Easter 2009

We hope everyone enjoyed their holiday... we sure did! We started off by going to church (well, half of church). Even though we have every Sunday to stop and consciously THINK about our Savior, it's nice to have a specific day that we FOCUS on Him and all He's done for us. I'm so grateful for the blessings I have in my life because of Him. In young women's we had an amazing lesson on the blessings of the priesthood, and I know that alot of women have issues with the fact that we don't get to have it, but I'm honestly so glad that I don't have to worry about the responsibility that comes with it. I just get the blessings without having to really do anything (granted I have to live worthy to recieve those blessings), but I kind of like to think of it as recieving a paycheck without doing any of the work. In some weird way that works for me!

After church we cooked up a delicious meal and headed over to enjoy it with some friends. And after that we put on an easter egg hunt for the kids. This was the first year we've done that (since Sawyer was only 4 months old last year). They loved it! We didn't really hide the eggs, we just set them out all over the grass for them to pick up. And the weather was AWESOME! It was so good to get outside after being cooped up all winter in our little apartment! I hope it keeps up! The "Easter Bunny" brought Sawyer a few fun little gifts. He recieved the movie Oliver and Company (it has dogs), Crazy 8's, some alphabet fridge magnets (which he likes to knock of the fridge and then laugh), and some candy! It was great...my 15 month old has smarties and chocolate for breakfast! And of course, once he had the candy he didn't want anything else! But he had a really fun day. It was full of yummy food, candy, new toys, playing with Emma, jumping in his crib, shooting basketball, playing outside, and wearing himself out! Definitely one of his top 10. Here are a few pictures to sum it all up.

Sawyer and Eric ready for dinner...


This was our Easter egg hunt!


This one turned out blurry, but of course, it's my favorite one!


Sawyer and Emma just picking up eggs.


After they had picked up all the eggs, they got distracted by a bunch of birds. And needless to say they forgot all about the festivities, all they wanted were those darn birds!


All three of us.


Sawyer and Emma doing their favorite activity....jumping in the crib (it's really quite funny, they jump and jump and jump until they just can't jump anymore!)


Emma giving Sawyer a hug. He wasn't quite sure what to think of it... but it was cute!


And Sawyer has finally figured out how to shoot at his basketball hoop from the floor. We used to have to stick it up against the couch and then put him on the couch so he could make it, but NO MORE!! What do you think....a future NBA star in the making? (Sorry- I am incredibly computer dumb and i couldn't figure out how to flip it it!)

Another thankful list...

I have a couple of friends who try everyday to post something that they are thankful for. I love reading their posts because it makes me realize how much I really have that I take for granted. Now I'm not going to commit to posting sonething everyday for an entire year (they are truly amazing), but I will take a post here and there to reflect on the things that I feel inspired to share.

I am so thankful that my child is VERY low key. I like to think he got that from me, but honestly, who am I trying to kid? He is Eric in every way...and I love that about him.

The past 3 weeks I have been trying to pre-plan a weekly menu, go grocery shopping specifically for it, and then stick to it. Surprisingly it has gone really well, and I am thankful that I have found a way to help me be more organized (it's budget friendly too)!

I officially finished my second online class a few weeks ago. I got a 98% on the final! I am so thankful for an instructor who very LENIENTLY graded my work. But I am really struggling with my last class. I am having a hard time staying focused and motivated, and as much as I don't WANT to do it, I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to expand my knowledge and learn something that WILL benefit me in the future. I'm trying not to stress that I only have 3 months left to finish it--where have the last 9 months gone--(even though regular students finish multiple classes in 3 months time). KUDOS to all the students out there!

I am so thankful to have friends that are willing to help out when needed. And along the same note, I am so thankful when people ask me for help when they need it. It's so nice to feel like I can contribute a small something to make someone else's life easier.

And lastly, tonight I am especially thankful for an amazing bed that I can crawl into, curl up in, and sleep in until Sawyer gets me up for another day.

Take a few minutes and think about the things that you are thankful for. You might be surprised at what you come up with!

Our Travels

It all started a few weeks ago. For my birthday, Eric got me a trip to Las Vegas! We decided to let Sawyer stay behind with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and dogs, and go child-free! Eric's parents decided to meet me halfway so I wouldn't have to drive all the way to drop him off. I stopped to see a friend along the way, and we ate Little Ceasar's pizza just like old times! Our boys played for a little while and then Sawyer and I left to battle the snowy roads. We finally got there and, since this was the first time I've ever left Sawyer for a prolonged period of time, I lost it (K- so I'm a baby anyways, but this was just too much, wondering if I would ever see my little boy again). Major dramatic! I sat there and cried for a few minutes, got it together, and headed back home. And everyond knows that when you are leaving on vacation, anything that goes wrong--WILL! I forgot to fill up the car with gas for the drive home (I blame it on my sob session!) and I ran out of gas on the freeway. Bone dry- out of gas! The car locked up, shut off, and I was just coasting as I hit the off ramp. Luckily, someone was watching out for me and help came. But this little problem ended up in a major car repair (a new fuel pump, a very large chunch of pocket change, and some more tears on my end. I just wanted to get the heck to Las Vegas! We stayed the first few nights at the Excalibur, went to the knights/jousting dinner and show that they do, got massages, shopped, swam, ate a LOT of food, saw a movie, hit the casinos, went to Hoover Dam, and had a ton of fun!


The state border at Hoover Dam


Looking straight down from the top of the dam


After we got back I headed to Burley to pick up Sawyer (he just looked at me for a while when he saw me, like he didn't believe I was really there). Luckily he's forgiven me for leaving him. And then we spent the rest of the week in Burley. For the weekend, we went to Pocatello and Idaho Falls to see more family. We had a lot of fun but it's so nice to be home after two weeks of constantly going. Now he's taking a nap, and I actually had a few minutes to update! Back to my once-a-month regularity.
Eric has been accepted to Colorado State for his Master's program! He will start in the fall, but he has opted to take his courses online so we're not sure where we are moving yet. We'll let you know when we decide.


My new haircut. It's also a little darker than before--I've never gone darker before, but it's growing on me!

Here is a little video of Sawyer playing with his new favorite toy. He is obsessed with basketball-- he LOVES it! Eric got him this basketball hoop to play with. But we've created a monster... he throws a fit when we make him stop (like to eat or something) it's unbelievable! But at least he likes it right?

Fruity-Pebble Goodness!

What more do I need to say?

Learn from my mistakes...

So I'm sure that all the women out there who are BETTER mothers than me know that you do NOT give a pen to a one year old. Even if you put the lid on so tight that there is no conceivable way that your child could get it off. I'm saying this because I have discovered that even if they can't get the lid off-- they will do other things with it, like throw it into your laundry basket (full of whites) to be discovered as your pulling your freshly laundered, ink-speckled clothes out of the dryer.
If this has ever happened to you...I'm sure you are laughing at me! But I do have a bit of useful information to share. Even though the clothes are beyond helping, the dryer still has to be cleaned so that future loads don't share the same fate. The best thing to use on this is rubbing alcohol. It takes it right off! I hope this isn't already common knowledge and I'm just the slow one barely figuring it out....but it really does work! Just make sure to wipe it down afterward so the alcohol doesn't affect the next load.

It's so unfortunate that we have to learn things the hard way, but I did learn two things today:
1. Don't let you child play with a pen and
2. Rubbing alcohol is essential for cleaning up after a child who does get a hold of a pen.

January Post!

WOW! It has been a really long time since I have posted...but, let's be honest--are any of you surprised?

We had a great holiday! We went to Burley for two WHOLE weeks. Of course, I didn't get ANY pictures. Poor Sawyer isn't going to have any photos of Christmas this year. I've really got to be more on the ball! We played with family, stopped at all the good food joints, and enjoyed being done with school for a while....YAY! That's right- Eric is finished with his bachelor's! We never thought we would get here, but here we are!

Eric (by a miracle) found a job for the next few months until he can start up at the caves again. He was able to get one class waived that he had completed (but never signed up for) for his internship (which meant that we didn't have to pay tuition for it!). And we've realized that the Lord is definitely watching over us more closely than we thought. It seems like everything has just been handed to us. I am so grateful that He is mindful of our wants and needs. And I'm so grateful for the answers to our prayers!

Sawyer turned one in December! I DID get pictures of that, but I haven't transferred them to the computer yet so unfortunately there won't be any on this post. But he a had a ton of fun! And he LOVED the cake! He's walking now. He never stops...and he's figured out that his new favorite word is NO, (maybe I've been saying it a little too much?) and he is getting a lot more independent! But we love him more than anything.

We hope everyone had a fun holiday! Maybe next month I'll finally get this Christmas background switched out for a new one...but no promises!

The last month in a nut-shell

I guess it's pretty obvious that I am incapable of posting on a regular basis! I try but it's doesn't work, so I guess I'll just accept the fact that once or twice a month is about right for me. We are currently in the last week of school-- finals are next week and Eric proudly took his last test in the testing center a few days ago! What a happy day!! He put up our Christmas lights a few weeks ago! Sawyer was a great helper--he just sat outside and tried to figure out what was going on!





I've got a great husband!

We also ventured to Salt Lake to see the lights at Temple Square! They weren't as great as they've been in the past, but they were still incredible! Nothing can compare to visiting the place we were married and seeing it all lit up with lights sparkling everywhere!


I'll be sad when we don't live close enough to go and see the lights every year... but we'll enjoy them until then!

Sawyer is still growing like crazy. He gets a "big kid" car seat tomorrow-- and we're hoping that it will help with the long drives to Idaho. Next week (the 17th) he well turn the big ONE!! Where has the past year gone? Where did my baby go? His vocabulary now consists of about 10 words-- which he will only repeat if someone else says them first- and of course his favorite words are "Mom" and "Dad"! He has also learned to blow kisses. Grandma's-- you've got to watch this vidoe!


If we dont' get another post up in time-- we want to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS!
We hope you all enjoy the holiday!