...Gotta Love It...

2009-09-11T21:01:00.002-04:00

Here is Aus on his first day of preschool. I'm pretty sure he will be the class clown... oh boy! He really enjoyed it though. I heard all day (and still do) about all they did and all they got to sing and so on....This is the best I could get out of him. There was a finger print on the lens which I didn't realize so now I feel bad about that. I still think he is cute though. He was peeking around his teacher Mrs. Erin, they were supposed to wait until their names were called. Of course he is making faces. Silly silly boy!It was cold here today so I wanted to build a fire. This is what I found when I lifted up a piece of wood. Pretty sure I screamed!!!!!! I hate anything that is creepy and crawly. EW! Anyhow our cat Sami came to the rescue when she heard it making its squeaking noise. She disposed of it quickly. The boys just wanted to touch it and pet it. Austin couldn't help but pick it up at least with a stick. "I'm not touching it mom" was his reply. Why are boys so curious? Why? Even Tj wanted in on the action. I do still have some hope though. There is a possibility that this baby that is growing in my belly will be a girl... Maybe then I will get someone to side with me and say 'ew that's disgusting' every once in a while. Rather than 'hey let me see that!' oh brother! er I mean Sister :)

Yep if you haven't heard already we are expecting baby number three! Wish us luck and pray for a girl. Pretty please?

Summer Fun!

2009-08-24T15:19:00.005-04:00

We have been busy around here this summer. There are so many pictures and stories to tell, I could never put it all into one post. I will do my best to give you a good peek on what we have been doing lately!

We went to a District picnic and Andrew was the star of the night :) at least I think so. He was unbeatable in the stick pulling contest!

Here he is with Travis. Look at how that kid is flying over andrews head! That was so funny!! Good times!

Here is the slip n slide they had for the kids. At the bottom there is a bunch of mud. It was so much fun though.

camden went down once and got malled by a big kid, he wanted to go down again but was too scared.

uhg. i forgot to rotate all the pics! anyhow this is aussie with all the dirt and grass on him. He had a ball!

Muddy face :)

Having a blast!

BOYS!!!!! nuff said!

2009-05-21T23:38:00.004-04:00

Here is Camden with one of the many messes he gets into. He is always getting into something! Such a messy little boy! If you look in the background you can see Austins legs. They are black!!! He was so dirty too!

Just call him Cam-gelina!!! ;) Doodah seriously cuts his lip open once a week! It always bleeds like crazy. This was a really bad week. He cut it open three times in two days! I always tell Andrew that the reason I never get anything done is because I am always saving this kids life! It's so true!

This is a little friend of camdens. It's a TICK! I had to pull it out with tweezers and it did not want to let go. it was hanging on so tight that it pulled his skin up about an inch before it let go. ouch!

Don't be fooled. Aussie is always getting into as much trouble as Camden. He is just learning how to be more sneaky about it. He does stuff and then comes and tells me but ends it with saying "but i was hiding mom, so you couldn't see me. don't get mad ok?" I could go on and on about all the funny witty things he says. that kid is smart and quick on his feet! The boys got into mud and finger paint in the picture below. I think that Camden's shirt says it all. "I like monsters mud and mess!" I just cant figure out why in the world they made it a WHITE shirt!!! Don't these people know anything about boys? lol

Hotties, Houses, Smarty-backwards pants and Nakies!!

2009-03-09T13:42:00.006-04:00

We have been working on the house for the past month or so. It has taken so long to finish though. Now we are drywalling. Luckily we have had so many people come and help. Gotta love small town communities eh?

The best part of it all is that I get to use power tools. I love LOVE using the screw gun and the saw. I haven't been able to use them as much as I would like because we have people there to help every day and want them to have what they need to use to do whatever it is they are working on. Once they don't need it I find what I can do to use the power tools. :D

This is a pic of Andrew up in the rafters putting up the canned lights. He is upstairs in the boys rooms. It has been a lot of fun doing this by ourselves (well mostly Andrew but I do what I can) I have learned so much from it. I can't wait until the house is finished. It will be so nice to go from a single wide trailer to a nice house that has been built right!

Here is a pic of Aussie this morning AFTER he had already had breakfast. I heard something falling out and being smashed. I came in to find out what he had done when he looked up at me and said. "Mom. The letter of the day is A... like Aussie) How can I get mad at the box of cereal dumped out when he was so creative in

doing so? I just laughed and told him to wait so I could grab my phone. This was the best smile I could get out of him. He is in that phase where he scrunches his noes and squints his eyes when asked to smile. So the fact that his eyes are open is a big deal... I guess we just get the opened mouth with it. lol!

It's official. Doodah is potty training. Somebody help me!! He wants to be a big boy like his older brother and wear undies, so we are in the process of potty training. This next shot is a typical morning here at the Shick home. Aussie is 100% independent when it comes to going to the bathroom. That means he puts his own undies and pants back on when he is done. He doesn't care if they are backwards or not :)

Camden has been waking up with a dry diaper most mornings so he runs around nakey until he goes potty in the toilet. Here they are leaving the bathroom. Aus is pushing a tractor, back-wards pants and all. While Doodah toddles along waiting his turn to push. Ahhh how I love my life! These boys make me laugh!! Oh and I totally love my big boy too!! I think he is hot stuff! ;) Why do you think these two are so adorable?

2009-02-18T16:48:00.003-05:00

The Next Best Thing....

Here is our most recent Family picture. Okaye its not really formal one but it is the next best thing right? :)

We were at the DMV waiting to get our PA licenses which is in the mall... go figure. Anyhow while we were waiting our turn they had a Polaroid photo booth. We decided it would be fun to cram into it and take some pics.

I'm probably going to get into some trouble for posting the picture of Andrew doing his "monkey face" along with the boys, but I figured I would just ask for forgiveness because I know darn well I'm not going to get permission!! ;) It is a funny pic though!

Oh, and it is a picture of a picture. You can see my thumb while holding it. I suppose I could get a better one but I am not going to take another one hee hee.

It's ALL my Fault!!

2009-01-23T17:12:00.004-05:00

This morning I was getting ready when Aussie came in to me and said "Mommy you look so pretty, and its all my fault... AGAIN!!" Um, thanks sweetheart... I have no idea what that was all about but it made me laugh.

Freezing our buns off in PA!

2009-01-19T11:59:00.005-05:00

It has been so dang cold here. Yesterday we saw a high of 26!! I felt like wearing shorts and a T-shirt :) For the past week or so it has been around -5 to 5 degrees during the afternoon. Talk about cold! We have to layer up our clothes like crazy! The other day I took the boys beanies off to find this

Doesn't he look like a little punk kid? I love it! And yes. I have succumbed to "mormon motherhood traditions" ;) and purchased a van. The worst part of it all? I actually like having it! Whodathunk?

Here is Camden with his punk hair. Pretty funny eh?

Pennsylvania!

2009-01-07T10:45:00.003-05:00

We made it to Pennsylvania finally. I drove out with the boys the Monday before Thanksgiving and Andrew got here 5 days before Christmas. THat is the longest we have gone without seeing eachother. It was hard.

Things are going well now. We are just trying to settle into PA life and our new callings. We love this little branch. We love our callings as well ;)

Austin is doing well. He loves all the tractors out here and loves being close to his Grandma Sue and Grandpa Gary. He also loves living with TJ and Sami again (our dog and cat) He has also grown so much since we have left Utah. He turned 3 on 4 Sept. and is already wearing mostly 4T clothes. That kid is TALL!

Camden is getting taller also. He talks like crazy though. He is only 20 months old and speaks as well as a 3 year old. I am blown away every day at how much more he learns and the words he uses. He is a very smart little boy. He is already wanting to potty train. He uses the toilet when mommy lets him but Im just not ready for him to be potty trained yet... or maybe im not ready to potty train him :) either way he is more ready than I am.

I love being in the mission field again. I love it!! I miss my family like crazy but it is so good to be able to feed the missionaries as much as I want. In Utah we only fed the missionaries 3 times in 3 years. I also have more opportunities to work with the missionaries and help them teach people here. Its a little harder because they have to have another female go with me but the opportunity presents itself much more often. I love love love being in Young Womens. We have a pretty big group for a branch. We have about 9 Young Women! They are a crazy bunch.

Andrew is also adjusting well out here. He is in the Elders Quarum and enjoys his calling. He gets really excited to go and cut wood down in the woods behind the house. He has been taking us sledding out on the property too. The boys love that. They cant seem to go fast enough. He pulls us beind the tractor, 4- wheeler and even the truck. Gotta love the country life.

Overall we are very happy and love spending time together. We had a wonderful Christmas ( which by the way put me in my "late twenties" but whatever. Age ain't nothin but a number. Right?) We have had a lot of family get-togethers and gotten to know family we didn't really know before we moved here.

And ofcourse they wouldn't be my boys if they weren't getting into trouble. Here they are splashing in the tub and the next one is when they got caught. I'm glad they have eachother!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIRA!!!

2008-11-13T00:34:00.005-05:00

Kira is now 26! I can't believe my little sister is 26. Even though I'm older that still seems so old. Today we went shopping and got her a really REALLY cute pair of jeans. Truth be told, I wanted them for myself ;) But I was selfless and got them for her. I love how we are best friends. We can talk about anything. Here are 26 things about my sis

1.Kira is very humble
2. She is my best friend (next to my superman hubby of course) and we can talk about anything
3. She is such a beautiful person inside and out.
4. Kira is so self concious of her birthmark it is crazy. She thinks its ugly. She is BEAUTIFUL!!
5. She works in the presidents office at UVU and gets hooked up with all kinds of stuff.
6. Some of her nicknames are kabiisa, gogo, goge, lynners, kirsther and Tommy calls her keed.
7. If you tickle her under her neck she will laugh so hard she drools. **ya gotta try it sometime!
8. Kira is a straight A student in college. She has gotten a 4.0 nearly her whole college carreer!
9. She served a mission to the Louisville Kentucky Mission and was an AWESOME missionary!
10. When she was 13 she pierced her own belly button with a safety pin and ice!
11. When we were in college toghether people would always ask us if we were twins. We got so sick of people asking and then not believing us that we just said we were to save time.
12. Kira knows American Sign Language fluently.
13. Kira is one smart cookie!
14. She has never really cooked much until she got married. Now she makes dinner most every night and it is some dang good food! She's a natural.
15. She can wiggle her eyes really really fast! Its freaky
16. She has only had 3 jobs really. First at Shoneys Restaurant as a salad bar attendant. Second at a telemarketing place, which she worked at for 2 years! and now the one she is currently at. She has been there for a long time before and after her mission.
17. Kira is a really good listener and good at communication.
18. She has been trying to grow her hair out for her husband and its getting so long!
19. She can get soooooooooooooo competitive.
20. She is one awesome Auntie. My boys absolutely adore her.
21. Kira reads her scriptures every single day!
22. She is a very organized person.
23. Kira is one of those people that are good at everything they do
24. She is full of love for other people.
25. She is happy all of the time. She is so positive!
26. She now has a really cute pair of jeans :)

Hope you had a great day kira!

What We's been up to...

2008-10-12T17:22:00.006-04:00

Since my last post we have been homeless... in a sense. I'll back up a bit... The boys and I flew out to Utah to visit Andrew while he was closing up shop (literally, he is moving everything out of the shop) We figured we were only going to be here for a week and then all drive back to PA. WRONG! We got an offer on our house. Fabulous! So we stayed in Utah so we could be there to sign at the closing. Well the city we live in had a certificate of non-compliance on our house, so we couldn't sell it until we satisfied it. They said our back deck wasn't in compliance with city ordinance. So we started fixing up stupid things like put stain on the bottom of the deck, dig the footers from 16 inches deep to 31 inches deep (which actually isn't very smart because it made the ground unsettled again so the deck is going to move with the frost and heat) and a ton of other random stuff that honestly didn't make any sense and cost us way more money than we wanted to put into it. Oh, and did I mention that we already had the city inspect it a year and a half ago? The guy that came didn't fill out the paper properly so it "didn't count" or something like that. We were so annoyed. I think the guy that did all the inspections was just on a power trip because he had us do the most insignificant things. Its fine I'm over it now. We passed.

We had a date set up to close on the house once we got the city out of our hair. We got a call the morning of from the realtor informing us that the bank they were going to borrow from ran out of money. GREAT! The buyers really wanted to get the house but needed a special program for down payment assistance which is no longer offered. We thought it was over but they came back to us and told us that they talked to some family members and borrowed enough for a down payment. Now we are patiently waiting for their papers to go through a new lender. We think we'll close on Tuesday but I'm not crossing my fingers. I will be happy if it happens though :)

In the mean time, we are still in Utah we were staying in a hotel which was very expensive. We knew we had to put an end to that and checked out our options. My husband being the major deal maker that he is found us a cheap yet nice motor home on KSL so that is what we are staying in for the time being. It gets crazy but the boys love all the dirt and rocks they get to throw. We have the motor home parked at the shop so we can be with Andrew all day!

What Andrew has been up to in short... very short.... He has this thing for fixing up wrecked semi's you know the big diesel semi trucks. Well anyhow a year ago he bought them to work on over the winter while the construction industry is slow. His plan was to rebuild them and sell them. So he has a guy that wants to buy two of them but only has time to build one before we need to be back in PA. So he is rushing to get that finished before we head back. He will have to make one more trip out after this next one to get the rest of the shop stuff and then he can get it all set up in the shop back in PA.

Aus and Cam have been having fun seeing family and playing with friends. Camden got his first stitched too. When we were at the hotel he was on the bed and rolled off next to the night stand and landed on the bottom corner of the night stand (it was a funky design the bottom of it stuck out more than the top and had a very sharp corner) that slit his head open and he was bleeding like crazy. We took him to the hospital where he had to get 6 stitches in his head. He cried when they were numbing him up but slept through all the "sewing" He just laid on Daddy's chest and slept it was cute.
Since I don't have my camera with me I have very few photos of the last month (along with very little of everything. I flew out here for one week! For the love!!! Good thing I can get creative lol) I do however, have some of Cam's stitches and a few others.

Camden's cute face before...

and this is while we were waiting in the ER
.
sleeping with daddy

And the finished product. It didn't leave too bad of a scar. I even took out the stitches myself. Wasn't hard at all. He is doing fine now and has even managed to have a few close call repeat trips. Boys will be boys!

...Roughin' it...

2008-08-22T15:15:00.004-04:00

We have finally made it to PA... Actually we have been here nearly two weeks now. We took our time driving out. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the trip back. The kids did really really well. It has been quite an adjustment going from a 3000 sq ft home to an 800 sq ft trailer and form the city to the middle of nowhere.

So far we have found snake skins under our trailer and all kinds of spiders. I even found a BIG pile of bear poop!!!!!!!! I almost passed out, the boys however have found great interest in bear poop and spiders and all the other bugs you get to live with when your backyard is part of the woods! Of course there are tons of tractor rides with daddy and they both follow him around everywhere with tools in hand so they can fix whatever it is he is fixing.

We have had TONS of good old fashioned home cooked meals made from scratch. We have picked beans and corn. Andrew's dad canned some beans and applesauce for us and I froze some corn so we are building up our food storage pretty quickly! I've learned a lot about gardening and have been helping in their HUGE garden. It has been pretty fun and a great learning experience so far.

Luckily our stay in this trailer is only temporary. We found a really nice new house. It's just a bit smaller than our house back in Utah but at least we will fit in it with all of our belongings. Also, it has a nice big wrap around covered porch. Property out here is so stinkin' cheap! Its a house on 4 acres with a shop, barn, shed and its all fenced in. It's only 100 thousand!! I couldn't believe it! Back home it would be more like one million dollars!

Oh yeah, there is one little catch... its an Amish house. which means it has no bathrooms or electricity and only running water to the kitchen sink!!!! Luckily it will all be really easy to install because they didn't finish the basement or upstairs so all the walls are easily accessible. We will slowly finish the basement and top floor. We are really lucky to have found such a great house for so cheap it will only take a week or so for Andrew to put in the electric and plumbing and then we can move in.

Well this had turned into a book. I haven't taken many pictures but I do have one of the bear poop. ;) I tried to show how big it is by putting my hand next to it so you can compare, but the angle still makes it look smaller than it is. EW!!

My Tractor Boys!!

2008-08-01T11:27:00.003-04:00

The boys love to ride this tractor. Its so funny to watch because Aus puts it in fast mode and they cruise around the back yard like crazy. Somehow Camden manages to hold on the entire time. You'd be surprised to see how fast this little toy goes!

Aussie Sauce

2008-06-28T14:54:00.002-04:00

So yesterday we went to Arby's to get some dinner. We went through the drive through because we were on our way down to drop the kids off at Kira and Tommy's for the night. I placed our order and pulled through to pay when the guy asked me if I wanted horsey or arby's sauce. I was about to say no thanks when Aussie yelled from the back seat "Hey! I want AUSSIE SAUCE please!!!"

It was pretty funny. The guy could hear him and just laughed at him. He is always saying crazy stuff like that.

So since we took the kids down there I got to sleep in (well for the most part) until 10:10 this morning!!! It has been years since I have been able to sleep in that late. The only problem was that we were up til 1am so I really only got the same amount of sleep, maybe a little more, than usual. Either way it was really nice and I am one happy camper today!

A new first for me

2008-06-11T20:01:00.002-04:00

I guess there is a first for everything right? Well I had my first car accident yesterday! I have never been in a car accident before and to make it worse it was MY FAULT!!! We were in the interstate in rush hour traffic. It was stop and go and at this particular point in time everyone hit the gas and went faster than they had before and then all of a sudden slammed on the breaks. I didn't have time to stop before I hit the car in front of me, which hit the car in front of him. Since I was the one in the back I got cited for it. BUT the guy behind me was seriously an inch away from hitting me! DANG IT!! lol...
Anyhow, there wasn't much damage done to anyones car. My car had the least amount of damage. You could hardly tell it was even in an accident. The other guys had minor bumper damage. So it really wasn't a big deal at all.
Andrew came down and met me there and told the guys we would just pay to fix their bumpers rather than let it go through our insurance and pay the deductable and then a higher premium on top of that. They were cool with doing it that way.
Luckily it was just me in the car. I had someone watching the kids. I think that is what I was thankful for the most.
I think I did pretty good going 27 years without having an accident. Lets just hope my luck continues and I dont have any for at least another 27 years!

Halloween 2007

2008-06-05T15:43:00.003-04:00

I was going through Andrews computer and found these pics from last year. Sorry they're late but hey- better late than never right? Aren't they such cute little boys? I think Aussie's outfit turned out really cute!

Rumor Has It...

2008-06-04T17:36:00.003-04:00

In answer to everyone's question. YES we are moving. We are actually really excited about it too! We have been planning on this since November but just have kept it quiet because we didn't know the exact time frame. Having a company takes a lot of things out of your control so we were just waiting til the company said we could move :)
We are moving back to Pennsylvania about an hour and a half north of Pittsburgh. Andrew is from there and we have some property that we can build on. So the plan for now is to go back and rent for the time being and start another company that has less to do with constructin seeing as the economy has taken a sky dive.
We knew that we were supposed to be back there, the Lord has made that very clear. It was just hard to see how it was all going to happen so soon, but we did everything moving forward with going back there and things are REALLY starting to fall into place. We have an offer on our house and we never even listed it!! We wanted to fix/replace a few things to make it perfect to sell but the buyer didn't want us to do that. Which is actually a blessing. We have a few options for a place to live back there for a VERY good price.
I am actually enjoying the "de-junking" process of moving. I hate clutter so things we dont use we are getting rid of. We're having a huge yard sale. Furniture and all will be there! We currently have 3 living/family rooms in our house and the new one will only have one so we have to get rid of at least 2 rooms of furniture, which is fine by me! I am looking forward to having a smaller house to clean and being out in the open away from a ton of people. The city wont be too far from us and we will have 2 large cities within 2 hours either direction. It will be a change but we are all looking forward to it.
Most of all I am excited to live in the mission field again and have all the opportunities to be a part of mission work! Its just a branch right now so it will be like a small ward family. Everyone in the church is really close and they know everyone, nobody gets lost in the cracks. We will also have the chance to feed the missionaries more than once every two years!! Seriously I'm STOKED!!

A few pics from DC

2008-05-30T19:16:00.003-04:00

Aus and I in front of the Washingtom Monument.
This is "Cam-diggity-doo-dah" and his cute dimples!!! Poor kid has so many nick names... But he is still super cute.
Aus and I by something. I cant remember the name of it. But it was really cool. I'm glad we got to go

And one more cause I'm on a roll....

2008-05-30T13:49:00.006-04:00

Aussie has always been so diligent about standing in time out (for the most part) I just had to snap this pic because I laugh everytime he is in time out with his nose in the corner. He pushes it way into the corner and stands on his tippy toes. What a funny little boy. When he is done with time out he will always come up to me and give me a hug and say "sorry mommy. Aussie was naughty" and then give me a kiss. How can you stay mad at that?

More pics from kira's wedding

2008-05-30T13:36:00.003-04:00

More sister pics

Andrew was being a good husband and painting my toenails for the reception. Its his designated job. I always get the paint all over my skin . I like this one of Aussie cause he looks so GQ. He is a cute kid!

Tommy and Kira's wedding

2008-05-30T13:18:00.003-04:00

Here are some random pics from Kira's wedding. It was such a perfect day and she looked BEAUTIFUL!!! (as you can see from the pics) We went back to DC for a reception for Tommy's side. That was a lot of fun We got to see the White House and all the fun sites.

Arent they so cute? I love this pic.

Her dress was so pretty

The best family photo I could get. Sad huh. Camden is asleep and Aus is so tired

Kira's new Mother-in-law Bay and Tommy and Kira. She has a great mother-in-law. so sweet

Kira and all her "Sisters" Some are mission companions, one is a sister-in-law and another is an old roommate... but none can compare with the REAL sister... :)

My Random Three's

2008-05-26T13:07:00.002-04:00

I was tagged by my cousin Laurie.

JOYS
1. I Love spending time with my family. Especially outdoors
2. I like to learn new things and try to find ways to make the boring things fun.
3. I enjoy talking to Andrew about random things and making our plans for the future.

FEARS
1. I have the same fear of most mothers I'm sure, I am scared that something will happen to one of my boys or Andrew.
2. I always worry that I am not doing a good enough job as a wife and mother. I feel like I should be doing more.
3. I HATE spiders and bugs!! EW!!

GOALS
1. Getting my house packed up and getting rid of all our junk so we don't take all of our unwanted stuff when we move.
2. Finish getting the house ready so we can put it up for sale.
3. Get my food storage so I dont have that nagging thought in the back of my mind because I know I should have a MUCH better supply of food than I now have.

OBSESSIONS/COLLECTIONS
1. I think the food storage thing could fall under this category.
2. Lately I have wanted to collect more childrens books for our kids.
3. I think I may be a little OCD with numbers. I count EVERYTHING!!! I count how many glasses I have in my cupboard. I count how many steps I take, I find the mean of license plates on cars when I'm driving. I have issues I know.

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME
1. Thinking about what I am going to make for breakfast usually is what gets me up and out of bed in the mornings. I LOVE breakfast. In fact, I usually eat it twice in a row before 10am.
2.I was pregnant 3 times in a 10 month period. I had a miscarriage between the boys. (it was a blessing for sure) I was also on birth control for the first two pregnancies. With Camden I didnt have time to get back on birth control before I was pregnant again. I am terrified that I will get pregnant before I am ready.
3. I went on two places for my mission. First to the Australia Melbourne West Mission then I got REALLY sick and was sent home, waited 5 months for doctors, tests and the medical department for the church to clear me to go back out. Then I went to the Charleston West Virginia Mission where I finished. I still keep in touch with most companions and converts from both missions. I really try to keep in touch with people.

OK already!

2008-05-13T16:49:00.002-04:00

Everyone wanted me to post a pic of my hair cut. I HATE posing for pictures. Andrew took a bunch of me and I though they all looked dorky. So I decided to just give in to my dorky-ness and take this one... So there ya go. Its not the best pic but you can see how short my hair is.

I did it...

2008-04-18T17:19:00.006-04:00

I finally cut my hair. I have been wanting to do it for so long but havent had the guts to and Andrew likes my hair long. So while he was out of town I cut 7 inches off of my hair!!! It is just at my shoulders now. I dont have any pics because I hate to take pics of myself but someday I'm sure you will see it. lol. I cant believe I actually did it! Hope Andrew likes it when he sees it.

Kira's Wedding announcement.

2008-04-18T17:19:00.002-04:00

Here is Kiras unofficial wedding announcement. I think she may have changed a few things on it. If you want an invite email me your address at gaylari@hotmail.com and I will make sure she sends you one.

FINALLY!!!

2008-04-05T04:56:00.003-04:00

Well I finally got my pictures uploaded to a computer. YAY! I couldn't sleep tonight so i decided to blog. (its 3am) Here is a pic of Andrew and I next to the big huge excavator its an 850 or something like that. That is the bucket we are standing next to! I had Andrew coach me on how to run it. In the second picture you can see him staning up by me teaching me. A few of the guys said that I ran it better than they have seen experienced men run it.... I just think they were looking to make some commission on something. Sorry guys! :)
It was such a nice trip. I was so glad we got to go and spend some time together doing something Andrew enjoys.

Get-Away

2008-02-25T20:40:00.007-05:00

So on Wed. I was driving Andrew down to the airport so he could fly to Phoenix for a convention John Deere was putting on for all of its "valued" customers. On the way down he found out that I would be able to go and said "if we can get a sitter for the boys you can come and all we will have to pay for is your flight and maybe food." So I made a call to my amazing friend and she said shed watch the kids for the 3 days!! I was so excited. I came home and got online to book the flight when Andrew called me and said my flight was at 9:10pm and to meet up with one of their guys that was going down. Come to find out, John Deere paid for my flight and booked it before I even had a chance. It was such a great vacation. They let ME... ME run the equipment so I ran a huge excavator. (I have pics I will post them later) and all kinds of other fun pieces of equipment. They also paid for me to get a message at the spa thats at the hotel. That was awesome! We stayed at the Arizona Grande Resort It had a golf course, water park and all kinds of fun things. They paid for Andrew to go and drive race cars. The food was FANTASTIC!!! I didnt have to cook or clean and it was very very good! I came home feeling so relaxed and ready to take on my two boys. I did miss them though. Austin was good for the most part other than peeing all over her bathroom and laughing about it. What a STINKER!!! All in all we had a great time and felt like we were dating all over again.

I've been Tagged!!

2008-02-17T01:28:00.003-05:00

Ok so, I really haven't been tagged. Nobody would do that anymore cause they all know I most likely wouldnt do it... So I'm going to tag myself and try a bit harder to be better at blogging.

100 Things About Me

1. I LOVE to eat... Thinking about what I'm going to make for breakfast is what gets me up and out of bed in the morning.
2. I was a tomboy growing up and am slowly learing how to be girly.
3. Andrew is my best friend in the whole world. EVER!!
4. I am very very happy when everything is in perfect order and my house is clean
5. My boys all 3 of them are my life. They make me so happy
6. I love love love to dance
7. I love to sing also... my kids and husband are usually my only audiance though. :)
8. Chick flicks are my fave!
9. I have green eyes.
10. I can cook pretty well but I HATE trying to decide what to cook.
11. I can wiggle my eyes really fast. its freaky.
12. I would love to learn to really play the piano someday not just play some songs by ear.
13. My sister Kira is engaged!!! She is getting married on May 16th! (thats kinda about me lol)
14. I cant sleep until my husband comes to bed and my toes are tucked nice and warm under his legs!
15. I served a mission in two countries... but only served one mission.
16. I can speak some spanish... I can carry on a pretty good conversatoin
17. I learnd most of tthat from a co-worker who refused to speak english to me so that I would learn. Thanks Juan wherever you are!
18. I worked security for the olympics. I worked in the media center at the Salt Palace and met a lot of famous people. It was awesome!
19. I have been to a gym about 6 times my entire life. 3 of those times was to go tanning.
20. I would love to get braces some day but think i'm too old now. I would like to get the invisiline ones though.
21. A year ago I had blonde hair. Now its dark brown with caramel highlights.
22. People still think I'm a high schooler. When My husband and I went to pick up one of my friends kids from junior high, the principal came up to me and asked to see my hall pass!!! Are ya kidding me? He thought I was 15 years old!!!! I hate that!
23. I have kept in touch with a good number of my childhood friends.
24. My new favorite restaurant is Goodwood BBQ. BEST ribs I've ever had.
25. I am a chapstick fanatic. I have one everywhere I go.
26. I have been married for 3 1/2 wonderful years!
27. um... I'm 27 years old.
28. I have 30+ cousins on each of my parents sides. Family get-togethers are huge.
29. I have a great grandpa who is still living (hes almost 96)
30. That great grandpa is Austin and Camdens great great grandpa!
31. I am a water-aholic. I drink it like crazy.
32. I kick my husbands butt on air hockey almost every time.
33. I cant take naps during the day.
34. I love to go on roller coasters but dont know if I'd ever sky dive or bunjee jump
35. I love good deals. ie: going to yard sales, platos closet etc...
36. I really really like mexican food. I love Cafe Rio and Costa Vida
37. I love a good thunder and lighting storm
38. A foot message is the way to my heart!
39. I hate being cold
40. One of my favorite shows is Heroes. When is it going to come back? :(
41. My husband is the hardest worker I know.
42. We own a company together that has grown a ton in the last 18 months.
43. I love sharing the gospel with others and sharing my testimony.
44. Someday we will go to Hawaii
45. We have already been to the Virgin Islands and loved it!
46. One of my good friends is a Scuba instructor and is going to help me get my scuba license
47. My cell phone is a must have. I wouldnt know what to do without it.
48. I enjoy watching the super bowl and other football and basketball games BUT only if it is with my Dad. He makes them very fun. and entertaining.
49. I like to play jokes on people. I love the reactions I get.
50. I can be very creative sometimes and it surprises me.
51. When I cant sleep at night I tickle my husbands back until I fall asleep... sometimes he tries to give me caffiene before I go to bed!!
52. I really enjoy planing games with people. Like the gather round the table type of games.
53. I own a .22 rugar semi-autimatic (sp?) Thats a gun!! but I have only shot it a handful of times. I have another one but I dont know what kind it is. My husband got it for me. We just use them to target shoot. (so far)
54. I have gained an appreciation for seafood. I now can say I like it.
55. My sister and I have a secret language... which isnt so secret when my mom, husband and her fiance are around. Otherwise most people dont know what we are saying
56. My sister is one of my best friends!
57. I really admire my sister
58. I HATE doing laundry. Ask Andrew.
59. I bite my bottom lip when I think.
60. Even though Aus has been potty trained since the week he turned 2 I still cant get him to go #2 in the potty!! He will be 2 1/2 next month. Any suggestions?
61. I would love to grow my hair down to my waist or just above. I just dont have the patience and it ends up staying somewhere between my shoulders and mid back. uhg!
62. I still use the word "rad"
63. I need to take more photos and video of my family.
64. I have to sleep with my head under the blankets.
65. I dont like any movies or conversations that are about evil spirits and ghosts.
66. I used to make up dances clear up until College.
67. My sister and I used to play jokes on my mom on her birthday. We would put those little snap popper things on the 4 little nubs on the toilet and then close the rim. EVERY year when she sat down she would scream... We did it for many years... I cant believe she still loves us :)
68. I hate wearing shoes. I even wear sandals in the winter. This year is the first year that I have worn closed toed shoes more than open toed shoes. Dang snow!!
69. I love snowstorms. I secretly hope everytime that we will be snowed in for a day or two!
70. I think I have an ocd with counting. I am always counting things and I am always finding the average number on a license plate. Im cooky I know. I try not to do it but I just cant help it.
71. I have recently learned I like to make crafts with wood.
72. I love camping
73. I havent been for a while but I love rock climbing.
74. I have never been snow skiing. I have done a lot of Water skiing. Someday I will snow ski and snow board.
75. I used to like cats until I got one as an adult. Now, not so much. And dont get me started on indoor dogs.
76. We have a golden rereiver named TJ who is the best dog EVER for kids... He came with the husband and therefore was an indoor dog before I even had a say... I really dislike indoor animals. But I like them outside.
77. I have to admit that its nice to have TJ around when the kids spill food on the floor. All I have to say is TJ clean up! and he comes running and all I have to do is mop! I think thats the only perk to having indoor dogs.
78. My birthday is on Christmas. As a child I got lucky because all my aunts and uncles would know they were going to see me on my birthday and they felt bad for me so they all got me gifts. Nobody made out like I did.
79. It was a rule (thanks mom!!) and still is that all my birthday gifts are to be wrapped in birthday wrapping paper, and it can never be a happy birthday/merry christmas gift. The first gift I ever got that was a dual gift was from my friend Angie ( I doubt she even knows this) I was in 5th grade and it was a horse poster and a mug.
80. I usually have a reorganizing project going on somewhere in my house. I like to organize and re-organize... However I can never seem to have everything organized... whats the secret?
81. I love to go horseback riding. We bought a horse last fall at the auction but had to sell her because she wasnt a good "kid horse" but she was a very very pretty horse.
82. I like to stretch my limits when it comes to using my brain... Since I havent been in school it isnt challanged as often, so when the opportunity arises I take it and enjoy it. (ie. figuring out how to do things in the office or at home or how something works etc...)
83. I really really miss being in school. I will most definitely finish my degree someday!
84. I think it would be fun to be a figure ice skater.
85. In High School I went through a "skater" phase where I hung out with "skaters" and skated on skate boards. It only lasted a year.
86. I feel overly blessed to be who I am and to have the life and family and husband that I do... I am so lucky!
87. My husband likes to spoil me. He is good at it too.
88. I am so stinking stubborn. I'm trying to do better though
89. Pumkin Pie is my favorite and I make it all year round... I also listen to Christmas music all year round.
90. Mariah Carey is one of my favorite singers... but only her older stuff. Does that make me old?
91. I chase Aussie around the house every single day just so I can brush his teeth. lil stinker
92. I dont have dimples, neither does Andrew but Camden has the HUGEST dimples that are so cute. His cheeks are like kissing magnets.
93. I think my biggest weakness is comparing myself to others. Its a bad thing.
94. My biggest strength is the ability to love unconditionally and forgive easily. I've never held a grudge.
95. I very rarely cry except when I am pregnant. I cry like once or twice a month!!
96. I love to read my scriptures right before I go to bed. Sometimes I have cool dreams about what I have read. Like I was Moroni or something.
97. I have a guilty concience. I dont tell lies very well.
98. I love being social and being around lots of people and getting to know new people. I thrive on socializing.
99. Someday I am going to design the coolest house that has all the things I want!! Then Andrew will draw up the plans. ( he was going to be an architect when he was in school.)
100. If I fall asleep without brushing my teeth I will wake up in the middle of the night to brush them.
**bonus** I did this all in one sitting!! It is harder than you think it would be!
I dont think anyone should have anymore questions about me EVER!! lol!

2007-12-28T20:32:00.001-05:00

We have now had our first trip to the Emergency Room for Austin... I honestly am shocked that it has taken him this long to hurt himself bad enough. It could have been a whole lot worse than it was so luckily it was only six staples in his head!! YES that's right SIX STAPLES in my sons head. The short story is: He was sitting on the back of our couch and fell off by the sliding glass door and cracked his head open on the track that the door slides open on. He also cracked the track too. Poor kid. Here are some gruesome photos of his injury! (Sorry I forgot to rotate them,

just tilt your head to the side :)

All I want for Christmas is...

2007-12-13T14:42:00.000-05:00

MY TWO FRONT TEETH!!! Er, make that four front teeth! Yep! Camden is getting all four front teeth in right now. He hasnt been too fussy just congested and a little feverish. I just think its kind of funny that for Christmas he is getting his two front teeth plus two!! I cant get a good pic of his teeth so this one will have to do, its a little blurry.

Lessons of a Migrane...

2007-11-28T17:06:00.000-05:00

So last Friday I had a serious migrane. The kind where I 'toss my cookies' every hour and cant see anything and any noise makes it even worse. By noon I was out of my mind with pain and it had only gotten worse. I called Andrew and he made an appt for me at our Doctors office. It was a few hours until I had to be there so Andrew came home took care of the kids and got me ready to go. When it came time to leave he dropped me off and took the kids to the sitters and I went in to see what they can do for migranes. Come to find out you have to get a shot in your hiney!!! I said heck no at first but when Andrew got back he said that it doesnt hurt that bad and The Doctor told me that its the fastes way to get rid of the headache. I told them to go ahead and do it.

The nurse came in with 2 needles!!! 1 for anti nasuea and the other for the migrane. Not even 10 minutes after they injected me with the stuff, I was OUT OF IT. So loopy and tired. Apparently I kept yelling at Andrew for little stupid things. Like "STOP EATING ICE CREAM ITS HURTING MY HEAD!!" And other crazy things. I laughed the next day when he told me all the things I had done and said- but I dont think he was laughing while he had to deal with it all. I was mean!

Anyhow he was very nice and patient with me and treated me so well he even got me some flowers after I had yelled at him and been so rude!! Isnt that so sweet? All in all I learned that if I ever get a migrane like that again I will just ask the doc for the medicine in pill form with something that I know wont make me mean and crazy!! Plus I still have a bruise from where they gave me the shot! NEVER AGAIN will I get a shot there! But at least I know my husband will still love me no matter what! Here is a picture of the flowers he got me!

Pictures GALORE!!!

2007-10-25T00:25:00.000-04:00

Today we took a ton of pics of the kids. They were so good and had so much fun playing in the leaves and running around at the park. Camden is at such a fun age! I love all the giggles and smiles he gives us! oh and the squeals too. Those are heard everywhere. I hope you like the pics. Maybe posting this many pictures will make up for my lack of posts the past month. LOL

Sunset

2007-10-13T11:55:00.000-04:00

This is a picture I took off of our deck. We get some pretty sunsets here.

I havent blogged in a while so here is something to get you by... :)

I'll put some more pics up in the next week or so!

ENJOY

Maple Lake

2007-09-11T20:40:00.001-04:00

This weekend we went up Payson canyon with my family to Maple Lake. It was so beautiful! It was a nice get away for us. Austin spent most of the time either "skipping" (throwing) rocks into the lake or throwing the football with his cousins. We really did have a great time.

MIA

2007-09-07T19:16:00.000-04:00

So I have been MIA the past week or so... We have had a lot going on. Aus turned two on Tuesday (4th) we had a birthday party for him on labor day. It was a lot of fun. He got spoiled by his daddy. Andrew called me from Walmart saying "hey hun, I think I may have gone over board." I asked him why and he said... "well, I am on my way out to the truck to empty the cart with the toys in it, then I'll go back in to get the groceries and the rest of the stuff" Holy crap!!! He got him a bike, little aus size foam couch, Lincoln Logs, helmet and knee pads for his bike, little construction equipment toys and a couple of other small things for the bath tub!! Austin had a great time opening his presents and playing with the toys. I took some pics but havent downloaded them to my computer yet. I'll do that later. Until then here are some pics of Aus and Cam enjoying his new little couch.

I have also been potty training Austin!!! YAY for Aus!! He is potty trained now. He is so good about it. He will even hold it when we are driving or gone for most of the day and he has a diaper on. He is such a big boy and smart too. He learned really quickly! We only had about 4 accidents. There might be more to come but so far so good! We're so proud of him!!

My mom, sister and I spent a day canning peaches. It was fun and I feel so domestic! ha! WE canned some and froze some and made jam and nectar out of it! In Rachael Ray's words YUM-O!! I only came away with one cut this year on my thumb. I think I'll can some good hearty stew for the winter!

Another thing that we've been up to is planning a trip back to PA to visit my husbands family (he is from there) we were supposed to leave early this morning but things keep pushing it back. Some people may say they own a company but I think its the company that owns you. So we have had to push it back to make sure things will run smoothly while he is gone. We will most likely leave next weekend. The good part is that we are driving back and we are taking our Condo Semi to pull our new camper (we got a GREAT deal on it) the semi has bunk beds and you can stand all the way up. It also has a fridge and a bunch of other cool features to make it a more comfy trip for all of us. Don't worry Andrew is installing the hooks for the kids car seats. We will most likely leave next weekend

So things have been pretty busy around here as you can tell. I hope you enjoy the pics!

Pee Pee in the POTTY!!

2007-08-28T12:39:00.000-04:00

Today is the first day Austin actually went potty in his toilet!!! We have been trying since Camden was born but he just wasn't ready I guess. But he really gets the idea now and I'm hoping to have him fully potty trained by the end of the year!! WAHOO!! He will be 2 on 04 Sept! He is such a big boy!! Here is a little pic of him next to his big boy potty.

I was Tagged

2007-08-21T11:02:00.000-04:00

Okaye Alida, here ya go :)

1: If you could be anything you wanted to be...absolutely anything...What would you be? (You can not say mommy or wife....this is a dream job okay?!)
If I had any job it would be to be Mariah Carey... For some reason when I was younger it was very well understood that I would need to take her place. I truely did believe this. I also believed I was good enough to take her place. I would daydream about what I would do with the money I would earn and what outfits I would wear. So I guess to this day I wouldnt mind being Mariah Carey (with a little more class and modesty) and singing with such an amazing voice.

2. What is your favorite verse of scripture and why?
I dont exactly have one favorite verse... I like the whole story of the Brother of Jared. I have always liked that story because I tend to be the one that prays and asks Heavenly Father to tell me what to do, rather than thinking of what I can do and then asking him to help me where I fall short. There are many lessons in that story but this is the first one I learned and that stood out to me.

3. What has been your greatest joy as a mother, so far?
I love to watch my kids smile and laugh. I think they are so cute. I am such a proud Mommy when others cant get over how cute our kids are too. I love when other people play with my kids just to get them to laugh and then they start laughing as a result of my kids laughing. Its so much fun! I dont think there is just one great moment for me though. I just love seeing them happy and loved.

4. What is one of your guilty pleasures?
Sweets. Definitely sweet foods. I LOVE me some sugar!! I have to make sure I dont pass all the goodies when I'm grocery shopping cause they are just so dang tempting.

5. What is your most favorite childhood memory?
I have so many but I think the most fun I had was when Kira, our friends and I would make up plays, dances or anything else to entertain the neighborhood. We had a downstairs apartment so our living room window was ground level and it was a good size. we would invite the entire neighborhood to come and sit in front of our window and watch us perform. Serious fun let me tell ya! Even when we moved from there we still put on shows for our parents or just put on shows... nobody watching.

When Mommies Work...

2007-08-15T16:43:00.000-04:00

Earlier today Andrew called me and told me he needed me to come in and type up a bid and it had to be turned in by 1pm. This bid is 3 pages long plus a provisions and exclusions page!! AND I didn't have all the info I needed to complete the bid. Needless to say I was on the phone most of the time and trying to type everything up correctly (I really hope it is correct cause its sent out now) So I placed Austin in the bathroom here at the office in his pack'n'play and turned on Monsters Inc. He loves that move and he hadn't had a nap all day so I figured he would be out before the show even started.

Well, he wasn't he talked and played the whole time. I cant see him when I'm sitting at the computer I can only hear him. I could hear the movie turn on and off (how he reached the laptop I have no idea it was placed pretty far back on the counter but I think he was hitting pause and FF and RW and all that. nothing big.) He really sounded like he was having a great time.

I, on the other hand, was ready to lose my mind. I had Andrew call the company we were supposed to get the bid out to and tell him there is NO WAY I could have it done by 1pm so he gave us until 2pm. I thought that was sufficient enough.

It was a crazy bid and things didn't make sense. I literally finished at 2:01 and faxed it out to him. My brain hurt because there was so much confusion on what prices were and what this or that said, and if I was supposed type that or if it was just a side note for Andrew. Anyhow I finished it and got it out.

So once I faxed it I called the gentleman it was supposed to go to. (the phones here aren't cordless they cord is seriously about 2.5 feet long) Just as I ask for the guy I hear all kinds of tearing and ruffling of papers. I couldn't even begin to think what he had that would make that kind of noise. I had to wait on hold until they got the guy.

Once I was off the phone I ran back there (stepping over Camden who had cried himself to sleep on a blanket on the floor) and saw this

He was saying "uh-oh" in this picture. He had unrolled 2 rolls of Paper towels!! I turned around and saw this

He had written all over the door as far as he could reach. This is just the doorknob area, it was all over but wouldn't show up very well unless it was close up. He also drew all over the garbage can and wall behind the garbage can

And here is what he did when I told him that it was naughty

He spit at me!! Oh my GOSH kid! He couldn't have cared less that he was in trouble. I guess the fun was worth it. And I couldn't help but laugh when he spit. So there went that discipline.

This is the reason he got locked in the bathroom in the pack'n'play in the first place

He wrote in crayon all over Andrews bids. You can see it very well but he unrolled some and colored all over them and others he just painted the whole thing (rolled up) one color. I'm glad Andrew has a good sense of humor.

This is him laughing and singing after I left the room to come and post this. I tried to catch him singing. Adorable right?

Thankfully Camden is still asleep. But Aus is yelling "uh-oh" again and "Mom... mere (come here)"

Did I seriously have two of these 18 months apart? What am I in for?????

Doesnt he look so cute and innocent? Sleeping like a rock!

The best husband EVER

2007-08-13T11:22:00.000-04:00

So on Sunday morning Andrew got up and decided he would make me breakfast in bed!! He made french toast, scrambled eggs and sausage. It was so good! He is serously so sweet! But it didnt end there. He then did the dishes and cleaned the house! I didnt even have to ask him. I really didnt expect him to do anything like that especially on his only day off. He is great! I love him!!! This was the only pic I have of him on this computer. This was at a family party almost a year ago. Aus was 1 and I was about 3 months prego with camden.

First Date

2007-08-13T10:55:00.000-04:00

We had planned on going on a date on Friday night. We were even going to go with another couple. It was going to be SO MUCH FUN!! I didnt have to cook dinner or anything. It was our first date without kids in a LONG time. I was so excited. I even had two girls lined up to watch the boys (they can be a handfull sometimes so I wanted one per kid. They are in my beehive class). So I was getting ready and was taking my time trying to do my hair really cute and trying to find the best outfit. I wanted to feel cute again since its not very often since I have had kids that I get to get all gussied up and feel pretty. Again I was so excited!! I was upstairs putting on the finishing touches to my hair when all of a sudden I hear a loud THUD to which I felt the vibration through the house. I then heard my little Aus let out a scream and then a cry! I ran downstairs to find my husband still holding Camden and trying to calm Austin down. I asked what happened right as Aus looked at me with these huge tears in his eyes and a HUGE HUGE HUGE bump on his head with a cut right down the middle of it. Andrew didnt see it happen but he thinks Aus tripped on his blanket (he carries that thing everywhere) and hit a metal corner on our gas fireplace. It looked pretty bad. So we watched it for a bit to see if he needed stitches, but it thankfully wasnt deep enough. He was pretty shaken up. I mean, he hit that corner pretty hard. It shook the house! So it took us a while to calm him down and by that time he wouldnt go to anyone and it would have been an awful time for the babysitter. So I called her and told her what had happened and cancelled. So instead of going on our date we got to stay home with Aus. But I did go to Olive Garden and get take-out. At least I didnt have to cook right?

This pic doesnt even do that bump justice. It was so big!! You can see our olive garden take-out there in the background. He is doing much better today. The bump is almost gone and the scratch looks much better. Poor kid. He is always getting hurt.

Our Story

2007-07-31T14:50:00.000-04:00

So I finally caved into peer pressure and have started a blog. Here is a little about us

I served my mission in Australia and Virginia, I got sick in Australia and was sent state side. Andrew served his mission in Ventura, CA.

We met on a blind date. YEP it actually worked out! But not at first....

I had been home for about 2 weeks when we were set up. We went on 4 or so dates over the next month. We decided we didnt have much interest in each other and decided to move on. Well about 2 or 3 months later he started up Elite Rock (our company) and asked me to do the bookkeeping. Then after a few weeks or maybe even a month of that he wanted to know if I would go back to PA with him (thats where he is from) to attend a wedding of one of his childhood friends. He asked if I would go cause he had a million girls chasing him and just wanted someone to go who wouldnt read marriage somehow into it. So since he knew I wasnt interested in him and we had a lot of fun together he decided to ask me.

We went back and had a blast. Travelled all around PA, WV, OH and NY it was a lot of fun.

Once we got home we were inseparable and spent every day with eachother. We just had way too much fun and couldnt get enough of eachother!! So we dated and got engaged rather quickly. THis all happened the first of June and we were engaged on the 24th of July (best engagement ever but thats another blog for another day) and were married the 18th of Sept 2004.

Austin who will be 2 on sept 4th this year was born just shy of our one year anniversary and we now have Camden who was born on the 31st of march. They are both so much fun and keep us busy.

So that pretty much brings us to today. We are just one big happy family! We really do have a lot of fun and things can get pretty crazy around here. So I'm sure I will have plenty to tell you all.