The Epps Family

Merry Christmas, Darlings

2011-12-24T08:09:00.006-07:00

Here is a picture of our family with Santa.

Reasons I love this photo include the following:

(From Left to Right)

1. There is an antler bulging out of Braddock's head.

2. My face looks like it was stung by a bee.

3. Dawson has no sense of direction when the person taking the picture says, "Everyone look at the camera!"

4. Santa is cute.

5. Emma is sporting her awkward face because she knows everyone is looking at her.

6. Jim appears to be 3 times the size of Santa. And he's kneeling down.

And on a more serious note, our family read some great scriptures last night that tie in with this wonderful season....

"Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfill all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets."

3 Nephi 1:13

As overwhelming and chaotic as Christmas sometimes feels, we all have reason to lift our heads up and be of good cheer because Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Hey Ya'll, It's Fall!

2011-10-25T15:08:00.002-06:00

I am so far behind, it's ridiculous. I give up and I totally blame it on Facebook. I have so much I need to post between here and April, but the more I think about it, the less I want to blog, so I am just going to do what I want to do and post the current happenings.

My house is ready for the fall season and I love it. Nothing extravagant, but I am learning more and more that I'm not a fan of clutter and that simplicity is the way to go.

Here are the things that are making me happy right now:

1. These cute fall blocks that my sister, Alyssa made last year when she helped me with my Super Saturday projects. They have fall written all over them....literally.

Mwahahahahah, I'm funny.

2. Orange lights on the piano. Yes, yes, and YES!

3. A thankful tree that the kids and I made. On the back of each leaf, the kids wrote down things that they are grateful for. It definitely looks homemade, but it holds some major sentimental value. I love it and I love that when my kids talk about it, they say "The leaf-is look so pretty!"

("Leaf-is" = Leaves)

And here's a Christmas creation.

No, I'm not decorating my house for Christmas yet, although many of you probably wouldn't be surprised if I did.

My sister, Jenna came up with the idea to make this after seeing something like this on display when we were on vacation in Grand Lake, Colorado.

It was so fun and simple, I thought I would share.

All you need are a set of branches from Hobby Lobby, some miniature jingle bells (I used red, but silver is really pretty too), and some clear beads.

The bells and beads slide right on and then you hot glue them to keep them from moving.

Tie some ribbon at the base of them stems and you have yourself a beautiful arrangement of jingle bell branches!

Now I will move onto us ( just in case you forgot who we were).

This is pretty much my favorite picture right now. Jim would die if he knew I posted this,

but oh well.

I love it because it currently describes how my man is when he gets home from work. He loves his kids and he makes sure they know it. As many of you know, Jim is a contractor and he works very hard. I often take for granted all that he does to ensure mine and the kids' happiness. Running a business is kind of a big deal, but he does it happily and comes home happy too! All three of my kids turn him into a jungle gym when he walks in the door every night.

It's tradition.

Don't mind this next picture. I look like a goon and Emma's hat is two years too small for her. It's sad when you have to ask your 5 year old if he can take a picture of you because no one else does.

Anyhow, life is going really well for me, not easy by any means, but I really have nothing to complain about. I feel very privileged to be able to stay home with my three little ones, and take care of our home. Yesterday, I was able to just keep things low-key at the house. We didn't have to go anywhere, nor did I have any desire to. My kids spent the entire day playing in the living room with a bin of their toys, while I did a bunch of laundry, ironed, cleaned bathrooms,mopped floors, and even made some bread! I do these things every week usually in a rush and stressing out about how I am going to get it all done, but yesterday I really tried to think about what a blessing it is that I get to do ALL of these things.

What a difference it made in my day!

Next up, we have this little dude who is turning into a very big kid. Braddock turned 5 last month and just started preschool this fall. He loves to wrestle, build anything with Legos, and pretend like he's in combat( Honestly, our house always sounds like a battle is going on). Braddock also can color like it's nobody's business. He will spend an hour on one coloring page until it is perfection. He is extremely meticulous about his work and very visual. Hopefully this will one day apply to the way he does his chores :) .

Emma is as feisty at they come. She has a strong spirit in a petite little body and wants everyone to know that she can do it herself. In fact, she tried to prove this to me yesterday when I specifically told her not to pick up a two gallon container of salsa that needed to be brought in the house because it was too heavy for her. Seconds later, I discovered that the 2 gallons of salsa was now flooding my driveway, thanks to our little ambitious Emma. It looked like someone had hurled from my car to the front steps.

Nonetheless, Emma is very smart, and loves to learn anything and everything. Her brain is a sponge that seems to retain everything she sees and hears (which means I have to be careful what I say and do). Emma's current favorite movie is "The Sound of Music". She loves all of the songs from it, especially "My Favorite Things". In fact, Emma is going to dress up as Fraulein Maria for Halloween.

Lastly, is our little Dawson who is growing up way too fast! He will be 8 months old tomorrow and I am not sure HOW that happened. For the last month, he has been crawling all over the place and is now pulling himself up onto anything he can get his hands on. He is by far my busiest kid, but he has a very bubbly personality and a contagious smile that melts my heart like butter every time! I'm pretty sure he'll learn to use it on me anytime he knows he's in trouble.

As a whole, we are enjoying our time together and this glorious fall season!

Baby Blessing

2011-10-11T15:43:00.004-06:00

On May 8th, our little Dawson was given a baby blessing by his dad.

It was a wonderful day to have all of our family together, and I mean TOGETHER.

It was a very cold and wet day, so all 40+ of us huddled in our home!

This day was also Mother's Day, so I really lucked out being able to celebrate the blessing of our newest addition AND honoring the beauty of motherhood.

I took a whole 2 PICTURES that day - they're the ones you see right below this. Before I could even get myself out of the car, Jim had already taken his suit jacket off. Oh, how I love my Jim.

The blessing that Jim gave to Dawson was very special. Two things that I distinctly remember him blessing him with were:

The desire to always put others first

and

To always bring honor to Heavenly Father's name and to his family's.

Dawson, I hope these blessings will always be instilled within you.

We sure are proud to have this little man in our home!

3 is the Magic Number

2011-05-11T15:49:00.000-06:00

Before our latest bundle of joy arrived, I was convinced that raising three children would be quite simple. (I guess you can call me an idiot).

I was so wrong!

I've definitely got my work cut out for me and then some!

I thought I would post some pictures of the little ones throughout the last couple of months while I share with you some of the things that I have learned about being a mother of three.

1. Eating out is awesome.

2. Heading out to the post office (which is like .25 miles away from my house) is kind of a big deal.

3. Getting ready for the day is overrated.

4. Wearing tennis shoes anywhere and everywhere I go is a must.

5. The grocery store is a dreaded place to be with three kids. Especially when your oldest trips on the cart and then mommy runs him over with it.

5. My house never looks clean until 9 PM .

6. Taking pictures of all three of them at once is a joke.

7. A 32 oz Diet Dr Pepper from Conoco can rid you of all of your troubles.

8. Children know they can get away with anything when mommy is nursing.

9. It is super hard to lose weight.

10. Having my kids dressed and ready for the day before 10 o'clock is rare.

11. The laundry somehow has multiplied itself by like 100.

12. Locking your kids outside isn't such a bad thing anymore. In fact, I kind of like it.

13. Prayers are more important than ever.

14. The love in our home is overflowing.

Despite the challenge that I am faced with daily, I sure am grateful for the joy these little ones bring to our home!

To those of you who are considering having a third, I hope I didn't scare you - it really is so much fun!

3 Weeks Ago.......

2011-03-19T16:05:00.005-06:00

How can this be?! How can it be that my little tiny baby is already 3 weeks old?!

I am baffled at how fast the time goes by.

3 weeks ago today (well actually, tonight) our little Dawson was born and placed into my arms for the first time.

I thought I would jot down some of the things that happened on his birthday for my own sake. I really don't want to forget this , which means I need to record it.

Saturday, the 26th of February, was no ordinary day. You see, it was my sister Alyssa's birthday and since she lives right across the street from us, our little family was able to go over and eat breakfast with her and my mom that morning. It was a wonderful way to start the day!

After visiting there for a couple of hours, we took the kids back home and pretty much just laid around. My 39 week pregnant body was already past the whole nesting thing and just wanted to lounge around for the next 10 days. My contractions would be 2-5 minutes apart for an hour, but would stop as soon as I took on the thought of going to the hospital.

I had given up.

Then the phone rang, and my awesome OB doctor who had the day off, called me just to check up on things. He suggested I come to his office so he could check to see how my labor was progressing.

Did I mention my doctor is AWESOME?

So the whole family piled into the minivan to go to his office.

I was now at a 4 and 70% effaced.

Woo hoo!

But no, I couldn't believe that things just might be progressing. My body was playing tricks on me the whole week before and I didn't want to actually believe that I just might have the baby soon.

Apparently, however, our doctor knew better than me because we left his office with him saying, " Alright, we will see you guys tonight!"

We then headed off to the grocery store where Jim turned into my drill sargeant and had me doing laps around the isles.

Still, nothing.

What a joke.

Then we headed over to Jim's parents' house where my husband became a Nazi and was having me do the XBox Kinect Dance Central.

Still, nothing.

Then my sister Alyssa headed over to take part in all of the fun. She even brought us all Bajio on her own birthday! After a couple hours of dancing, the contractions became consistent and Jim and I headed to the hospital.

They monitored my contractions for about 45 minutes, which were constantly at 2 minutes apart. Then our doctor arrived and broke my water.

This is when the contractions became extremely intense and I began wondering where in the heck my epideral was. After about 10 minutes of hard-core pain, the anesthesiologist came to my rescue!

Yes, I am lame. I endured a whole 10 minutes of natural labor.

Epiderals are our friend.

Once the epideral was given, I felt like a new woman and was happily enjoying my rest on the hospital bed. My doctor even came in and visited with us for a long while. We talked about labor and running and half marathons...and I don't remember what else. I think I was in and out of

la-la land.

Still at 4 cm, I decided I would take a snooze while Jim, Alyssa, and my mom watched tv.

But no sooner had I made this decision, did I begin to feel a lot of pressure and discomfort. Jim decided to get a nurse to make sure the epideral was working properly.

The nurse came in, checked me, and was surprised to find out I was already at 10 cm!

She ran out of the room to call the doctor, came back shortly after with another nurse to get everything prepped, and then it was time to push.

I think I pushed for about 2 minutes before little Dawson arrived.

His little cry was the sweetest little sound I had ever heard.

Look at his thick little body!

He looks really angry here and I don't blame him.
This was the first time we had delivered at this hospital (weird, considering it is right across the street from my house), but if we ever have any more babies, I will make sure we have them here!
They kept Dawson in the room with us for 3 hours before they took him to the nursery. I loved having him stick around for so long!

The whole 3 hrs he was with us he did not close his eyes nor did he cry. I loved every minute of it!

Dawson and his Nanna.
I'm so glad my mom was there to see her grandson be born. She held my hand through all of it and helped make our experience that much more enjoyable!

The birthday boy and girl!

I love that they share this day together and that Alyssa got to be a part of it all!

Braddock & Emma came to meet their baby brother for the first time the very next morning.

I don't even know what to say about this next picture except that I am in love with it.

Emma with her baby brother.

Can you feel the love?

This next picture I love so much.

This is what he looked like after every feeding. I loved how he would rest his fat lil' cheeks in my hand and crash.

Can I just say I feel so blessed to add this little boy to our family! I can't believe that 3 weeks has come and gone.

Still, I am grateful for the memories that we have been able to create. I will always look back on this moment as a wonderful and amazing experience.

Thanks to all of our family and friends who came to visit us, tended our children, brought us food, and showed their love.

I recently read a post on my friend's blog that says "There is hope smiling brightly before you. That hope is in the faces of our children."

I don't know of a more true statement.

I am so grateful for the gifts that Heavenly Father has given to me, my three little children. I love them all so much and look forward to creating many memories with them!

Welcome, Baby Boy!

2011-03-09T09:44:00.002-07:00

We went from this...........

.......to THIS in just 4 very short hours.

Dawson McCray Epps
Born February 26, 2011 at 9:55 PM
8 lbs 5 oz. 20.5 inches

Our family is so happy to welcome this little man into our home!
He could not be any sweeter and those cheeks of his could not be any more kissable!

{ We will post more soon just as soon as I learn to adapt to being a mother of 3!}

What have we got here?

2011-02-17T16:54:00.004-07:00

A couple of Sundays ago, when I was finishing getting ready for church, I walked into my bathroom to find this nonsense going on.

Total concentration....

(I don't think she even noticed my presence there or the fact that I was flashing pictures like crazy).
Finishing up.

Wow! Seriously?!

My little 3 year old cannot already be wanting to be into all of this stuff!

When we got in the car and headed for church, Jim looked at her and said, "Emma, your eyes look really pretty. What did you do to them?" He had been at meetings all morning and did not know that she had in fact done her own makeup.

Ridiculous.

I don't think I know what I am up against with this little diva.

Before Time Slips Away....

2011-02-02T19:30:00.002-07:00

It seems like for the past few months I have devoted my blog solely to the pregnancy and haven't given these little ones enough attention.

But believe it or not, I really do love these kids!

Braddock is growing up so much. I can't even really call him my little toddler anymore because he is becoming more and more of a big boy every day. For Christmas, Jim bought him a book to practice his alphabet in and since then, he willingly sits down at our kitchen counter every morning and practices writing his letters. I thought it would be a chore to get him to do it, but I don't ever even need to ask him.

I had to post this next picture because it describes Braddock perfectly. He has always been my very bashful little child. In fact, today we were watching "Snow White" for the first time and when he saw the dwarf named Bashful, he said, "Hey mom, he's like me!" It always takes him a while to get out of his shell when we are around people he is unfamiliar with, but when he gets to know you, he can be a real sweetheart.
And then there is Emma who is quite the little spit fire. She is independent in every sense of the word and determined to figure out everything herself. A few days ago, I caught her looking at one of her puzzles and sounding out the names of the animals on it! Ummm yeah..what? And I can't really take the credit either for her ability to do so. I blame it on the Leap Frog Letter Factory video which she wants to watch all the dang time!
She also loves to put together all sorts of puzzles, sing songs at the top of her lungs ("Nephi's Courage" is her favorite), and she especially loves to watch me get ready in the mornings. It is funny to me that she is so incredibly fascinated with things such as me blow drying my hair and plucking my eyebrows. She loves lip gloss and nail polish (Santa finally had to get some for her to have of her own because mine were constantly running low). She is all girl, but definitely knows how to hold her own with her brother!

Currently, their favorite book to read is "There's a Wocket in my Pocket" by Dr. Seuss. I look forward to reading this to them before their afternoon naps because they laugh out loud every time I read it. I'm not sure what is so funny about it - apparently they know something that I don't - but hearing their little chuckles never gets old!

I know with all that I share about my children it sounds like I am boasting, but don't get me wrong, life ain't perfect around here! In fact, last week I was really struggling to keep it together with them. On one particular day, I was becoming so irritable with the constant fighting between the two of them and their unrelenting demands for drinks, snacks, or just for me to give them some kind of one-on-one attention. By the time 8 PM rolled around, I hurried and laid them in their beds, said a quick family prayer, and then hurried to my own bed to CRASH!

It was wonderful to finally relax and have some ME time, but after only five minutes of doing so, I could hear my little ones crying once again in need of something.

By this point, my irritability level had skyrocketed and I was not in any mood to be patient or tolerant. As I hollered rudely for Braddock to come to my room to tell me what he needed, he slowly walked to my bedside with his head down and his bottom lip quivering. When I asked him what was wrong, he said, "I just want you to read us scriptures because you forgot." Then little tears came streaming down his face.

You can only imagine how I felt at this point.

Yeah, like garbage.

After this little incident, I had to eat a slice of humble pie (or maybe stuff my face with one) and realize that I was the one in the wrong.

I am so grateful for these little ones who are always reminding me of what is most important, which is our family and how inportant it is we show love to one another.

Last Week

2011-01-20T11:53:00.004-07:00

So last week, I almost had the baby. Just kidding, but I wouldn't have blamed my body for going into labor early after all the things I did last week! This week, I am feeling the affects of it all - I'm extremely tired and sore, but happy and relieved at the same time at the fact that I got so much done.

First, let's start with baby's room. So about a month ago I painted the crib. It was originally black, but I painted it green. To make a long story short, I didn't like it. Every time I would pass the by the room, I would cringe. After many sleepless nights, I decided to just take on the task of painting the darn thing again.

So, I painted it brown.

Then I realized that it was not blending very well with the walls.

You can only guess what I did next.

Yep, I painted the walls.

To my dismay, I still was not satisfied with the look of the crib.

So......I painted it again.

This time a blue-gray color - Juniper Gray to be precise.

After three days of working on this, I finally completed the nursery and I LOVE IT!

Might I add that for the three days I slaved away in here my husband had no clue. I had to keep it a secret because I knew he would stop me if he caught me in the middle of it. You see, he doesn't like when I do things like this to myself when I'm 33 weeks pregnant.

But, when all was said and done, I opened the door to the baby's room for him to see and he was amazed.

Oh, and I also repainted the changing table......

.....and the nightstand.
(I'm pretty sure Juniper Gray is my new favorite paint color from Wal-Mart).

Now, I must tell you about my next project. It has to do with organizing the closets. Ugh! For the last year, I have completely neglected some of the closets in our home because it always has seemed so overwhelming to even think about cleaning them out. Then I went to my dear friend, Kassie's home and discovered this idea.

What?! Using a hanging shoe rack as storage for anything BUT shoes?!

Yes, please.

In the baby's room, I have things such as lotion, wipes, ties, belts, creams, powders, etc. stored in these pouches.

Using this in Braddock & Emma's room has helped to create so much space! Things like Play-do, doll accessories, crayons, action figures, magnetic letters, styrofoam bullets (we have many of these!) and ties get stored away here.

I must say, I love having order, but I never know sometimes just how to go about creating it. This has sure been a great organization tool for us!

And last but not least, Jim's 27th birthday was last week! We went out for his birthday Wednesday night, which was so much fun! I can't say we did anything over the top - just dinner, a movie and church-pant shopping, but it sure felt like a vacation to me!

We went to Red Robin, where we ordered lots of french fries with yummy fry sauce, big fat hamburgers, and chocolate shakes.

Seriously, it was heaven.

I don't know when the last time was that I ate such delicious, fattening food.

We came home that night to these little sweethearts with a miniature store-bought chocolate cake, so they could sing "Happy Birthday" to their daddy.

Regardless of the bluriness, this picture is priceless.

I sure love them.

So yes, the week was busy, but I can't complain. We crossed things off our to-do list (well, at least I did) and celebrated our favorite man's birthday!

Now, I must go and finish up our taxes. Ugh.

I think I Just Might Buy.

2011-01-04T11:58:00.004-07:00

Lately, I have been spending some time on Etsy looking for some much needed baby items. You would think that after having two children I would be very prepared for our up-coming little one, but I'm not. Plus, I don't care how many children you've had - It is always fun to shop for baby (and for yourself).

So right now on my list of purchases is a diaper bag - one that does not actually look too diaper-baggish and can function as a purse too because I really hate carrying 50 things on my shoulder.

I found this little beauty.

And oh, how I love it! And the best part is that it is only $25!

Maybe you think it is hideous or that it has the 1980's written all over it, but I think it's adorable!

Next on my list is a diaper clutch. I didn't even know these existed until I spotted one on my sister's blog.

What an ideal item to have! It has always bothered me in the past to pull out crinkled-up diapers that look like they were once used, but they actually weren't. They were just stuffed at the bottom of the diaper bag where all of the cracker crumbs stuck to them.

Now the diapers and wipes can be contained in a cute, safe little place!

That's what I'm talkin' about.

What are your favorite baby items? I'd love to know!

Winding Down

2010-12-30T13:10:00.004-07:00

Time for another pregnancy update!

It is amazing how fast this tiny little person inside of me is growing! This morning I lay in bed thinking about what a miracle it truly is to carry a child and watch them grow. What was once the size of a sesame seed, is now the size of a pumpkin!

And can I just say that this is one squirmy little pumpkin?! My other two were quite mellow in the womb compared to this kid. I am preparing myself for a very busy child!

The first picture shown below is of me at 25 weeks........

5 weeks later............................

..........................................

And this is how I look!

I think my legs decided to balloon up alongside my belly....and the best part is - I DON'T CARE!

This may be our last baby, so I am trying to enjoy every part of this pregnancy. I quit working out at 23 weeks because my contractions were becoming stronger and more consistent, so I figured a 20+ week vacation wouldn't hurt. Plus, I have the rest of my life to work out, right?

Last Thursday, we were able to do a 3d ultrasound. Can you say AMAZING?! I feel blessed to be having babies when we have such advanced technology to see incredible things like this!

This little person spent most of its time sucking on its pinkie finger. We got this picture just in time before it stuck that little finger back in his/her mouth.

We also discovered during the ultrasound that our child is measuring at 32+ weeks. They told me this when I was not even 30 weeks! Lovely.
One of my concerns with this is the fact that I cannot be induced with this child because my last one was delivered by C-section. Because we would like to have a VBAC delivery this time, my doctor says I have to just let this baby come when it is ready - no Pitocin for me!
So we're praying this baby chooses to come a couple weeks early. :)

My original due date: March 4th
New due date: February 17th <--------------we want that one!

Here is one last picture to leave you with. I am already in love with this little face and so very grateful for the opportunity to mother another little one. Life certainly is a miracle and a blessing!

Home For Christmas

2010-12-22T19:18:00.002-07:00

I'm just going to be honest when I say that I have become quite discouraged with blogging. Most of my disappointment with it is self-induced, but for the last year I have had little desire to be a dilligent blogger.

Why such little motivation?

There's lots of reasons. Namely, Facebook, life never slowing down, the pregnancy, and just lack of interest have all contributed to such little blogging effort, BUT I want to make changes. I want to make sure the important things and sometimes the not-so-important things are being jotted down because they are afterall what make up my life. As I look back and read previous posts, I realize I would have never remembered some of these things if I hadn't taken the time to blog about them.

SO, here's to a more dilligent blogger!

Now, onto the good stuff.

Most of you know that I am very passionate about Christmas. I absolutely love this time of year! The commercial part of it really bothers me, but when it comes to being snug in my tree-lit home listening to Christmas classics, I'm all for it!

Here is a glimpse of the Epps Family home in 2010.

Above: Our dining room table arrangement. {Frosted berries make everything better}.
Our little tree that I sit and stare at every night before bedtime.

The mantle in all its Christmas glory!

Homemade noel blocks - I was in charge of a project for Super Saturday and came up with this little display. All it took was some 2x4's, a little paint, stain, festive paper, and VOILA!

Our homemade stocking made with TLC by my wonderful mother.

I love her and I love these.

The Christmas cabinet. (I painted it red a couple of weeks before just to make it feel a little more like Christmas in my livingroom). Pathetic, I know. Jim calls it obsessive.

The candy canes that hang on my mantle just make life sweeter.

So there you have it. This is what Christmas looks like in our neck of the woods!

We hope you're enjoying this wonderful time of the year as much as we are!

Dear Santa,

2010-12-21T15:50:00.003-07:00

I have been lusting after Petunia Pickle's Chocolate Decadence Diaper Bag for quite some time. .........

I know it's $350.00, but you're Santa, so maybe we can make this work for me somehow.

Ahhh, if only.

Thanksgiving in the Desert

2010-12-12T21:14:00.006-07:00

This past Thanksgiving, our family had the privilege of going to our homeland - Arizona. I must say that the weeks before this trip, I was not as excited as I should have been. There was lots of things going on that made me think our family should reconsider and just stay in Utah for the holiday. However, we ended up going anyway and I can now say that I am SO HAPPY we did.

After 10 hours of ongoing driving, we entered the beautiful Phoenix valley and a flood of emotions instantly came over me. In the last 5 years that we have been away from Arizona, I can honestly say that I have never felt so sick for "home" as I did this last time we visited. It was an absolute joy to be with family and friends that we rarely get to see!

Our 11 hr drive there went perfect! My kids were little angels and seemed rather excited to get to be with their Grandma and Grandpa Epps.

Emma spent most of the drive doing this. Sometimes thumb-sucking is a plus!

We spent much of our time at Jim's grandparents, who by the way, took such great care of us! Luckily, the weather was beautiful while we were there ( 70's & sunny), so we took lots of walks around the neighborhood and played out in the backyard. Emma could not believe her eyes when she saw that there were palm trees in Arizona. She thought those were only on "The Jungle Book".

One of our nights there, we were able to go out to dinner with some close friends, the cute Hill family and Tyler with his adorable kids ( I am so mad I did not take more pictures of this!)

I did however manage to get a prego picture of Cara & I.

Look what a cute pregnant lady she makes! She is 4 weeks ahead of me and is as tiny as ever - definitely all baby!

One of the reasons we ventured to Arizona was so that Jim could help his dad remodel their home that they purchased in Queen Creek. My little ones LOVED going with dad to "help" because it meant they got to play outside on the farm.

They spent most of their time running around in the chicken coop. It amazes me that simple things like this can keep kids entertained for such long periods of time.

Also, I must make note that my kids witnessed first-hand the slaughtering of the farm turkey, whom we ate on Thanksgiving Day. It was a first for me to see a turkey's head get chopped off and well.....let's just say my kids handled the whole event a lot better than I did! Braddock & Emma were thrilled with the whole thing and thought it was great that they got to collect all of the feathers that were being plucked off the dead bird while I, on the other hand, laid down flat on my back in the car just to keep from passing out!

Thanksgiving Day was a success! The food was outstanding (even the turkey), the weather was perfect (just right to enjoy our dinner outside), and being with the family was something we certainly treasured!
It was nice to just sit and relax - something we rarely do- and visit with all of the family.

One thing I have come to learn about the Epps family is that they have some great stories and life experiences that I could sit and listen to for hours!

Oh, and we can't forget the wrestling! If you go to an Epps' household, plan on lots of it! I think Braddock is fine with that!

(Braddock wrestling with his Uncle Darrell)

Here is a picture we were able to take of all of us together.

Can I just say I love this family?!

I am so SO grateful for their strong testimonies of the gospel and the great examples they are to my family, especially to my children.

I didn't take any pictures of this event either, but we were able to be at church with Jim's parents when his dad was called to be 1st counselor in the Bishopric. Braddock & Emma thought it was so cool that their Grandpa was sitting up at the stand.

Once again, I am so grateful for these wonderful people!

So there you have it! Thanksgiving in 2010 was a succes! We really could not have asked for a better one. Of course, the time flew by while we were there and I am missing Arizona already, but we hope to take trips down there more often!

Oh, and one more picture that I must post because it makes me laugh every time I see it. One of the days that we were there, Emma grabbed my camera and asked me to take a picture of her (???) So, of course I did because you can't resist when your two year old daughter makes such a request. BUT, the funny part about all of this was that she made specifications of how she wanted to be posed. She wanted to be sitting on the dresser, by the window, looking sideways.

This was the outcome.

Oh, how I love her.

Now, I will end this post.

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Halfway Mark

2010-10-21T06:38:00.005-06:00

Yep, it's official - We are halfway done!

I must be honest though when I say that this pregnancy has gone by quite slow. It seems like first pregnancies for women always go by the slowest. I remember feeling like I was pregnant for years when I was carrying Braddock because there was so much anticipation in the whole thing, being that it was our first and the unknown was almost too much to handle!

Being pregnant with Emma, on the other hand, was a completely different story! I felt like the time flew by, partly because she was a complete surprise to us, but also because I was so busy trying to take care of Braddock, who was still an infant himself.

Now that we're on to baby numero tres, time seems to be slowing down a bit. Why that is, I am clueless. Maybe because the morning sickness has dragged on much longer than it did with my other pregnancies? Or maybe it's because this pregnancy was planned? OR, maybe it's because my little ones ask me everyday when their baby is going to come home? I guess not knowing what in the world we are having can slow things down a bit too!

Whatever the reason(s), we sure are anxious to meet this little one of ours!

And yes, yes, YES, I realize my blog posting is so inconsistent, so I will share a picture of me at 17 weeks, since I didn't put one up like I should have 3 weeks ago!

And now, here we are at 20 weeks. Yesterday, when I went in for my appointment and stood on that scary thing they call a scale, I learned that I had gained 7 lbs in 4 weeks! What in the??? As a whole, I have gained 12 lbs and am certainly feeling it! I'm still going to the gym - attempting 3 days a week - where I do kickboxing and weights, and am hoping to start running more on the days I don't go. I find that every week gets harder and harder to work out, but I'm determined to just stick with it because I never did with my other two.

I haven't posted ultrasound pics, but we did in fact get to see our little one yesterday as well! Jim and the kids were able to take part in it, along with my mother-in-law, and sister, Alyssa. It was funny that there were so many people in the room, considering the fact that we didn't get to find out the gender, but nonetheless, it was a neat experience to see our little baby. Plus, my kids somewhat understood it!
My favorite part of the whole thing was when the doctor was showing us the baby's vertebrae and Braddock said, "Mom, it's a dinosaur!" I guess all of the baby's skeletal features threw Braddock for a loop!
The doctor did ask us more than once if we were sure we didn't want to know what we were having. That was just pure torture! It is tempting, but we've waited this long...I think we can hold out!

Whatever it is - a boy, a girl, a dinosaur - WE ARE SO EXCITED!

Oh What Fun!

2010-09-29T12:01:00.005-06:00

Yesterday, after the kids and I got home from the gym, I made the decision to delegate the rest of our Tuesday as a Halloween Craft Day.

For the last two years, I have wanted to make these adorable bats that I spotted on my cousin's blog back in 2008, but because I somehow managed to consume my time in other things, I never got around to it.

So yesterday, I loaded the kids in the car, headed to the dollar store, bought some craft supplies (and don't forget a few bags of Halloween candy!),

and then ventured back home to take on the task of crafting with two little ones.

We all changed into some old clothes and painted away.

I must say, I was completely taken back by how well-behaved my kids were and how well they did in participating!

It sure made for a happy and proud mommy.

{sorry for the sideways picture. Blogger is not doing its job right now.}

Look at them painting away!

And how CUTE did these turn out?!

Now all we need are some pumpkins!

Want to make some yourself? Here is the link.

Happy Halloween!

Great News!

2010-08-28T15:03:00.005-06:00

So I really have not kept this a secret AT ALL, but I have failed to mention it on my blog anyhow - We are having a baby!

Baby is due March 4th, ironically on the same exact day that my sister Jenna is due!

Currently, I am 13 weeks along and feeling......well.....better than previously.

This pregnancy sure has been different from the last two. Although I was extremely nauseous with both kids, it did not start until I was between 8 and 9 weeks.

This pregnancy, on the contrary, has left me nauseated and exhausted beginning at 4 weeks.

For a few weeks, I felt like I was surviving solely on Gingerale and nectarines.

I was throwing up at least once a day and would have to wake up every morning at 4 AM and hurry up and eat something because I felt like I was starving to death! At 11 weeks, I was 6 lbs down from when I conceived only because I could not keep anything down.

Now at thirteen weeks, I am proud to say that I have set a record of not hurling for 8 days straight and I am pretty sure that I have regained those 6 lbs and then some!

I don't mean to have a pity party, but this week I feel especially grateful for good health and the ability to live my life again! Never more in my life have I missed going to the grocery store, cooking, cleaning, and running errands - all the things I take for granted when I am healthy.

Here is a picture of our sweet little pinto bean at 8 weeks.

Great belly picture, eh? No face involved. My hair was wet and I was not wearing any makeup which equals scary. Here I am at 13 weeks. Ghetto bootie included.

Currently, my favorite thing to eat is a tuna sandwich on wheat bread with Claussen pickles and Ruffles potato chips. I like to down it with a glass of red wine.

Just kidding. It's cranberry juice, my new favorite drink!

On to other things. My little ones are growing like weeds! Braddock, my very much introverted child, is beginning to open up to other people much more easily. We still have our moments, but it seems like each day he is improving. Besides that, he is so so funny! The kid quotes movies all of the time and when I say certain things he says, "Mom, what movie is that from?" He's a total movie gu-ru and it is entertaining to see him watch movies. He has the cutest deep chuckle you ever heard.
He loves riding his trike ( I think I need to get him a bike) and playing outside in the sandbox. His current favorite person is Uncle Jerry, which he pronounces Uncle Sherri.
I think that will now be my brother's new permanent name.

Emma is our little sweet pea. She talks non-stop and has a face that you could kiss on all day. She loves to read books and eat fruit snacks. She has an obsession with changing her clothes like 37 times a day and she has recently learned how to use the potty! Potty training has been so easy with her. If I walk in the bathroom when she is going, she says, "Mom, you need to get out of here."
Emma is also our accident-prone child. In her 2 year life span, she has fainted twice, pulled her elbow out of place (okay, mommy did that one...on accident) and recently injured her arm while wrestling with her dad, uncle, and brother. She also always trips and falls! I have always felt a need to keep her under my wing just because I know she is bound to get hurt!
Nonetheless, she is our little angel who truly cares about others' feelings and wants everyone to be happy all of the time.

So here is our life in a nutshell right now! We are so happy to welcome a new baby into the family. Whether it's a boy or a girl, it will be a complete surprise to us! We have decided not to find out the gender as we have one of each and will be happy with whatever we get. Some people think we are crazy. We probably are. Anyhow, more posts to come shortly. Promise.

Half Marathon

2010-07-08T06:23:00.003-06:00

Once upon a time, in the fall of 2009, during the month of October, a mother of two children decided that she wanted to make a habit of running in the mornings, 3-4 times a week.

On day 1 of this attempt, this anxious and determined mother ran 1.5 miles and BOY, was she oh so proud! (she was also very exhausted and sweaty). The next week, she decided to get a running partner to tag along with her since she felt like it would make her runs a more pleasant experience, so she asked a friend who served in Young Women's with her, Marilee .

When Marilee began running with her, she insisted that they increase the distance to 3.2 miles. The once anxious and determined mother was now frightened and decided maybe running alone wasn't so bad. However, Marilee's enthusiasm and will-power encouraged this young lady to stick with it!

Pretty soon, the 3.2 mile runs became less and less strenuous and the urge to run became more and more desirable. By the end of October, the young mother and her dear friend, Marilee decided it was time to participate in a 5k in Salem, Utah.

Though the word "5k" once terrified the young mother, it now had a ring of excitement to it!

On the morning of October 31st, the race began. It was cold. It was crowded. It was a little intimidating. But when the gun went off, it was incredible! So many people running! Some were old, some were very very young, some were performance athletes while others seemed to be running for their first time.

Throughout the race, the young mother was determimed.

Determined to be positive, determined to focus, and determined to endure.

After 27 minutes of determination, it happened!

I, this young mother we have been reffering to, finished the race.

It was a proud moment in history.

A few months later, my husband's cousin, Jami encouraged me to run another race on May 1st - this time it would be a half marathon in Sacramento, California.

Yes, people. That is 13.1 miles.

Really?

I really thought there could be no possible way, but my mind gave in to the idea and soon, in 6 weeks, my family would be venturing to Sacramento so that I and my sister, Alyssa could take on the challenge.

Each Saturday, prior to the race, Alyssa and I trained. The first week we ran 6 miles which seemed like an enormous victory for us! But then the next week, we ran 8 and 6 miles did not seem like a big deal. Pretty soon we were up to 11 miles, which made 8 miles look like a piece of cake.

When it came time for the race, a wave of emotions began to take over.

I was nervous, anxious, excited, determined, and oh, did i say nervous?

However, the nerves settled down when Alyssa and I were able to find Jami, her husband, and friends amongst the crowd of 3000+ people.

There is something very comforting about knowing that you are in this together!

And we were!

(Below: Stephanie, Jami, Alyssa, Me, Tim, and Shanna)

The first 5 miles were at complete ease for me. In fact, many conversations took place amongst all of us during this time.

Between the 6th and 8th miles, my body began telling me that it was getting tired, so I had to start talking to myself (not out loud, of course).

Then, after what seemed like an eternity, the 9 mile marker approached us. Though it was 70 degrees outside, the sun beating down on me made it feel more like 90.

Then 10 came. Hallelujah! I literally shouted that because I needed a drink really bad (each mile marker there was Gatorade or water available).

Finally, 11 came - More Gatorade, please!

Throughout the 11th mile, my sister had to tell me lots of positive things like "You can do it!" or "We're almost done!" or "Don't stop now!" I had to start talking to myself (out loud, of course!)It was all I could do to stay in the game til' the 12th mile, where I was sure I would be re-energized after taking one last swig of water.

However, disappointment sunk in when we hit the 12th mile only to find empty cups where the people on the sidelines were saying, "Sorry, we ran out of drinks."

Uh, what?

To me at the time, these people were traitors, liars, and thieves. I felt utterly betrayed.

How on earth could I possibly get to the finish line now?! I felt hopeless.

But then something magical set in.

I started thinking about my family. My kids. I started thinking about how I never want my kids to give up on me, so I should never give up on them.

I started thinking about my health and how important it is to stay fit as a wife and mother and individual.

I started thinking about how I feel when victory takes place.

Pretty soon, I could hear the crowds cheering. Then I SAW the crowds.

My sister and I began sprinting to the finish line!

The adrenaline set in again, though this time every muscle in my body throbbed!

After what seemed like several minutes of sprinting (probably more like 15 seconds), it was done. FINISHED. COMPLETE.

It was wonderful to see Jim and the kids at the end. Oh, how I missed them so!

(yes, I have more pictures I need to aquire from my sister's camera, as mine died right before the race)

How grateful I am for my sister who pushed me every step of the way! She truly is an amazing person!

Though the ride seemed rough at times, I am grateful for the encouragement of so many people who helped me accomplish something that I never thought was possible!

The Family Room

2010-05-31T20:38:00.002-06:00

The last few weeks I have been busy busy trying to get my basement family room put together.

I have been pleased with the way it is turning out, although I still have a lot to do! Still, it has been so much fun working on it and making it better than it was originally. I only have one before picture to post.

This chair was ugly. Actually there is 4 of them. My husband brought them home from a job and was going to take them to the dump! What the?! Yeah, I know. I told him I would give them a little TLC and they would be as good as gold.

He did not believe me until he saw this.

And this.

I bought this clock that I am in love with. I also put together this flower arrangement.

I also purchased this bookshelf at Wal-Mart. Who woulda' thought Wally World would sell such a great piece of furniture?!It's ridiculously heavy too. I still have to fill it up, but have not decided how I am going to finish it off.

Sorry about this picture - a little blurry. The table was once ugly, but I painted it red. Now, it sits underneath our tv and I'm happy to call it family.

Last but not least - This is definitely my favorite. I made a coat rack which cost me a whopping $5.00! I took a piece of barnwood from my in-law's farm, smudged it with some white paint and small hints of brown, then I screwed some hooks onto it! I can't say this was my idea though. The credit goes to my favorite friend, Kassie. Anyhow, these are just bits and pieces of my family room, but so far, SO GOOD!

Emma's turn.

2010-04-07T17:21:00.006-06:00

I love her. What can I say more? She lights up our family and makes us all laugh at her randomness.

Her birthday was pretty low-key at our house. She opened up one present, which was a little dalmatian puppy (fake, by the way) which she was totally thrilled about. She kept kissing it and giggling every time it would crawl across the table.

Since her birthday was on a Sunday, she enjoyed or should I say endured three hours of church. Afterwards, we headed over to grandma's house for a little birthday party. We frosted cookies and ate some yummy cake and ice cream!

So now, Emma has been two for a couple of months and has grown to be quite the little girl.

Currently, she:

Loves moving her head to the beat of any Taylor Swift song.

Lives off a special diet of cheese, candy, chocolate milk, shrimp ?, and more cheese.

Gives very big squeezes (aka hugs).

Insists on dressing herself.

Humbly declares to anyone and everyone that she is a princess.

Prefers wearing a dress everyday of the week.

Calls people on the phone and talks incessantly until i take the phone away from her.

Loves to color and read books.

Prefers only two movies - "Babe" and "101 Dalmatians".

Finds joy in wrestling her brother, dad, and twin cousins.

Cannot go on with life without her "tee-tee" (aka blankie).

We love you, Emma and all of the funny things you say. You are a sass as well as a rough-and-tough little girl! Thanks for bringing us so much joy.

Birthdays. Let's talk about them.

2010-04-07T16:34:00.004-06:00

Yes, lots of birthdays this year. Am I really 4 months behind? This is completely discouraging, but I am not going to surrender! I have to catch up and I have to stick with it! The last four months have confined me to history books, studying, and more studying. When I am not doing those things, I am devoting my time to my children and my husband. I still keep my eye on everyone's blogs, but the thought of me sitting down and updating my own, has seemed treacherous and unappealing. I miss it. Oh, I miss it so! So here I am again re-entering myself into the blogging world {for the 47th time}, but let us think positive!

So, let's start at the very beginning - A very good place to start. {If you can tell me what movie that is from, I will give you a big hug}.

Birthdays! Jim is up. My husband, Jim. He turned 26 in January, which means he is 4 years closer to 30. He still is my hunk and I love him!

For his special day, he went to work. Okay, so there was more to it than that. He came home that night and I told him to go get a haircut because that is what wives do when it is their husband's birthday. Then his mom came over with a present that he has ever since been in love with. Look down at the last picture to get a glimpse of it...........

It's a GPS!

He had been talking about getting one for the last year. It was highly needed as he is a contractor and travels all over the state of Utah. Let me just say that I think I was rejoicing over this gift a whole lot more than he was. If you only knew how much I enjoyed the Pre-GPS era when Jim would call me to have me look online for directions to a job site that he could not find and then trying to give him directions over the phone was quite pleasant. {I said that with much sarcasm}. Anyhow, it was a glorious experience to see Jim open up that gift.

The other gift that Jim's mom gave to us was taking the kids! Jim and I went out on the town, baby! All by ourselves! Okay, so maybe it was just to the food court at the mall and then to a movie! But hey, it was kind of a big deal.

Happy 26th Birthday, Jim. Love you.

My Valentine

2010-02-14T11:58:00.002-07:00

See this guy right here?

He's learning what makes me happy. You see, he left to church to do some Elder's Quorum stuff and took the kids with him to give me a break.

A TWO HOUR break I might add!

Oh, how I love you, Jim.

Even if you prefer to wear your brown pants with black shoes. Thanks for being

my Valentine.

{PS. More to come. I have way too much posting to do!}

Dear Anonymous Comment People,

2010-01-11T08:10:00.002-07:00

I am tired of your rude and hurtful remarks. I made this blog to record my family's experiences AND as a personal outlet for me when I want to do something besides laundry, cooking, feeding kids, refereeing kids, running errands, or doing homework. I did not make this blog so that I could click on my comments and see that some anonymous person (YOU) had written that my blog is boring or other hurtful things. Right now, I am tempted to shut down the whole blog altogether and find another outlet, but I probably won't because that would mean NO MORE BLOGGING! I can't even imagine how sad I would be if I had to stop something I love doing.......even if I don't do it as much as I used to. Anyhow, thanks to whoever you people are for making me feel downright awful about myself and my blogging. An additional thanks goes to all of my blogging friends who can leave a comment without being anonymous! Way to go! I truly appreciate your comments and I love reading your blogs!

Yours truly,

Bethany

December and ALL that it brought with it.

2010-01-05T16:07:00.010-07:00

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Our Christmas was grand and wonderful. I am sure you all can only guess that the following pictures are only going to be about none other than our Christmas.......you are right! You all probably care less about what we did for Christmas, but hey, I am going to bore you anyway.

Although December seemed to fly by, I truly enjoyed every minute of it! I tried to find time amidst all of the holiday chaos to just take time to breath. The perfect solution always seemed to be sitting in the front room by the tree and looking at the pretty white lights. Loved it!

We also put a tree up this year in our downstairs family room. I decided it would be fun to string cereal for the tree and my children decided it would be fun to eat all the cereal off the tree.

We will definitely be making this cereal thing a Christmas tradition.

One day while I was sitting in the living room {enjoying the pretty white lights} I could not get over how beautiful winter looked from my front window.

So I took a picture of it.

The best part about this picture is that Jim is the one on the 4 wheeler with Braddock on his lap pulling some random kid on a sled. Gotta love Jim.

Christmas Eve night was the bestest. We all {meaning my family, Alyssa, my mom, and Jerry} headed over to my sister Jacey's home in Spanish Fork for a Christmas Eve Extravaganza.

This picture was thrown in randomly, but it's cute anyway. Braddock and Emma are laying in their cousin Lucas' bed getting ready for Santa! They loved everything about Christmas!

Anyway, back to the Christmas Eve Extravaganza......................

We all wore our best Christmas attire {AKA: White Trash Wal-Mart Christmas shirts}. We also feasted on delicious baked shrimp cooked by none other than our wonderful mother!

My mom had dogs on her shirt. If you know my mom, you would know my mom would never wear dogs on any of her clothing unless of course......it fell on the night of our Christmas Eve Extravaganza.

I also don't know why they are holding empty stockings.

Me and my sister Jacey.

Me and Alyssa sporting the Christmas fashion {jewelry and hideous pants included}

My cute Jim with Hallie and Ben.

Jim and Jerry wrestling. Ridiculous.

Jim and I! { P.S. Jim's shirt is so creepy and so is my hair.}

After stuffing ourselves with shrimp, pasta salad, garlic cheese rolls, French fries, and lots of Sparkling Cider, it was time to crash and get ready for Santa to come. Poor Jim had to run home at 11 o'clock at night because he forgot our stocking stuffers!

Christmas morning was so much fun. I never thought it would be so exciting to see your kids come out and wonder what they got from Santa! It was so exciting, that I forgot to take pictures! Braddock got some Lincoln Logs, clothes, and books and Emma got a baby doll that came with a bottle and binkie.

And mom?

Well what to my wondering eyes should appear but a....

Laptop computer! My husband is wonderful.

I feel bad that I did not take more pictures of Christmas, but I usually don't during the exciting moments. However, we loved our Christmas! Thanks to all of our family and friends for the wonderful gifts. We enjoyed every minute with all of you!

Okay so our family's Christmas gift was the remodeling of the downstairs. Like I have said before, much of what has gone into this home is blood. sweat. and tears.

I thought I would show you a glimpse of what we have done.

This is one of the guest rooms. It used to be a sick-nasty storage room. When I took this picture, there were beds on the floor for Jim's family that came to visit. Don't worry. They're not there anymore......not that you were worried. Now the room is empty and I need to beautify it.

This room used to be another sick-nasty room that we converted to a storage room. New sheet rock, paint, and flooring did the trick!

Our family room!! Yea!!! My husband rocked that fireplace. He is hot. New lighting, sheet rock, baseboard, carpet, paint, electrical was done by him as well. Did I mention I love him?

Another view of the family room.....

I have so many other pictures to show, but I will do that in a later post as you must all be pictured out!

Now, I will leave you with this picture because it is happy and makes Christmas all that much more grand and wonderful!

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Our Family.

2009-11-24T07:20:00.009-07:00

A couple of months ago, I began realizing that we so desperately needed to get some family pictures. I have not had them done since before Emma was born [sadly] and made an effort to start looking around to find someone who could take them for us. I was lucky to find Natalie Park through a friend of mine on Facebook and thank goodness I found her because she was just what we needed!

Here are some of my favorites.

Braddock looking like he is praying or going to do a cheer jump???? Either way, I was getting so frustrated with him because he hates the camera and trying to take a picture of him was beyond difficult. Natalie was so patient with us!

So there you have it. I am in love with all of these photos! In fact, I have looked at them everyday for the past week trying to decide which ones I am going to put in my family room and which ones I am going to give to family. There are so many others that I loves that I did not post on here. So much fun!

Thanks again to Natalie for taking such amazing photos of our family even if they were not perfectly posed, they describe us perfectly. If anyone lives in Utah or wants to get their pictures taken in Utah, visit her site HERE . Not only is she talented, but she's reasonable! Give her business and trust me, you will not be disappointed!

Halloween.

2009-11-10T15:28:00.006-07:00

Halloween was pretty exciting in our neck of the woods. I started the morning off by running a 5k in Salem provided by our good friends, the Salem Hills High School Cross Country team! Key word in that sentence is HILLS! Yes, there were some moments while I was running where I would have preferred falling over and dying than enduring those treacherous hills, but somehow I endured! I completed the 3.2 mile challenge in 27 minutes and decided afterwards that my next race would have to wait until we approached the warmer months.

This here picture was stolen off of my dear friend Marilee's blog. We even dressed up in costume for the event!

{My eyes look creepy. This was intended for Halloween}

So this was not on Halloween, but we all know that celebrating Halloween should begin at least a couple of weeks in advance. Me and my buddy, Braddock decided to make some yummy sugar cookies. You can't go wrong inviting a three year old boy to make a mess on the counter.....or can you? He loved rolling out the dough and digging his little hands into the flour container. I think, however, his satisfaction peaked when he got to decorate and taste test {numerous times} the frosting.

We also celebrated my niece and nephew, Del and Melanie's birthday. All of the kids were greeted at Grandma Marilee's home with pirate attire and swords. I'm seriously inlove with his moustache.

So costumes............Do I really need to explain more?

We had to REALLY talk Braddock and Emma into getting into these masses of fluff and fur. Can you blame them? I had the bear costume hanging in their closet a week before Halloween and every night when I put Braddock to bed he would say, "Shhh, mom.......can you hear the bear? He's snoring." I really think Braddock was convinced that it was alive. Finally, after much talking through and BRIBING, we managed to have them in costume for Halloween night. We did not go door to door, but instead headed over to the good ole' Trunk or Treat that our ward put on. I vote that that is the best way to trick or treat for toddlers and I am sticking to it!

September & October Highlights.....

2009-10-22T15:00:00.008-06:00

I could write a novel right now if I wanted to on how busy we have been the last month, but I won't bore you.
{Here are some of our highlights} :

1. Date night with the kiddies.

Jim was super busy the last couple of months with work, which meant mom couldn't leave dad to entertain the kids for the night while I relaxed.

So what did we do?...........Built a fort! What else?!! We've been watching movies while under this fort and sometimes I was even brave enough to give my kids popcorn which always resulted in a good vacuum the next morning.

Under our fort.

2. Mom's Birthday Celebration
On the 12th of September, we flew my mom up here to celebrate her 30th birthday!! (Okay, so I edited the numbers a little bit). It was so nice to have her up here and the best part of it was..........

........We got to watch her beat a pinata!!! (I guess Sesame Street was our only choice?)

We love you, mom and can't wait to have you up here with us!

3. Spending a number of days at the park.

The weather here in Payson, Utah is pretty much celestial-like right now. It's been nice to have rainy cold days, but I sure do treasure the sunny ones too, and so do my kids! We've even gone a few times with my friend and her cute little boys.

I heart these faces.

Baby Krew: Is he not the cutest thing ever?!

4. Hayride

We headed over to the Red Barn in Santaquin where they offer a fun 10 minute hayride to their pumpkin patch! This was Braddock's birthday present from mom and dad. A tractor ride, pumpkins, and an icecream cone........what more could a kid ask for?! {Also on a side note: their maple nut icecream is divine}.

Auntie Lyssa came with!

Our family.

Isn't mine and Emma's hair awesome?

5. Birthday party for Braddock.

Jim's mom put on a lovely birthday party for Braddock!

{Braddock used a portion of the pinata as a party hat.}

Thanks, Mom for making Braddock's birthday an extra special one!

6. Adding some "fall" to our home

If you know me, you know I love the months of October through December! It means pumpkins, candles, blankets, cornbread and chili, Christmas music, sweaters, family, and putting out your festive home decor.

I love rod iron pumpkins.......

......holiday wreaths and signs.....

and anything else I can find to put in my house!

7. A new calling.

Two weeks ago, Jim was called to be Elders Quorum President in our ward. This has been a calling that has kept Jim on his feet and me, once again, having lots of time with the kids to myself. In no way am I complaining! We have seen the blessings flow from the time and energy he has put into it.

Other highlights have included:

-finishing my research paper for my Human Development Lifespan course.

(it's not due til' December.....which means I'm a nerd......and also I don't have to worry about it through the holidays!)

-took the kids to see Toy Story 3-D. It was a hit! Braddock still says, "Mom, we went and saw Buzz Lightyear last night, huh?!" (he doesn't understand the concept of time yet)

-Sudying, studying, studying for my math final

-Wiping noses

-Being cautious about my diet for three weeks in a row(first time ever)

-Watching old western movies with Jim every night.

-Eating apples with peanut butter (thank you, Jenna for the brilliant idea!)

- Going to D.I. and trying on costumes

-Cleaning and organizing my unfinished basement

-Skeet shooting with the Elders Quorum

All in all, we have had a busy, yet enjoyable month!

Happy Fall, Everyone!

Braddock's Scripture Study

2009-09-25T07:52:00.002-06:00

For the last while, Braddock has been talking more and more, but his speech has been a little hard to understand. Jim and I decided to have him read a couple verses every night from the scriptures and we are already seeing some progress! I posted this video because it makes me happy. [I laugh at the very end because he always argues with us how words should be said].

Three and Cute as Can Be!

2009-09-20T15:40:00.006-06:00

Tomorrow is Braddock's 3rd birthday and I just want to take a moment to express my love for our little guy! He is one of the greatest blessings in our lives. Here are some reasons why we love him....

His eyes smile.

Right after I delivered him, he hung out for an hour in the room with me and just looked at everyone. He was totally chill. Every time I think of that moment, I smile inside. He really was the best baby!

His sweet face.

His beautiful blue eyes.

His chubby cheeks.

His sweetness.

His "fix-anything" attitude.

(This is him at 14 months old. He found a screwdriver and after watching his dad, he decided to work on the garbage disposal underneath the sink. To this day, he always has a tool of some sort and can associate what each of them are used for.)

His love for his sister.

His love of playing outside. I would have to say that the outdoors is where he feels most at home.

His shyness. (Look at that bashful face!)

His admiration for his dad. He really is his hero and I'm not just saying that!

He's a mama's boy.

His many silly faces.

Braddock, we love you so much! Thank you for your patience, love, and sweetness. Even though you don't know it, you teach your family so many things. When mom and dad are quick to get angry with you, you are always so quick to forgive. It brings us joy to hear you say your prayers, talk about being baptized, and how you are going to be a missionary when you get bigger. Thanks for making mommy laugh everyday! You never fail to quote the movie "Elf", which is fine with me cause that's my favorite movie! We are so proud of you and all that you have learned this past year and are looking forward to what you will learn during your 3rd year of life!

Happy Birthday, Bud!

When Jim goes hunting......

2009-08-30T15:46:00.003-06:00

....................I am usually sad.

But when Jim told me a couple of weeks ago that he would be hunting......

I was thrilled!

You see, my very good friend Kassie {who by the way is my neighbor} informed me that her husband would be going hunting too.

What does this mean??

Craft time!!

Amber, thank you for posting this fun glittered pumpkin project on your blog! Such a great idea!

I have to say that the pictures that I took of these pumpkins look way uglier than they actually are. They look pretty darn good up close and personal!

{The finished product}
{First step: buy some small FAKE pumpkins at the dollar store. }
{Second step: Paint them brown.}
{Third step: Brush mod podge glue all over them.}

{ Last: Cover with glitter.}

[I would recommend the fine powdered glitter as it gives the pumpkins

a much more elegant look]

We are finished!!!

Seriously, what should have only taken us 2 hours to do, took us a whole 11 hours!

Remember we had 4 children under the age of 2 we were partying with.

To your surprise, I would have to say the 11 hours was worth it!

Here is what we did (besides the pumpkins):

-played with the kids

-ate this caramel apple Skor bar dip thing (we'll have a whole 'nother post on this one later)

-played with the kids

- talked and talked and talked

-ate more dip

-refereed the kids

-talked

-ate pizza with the kids

-brought in another dip - artichoke this time.

-put the kids to bed before they all killed each other

-talked

-laughed our heads off

-took ridiculous pictures (they are pure black male and probably won't be posted on this here blog)

-talked some more

All in all, we had sooooo much fun!!!!!

Look how pretty!!

I now give you the suggestion to find a fun friend to make glitter pumpkins with!

You won't be disappointed.

Now they're sitting on my counter. I can't wait for fall!

There's no place like home.

2009-08-10T16:46:00.007-06:00

Last Friday, July 31st, our little family journeyed southward to Mesa, Arizona.

Surprisingly, my kids were angels. We left at 2 AM and arrived at 1 in the afternoon.

They slept 70% of the time. And when they were awake.........

they were happy.

Blogger is making me mad right now. Some of my pictures are insisting to stay sideways.

Sorry.

We stayed with Jim's mom and dad in Mesa. I don't have any current pictures of Jim and his dad, so hence my reason for taking the following picture.

On Sunday, (yes, it was the Sabbath), Jim took the kids outside to wade their little feet in the pool.

I should have guessed it would turn out like this! In Sunday clothes and everything!

Mwahhhh!!!

My little sabbath-breakers were drenched!

While I went to my friend Cara's baby shower, Jim and his dad took Braddock to the Bass Pro Shop. If you know my son, you would know that he has a strong passion for hunting bears. I don't know where he learned that?????

Anyhow, Grandpa Epps bought him his own rifle. (Don't worry, people. It's a harmless toy).

When Braddock's great grandma came to visit, she insisted on giving it a try.

All I can say is.........awesome.

On Wednesday, our poor little Braddock came down with a high fever. Jim and his dad gave him a blessing and two minutes later, Braddock literally threw the cold cloth that was on his head onto the floor and said, "No more owies. I want to play."

The power of the priesthood is real.

While Braddock was sick, Emma mourned. She was so sad for him and insisted on laying on top of him as a way to comfort her brother. Although her intentions were good, Braddock disagreed with the whole idea.

Our final night there was spent outside at the pool (shocker). My mom came over to my in-laws and we ate pizza and visited.

I had to get a picture with them! Too bad my mascara is melting off my face!

I'm so glad we were able to go down and visit! I will be honest though when I say that there truly is no place like home! The last 8 times that Jim and I have gone down to visit, we always want to stay. This time, however, I realized where home is. I love Utah and everything about it and probably will never leave. I love the weather, the people, the patriotism, and the fact that so many of the fun events that take place here involve family and unity!

Still, Arizona holds a lot of cherished memories for both Jim and I and we will continue to keep the tradition of visiting often.

Thank you to our parents who fed us, sheltered us and let us have a fun time in Arizona!

We love you all and miss you!

Inadequacies

2009-07-12T16:58:00.006-06:00

Have you ever tried to avoid something because you feel like you aren't good enough or smart enough and you fear failure if you attempt to do that certain thing?

OR
Have you ever looked back on your life at something you used to be good at and thought, " I'll never be good at that like I used to be."?

WELL, I DO THAT ALL OF THE TIME!

And I'm here to tell you that it's
coming to an end, my friends.

Let me tell you a story.........
5 years ago, I decided to continue to pursue my education after I graduated high school. Why wouldn't I? Jim was on his mission still and I had nothing better to do. (Yes, this was the poor, crummy attitude that I had about school). So I enrolled myself in some courses that would route me to an Elementary Education degree. And guess what? ...........................I thought it was dumb. Sad, but true story. I kept my grades up just enough to pass with all A's, but truly, my heart was not in it. I just wanted Jim to come home so we could get married.
SO, my wish was granted and now, 4 1/2 years later, I feel like I am living the dream. I live in a beautiful state with a home that I love, a loving husband, and 2 beautiful children. I feel like the last 4 years have been so good to me and indeed, I AM BLESSED.
The last few months, however, I have had a few nudges.......this little voice keeps telling me that I need to go back to school. I tried to ignore it. Besides, I have way too much on my shoulders right now like my full-time job called CHILDREN. Still, this little voice persists, and now I am putting up my flag of surrender and saying,

"Alrighty then! I guess it's time!"
SO, I am heading back to complete my degree in Elementary Education at UVU, hopefully this Fall Semester, if not, Spring Semester.

Do I want to be an Elementary Teacher?
I don't know yet, but I know that is what I am supposed to do.
Do I feel like my brain is completely fried and all I know are my ABC's and 1-2-3's?
Yes. That's all I'm going to say about that.
Do I feel overwhelmed and concerned about the time I will get to spend with my children?
Definitely. In fact, this has been the hardest part about making this decision. Yet, I know that the Lord will make sure I am able to give them all of the love and attention they need from me as their mother.
Does the light at the end of this tunnel seem pretty distant?
You better believe it!
Am I going to do it anyway?
Yes.
This is what the Lord wants me to do, so I am going to put my faith in Him and trust that He will help me with this.

Wish me luck! (I need all the luck I can get).
P.S. Here is some pictures of the ones who help me
"keep the faith".
Jim, you do too. I love you. :)

Here we go.....

2009-07-04T13:12:00.008-06:00

Okay. Here it goes. Deep breaths. I am blogging today after 6 weeks of not doing so. The last few weeks I will walk in my office ready to blog, but then I think of all the events that have taken place this summer and I start to feel.........well......a little overwhelmed. Too many pictures to download, too much information to jot down, and oh,

SO LITTLE TIME!

But today on this beautiful 4th of July, I am feeling relaxed. My kids are napping, my husband is napping (he should be working on the storage room), and the house is now

QUIET.

I am ready to blog and hopefully maintain my blogging on a regular basis.

Here we goes!

Let me start by saying that I am LOVING THE SUMMER. The weather here has been gorgeous. I am pretty sure it's only been 90 degrees like 3 times so far the last month. Hence, my reason for going on a walk with my kids every morning.....well, almost every morning. My good friend, Kassie and her two boys tug along with us. We love it. Last month we took them to the park and they were in heaven!

Also, can I say thank heavens for trampolines?! Braddock, and now Emma love to play on it. I always let them jump for a good half hour before nap time because then they are

OUT COLD.

The end of May, I and the babies (not Jim because he was at a UFC fight) headed to good ole' Worland, Wyoming for Jim's cousin's wedding. Let me repeat myself. Yes, this is Jim's cousin and YES, he was at a UFC fight. Okay, I'll shut up about that, babe.

Anyhow, what a treat! The night before, the groom's parents treated us to a tasty Mexican food dinner. I, as a lone mother with two children, was so happy they did this outside because my children don't do so hot at restaurants (that's another story).

But don't they look like they are having so much fun?

That's because they were.

They found the dessert table.

Braddock & Katelynn

My cute little niece, Brielle. Gotta love the chocolate face.

Do you know how practically impossible it is to take a picture of 5 kids at one time?

Here we are the next day at the wedding. I am pathetic because I didn't get any pictures of the bride and groom. Let me say though, that they looked JUST BEAUTIFUL and HAPPY.

The ceremony was so nice and the wedding luncheon was amazing. Once again, I loved the whole outdoors idea.

Here is one of Braddock and his Grandma, who he calls Ba-Pa (????)

Emma being Emma.

Braddock being a bear. He is now obsessed with bears and killing them. Last week, Jim drew a picture of a bear on our ward program during Sacrament meeting. I won't even go into detail of what happened, but we had to exit Braddock out of the chapel because he was roaring and growling so ferociously.

Next on our list, we got camping. Did you know that I live 15 minutes away from one of the most beautiful canyons in Utah? It's true. And I camped there. Payson Canyon, it's called.

We went with our friends, Kassie and Joe and their two boys.

Braddock in the pickup.

Emma and Dad at the campfire.

Cute little Aaden and Braddock being boys.

Jim's aunt posted this picture on her blog and I stole it from her. Thanks, Aunt Jeana!

This was taken on Jim's parents farm a few weeks ago and I love it. I don't know why. Maybe because my husband looks.......stunning?

So this is all I have for now. Actually, I downloaded a lot more pictures, but they somehow disappeared, so I think I am going to call it quits for today. Stay tuned because there is lots more!

To My Mom:

2009-05-09T23:12:00.002-06:00

Mom, I didn't send you a card.

I did this on purpose.

I know it sounds cruel, but I have been thinking the last week (since Mother's Day is coming up) how GRATEFUL I am for you and the truly wonderful person that you are.

I thought I'd introduce everyone else to you since you are one of my favorite people.

Here it goes:

Many of you fellow bloggers know my mom pretty well already.......Well enough to know that she is one of the sweetest, kindest, genuine, funniest people ever.

She almost always has a smile on her face (a beautiful one too!) . She'd probably kill me if I told you how old she is, but let me just say that she hides her age VERY well.

Everytime I see this picture, it cracks me up! I always start singing in my head the song, "Taking care of business!......" because my mom is always taking care of business. This woman is a busy bee and she puts her heart and soul into everything she does. She raised us kids mostly on her own and somehow she managed to be a faithful temple-goer, visiting teacher, and a strong active member of the LDS church all at the same time.

My mom is known for taking some amazingly funny photos. This one is funny, but you should see the other ones I have hidden in my folders. She'd kill me for that too. My mom has such a great sense of humor. We love to quote movies in our family, but my mom always quotes them wrong.

Do we like to make fun of her for it?

The answer is yes.

This is one of my favorite pictures. Why?

Because this is when my brother (the youngest in the family) was ordained an Elder. My mom has had the opportunity to see all of her 5 children go through the temple.

Her hard work has paid off!

My mom is known to her grandkids as "Nana". She is one of the best Nana's in the world. She holds a special place in her heart for each of her 8 grandchildren.

(Mom & Braddock October 2006)

(Mom with Jack & Henry April 2007)

I just want my mom to know how deeply grateful I am for her. I think she can look back on her life as she has raised her kids and know it only to be a SUCCESS. I've never known her to NOT depend on her Heavenly Father for guidance and direction in her life. She has always stayed true to the faith, and for that, I feel so grateful to the Lord for placing me in her home.

I love you mom, and hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day! Thanks for being the

best mom ever!

Small Country Livin' & Vegas?

2009-05-04T07:18:00.005-06:00

I think you might be jealous if I told you that my in-laws live on a farm and we only live 10 minutes away from their place.

Why, you ask?

Because it is a wonderland for a kid!

Everyday, Braddock talks about going to this farm and playing with the tractors, riding with grandpa on the BIG tractor, feeding the cows, and seeing the horsies. He cannot get enough of the life on the farm.

Two Sundays ago, after we ate a home-cooked delicious meal at Jim's parents home, we went outside to the beautiful 70 degree sunshine weather, and jumped on the back of an old farm truck while Jim gave us a tour of the place.

It was HEAVEN.
(Braddock with his cousin Katelynn)

Yes, all you see is manure in the background, but believe me, this is not what they were excited about. There were cows behind that fence!

Out yonder, there's a big sandbox for the kids to play in, so I sat Emma in it and she too was in HEAVEN.

Thank you to Grandma & Grandpa Partridge for providing the Fun & Free entertainment!
We love you!

So let me explain to you the whole Vegas thing.

Two Saturdays ago, Jim and I found out that his Dad (who lives in Arizona) was in Vegas for work and he wanted us to meet him there to give us their "old" leather couches. To them, their old, but to us......it's like Christmas! You'll see what I am talking about when we complete our downstairs family room and I take pictures of them. They look brand spankin' new! Anyhow, we had about 30 minutes to get our stuff together and jett out!

We left at 8 o'clock at night.

Good thing these kids were in a good mood!
Emma made this cheese face because...................

She has to do everything her brother does.

Braddock & Emma did amazing the ride there.

(Except for the fact that Emma hates anything strapped to her and would cry due to several unsuccessful attempts of removing her car seat straps.)

For the most part though, they slept.

We arrived at two in the morning, slept at the house Jim's dad was staying in, and we (meaning our family of four) shared a small full size bed.

That was interesting.

(that's all I'll say about that)
The next morning, we let the kids run & crawl (yes, Emma is still NOT walking) around this mansion.

The two were fascinated by what was outside this window.

And Emma was fascinated by what was inside this can.

It probably would have cost me my life if I had taken it away from her.

Oh well, we're on vacation.

And then the can was empty and this was her face the rest of the time.
A bit discouraged?

Look at those dirty hands!

Proof that all she does is crawl.

So we got our couches and headed back at 11 AM on Sunday.

We went through the Vegas strip, where I felt completely defiled.

Seriously, I'm not a fan.

I wanted to be back on the farm.

SO, we headed back to our HOME and now we have couches!!!!

Which cannot be used right now.

Lame.

Also, I really need to start taking pictures of Jim and I.

I'm tired.

2009-04-15T16:11:00.003-06:00

I am going to be honest.
I try really hard to avoid being negative when I write on my blog. Don't get me wrong....my life is crazy and I have my bad days, but I try to focus on the good things because those are the things I want to remember in my life.
However, I just want to vent today.
I am tired. I make an effort to go to the gym 3 to 4 days a week, but for some reason, my body is not in the mood this week. I LOVE working out - that is not the part I dread. I dread having to get my kids dressed every morning then have them fed and out the door by 8:30. I know, SERIOUSLY, they aren't even in school yet.

Then when we get to the gym, I hussle them into the daycare(s) - YES, 2 different daycares because of their ages, write their names on a sticker that has to be on them, fill out a label for Emma, and sign both of them in on another form.
Monday, I was determined to start the week off fresh by going. Braddock & Emma, on the other hand, had NO intentions whatsoever of doing so. Braddock's lovely fit-throwing started as I was loading the kids into the car. He wanted to take his baseball with him. I didn't want to hear the crying, so I gave him what he wanted. (Bad on my part).
When we got to the gym, I had to try to convince Braddock to leave the ball in the car. Fortunately, he obediently followed my instructions. Woo hoo!
But as we walked into the daycare, Braddock decided AGAIN that he didn't want to be there. It took me and one of the daycare ladies to pull him off my leg. Awesome.
By the time I got to kick boxing class, I felt like I had already had my workout. I was tired and just wanted to crawl back into bed.
Thirty minutes into our cardio, the daycare lady comes into class to let me know Braddock needs a diaper change, so I go to get him, and then wait for our turn to use the bathroom where the changing table was at. I ended up waiting for 10 minutes (by that time, I am cooled down, and ready to just get out of there). But the little voice inside me said, "NO, stick with it." So I got his diaper changed and dropped him off again. The second time was no better than the first.
I got back to class, did 10 more minutes of cardio, then left.
When I got home, I ate two brownies.
Hence, the reason I have not gone back since then.
There are other reasons too. The weather right now is depressing. It is cold and snowy. Yes, it's April 15th, and it's snowing.
Growing up in AZ, I looked forward to the cloudy, cold, rainy days, but now that I live here, I only prefer them at Christmas time.
Winter has gone on long enough!
So there is my venting. Sorry, I hope I didn't depress any of you.
Here are the things that have made me happy this week!

*Baking homemade wheat bread. It smells so good, it tastes so good, and it is healthy!
*Reading in the Book of Alma. There are so many great NEW things that I have learned.
*Going to the park in Nephi with my sister Jenna and her cute twin boys - AKA Braddock's best friends.
*Reading to my babies.
*Buying a fly swatter. (weird one, but we have had so many flies!)
* Watching Les Miserables.
* Seeing my kids fold their arms when we have prayer.
* Having Easter with my family & reflecting on the Savior and ALL that He has done for me.
*Decorating my home.

Here are some pictures to leave you with.

I bought this mirror at a store in Arizona called Fallas de Paredes (yeah, you get the idea) like 4 1/2 years ago.

Cara, I think you were with me.

Anyhow, it was cream with red roses, so I touched it up a little bit. I think it was $5.

Now this hangs above my toilet in our bathroom.

Rodworks is the best store ever! Thanks, Kassie for inviting me to go to their half off sale! I got this sweet thing.

I bought this over a year ago and finally put pictures in it. Woo hoo!

This picture does my shelves NO justice. I got them for FREE at a yard sale and painted them chocolate. They look amazing. Jim set the stuff on them - I'm not sure what I am going to put up there yet.

So that is all. Let me apologize again for the whining.

I have so much to be grateful for!

4 Years Ago Today.............

2009-04-09T07:10:00.002-06:00

This happened.

And I'm so glad it did.

Happy Anniversary, Babe!

I love you forever.

(p.s. Can you find yourself in this picture???)

Temple Square, Happy Birthdays, Babies, etc.

2009-04-06T14:33:00.013-06:00

The last few weeks have been consumed with quite the number of events.

First off, Potty Training.

Seriously.

It's a joke, but I'm not laughing.

See that face below?

That's the face of "Mommy, how could you do this to me?"
I have my reasons for being frustrated.
Reason #1: Every morning when Braddock wakes up, he has a dry diaper. SO, immediately I take him to his potty. We sit there for 20 or more minutes, but to no avail. Then, when we can't sit there any longer because mom is going to be late for the gym, I grab a diaper for him. And YES, he goes as soon as I change him.
Reason #2: Braddock likes to tell me that he is going potty AS he is going potty in his diaper.
Thank you, Braddock. Much appreciated.
The last month, Braddock has used the phrase, "It don't work. It needs batteries" to just about anything that doesn't work. (Examples: battery-operated truck, flashlights that don't light up, toys that are supposed to make noise, but don't.)
So a couple of weeks ago, as he was practicing his morning ritual of sitting on the potty for 20 minutes, this conversation came about.....
Me: "Braddock, (trying to keep my patience and explain to him in toddler vocabulary what needed to be done) you need to make the pee-pee come out."
Braddock: "It don't work. It needs batteries. Daddy fix it."
Sorry bud, Daddy can't fix this one!

Onto other things.........

A few weeks ago, our family had the privilege of going up to Temple Square with my Uncle Russ & Aunt Marcia. We were able to go to the Tabernacle, walk around the temple grounds, eat at the Lion House (Heck Yes!), and take pictures at the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

I just wish my whole family (all four of us) would look at the camera!

Yeah, what-ev.

On our way home, we were all pooped out.

Especially, these two.
Braddock & my niece, Livvi.
I love it.

A week later, we celebrated mine and the twins' birthdays at my sister Jenna's home.

I can't thank her enough for all the time and effort she put into everything!

Thanks, sis!

So here is a few pictures of the night.

Alyssa - my anorexic sister - posing for the camera. She loves getting her picture taken.

(joking on the anorexia part.)

My hub.
Look at him go in the kitchen!
You should practice some of that at our house, babe!

K, love you!

My mom & Auntie Donna also came up from Arizona. It was so great to see them, as it's only occasionally that we get to.

Aren't they beautiful?

Last, but not least, here's one of
Emma & me.
This was not intentional, which makes it even better!

All in all, my birthday was FANTASTIC! It fell on a Sunday this year......better yet, a Fast Sunday! At first I thought, LAME.
But then I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to relax and have a low-key day.

My sweet sister, Alyssa stopped by that night and brought me these beauties (look below).

She also got Jim and I tickets to go to General Conference Saturday morning. That, honestly, was one of the best presents I have receieved in a long time! What a privilege to see our Prophet and the apostles and hear their wonderful messages. I hope we can do it again soon!

(Also a HUGE THANKS to Jenna & Alyssa for tending our babies so we could go to conference. Jenna was crazy enough to have them sleep over at her house! We could not have done it without you guys.)
Thank goodness for family!

Here's a picture to leave you with:
Emma will forever be the winner of the funniest photo faces.

Soaking up the Sunshine.

2009-03-17T14:58:00.009-06:00

Fever, cold chills, body aches, coughing, sore throat, nausea - SERIOUSLY! I've had it all the last two days! I may sound like a horrible mother, but since I woke up this morning, I have not been able to stop thinking about putting my babies down for their afternoon nap, so I could take a snoozer myself. However, after I fed them their lunch, I realized what a gloriously BEAUTIFUL day it was and reconsidered the whole nap thing.

Change of plans:

We laid a blanket in the front yard and ran around!

I pulled Braddock's little tractors out of the shed that had been hibernating for the last 5 months and put them to good use.

Emma was in heaven!

And Braddock was so good to share with her.

Emma, on the other hand, did not want Braddock to lay a finger on the tractors. She literally makes a GOAT noise when he touches anything that she wants to play with. The little stinker!

I love this picture. One MILLION dollars.

Braddock also found a toy gun in the backyard. This kid loves guns! (Is that bad?)
His dad took him to shoot some birds, and now Braddock is always talking about going outside to shoot the birds.

Braddock later got a hold of my camera and quickly learned how to take pictures.

He decided to take a photo shoot of his mom. Pretty good aim, but not such hot pictures.

I'm singing!

Not so sure about this one.

Like I said before, Emma loved the tractors! She looks so Tom-Boy here.

So glad I changed my mind today!

Shame on me for actually considering the thought of keeping myself locked up all day from this beautiful weather!

Hope everyone else is having a sun-shiney day too!

***ALSO***

I have a couple of videos to post on here of Braddock and Emma racing on their tractors down our slopey driveway. I'm not sure why, but I laugh so hard everytime I watch them. If only I can manage to figure out how to get them on here!

Emma Girl!

2009-02-21T09:52:00.004-07:00

Happy Birthday, Sweet Pea!

Emma turned the big 1 two weeks ago today! We love her so much because............

1. She is so so so loveable! When you tell her to give kisses, she'll put her mouth up to your face and will make the cutest little smacking sound with her lips.

2. She has a big strong spirit in a tiny little body. I took her to the doctor this week and she weighed a whole 15.5 pounds! She's in the 1 percentile for her weight and the 18th for her height. Her littleness doesn't prevent her from trying new things, though. She is very playful and ACTIVE! It is the funniest thing to see her pull herself up and walk around the couches because she looks like a little midget.

3. Her hair has its own personality. I've tried gel, but her hair is so thin that it makes it look NASTY-CRUSTY. When I brush it, it stays for a little while and then goes back to whatever it was doing. We call her our little apostle because she has little old man hair.

4. She's our little girly-girl. Emma loves holding baby dolls, singing (high-pitched), and cuddling. Her mannerisms are even girly! She crosses her legs all the time and rubs her feet together (like my mom does....Ha Ha!)

We don't know what we would do without our little Emma Sue in our lives. She makes everything so much sweeter.

So here's what we did for her special day.............

The morning of, I got up early and made breakfast crepes with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. They were delightful and Emma was thrilled to partake of their deliciousness. (Yes, that was pretty much her birthday cake and she was happy!)
Her birthday present is what you see sitting on her tray. She needed a new sippy cup, so that is what she got. (I have learned that one year olds get excited about the smallest things). She sat in that high chair for about a half hour enjoying her gift.................

and her whipped cream. :)

Later that day, my mother-in-law came over and we went to lunch at a little restaurant here in Payson, Utah. We weren't too impressed with the service, but the company was great!

The next night, we spent at Jim's family's house to celebrate MORE birthday for Emma. So now you all don't have to fret about it - Emma got cake! AND a birthday crown!

Here's an extra picture of her for laughs! Isn't her hair hilarious?

Some other things that went on that week were............

I made another book, but this time not for me!

I made it for my sister, Jenna's birthday!!

Happy birthday, Sis! I'm grateful to have you as my sister and close friend.
This picture was taken at Gloria's Little Italy Restaurant. Delicious food!

Yea for birthdays!!!!!! Hope everyone has a happy week!

Friday & Monday

2009-02-03T15:29:00.005-07:00

What about Saturday & Sunday??!! I know, I know, but I think it's best we skip over those days because I was in some weird mood - I guess you would call it EVIL. Seriously, I was so cranky and irritable and I couldn't stop crying. The most frustrating part about all of it was I could not figure out for the life of me why I felt like crawling into a little hole and living there FOREVER!! Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks! I just quit nursing this last month ( I know, finally!) and so I hadn't experienced something that most of you gals experience every 28 days. It's been like 2 years! It was nice to learn that my condition of sorrow wasn't permanent.

Anyway,

Friday was a great day because Jim and I were able to go on a date and it was sort of original! We went rock climbing with the Young Women in our ward!

Here was mine and Jim's conversation as we pulled up to The Quarry (the rock climbing place).

Me: Hey, why is this building so tall??

Jim: Uhhhh......because it's a rock climbing place.

Me: Oh. We have to climb that high up??

Jim: Um, yeah.

Me: You think we should go see a movie or something instead?

Jim: No.

Me: Okay, just thought I'd ask.

This is just a few of us. I love these girls!

And the rock climbing??? Yeah, it was hard, but making it to the top was a very proud moment for each of us! I would go again in a heart beat!
Marilee ( my favorite YW leader friend) and Kaydee.

Thasss a crazy person.

Some more crazies.

Whoa, who is that?! That harness is smokin' hot!

(One of these days Jim will ban be from blogging).

Okay, so now on to Monday!!

It didn't start off too hot. I pulled into the parking lot at the gym and when I got out of the car to get Emma, I slipped on some ice and fell flat on my back! If it were someone else that did what I did and I saw them, I probably would have laughed my head off - being the Good Samaritan that I am. By that point, I was ready to get back in the car and go home, but instead I made my way into the gym and had a great workout! Always rewarding!

Later that day, when the kids were sleeping, I made something. If you ever want a simple, yet fun project, here ya go!

Buy yourself a composition book for 97 cents at Wal-Mart, some Modge Podge glue, and pick out your favorite scrapbook paper.............

Ta Da!!!!!

I needed a book to write my daily To-Do's in, and this is what I came up with! I think I am going to incorporate these colors in my family room (when it's finished). Love them!
This definitely will be used as a YW activity.
Does anyone have any other good ideas for Modge Podging?? I'd love to hear them!

Happy 25!!!!

2009-01-13T14:45:00.003-07:00

Happy Birthday, Jim!

I love you so much.

I thought I'd share with the blogging world 25 reasons

why I love you since you're 25 today!!!!!

(Let's forget that your birthday was yesterday :) )

Here it goes:

1. Jim is a beautiful man. In fact, some of the Young Women in the ward call him "Ken" as in Ken & Barbie.

2. He's a wonderful father. His children think the world of him because he's willing to give them his time and his love even when it's not always convenient for him.

3. Jim has a heart full of SERVICE. I'm always left a widow on Sundays because Jim is out fellowshipping the neighborhood.

4. He's passionate about work. He puts his heart and soul into everything he does and he does it solely to provide for his family.

5. HONESTY - sometimes he's a little too honest and will just say right then and there what he is thinking. He's not afraid to tell you what he thinks. This sometimes has been embarrassing for me, but he's learning to improve on the things that come out of his mouth and I'm learning from him to overcome my problem of being afraid to speak up!

6. INTEGRITY - Jim's heart is one of integrity. He stands firm in what he believes and shows it through his deeds.

7. Jim is a softy. He cries watching just about every chick flick or family movie or listening to a talk given. Sometimes he'll even cry when he tells me he loves me. (he's probably going to kill me for sharing that).

8. He's a manly man. He loves hunting, fishing, camping, watching action movies, and he can even eat a whole box of pizza all by himself! That's pretty manly if you ask him.

9. Love his smile!

10. Good kisser. enough said.

11. He's an amazing wrestler. Okay, that sounds gross and I didn't mean it that way. What I mean is........well.....he really is a great wrestler! He took state every year at Highland High School. Every wrestling photo I have of him, the ref is holding his hand up (meaning Jim won). However, being married to a good wrestler sometimes is NO fun. He knows how to get me in a lockdown that is impossible to free myself from! and then I get angry.

12. Jim has an incredible voice. Just kidding! I know I'm mean, but it's actually an advantage for him because when I'm frustated or irritable he knows how to make me laugh......he just starts singing. Really loud and obnoxious too.

13. Very patient. Back to me being irritable.......he always knows when to leave me be or help out around the house.

14. Sincere.

15. Tall. That's attractive.

16. Gorgeous blue eyes.

17. He tells me I'm beautiful.

18. Dependable. If he says he'll do something for you, he means it.

19. Jim is a family man. He loves to spend time with us more than anyone else.

20. Perfectionist - Being that Jim is a contractor, he makes sure the work that he does is perfect to a T. He would never expect anything less of himself.

21. Gratitude. Jim is always reminding me of the many blessings that we have. If it were Jim's choice, we would be living in a small little trailer out in the wilderness. True story.

22. Jim is not a picky eater. I love this about him because I LOVE all kinds of food too and he's always satisfied with what I cook him for dinner.

23. This boy can dance! One of our favorite things to do together is swing dance.

24. My best friend.

25. He loves me for me. I have never felt like I have had to impress him, even though it is fun to. He knows who I am deep down and even after all I put him through, he still loves me.

Here's a few of my favorite pictures of him.

He still is full of hottiness even if he's wearing five party hats on his head.
That's the smile I love. Look at his eyes when he smiles. So cute.

There he goes with his hand up again. What a stud. Would you get a load of those legs!! Woo woo!!

Getting his haircut right before a hot date with me.

Mission Farewell. There's that cute smile again. Love it!

The Epps Bunch.

Our weddin' day!

I love you, Jim. You're my favorite.Thanks for choosing me.

Happy 25!!!

It's about that time........

2009-01-04T15:40:00.004-07:00

So I think it's about that time again to post. I could actually post probably a hundred of things right now, considering my lackingness (i think i just made up a word) with the blog, but I'm not going to overwhelm all of you. As the new year has approached us, I have had a lot on my mind regarding self-improvement. There are plenty of things that I could do better at this year and I'm truly going to make an effort to do so.

Here's my list of resolutions:

I'm going to be a better wife. This means less nagging and more praising. Less complaining and more gratitude. Less selfishness and more selfLESSness. There is no other person I would want to spend the rest of my life with than the man below.

I'm goingto spend more quality time with my kids. This means going the extra mile by reading more to them, doing more outdoor activities with them, playing with them, having daily scripture study and prayer, Family Home Evening, and lots and lots of hugs and kisses! I am so richly blessed to have two beautiful babies in my home who trust me, love me, forgive me, and humor me. They mean the world to me and so much more and I am going to prove it to them!

I'm going to step up to the plate and IMPROVE MY HEALTH! After having two babies under two years, my body is not the same as it used to be! My husband bought me a three year V.I.P membership to Gold's Gym which means someone can babysit my kids while I work out during the day! Woo hoo! I used to go spinning at 4:30 in the morning and it stopped shortly after I started because I am NOT a morning person. This will be much better.

Lastly, I am going to improve on my scripture study. One of my favorite things to do first thing in the morning is get on the computer and look at everyones blogs. From now on though, I will not allow myself to look at your blogs until I've studied my scriptures. I know it will strengthen me as a person to be a little bit better in all the other aspects that I listed above. I love my Heavenly Father and am so grateful for the plan of happiness. He has given me a beautiful family and I feel like I owe Him a commitment to improve my life. I don't know what I would do without the gospel. It's my compass in every matter of my life. I'm truly looking forward to this New Year and hope that I can live up to the resolutions that I have set.

happy 2009!!!

Yep, You Know It!

2008-11-18T07:57:00.003-07:00

Jim doesn't like Christmas to start before Thanksgiving, but I thought I'd surprise him anyway.

Ta Da!!!!!

Ummmmmm......but let me just say that it's sorta hard decorating when you have two kids. I yelled a lot, and sometimes.........I threw things.
But anyhow, I bought some new ornaments for my tree at Tai Pan a.k.a The Greatest Store Known to Mankind. It's true. I decided to try out some new colors, so I bought a buttload of red, brown, and blue ornaments all for 30 bucks!! I'm awesome. Still though, there is no star. I haven't found THE ONE.

Also, aren't my stockings F-U-N?! My mom made them and is currently doing Emma's. Mine was made like 10 years ago - reason being it looks a little 1998-ish. I picked out the fabric for it because it had angels on it and I thought I was pretty angelic.
I heart it still.

Also, I bought these totally rad stocking holders. Home Depot is the BOMB DOT COM.

On to other things.........is Braddock like not the biggest stud ever?! We watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (the cartoon version OR the better version) the other day and he has been hooked ever since.

ANYWAY, i love how he is resting his cheek on his hand like he's in Kindergarten or something.
Awwwww.

Also, everytime Little Cindy Loo Who came on, he would say, "Mama, Emma! Mama, it's Emma!"

Uhhhh seriously............ (Look at picture below to see why).

"Why, Santy Claus? Why? Why are you taking our Christmas tree.....why?"

Anyway....I'll be updating again soon. Yeah, I know what you are thinking. You're thinking, "Yeah, I don't believe you."

Well.....you're all wrong!

so stay tuned.

Just Tell Us the Truth

2008-11-03T10:20:00.001-07:00

Take a look at this video and see why I am NOT voting for Barack Obama. This is scary.

People, if the economy goes to crap, so what! In the end, all that will matter is that our country's morals are upheld.

To Our Fellow Americans......

2008-11-01T12:24:00.003-06:00

We hope you had a Happy Halloween!

Love,

John & Cindy McCain

and a couple of camo kids

Two.

2008-10-02T19:09:00.004-06:00

Braddock turned TWO almost TWO weeks ago. Once again, I'm slacking, but since I consider this my way of journaling, it's a must that I pay tribute to my little boy.

Braddock, we love you so much and are so grateful as your parents to have the privilege of watching you grow and learn new things everyday.

We love your big blue eyes, your sweet kisses, and even your stubborness (sometimes).

Thanks for coming to our home and bringing with you a whole lot of silliness, happiness, and love!

We love you.

Is it just me???

2008-09-25T10:28:00.002-06:00

This is Jim when he was two years old. Do you think he looks like Braddock?

I was going through some photos and came across this one and I could not believe how much Braddock resembles his father!

Just So You Know..........

2008-08-29T15:22:00.000-06:00

Em is 6 months old!! Well she has been for around 3 weeks now, but since her mom tends to forget to blog, we're just barely informing you of her half birthday. She's now sitting up which is the cutest thing ever because she is just so little. She's also letting the whole world know that she yells and jibber-jabbers. She can make really obnoxious cat noises.....No, she doesn't say "meow". You know when you hear cats outside at night fighting or mating (I know, gross)??? Well those are the noises that come out of her mouth.
Em also loves to watch her big brother. She laughs out loud when Braddock runs crazy around the house or does naughty things which really makes me nervous to think that those types of things amuse her. I'm nervous for when the time comes that they are able to really start playing together. Oh well. I won't think about that today, I'll think about it tomorrow.
Anyway, Em is also scooting all over the place. She is my on-the-go child! Rarely does she cry unless she's super hungry or tired, but other than that I'm pretty sure the song "What a Wonderful World" is always going through her head.
She's our little ray of sunshine and we're sure lucky to have her!

2008-08-26T14:56:00.006-06:00

So here I am again after a whole month of no posting. I'm sick of apologizing for it! I just need to get my bum back into gear and start blogging again. Like every month this past summer, MUCH has happened, so I'll just list off a few of the things we've been up to along with some random pics.

1. A Wedding (Jim's step-brother Adam's wedding to be precise). Here's a picture of our family. Braddock looks like he's going to hurt someone.

2. Braddock modeling my shoes. My sister Alyssa came over to watch the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics a couple of weeks ago and that's when Braddock came prancing out in my red shoes. It was a lot funnier in person, believe me! Okay, so maybe it wasn't THAT funny, but when it's your own child, everything they do is hilarious and cute, right?
3. Yeah, I don't know what happened here. Alyssa made me put the shoes on next and model. I also did this amazing dance move (an impersonation of Fran from "Strictly Ballroom"). If you haven't seen the movie, you need to. Disregard me from neck up. I went to the gym and hadn't showered yet.

4. The next five pictures were taken at the Utah County Fair! Woo Woo!

Braddock wanted out of his stroller.

So Jim held him and showed him around.
This is them on the army truck. I promise that Braddock was thrilled.

I so wish I did this picture in color. Oh well, too late.

Emma & Me.

That's my favorite necklace & hers too.

Test driving.
5. I found this really awesome website called yearbookyourself.com

This is me in 1990. Glorious.

Me in 1958. Stunning.

I think you should all try this website out and post your favorite pic on your blog because I like to laugh.

Okay, so that's all the pictures I have for now. Here are some other random things that have been goin' on.

- Target shopping

-Working on my unfinished basement

-An awesome vacation to Midway, UT provided to us by Jim's awesome mom. So mad I forgot the camera!

-5 AM spin class

-Staying up til midnight to watch the olympics

-Cooking. I heart the Pioneer Woman.

-Girls night. Thank you, honey for taking Braddock to Scout Camp.

-Getting excited about Christmas. I know it's early.

- Braddock learning new words every day!

-Emma sitting up......better.

-Baptisms for the dead with the YM/YW

-Swing dancing with Jim

That's all I can think of for now!

July: Just second to Christmas

2008-07-25T15:30:00.008-06:00

Yes my friends, I now consider the entire month of July to be one big fat holiday! Why, you ask? Because I live in Utah where there's things like INCREDIBLE FIREWORKS (which I didn't take pics of), RODEOS, PARADES, PATRIOTISM, FAIRS, FAMILY FUN, and some decent summer weather.

Oh, and one minor note - I made my 25 mile journey to Old Navy yesterday only to find out when I got there that it was CLOSED because of Pioneer Day!! I'm so glad our LOYAL Utah natives celebrate their pioneer heritage............. unless it interferes with my clothes shopping. :)

Oh well. All is well, all is well.

So you may be asking yourself where this awesome skydiver is headed......

Only to the Spanish Fork Rodeo!!! - AKA THE BEST Rodeo known to mankind!

I loved every second of it and so did the rest of the gang including Jim's family, mine, and all the babies. You can't help but love that the rodeo begins with a Prayer and the National Anthem.

Plus, there's great music, some awesome muttin bustin' and a whole lotta' bull riding!
Oh, and for those of you who were in the Ocotillo Ward in Queen Creek....remember Matt Sherwood? Well, he was in the rodeo lassoing (sp?) calves. He's a world champion too!

Here were some of the rodeo attendants.

Dad & Mr. Serious.

Auntie Lyssa, Tyler, & Em.Auntie Jenna and Henry.
So glad all the family was there! It just wouldn't be as fun without them.

This last week, Jim's cousin Jami and her sweet mom, Jeana came to visit us. We, meaning all of Jim's family, met up at the park with them and enjoyed ourselves for a couple hours. So nice to see them!

(Above: Emmalee with Jeana. Below: My little teether.)
Notice the finger never leaves the mouth. This kid's been teething his whole life.
Just a few of the cousins.

Mel, Katelynn, Jaxson, Braddock, & Del. The trick to keeping them seated? Candy.So what's next on the agenda?

It's the annual Spanish Fork Parade!

Woo Hoo!
Jack & Henry loved it. I know you can only see the back of their heads, but believe me, they're cute.

The best part of the parade was when the missionaries came marching onward ever so onward. I think that's when the crowds cheered the loudest. So nice to have so much support from the citizens. It's well-deserved.
Here's a couple of Emmalee just chillaxin. She loves the camera. I think she wants to eat it.

Hope you all had a great July!

June Happenings.

2008-07-01T13:51:00.004-06:00

June was a fun and busy month. I'll try to keep this post as brief as possible, so here it goes!

A couple of weeks ago, me and a few friends went to the Utah Parade of Homes. Amazing! I don't know if they do Parade of Homes in Arizona, but let me tell you, it's pretty cool stuff. Basically, it's a tour of multi-million dollar homes in different cities that you can look at - either for purchase or just to look at. I took quite a handful of pictures of different rooms. Here's just a few of them.

This was a nursery. Loved the frames, the shelf, and the bench. Okay, so pretty much I loved the whole thing.

More of the nursery. Rock-a-bye baby on the treetops.........get it?
Here we have a spacious livingroom. One day I would love to have a grand piano with lots of pretty windows, but for now I'll just envy those who already do.
This month, I also got the chance to spend some time with my nieces Hallie & Livvi. They are hoots, let me tell ya! They came over one night to have a sleepover. One of the neighbor kids brought over his rooster and the girls got a kick out of it. Hallie wanted to wear Jim's hat and put the rooster on her head (????????????)

I, of course, then busted out the camera. Two Words: White trash.

I also just realized that I totally messed up with the coloring! Oh well, it adds to the white trashiness of the photo.

The next day, we headed to the park near my house and had a picnic. I bought Hallie and Livvi hamburgers, fries, and chicken tenders, but they ended up feeding all of it to the seagulls! Do any of you remember the part on Home Alone 2 where the bird lady throws the bird food at the bad guys and like thousands of doves come swarming in??? Well that's kind of what it was like.The last week of June was spent in Arizona. Jim's great grandma (the one who gives Jim piggy-back rides) celebrated her 85th birthday! It was a surprise party and BOY, was she surprised! She was told that she was going to be in a fashion show, so she got all sassed up for the occassion. Sorry grandma, no fashion show.

We spent much of our vacation in the swimming pool. You really have no other choice when the weather is 117 degrees! Braddock went from only putting his toes in to jumping off the rock wall and going down the slide! Way to go, B-Rock!
The best part of this vacation was that we got to stay with my mom. I don't know what it is, but she and Emmalee have this strange bonding connection. Emmalee absolutely loved her! I just have to tell my mom how much I love her. She would do anything and everything for our family. It's been really hard to be away from her because the few times we do get to see her, the kids have a vague memory of who she is. This last time we saw her, however, Braddock finally started calling her "Nanna". We love you and miss you, mom. Thanks for being so patient and understanding. You are an amazing woman.

P.S. Braddock still says your name :)

Okay, the Wilhelm Family is going to kill me, but I had to post this picture. After not seeing them for 2 whole years, we finally reunited! I grew up with their daughter, Kirsty and we became best friends. It was good to catch up on each others lives and see the whole Wilhelm clan again. Love you guys!

Kirsty and I decided to take a really cheesy picture together. I'm not sure what is going on with my wrist, but I think we did a good job on the cheesy part.

Here's one of Jim and Emmalee. I heart them both.
Here's one of Jim and I. I think we had just gotten home from eating at Nielsens Frozen Custard for the 37th time. That's what happens when you don't have one in Utah.
This last Sunday, we went to Canyon View Park (10 min away from our house) with Jim's family. It was so nice to be able to relax after a 12 hour drive with screaming babies. Look at this view!
I took this picture at the park of Emmalee. She was having a hay-day with that blanket!

The Offspring.

2008-06-09T14:43:00.007-06:00

Emmalee has become quite the photogenic baby. She's growing at a speedy rate. Honestly, people always told me that once you have kids, life flies right past you. I'm beginnging to see the truth in that. Seriously, is Christmas REALLY going to be here in six months?!

I'm an old woman. :)

Anyways, I've become quite the picture-taking freak.

(When you have two really cute kids, you pretty much have no choice.)

Bright-eyed Baby

Really attractive, Em.
She must be drooling over her pretty mommy.

Then there's this little guy.

Seriously, I'm not sure what to do with him sometimes. He's 21 months, but I'm pretty sure he's hit the terrible two stage three months early. He now calls his dad , "Jim", he tells me "no" all of the time, and thinks that biting and pinching is a game. I'm not sure what to do about his behavior besides what we have already done -timeout (which has taken place approximately 45 times) and even spanked. Now I'm not saying he is the Bad Seed or anything, but I guess I've always been used to having such a sweet, loving little baby and now he's turning into a kid!
I guess he possesses a few good qualities too, but who wants to hear those :) Just kidding.

I will say that he loves to be a big brother to Em, he still cuddles and gives kisses, and he'll walk over to his crib when he is ready to take a nap. Gotta love that! He bows his head and folds his arms when we say prayers, loves to read books, and especially enjoys helping his dad do stuff around the house.

I think I imagined that when I had kids they would all be perfect because they had their one-time punishment and knew never to do bad things again. I guess that's why I have kids because
I HAVE A LOT TO LEARN!

Here's the little monster on his tricycle.

You can't top this!

2008-05-27T15:20:00.003-06:00

Last night I put Sesame Street on for Braddock. Okay, okay, Jim and I watched it too. I just had to show you this video. If you only knew how passionate Braddock is about tools. He was in awe! This video is hilarious.

Lots to boast.....I mean POST about.....

2008-05-14T08:43:00.004-06:00

So I've been completely pathetic when it comes to blogging. One thing that TOTALLY drives me crazy is when I click on someone's blog and the same post is showing for 4 weeks straight. Come on people! Don't you know I look at your blog everyday? Then I remember that it's been about four weeks since I've updated....oops. So here ya go!

These are my precious babies all in brown. I love them OH SO MUCH!

One thing that I haven't had to worry about, is Braddock trying to hurt her. He's so gentle with her and very protective of his little sister. Everytime he sees her, he puts his hand to his chest and says, "Oh."

Isn't he precious? I told him we couldn't go OUTSIDE, a word that Jim and I have to spell now when we are around him.
This is his reaction when I say NO to going outside. Sad. Okay, I'm not that bad of a bad mom. We usually spend two hours outside on average everyday. Onto happier things......look at her! Isn't she beautiful?! Thanks, Cara for the headband. :)Emmalee is so alert and very responsive. She loves to smile and coo and kick her legs. The only problem I am having is trying to get a picture of her smiling. Everytime I hold up the camera, she just stares at it in awe. Hmmmmm.......what should I do about that?
Here's a little smile. This was after church on Mothers Day.
Pretty blue eyes.
Saturday night, I gave Emmalee a bath which she ABSOLUTELY LOVES. She talks and kicks so much, water gets EVERYWHERE. I had to get some pictures of her in her duckie towel afterwards. But once again, she won't even QUACK a smile.
Sorry, that was stupid, but I had to say it.

Also, Jim and I finally finished the dining room and kitchen. I should have posted BEFORE and AFTER pictures, but I only have the AFTERS.

We painted all of the exterior doors black which makes a total difference! I love it. Something that I'm not really in love with though, is the picture and center piece. Jim bought them at Kirklands home store a year ago to go in our dining room, but I think I want something that looks a little more Pottery Barnish. Any suggestions?
Here's our new kitchen. We put in stainless steel appliances and new countertops.
And THIS is my new tile floor! Love it!
And THIS is my car that I wrecked on Saturday. I was taking the back roads from Spanish Fork to Payson and came across a sharp turn. Don't ask me how I can be so incredibly stupid. I think it just comes natural. I didn't see the person at the stop sign and somehow managed to hit her car. The day before I was bragging to Jim that I've never been pulled over or been in an accident that was my fault.
I'll just keep my mouth shut from now on.

The last two weeks.................

2008-04-23T22:00:00.003-06:00

Please forgive me for lacking with posting. I know all of you check my blog dozens of times a day and are dissappointed when nothing has changed, so here's some updates.

Almost two weeks ago, my mommy came to visit from Arizona (I miss her already). I was able to spend some quality time with her and my sisters (we missed you, Jace).

Alyssa was so awesome, as always, to play with her nephews. She's the best aunt.

Here's a picture of her with Braddock laying in the hammock.

That Sunday, Emmalee was blessed by her daddy. He gave a simple, yet beautiful blessing. Afterwards, we went to my house and had lunch in the front yard. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the food was fantastic. We took family pictures too! Dang Jim! He always switches into his casual clothes as soon as we get home. Oh well.
After family pictures, Braddock decided to hop in his gator and give his twin cousins, Jack and Henry, a ride. The problem is he knows how to push the gas, but has NO CLUE how to steer. I'm hoping the boys riding in the back weren't traumatized by this experience.

You can't tell me this isn't cute.........

................but THIS is SO NOT CUTE!

Jim surprised me by bringing home a goat today and BOY, WAS I SURPRISED. Why? I ask! Why?!!! What do they do??? I guess I'll never know because I refuse to feed, water, or visit it. It's enclosed in a fence area in the corner of our backyard (hallelujah). Okay, so I'm cruel, but as the Ladies Man puts it........"That ith dith-guth-ting!"

Our baby girl

2008-04-23T21:51:00.004-06:00

This morning, I put Emmalee in her bouncer and she was going nuts over the little yellow bird that hangs from it. She talked and laughed at it for about 10 minutes, so I decided to video tape it. By the time I started recording, she started to calm herself down a bit (dang). Oh well. She's still so cute, so I thought I'd share a little bit of her excitement. Just watch 5 seconds of it :) WARNING: It goes on for about 2 minutes

Happy 3 Years, Honey!

2008-04-09T16:47:00.004-06:00

If you couldn't figure it out by reading the title, Jim and I have been married three years today! I don't understand where time has gone! I remember waiting for him while he was on his mission and it seemed like the longest two years of my life. Why does it go by so fast once you get married???!! Anyhow, I just wanted to let the whole world know that I love my Jimmy.

I had to scan this picture in (this is why it looks non-digital)
As an early anniversary present, my husband got me one of these! Yea!!! Now I can go jogging and hopefully lose my prego weight.
He also got me a new Ipod Shuffle. It's so cute and tiny. If you run or do high-impact workouts, I highly recommend it. It clips right to your shirt and you forget it's there because it's so

light-weight. I also like to take it with me when I grocery shop :)

Now this is old news, but here's another reason why I love my husband soooooooo much. For my birthday, he gave me the best gift ever! He treated me and my sisters to a trip to the spa which included: an hour massage, a pedicure, and a manicure. Then we all went out to lunch afterwards. It was so nice to be able to get away from the kids for a little bit and have some girl time. Thanks, hun! Not to get cheesy, but I just want Jim to know that I love him so much. He's such a hard worker, a great dad, and a phenomenal husband! I think it's funny that so many people believe marriage gets more and more dull as the years go on. For me, I think it gets better and better everyday. It's such a blessing to know I have my husband and family FOREVER! Happy Anniversary, Babe.

Those Eyes

2008-04-04T09:02:00.002-06:00

Guess who has a birthday today????

2008-03-27T10:23:00.003-06:00

Cara does!

Happy Birthday, girlfriend!
For those of you who don't know my dearest friend Cara, let me just tell ya........she's pretty much amazing! We first met each other our sophomore year in high school and have been best buds ever since.
Let me tell you what makes Cara so great:
She listened to me talk about my missionary (now my husband) all of the time. Seriously, ALL OF THE TIME.
We both were in dance company together and we would have SO MUCH FUN choreographing dances. If only I had the dance on video that we did to the song "Pure Energy" by Information Society. You'd be incredibly jealous.
She stayed the night at my house the night before my wedding so I would have someone to cry with and laugh with. Good times.
I could tell her pretty much anything....like how I peed my pants on my 18th birthday (long story). She made fun of me for it, but then........well I won't tell you the rest.
She does a great impersonation of Zoolander and Kipp from Napoleon Dynamite.
She's got some gorgeous hair! She'll grow it way long and then cut it all off to give to Locks of Love. How nice is that?! Whoever has her hair, probably looks like Barbie now.
And one more thing.....
we took some amazing pictures together in high school. Just look below.

I don't even want to give a description on this picture.

Here we are at student council camp. Okay, so some of you may be thinking, "I thought Mormons didn't drink????". Unfortunately, we weren't. We're just insane.

I can't believe I convinced myself to post this picture.

Wow, look at those cheerleaders. Isn't that pose totally original? I think so.
Happy Birthday, Cara! We love you!

Hopefully we're still friends!

All "Screwed Up"

2008-03-12T16:58:00.003-06:00

For those of you wondering what it is like with two kids, let me tell ya.......it's fun! Some days are completely crazy, but I have to just laugh or else I'd probably shoot myself. For instance, on Sunday, our entire family (all 4 of us) decided to go to church for the first time since Emmalee's been around. I think we woke up at 7 AM to get ready and it pretty much took us til' church started to be done getting ready. Church didn't start til' 1:30 PM. (Yikes). We show up to sacrament meeting and of course, right off the bat, Braddock starts getting really fidgety. He did not want us to hold him and he did not want to be sitting on the bench. He wanted to play. Of course, he wasn't very reverent, so I picked him up and he started throwing a fit. Jim then looked at me and said, "hand me his diaper bag". I hand him the bag and Jim pulls out this massive screwdriver. Braddock's eyes lit up when he saw it. (Look at picture below to better understand why. ) I started busting up laughing because afterall, what kind of parent brings a screwdriver to church for their 18 month old to play with? Apparently, we do. Braddock then began "working" on the bench. Hilariousness.

Okay, now back to church.............................SO, sacrament gets over and it's time for Sunday school. Emmalee needs to eat, so I take her to the mother's lounge to feed her. Within 10 minutes of the feeding, I begin developing this warm sensation on my legs. Yes people, she sharted all over me!!! All over my dress, all over her, and all over her blanket.
I spent the next half hour trying to get the both us cleaned up before Young Womens started, which I had to teach the Beehives. Luckily, I was able to make it in time to give a lesson.
When Jim and I headed home from church that day, he looked at me and said, " I don't ever want to do that again." I'm pretty sure he was joking......well at least partially.
I hear it gets better.............please tell me this is true. LOL

Here's a couple pics for the week.

Our little chunka-munka.

If there's a screw, he's there too!

The Hub

2008-03-07T13:58:00.002-07:00

I just have to say that I think my husband is ridiculously good looking, don't you think so? Nevermind, don't answer that.

I just had to post these pictures because he's a cute daddy.
Love ya, babe!

Oh my word.....

2008-03-03T12:38:00.004-07:00

.....trying to take a picture of Braddock and Emmalee together has probably been one of the most difficult tasks to take on. Let me show you some pictures to better explain just how difficult it really is.

Example #1: And this is only the beginning.

Example #2: I think Emmalee's face explains it all.
Example #3: Notice Braddock's hand is all blurry??? That's because it's moving at the speed of lightning toward her soft spot.
This is the only somewhat decent picture I was able to take. You can't even see Em's face. Ridiculous, I tell you.
Good thing this kid is cute, or I'd have to beat him!

We're Back!!!

2008-02-22T11:12:00.004-07:00

I have to say sorry for not keeping everyone updated like I should about what has happened the last few weeks. Thanks to my sister Jenna for posting the arrival of our sweet baby Em. Life has been a rollercoaster the last couple of weeks for many reasons. One being that we were out of our home for over a month and then had our baby almost 3 weeks early. On February 7, I was scheduled to meet with a perinatologist at the hospital because my doctor discovered that our baby was breech and he wanted to see if we could attempt to turn the baby. I went in hoping and praying that they would be able to, but when they did the ultrasound, they discovered that my water had broke and I had an infection, so they had to do an emergency c-section. I was so extremely nervous, but Jim held on to my hand the entire time. I didn't feel any pain - just lots of tugging and then we heard our sweet baby cry and the tears started coming. Jim and I were both crying so hard. I feel so blessed to have two sweet beautiful children. Heavenly Father has given us so much! The entire 9 months that I was pregnant, I had a lot of concern as to how I would be able to love this baby as much as I love my little boy, Braddock. That sounds awful, I know, but true. Amazingly enough though, there was room enough in my heart to love her as much as I love him. It made me think about the love that Heavenly Father has for each of us - He loves us all the same. I'm so grateful for that. Being a mother is such a blessing. Two kids under two years keeps me on my feet, but I wouldn't trade it for the world! My family is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.
Also, I want to give a big shout out to my mother-in-law Marilee and my sisters, Jenna and Alyssa. They helped out so much while I was in the hospital and while I was recovering back at home. I couldn't have done it without you!

She's Heeeere!

2008-02-07T23:02:00.001-07:00

Emmalee Tarayne Epps

Born: 7 February 2008 at 12:25 p.m.

Weight: 6lbs 10oz

Length: 18 inches

Bethany and Emmalee are doing great! Emmalee is a very healthy and beautiful little girl.

More pictures can be seen on Jenna's blog and in Emmalee's web album.

You know you're jealous of my booty-licious bod.

2008-01-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know this picture is quite pathetic considering that all you get a glimpse of is my rear and my belly. This is because the camera was in the hands of my husband. I just gave Braddock a bath and Jim decided to take a few shots. The very few that he got with my face in it aren't so glamorous, so this is all you get, people. This is the belly picture at 36 weeks. I went to the doc yesterday and I'm 2 cm dilated. He said he would strip my membranes next Monday to see if that would help me go into labor. SCARY! Oh, and if you don't know what "stripping membranes" means, ask your mom because I don't want to explain it :)
I'm having mixed feelings about all of this because I am still not living at home. My husband was too busy to lay the tile in our house, so he hired another person to come and do it. The guy completely screwed it up, so we had to rip the whole floor up and now we are back where we started. We are having another company come and lay it the end of this week, so I most likely won't be home for another week. I guess the baby we'll come whenever she's ready, so I'll just keep a smile on my face and try to make the best of everything.
Hope everyone is doing good!

I'll Miss Him

2008-01-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to place a little tribute here to a man who highly deserves it. President Hinckley, 15th President of the LDS church, passed away today at the age of 97. I feel so grateful to have had him as our Prophet and Leader. He was so close to perfect and such a great example to me of what Christlike love and happiness truly is.

I'm sure he is being welcomed by many people on the other side of the veil, but he will be greatly missed. We love you, President Hinckley.

I've been a little behind with blogging because........

2008-01-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

My house looks like this!!!

This is our one and only working shower/bath in our house right now and yet, it's not working.

This is the livingroom that my husband remodeled for me and this is what it looks like now.
The reason my house looks like a meth lab is because my husband is putting in new tile floors. He had to take out all of my kitchen and bathroom cabinets, so everything that was in the cupboards is what you NOW see in my bathtub and livingroom. Oh, and did I mention I have a baby coming next month?! Oh well. All I can do is laugh and be optimistic!!

Here's a picture of my floor being ripped out.

Glorious. Because my house is in a state of utter desitruction, we are currently staying with my in-laws in Spanish Fork. Thanks mom and dad for your hospitality! Also, a big shout out goes to my sweet hubbie who worked so hard Saturday (also his BIRTHDAY) on our home. I know he is wanting to get this done as fast as possible for me and the kiddies. I love you, honey and hope you had a somewhat good 24th birthday!

This was after church yesterday. We had a little party for him at his parents.
I heart them.
Anyhow, I may not be posting for a while because......well.......do I really have to explain?! Hope everyone is having a good time with life and that you all have houses to live in of your own. Jerks. :)

Mitt's the Man!

2008-01-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

Now that 2008 is here, it's time to think about VOTING!!

I just have to say I love this guy! I've been doing my research on the candidates ( i know, can you believe it?) and I have a lot of respect for Mitt Romney. Yes people, he has great hair, but his values and motives are the MAIN reason why I am voting for him.

Let's just hope those Iowans nominate him!!

Go Mitt!

Christmas in our neighborhood

2007-12-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

We hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas!! It's been an eternity since I have posted, but it's only because a katrillion things have been taking place this last month!! Don't get me wrong - I love Christmas and always get a little sad when December 26th comes, but this year I think I was more relieved than I was sad.

Here is just a few pictures that I took. Seriously, all I took was a FEW pictures this year. So sad. I hardly had time to pick up my camera. Shame, shame, I know.

Here's the little ham on Christmas morning. He was thrilled with the red wagon that Santa brought him!

He's so special. :)

Oh, and onto one of the many reasons why I think my husband is a complete stud.

See this hideous fireplace?? Don't look at all the crap around it. This was when we just moved in, so you have to cut me some slack. Well..........................................

My husband turned it into this!! Merry Christmas to me. He also put in a brand new front door, put in all new trim, re-textured, installed new lighting, and painted everything in our livingroom. There is still a lot of work to do like install baseboard and recarpet, but I AM SO HAPPY with how it turned out! Now I just have to decorate!! Oh, and the pictures on the fireplace are not in the right place. They're just sitting there until I figure out how the heck I'm going to arrange everything! Anyone have any good ideas for what to put above the mantle???

So you can see now why this last month was crazy! I didn't have a livingroom and everything that was in my livingroom had to be moved into the dining room until this room got done. Let me just say that when I imagine what Hell is like, I think of what my house looked like the first few weeks of December 2007. So glad it's finished!!

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!!

Lovebird Tagged!!!

2007-12-02T22:20:00.000-07:00

Where did you meet your husband???

Jim and I have been in the same ward since I was twelve years old. I first met him at one of our ward friend's birthday parties. He asked me to swing dance with him and he pretty much danced with me the whole night. I thought he was the best thing that ever happened to me and I think he just wanted a dancing partner. He didn't seek interest in me til about 4 years later. Probably a good thing :)

What was the first thing you said to your husband?

Oh dear, I can't remember and it's probably a good thing that I don't. Being that I was twelve, it was probably something really stupid and immature.

Where was your first date?

We went with a bunch of people tubing down the Salt River in the Arizona June heat. It was a lot of fun! I remember hitting some rough water and then running my raft into a large branch. I got scared and pretty much jumped on top of Jim. I think I almost killed him, but I think he liked it :). Heck, I know I did!

Where was your first kiss?

On my front doorstep. I didn't think it was ever going to happen, but lo and behold!

Did you have a long or short courtship/engagement?

Jim and I dated for 8 months and then he left on his mission. Yes, I waited for him the whole two years and am so glad I did!! He came home in January '05 and we were married April 9th of that same year. Total lovebirds + Mormon = Short Engagement

Where did you get engaged?

Jim took me back to the Salt River (where we had our first date) on a picnic. I remember getting out of the car and saying to him, "Don't forget the camera". So we walk about half a mile through thorns and rocks to get to the river. I was in flip-flops, so walking that far did not appeal to me at the time. We finally get to the river and Jim says, "Crap, I forgot the camera. Could you go back to the car and get it?" I was mad, but I did it anyways. When I was walking back to the river, I could hear Jim yelling to me to hurry back because he had caught a fish and wanted me to reel it in. So I ran over to him, reeled it in and Jim took a picture. This was a very proud moment for me because I had never caught a fish before. Woo hoo!! What I didn't know was that there was more than a fish on the line. My engagement ring was on there too! It only took me 5 minutes to figure it out and then Jim got on one knee and proposed while I cried my eyes out.

Where did you get married?

The Mesa Temple

How did the reception go?

What I can remember of it, was great! We had it at the Rowley's home in their backyard. My photographer took pictures of us the entire 2 hours, so we didn't even get a chance to have a line. I was glad about that though because the whole night was pretty casual.

The Honeymoon?

Do you really wanna know? Just kidding. We went to California - spent the first two nights in Palm Springs and then headed to Anaheim for Disneyland!! I think it's the happiest place on earth. Jim begs to differ.

Whose turn is it next?

Jami, Amber, and Michelle! Get going, guys.

Can you say, PRECIOUS?

2007-11-30T16:31:00.001-07:00

Please pause my Christmas music and take a few seconds to listen to this!! You won't regret it. It is the cutest thing you'll ever hear!

Thanksgiving in AZ.....Oh, how I miss it already!

2007-11-30T09:32:00.001-07:00

We had way too much fun & food this Thanksgiving go-around. It was so nice to be able to spend time with both families and enjoy nice warm weather. Besides being there for Thanksgiving, we were also able to make it in time to see Jerry open his mission call. Boise, Idaho baby! That's what I'm talking about. Congratulations, Jerry!! You will make a fantastic missionary. We'll miss you lots.

Oh, and while we're on the topic of Jerry's mission, here is a picture of us (my mom, auntie donna, and me) waiting for Jerry to open his call. Since some of you have been requesting a belly picture....here ya go. It's getting huge and I still have 3 months!! Gross.
We were also able to go and visit Braddock's great-great grandma Gertie (Jim's great-grandma). She is sweeter than pie. I love her to pieces. She's totally young at heart too. At Jim's homecoming party, she gave Jim (my 200 lb husband) a ride on her back. Not even joking! You go, Grandma!

Friday after Thanksgiving, my family went and had pictures taken at the temple. We rarely ever do these. I believe last time we had these done, there were only two grandkids. Now there's a whopping seven! Oh, and I promise my husband was meaning to smile. After the pictures, we all went out to eat at our favorite Mexican food restaurant, Rosa's - where I pretty much inhaled my plate. To see pictures of us chowing down (you know you wanna), check out my sister's blogs, Jacey and Jenna's. Later that night, we took all the kiddies to see the Mesa Temple lights. It was soooooooooo nice not having to worry about wearing a snow bib and 3 jackets to stay warm. The lights were beautiful and the crowds were endless!! Friday after Thanksgiving is not the best time to go, but I'm glad we did anyway. Braddock was highly amused. Just look at the picture below. He pretty much did that the entire time and said "What's that, what's that?" So, that was our Thanksgiving in a nutshell!! We hope ya'll had a Happy Thanksgiving too! Now onto Christmas! Whoopee!!

Going from house to home.......SLOWLY, but SURELY

2007-11-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

It's now been a little over two years since we have lived in our house and I can't believe it!! Holy cow, time goes by fast!! When we first moved in, we knew we wanted to remodel the entire inside of the house (you'll see why in a sec). I imagined to have my whole house changed to the way I wanted it within a year from our date of purchase. This meant building in a new master bathroom, re-painting, re-carpeting, new doors, new windows, additional plumbing and electrical, and a whole bunch of other things that would take too long to list. Well, that one year from our date of purchase has come and gone and we have a total of 3 rooms done. Woo hoo!! I am learning that remodeling this house is a WAY bigger project than I thought. It takes a lot of time & MULA! If you know me, I am not a very patient person, so this experience has been for my good. This house has been a HUGE project, but I love how rewarding it has felt to slowly, BUT SURELY make this house into a home. Here are some pics of the house........

BEFORE:

This is one nasty room. Jim and I lived in this room while he was working on the master bedroom. We pretty much trashed the room to help make more of a contrast with the "before" and "after" shots.

Lavendar and pink floral wallpaper. anyone??

AFTER:

This is now Braddock's nursery. I absolutely love it! Jim and I worked our butts off on this room!
BEFORE:
Behold, the master suite. So gross. And NO, we do NOT use those mattresses. AFTER:

I love this room too! Jim put in black trim & baseboard which I doubted at first, but it has really started to grow on me. He also enlarged the room, installed all new lighting, re-painted, and put in new carpet.

There is another room connected to this one which will one day be our master bathroom. Can't wait!

BEFORE:

This is a bedroom downstairs that we called the "purple room". Creative name, huh? Lavendar walls, and disco-flowered wallpaper bordered the entire thing. I think I just vommited in my mouth. The navy blue carpet looked amazing in here as well.

After:

Vwa-la!! All new trim, baseboard, paint, and carpet. Thanks to my brother, Jerry and his friend Derrek who came this summer and helped get this thing done! There are still minor things that need to be done, but overall it looks fantastic thanks to my husband and all the extra time and effort he has put into beautifying this place! I know I still need to get window treatments, wall decor, etc., but I'm just not motivated to until my whole house is finished. For now, we'll just keep working our tooshies off and hopefully get this place finished soon!

Loving the Fall Season!!

2007-11-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that I love the fall weather here in Utah?! It is so nice to go outside and breathe in the fresh crisp air. I couldn't help but take some pictures of Braddock playing in the leaves. Now that he's walking, he's having a hay-day outside! After an hour of playing in the front yard, we finally came back in, so I could lay my pregnant self down for a bit. Braddock looked at me as if he was saying, "Not again, mom!" I'm sure he is sick of the fact that I am always spending so much time with my new best friend.....the leather couch. However, he managed to find another source of entertainment - the laundry basket. He was lovin it! I had to take pictures of him in it. Isn't my kid cute? I'm not biased.

It's a Miracle!!!!

2007-11-06T15:40:00.001-07:00

Just a warning - Some of you are going to be bored with this video, but I'm a Proud Mama and have to show you all what my little boy is doing now!!! You better believe it, he's finally walking!! Should I be scared?????

Oh, and one other thing. Please JUST FOCUS on Braddock and not my ghetto under construction house and the fact that I say "Come get some cookie" like 40 times. That's all :)

A Happy Halloween & One Obnoxious Costume!!!

2007-11-01T13:21:00.000-06:00

Well, we hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween. Here's how ours went...................

So I wasn't going to dress Braddock up for Halloween this year. (Sad, I know.) I just didn't spot any great costumes that I wanted to spend money on and my brain has not been very creative for the last while to come up with anything. Then, my friend called me yesterday morning and told me she had a little giraffe costume for B-Rock to wear. I couldn't resist. It's so ugly, but pretty hilarious at the same time.
I was amused at how it made his face look. His cheeks were pretty much bulging out of it.

Our first stop for the night: Auntie Jenna's house for chile and sugar cookies that were so beautifully frosted by Jenna, Liesel, and Nancy. Great job, guys. I wish I had a picture of them cookies.

Auntie Lyssa loves the camera. I wish Braddock was just as amused. He can only stand about 10 pictures and then he's through!

Next stop: Grandma & Grandpa Partridge's. This is Braddock with his little cousin Brielle who looked freakin adorable in her
skunk costume. B-Rock was all pooed out by this point.

Happy Birthday, Jace!!

2007-10-26T14:43:00.000-06:00

I know I'm a day early with this post, but I usually NEVER have time to post on Saturdays, so I thought I would get ahead of myself. Tomorrow is going to be a spectacular day because it's my sister's birthday!!!!!!!! Woo Hoo!!!! I just wanted her to know how much I love her and miss her!! She has always been such a great friend to me and a perfect example of an awesome mother. I'm pretty sure she is annoyed with how many times I have begged her to move up here or come and visit, but I only do it because she is greatly missed by all her sisters here in Utah. We all love you tons and hope you have a fun day!!!