The Crazy Cookies

Nicole is 4!!

2011-02-17T18:31:00.005-07:00

Here is a sampling of Nicole's pictures. Enjoy the cute redhead! :)

One Confused Mamma

2010-08-18T17:51:00.003-06:00

Today was Nicole's first day of Pre-School. She was super excited and didn't seem the least bit nervous. I on the other hand.....am not doing too well. After I dropped her off I had to call Greg to keep from crying. Kami and my mom both called to see how she did. How sweet! When I picked her up she said she had a great time. She had orange popsicle all over her mouth and was so proud to present me with her first craft and a piece of chocolate just for me. She called her daddy and told him it was great. You could tell Greg wanted to talk about it and ask all kinds of questions, but she wasn't too interested in chit-chatting about it. I think she is confused why we all think it's a big deal. I am confused because I am so sad to think she is old enough for school and so sad to see her walk away, but happy she is doing so well and happy she is happy for school (and I must say that 2 hours while she was away and Caleb was asleep and my house was completely quiet....it was a little taste of what heaven will be like!!!).

And according to true Nicole form.....sounds like she got in a fight on her first day of preschool. She said something about bothering a girl and the girl throwing sand on her and her throwing it back. She wouldn't tell me the whole story, but when I took her out of the car I noticed sand all over her face and down her back. Here's to hoping she doesn't get kicked out of pre-school like she did nursery! :)

First day of school pictures taken right before we headed off to school.

The Grandkids At Bear Lake

2010-08-04T18:36:00.003-06:00

FYI...Huge Toys R Us Clearance Sale

2010-07-21T20:08:00.004-06:00

We went to Toys R Us to buy Caleb a float tube to use at SevenPeaks. Since summer is nearing an end, and the stores want to make room for Christmas paraphernalia (already....geez louise), Toys R Us is having a huge clearance on swim gear. I just wanted to share with you all our amazing find.

Swimways Baby Spring Float with Canopy

Regular Price: $19.99

Clearance Price: $17.59

Just remember you heard it here first!

Holy Moley, Caleb is 1!!!

2010-05-21T18:50:00.010-06:00

Day 8 - Christ’s Last Week – The Resurrection

2010-04-03T23:13:00.003-06:00

My friend Rebecca had this great idea for a bunch of us to pick a day of Christ's last week and blog about it. Then we link to each others blogs to read about each day. If you are interested in reading about days 1-7 you can link to Rebecca's blog. In her right hand column she has the links to each of the days.

And for your reading pleasure....the following is Day 8 - The Resurrection.

12 years ago I was fortunate enough to spend five months living and studying in

Israel

. During my time there I concentrated on reading “Jesus The Christ” by James E. Talmage, and it became scripture to me. The following is a portion of his writings about day eight and Christ’s resurrection.

Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, had passed, and the night preceding the dawn of the most memorable Sunday in history was well nigh spent, while the Roman guard kept watch over the sealed sepulcher wherein lay the body of the Lord Jesus. While it was yet dark, the earth began to quake; an angel of the Lord descended in glory, rolled back the massive stone from the portal of the tomb, and sat upon it. His countenance was brilliant as the lightning, and his raiment was as the driven snow for whiteness. The soldiers, paralyzed with fear, fell to the earth as dead men. When they had partially recovered from their fright, they fled from the place in terror. Even the rigor of Roman discipline, which decreed summary death to every soldier who deserted his post, could not deter them. Moreover, there was nothing left for them to guard; the seal of authority had been broken, the sepulcher was open, and empty.

At the earliest indication of dawn, the devoted Mary Magdalene and other faithful women set out for the tomb, bearing spices and ointments which they had prepared for the further anointing of the body of Jesus. Some of them had been witnesses of the burial, and were conscious of the necessary haste with which the corpse had been wrapped with spicery and laid away by Joseph and Nicodemus, just before the beginning of the Sabbath; and now these adoring women came early to render loving service in a more thorough anointing and external embalmment of the body. On the way as they sorrowfully conversed, they seemingly for the first time thought of the difficulty of entering the tomb. "Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?" they asked one of another. Evidently they knew nothing of the seal and the guard of soldiery. At the tomb they saw the angel, and were afraid; but he said unto them: "Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you."

The women, though favored by angelic visitation and assurance, left the place amazed and frightened. Mary Magdalene appears to have been the first to carry word to the disciples concerning the empty tomb. She had failed to comprehend the gladsome meaning of the angel's proclamation "He is risen, as he said"; in her agony of love and grief she remembered only the words "He is not here," the truth of which had been so forcefully impressed by her own hasty glance at the open and tenantless tomb. "Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him."

Peter, and "that other disciple" who, doubtless, was John, set forth in haste, running together toward the sepulcher. John outran his companion, and on reaching the tomb stooped to look in, and so caught a glimpse of the linen cerements lying on the floor; but the bold and impetuous Peter rushed into the sepulcher, and was followed by the younger apostle. The two observed the linen grave-clothes, and lying by itself, the napkin that had been placed about the head of the corpse. John frankly affirms that having seen these things, he believed, and explains in behalf of himself and his fellow apostles, "For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead."

The sorrowful Magdalene had followed the two apostles back to the garden of the burial. No thought of the Lord's restoration to life appears to have found place in her griefstricken heart; she knew only that the body of her beloved Master had disappeared. While Peter and John were within the sepulcher, she had stood without, weeping. After the men had left she stooped and looked into the rock-hewn cavern. There she saw two personages, angels in white; one sat "at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain." In accents of tenderness they asked of her: "Woman, why weepest thou?" In reply she could but voice anew her overwhelming sorrow: "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him." The absence of the body, which she thought to be all that was left on earth of Him whom she loved so deeply, was a personal bereavement. There is a volume of pathos and affection in her words, "They have taken away my Lord."

Turning from the vault, which, though at that moment illumined by angelic presence, was to her void and desolate, she became aware of another Personage, standing near. She heard His sympathizing inquiry: "Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?" Scarcely lifting her tearful countenance to look at the Questioner, but vaguely supposing that He was the caretaker of the garden, and that He might have knowledge of what had been done with the body of her Lord, she exclaimed: "Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away." She knew that Jesus had been interred in a borrowed tomb; and if the body had been dispossessed of that resting place, she was prepared to provide another. "Tell me where thou hast laid him," she pleaded.

It was Jesus to whom she spake, her beloved Lord, though she knew it not. One word from His living lips changed her agonized grief into ecstatic joy. "Jesus saith unto her, Mary." The voice, the tone, the tender accent she had heard and loved in the earlier days lifted her from the despairing depths into which she had sunk. She turned, and saw the Lord. In a transport of joy she reached out her arms to embrace Him, uttering only the endearing and worshipful word, "Rabboni," meaning My beloved Master. Jesus, restrained her impulsive manifestation of reverent love, saying, "Touch me not ^] for I am not yet ascended to my Father," and adding, "but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."^]

Mary Magdalene and the other women told the wonderful story of their several experiences to the disciples, but the brethren could not credit their words, which "seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not." After all that Christ had taught concerning His rising from the dead on that third day,the apostles were unable to accept the actuality of the occurrence; to their minds the resurrection was some mysterious and remote event, not a present possibility. There was neither precedent nor analogy for the stories these women told—of a dead person returning to life, with a body of flesh and bones, such as could be seen and felt—except the instances of the young man of Nain, the daughter of Jairus, and the beloved Lazarus of Bethany, between whose cases of restoration to a renewal of mortal life and the reported resurrection of Jesus they recognized essential differences. The grief and the sense of irreparable loss which had characterized the yesterday Sabbath, were replaced by profound perplexity and contending doubts on this first day of the week. But while the apostles hesitated to believe that Christ had actually risen, the women, less skeptical, more trustful, knew, for they had both seen Him and heard His voice, and some of them had touched His feet.

According to Daniel H. Ludlow:

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most carefully documented events in history, as it should rightfully be, for it was the crowning event in the most important week in the history of the world.

The apostle John listed the following reason for including in his gospel the major events of the last week in the earthly life of the Savior: “… these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” (John 20:31.)

Finally, I found this talk by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin from November 2006. I loved the entire talk, but in the interest of time I have included just a portion. I think it is so powerful, and such a heartwarming testament to the beauty and significance of the resurrection.

During my life I have heard many sermons on the Resurrection. Like you, I can recite the events of that first Easter Sunday. I have marked in my scriptures passages regarding the Resurrection and have close at hand many of the key statements uttered by latter-day prophets on this subject.

We know what the Resurrection is—the reuniting of the spirit and body in its perfect form.

President Joseph F. Smith said “that those from whom we have to part here, we will meet again and see as they are. We will meet the same identical being that we associated with here in the flesh.”

President Spencer W. Kimball amplified this when he said, “I am sure that if we can imagine ourselves at our very best, physically, mentally, spiritually, that is the way we will come back.”

When we are resurrected, “this mortal body is raised to an immortal body. … [We] can die no more.”

Can you imagine that? Life at our prime? Never sick, never in pain, never burdened by the ills that so often beset us in mortality?

The Resurrection is at the core of our beliefs as Christians. Without it, our faith is meaningless. The Apostle Paul said, “If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and [our] faith is also vain.”

In all the history of the world there have been many great and wise souls, many of whom claimed special knowledge of God. But when the Savior rose from the tomb, He did something no one had ever done. He did something no one else could do. He broke the bonds of death, not only for Himself but for all who have ever lived—the just and the unjust.

When Christ rose from the grave, becoming the firstfruits of the Resurrection, He made that gift available to all. And with that sublime act, He softened the devastating, consuming sorrow that gnaws at the souls of those who have lost precious loved ones.

I think of how dark that Friday was when Christ was lifted up on the cross.

On that terrible Friday the earth shook and grew dark. Frightful storms lashed at the earth.

Those evil men who sought His life rejoiced. Now that Jesus was no more, surely those who followed Him would disperse. On that day they stood triumphant.

On that day the veil of the temple was rent in twain.

Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were both overcome with grief and despair. The superb man they had loved and honored hung lifeless upon the cross.

On that Friday the Apostles were devastated. Jesus, their Savior—the man who had walked on water and raised the dead—was Himself at the mercy of wicked men. They watched helplessly as He was overcome by His enemies.

On that Friday the Savior of mankind was humiliated and bruised, abused and reviled.

It was a Friday filled with devastating, consuming sorrow that gnawed at the souls of those who loved and honored the Son of God.

I think that of all the days since the beginning of this world’s history, that Friday was the darkest.

But the doom of that day did not endure.

The despair did not linger because on Sunday, the resurrected Lord burst the bonds of death. He ascended from the grave and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind.

And in an instant the eyes that had been filled with ever-flowing tears dried. The lips that had whispered prayers of distress and grief now filled the air with wondrous praise, for Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, stood before them as the firstfruits of the Resurrection, the proof that death is merely the beginning of a new and wondrous existence.

Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.

But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.

I feel the words of Elder Wirthlin perfectly sum up our experience of studying Christ’s last week. Christ’s amazing ministry was completed with the atonement and resurrection. He did it all for us so that we may live with our family and Him again and throughout the eternities (and best of all….in a perfect body…yay! No more bad knees!!). As often as we may feel we are in the middle of a “Friday”, our “Sunday” will come. I have lived this first hand as I lived a “Friday” for 2 ½ years trying, crying and praying for a child. 3 years ago my “Sunday” came as a precious daughter and son of God chose my husband and me to adopt and raise their child. Nicole is my beautiful “Sunday”.

Abby Is Here!

2010-03-18T21:20:00.004-06:00

My niece Abby is here! She was born on Monday and our family couldn't be happier (well, give Kami a few weeks to get over the baby blues, and she'll be as happy as the rest of us!).

March 16 - The day after Abby was born Greg and I went to see her. Abby had a million visitors that day, so it was a quick visit, but she was such a lovie.

March 17th - I took Nicole over to the hospital to see Abby and to give Kami her present. Nicole ate half the cookies we delivered and assumed when the nurse brought Kami's lunch that it was her lunch. Oh heavens, but Kami was very nice to share. Nicole just loved holding Abby and she loved to kiss her head. It shows you what a year will do. 10 months ago, when Nicole was 2, she wanted nothing to do with Caleb; but something snaps at age 3 I guess and now she loves babies. Looks like I need to space my next child.

I took Abby's newborn pictures today. Kami did great and didn't stress (although, she is a weirdo when it come to headbands and bows :) ) So look for those pictures soon!

Tasty

2010-03-18T21:13:00.002-06:00

So my mom said I had to post this story. Tonight I was bathing the kids and in the mean time packing for our trip to St George tomorrow to visit Greg's parents. I went in the bathroom to check on the kids and Caleb...like always....had something in his mouth. No big deal, I'd just fish it out like I always do...until I realized that what I was grabbing onto was a giant green turd!!!! Yes, Caleb must have done his business, saw it floating, and thought it would be tasty. I threw up a little in my mouth and yelled, "Caleb, holy cow that is poo!!" Nicole heard the word "poo" and you've never seen a kid jump out of the tub so fast!! I quickly called my mom and asked if I needed to call poison control or something. After she finally stopped laughing (and throwing up a little in her mouth too) she told me it was fine and asked if there was anymore poo in the tub. I said no and she said that was probably because he had already eaten whatever else he had deposited into the water. Thanks mom for always being there to set my mind at ease!!! Geeze! :) Yeah, well, I brushed his teeth and tongue, but I'm still having a hard time looking at him. Gross!!

10 Days of Valentine's

2010-03-02T23:18:00.008-07:00

Holy Guacamole....my husband does have a romantic bone in his body after all. This year he gave me 10 days of Valentines and it was wonderful, completely unexpected and completely unusual for him, unbelievably sweet and more fun than Christmas!! I don't know what made him decide to do this (I was convinced there was some bad news to come at the end like asking me for a divorce, but no such request has yet been made) or where he got all of his ideas, but he REALLY went overboard and I appreciated it so much. Thanks Gregors....I LOVE YOU!

Day #1 – Feb 5th

I woke up to sweet little writings and hearts on my bathroom mirror. He also had a gift bag with a riddle written on it. Once I answered the riddle I was able to open it. Sadly, I had to cheat and Google the riddle. Inside the bag was a giant Hershey’s kiss.

Day #2 – Feb 6th

We were in Idaho Falls to see our niece Maddy get baptized. On the drive home Greg had me get him some Kleenex from the glove compartment and inside were three letters tied in a fun red bow (note: never buy bow covered in glitter…I still can’t get all that red glitter out of my car…it has now become one with my upholstery). Each envelope was titled: Past, Present and Future. I first opened the one titled past. Greg had braved the basement and found my storage bin with all of my letters from my mission (ps…I kept every letter from my mission because they all meant so much to me. So if you ever sent me a letter, I still have it!). He found the Valentine’s card he had written me in Feb 2000. It was so fun to open that card and re-read what he had written so long ago. Then I opened the envelope titled present. It was a very sweet letter he wrote the day before about how much he loves me and our little family and how happy he is with all of us. It melted my heart! And as always, he saved the best for last….the one titled future. This letter he wrote as it if were Feb of 2040. He wrote about how thankful he was that I bought him an F250 to pull his Mastercraft boat and that he loved living on our 100 acres in Lake Shore and all of his farm animals. He was also glad that I had help to take care of the farm from my 5 daughter-in-laws that all lived with us, as well as my father and his father and that because of modern medicine they would all be able to live with us for a VERY long time. Neither of us could stop laughing as I read the letter. It was just SO Greg.

Day #3 – Feb 7th

Greg made me breakfast in bed. He cooked heart shaped pancakes covered in strawberries and whipped cream. There were also eggs, bacon and orange juice. Yummy! The hilarious part about it was that I was so surprised he made me breakfast because it was fast Sunday and Greg is such a good boy he always fasts. I thought maybe he just decided to take a day off since he was doing all of this Valentine’s stuff for me. I ended up doing the dishes because he was in a race to get ready so he could take the Young Men around to collect fast offerings. During Sacrament Meeting it finally dawned on him. He leaned to me and said, “Oh man, I shouldn’t have made you breakfast. I didn’t realize it was Fast Sunday!” I couldn’t believe it. He had forgotten even though we was in a panic all morning to be on time to collect fast offerings. Yep, the same day we give fast offerings is the same day we fast! Silly boy…but the breakfast was great, so I wasn’t complaining.

Day #4 – Feb 8th

Greg bought about 100 different Valentine’s cards (the type you give away in elementary school) and wrote a different name or nickname for me on each one and put a piece of candy in each one as well. His sister delivers mail for the post office in Salem so he had her stuff my mailbox with all of them while she was on her mail route. When I opened the mailbox to get my mail, valentines came pouring out of my box. I ended up giving all of the candy to my students in class the next day. It was a lot of candy! It had to have taken him forever to write on every one and stuff all of them.

Day #5 – Feb 9th

He was really proud of himself this day! He wanted to embarrass me and be sweet and he really succeeded in both. He has a dozen red roses (in a gorgeous vase) delivered to my classroom while I was teaching. I try to be really professional while I teach, so it embarrassed me to no end. He had a co-worked deliver them. I didn’t recognize him and first and when he initially came in the door all I could say was “What a dork!” because I was so embarrassed. When I recognized his co-workers I chased him up the stairs and begged him not to tell Greg I had said he was a dork. But guess who was right outside my door? Greg, and yes, he did hear me. He was laughing so hard and was so proud of himself. And yes, I heard a lot of “look at that girl” as I carried a HUGE vase of HUGE flowers down the halls and out to my car.

Day #6 – Feb 10th

My bathroom mirror was decorated again this day with sweet nothings and he had taped “love coupons” to the mirror. They were coupons for things like a bubble bath, or breakfast in bed, or a week of receiving flowers, etc.

Day #7 – Feb 11th

Greg’s original plan for this day was beyond thoughtful. He was set for taking a half day off of work to take the kids while a friend and I went to get a massage and out to lunch. But everything fell through. Things were crazy at work and he couldn’t get the day off and my friend was really sick. So instead that night he handed me a plastic bag with a sweater in it. The sweater was very pretty and it was so nice of him to go get me some clothes. The presentation of it was what I thought was a crack up.

Day #8 – Feb 12th

My mirror was yet again decorated and had “love coupons” taped to it. But this time the coupons were of a different sort and not appropriate for me to list on this blog. They were in jest though, as I threw them all away because never in a million years would I want any of them honored! That night we drove to St George to spend the weekend with his parents.

Day #9 – Feb 13th

Greg woke up with the kids that morning and let me sleep in. Then he came and woke me up and said to hurry and get ready because he had made an appointment for me to get a massage that morning. It was a heavenly message and I actually fell asleep at the end of it. Awww…so relaxing!

Day #10 – Feb 14th

This day was seriously so much fun. It was like Christmas morning. We all got up early to get ready for church, but first sat around Grandma and Grandpa’s bed to exchange gifts. Grandma and Grandpa gave each other a gift and then gave Nicole and Caleb each a card. I gave some family pictures to my mother-in-law and then gave Nicole and Caleb their gifts. A GIANT V-day card and conversation hearts and a new Sunday dress for Nicole and a Sunday outfit for Caleb. Nicole loves dresses and no other present could make her happier. Silly girl. I gave Greg two tickets to a Ronny Millsap concert that is in Wendover the first weekend in May. I arranged for my niece to come with us so she can watch the kids in the hotel while we go to the concert. There is probably no other concert I’d rather not go to than this, but Greg has been wanting to go forever, so I thought I’d be nice and surprise him with tickets. He is excited and I’m so happy for that. I asked him if I could listen to my iPod during the concert. Ha ha ha. As you can imagine, the answer was “no”!
Greg then gave me my final present: a ¼ carat real diamond necklace in white gold. It is beautiful and I love to wear it. He spent weeks searching the internet and going to every jewelry store in Utah County trying to find the perfect one. Might I say, he did a fantastic job!!!! I think it is the effort he put forth to get the necklace that means the most to me, but hey, having a real diamond around your neck isn’t too shabby either!!!! This was the most amazing Valentine’s Day/10 Days of my life! I’m a lucky girl!!

New Pictures of My Babies

2010-02-22T11:23:00.007-07:00

Happy Birthday Coley!

2010-01-30T22:00:00.005-07:00

Our beautiful little girl turned 3 years old last Saturday (Jan 23rd). Boy does time fly! It doesn't seem that long ago we were heading up to Logan to get her, with no more than one bottle, one can of formula and one package of diapers in our possession. We refused to buy anything but the absolute necessities until we knew for sure she was going to be ours. Kristi had to bring over a pack-n-play that night so we had something for her to sleep in. I should post some pictures of her placement at the adoption agency and her night coming home and all the family here to meet her. When I get up the emotional strength to look through those pictures again, I will post them. 3 years later I still have a hard time looking at them...it was just more emotion in one day than my body and mind could process...and I think sometimes I still have post tramatic stress disorder :)

Anyways.....I took Nicole's 3 year photos, Spencer's 4 year photos, and Cameron's 'I'm just a darling little boy' photos this morning. Here is a shot that I think shows off a bit of Nicole's personality. Sometimes she has so much personality it just oozes out of her ears!

2 Nicole Stories You Have To Read

2 days ago Nicole needed to go potty and so I told her to go in my bathroom since Caleb was taking a nap and her bathroom is close to his room (she tends to be very noisy while doing her business). But she insisted on going to her bathroom and so I just asked to be very quiet since Caleb was asleep. With her eyes wide open, her head tilted and her eyebrows sky high (anyone who knows her well can picture this common look of hers) she replied so matter-of-factly, "Okay Mamma, I'll just go pee-pee and my pee makes music and music will help Caleb sleep."
The day before the pee story I bought Nicole a little basketball and hoop at the store. She was so excited for Greg to come home so she could show him (she knows that kind of stuff makes Daddy very happy). This is exactly how she said their conversation would go: "I'll say 'daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy' and he'll say 'What!!????!!!!' and I'll say 'look at my new basketball!'" Smart kids...she knows her parents' reaction to her constant "mommy! daddy!" too well.

My Sweet Bub-bie

2010-01-30T21:40:00.005-07:00

Look at this handsome little boy!! We took this last night before we headed to Uncle Jeffie's basketball game. Caleb is already in size 4 shoes!! What a big boy! The shoes were so heavy he didn't really know what to do. Usually when you hold his hands he'll walk and walk, but all he could do was stand there...confused as to why his legs wouldn't move. :) I love my little boy!!!!

Some Recent Newborn Pictures

2010-01-19T19:46:00.007-07:00

Here are some newborn pictures I did for my friend's younger sister. It makes me so excited to take pictures of my neice who is coming soon! :)

Look At This Face!!

2009-12-09T14:28:00.003-07:00

This is a picture I took of my cousin Julie's little boy Mitchell. It just melts my heart!! I love, love this picture and the vintage wash over it.

Sometimes It's Just Better To Lie

2009-12-05T11:12:00.002-07:00

A common example of my life:

Greg's parents had a large farm again this year with the usual pumpkins, potatos, cabbage, etc. But this year they also grew some tomatos, jalepenos, green peppers, and raspberries...yes, I said raspberries; they were amazingly delicious. So in September we picked a crazy amount of the tomatos, jalepenos, green peppers and raspberries. My friend Amy and I spent days in the kitchen canning raspberry jam, tomato sauce and salsa. I had never canned before and Amy was kind enough to come help me. I can't believe how much work it was! Especially those tomatos!! All the steaming and peeling and cutting. My legs and feet were so sore after days of this.

Although I was ornery about the insane amount of work this all was, it was a great feeling to see the final product of my efforts. I had enough jam to last a lifetime and I had a good amount of salsa (you can never have too much of that) and tomato sauce. I froze a bunch and canned some. The tomato sauce has been great because I can just grab it from the freezer or the pantry and make spagetti, lasagna or chili just like that. The initial canning was a lot of work, but cooking meals with it afterwards is so easy it makes it all worth it!

So I made some lasagna on Wed and I went out to the freezer to get the sauce. There was none left and so I had to use my last canned jar from the pantry (so much for the food storage). I was bewilder why there was none in the freezer. I know I had filled quite a few old sherbert containers that my mom had given me with this sauce. I was confused and Greg said he had no idea, so I just shrugged and made my lasagna.

Well, on Thursday when Greg came home from work he said he needed to tell me something. He said he didn't want to lie to me and thought it best to always tell me the truth even if it made me mad. He said that the night before about 10 minutes after he told me he didn't know why the sauce was all gone he remembered that a couple of weeks ago he was cleaning out the freezer and thought those sherbert tubs were full of old homemade raspberry ice-cream he had made and it was time to throw it out. Did he look to see what it was??? NO!!!! Did he ask me?? NO!!!

I was so upset, I was almost in tears. That stuff was delicious and so much work....now all thrown away. Greg said I wasn't allowed to be mad at him because he had told the truth. Forget the truth!!! I truely believe this and told him, "Sometimes it's just better to lie!!!!!!!!!!!" Ignorance is bliss. And that my friends is a typical happening in my household. Heaven help us!

What I've been up to!

2009-10-12T11:18:00.008-06:00

I haven't posted for awhile, so I thought I'd give you a quick glimpse as to why, via pictures.

Crazy Cook #1....She is 2 1/2 years old...need I say more? (p.s. the obsession with princesses is getting a little out of control!)

Crazy Cook #2 I think he is passing up my nephew Alex as the number one Mr. Drooly

Teaching Introduction to Business at UVU. Trying to teach this class effectively take A LOT of work!

5 straight days of jury duty!! It was awful being away from my babies ALL day for 5 days, but I must admit the adult conversation was nice! (p.s. thank you Grammy, Grandma and Amy for helping me out and babysitting for me....they say I'm off the list for the next two years....I think it should be ten years! :) )

We've been thinking about selling our house and building a new one on the lot we have up the street. We found a house plan we like, but have been changing a lot of things. We want to make as few mistakes as possible, and that causes a lot of stress!!! It is really hard to sell houses right now, so it's a long shot we'll even be able to build. But really, we'll be fine with it. We'll just finish the basement here. We are very blessed to already have a nice house.

Last week Greg "accidentally" bought a car from the auction. He wanted a new car because he thinks our Corolla is too small, so he put in a low ball bid to the auction thinking there was no way we'd get the car (he was sick and really busy at work, so he didn't really want to get the car and I was just happy to keep what we had). Well, our auction guy called all excited he got the car and we had to act like we were excited too. So now we have 3 cars and are in desperate need to sell the Corolla. Anyone need a new car??? ;)

Greg's Grandma Scott (his mom's mom) passed away last month. It was a long month seeing her get so sick. It was really really hard on Greg's mom, and the whole family really struggled. She was 93 though and so badly missed her husband, so it was good for her to go. One day we went over to visit and Grandma was so weak she could hardly talk. She had just barely started to again be able to drink and at that it was only tiny sips. In good old Grandma fashion she was sipping on a Coke (her favorite thing in the world!). So I started to talk to Grandma about how sometimes a good Coke or Pepsi can really cheer you up and just make the world seem good again. Tonia (Greg's mom) was in the room and I told her she needed to just try it. She said no and that she thought Coke was nasty. Then just like the grandma we've always known, Grandma Scott said "Tonia, you really need to expand your horizons!" I almost fell off my chair laughing. Sweet Grandma was so sick and weak, and yet she was still cracking us all up. This is a picture of her (Bertha Scott) as a baby.

I have also done some great photo shoots lately.

Viola - She was sealed to her parents last week!!!

Mitchell - My cousin's sweet baby boy in his blessing outfit.

Jill - My great friend and her kids.

Samantha & Alex - My crazy niece and nephew.

Our Little Man's Blessing

2009-09-09T22:52:00.003-06:00

Greg blessed Caleb on Sunday, August 2, 2009. It was a great blessing and I was so happy to be with all of my extended family, my husband and my two great children. I am very very blessed (and I will continue to remind myself of that as I wake up twice every night with one child or the other, which causes total exhaustion the next morning and makes for a slightly ornery mommy and very ornery college teacher on T and TH).

Caleb's Blessing Pictures

2009-09-09T22:37:00.006-06:00

I had a great time taking these pictures of my sweet boy. Isn't he adorable?
(I am confused as to why when I post pictures on Blogger they are very grainy when they look great on my computer and when printed. Does someone know what I am doing wrong?)

New Nursery & Big Girl Room

2009-08-12T16:28:00.005-06:00

We had quite the project going on earlier this year. Since Caleb was on his way we needed to convert the computer room (oh how I miss my office) to his nursery and change Nicole's nursery to a big girl room. Our friend Dale was so wonderful to help Greg will the beadboard, shelf and molding. Kami was wonderful to paint for me. My friend Emily sewed Nicole's bedspread, pillow and curtain. Greg's mom and I quilted the bedspread together and I made the wall hangings in each of the rooms. I think both rooms turned out darling and I'm so happy with them! Nicole LOVES her big girl bed and big girl room. She has insisted that every child on our street come and see it. She is so proud :) Again, thank you everyone that helped. Now...on to the basement!!!!!!!!

Nicole's Big Girl Room

Caleb's Nursery

Caleb's A Stud!

2009-07-14T16:09:00.008-06:00

Here are Caleb's newborn pictures I took when he was about 10 days old. I have done much better for friends, but when it's your own I guess the motivation to prove yourself isn't there as much. I hated seeing him cry because he was naked and uncomfortable, so I only took a few shots.

This is why Caleb is a stud.....

Greg taught Nicole to say “Daddy’s a stud!” So if you ask Nicole “what is daddy?” she’ll respond “Daddy’s a tud!” Yes, she has a hard time saying her “s”. She usually leaves it out of the word if the word starts with an s. Speaking of studs…I have to tell this story about Caleb’s name. I have wanted the name for years (about 5 years…compared to Greg wanting the name Nicole for 13 yrs before he got it) and Greg always seemed okay with it. Then towards the end of my pregnancy he told me he didn’t really like the name and thought it was feminine sounding. That was shocking to me because he never said anything bad about it before. I knew Caleb was a Bible name, so one Saturday afternoon we read about Caleb in the Book of Joshua. Of all the Hebrews that were part of the exodus from Egypt, only Joshua and Caleb were allowed to enter the Promised Land after their 40 years of wandering. This is because of their faith and obedience (and their truthful report of the status of Canaan 38 years before their entrance). Once Israel destroyed the inhabitants of Canaan they began to divide up the land according to tribes. Caleb was over 80 years old at this time and requested the land of Hebron. At the time Hebron was populated by a race of giants. Caleb stated that through the power of the Lord he would be able to wipe out the giants and occupy the land. At this Greg exclaimed “Dang…he was 80 and still wanted to take on the giants…Caleb was a STUD!!!” So now after that story Greg really likes the name Caleb. Isn’t that hilarious?? My oh my the little things that can change Greg’s mind. So now Greg hopes his Caleb will be stud like the bible Caleb. He he…Greg can be such a dork!

Caleb MacDonald Cook

2009-06-25T21:19:00.011-06:00

It has been a crazy 5 weeks in our house! We are sleep deprived, a little stressed, and besides a few baby blues, extremely happy! Caleb is such a sweet little boy and we are so happy to have him in our family. It is hard to imagine how we went through life without him!

As mentioned by my sister Kami in the last post, I still had not decided on a middle name for Caleb. I had always planned on using MacDonald, but then started to seriously consider using Loveridge (my maiden name). In the end (meaning a few hours before I was to be released from the hospital) I decided to still go with MacDonald (I have wanted the name Caleb and the name MacDonald for about 7 years now). My Grandma Loveridge's maiden name was McDonald, and although she died a year before I was born, I've always felt a special connection to her. While in my youth I was not quite sure where this came from. My mom was great at telling us about Grandma and I could tell how much my mom and dad loved her, which always made a great impression on me. Then on my mission I had a special experience where it was obvious to me and my family that she was watching over me as my own special guardian angle. So I have always wanted to honor her through naming one of my children after her. Also, my dad's name is Mac, which his mother took from her maiden name....so MacDonald seemed to be a perfect fit for my sweet little boy. I've also always had a very special relationship with my dad, so I was very happy to name Caleb after him and his mother.

My Dad's Parents

Reva V. McDonald Loveridge

Elwood Carson Loveridge

My Dad: Mac Loveridge

Memorial Day 2009: The day after Caleb and I came home from the hospital. We went to Grandma's grave since we had just middle named Caleb after her.

Just a few more details about the delivery: I was due on June 2nd, so when I felt some contractions on May 20th I didn't think it would amount to much. Well, at 2:00am on the 21st I woke up in serious pain and I wasn't sure if my water broke or if I had peed the bed (I wouldn't have been surprised had it been the latter...he he). So I eventually went back to bed and tried to wait it out. Soon I had peed my pants again and by this time Greg had woken up and was sure it was not that I lost control of my bladder. I didn't want to head to the hospital because I really did not want to be sent home. So we waited a bit and then started timing my contractions and they were every 3-4 minutes. By this time it was 4 am and we called Greg's mom to come over and watch Nicole while we headed to the hospital. Before we left we both took a shower and I got something to eat. Greg's mom was furious and ordered us out of the house saying "I am NOT going to deliver this baby...now get!" I wasn't in serious pain until we got in the car and started driving to Orem. I have never experienced pain like that before and all I could do the whole way there was grab onto the handle and say "Oh sh**" over and over. I think some swear words were appropriate for the occasion! :) We got to the hospital around 4:45am (by this time I could hardly walk) and when the nurse checked me I was dialated to 7 cm. They couldn't believe I was that far long before I came to the hospital. You could tell this was my first delivery and I had NO idea what I was doing. I had my epidural by 5:30am. What a gift from heaven that was!! It took three tries for it to work. When he was putting the needle in for the third time (the needle to give the numbing agent) I started to cry for the first time that morning. I wasn't crying because it hurt (although it did) but because I was so scared it wasn't going to work. Greg, in true Greg fashion, held my hand and said "Be tough, no tears, come on..be tough." What a bleeding heart he is! :)

By 7am my mom and sisters had arrived to my room. They brought Pepsi, carmel popcorn and donuts and had the nerve to eat them right in front of me!! I was beyond jealous, not to mention starving. But I had to stick with my ice water and grape juice.

But we had a great time together, talking and laughing. Greg left to get some breakfast and mom and Kami and Kristi left to let me try to take a nap. My mind was going a million miles an hour and there was no sleep on the horizon, so I called everyone and told them to come back. We had lots of laughs together and it only got better (well, for a while). The epidural stopped me from dialating, so they gave me some petocin and soon I was to 10cm and ready to push. I started pushing at 10 am.

Greg held my head while I pushed and my mom and sisters also assisted and kept the conversation and laughs going. In fact, I actually missed a few pushes because I couldn't push because I was laughing too hard. Also, I missed a few because the nurse was laughing and forgot to have me push on a few contractions. Who knew labor could be so fun??? Well, the fun ended around noon when Caleb was just not progressing. I gave it my all and pushed as hard as I could, but nothing. It was was now 12:30 pm and I had been pushing for 2 1/2 hrs. Soon the doctor came in and said a C-Section was my only option. For the second time that morning I started to cry (I'm sure Greg was disappointed in me, but hey even my mom and sisters were crying by this point). I did NOT want a c-section...who does? I begged the doctor...I said I'd push for another hour, but his mind was made and I knew it was what was best for Caleb. So off I was to the operating room and soon recieved a spinal block (the feeling of being completely paralyzed from the chest down is awful...I am not a fan!).

Getting ready to go to the OR

When everyone was ready to go they let Greg come in and let my family watch through a window. I couldn't see a thing as they put up a shield to block everything (very smart!) from the patient. But I freaked out when I saw the shadow of a nurse sitting on me and then I shouted to Greg, "Is that a foot on top of me??" Yes, holy cow it was the nurse's foot. She was bracing herself while she literally jumped on my stomach to help push the baby out. Once Caleb was out they took my uterus (sorry this is all so graphic...you know I have to have detail as this is acting as my journal and one day I want Caleb to see the hell he put me through so I can hang it over his head for the rest of his life! he he he) and put it on top of my stomach in order to clean everything out. My family said it was the most disturbing thing they had ever seen! Ya think? This whole c-section process was NOT natural! Yet, at the same time I'm so glad I live now and not in earlier days where Caleb and I would have died since I could not deliever him the traditional way. We are very blessed for modern medicine.

Greg putting on his "spaceman suit" so he could join me in the OR

Greg in his full attire

Greg taking Caleb to the nursery right after the delivery

Caleb did not cry when he was first born. I was very upset and even though the doctors said he was fine I made Greg go over to where they were cleaning him up and make sure he was breathing. Yes, he assured me, everything was fine. They quickly whisked Greg and Caleb out of the room and then started to sew me up. Caleb ended up not crying once until we had been home a few days. The nurses were in total amazement...they said they had never seen anything like that. I was sure it was because he was saving it up for home...and even though he does have a great pair of lungs on him, he doesn't use them as much as he could. He is a good boy. I only got to see Caleb for a split second after I delivered but when I was back to my recovering room and they brought him in I was so full of emotion. I was so in love right from the start. I have heard that some people have this instant love and some don't. I was not expecting to, but I did. Funny too because my first thought was how much he looked like Nicole (even though they are not biologically related). Obviously they were just meant to be brother and sister!

The first time I saw my little man

Caleb and I had a good time bonding in the hospital for the next three days. My insurance allowed me to stay 4 days, but I was going stir crazy and wanted out of there! Yeah, just like the nurses said, once I got home I wished I was back in the hospital :) That was the most I've ever been waited on...it was nice!

I had family and friends come visit and it really meant a lot to me.

Uncle Andy

Aunt Kristi and cousins Samantha & Alex

Grandma Cook

Aunt Kami, Uncle Chad and cousin Cameron & Spencer

Grammy & Grampy

Aunt Terri

Cameron just ADORES his new cousin

Nicole wanted Handy Manny tools more than anything and we told her she could get them once Caleb was born. Here is a picture of her displaying her new treasure that Caleb gave her (so she thinks...it was really daddy paying Wal-Mart..he he).

Caleb has Greg's nose and eyebrows. He has my banana head, my lips and my Gramp's chin (my mom's dad). He also has his Grandpa Cook's and my Grandma Loveridge's bird legs. Thankfully I am healing very well, much better than I expected, although my post-partum body is quite the sight to be seen...well actually a sight that does not need or want to be seen...my eyes, my eyes, they burn!! Nonetheless, I am head over heels in love with this little boy and so happy he joined our family!

What A Day!!!!

2009-05-21T19:38:00.008-06:00

He's Here!!!!!

Our Little Caleb Cook is here (middle name is still being decided)!!!!

Hi everyone from a proud auntie Kami. Our two troopers (Shell and Caleb) had quite the day. I will let Richele give the details at a later time,,,alls I have to say being the sister and the auntie---it was AWESOME (and a little worrisome). But mostly awesome!!

After 2 1/2 hours of hard pushing little Caleb just didn't want to meet us yet, so Richele was whisked off for a C-Section. It wasn't much fun for Shell, but it was best for Caleb.

8lb 9 oz

21 inches long

He is 7 hours old as I type this and has yet to cry (literally)---we aren't sure if that's a good or bad sign for things to come--we all hope he just has his Daddy's laid-back nature.

We love you so much Shell and Caleb!!

Cole holds her new little brother!!
What a doll
What a beautiful family!!

Oh, We had so much fun!!! LOTS of laughing, joking, talking and unfortunately lots of PUSHING.

Waiting to start!!! TEXTING!

A typical day out with Cole and the Boys

2009-05-18T23:13:00.005-06:00

When Nicole and I go out to play or shop with Kami and the boys and we want a picture of them all, this is the typical result: Cam and Cole cheezing at the camera and Spencer hiding, wanting nothing to do with it. Above is from last week when we went to the Provo Temple to take pictures. Below is from a few months ago after we bought the kids matching bunnies from Arctic Circle and matching elephant hats from Michael's.

The Difference Between Boys & Girls

2009-05-18T23:08:00.003-06:00

Last week Kami and I took the kids to the University Mall (aka Kristi's mall) to play in its treehouse. I had to laugh as I realized Spencer was running around with a gun and Cole was running around holding her flower. There sure can be differences in boys and girls! I had to get a picture!

38 Weeks!

2009-05-18T22:47:00.003-06:00

Sorry the picture is dark, but it's the only one Greg took that had a semi-decent angle to it. All the others made me look even more like a whale! :)

It's Official...

2009-04-07T22:25:00.003-06:00

I'm HUGE!!!!!!!!!!! Here is my 32 week picture. I can hardly bend over to put on socks and shoes. Hum....wonder if I'll even be able to 8 weeks from now??

Baby-Tole is Two!!

2009-02-26T22:12:00.003-07:00

Nicole turned 2 years old on January 23rd. I can't believe how fast time has gone and how fast she has grown up. I get really tearly eyed when I see baby pictures of her, and I'm sure in time I'll get teary eyed when I see her toddler pictures. Here is just a sample of her 2 yr photo shoot I did for her. When I do pictures of other people Nicole loves my little studio, but when I want pictures of her, she gets scared to death of the room. So Greg spent the week before her birthday playing games and puzzles in her "special room" to get her used to it. I let her blow my big softbox light on and off and she loved that. Nicole is so funny about the things that do and do not scare her. Also, thank you Greg for helping me get her dressed and ready and all happy and smiling that fateful Saturday.

So glad to be feeling better!

2009-02-09T10:14:00.002-07:00

Tomorrow I will be 24 weeks along and I am so glad to be feeling better! I am now down to throwing up only about 3-4 times a week! Yay!! The first picture is from October when I was on IV therapy...2 hours every night hooked up to an IV bag...not fun. Nicole kept me good company though, as did reruns of "The Office". I call watching that show over and over "research" because certain clips of it come in as a great teaching tool for my Intro To Business students I teach at UVU.

On Feb 5th I went in for another ultrasound. They wanted to check his heart and lips (he was turned the wrong way last ultrasound and they couldn't see). So this time I got a profile picture....how fun and cute! Everything is going along well and healthy. We are so so so blessed! Oh and this morning while I was laying in bed I felt Caleb roll for the first time (he has been kicking for a month, but this was different). It was cool, but kindof creepy and gross! :) This whole pregnancy thing is such an interesting experience!

23 Weeks

2009-02-03T21:32:00.002-07:00

Wow! 23 weeks. Time has gone by fast in some ways.....and so slow in others. I'm really nervous for little Caleb to get here. I can hardly handle Nicole, how am I going to handle two?? But I'm so excited for a newborn....a sweet baby that will cuddle and snuggle with me. It is heaven! On a side note: I have to laugh....I was honestly trying to smile a real smile in this picture and when I uploaded it I noticed how nervous/scared/constipated I look. I have the hardest time having pictures taken of myself.

It's A Boy!!!

2009-01-16T10:03:00.005-07:00

Holy cow! A boy! Greg and I are very excited, but I'm a little nervous. I have no idea how to raise a boy. I don't have any brothers. I guess I'll be asking Kami and Kristi a lot of questions. We are very excited we will have a boy and a girl now. We are very very very blessed. What a little miracle for our family....after all those years...who knew this day would come? Nicole is still very confused about what is going on, but hopefully soon she'll catch on and get excited!

I've circled the area where the lady told me it is a boy. All I can do is take her word for it. I guess those are his legs on either side.

HAND

LEG

FOOT

ARM

He was facing the wrong way, so she wasn't able to get any good face pictures or a look at the heart to make sure everything is okay. So I go back on Feb 5th for another ultrasound to see his sweet face and to make sure that heart is in good order.

A little something fun

2009-01-15T21:33:00.002-07:00

Baby Sam

2009-01-13T22:34:00.002-07:00

My great friend Emily had her third baby girl in December and was kind enough to let me photograph her. I just fell in love with Sam. Nicole calls her Baby Sam and loves to watch me edit her photos on the computer. She'll run around the house screaming "Baby Sam, Baby Sam!" Nicole also loves Sam's older sister Macy: one because Macy plays with her so well and is so kind to Nicole, and second because Nicole loves to go shopping at Macey's Food and Drug and assumes since Macy has the same name as the grocery store, that she must be great!

Gibson Family

2008-12-27T22:24:00.003-07:00

I'm posting these pics longer than a month after I took them, but hey, I guess later is better than never!

Christmas Quiz

2008-11-16T20:13:00.004-07:00

Here's a little quiz my friend Rebecca took and I thought I'd take a shot at it too!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? - Gift bags...I am lazy. My family can tell you that normally my wrapping paper is the plastic shopping bag the gift was placed in after purchased. But I do tape it all up and put a Post-It note on the top so they know it's from me. :)

2. Real tree or Artificial? I love real trees, but it only worked when I lived at home and I didn't realize the upkeep or mess they made. When Greg and I got married he INSISTED on a real tree, but I wanted the ease and less expense of a fake tree. So we agreed every other year we'd go buy a real tree. I actually think our first two Christmases together we bought a real tree, but by the third Christmas it was my turn for the artificial tree. The best thing about them besides the easy clean up is that the lights are already strung and ready to go! So then our 4th Christmas I told Greg I was ready to go buy a tree since it was his turn. He said the previous year had been so nice and easy and that was the last of the real trees in our house. Now every year Greg just goes and gets the fake tree from the basement and doesn't say a word about a real tree. Greg's mom says it ticks her off since he made her buy a real tree every year and she was the one who had to take care of it. Ha ha...things are so much different when you are the one in charge and cleaning up, huh?

3. When do you take the tree down? My mom and older sister take theirs down the day after Christmas. Although I think it would be nice to have my house back in order, the thought of it all being over on Dec 26th is just too depressing, so I take mine down on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day.

4. Do you like egg nog? I love it...especially with a little Sprite in it. I can feel my thighs getting bigger as I type this!

5. Favorite gift received as a child? Snoopy SnowCone Machine...for sure!

6. Do you have a nativity scene? Yeah, I have a couple of them. But my favorite is the one my Grandma Loveridge made and my Aunt RevaBeth gave me about 7 years ago. RevaBeth was going through some old things and saw it and thought about me (my Grandma Loveridge was my guardian angel on my mission). It is beautiful and it means the world to me.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My mom....what do you give the woman who has EVERYTHING??? But my husband Greg comes in a CLOSE second. His dress shirts have to have buttons on the collar and heaven forbid one year I got him a dress shirt that had TWO pockets (one on each side) instead of just one. Shame on me!

8. Easiest person to buy for? Nicole. She still doesn't know what is going on with Christmas and her birthday.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Last year was the first year I've done anything (I wanted to wait until we FINALLY had a child...so I had something to write about) and I mailed them. This year? I don't know. We haven't been able to get a good family picture. Nicole is awful everytime we try and I don't want to send anything unless I have a picture to send with it...hum.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A Coca-Cola Ice Cream Scooper (made of flimsy plastic). Even Greg will admit it was a bad idea on his part.

11 . Favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story...."F-R-A-G-I-L-E....it must be Italian"

12. When do you start shopping for Christmas? About August. I pride myself that I am usually all done by Halloween (except for Greg's gifts).

13 . Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I can remember.

14. Any Christmas traditions? Christmas Eve dinner at Tepenyaki (although I think my mom's going to change it this year) with my family and then homemade hamburgers and french fries at the Cooks along with Grandpa's horribly miserable COMPETITVE bingo game. Christmas morning with my family and Christmas Casserole (Greg's favorite food ever). Christmas Lunch/Dinner with the Cooks. Open pajamas on Christmas Eve. Greg and I open our stockings on Christmas Eve (we have such a fun time with this one), but then Santa fills Nicole's that night and she gets that and one big toy from Santa on Christmas morning. All the presents under the tree are from mom and dad, friends and family.

15 . Clear lights or colored on the tree? I love both, but our tree has clear lights and Greg refuses to hang any lights on the house (maybe I should try this year)...if he did...those would be colored.
16. Favorite Christmas song? The Drummer Boy....BY FAR!!

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Since all of our family lives around here, we stay at home. We are very blessed!

18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Coment, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph!

19. Angel on the tree top or a star? Actually I have a bow.

20 . Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? See above.

21. Favorite thing for Christmas dinner? Nothing comes to mind for dinner...I'm a breakfast girl....for sure the butterscotch pull-aparts!!!

Halloween

2008-11-11T10:29:00.002-07:00

We had a fun Halloween this year. We had Greg's family over for dinner and trick-or-treating. Nicole had a fever so she didn't dress up and didn't get to go to truck-or-treating or trick-or-treating with Corbin (her cousin). It was sad, but she and Corbin still had a great time running around the house and screaming all night.

Painting Pumpkins

2008-11-11T10:05:00.003-07:00

Me, Greg and Nicole

Nicole, Me, Michelle, Elijah, Adam

Greg and Stephen trying to act so tough! :)

So every year for the last 6 years Greg and I get together with our friends Michelle and Stephen to carve (paint) pumpkins. We started out carving, but now with kids we are tired and lazy and we paint. It is such a fun tradition! I miss Michelle so much and I hate that when we both bought houses she moved further North and I moved further South. Michelle and I painted our pumpkins with a pilgrim shooting a turkey. That way they will last until Thanksgiving. The men painted BYU...of course. And well, the munchkins...they just slapped paint on their pumpkins and we were all so proud of their masterpieces!

The Walker Family

2008-11-09T21:20:00.003-07:00

This is my good friend Kristen's (we worked together at Omniture) family. I am CRAZY about her little daughter Genavie. Whenever I see her, I'm just happy.

Janet's Bridal Shoot

2008-10-21T21:06:00.002-06:00

I was so sick the day we went to the State Capitol and did this shoot...I could hardly hold the camera straight!!! Well, that and because my new external flash is HEAVY! :) Here's a quick preview of a few shoots. I hope you like them Janet!!

Our Trip to Mexico

2008-10-07T22:09:00.004-06:00

At the top of the Coba Temple

ChichenItza
After swimming in a cenote (cave/sinkhole)
Just before we went repelling (I know...the helmets are sexy beyond words)
Richele repelling
Greg cliff jumping in the sinkhole

The first of September Greg and I went to Riveria Maya, Mexico. It was our first trip (and probably the last for a long time) without Nicole, and even though we missed her tons, it was so nice to get away. My sister Kami was such a sweetheart to volunteer to take Nicole so we could go somewhere. Kami decided now was the only time since we both want to have another baby soon (we'll have to see how that works out since it's much easier said than done with our history). We ended up leaving 2 days after our 7 year anniversary, so even though it wasn't planned as an anniversary trip, we counted it as one. Everyone there was on a honeymoon, so we had to fit in somehow! :)

We were gone for five days, one day each to get there and get back, so we only had three days at our all-inclusive resort. We planned the trip to be relaxing and do nothing but swim, sit on the beach, and drink pina coladas. Well, anyone that knows me well knows that kind of plan does work out! I have ants in my pants and I want adventure!! Greg and I NEEDED the relaxation, but instead opted out (still don't know if that was the best idea). Our first day there we did relax and swim and eat..not much more. But the second day we went repelling, went on a zip line, went hiking and kayaking. Then we swam in a huge underground grave and then climbed up the tallest Mayan ruin in Coba (near Cancun). It was amazing!!!! Our third day we went and explored ChichenItza, the largest discovered/restored Mayan town in the Yucatan and went swimming in another cave/sinkhole. We were exhuasted by the time it came to head home, but we had some great adventures and great memories!

Tanner Family

2008-10-04T20:25:00.005-06:00

These pictures are of my best friend Jill and her darling 3 kids! I'm so glad Jill called me. We had a fun photo shoot, and then 2 days later had a great double-date (without the kids...even better!). Wow! Seeing each other two times in one week...what's the world coming to? Jill, we need to do it MORE...and Melissa, you need to move home!!!!

Hall Family

2008-10-03T19:37:00.003-06:00

Here are some pictures I took of my older sister and her family. We also took the pictures for Cameron's 5 year birthday. I can't believe my sweet baby boy is 5!!!

Francis Family

2008-09-29T12:48:00.004-06:00

These pictures are of my friend Rebecca and her husband Bart and two year old daughter Addison. Rebecca and I used to work at Omniture together in the accounting department. Rebecca is lucky and still gets to work there. I'm sad I'm not there anymore, but it's great to have Rebecca there to fill me in on all the happenings. I took these pictures for Addison's 2nd birthday, and even though Bart was really sick, we were still able to get some great family shots. Thanks Rebecca for having such a darling daughter for me to photograph and for being such a wonderful and fun friend.

A Few More Pics

2008-09-05T23:18:00.003-06:00

Here are just a few more pictures that I really liked. The first one is of Greg's brother and his family. I took it at our Cook family reunion in Bear Lake in July. That reminds me that I need to post pictures from our Cook family vacation and our Loveridge family vacation from this summer (both happened to be at Bear Lake). We got some great pics of nieces and nephews and brothers and sisters playing on the boat (well, mostly crashing while tubing...now that's what I call entertainment!).

Make Up Shmake Up

2008-08-28T22:44:00.004-06:00

This morning, as with every morning, Nicole had a tantrum while I put on my make up. She wants to play with my brushes, powders, mascara, etc. and I am the mean mom who won't let her. I actually made Nicole her own make up bag filled with empty cases and tubes, but NOOOOOO that is not good enough, she HAS to play with what I'm actually putting on my face (even though some of those cases were ones I used last week and she cried for then, but now doesn't want). So every morning is a constant battle. I have made the mistake of letting her play with some mascara and eyeshadow, which resulted in black and very colorful marks all over her face, arms and legs, but best of all over my furniture. Lesson learned and now I'm sticking to my guns (it is hard, as all you mother know) and hopefully one day the crying for make up with stop (or at least calm down a little).

So anyways, this morning was bad! But I let her cry and tire herself out a little. I then asked her if she wanted to color and she said yes. So I brought her crayons and her Strawberry Shortcake coloring book into the bathroom and let her sit on the floor by me and color. It worked for a little bit and I could finally paint my face in peace (this is all yet another reason why I think I should boycott make up, even though the world is a much happier place if I do put it on). Well, the peace lasted about a nanosecond and the crying started again. I looked down to see what the problem was. Nicole had make some beautiful colorful marks on her page, but was now holding the white crayon and completely upset that her coloring wasn't showing up on the page. This crayon didn't work and that was NOT acceptable. I thought it was hilarious! So I grabbed the white crayon and hid it behind my back, grabbed an orange one, made some marks to show her that this one worked, and Nicole's coloring resumed. All was right with the world. Nicole was quiet and making art, and I was attempting a miracle of art on my face!

Goober 1 & Goober 2

2008-08-27T15:27:00.003-06:00

Last night I took pictures of my neice and nephew, and my sister Kristi. The kids (affectionatly called Goober 1 and Goober 2, because, yeah, they act like goobers...whatever that means??? :)) were crazy and hyper, but I think we got some great shots. Here are a just a few samples. After pictures we went and ate french fries and milkshakes. It was a great night!!!

Another School Year Begins

2008-08-26T20:08:00.004-06:00

I can't believe school is starting tomorrow. I am excited to be teaching again this semester, but a little nervous. I always get nervous before starting a new class and having 50 new students (I can't believe they let that many people sign up for one class...arugh!). This semester I am teaching Intro to Business on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and then an online section of International Business. For the past year I've also taught a math night class, but this semester someone with more seniority than myself requested the class...so bye bye math. I was way bummed because Greg could watch Nicole while I taught and it paid the best of all of my classes. Well, since I couldn't teach a night class I decided I would take a night class (only because of the free tuition). So I am taking a photography class. It should be interesting. I audited the class...heaven forbid I HAVE to take tests or quizzes...come on, now on I only GIVE them...I've paid my dues!!! :)

Some Of My Favorite Pictures I've Taken

2008-08-19T08:51:00.010-06:00

Nicole is 18 Months Old!!

2008-08-13T22:34:00.005-06:00

Our sweet baby girl is getting so old!