Close Call...

This is how we spent our Christmas morning...let me explain!

First, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas yesterday. Ours was a little abnormal and I thought I would share our very special Christmas miracle.
Christmas Eve the kids went to bed a little later than normal and then Ricky and I set up Christmas and went to bed kinda late ourselves. It would have been very easy for all of us to sleep in Christmas morning. Boy am I glad we didn't!! Kassi came in our room about 7:15 so we got up. The first thing I said to Ricky was..."do you smell that?" there was a strange smell when the heat kicked on. I figured I was crazy so I went into the kids' bedroom to change diapers before we started opening presents. I changed Tyler's first and by the time I was done Kassi had been out to the tree and didn't want her diaper changed. So I didn't worry too much about it, and we headed to the living room. Tyler started acting really weird. He started walking and just fell down in the middle of the hallway and sat there with his blanket. I figured he was just a little tired and had stood up too fast or something. I noticed that I was starting to get a headache, but it was CHRISTMAS MORNING!! so again...thought nothing of it and was enjoying Kassi's excitement of all the neat presents. Ricky was going around the house trying to figure out what smelled and where it was coming from. He went downstairs and when he came back up he said his head was starting to feel weird. About that time, Kassi asked for a tissue. She and I came into the kitchen to get one and she completely fell over into the cabinets while she was walking. I asked if she was ok and she turned to walk back into the living room. When she did, she fell into the piano and completely over onto the floor. By this time Ty had made it to the piano, and tried standing up but completely fell over too. They both started crying and I have to say that I have never felt more scared in my entire life. I started screaming to Ricky and asking him what I should do. He told me to get the kids out of the house! I grabbed my shoes and a coat and wrapped Kassi up with me. He grabbed Tyler and we headed out into the Christmas morning blizzard.
When we got the kids out to the car, we were all in our pj's so I put my coat over Kassi and the blanket over Tyler and Ricky called 911. Within 5 min a cop car showed up to our house and we explained the symptoms and we thought we might have a carbon monoxide problem. He phoned for a medic and the fire dept, and within another 5-10 min (it's hard to tell when you're mind isn't thinking clearly) we had two ambulances and a fire truck with all of their lights going show up in front of our house. We told them what happened and they took us into the ambulance to get us hooked up to oxygen. Kassi and I were in one, Ricky and Tyler in the other. We were in there a few minutes when the fireman came and said that as soon as he walked in the house he could smell it because it was so potent, and that the reading downstairs was 220. (this is how much carbon monoxide per square foot or something...) Both the medics in the ambulance sighed and told me that was a pretty high number. A few min later the fireman came back and said the upstairs (where we had been sleeping and where we live) was 350. Without hesitation the medic called to the driver and said "ok we're taking them to the hospital".
We got to the hospital and I could feel the lightheadedness and my headache increase as I stood up and carried Kassi into the ER. Ricky and Tyler came a few min later, and all 4 of us spent the next 2 hours hooked up to oxygen. When talking to people later, I realized how close we all were to not making it. They said that the upstairs was at 350 and if it had reached 500...we would all be dead. Ricky had called his parents and they were with us the whole time. Our Relief Society President lives down the street from us so she had seen all the lights, so she called the Bishop...and everyone knew! They were able to go in the house once it was cleared by the fireman (they had to completely shut our gas off) and got underwear, clothes, diapers, coats, etc...everything we would need. They even loaded up all of the unopened Christmas presents and we took everything over to my in laws. What great people we are surrounded by!
About noon they released us and we had driven about 5 min from the hospital when Ricky started feeling nauseated again. So we turned around and I dropped him back off. He spent another hour and a half in the ER with oxygen. The kids and I went to my in laws, got some food, and when Ricky got there we opened presents! (about 2:00) We stayed the night over there (no heat) and came home this morning. The heating guy is here now and they are looking at our furnace.
I am so incredibly thankful for our lives this Christmas. It makes me sick to think that if we had slept in for another half hour, or just stayed in the house another 10-15 min...that we may not have ever been able to get out. I am glad that you are able to read this from my own account, and not from last night's news....ya know..."Family of 4 all dies in carbon monoxide leak..."
The HVAC guy is here checking out our furnace right now, and then we will have the gas company make sure we are safe again.
What a Christmas miracle! We are sure counting our blessings. This really was the best Christmas ever.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

What a year 2008 has been! So much has happened, and yet so much has stayed the same. It has been a tough year with hard life decisions, but we made it. Our marriage has grown so much and we have grown as parents, people, and as a couple. Life is wonderful! May each of you have a very Merry Christmas and best wishes to all of you in 2009!

What a week!

Ok so the last week has been...eventful to say the least!

It all started Friday. This year, our ward decided to have a Christmas party breakfast instead of dinner. Oh yeah, and that was my idea since I am the head of the Activities Committee. (YIKES!) So really the whole week was full of activity trying to prepare, but Friday is when it started....

The family had gone to Ogden to do some Christmas shopping, and we had a really fun night. Tyler didn't eat any dinner, but I really didn't think much of it. We got home and got the kids ready for bed, read stories, brushed teeth, and were getting ready for prayers when Ty threw up all over. YUCK! So I threw him in the tub, put new jammies on him and tucked the kids in bed. I was hoping it was just a one time thing. I had to head to the church to help set up for the Christmas party the next morning, so Ricky stayed home with the kids. I was gone for 2 1/2 hours but when I got home...Ty had JUST fallen asleep. Yep, he had been throwing up the whole time I was gone. Ricky was so great and had it all cleaned up and Ty back in bed. Lucky me, I missed all of it! :) I threw everything in the wash and went to bed around midnight.

Saturday it snowed! Of course, since that is when I planned the party!! Just my luck. I woke up long before any other signs of life in the house and headed to the grocery store for napkins and then to the church to start cutting fruit. Ricky decided to stay home with the kids just to make sure, and I was at the church from 7-noon. It was quite the ordeal. I have never been in charge of anything this HUGE (breakfast for a whole ward!) so it was pretty stressful and I kept thinking that I am jealous of all the other 23 yr olds that get to be primary workers!! The party went well (I think!) and when I got home, Ricky had been cleaning up the house. Ty had pretty bad diapers, and had needed another bath, but he wasn't throwing up anymore.

Later that day, Kassi had her first daddy-daughter date! It was pretty special! I took pictures, but Kassi found my camera and deleted them all before I could upload them to the computer! Sad! :( Ricky took her out to a "Ball" at the studio where Kassi takes dance. It was best dress, so Ricky wore a nice red button down shirt and black pants with a black tie (he looked pretty dang hot!) and Kassi got to wear one of her really pretty dark purple Sunday dresses. They looked great! Kassi had lots of fun dancing with her dad...and I think Ricky even enjoyed himself. Tyler and I slept while they were gone.

Sunday...ok we went to church then to dinner at my grandma's house in Clearfield. We hadn't had anymore signs of sickness, so we thought it would be ok. Sunday night proved me SO wrong. Ricky, Kassi, and I spent ALL night taking turns with the same bug Tyler had. It was hard enough being sick, but trying to take care of and give loves to a sick child at the same time was really tough. Lucky for me, my mom is visiting from Colorado this week, and she made chicken noodle soup and reminded me to feed Tyler since he was feeling better at that point. She's been great! Gotta love moms!! From 11:30-4 am I did 4 loads of laundry and changed Kassi and her bedding 5 times. In between I was also sick. I HATE being sick, but I REALLY HATE when your kids are sick! Cute little Kassi kept asking for medicine because her tummy hurt and kept telling me that she "choked" in bed.

Monday we did nothing. (Tammy...I am sure you are thankful that Ashley was already planning on watching the girls!)

Tuesday we went shopping! Thankfully it was just a 24 hour bug, and I was able to go shopping with my mom and sister yesterday, and have fun! They volunteered to watch the kids and put them to bed, so Ricky and I even had the chance to go out on a much needed date last night. Thanks mom and Laura!

I have spent the day today dis-infecting the house. The party is done, and I really hope we are all done with being sick so we can now just enjoy Christmas!

School...

Okay...here's the scoop!
Ricky and I are both going back to school in January to begin our higher education! YAY! This has been quite the process. When we got married, Ricky showed no interest in going to school because he REALLY doesn't like it. I didn't care if he didn't want to go, but where he is the provider for our family, I did care that he decided what he wanted to do and how he was going to care for us. For almost 4 years the answer has been, "I don't know." He loves, loves, LOVES his job now!! I can't stress that point enough. This is what makes it tough. As much as he loves it now...he also knows that his body can't handle it forever and that it won't provide the income to give us the lifestyle we are both seeking in the future. He also does not want to take over his dad's business. So...what to do? About the end of August it was like a light bulb clicked and he realized that something needed to change if we wanted our "lifestyle" to change. This may sound little, but it was a milestone! He has decided (for now) to pursue an education somewhere in the field of computers. This may change...but for now he is enrolled in school and starting the long journey to finding what he wants to do.
For me on the other hand, school has always been a goal. Since high school it was expected that I would further my education in some way. I planned on attending college. I applied to Weber, enrolled in classes, went to pay tuition...and found out I had to pay out of state tuition since I hadn't lived in Utah for 2 years yet. So I decided just to work for another year and save money and go the next fall. Well, I met Ricky in the spring and got married October 9...right in the middle of the semester I was supposed to start school. I looked into school after we got married, before Kassi, but we didn't have the money and I didn't know what I wanted to do. What we did want to do was start our family. So...9 months after we were married I found out I was pregnant. 9 months after that Kassi was born. 9 months after that I found out I was pregnant again...and ya know...9 months later Tyler was born! Needless to say I have been pretty busy. When I was looking into Utah State in Brigham City for Ricky, and talking to the counselors, I learned that they have many "helps" for students with children. After many long conversations with the counselor I have learned that I can go to school now without abandoning my kids. I just never thought I could go and still be the type of mom I want to be, but I can! Starting in January, the adventure begins. I will be working on my Bachelors of Nursing. :)
We will both be attending the Utah State Campus in Brigham City and for this first semester we are taking it easy with OSS 1400 (a basic computer skills class) and math 0900. (it has been WAY too many years for either of us to jump into even 1010. I think this will break us into the college atmosphere easily without being overwhelming. Because our house payment is right, and we have been able to keep other debt out, we thankfully will be able to stay in our house while we go to school.
We both feel very blessed to begin this journey and know that it will help our family in the future!

8 Things

Thanks for the tag Loretta! 8 is a lot more than you may think!

8 T.V. shows that I like to watch....
1. Biggest Loser
2. Dancing with the Stars
3. American Idol
4. So You Think You Can Dance
5. The Office
6. The O'Reilly Factor
7. umm...


8 thing that happened yesterday....(yesterday was boring...so this is today too)
1. I took Kassi to dance class! (so fun! 20 min of ballet, 20 min of gymnastics...and it's a mommy and me class)
2. I called everyone on my Ward Activities Committee to make sure things are going to go well for our ward Christmas party next week
3. I cleaned my bathroom
4. I ordered textbooks for school
5. I got a UPS package from my mom with TONS of books for the kiddos for Christmas! thanks mom!!
6. My mother in law brought my nephew over to stay with us for a couple of days! Surprisingly... all 3 kids went to bed really well
7. I cleaned up all the toys and vacuumed
8. I took care of, played with, read stories to, and LOVED my kids!


8 of my favorite places to eat...
1. Tepanyaki (this is where Ricky and I met...on dates with other people...but we met!) ;) loretta
2. Olive Garden
3. Pizza Plus in Tremonton...the best pizza and breadsticks!!
4. Red Robin
5. -TL Steakhouse (I am also a server here)
6. El Parral in Tremonton....super good Mexican food
7. Chilies
8. my mom's house :)


8 things I am looking forward to...
1. Christmas!! We already got a piano and this is the only thing Ricky and I are going to get for eachother this year...but what's not to look forward to when you have a 2 1/2 year old at Christmas time?!
2. Starting school in January...I can't wait!!
3. when my kids wake up tomorrow morning
4. getting in shape! haha
5. someday graduating from school and being a nurse!
6. going on missions for the church with Ricky (the BEST companion I could ever have!)
7. bringing more babies into our family...when the time is right
8. getting to see my mom in a week!


8 things on my wish list...
1. to find the financial security that I know is coming our way
2. to be able to travel....British Isles, China, Mexico, Hawaii...just to name a few
3. another amazing pedicure with Connie...:)
4. a full day at the spa
5. to get outta debt completely! (no more house payment...that would be so nice!)
6. FREE TUITION
7. that Ricky never had to work out of town again...that we could be together EVERY night!!
8. that life will always be as good, if not better, as it is right now!


8 people I tag....
I don't think I'm going to tag anyone...:)

So Thankful!

There are so many wonderful things I have to be thankful for this year that I wanted to share!

First...the love of my life! Ricky is my sweetheart and best friend. He works long, hard physical hours in all weather conditions so that I can stay at home to raise our wonderful kids...I will get to them in a min! What a guy! He is so selfless. He loves being able to use his talents to help others any time he gets a chance. He complains less than anyone I have EVER met! Anyone who knows him knows that I really have a gem!

Second...my kids!! What can I say? They fill each and every day with sunshine. They are best friends! I LOVE listening to them play together and just sit and giggle at each other! Kassi is the best little helper. She loves to help me clean, and do her chores and help with Tyler. She is so lovable and so outgoing. She loves to sing and dance, and I love to be part of her life! Tyler is getting SO BIG! Every day I am reminded that he is becoming less and less of a baby and more and more of a toddler. Sad, but exciting! He still loves to give me kisses and blow kisses to me from across the room. He is such a happy little boy! What a blessing it is to be a mother and to have such wonderful little babies!

Ok, third is a bit of a bigger group. This is for all of my and Ricky's families. Ricky's parents are so wonderful! If I could have picked my "in-laws" I definitely couldn't have picked a better set! They really have helped and guided us in these first few years of our marriage and have taken me in like one of their own. It is great to live close and to be able to spend time with them. Ricky's siblings are the same! They are great and I love them all so much! The older, married couples get to spend time together and it is so fun and for the most part we all get along really well! My mom and dad have been a huge rock for us to lean on in hard times as well. Though they live in Tennessee...(moving to CO)...my mom is one of my best friends and I call her almost every day. :) Sometimes more. They are always there for me to help me and I appreciate all they do for my family. My brothers and sisters are amazing as well. My older sister and I are both married with kids, and being on the same level has made us really close. I love it! I am so grateful for our wonderful families and I am so glad to know that families are forever!!!

I am grateful for all of you...being wonderful friends! I have had the opportunity to move many times in my short life, yet I have been touched and blessed by wonderful people everywhere I have lived. I am so thankful to have so many incredible people and examples who have inspired my life for good.

I am grateful for my Savior and all the little blessings I receive daily. For a home, food, material blessings, to go back to school...everything that I am is owed to Him. I am eternally indebted and so grateful for his tender mercies in my life, through all the good times, but especially through the trials. I am truly blessed and have so much to be thankful for!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Day 2!

Ok, one major detail I forgot to mention about why watching my sister's kids is a little more effort than your everyday boys. Andrew has type 1 diabetes. I thought that with me wanting to go into nursing that I would do alright...but I really don't know much about giving shots or type 1 diabetes. So this morning when his sugar levels were low, and this afternoon when they were high, I was panicking that I was going to kill my sister's son! Thankfully...we made it! Giving the shots actually came really easily. I had to call poor Amy on vacation to help me calculate how much insulin to give him each time I gave him anything to eat, but since I was keeping him alive and healthy, she was ok with it. Sorry Amy. :(
Besides the fact that each of the babies had like 4 stinky diapers today and Landon had two accidents (too much fun at my house I guess!) we had a fun fun day! We went to the park since it was nice weather.(I forgot my camera) That was an adventure! For any of you that think about taking 5 kids to the park, two being babies...you might want an extra set of hands for help...but they were really good and we all had fun. Then we came back and jumped in the tub (only because of the accident) and then had a PIZZA PARTY! Yeah, I know! I'm the coolest aunt. After the pizza we watched Cars. Ok, not the coolest, I made them sit at the table to eat and we only watched the movie after they were done. :) Here are the pics of our fun night!

Pizza party at aunt Kimmie's house!

Ty making a mess...what's new? Hmm...I hope Ricky doesn't see the pink bowl, I will get in trouble! oops...sorry buddy!

Getting ready for movie night!! On today's menu...Cars!

Andrew...NOT camera shy!
Landon! This is what you get when you tell a 3 yr old to say cheese.
Kassi...ya she just wouldn't look at me....if she saw this pic she would say "it's scary Kassi!" haha
They practically sat on top of each other the whole movie...taking turns of who was on top of course
So much for looking at me for a pic...they are obviously watching the movie at this point!

What a fun weekend! Great kids, lots and lots of fun!!

Day 1

My amazing older sister Amy has been married for over 6 years. She has a loving husband and three beautiful boys, Andrew age 5, Landon age 3, and Trevor age 11 1/2 months. In those 6+ she has NEVER taken a day off. Ok...maybe a day, but she has never left the kids overnight for any reason besides being in the hospital to have more babies! :) Aaron, my brother in law, has a medical convention in Las Vegas this weekend...no kids invited! So today I met my sister in Salt Lake, loaded all 5 car seats into my car (thank Heaven I have a huge gas guzzler!) and brought the kids to my house for a few days! How fun! The night started out so fun. The cousins all played and ran around the house, laughed, sang, and had a super good time together! (they don't see eachother often enough) As the evening wore on, the overwhelming appearance of exhaustion took over, but going to bed was still pretty easy, and I have survived the first day. We'll see how everyone sleeps...so far so good! :) It was a pretty crazy night though too...Kassi and Tyler both experienced some "firsts"...


Trevor, Landon, Tyler, and Andrew...all 4 boy cousins! So cute....poor (spoiled) Kassi :)

Trevor LOVED my tupperware...

The babies had so much fun pushing it all over my house (don't look at my ungly kitchen floor! can you say new flooring w/ tax returns?!)

Cute, cute cute!!!

Ok...so Kassi has helped me make those sugar cookies that you just have to put on the pan and bake. She has fun doing it! I let her help me tonight...and yeah....she decided she likes cookie dough! Out of the 9 she put on the pan she took bites out of 7!! I think she will need a little more supervision from now on! :)

Remember how I said Tyler being a monkey was very appropriate? Yes, he is sitting on top of Kassi's table. He can climb up there FAST too. I turn my back for a second and there he is! I thought that was bad enough, but then...

Little stinker! I thought this pic was pretty funny cause it looks like he's singing on a stage. Boys... :)

So we made it through the first day...I will be sure to post about tomorrow as well....goodnight!

New Addition to the Family :)

Ricky and I are so excited to announce that we will soon be welcoming a new member to our family!!! Last night we bought a piano! ;) We have been wanting one since we got married and it just hasn't happened. Last night I had about a half hour before I could put the kids to bed, and jumped online to dream. Living in Tremonton, the idea of driving very far isn't so attractive, so I was about to give up. Then I saw it....Tremonton! I called and left a message. I then went and started brushing kids' teeth to get ready for bed. She called me back. She said that she has dropped the price so many times because she is having a hard time selling it. See, like me, people don't want to have to drive all the way to Tremonton. So, it was down to $300. We could totally do that! I told her I was very interested, but since I wasn't REALLY looking to buy a piano right now I was going to have to think about it and I would call her in the morning.
Less than 20 min later, she called me back. Apparently another local had called her and wanted to go look at it in the morning. I babysit on Tuesdays, so the earliest I could get over there would be around 4. My heart sank. By now it was 8:30 and the kids usually are in bed at 8, but were still up....SO, I asked if I could come look at it right now! She agreed. She actually lives in my parents-in-law's ward and my mother in law is an excellend pianist, so I picked her up on the way. Kids and I in our pajamas and ready for bed, we went to check out the piano. My mother in law sat and played a little bit, inspected it, and told me it was a steal at $300. So, I wrote the check and sealed the deal before I left the house! I wasn't about to let some other person get the deal before me. I couldn't believe that after having it for sale for over 3 months that there were 2 of us that called the same night!! I had to make a quick decision. I didn't even talk to Ricky about it until after it was a done deal. :) He was really excited, as I knew he would be! Now I just have to wait until Friday when Ricky comes home from WY so I can actually have it moved to my house! Here it is!!

Quirks

Quirks

Here are the rules:
1. Link the person who tagged you, thanks Jen...
2. Mention rules on your blog.
3. Tell about 6 quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers to do the same.
5. Leave a comment to let them know.


1. I am oc about our money. Seriously. People who know how obsessed I am probably make fun of me so much! I check our account at LEAST once a day. I always know exactly to the penny how much money we have in the bank. I keep a register and record everything. Ricky was probably pretty annoyed when we first got married and I required his receipts from every purchase he made that day, but I think he's used to it by now. I also keep a register for our credit card. I guess I just want to know that every single purchase is legit and I want to know exactly what our payoff is. I used to keep a register for our savings, but since I check our accounts every day and nothing comes OUT of savings, I decided this was pointless.

2. I can only chew gum for a few minutes. If I have a piece of gum in my mouth for longer than five or ten minutes my jaw hurts and really I am just sick of chewing it. Again, Ricky probably is annoyed that I "waste" so much gum, but I don't chew it very often.

3. I LOVE being pregnant and having babies! :) I debated for a long time whether or not this counted as something weird...but I think most women probably think this is pretty abnormal. I love the feeling of the cute little bump. From the time I find out I'm pregnant I always lie down and try to feel my enlarging uterus. I just love it! I love when you can start feeling the baby move, and kick and hiccup! I love giving birth and having that brand new baby in my arms. (this may only be because I've never had any serious complications and could change in the future...)

4. I am always baby hungry! I really hope this goes away SOMEDAY or I'll end up with like 20 kids! This is really unfortunate since I love being pregnant. For reals, I have to talk myself out of getting pregnant and having another baby ALL THE TIME!! It's hard, cause if I were to tell Ricky that I wanted another baby, he would be all for it, all the time! He loves being a dad and can't wait to bring more sweet spirits into the world, so it's all up to me to convince myself that we need to wait. It kinda gets annoying. Instead of convincing myself to have another baby I have to convince myself that I'm not really ready. Hello! I have a 2 1/2 yr old and a 1 yr old (just barely!) I still have 2 in diapers!! I know...we're nuts.

5. I hate other people's feet. I could never touch them! I babysit occasionally and decided to paint the girls' toenails. I trimmed Kassi's toes (she's my daughter...it's different) and then I thought for sure there was no way I was going to trim the other little girls, but they were really long and needed it. :( It was seriously one of the hardest things I've done in my life! On the other hand, I trim my toe nails and scrub/lotion up my feet every night before I go to bed. ??

6. I brush my teeth all the time. I brush them at least 3 times a day, more if I leave the house. I HATE the feeling of anything on them or if I feel like I don't have fresh breath. Ricky really makes fun of me for this one, but at least my mouth is always clean!

7. Ricky and I don't ever really fight. He is SO laid back and easy going. He is the best and easiest husband ever! Being married is so natural for us because he is SO good to me!! Our first year, which most people say is the hardest, was so easy and natural...and after 4 years, they have only gotten better. If we pay all the bills and only have $50 for groceries for the next 2 weeks, he just thinks it's great that we can pay all our bills. He is perfect for me since I stress about everything! The only time we ever really have a disagreement is when I think he doesn't care ENOUGH! :) What a great guy! Since I despise contention...Ricky is a perfect fit for me! Thanks babe for being so great!

8. I have always wanted to be in a beauty pageant. haha. I know! I'm not sure WHY, but the idea has always intrigued me. Ever since I was like 10! I thought when I got married my chances were gone forever, but oh no! They have Mrs. Utah pageants, and you don't have to have a talent! Oh ya! I've looked into it. Little crazy since I don't consider myself real "beauty pageant material", but don't to be too surprised if I do it someday just so I can stop thinking about doing it! Wow...I never thought I'd let my little secret out! haha!

oops...I was only supposed to do 6, oh well!

I tag: Charise, Karen, Shaunna, Kallee, Bonnie, & Loretta :)

Birthdays!

The last couple of years, my birthday has been a "special day" in one way or another. Two years ago, my Great Grandpa Stromberg, whom I was close to passed away. At first this seemed like really bad timing. I was so sad that it happened on my 21st birthday. However, as time passed and I thought about it more, it now seems like a special connection that he and I share. On the same day, we both stepped through the veil...just different ends of it.
Last year, my birthday was on a Sunday. Tyler had been born on September 27, so he was just over a month old. It worked out perfectly to bless my beautiful infant son on my 22nd birthday. This was very special to me. Both sides of my family were able to gather together to join the celebration of his birth, and nothing could have been a better birthday present! That was a great day!
This year, it was "special" in a different sense of the meaning. Yesterday, we were able to cast our votes for a new President of our country. All year people have been counting down to Nov. 4th. For me, they were just reminding me how many days until my birthday! :) I had an enjoyable day, amid the election chaos.
Birthdays are your special day, and I've been so grateful to share my special day with so many historic events, both personally and nationally. However, I think I am excited for next year to have the day to myself!

Halloween fun!

Halloween with a 2 1/2 year old is SO MUCH FUN! It really started Thursday when I took her to dance and she was allowed to dress up. To make a long story short, she wore her costume all day Thursday and we had to convince her to put her pajamas on for bed. First thing Friday morning..."where Tinkerbell?" So I let her wear it all day Friday too. She loved dressing up and she even held really still while I put her hair up into "Tinkerbell bun". As for the trick-or-treating...she did really well. The first couple of times she thought it was "scary" but once she realized that they were going to give her candy it didn't take long to catch on! Tyler thought it was great too, I guess. He mostly rode in the stroller, but he was a super cute little monkey and was really good the whole time. We had a fun fun evening!

My cute little TinkerbellTyler the monkey....SO appropriate!

Ricky was a cowboy and I was the devil...not so fitting since I really am an angel! :) haha

Proud papa with his cute kids!

Our family for Halloween 2008...aren't we cute?! (and for those of you wondering...yes, Kassi is picking her nose! haha...life with a 2 year old!)

Converting to the Dark side...

So about this time every year, I get an itch to something different with my hair. I keep it blonde all summer, and enjoy that...but it's just time for a change. Last year I went really dark, and that was fun, but this year I decided to not go AS dark. Because my hair was so blonde, the color will fade and the ultra blonde will start to look more like natural highlights. (which I would have if I didn't color at all....hmm...) Anyway, here are some pics! :)


This is before...you can tell I'm in need of a trim too!

And this is after! Sad that I grew up blonde and the

dark looks more natural these days. ??

I like it! I think it's cute!

Me and my sweetie! He's such a cutie!

xoxo

Tyler loves kisses!! His new thing is that if he sees me give kisses to Kassi or Ricky, no matter where he is, he walks/crawls his way over to me with his mouth open wide! The whole time he is making popping noises with his mouth. When he gets to me, he doesn't even hesitate. He just puts his big open mouth kiss on my lips! To those who don't have kids yet this may be disgusting, but every mom out there knows how sweet open mouth kisses are from their babies! I love it! Gosh kids are great!

Ok so I totally didn't think I was going to do stuff like this, but I guess this week was kinda boring and I can't think of anything to post...so here it goes!

Tag, You're It!!
I AM ME

i am: a pretty happy person
i think: a LOT about...everything!
i know: that I control how happy I am
i have: everything a person could ever ask for
i dislike: when Kassi throws tantrums!
i miss: my mom...:(
i fear: not being happy with who I am
i feel: blessed
i hear: silence...
i smell: pumpkin spice candle
i usually: go to bed WAY later than I intend
i search: for happy people to be my friends
i wonder: what amazing things life has in store for me
i regret: not going to school...but I'm going in January!
i love: my family!!
i care: about people
i always: check on my kids before I go to bed...they are so peaceful when they are asleep
i worry: that I will ever disappoint my parents
i am not: perfect
i remember: always loving life growing up!...such good memories!
i believe: there are many people who love and support me
i dance: with my kids!
i sing: in my car
i don’t always: shower before 10:00...sometimes i don't get in until the kids take naps! :)
i argue: very rarely
i don’t like: arguing
i write: in my journal, but not as often as I should
i win: every time Ricky and I play Yahtzee!
i lose: every time Ricky and I play wii tennis!!
i wish: I could travel more
i never: make choices i know i will regret later
i listen: to Ricky when he tells me his thoughts and dreams
i don't understand: why some people are so mean to others
i can usually be found: at home :)
i am scared: that I'm not a good mom...or that my kids will think so
i need: money for school
i forget: everything! i have a huge calendar on my fridge that helps me function!
i am happy: when i am with my husband and kids

I tag...anyone that has the time!

FHE

So for family home evening...we usually sing a few songs and talk to Kassi about temples and Heavenly Father...and how we should be nice and happy because that's how Heavenly Father wants us to be, etc. She loves it! We usually end up looking at pictures of the temples on the internet forever, but she has a lot of fun! This week I have had the flu so we postponed FHE until Tuesday night. But boy did we make it worth the wait for her. We loaded the family up and drove to Logan to visit the temple. Kassi thought it was really neat. I'm not going to lie, once she saw the fountain in the front she kinda didn't care as much about the temple...but we had a really fun time as a family and here are a couple of pictures from our trip! (sorry the lighting was a little off and we didn't adjust it...)

It starts....

Well, here it goes. I have no idea what I'm doing exactly...but I have plenty of friends that will help me make this cute...right?
Ok, so here's our story: Ricky and I were married Oct.9, 04 in the Logan Temple. (Today is our 4 year anniversary!) Kassi was born March 14, 06 and is such a joy! She is currently in a dance/gymnastics class which she enjoys, and loves her nursery class too! Tyler just turned 1 on September 27 and is about to start walking. I think it's just too slow for him cause he sure tries his hardest to keep up with his big sister. They are such a joy and we sure love them a lot!
We live in Tremonton, UT. Ricky works in the construction business with his dad and brothers and I am a stay at home mom. In Jan. we are both headed to Utah State University to start working on our degrees. Ricky is looking at going into something with computers and I am going into nursing.
We love our life and friends and are blessed daily!