wants to eat everything with a spoon...even peanut butter and jelly!
POOLSIDE
BYU filled our community pool full of cement....so this summer was looking long and hot. I went out and bought this little pool for the kids to play in and it worked great! I got a hose and an adapter at Lows, hooked it up to my kitchen sink, and we had a party in the pool! A lot of the kids came over, it was a blast! We got so many kids in there that the pool started caving in, so Amy went and bought a smaller one for the littler kids. This summer won't be that bad after all!
FRIENDS
to her and loves to play, too! She's like a big sister! We love you, Kate!
YAY! AARON AND KIMMI!
Aaron and Kim are finally back from Argentina! We have been counting down the days until they got back. What fun friends! We love hanging out with them...from the looks of it, we're not the only ones! The kids love them. They read to them and play with them a lot! You can see here....they really had a blast!
ST. GEORGE
So Thursday night Steve and I were talking and spontaineously decided that we were sick of snow and cold and wanted to go to California! So we packed up the car and left the next day. We had so much fun. Our first stop was in St. George, Utah. It was nice to get out and stretch after the long drive! We spent some time walking around the temple and smelling the flowers. Katie loved exploring around the grounds, and Steve and I just loved the nice weather! It was gorgeous!
SHAMU
In San Diego, we spent the day having fun at Sea World! We saw lots of fish and sea animals...but Katie's favorite was the Shamu show.
LAS VEGAS
On our way home we stopped in Vegas. We were just in time to see the fountains at the Bellagio! As you can see....Katie was thrilled.
TWILIGHT
Harry who? I think Mr. Potter has met his match.
These have got to be the best books I have read in a long time. By FAR! I just finished the third one. I'm hesitant to say anything....just because I know some of you are reading right now and of course, I wouldn't want to spoil anything. I will have to tell you, though, one of my most secret of secrets. After reading these books...I secretly wish I was a vampire!!! Ha ha....just kidding. I just love how captivating and enthralling the story is. The fourth book will be out in August....so I'll have to re-read these three in July. (darn!) I am so excited to find out what happens next! Well, then I won't have long to wait before the movie comes out. Oh, I will definately be at the midnight showing. Definately.
Ok, ok.....
But I really did have a good excuse! I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get around to updating....just let me explain! Our computer crashed a few weeks ago, and it took forever for my new one to come in the mail. Oh, it was worth the wait. I got a new iMac! It is soooo stinkin cool. So, for the last few weeks, I have been learning my way around this incredible machine. I forgot about my blog! (Well, that's not exactly true. It has been nagging at me in the back of my mind.) Now, thanks to the lovely ladies in my ward (really, you are lovely) I have remembered to update. Sorry it took so long, girls!
BOO!!
So this is Katie's favorite hiding spot now. Silly girl! She'll climb in and shut the door. Then I'll realize that it's unusually quiet and start looking for her. She won't make a sound! Ha ha! Finally, I'll here a little giggle and open the door to hear her say, "OOOO!
" ("BOO!") She's such a little stinker.
TIME FOR A CHANGE
So I decided forever ago that it was time to turn Katie's room from a baby's room into a little girl's room. I FINALLY got around to doing it last week. Here are some photos. I was really proud of myself. I used what I had and only bought a few things. I did it all under $45! I think it turned out pretty cute....and what's better is she actually will play in there now for more than 2 minutes! 
HAIRCUT
So this is Katie and I right before I trimmed her hair. Oh man, she totally flipped out and I could not get her to hold still for a second. I was able to get most of it, but still, on the left side it is a little longer. It was either that or completely butcher it! Oh well....it doesn't look bad after all. It really is just that one spot.
KATIE'S LITTLE PHOTO SHOOT
Sunday was an especially nice day. We took Katie outside for a bit to try out our new camera. Here are some fun shots we got of her. Isn't she the cutest thing? 
SUMMER'S COMIN'!
Oh yeah...that's right. The Lunt BBQ's are back! Last summer, this was one of my favorite things...getting together just outside our doors and having dinner together, all of us. Man, those were some good times. Now that's it's getting warmer, I am so excited that we get to do it again!
VALENTINE'S DAY
Steve is the best husband I have ever had! (ha ha, he's the only husband I've ever had.) But really, he makes the sweetest sweetie in the world. He came home from work on Valentine's Day with these beautiful roses FOR ME! And if you know me, you know a guy can never go wrong with giving me flowers. I love them! 
For Valentine's Day, we went to Tucanos for dinner. If you don't know what Tucanos is, you need to come to Utah and go eat there. It is, in our opinion, THE BEST PLACE to eat steak. (our favorite is the garlic sirloin) It's a Brazilian place. They come around to your table offering you different kinds of meat that you can either take or leave. And you get full access to an all you can eat buffet of salads, pastas, soups, breads, etc. Every time we go, we always eat so much we feel like big fat stuffed turkeys when we leave! The only thing is, it's soooo expensive, so we don't get to go very often. This time, we got a coupon in the mail for a free meal because it was Steve's birthday last month. YAY! Katie liked it, too. She ate lots of bread, fried bananas, chicken, veggies, potatoes, and a bunch of other stuff. She was so happy the whole time. I wasn't suprised, either! Just like her parents, the kid has a passion for good food. After we were done eating, we went home and played with Katie for a bit, put Katie to bed, snuggled up on the couch and had ice cream sundae's while we watched The Itallian Job. It was the best Valentine's day EVER!
CUTEST LITTLE GIRL, HORRIBLE HORRIBLE DAY!!!!!
Isn't she cute?? After many many many endless days of being cooped up in our little apartment, we were starting to go CRAZY! This week it got up to almost 50 degrees, and I made the mistake of getting my hopes up that Spring was almost here. (not only because of the temperature, but also because my neighbors flowers are coming up...and my other neighbor's tulips are starting to open....and the snow was ALMOST all gone. I took these things to mean that it was going to continue to get warm and there was finally an end in sight!!) So Katie and I went out for a walk. Even though it was warmer, it was still a little chilly for her. So I bundled her up in this cute little spring coat my mom found for her when we went to visit, and we went for a stroll around the neighborhood. She is so proud of herself that she can walk the whole way. She only fell down once when she tried to climb the steps. After a while she got chilly and we went inside for a nap. I put her down and when I came back out to the living room, to my dismay I could see out the window that it was SNOWING AGAIN!! AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH! I just can't take this anymore! It snowed all afternoon and all night. I woke up the next morning, again, in a snowy, white h***. Being from Arizona, and never really having a long winter like this, I was really excited when it snowed the first time... it was pretty and we had a lot of fun sledding and playing in it......IN NOVEMBER. But now it's almost March and I have decided that I officially hate being cold. I hate snow. And I hate, I hate, I HATE the wintertime!
LOOK WHAT I FOUND OUT!
So Katie finally found her belly button.
She was sitting with Steve on the
couch and pulled up his shirt and
discovered his...then Steve pointed
out to her that she had one too! She
was so captivated by this that she sat
there playing with it FOREVER! I
think it must have been at least 15
whole minutes. It's so adorable how
full of wonder these little ones
are....and over the littlest things! I
mean, seriously....how many of us sit
and study our belly buttons for 15
straight minutes???
LET'S PLAY BLOCKS!
My mom and dad sent this up for Katie's birthday and it has become one of her favorite toys! As you can see, it takes a lot of muscle to carry around that bucket full of blocks. She'll carry it all around the house, grunting the whole way. When she sets it down, she says "phew!" Ha ha, it's so funny. One of our favorite things to do together is put the blocks in the bucket and shake it to make noise. Then we dump it out on Katie's head and she laughs soooo hard. It's funniest when she dumps it on her own head!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE!!!!
February sixth was Katie's first birthday!! We had a lot of fun. We invited about 6 of her little friends over to play and have cake. It was funny to watch Katie eat her cake. At first she just looked at it like she didn't know what it was. So I gave her a little taste of the frosting with my finger and then she dug in! As you can see, she liked it a lot. We got her a few toys, a phone and a little piano light up thingy (I don't know what they're called) and some books. My parents sent up a couple toys as well, a popper and a shape-sorting toy. (She loves them! Thank you Grammy and Papa!) Steve's parents sent up a package as well. We got it just in time for the party, too!! Thank you! Anyway, it was a really fun day. My only regret is not getting more pictures of the party and the
cake!
STORYTIME
Katie LOVES books. She has a basket full of books by the couch and she'll grab one and chase you down, crawl into your lap and look at you with those big
baby blue eyes and say "teee!" (which means please.) I think it's the cutest thing in the
world. Her absolute favorite is when Daddy comes home! She likes him to read to her. Here they are after Katie followed him around the house for almost a half hour after he got home with a book in hand, saying the whole time, "Da-yee, Da-yee! Teee!" (Daddy, Daddy!please!)HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY, STEVE!!!
January 19, 1984 was the day! I have the most wonderful husband in all the world. He is a hard worker, he's honest, he's kind, he loves us with all his heart, and he loves the Lord. These are only a few of my favorite things about him. I can't say that our marriage is always perfect, but it's pretty dang close!!! I have learned so much from him and he always makes me want to be a better person. He has taught me to stand up for myself and has helped me develop more confidence. He has always encouraged me to develop my talents and to set goals, or in Sister Hinckley's words, "he has given me wings to fly!" He really is my better half! I love you, Steve. Happy Birthday!
OUR LITTLE CLIMBER
I turned around from doing the dishes the other day and Katie had climbed up the piano! I don't know how...the bench wasn't pulled out and there was nothing she could have climbed up on to get up there....but she had found a way!!! I grabbed the camera quick and after I snapped this picture she just started giggling at me. She is so funny!!!!
THE PHOENIX ZOO!
Last week we went to visit our parents in Arizona! It was so much fun. We took Katie to the Phoenix Zoo while we were there. She liked seeing the animals, if you can't tell by looking at these pictures!
This is Katie with my brother, Sam, watching the monkeys swing from the trees. I think that was her favorite!
Here's Katie with my mom watching the Lions. I think she recognizes the animals from her Baby Einstein movies. She got really excited when she saw a real live lion!
FAMILY PICTURES
This is our most recent Family picture. Do you like it?? I'm not sure if I do. I mean, I think it's cute for the most part, but the wind was blowing so hard and stung my eyes, so they look kind of squinty. That, and my necklace is backwards because right before this I was rolling around in the grass with the kids. But other than that, I think it's cute. It was such a gorgeous day in Arizona! I don't know how warm it was, but it felt so good not to be in weather below freezing and snow up to my knees that I didn't pay any mind to the actual temperature. I just enjoyed the springtime weather in January!!! Except for the wind, that is...........
NEW YEARS
We went dirt biking with Steve's family in Arizona on New year's. It was fun! There were lots of fun places to ride and cool jumps to go on where we went. Thanks to Uncle Dana and Steve's family for letting us use their bikes!
So Steve took a risk and let me drive the bike. It was a lot like other bikes I've driven but a little different in that the clutch was above the left handlebar, as what I would normally use as a brake....so we had an interesting ride. Ha ha.....
MY NEW BABY
ThisChristmas was Katie's first. We got her a doll and she loved it! Here she is giving it loves. It's so cute, she'll take the doll and cradle it under her chin and pat it's back. Then she'll lay it in her lap and sing to it and laugh and talk to it. It's become her little friend.
To see her opening her new baby doll, click on the link "Christmas morning" on the link menu to the right.
SOCKS
Katie is very interested in socks.
She likes to put them on, pull them
off, help me fold them, but them
away, and point to them and say
"sta!" (sock) I put her in the laundry
basket while we were folding laundry
and dumped all the socks in there
with her. She thought it was
pretty funny!
CHRISTMAS EVE
On Christmas Eve we got together
with some families in our ward and had a nice Christmas dinner. We had fun visiting with everyone and the kids had a blast playing together. After dinner our friend Dave dressed up as Santa and surprised the kids. Katie was a little freaked out, but the other kids wouldn't let go of him! It was cute to see. All the kids lined up and watched out the window to wave goodbye to Santa as he left to go visit all the other kids in our ward. It was snowing like crazy outside and he made the perfect Santa walking in the snow! Thanks Santa for such a fun surprise!
THE CHRISTMAS PROGRAM
A few days before Christmas, all of our family (on my Dad's side) that live here in the valley got together at Grandma Wright's house and had a fun night together. We had a big dinner, exchanged white elephant gifts, played Bunko, and had a family talent show. It was so fun! I remember having these on Christmas Eve when I was really little, but I haven't been able to go to one ever since my family moved to South Carolina. (I think that makes it about 14 years, right mom?) Anyway, it was fun to go again. I video taped the talent show for all to see! (or see again) Just click on "Talent Show" on the Links menu to the right. Thanks everyone for such a fun night!
WHAT A WEEK!!
This week was absolutely insane. FINALS. I think that says it all. Thanks to our friends Nic and Tammy...Nic for studying with Steve until all hours of the night, and Tammy for letting us borrow him for so long! You guys are great. Anyway, there's only one more final to take tomorrow, and that's the big harry math test. Ugh. It is now 12:30am and these guys have been studying all night...in Nic's words, "We're toast!" Oh man I hope not. Everyone, cross your fingers for these guys....they've worked so hard!
BEST FRIENDS FOREVER
Today, Katie's friend Addie came over to play. We love it when Addie comes over! These two girls are so funny together! They jabber back and forth and laugh and follow each other all around the house. They're such
great little buddies! We are going to miss Addie and her mom so so so so much when they move to China this month.
Katie will be lonely without her little friend. (Not to mention how much I'll miss you, too, Steph!)
Luckily they'll be back in April or May for another year or so. We will be looking forward to that! Who knows, maybe we will even be able to go visit.....ok, maybe I'm dreaming, but you have to admit that it would be cool. Anyway, back to the girls.......
They got into my Tupperware drawer and as they were babbling back and forth, Addie climbed into the drawer! Then Katie started laughing hysterically and waving her arms....cheering her on! It was the cutest thing. I live for moments like that, when they just do the cutest things and it makes all the hard days worth it.
OUR LITTLE PIANIST
The other night, Katie gave quite the performance. She would play a note or two, then point to herself and laugh. We got a kick out of it!
GAME NIGHT!
Sunday night we went to Matt and Janae's for games and hot chocolate. We had so much fun! I don't think I stopped laughing the entire time. We played a cranium game called pop 5 (I think) and it was so fun, that after the game was over, we kept going just to keep laughing! Thanks Janae and Matt for a great time!
Check out funny video clips of Matt, Janae, Steve, Becki, Jaris and Shad and find out what had us laughing so hard! Scroll down this page to the link list on the right and click on the 'game night' link.
SNOW DAY
This weekend it snowed A LOT and we woke up to 2-4 inches on Saturday morning. Today (Monday) there is still a lot of it left, too! I dressed Katie up in her snow suit and we went and got her friend, Addie. The snow was a little to wet to play in, but I figured that since we had taken the time to bundle up and get out there, we might as well take a picture! Say Cheese!
MY LITTLE CHEF
The other day, my friend Stephanie came over to make cookies with her daughter (same age as Katie) and she had tied an apron around her. It looked so cute. Katie is always interested in what I'm doing, especially if it means I'm not paying attention to her for a second! I thought I'd try my friend's idea, so I tied this apron around Katie and she had a blast with me in the kitchen!
SO GLAD WHEN DADDY COMES HOME!!!
Katie just absolutely loves her daddy. This picture was taken about 2 weeks ago after he came home. She looks forward to that time all day, and when he walks through the door she crawls to him and gives him a hug. It is the cutest thing to see!
A LITTLE TOO QUIET
Today when I finished the dishes, I thought it seemed a little to quiet. I looked around
the living room for Katie... in all of her famous hiding spots. (under the coffee table, between the couches, under the computer desk, etc.) But she wasn't in any of those places! I found her in
the bathroom. Of course! She had taken the toilet paper roll off the holder and ripped up the rest of it! She was a little surprised when I caught her!
SURGERY
Last Friday, Katie went in for surgery to remove a cyst from
above her eye. The surgery went
really well, and the doctor
took lots of pictures. Those of you who know me know that I was really interested in seeing those pictures, and the Doctor even let me see the actual cyst! The mass he removed from her head was about twice the size of a mentos candy. Dr. Cook is a very talented surgeon, and he said that once the incision heals, you won't even notice a scar at all because most of it is along the crease in her eyelid. I thought that was awesome. He said she breezed right through the surgery!
It was kind of hard for me to just hand over my baby to complete strangers and watch them carry her away down a hospital hall. A lot of "what if's" went through my head during the hour that we waited. I was so glad to see her when it was all done! She was still coming out of the anesthesia and had that incision on her eye...I felt so sad! They let me lay on the gurney and hold her while we went back up to her hospital room. She slept for a few minutes, and then gulped down a few bottles....she was so hungry! She kept it all down, so we were able to go home around midnight. What a weekend!
(For pictures of the surgery click on the link named "Katie's Surgery" in the link menu.)
BOYS AND GIRLS
Katie has become really good buddies with a boy in our ward, Jaxon. They play together really well and are so fun to watch. They "talk" and sing to each other; last time I babysat Jaxon, they played "follow the leader" crawling around the floor. If they're not doing something like that, they're probably making a mess eating ritz crackers and laughing together.
...TO GRANDMAMA'S HOUSE WE GO!
In September, Katie and I took a quick trip to Arizona! First, we stayed at Grandma Red's house. I spent the first couple days canning fruit with my sisters-in-law, and Katie got to play with all of her cousins. Then we stayed at Gramy's (my mom's) for the rest of the time. She just loves playing with Gramy, her uncles, and Papa too. We had so much fun! 
SUNDANCE
A few weeks ago, we went on a family outing to Sundance. We rode the ski lift and enjoyed the nice weather. Katie thought it was so fun to be up so high!
Steve decided that since I have never been skiing before, that would be a fun thing to try this winter...I don't know, I think it will be fun! Look out below!!
