{Silly Sister} #1

A little post about the silly things my sisters (usually Sarah) do to make me laugh.

Hopefully everyone knows what a Jackalope is, because well, Sarah didn't...

This past weekend my parents bought a cabin and on our way down Cedar Mountain Sarah, Kaden and I were talking about all of the crazy things we could hang up in it. For example, Kadens antlers (since they aren't allowed in the house), or a squirrel, or hedgehog or best idea ever a Jackalope! Kaden and I got so excited about it we googled a picture to show Sarah. We talked up how rare they are and how hard it is to get one. I swear this mystical animal was on her mind for quite awhile because she was not too happy when she saw my instagram post.

She even said she had been imagining how it would pop her tire if she accidentally ran one over.

New Schedules

September 1-13

Lived

- The past couple of weeks have been great. We have all been working on getting used to new schedules and spending more time together.

- School has been going on for a few weeks now and for some reason i just don't feel like i have a need to do homework or work on lesson plans right now. My problem might be that i only have two classes and feel like playing with Leighton or auditing notes might be more important.

- Kaden's work schedule flipped so he is no longer working Sundays which makes me one happy wifey. Going to church alone is not as hard as it looks, but it isn't fun either. I sure am glad that i will have my hubby by my side during sacrament for now on and in Sunday school. Church seems just that much better with  him there.

- Speaking of work... I got a job! Finally i am working for my mom at Mesa View Hospice and i love it. I do all of my work online and at home. It truly is the perfect job and perfect for my family. I am so grateful that My Mom and Shannel felt like i could do this.

- Labor day weekend was eventful. Saturday we went to the Iron County fair with our friends Eric and Courtney. You can see some of our pictures here at Courtney's cute blog. I was surprised how small it was and what little there was to do there. We have always been so spoiled with the Clark County Fair but we still had fun. Kaden is already spoiling Leighton with all the little carnival toys. Sunday we headed to the annual family reunion. It was too bad no one in the family was there. (cough cough Vance, Teisha, Kyle, and Jessica) I guess we missed out on seeing everyone on Saturday. We still had a nice time though hanging out with Penn and Nancy.

- Last weekend was fun too. Sarah and I packed up Leighton and Tiffany and headed to Logandale. My mom called Friday and was in a shopping mood, we couldn't turn her down. Needless to say we had one very successful shopping trip. The next morning we all woke up wondering why we didn't buy more.

 

  

- Leighton took her first Tortoise ride while we were in Logandale. I have had Stuart (the tortoise) for 15 years now and it is crazy to think that when i brought her (yes, her)  home from the pet store she fit in the palm of my 8 year old hand.

Learned

- I may have a little obsession and this one is probably not very good for me. I now own six pairs of colored jeans. Is that totally obnoxious? Ah how in the world did i get hooked on this expensive obsession. I swear i cant feel cute with out a pair on. The worst part about this is that they will all probably be completely out of style by next fall.

- To add to my post last week i think i totally had an ah ha moment this Sunday. I was able to listen to an amazing lesson in relief society that i swear was meant just for me. We talked about how before we can love others we need to love ourselves first. We also need to quiet our own voices in our head in order to hear the spirits promptings. It is so true! As soon as i heard those two things i immediately started thinking about how insecure i have felt lately, how hard it has been for me to talk to people, and how awkward i seem to be. I am sure i have been all of these things because i have put myself down so much. I know i really do tear myself apart and i really need to work on that. I remember when i first moved out and i would feel this way i would write notes to myself on my mirror. I would recite good things about myself out loud to actually remember and hear them. I think i am going to try these again and see if these will help in my endeavor to be a kinder, happier person and better friend.

  

- Ah looks like i need to mop everyday now too. 

- It is sadly time to start baby proofing. I actually probably should have done this a few weeks or even months ago but instead i have been loving that my somewhat mobile baby hasn't been too curious but now Leighton is completely mobile and overly curious. She makes it around the island in the kitchen in 2 minutes and can dump out Tiffany's food before Tiff has a chance to get to it. I'm sure it will only be days before all my cupboards are emptied.

Loved

- I have loved the grades i have received so far this semester. I made a goal to get nothing short of an A in both of my classes, and so far i am still holding a 100%.

- I have loved the time Kaden and i have been spending together. We got hooked on the show Parenthood and couldn't stop watching it. Sounds ridiculous but it is a show worth watching and even gave us some marriage and parent advice. I can honestly say that i am so grateful for the way both of our families have been raised and how close we all are. I hope our own family will be the same way.

- I have also loved all the time that Kaden has been spending with Leighton. It works out so great that on Tuesdays Kaden gets to watch her while i am in school. He is an amazing father and is so in love with her. He helps me so much at home and with our beautiful baby girl.

The Month of August

August 4-31

Lived

-I decided to take a little break from blogging which was more like a little break from life. After we got home from California i worked on homework and finals for a week straight. It was completely exhausting and i felt a true hatred toward my computer afterwards. So now i have to try and remember what all we accomplished in the past month.

-We did a lot of laying around, literally. We have a king size mattress in our living room waiting to be moved up to my parents cabin. Yea its been there since before we left to California and it doesn't seem to be moving anytime soon.

-Leighton went swimming in a pool for the first time. Sadly it wasn't the experience i was hoping it would be. She absolutely loves the bath and is a fish in the bath but the pool, not so much.

-I started taking Leighton and Tiffany on walks together. It is not that easy but very worth it. I love getting out of the house and feeling like i'm doing something to help myself feel good.

-Kaden took me shopping for my birthday. It was amazing! Seriously it was one of our only good shopping trips where neither of us got angry or spent way too much. I loved spending the day with just my husband and my baby.

-I went on a little girls trip with Leighton and Courtney to Marsvalle to see my parents. We went meaning to stay for the day but ended up staying the night. We putted around in the rzr, ate some yummy food, went on a rafting ride and just hung out. The weather was so nice and it was fun to hang out with Courtney and get to know her more.

-Leighton and i went to Logandale for my birthday and went to Vegas with Hannah and Naomi to go shopping. We found lots of fun stuff and had a great day celebrating both Hannah's and mine birthday. I can not believe she is sixteen already though, look out people she will be driving soon.

- The Hymas family came up for some football on campus and we got to go hang out with them and watch Pierce and Gannon play some ball. It was fun to finally see them i feel like it has been forever, and it was great to finally see Pierce. I have really missed him, it has been way too long.

- Last but not least, school is officially back in session. I'm not quite sure how i feel about it. Its good in some ways, i get some adult interaction and i am continuing my education but in other ways it really stinks. I had a girl who was a freshman when i was a senior in high school tell me how old she feels at school and there are kids in my class who were in the second grade when 9/11 happened. I am too old for some of this people and not really by age obviously i'm not old, but i can not stand how a lot of these girls act. I hope i was never that immature.

Learned

- Surprisingly i love being computer free. It is so nice to focus on other things instead of the internet or whatever else i spend hours doing on the computer. However i didn't like not writing on my blog for an entire month. This post is so vague and so many wonderful things happened in August that i should write more about.

- I need to work on being more outgoing. I think i have wrote about this before but i have felt so socially awkward lately. I am finally making friends and doing more things with people here in  Cedar and i love it, but afterwards i have about a million things running through my mind about how weird i must have been or how crazy they must think i was and how they will never want to be my friend and such randomness. I know i can not be the only person who does this, but i hate that i do. Maybe i just have been so unfriendly for so long that i just need to be more used to it. But i am just saying right now i am sorry if i ever offend anyone or talk to much about myself, or am completely awkward, i am working on it.

Loved

- I loved experiencing new things with Leighton this past month. She is getting so big! She crawls like crazy, and i swear has doubled in size. She laughs all the time and makes lots of silly noises and faces. She is so completely perfect to me. I can not get over her red hair and big blue eyes. Every time she is sad i melt. I am trying not to spoil her but i am sure i do. She has fallen off of this stupid king size mattress that is in our living room twice now and both times i have felt like the worst mom in the world. She is mesmerized by the opening song on Parenthood. She lights up whenever she sees or hears Kaden. She is cuddling again and when she is tired she wants to curl up in my arms. She gives kisses, great big ones with her mouth open. Sometimes when i am laying on the bed or floor and she is playing next to me she will crawl over and give me a kiss, ha and then she will bite my nose. I do this to her all the time so i honestly think she is copying it. She is eating baby food now and can't get enough of it. Seriously this little girl eats about three jars of vegetables or fruits a day mixed with cereal. She attacks Tiffany, and Tiffany is the perfect dog around her. If she gets annoyed she will just lick Leighton until she leaves her alone. Leighton is also teething and puts everything in her mouth. When she is in the bath she will even try to suck on the side, she sucks on the side of her high chair and i have caught her trying to eat the bottom of chair. Leighton is so smart already and i know i am going to be in trouble with her little attitude and how mobile she is but i can not get enough of it. Everything she does is so perfectly amazing to me and i thank my heavenly father everyday for sending her into our lives.

Epic 10 Day Adventure

July 22- August 3

Lived

- The past almost two weeks have been busy and crazy and amazing. We went on a trip to California for Camille's wedding. A few days at her parents, a few days at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, and a few days in a scary hotel across from disneyland. In total we stayed at 5 different places in 10 days. Poor Leighton did great though even with her schedule being so messed up.

- Before we left i spent two entire days packing and trying to get ahead on my homework. Packing for an infant is as crazy as it gets, and getting ahead on homework is as impossible as you could imagine.

- Our drive to California went by quickly and Leighton slept most of the time. I highly suggest driving through the night with a little one.

- Our first day there we headed to Los Angeles to get Cami and Alex's marriage certificate and my birth certificate. We went to lunch and spent way to much money shopping. Mostly i spent way too much money on Leighton while we were shopping. The second day i spent most of my time doing homework and everyone else worked on the little wedding details that were left to do. I felt so bad that i didn't help more.

 

Leighton took a little nap while we shopped. First she picked out that owl though, right off the Nordstrom shelf. Yes, i'm a sucker and she is learning too quickly. 

 

 Thursday morning i stopped by the Lake Elsinore Cemetery where my grandparents are buried.

 

Cutest little owl hat ever! Picked this up shopping.

-Thursday we headed back to Los Angeles to the beautiful Langham where we stayed until the wedding. It really was beautiful! I think all of us were ready to move in for awhile. Our suite was like a cottage and it was perfect. Summer, Cami's sister did an amazing job at choosing the hotel.

 

My new favorite place to eat. Lemonade!

 

Just cruising around Venice Beach

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- Friday is when the party really started. Summer and I woke up bright and early and headed to the L.A. Flower market. Honestly one of the coolest places i have ever been. I am not considering my future as a florist, or wedding planner, or decorator, pretty much anything to do with weddings. After our two hours of flower shopping we headed back to the hotel where everyone was getting pretty for the rehearsal and dinner.  Both of which were so fun! We got to have a sneak peek of the venue and get in to mood of the wedding.

- Saturday was all about getting ready, taking pictures, and the wedding! Wedding days do not get more relaxed than this. It truly was special, beautiful and full of love. All morning Camille and the brides maids just hung out and got ready. We had a wonderful time taking pictures, and having our pictures taken. I feel so honored to have been Cami's matron of honor and so jealous of Camille's amazing friends. I don't think it is actually possible for anyone to have as wonderful as bridesmaids as Cami did. I sure enjoyed getting to know the girls and becoming friends with each of them. The wedding went so well and was absolutely amazing. Summer decorated the venue and if she ever wants to quit her job as a lawyer she could easily be a wedding planner/ designer. Camille and Alex's vows were beautiful. I few things that i loved about them were how true to themselves they were. Cami promised to give Alex lots of babies, to dance in the kitchen, and to be a great wife. Alex promised to continue to read, to learn to dance and to support Camille in all of her passions. They promised many other things but those stood out to me. After the ceremony there was lots of good food, toasts and a dancing. I should have been prepared but i thought i wasn't going to give a toast to before, so to my surprise i was asked to right before being handed the mic. I can't remember exactly what i said but i hope it all made sense. I mostly wanted to congratulate Camille on finding the man of her dreams, on choosing someone to be with that will always treat her kindly, that will fall more in love with her everyday, and that supports her in every way possible. I have never met a couple so obviously meant to be together. I even said in my speech that i love my husband dearly but our love does not come so easily. I felt like i must have done something right in my toast though when i started to cry and i noticed Cami and Alex both had tears in their eyes. It is something amazing to be at my best friends wedding watching her marry the man that she will be with forever when it feels like yesterday we were discussing our plans for the rest of our lives to have you know 12 to 18 kids. To live in northern Utah for some unknown reason and live next door to Daniel cami's brother. At this point we would have been married for 4  years and already had 4 kids. Thank the Lord life doesn't turn out the way you plan it when your twelve.

 

 

- Saturday night i finally got to spend the night with both Kaden and Leighton and it was so nice to have our little family all together again. Sunday we woke up, packed up and made our way from Pasadena to Anaheim. We figured the trip couldn't be complete without one last stop at Lemonade and without being ran into by a crazy california driver. The poor equinox will be going into the shop Monday to see what the real damage is. Anyways, we spent most of Sunday at Disneyland. Kaden and My Dad had been dreading this part of the trip for months but once they got there they didn't want to leave. Sunday night after my parents took Leighton back to the hotel to sleep Kaden and I got to have some alone time and go on rides together. It was so nice. Besides going to a movie a couple weeks ago, this was the first time we had actually done something together with out Leighton since she was born.

 

Couldn't leave Pasadena with out introducing this amazingness to Kaden and my dad.

(of course that is when we got hit)

- Monday morning Kaden and Dad headed home but Melissa came to Disneyland with us. Melissa is my oldest friend. We have literally known each other since birth and our moms used to take us to Disneyland together when we were little. It was so neat to be taking our little ones to Disneyland together now. She has two sons Aaron and Dean, both are beautiful boys and so much fun! We took the little ones on a few rides but mostly we pushed the kids around in their strollers and caught up on each others lives. I hope to have more of these sweet days with her. Especially as our kids get older. I have so many memories with our families together and am so grateful that we are still able to keep in contact with each other.

-Tuesday was our last day at Disneyland. We did a lot of pin trading and went on all the rides that we wanted to. I enjoyed taking Leighton around to see things that i thought she might like because of the colors and music. She loved the little mermaid ride and watching fantasmic. After the fireworks we all piled in the car and started our trip home. We only made it to barstow though. We got a room there for the night and finished driving home Wednesday morning.

- After getting home Wednesday we had a sweet baby shower for Hannah Melling at my house. Teisha did an amazing job getting it all put together. We had a lot of fun, i only wish more girls could have came. Ever since it ended i have been working on homework. My classes end Monday and i have a lot of catching up to do.

Learned

-Leaving home for 10 days is not easy. Going home might be even harder. If only vacations could pack and pay for themselves...

Loved

- I loved spending so much time Sarah, with Camille, and with Leighton and Kaden and the rest of my family. Sarah was a trooper and helped with so many things for the wedding and with Leighton. I loved spending time with Camille before she became a busy married woman. In the past year we have been able to spend more time with each other than we probably have in total since middle school. I am so grateful for our amazing one of a kind friendship. We can go weeks or even months with out talking sometimes but always know that we are there for each other and that will never change. Cami is probably one of my number one supporters and some one that i strive to be like. She has always been a huge example to me and i hope that i am to her as well. I felt to truly honored to be her matron of honor and absolutely loved getting to know her other wonderful bridesmaids. I loved watching our baby girl experience all the randomness of the trip. She honestly took everything in and it was fun to see what stimulation she enjoyed especially at disneyland. I loved the support that Kaden was to me. He never questioned me going to California early and understood how much it meant to me that i got to spend time with Cami. I also loved that he danced with me at the wedding and stayed until i was ready to leave. I loved that we had a little alone time as well and that Kaden was wanting to stay and spend more time with Leighton and me. It was fun to be at the wedding and disneyland with my parents and sisters as well. I hope they enjoyed themselves as much as i did. I always love when we are all together, all have fun together and laugh together. Time with the family is always very entertaining.