Reason 101 for not losing weight

One of my friends posted this on fb and I got a good laugh, so I thought I would share...

I figured out why I can't lose weight and keep getting fat! The shampoo I use in the shower that runs down my body says "for extra volume and body". I'm going to start using "Dawn" dish soap. It says "dissolves fat that is otherwise difficult to remove."

Somebody Freeze Time!

Why do kids have to grow up so fast? I can't believe how big my kids are getting. I wish I could just freeze them as they are for just a little bit longer, but pictures are as close as I am going to get to freezing time. This year is a big year for us. Rachel will start middle school, Jared will be baptized and Ellie will start kindergarten. Surprisingly it's not the big milestones that make me want to stop time, it's their everyday actions, attitudes, conversations and accomplishments that that make the realization of them growing up TOO FAST for me. I just have to remember to enjoy these moments with them because I will never get back today and tomorrow will always come.

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Tri-Cities

Reasons to drive 591 miles to the tri-cities area in Washington:

1. My sister lives there
2. No snow
3. My cousins live there
4. No snow
5. I got to visit with some good friends
6. No snow!
7. It's now on our list of places to move after we get done with school

My sister has been begging me to visit her. Whenever I get a chance to take a trip, I usually head south to California. It's been a while since I saw Chelsea, when the kids had a 3 day weekend I took the opportunity to go visit. (I am on the phone with Bill in this picture)

Chelsea took us around to see all the sites. We went to the park right next to the Columbia river. They had lots of trails and a fun playground.

We saw the Columbia River Temple

We got to meet up with some friends we made here in Rexburg. It was SO GREAT to see them. I miss them! I wish we could have visited longer...We were going to meet at the park but it was too windy, then we tried the mall playground, too small, we finally ended up at the Mc Donalds playground.

Ellie, Rachel, Jared, Autumn, and Kylah. Their daughter Peyton wouldn't stay in the picture. haha

Jared & Kylah having fun catching up.

I also got to visit with my cousins. Britta and I were really good friends growing up. We were even college roommates for a semester. One of the best semester I've had in college. I haven't seen her in over 5 years. She has 4 boys, Jared just loved having other boys to play with. He even told me they were like his brothers because he didn't have any. I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of them playing. I also got to see my cousin Elise, who shares the same birthday with my brother David. She looked amazing and seemed so happy!

Elise, Britta (her little boy, Max) Chelsea, & Mwah.
The "cousins" got to go shopping and out to dinner. Britta's husband Bob watched the kids. It was fun hanging out and getting back in touch.

As with most trips, it went by way too fast and there wasn't enough time to do everything. But I couldn't have asked for a better weekend!

The Day That Never Was

Today, Feb. 17th, was my due date for Ryleigh. My heart is full for the love I have for my little girl. I don't get to be with her today or tomorrow. But someday I will be able to hold her and embrace her. I love this picture...her little hands...it brings me peace. Heavenly Father didn't need her to endure this life, she just needed a little body for her beautiful spirit. I am so thankful Heavenly Father has entrusted her to our family. We will be together forever someday.

I know Heavenly Father has placed people in my life at this time to help me through this. So many people have reached out to me especially the past couple weeks knowing her due date was soon. What a blessing to have so many wonderful people in my life to comfort, strengthen, and share their love & experiences with me.

Dirty Dog

The weather has been SO nice and the snow is melting. I couldn't pass the sunshine and the warmer weather so I decided to take Ellie and our dog on a walk.
Our dog Maverick found every puddle he could to pounce in. He loved his first real walk of the year. Man...was he dirty! He looked like a sewer rat! He immediately got a bath when we got home. And as I sit here and blog, it is snowing again...it might be a while before he gets another walk. I'm glad we got out when we did! The sunshine and fresh air was AMAZING and much NEEDED!! I can't wait for Spring.

Love Day

This Valentines was the 11th anniversary of our first date. 11 years ago...I gave up on Valentines Day. haha. We went on a double date and the guys were supposed to plan everything. First, they didn't realize it was Valentines Day when they asked us out. Two, they didn't make any reservations at any restaurant...so we ended up at a Taco shop. The next few years Bill always had a hard time remembering Valentines Day and usually was a little bit of a disappointment. So, I gave up on the romantic part and just decided to enjoy the day with those I loved(Usually my family).
Many times we make heart shaped pizza with the kids but we wanted to do something a little different this year. We made lasagna and had dinner by candlelight with the kids. The kids LOVED it! I put Bill in charge of dessert. It was delicious...

Early Valentines

The wives at the fire station wanted to surprise the guys with a romantic dinner. It was a fun night, lots of laughs, good food, and even a little dancing. We tried to transform the conference room the best we could. Some of the wives made lasagna, fettuccine alfredo, and chicken parmesan. The couples shared a plate, it was sweet, it reminded me of the scene in Lady and the Tramp. Then we played a version of the newlywed game. It was hilarious! Bill and I creamed everyone. It wasn't even close...I guess all those late night talks that I force Bill to have paid off. haha. Then we had dessert, which they volunteered me for. I decided to make a mini cake for all the couples. I made 6 total. I got lots of compliments, not only on the decorating but they loved the cake and frosting. It made me happy since it was a lot of work. I am just loving my new found hobby. (I know there are A LOT of things I need to improve and learn.) Then we danced a little to burn off a few calories...It was the best Valentines I've had in a long time (Even though it's technically not Valentine's yet.) LOVED IT!

Just another day in the kitchen.

I love being off track from school right now. I get to do a lot of the things I enjoy instead of tests & homework occupying my free time. Today, was one of my friends birthday's, we were going to head out to Twizzleberry for some yogurt but Jared ended up getting sick this morning on the bus (not really a story to be told with this post about cupcakes.) I felt bad for ditching my friend on her birthday and another friend just had a baby, what a great excuse to whip something up in the kitchen. Cupcakes have so many uses, a peace offering for a spoiled birthday and a good way to see my friends new baby girl, which I have to say, she is just adorable, oh and I gave a plate to Rachel's violin teacher to say thank you for giving my daughter lessons for an incredibly cheap price! I love creating things in the kitchen and I am always looking for an excuse to make something.

This is why my kids love their Uncle David...

My brother loves video games. He has theories on how video games help kids succeed in life. Some are valid, some-not so much. lol We went over to David & Sonja's house for dinner last night. The kids love going over, especially Jared because he gets to play video games. Last night, the game of their choosing was Pokeman. Everyone had their own laptop. You can't see Ellie but she is playing games on Aunt Sonja's phone. Uncle David can keep them entertained for hours between his xbox, playstation, or wii. Jared even made some comment about how he would trade Uncle David for his parents. I guess that is the fun part about being an uncle, you can spoil them and rot their brains and send them back to their parents who force them to do homework and chores. haha

Bitter Sweet

I am reminded everyday of my inability to have any more children right now. It seems to hit me in the gut whenever I go on facebook and see many of my friends/family posting pregnancy announcements or baby pictures, when I go to church...I think I counted 14 babies in Relief Society one Sunday, or even when I head to Target or the grocery store and pass the diaper aisle and wonder if I will ever need to by another pack again. I am incredibly happy for those blessed with a baby. I have been blessed with 3 miracles of my own. I was reading one of my friends blogs the other day and she put into words what I am feeling but couldn't find my own words to express... "When I ask myself why I can't just be happy with the ones I have, it all comes down to the desires that God has placed in my heart. He built me with the very strong desire to bring children into this world. Everything on this planet is built that way. Multiply and replenish. Even though I already have children, I feel the desire to have more just as strongly as I did the first time. It never goes away. It never eases up." (I hope you don't mind me sharing that Michelle...and changing a few words to fit my circumstance.)
I never thought after having 3 healthy kids, I would be faced with this trial. My heart is still healing from the loss of our little girl. I am working with doctors, trying to find answers, they seem positive. I have to have trust in Heavenly Father. I have to hope that I will be able to carry a baby full term. That I will be able to bring another sweet spirit into this family. That I will feel the peace that our family is complete.

Waking up to firemen in my kitchen

Saturday night I noticed our heater was blowing cold air. Not a good thing in middle of Winter. We had no idea what was what was going on. Sunday morning we still weren't getting any hot air. The temperature in our house had dropped to 62 degrees. Bill had to work at 24 hour shift at the fire station starting early that morning, I got him off to work and went back to bed. About a half hour later I get a call from Bill saying a couple of the guys (who built their own houses) wanted to come over and take a look. "Right now?" ..."Really?" I forced myself out of bed and tried to straighten up as fast as I could. Sure enough they were in my kitchen looking at my water heater in less than five minutes. They showed up in a fire engine and parked it front of my house with the engine running (sorry neighbors) They figured out what was wrong, one of the coils was burnt out. Being Sunday, we couldn't fix it that day because we couldn't get the part. But it wasn't a bad way to start off the morning with the guys in uniform standing in my kitchen. One being my husband. :) How lucky can a girl get?

Our heater woes didn't get fixed until Monday evening. It got pretty cold in our house, about 58 degrees. I just kept telling the kids it was kind of like camping. We just piled on more blankets and slept with our socks on. Monday morning, Ellie and I hung out in bed huddled under the covers and watched Netflix movies. When we got the part for the heater was literally fixed in less than 5 minutes. You have no idea how amazing your heater is until you don't have it in the middle of Winter. Thanks Madison Fire Department!

Super Bowl

Bill was working at the fire station on Sunday. What a good excuse to have a party with friends and lots of food. Surprisingly it was a pretty calm party. I don't think anyone at the station really cared who won. I certainly didn't. Sorry to all the fans out there. But it was a good game and we had a good time.


I made my first cake pops in the shape of footballs for the super bowl party.

Milk Dud Mayhem

Rachel and I had just finished spending a fun afternoon together. We did some shopping, got some stuff to do a couple of craft projects, and found a couple of good bargains. When we came home we put everything away, cleared the counters, and I got started on dinner.
While I was in the middle of dinner Rachel came running out of the bathroom, she had blood on her face, and she was crying. What the heck happened? She was so panicked I could barely understand her. Understanding only every other word, it was a lot like playing charades. My first guess was she ate a noodle off one of her art projects. haha. Even through the tears she gave a look like I was insane. (I wish I could have captured that moment) I finally figured out she had been eating some milk duds and one got stuck on her molar, when she tried to get the milk dud off, her tooth came out. She didn't know she was supposed to eventually lose her baby molars, and didn't realize her molar was even loose. It took me a while to reassure her everything was okay. I don't blame her for being panicked, I would be too if I thought one of my permanent teeth came out. (Looks like we might head to the dentist anyway just to make sure she has room for her teeth to grow in.) The fun never ends.

My parents come to visit

My parents came up to see my new nephew. It was a short but busy visit. We were able to squeeze in some alone time with them. They stayed at the Marriott here in Rexburg so the kids got to go swimming. It was freezing outside but perfect at the indoor pool. The kids didn't want to get out. I don't blame them, they might not get another chance to swim until July. haha. It was fun to watch them. I just can't believe how big they are getting, especially comparing them to their new cousin. How did they get from the tiny bundle I brought home from the hospital to this...

Ellie enjoying the hot tub.

I love how pointed Rachel's toes are. You can tell she's been taking ballet. haha

Jared...he's just a nut.

After the kids got done. We got some hot chocolate packets and headed up to my parents room to make some hot cocoa. My mom was using the coffee maker to heat up the water, it only made a single cup at a time. Rachel came over to me and told me that her hot chocolate didn't smell very chocolaty. I told her to stop complaining. I was standing over by the coffee maker when a steam puff came out of the machine...uh, that has a coffee smell. Bill looked in the coffee maker and their was still a coffee pack with coffee grinds in it. The water from the machine was coming out clear, so it was super diluted but we teased my mom all night that she gave her grandkids coffee. haha. We dumped out all the hot chocolates and started over without the coffee flavor.

The kids got to bed pretty late that night but still got up for school the next morning. Before my parents took off the next day we headed to the local dairy and got some ice cream. It is the real deal, creamy and delicious. It was great having my parents up even though they technically weren't here to see us but to meet their brand new grandson. I'm glad we got to spend a few moments with them.

New Nephew

Congrats to my brother David & Sonja. They welcomed their little guy on January 25th. I actually got to be there for the delivery. What a special miracle to be a part of. Gratton is a cutie! It is fun to watch my brother become a father. He is so proud and thrilled to be a daddy.