Last Valentine's Day

Was a Monday and we had dinner group. I cooked dinner and we shared it with some of our favorite people...

Here is Michael and I cheesing it up

Leah and Gwen.... husbandless. They were probably just as happy with each other.

The little babes. They sure were little.

The bigger kids, but they are still really little.
These two are some of Avery's favorite people (even though R doesn't look as excited).

And here is my chubby cheeked baby drinking from a goblet. Oh he was so little!

This year for Valentine's Day didn't really seem much like Valentine's at all. We did go and surprise Michael at work for lunch. But Michael had to go to mutual (youth group) so the kids and I did our normal Tuesday routine. I didn't even take one picture. How lame am I?

Sundays January 2011

Since I posted practically nothing last year I am going to have a lot of retro-posts trying to make up for the year I slacked off. Here our the January Sundays that I found of 2011. I think its crazy how much Pierce and I changed in a year and how little Michael and Avery did.

The kids were just so cute... and my tummy (and face and thighs) was just so much smaller!

January 2012 Sundays

For over a year we have been taking weekly Sunday pictures. Up to this point, I have not been a great poster of these pictures so this year I am going to make it a goal to post every Sunday picture. Here is the first month.

January 1, 2012

January 8, 2012

(and the fat pregnant face begins... 22 weeks)

January 15, 2012

January 22, 2012

January 29,2012

A New Year

We have had a great new year so far. We haven't done anything too exciting but we did have my birthday yesterday and it was wonderful. Lindsi came in town on Friday night, we went to Simply FOndue on Saturday with Russ, Katie, Kari, and Rob (sans kids). Yesterday Michael had the day off of work and he kept the kids so I could go out to lunch with Lindsi and Katie. Then we dropped Lindsi off at the airport and later went to Lucille's BBQ for dinner with Rob and Kari. It was delicious... here is the only picture we (Kari) took on my birthday. THANKS everybody it was a great 27th birthday!

What the Hail?

That was the common phrase around here last Saturday morning :)
When we woke up it was like any other day. Michael left to pick up some furniture in LA and the kids went out to play. Then we heard a ton of scary thunder. We went over to the neighbors to talk about how crazy the thunder was. Then all of the sudden it started hailing... out of nowhere. I jumped into their house with the kids. I realized I needed to get this on camera so I ran back to my house and got pelted by the hail. Which didn't hurt, just wanted to sound dramatic :)

The hail was at least marble-grape sized. It covered the ground in white then the rain started to pour. The video is the transitions from hail to rain.

I seriously have never seen anything like this... even in all my Alabama years. It was so crazy! When Michael got back it was sunny and most of the hail was melted... like it had never happened. I am glad that i got video so that he could see it but he was sad he missed it in person.

On the same note there was an earthquake centered in Newport Beach two night ago. I think it was a 3.6. So crazy!

This is what happens...

When you clean your house by 9am.
When you try and study your scriptures.
When your kids are surprisingly quiet and getting along.
When you have a boy.

I wish you could see all the swiffer wet jet fluid all over my floor... and my 50lb bag of flour. Thank you son. He also ripped open that box of Lucky Charms and the bag. His sister would have never done that :)

I tried to get a picture of the thread that was laced throughout my living room but you couldn't see it. You couldn't walk with out getting tangled in yards and yards of all my thread. Thank you sissy.

I guess you can't be on top of it all.... even when you thought you were doing a darn good job of it.

I am Grateful for Dads

This weekend for Father's Day, Michael and some friends decided to go hike Zions. They were gone for 48 hours and drove 16 of them, but Mike said it was totally worth it. I was glad that he had fun but even more glad that he was home. There is not a face I like seeing more than my husband's. He is definitely the best thing that has ever happened to me. He is so kind and patient with me and the kids. I am so grateful that he has such a strong testimony of the Gospel and shares that with our children. I am grateful that he likes to play with them whether it be babies, princesses, wrestling

I am grateful for Michael's dad. Not only for raising the best guy ever, but for how wonderful, loving, kind, and understanding he is. I have always felt very loved and accepted in Michael's family and my father-in-law plays a huge role in that. He's the one that made us realize that we needed to get married. He really is great.

I am grateful for my dad. He has always been so fun, loving, and supportive my whole life. He is a pretty chill guy which is quite a task when living with 9 girls. He has always been more than willing to do things with me like school projects, looking into prosthetics, urging me to do the Paralympics, and getting me a job with HOme Depot under the OJOP program. He has really blessed my life in so many ways and I think he is the absolute best dad. I love him a lot!

I don't have pictures of my grandpas but I am so grateful for them in my life as well. They have always been a source of wisdom, kindness, and love. They raised two wonderful parents that I have been blessed with. They have always supported me and been there for me in times I needed them.

I am also grateful for my Father in Heaven who has blessed my life each day in countless ways. I know that He loves me and is there for me always.