Jonathan and Tomi

Kids Say the Darndest Thing

2012-02-29T18:20:00.008-08:00

Blogging takes time and dedication that we obviously haven't spent time on lately.

Now that Noah is talking much more and much clearer, I laugh really hard at least once a day at something he said. Here's just a few:

- While sitting with Noah and Sonny (the dog) on my lap, Noah proclaims, "Sonny needs a timeout!" When I asked why, Noah told me it was because Sonny was licking his arm.

- Noah is sitting on the toilet thinking about his business when he states, "Chuck e Cheese is coming out." Wow, not sure about that one. We had just gone to Chuck e Cheese a few days prior for a party.

- Last week, when I asked Noah what he wanted to be when he grows up, he said, "Wear a hat!" as he points to the hard hat. "Oh," I said, "are you going to drive a truck? He put his hands on his hips and said, "No, drive a digger!" This week he says he wants to be a doctor. Probably because he's seen 2 doctors in 2 weeks. (Noah gets to have tube put in his ears in a few weeks. We're not excited about surgery, but I am glad he'll experience fewer ear infections.)

- On a regular basis, Noah walks around asking everyone if they're happy. " Daddy happy? Momma happy? Baby happy? Sonny happy?" When we ask if he's happy, he says, "Hmmmm, YEAH!" My favorite is when he declared to Jon that he had a good day! That always makes me smile.

Jon and I have been working hard to get the two unruly critters to behave a little better and to get on a better routine and schedule. Noah use to go to bed every night with a sippy cup full of milk, but then he always needed to woke up in the night for more milk or to go potty. We cut that off cold turkey, and to my great surprise, Noah has done fantastic. He asks for milk at night, but when we tell him he can't have any now, but in the morning, he says, "Ok!" and off to sleep he goes. He also doesn't get up in the night anymore. YEAH!! We've also found what motivates Noah to be good right now. Money. If he's helped out and done chores and been good, he gets a nickle, dime or quarter in his allowance jar. We tell him if he doesn't stop doing something bad, that we'll take money from his jar and he immediately shapes up. Truly in the last week, Noah's turned into a whole new boy! I'm so proud of him and love spending time with him doing arts and crafts!

Tayton got her first time out tonight. She was sitting in her high chair and kept throwing food off to feed the dog. As a consequence, she lost all the items off her tray and had to have her high chair pushed up to a corner so she couldn't see what was going on. Not the best place. We need to time her out in her bed until she can sit on a chair somewhere, but it worked this time.

Tayton had her 1st birthday. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed a little dinner, cake and fire with the family. The favorite part about one year old birthdays is the smash cake. Tayton really enjoyed digging into hers despite the fact that she didn't have any teeth at the time. She did finally cut her very first tooth on Monday! YEAH! Won't be long before she gets to experience real food and not just mushy stuff.

On Friday, we drove out to Antelope Island. We got to see Buffalo, Coyotes and Antelope. It was fun, but would be more fun when the weather warms up and we can spend some time walking around.

All in all, life is good. We're having fun, staying out of trouble and enjoying every moment with the little people in our lives!

New Beginnings

2012-01-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

It's 2012, can you believe it? Time has gone by so quickly. It's hard to believe that 2011 is over, 2012 has begun and my little girl is almost 1 year old. WOW, time flies by so quickly.

2011 was a whirlwind year for us. . .

Tayton, our 2nd baby, first daughter was born in February. What an amazing experience. At first, two children was overwhelming, but now, it seems we have it all figured out.
Noah also started speech therapy in February. We had our hands busy with a new baby and bi-weekly speech appointments. Noah was so shy at first, but when the therapist started to bring the Ipad, Noah livened right up and wanted to talk and play.
We attempted to sell our house in Sandy for exactly 1 year before deciding that was a miserable failure. The housing market is still terrible, so here's to hoping the housing market turns around and home prices start to increase.
Jon's mom and dad were in a car accident in May. Nothing to serious, but Jon's dad was shortly thereafter placed in a rehab center to recuperate and it still there today. Downside, he's not home. . . upside, he's found new friends and really enjoying the social life with the other rehab center members.
In August, Noah started preschool. He absolutely loves going to Teri's house to learn. He loves song with lots of actions, going on walks to look for letters and numbers, painting, playing with Sydney and Charlie and having Laine and Ryann help him with his lessons.
In September, Jon and I decided to buy another house anyway and attempt to rent ours in order to find something closer to work so I could spend more time with my family.
November and December were extremely busy months.

We bought a house in Roy, just 10 minutes from Hill AFB. 6 Bedrooms, 4 baths, a huge shop, at the end of a cul-de-sac with horses, sheep, goats and lots of kids in the neighborhood. We all really love it.
Thanksgiving was a fabulous holiday spent with lots of family. Noah LOVED playing "kitchen" with Beezer and now asks all the time when she's coming to visit
On 5 December, we moved into our new house. Have I mentioned how much I hate moving? We are keeping our fingers crossed that this is our forever home because I really don't want to do the moving thing again.
Christmas in our new home was so nice. Quiet morning by ourselves, with Noah and Tayton playing with their new toys. Noah absolutely loved the kitchen from Santa and the art stuff from Santa and other family members. We then spent a lovely evening with the Webb's having dinner and enjoying the Christmas spirit.
Traveled to Grandma and Grandpa Clark's the day after Christmas and spent a few days relaxing by the fireplace and trying not to freeze to death while riding the 4-wheeler.
Bought a new car from Beezer, now we just have to figure out how to get it to Utah. :)

Besides all that, we've kept very busy with trips to the zoo, aquarium, Thanksgiving Point, seeing the new sites in Weber County, like the Layton Park Christmas Lights and Christmas Village in Ogden. Jon has enjoyed staying at home with the kids for the past couple of months and is glad to have a break from the railroad for a while. Tomi is still working at Hill AFB in the Landing Gear Squadron loving it most days, but hating it sometimes too. It's that the case with any job? Noah turned 3 this year and has started to talk a mile-a-minute just like mom and dad. He's mostly potty trained (stilling working out a few kinks) and loves his dog Sonny and painting. Tayton is still the happiest baby on the block and just recently received her 4th haircut at only 10 months old. She's still figuring out how to crawl, so in the mean time, she gets around pretty quickly by dragging her legs behind her. It's definitely been a crazy year, but we've loved every minute of it. We're so blessed to have Noah and Tayton in our lives and all the family and friends that have watched over us this past year. 2011 was a year of new beginnings for us and here's to hoping that 2012 will be filled with just as many new beginnings. . . settling into the new house, new car, new friends and neighbors, new resolutions to become better individuals and a better family and to whatever new beginnings our Heavenly Father see fits to throw our direction. May we continue to have faith that He guides us in the right direction and puts things in our path for our betterment when the time is right.

Boys

2011-11-30T22:04:00.000-08:00

Boys and Girls are definitely different, but it always amazes me to see those differences at such a young age.

I guess I'm use to being around all girls. . . me, my mom, my sister, her 4 little girls. . . because little boys, or maybe just Noah, definitely create a different atmosphere and environment. Girls are naturally so small, quite and gentle. Noah on the other hand, ever since he was little, has demonstrated the boy through and through. From the very beginning, he didn't talk quiet, he always hollers and didn't find his inside voice until he was 2.5 and it's still a rarity to hear his inside voice. When playing with trains, his cousins Laine and Sydney like to sit back and watch the trains go by without touching them. Noah on the other hand, likes to lay his head on the track and have the trains collide with his face. He also likes to set the trains on a collision course to run head-on into each other.

Girls want to build castles out of blocks while Noah just wants to throw the blocks and make them come tumbling down. That always frustrates Jon when he's worked so hard to build a tower for Noah and all he wants to do is tear it down.

Then, there is the potty thing. I don't know anyone who's had as many peeing stories as we already do. Noah's doing really well with potty training. He never poops in his pants or diaper now, but peeing is a whole other issue. Most days Noah does great, but then there are days where we have multiple accidents, but that's not the interesting part. What I find interesting is that Noah loves to poop outside. There I am cleaning the house when suddenly I see a bare bum out the window. There goes Noah, running across the yard with no pants or underwear on. "Noah, what are you doing? Where's your clothes?" The response I get, proud as punch, "Momma, I pooped!" and he shows me where every time. Jon caught him squatting to poop in a hole by the fence the other day. I try so hard not to laugh. Really, I promise, we don't encourage outdoor defecating. Today came another story and I laughed and laughed when Jon told me on the phone. Noah was suppose to be napping when Jon hears Noah call from the bedroom, "I'm naked!" Oh, that's never a good sign. Jon goes in and sure as can be, there's Noah with no pants again. I think he dislikes pants as much as Grandpa Clark. Then Noah proceeds to show Jon where he's peed. There on the floor is his diaper of which Noah removed, then stood over and tried to pee into the diaper on the floor. . . then comes my favorite when Noah points out he's peed down the heater vent. Oh brother!!! Someone help me.

A few days ago, Jon and I are downstairs when we hear the pitter patter of little feet upstairs. We go to see what's happening and find Noah and Sunny having a smorgasbord of lucky chairs, almonds and Swedish fish. I'm sure they enjoyed every minute of it. I couldn't even get mad, but instead turned my head to laugh so Noah couldn't see me, then grabbed the camera.

Noah's vocabulary has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few months. When we say we're going to church, he says, "To play with kids?" When we give him milk, he asks, "Is it big? Is it tall?" He's talking all the time and now uses words I never knew he knew. Most recently, Noah wants so much to help us, so he asks if he can pack. Tayton even helped me go through the stuff in my bathroom so we could pack it up.

We're moving to our new house this weekend, so I thought I'd share a few photos of the kids before we leave since I'm not sure how long it will take me to get settled and have time to write again.
Picture of Tayton with her fabulous bed hair, one with pigtails, then after pigtails.

Some great pictures my sister took.

Funny Kids

2011-11-13T11:10:00.001-08:00

Kids do the funniest things.

Here is the before picture. Two weeks ago, my sister was babysitting our kids while we were signing the contract on the new house. When we get back to pick them up, Kelly informs me that Noah got a haircut. Teri immediately pipped up and said the Sydney got in big trouble for it. They told of how Kelly went to check on the kids outside and saw that their youngest, Charlie, had little bits of hair on her shoulder. He then went looking for the 3 year old, Sydney, and found her hiding scissors behind her back. Noah was just standing there with the blank look on his face and a huge patch of hair right off the top in front. I couldn't stop laughing. Noah looked so funny. Thank goodness it was Noah she practiced her stylist technique on and not Tayton. At least it's fixable with Noah. Teri then informed Sydney that she needed to go get her purse to pay for Noah to get a new haircut. Sydney got her purse and with the saddest look in her eyes, gave me a nickle. Once again, I laughed hard and told her I didn't think a nickle would cover the cost of the haircut. I told her she didn't have to pay because we'd just get the clippers out at home, but I made her promise she wouldn't attempt to cut hair again. This is a picture after I gave him a short short buzz.

While we were packing up one area of the house I got a little annoyed with Jon over something so he and I were having a discussion. Pretty soon I hear Noah walking around the house saying, "Daddy's naughty. Daddy's naughty." I tried really hard not to laugh.

If I have to tell Noah something he doesn't want to do, he then folds his arms, given me the evil eye and then shakes his finger at me. It's so darn cute, I have to turn my head so he can't see me laugh, then I have to tell him ot to get snippy with Mommy.

He's getting to point where we laugh multiple times a day at things Noah says or does. I need to write them down so I remember them and can post them for Noah to see in the future. . . or so we can show his girlfriends at some point. :)

Here's some cute pictures we recently took.

Halloween

2011-11-05T20:22:00.001-07:00

Children have transformed my perspective of Halloween. Answering the door for tricker treaters really drives me crazy. I swear I'm my father's daughter in the fact that I'd rather turn all the lights off and hide in the house, not answering the door. I think some of it has to do with the fact that sometimes I'm anti-social and like to be alone or with the fact that I'm self conscience so I hate answering the door and passing out candy, talking to children and parents that I don't know. I'm not sure what it is, but Halloween definitely is a holiday that I wouldn't mind skipping.

Jon, on the other hand absolutely LOVES Halloween. If I'm correct, it's his favorite holiday of the year. He must REALLY love it if he ranks Halloween before Christmas. The first year we were married, Jon put a stereo outside playing spooky music, put a black light in the porch light, he put on a creepy mast, bib overalls and answered the door very slowly and made eery sounds. Scary to the point that he made multiple children cry that night. I tried hard to stay out of the limelight and sat in the hall upstairs out of sight watching it all happen and rolling my eyes every time there was a knock at the door. I finally had to yell at Jon and tell him that when kids got scared and cried or would back away from the door, he needed to take the mask off and tell them to come get candy. I was extremely annoyed, but didn't mind my place in the dark hall, watching.

Halloween registers so differently on my holiday scale now that we have children. It has become this magical day for children, which in turn makes it such a magical night for me as well. I love the excitement that fills Noah when we show him his costume. Noah trembles with joy when we say he gets to go to a party dressed up. He's figured out that if you go to each house and say "trick or treat" they give you candy and he gets so excited about that. Last year, Noah was two, and he didn't quite understand until about the 5th house. After that, he had a ton of fun running from house to house. This year, he just enjoyed every minute he could spend with this cousins, Sydney and Charlie, and was so thrilled to have people put candy in his little bag. Nothing made my heart smile more than when Noah would go to leave someone's porch and he'd turn around and say "thank you" in his little three year old voice. At about every third house, Noah would coming running back to me and say, "look mommy, candy" and he'd stop where he was on the grass or sidewalk, rummage through his bag until he could find me the piece of candy that particular house had given him.

Halloween has turned into one of my favorite holidays now because of the sweet spirits of my children. I get to stand back on the sidewalk and watch his face light up at every single house and watch him learn about people, traditions and spend time with his cousins. It doesn't get any better than that!

House Hunting

2011-10-21T11:12:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, we've decided to move from the Sandy area and relocate to Weber or Davis county. The rationale behind this move is so I can be closer to work, lessening my commute and gaining more time with my family. Currently I travel 42 miles one way to work, which takes between 40-60 minutes each way depending on traffic. Based on my current schedule, that means I leave the house at 5:50 a.m. and get home around 4:30 p.m. My hope is that when we move closer to work, I'll be able to spend more time with my family. And if the truth be known, I'm ready for a change and want to live in a newer, larger home. Call me greedy, but our "stuff" has outgrown our current home. I'll blame it on two kids, all their toys and the fact that I don't dare part with any of their old clothes since I'm afraid the minute I do, we'll somehow be blessed with another baby. I can hope, right?

Each time I've purchased a home, I've gotten more and more particular in the things that I'm looking for. My first home was a townhouse in Millcreek, UT. Buying my first home was so scary, but so exciting at the same time. It was a 3 bedroom 2 story home that was only about 5 years old when I moved in. I was so scared that I wouldn't be able to make the mortgage payments, so I rented 2 of the rooms to roommates. Over the 5 years I lived there, I only had about 7 roommates, and oh what an adventure. I learned a lot about people and I learned a lot about myself. . . some good and some not so good. I loved everyone of those roommates and miss those relationships today since I've lost track or have little contact with most of them now.

When I married Jon, he moved into my house with me, but we wanted to find a place of our own that we both chose together. We found a home in Sandy, before it was even on the market. Weird situation, but I'm a firm believer it was meant to be. So we bought our home and have lived here for the past 5 years. It appears I have an itch to move every 5 years. :) We've loved this home, but now it's time to move on.

Finding the right house is so hard. There are so many to choose from in today's housing market, but some are better than others. I'm getting very particular in my old age and want very specific things in my new home. Now that hard part is finding all the particulars in one house. I keep finding some of my particulars in each house. The biggest thing we're careful about is finding a home that is CAN NOT be a fixer-upper. If you've seen the projects that Jon and I have done together on our home, you'd laugh. We're not exactly the handy type, oh and forget plumbing and electrical. . . we don't touch that. . . or shall I say, I won't let Jon work on those projects. We've had too many incidents with plumbing particularly that now I make sure we have a plumber's number handy at all times.

We've found houses that we like and that would meet our needs, but nothing has jumped out and "spoken" to me yet. :) Am I just crazy? I need to find a home that when I walk in, it feels like home! I know we can make any house feel like a home, but I also feel like I'm suppose to be somewhere, but I haven't found where that is yet.

Missing a Friend

2011-10-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

A dear friend of mine posted to this blog on October 20th. Cheryl Smith. I've lost track of you and don't know how to reach you. Please let me know how I can contact you. E-mail me at this blog e-mail, tomicrane@gmail.com I miss you and want to talk to you, but can't seem find you. Miss you!

New Additions

2011-10-11T18:13:00.001-07:00

Jon pointed out that our last post in July 2010 introduced Lola to the family. It's sad to report that Lola left our family months after that introduction. She was part Boxer, part Labrador and was so high energy. It got to the point that she was constantly jumping our fence and we couldn't keep her contained. She didn't jump the fence to run away, but would jump the fence to go visit the neighbors to the east and to the south, both of which had dogs. On more than one occasion we got the phone call or knock on the door from the neighbors saying that once again, Lola was in their yard playing with their dog. We tried everything, but to no avail, so we listed her on KSL and found her a great family with a stay at home mom and a dad who wanted to take her running twice a day. Interestingly, I got a phone call from them about 2 weeks ago where they reported that she's doing fabulous. She still jumps the fence at her house and still has lots of energy, but she fits in perfect with their family and they are so happy to have her.

Well, we weren't lonely too long, because in February, Tayton joined our family. She is the most good natured little girl ever. Just so happy and easy going. Only fusses when she needs her diaper changed or when she is hungry or tired. Now at eight months old, she's nothing but smiles and happiness. She's so happy and giggly. We recently discovered that if you put her in her excersaucer in front of a Baby Einstein movie, she squeals at the top of her lungs and shivers she's so excited about it. Tayton has a full head of hair that has a little curl to it and everywhere we go, someone stops us to ohh and aww over her. Think she's too young for "Toddlers and Tiaras"? Just kidding. Tayton enjoys blowing raspberries all the time and sticking her tongue out. Not very lady like if you ask me, but I think she can get away with it for a few more months. Noah enjoys giving her kisses and blaming bad smells in the car on her.
A 2nd new edition joined our family on May 23rd this year. Sonny is a black miniature Schnauzer given to us by Jon's brother Mike and wife Sara. We didn't want another dog after Lola, but couldn't resist Sonny. He is calm. . . he wants to lay around all day right next to you with his head on his lap. He is quiet. . . he never barks, even when someone comes to the door. He puts up with Noah hugging on him, kissing him, mauling him and yelling, "Sonny Come!" so quickly and loudly that it sounds like "Sick'em!" He even let Noah bury him beneath mounds of toys. Couldn't have asked for a better dog and am so glad we chose to welcome him into our home.

No other additions to our family to report at this time. I keep telling Jon there is one more little soul out there to join our family, but I don't know how or when. Give us the strength to keep up with the two we have! We love each of them dearly!

Potty Training Challenges

2011-10-11T03:22:00.000-07:00

Can't believe it's already been a year since we last posted to this Blog. Everyone's posting to Facebook and Twitter these days, but I want someplace to write more. This Blog was originally intended for prospective birth parents to be able to get to know us a little better in hopes that they'd select us. Now that the most amazing two children have joined our family, I'd like this Blog to be more of a "In the Life of the Crane's" blog.

My most recent challenge is potty training. Noah turned 3 in September and we're still working on perfecting the potty training. We started back when Noah was about 2 years old, but based on Noah's lack of communication, there was no way we would be able to master it. So we waited and started up again when he was about 2.5. We tried asking him, we tried forcing him, we tried M&M and Swedish Fish as potty treats. Treats were a hit for about 1 day, but then he'd just go into the bathroom and eat the treats without sitting on the potty. We tried putting him in underwear. The underwear turned out to be a big failure since Noah would just run around the house and suddenly stop. You could see that he was peeing and by the time I'd get to him, he'd say, "I peed!!!" All proud of himself and everything. We went through about 8 pairs of underwear and shorts each day for 2 days until I couldn't handle it anymore and we'd run out of underwear. We've now resorted to a sticker chart. Once the sticker chart is filled up, he gets to go to the store and pick out a treat (toy, candy, balloon, whatever he chooses). We are also still doing the potty treats. That seems to be working, but only when Noah wants to. He takes the treats and stickers if we happen to force him to the potty, but whenever we ask him if he needs to go potty throughout the day, he adamantly refuses. He's definitely a strong willed little one. Of course, when it's time to go to bed, Noah tells us he needs to pee 4 times and poop twice. We spend a lot of time on the toilet when it's bedtime. How is it I can be manipulated by a 3 year old? I don't dare not let him go to the bathroom though, because the few times I've called his bluff and refused to allow him to go, not more than 30 minutes after I shut his door for the final time, I'll hear him crying that he's peed and sure enough, he's gotten naked and peed on his floor or his bed and now wants me to clean it and him up.

Well, something has clicked in little Noah's head because we've come to discover that he's learned he doesn't like to have poop in his diaper. However, his way of handling it definitely not appropriate. About 2-3 times a week, I go outside to find Noah, naked from the waste down saying proud as punch, "I potty! I potty!" I ask him where and he goes to show me where he's taken off his pants and diaper and pooped in the yard. Oh My!!! What am I to do? We've told him time and time again that we poop in the toilet, but it doesn't seem to phase him. The best part is when the neighbors see Noah out there naked and us cleaning up poop in the yard. How embarrassing. Thank goodness they just shake their head and laugh. The other issue is when he does this at other people's homes. We were recently in Boise with my aunt when I temporarily lost track of Noah. Oh, but don't worry, my aunt quickly found him and my 2 year old niece in the yard where Noah was proud to report he had pooped in the garden. Grrrr! Can't we keep our little secrets safe at our house?

Newest member of the family

2010-07-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

Introducing the newest member of the Crane clan "Lola". We got Lola yesterday July 3rd. Her owners already had 2 beagles and decided 3 dogs was too many. She is 6 months old and house broken for the most part ;) She is half boxer half Labrador. They call her a Boxador. She is so beautiful and so well behaved. She loves children and has grown up with four under the age of 6. She is great with Noah and they chase each other all over the house and yard. They like to play tug a war together and Noah just laughs and laughs. She is definitely not a pocket dog like Chico. She is so sweet and we love her already.
We were going to wait until Noah's birthday in September to get a dog but we just couldn't resist her. We can't wait to spend many many years with Lola.

Yellowstone 2010

2010-06-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a great trip. After spending a couple of days in Wyoming with Grandma and Grandpa we dropped Noah off with Grandma and spent 3 days in Yellowstone. We had such a good time. We were lucky and able to see a lot of wildlife. We even got to see a grizzly bear with her two cubs and also so a wolf from a distance. It rained the whole time but we didn't care. We came prepared with the right gear and umbrellas. Yellowstone is so beautiful. You can certainly see God's hand in everything. Noah had a wonderful time with Grandma and Grandpa while we were gone. His favorite is riding the 4 wheeler with Grandma around their property at a blazing 4 miles an hour. If you let him outside he would run to where the four wheeler was parked in the shed and try to climb on. He is such a fast little squirt and runs everywhere now. We are so grateful to Grandma for helping to give Tomi and I some much needed vacation time with just
each other.

(Insert exciting interesting title here)

2010-05-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

I just thought it was time to write another blog entry. It has been a while. Things are going good. My business is picking up. I started a vinyl letter business and have been getting a lot of orders lately. The best part is that I enjoy it. Especially when I get to create new things for people. Noah has now learned to give us "loves" He will just lay his head into you and snuggle. It is great! Best part of any day. Aunt Teri invited us to go to "discovery gateway" with her preschool group. Noah had so much fun! He had even more fun after playing in the fountain. Tomi just had a birthday and we really had a good time. I bought here season tickets to Hale Center Theater. We saw 3 Musketeers on the Sat. before here birthday then went to a great new restaurant our neighbor told me about called Fuji. Amazing food and the cook does a great show in preparing it for you. My favorite part was watching Tomi catch shrimp flipped into her mouth by the chef. Tomorrow we leave for Star Valley Wyoming then after a day or two we are dropping off Noah with Grandma and Grandpa and going to Yellowstone for a few days. I love Yellowstone! One of my favorite places on earth. This time I am hoping to get a glimpse of the elusive Yellowstone wolves. I am really looking forward to spending some time with just Tomi and I. I love Noah more then anything but Tomi and I do not get a lot of alone time. Well I am sure I missed a lot of important things I should have mentioned in here but I am not going to worry about it. So long for now.

In Memory of Chico

2010-03-10T07:00:00.001-08:00

On Saturday March 6th 2010 I took Chico in the have him put down. He has had an Auto-immune disorder for a long time and it was getting worse. Upping his medication did not seem to help at all and did nothing but give him bladder issues. That is all I am going to say about that.
I wanted to instead focus on all of the love and companionship that we got from Chico. He was such a loving dog and friend. Chico would not hesitate to jump up on your lap and snuggle with you at anytime. At night he would sleep at the end of our bed in his dog bed but would frequently sneak out of his bed to crawl under the sheets into our bed to snuggle. He kept Tomi company whenever I was gone on the road for the railroad and kept my side of the bed warm. It is now hard for us to sleep at night not feeling him sleeping on our feet and hearing his snoring. The house seems very empty and too quiet without him. He was always there to meet us when we came home. He loved going for walks; In fact so much so we couldn't say the word out loud and had to spell it instead so not to cause a frenzy of jumping and whining. We spent many hours driving with Chico to Wyoming to see my in-laws and he spent almost every min. on your lap sleeping or looking out the window. We weren't the only ones who loved Chico. He was very close to his Aunt Deedre and I suspect he may have harbored a secret wish for her to take him away when she would visit. ;)

In the short time that Noah knew Chico he loved him so much. Whenever Noah would bonk his head or get upset for any reason all we had to do was take him over to Chico to pet him and he would instantly get happy. Noah and Chico had an arrangement. Chico would get whatever food Noah dropped on the ground whether it be on purpose or accident. This helped to make Chico a fat and happy doggy. Noah loved to chase Chico around the house while laughing hysterically. I believe Chico just tolerated this but he never got upset with Noah even when Noah caught him. I know that even if Noah can't vocalize it he missed Chico. Sometimes we catch him looking out the back door, through the glass for Chico. Chico we love you very much and hope to see you again some day. You have been the best dog ever!

love,

Mom and Dad and Noah.

Christmas 2009

2010-02-01T13:54:00.000-08:00

This last Christmas was Noah's 2nd and he seemed to get it a lot better this time. We had a plan to have him crawl out to all the toys and start having a party while Tomi video taped the whole thing. In reality what happened is a crawled over to the neck pillow we have and played with that instead of the tickle me Elmo or the inflatable toy filled with balls. Isn't that always the way. You buy your kid a toy and they play with the box! Before we had Christmas we took a trip to Star Valley and visited with Grandma and Grandpa. The trip was much easier then our last long car trip. Thank you portable DVD player we couldn't of made it there sane without you! Noah had fun playing lunch lady with Grandma. Christmas Eve we had a family party with my side of the family and all the nieces fawned over Noah. He is a real chick magnet. We had a great time singing all of the Christmas church hymns out of the song book and that really helped get everyone into the Christmas mood and make you think about the reason we celebrate Christmas. The birth of Christ our savior.

Here is a picture of me ,Noah and some of his nieces doing the conga at the family party. He really is quite the little dancer ;)
Here is one of my new favorite pictures of Noah. He got a little too excited playing in his new ball house Christmas morning and puked. So we washed Noah and the balls at the same time.

Here is a Christmas morning picture of Noah,Mommy, and Elmo. Elmo seems to be a bit ticklish but then again so is Noah. We had such a wonderful Christmas. It was so fun to see Noah get so excited. I am so blessed to have such wonderful loving family to spend not only Christmas but my life and beyond with. It really doesn't get any better then that.

2nd Adoption

2010-01-02T16:31:00.000-08:00

We're so excited! We've been approved for our 2nd adoption. That means the agency has all of our paperwork and agrees that we can adopt again, so we now just have to wait for a mother or couple to choose us to adopt their child. We're so excited for Noah to have a little brother or sister. Please pass the word along. You can view our profile here. Wish us luck and keep us in your prayers.

Noah's Birthday

2009-12-28T11:19:00.000-08:00

With our use in facebook we have been neglecting our blog and putting most new happenings on facebook. I think it is time I remedy this. I like having a blog because it seems much more permanent then facebook, more like a journal.

Noah turned 1 years old last September and we really had a blast celebrating his birthday. As you can tell from the pictures he loved getting into his cake. We ordered a cake from the bakery and they told us that for his 1st birthday he gets a "smash" cake for free! That was my favorite part, watching Noah first gingerly poke a finger in the cake then get into it with both hands gobbling down fist fulls of cake! He loved all of his new toys and we are very grateful for all who attended. It was so much fun! It is hard to believe it has been a year since God helped bring this amazing little person into our family. We are truly blessed beyond measure.

Dad's 70th

2009-08-19T14:13:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we went up big cottonwood canyon with Tomi's sister Teri and their family to roast hotdogs and make smores. It rained a little off and on but we still had a fun time. Noah's cousin Sydney liked to try to feed him rocks. He would put one in his mouth then spit it out. Neither one of them was able to find a good tasting rock. Last weekend we went to Star Valley Wyoming to celebrate Tomi's dad's 70th birthday. Quite a milestone and a lot of the family showed up to celebrate! We had fun fishing, mountain biking, and feeding the horses. The whole family gathered together Saturday for a delicious birthday dinner of shishkabobs, potato salad, baked beans, veggies and dip. Wow what great food and what great company to share it with. Wil got a kick out of opening his presents with the girls on his lap. Saturday evening Tomi, her cousin Gina, Gina's boyfriend Jerry, and the whole Lund clan went up jack knife canyon to pick a local delicacy called Sarvis berries. We had a lot of fun helping the girls pick berries and also gather wild flowers. I picked Tomi a big bouquet. BTW Noah got his first tooth a little bit ago. It is on the bottom right. Some times I call him the one toothed wonder. He had a hard time on the trip there but was an angel on the way home.We had a lot of fun playing and visiting with family and were glad to have a great excuse to party. What a wonderful weekend.

Summer Fun

2009-07-31T08:05:00.001-07:00

We have had quite an eventful summer. We got to go to liberty park which was a lot of fun. There were ducks and geese ,but of course all Noah wants to watch is the children. He loves to watch kids. It's like it hits him, hey there are other short people like me out there. We also went for a great hike up to Doughnut Falls up big cottonwood canyon with the Lunds. That was a fun hike but we thought it would be stroller friendly. It was not. We had to hike Noah up in the back pack. The Lunds had a more rugged stroller and hauled little Sydney up the mountain in reverse. The falls were beautiful and it was nice to get out of the hot weather and up in the mountains.

We had a great 4th of July and 24th celebration. Noah loved the fireworks at first but after a few minutes it was like they over loaded his senses and he fell asleep in Tomi's arms. We couldn't believe he slept through all the noise of the fireworks and this is a kid who will sleep no where but in his crib or his pack and play. He did better on the 24th and watched all the fireworks. He also loved playing with the glow sticks. They were a big hit with all the kids and Tomi and I were glad stocked up on them a year ago when we saw them at the dollar store.

One of our favorite pass times is finding new ways to torture Noah by tickling him. We can't help ourselves ,it is just too fun to listen to his great laugh.

Noah now not only rolls around but has learned to do the army drag your legs scoot/crawl so I had to install the baby gate. I went through 2 gates, 3 installations and an adapter kit before I got it work right. That was a fun day. All in all it has been a great summer. We even turned in our papers to adopt another baby. I only hope the next one is as wonderful as Noah. He has been a joy.

2009-06-30T10:50:00.000-07:00

This was Jon’s first official Father’s Day and he really had a great time. I gave him a trailer that attaches to his bike so that he can haul Noah around. It’s been great because now we can go on family bike rides. We don’t have any pictures of this yet but will soon.

It’s been such a busy summer already. Noah enjoyed his first trip to the aquarium. He loves watching our uncle’s large fist tank, so this was a great trip for him. He just loved it. He likes watching all the bright colored fish swimming around. We also had a picnic in the park in Riverdale with some friends. Our friends just totally doted over Noah, saying how cute and smiley he was. He’s really easy going and doesn’t get upset when people he doesn’t know hold him. He’s just happy to have people paying so much attention to him We always joke that when we visit family or friends everyone dotes over Noah and forgets to even say hi to us when we come with him. Its’ all about Noah and we are just the ones that bring him..

Noah’s hair was getting really long and unruly again, so we got the clippers out and buzzed his head. It turned out so dang cute. Short, but really cute. Everyone says that he looks like a little boy now instead of a baby. That was about three weeks ago and already it’s getting really long again. His hair and fingernails grow so fast.

The weather final turned out good so we’ve been able to spend some time at my Aunt’s pool. Noah’s very first time in the pool was about two weeks ago. He has the cutest little swim outfit with a hat that snaps up on the sides. My aunt has a little turtle that we put him in so he can float. The minute we put him in it, he starts kicking and kicking his feet. He’s a great little kicker and we have no doubt that he’ll be a great swimmer some day. During the summer, my aunt takes a half day off work every Tuesday, so we go to her house every Tuesday for some family pool time. Noah loves it.

We recently drove to Boise to visit my other Aunt. It’s a long 6 hour trip, but Noah did great the entire way. She has a hot tub and Noah liked having his feet dipped in the water. Mostly he enjoyed sitting on their deck, looking out over the river. My Aunt and Uncle loved spending time with Noah because they don’t get to see him very often. Once again, he was spoiled and doted over. They gave us a great book to read to Noah about an ant on the railroad track. It’s a cute little rhyming book and Jon does such a great job of reading it to him because he creates all the voices and noises. We also had an opportunity to stop off to see the Malad Gorge, which is really beautiful. It’s just this really deep gorge out in the middle of nowhere in Idaho, but it sure is amazing.

Yesterday Jon went on a small hike around Silver Lake up Big Cottonwood Canyon with Teri and the girls. It was such a great day and it was a perfect hike for all the little kids. Noah loved watching all the ground squirrels and we even got to see a young moose frolicking in the marsh near the lake.

This month, Noah figured out that rolling could be a means of transportation. When we sit him on the floor, he loves to lay back and then start rolling every which direction. He hasn’t figured out how to get his knees underneath him, but it won’t be long. The rolling certainly gets him moving at this point and it gets him into everything. The first time he realized he could get around by rolling, he rolled over to the movies and started pulling them all off the shelf. He still doesn’t have teeth either, but we don’t think that’s far off either.

Noah is ours forever

2009-04-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

We are so happy. On April 11th of this year Noah Weldon Crane was sealed to us in the Salt Lake temple.
It was one of the happiest days of our lives! After the sealing we blessed him in front of family and friends at our church. I did the blessing and I was so glad that I was able to do that for him and for our family. The spirit was very strong. Everyone had such a good time. Noah was great until he fell over sitting up on the floor and bonked his head, but he recovered quickly.

It was an amazing day filled with love, family and friends.

On a different note we finally finished with having our rv pad and patio poured and done. We have been dealing with a weed patch next to our driveway since we moved in and a mud hole in the back yard since we ripped out the rotted deck, so over 2 years. Here are some before and after pictures for you.

right of driveway before right of driveway after w/new rv pad

back mud pit before new patio after

I will end with some more picture. Some are from Easter with the Webbs and family and some are just of Noah. Enjoy

Gina playing let's go to bed
with Laine and Ryann Sydney at her birthday party

Extreme closeup of Noah "the Brick"
Noah w/ Mommy

Noah in his Easter Outfit

Oregon Coast

2009-03-14T13:07:00.000-07:00

We just got back from an incredible week long vacation to the Oregon Coast. Our Aunt Beezer turned 50 on the March 13th, so she rented this humongous house on the beach in Lincoln City and invited us all to come spend the week with her. The coast was so amazing! It was wet, rainy and cold the first few days, even with the weather we still had a wonderful time. We took great walks on the beach. One morning we made the mistake of taking a beach walk at high tide and Tomi was almost washed away by some big logs coming back with the tide. We watched amazing sunsets together, and looked for treasures on the beach like shells and agates. Noah did so well flying. He slept both ways on the plane. Jon had a blast flying his kite with Beezer,Dana, and Dick. We also won 200 bucks at the indian casino one night and used it to pay for all of our excursions! The best part of the Oregon coast was the pure majestic beauty of everything. We took a drive to seen the Cape Meares Lighthouse and were awe struck by the beauty all around us. We drove through white trees covered in moss that laced themselves together to form a tunnel. We drove by the surf pounding rocks far below us. We had so much fun on our whale watching tour and saw half a dozen whales. It was way to hard to get good pictures. For some reason whales don't like to sit still while you take pictures of them. One day we all took a trip together to see the aquarium. We really enjoyed the tunnel where you saw sharks and sting rays swimming over your head. On the way home we decided to visit the Yaquina Head Light house. Normally it cost money but we were happy to see that it was a free day! What a view! Thursday night we celebrated Beezers birthday and had a huge meal of paella cooked by everyone with direction from Beezer. Beezer really enjoyed her book that everyone worked so hard on. It was a printed scrap book of Beezer and everyone in her life. What a perfect way to end a perfect trip. You can't ask for more then to spend time with family in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Atlanta

2008-12-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a busy couple of months. Thanksgiving was GREAT. We got to spend time with my family, eating, shopping, playing games, etc and we even got to see all of Jon's family too. It was a great relaxing weekend. Let me tell you though, the shopping part wasn't very relaxing. I don't think I've ever hit so many stores in one day as I did on Black Friday and I didn't even get any really good deals.

Noah's getting so dang big and cute. I can't believe he turned three months old this week. He's turned into this new little boy where he talks, smiles, laughs and plays. It's so great. Here's a few new pictures. He was a Cow for Halloween. . . very cute!

My job sent me to Atlanta, GA for a few days to meet with a company. It rained the entire time we were there, but I could still tell that Georgia is a beautiful state. I was surprised at how green it was. We flew in on Wednesday and out again on Thursday, so we didn't have much time there, but we did slip in the time to go to the Atlanta Aquarium. WOW! It was AMAZING! And I guess that it should be since it is the world's largest aquarium. I am however disappointed that I didn't get very many good quality pictures while I was there. They had HUGE tanks that housed thousands of fish! I had a few favorites like the whale sharks, beluga whale and the petting sections where I got to pet sharks, sting rays, shrimp, star fish, horseshoe crabs, and all sorts of other stuff. It was a blast.

Hectic Life

2008-10-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

I don't know how working mothers do it. . . I started back to work about three weeks ago and I am really struggling. Where do you find the time to do it all? I get home and only have about 4 hours with Noah before I have to go to bed so I can do it all again the next day. It's frustrating me! And it makes me so sad that I don't get to spend more time with him. Thank goodness Jon is such a great dad and husband. Jon's the daytime dad and works at night while I work in the day and play the nighttime mom. It's a really hectic schedule where Jon and I don't see much of each other, but it's working out ok so far. Thank goodness for Marilynn too for her coming to watch Noah for the hour and a half each day between the times Jon and I are changing roles. She's been a lifesaver! I truly am just counting down and keeping my fingers crossed that it won't be much longer before I can finally go part-time or quit all together so I can stay at home with my son.

Noah is growing so big. I can't believe that he's already 7 weeks old. He's growing so much. He's so much more alert now and you can tell he's starting to see things because he's always gawking around and getting over stimulated. We had some pictures taken at JCPenny the other day and they turned out so cute. As soon as I can get the computer back up and running, I'll scan and post the pictures.

My sister threw us the most amazing baby shower a couple weeks ago. Our friends and family truly spoiled us so much. She did this great thing where she asked everyone to bring a book and write on the inside a message to Noah instead of bringing a card. We got so many great books that are such a great addition to Noah's little library. We can't wait to start reading them to him. Can you see little Noah in his swing amidst all his new treasures?

Speaking of which, our computer bit the dust. We've been fighting it for a couple of weeks now and finally, something went terribly wrong and now it won't work at all. They seem to think that somehow we fried the mother board or something else serious. What a joke! If it's not one thing, it's 47 other things that go wrong. Once again, thank the Crane's for borrowing us their laptop temporarily until we can figure out if we can fix ours or have to buy a new one.

We went up the canyon the other night to take pictures of my sister's family. They turned out really cute. It was such a beautiful drive. . . all the colors changing. We truly are blessed to live in such a beautiful world!

Well, I know it's been a while since we've posted and all this post does is gripe, so I'll leave it here and leave you with some of the newest pics of our angel baby! Noah!

So Blessed

2008-09-27T19:26:00.000-07:00

We count ourselves as the luckiest parent's in the world. We have been blessed with a beautiful, healthy baby that we love so much. Despite the fact that Noah is only about 2 weeks old, he is so well natured. He sleeps most of the time, just waking up long enough to eat about every 4 hours. After he eats he has about 15 minutes of awake time, then off to bed he goes again. We know that this won't last for long, but we're cherishing every moment right now. I just thought I'd share a few more pictures and reitterate how blessed, lucky and happy we are to have this little guy in our life. I've been lucky enough to have a few weeks off from work with him and am already dreading going back to work. We're hoping one day soon that the employment situation will work out so that I can stay home full-time to be with our son.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

He's Home

2008-09-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

It's finally official. . . we signed the paperwork and were able to bring our new son home on Sunday, September 14, 2008. He is so precious and feels like he's always been a member of our family. We've named him Noah. It's amazing how such a little guy can so drastically change your life. We know that life will never be the same, but we're extremely happy to have him here and to welcome him into our home.

This last week has been such an amazing experience. . . from getting the call to go to the hospital, to running the birth mom to and from the hospital in labor, to witnessing the delivery of our son and to the touching moment when the birth mom placed her most precious angel in our arms and said congratulations. . .this week is a time we'll never forget. Our Heavenly Father guided us to this point, through the months of paperwork, meetings and Dr. appointment and finally through this week, and for that we can't express our gratitude. This process has been a miracle that we're so blessed to play a part in.

We are such proud parents and want to thank everyone for all their love, support and acceptance. This is such an exciting time for us and we're so happy that you can all share it with us.

back to Star Valley

2008-09-02T08:55:00.000-07:00

We got a chance to go back to Star Valley last weekend. It was our brother-in-law's birthday and he decided everyone should go camping with him to celebrate. We had such a good time. We camped near Palisades reservoir. It is absolutely beautiful up there. We skipped rocks from the shore and ate way to many smores after dinner. One night we all sat around the camp fire and played a game called Mafia. It was a lot of fun. Basically everyone draws a card with 2 people being cops and 2 people being killers and everyone tries to smoke out the killers while the killers try to kill everyone off before they are caught. We stayed up until midnight playing. Tomi and I were going to go back to Tomi's mom's to sleep but where deterred by the 35 minute drive and elected to stay in the trailer with the Lunds. We were awoken at 6am by little Ryann and Laine standing over our bed. With Ryann telling us quite loudly that it was time to get up! We tickled and laughed with the girls for a while and had a fun time. The kids got to enjoy rides on the four wheeler and going out in the row boat. It was so good to be away from everything and just get to have a blast with family. We would love to go again some time. Oh I also caught 4 cut throat trout. Unfortunately they were so small together they wouldn't make one good fish. Well that is about it from the Crane's for now. Love ya all.

Uintah Camping

2008-08-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

We were able to go with a few friends camping overnight in the Uintah's this last weekend. We had a great time. It's so amazing to be able to get out of the city and feel the country air once in a while. It's so beautiful in the mountains. . . the peace and serenity give you a feeling of calm and comfort. The area reminds me a lot of home (Star Valley). It was good to get away for a while and put things in perspective. Plus. . . I think Jon and I both needed a break for a while. :)

Interestingly, I got to play cook the first evening. . . we had tin-foil dinners in the fire. Steak and chicken with onions, garlic, potatoes and carrots. Then our friend talked us into doing what I'd call "orange cakes" also. We sliced off the top of the oranges, dug the insides out the best we could, then poured cake batter into the hollowed orange. Just like the tin-foil dinners, we wrapped them in tin-foiled and let them bake the the coals. You can see them behind me in the picture. Dinner was great and the "organge cakes" were pretty good too. Very interesting to say the least.

It was a quick trip, but we sat around the fire, talked a lot, played games, fished at and walked around Mirror Lake, and stopped at the Oakley Rhode Island Diner here to eat on our way out of town. We had a great time.

Final Product

2008-07-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

So we're finally finished with the basement. Once again, the photos don't do it justice because you can't really tell the color of the paint, but it sure does look and feel brand new. I also found some pictures we took when we were looking at the house before we bought it. So now you can see the before we moved in and after the remodel pictures.

Living Room:
Before we moved in and right after the flood:
After:

Bedroom:
Before: It's from a different angle because we moved the door.

After:

Nursery:
Before:

After:

Then we did some additional things like redo the laundry room and add a bathroom.
The first one is the laundry room, the second is the new hallway (laundry room in door on the left, the furnace room is behind the two slat doors and the bathroom is at the end of the hall), and the third is the new bathroom.

Like I said, you can't tell the colors well, but I think it turned out very well. Feel free to come by and see it all if your in the neighborhood. :) Now we've just got to think about what we're going to do to the upstairs.

Walk Like an Animal

2008-07-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

Once again, we used our Hogle Zoo passes to spend a few hours at the zoo with my sister and our nieces. We had a great time and I think we got some great pictures this time. They have a ton of new stuff this time, including the "Conservation Carousel." We got to ride the carousel and the train., something I've never done. We didn't get there until about 4:30 p.m., but it was so nice because everyone else had already left, so there were very few people there. It must have been dinner time too, because we got to see the leopard gnawing on this bone. . . pretty neat. What a great gift. . . one that keeps on giving. We're loving our pass and can't wait to continue to use it throughout the rest of the year and to soon be able to enjoy it with our own child.

New Nursery

2008-07-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

Well, it's about time. . . Jon and I finally finished the nursery. The pictures don't do it justice, but it really turned out so dang cute. The walls are green, with the ceiling, trim, etc being painted white. The "wallies" are my favorite part. They were a little messy to put up, but turned out really cute! We had a problem with the dresser, so we've found a new one and just haven't got it put together and put in the nursery yet. Notice the cute blanket on the crib. . . I made it myself. :) Can't wait to bring the baby home to his new room!

More pictures of the rest of the house yet to come. . . I still have some finishing touches I'd like to add before posting the final product. :)

Free At Last

2008-07-13T08:22:00.000-07:00

We're free of all the construction finally!!! I can't tell you how good it feels to finally feel like I got my house back. The contractors finished up the remodel and at the last minute, we decided to splurge and get new carpet because ours was cheap and looked so bad. The installers were here on Friday and boy, I am very surprised on what a difference carpet makes to a house. We've been working every single night for about the past month to finish up the little things. . . painting (14-16 hours on the weekends), baseboards, doors, etc. and finally on Friday we were able to start moving stuff back out of the garage and the dining room. WOW, I think it looks great! We've still got a little left to do in that we're waiting for my brother-in-law to help us move some of the larger pieces of furniture that I'm not tough enough to help Jon with. . . and then we just have to clean out the garage and we're DONE!!!! As soon as we get the last of the furniture moved and the final touches on the nursery, I'll take some pictures to show the place off. We still have a few things to do like put blinds up in the nursery and install a new light fixture, but those things shouldn't take much time. It's all starting to feel like home again. . . and not a moment too soon. Soon we'll be bringing the little one into this home and I'm so grateful that we've been able to complete this before he comes.

Baby News

2008-06-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

Ok, we just can't hold it in any longer, particularly since most of you already know anyway. . . we're getting a baby in September. We got a call a couple weeks ago that some birth parents had picked us to place their baby with. We met them at the agency a couple days later and fell in love with them. We are so happy, they are such a neat couple and we can't even begin to express our appreciation for what they are doing for us. Our heart truly goes out to them and the circumstances they are in, but we're also so happy at the same time. Guess what? They're having a boy! He's due to arrive in September! What a perfect time of year! We just wanted to share our joy with you all! We're still thinking about names, but we're leaning towards Noah Weldon Crane. What do you think?

3 Year Old Party

2008-06-23T16:13:00.000-07:00

It was Ryann's 3rd birthday last week. What a perfect day. . . the sun was shinning and all was well with the world. And what can possibly be better than spending the day with your family, eating and basking in the pool? Of course, as usual, the family spoiled her too. Here's a few snap shots from the party.

Construction

2008-06-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah! Construction on the basement is finally under way. The basement flooded on April 6th and we just started doing the repairs today. I can't believe it took that long to have the damaged stuff ripped out, let things dry, then for us to get quotes from contractors, decide on a contractor and determine all the extra things we wanted to have done. What a process. So now our basement is totally empty and everything is in the garage. I feel like a redneck now, living out of my garage and parking in the driveway or on the street. Sorry if I offend anyone. . . don't get me wrong, garages are a great place to store things, but I really like to park my cars there instead.

Anyway, as things progress and start looking better, I'll post pictures and show the progress. It should look brand new when we're all done. :)

Old Friend

2008-06-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I met my friend Allen at the Zoo. I had not seen him in 10 years. He moved to Oregon and we lost touch. He called me the other day and said he was in town so we decided to meet up at the Zoo. I got meet his kids Audrey and little Al for the first time. We had a lot of fun. The kids really liked the Gorillas and also the Giraffes. We went up to the second floor and the Giraffes could almost lick you they were so close! Right before we left we went on the little train they have. I hadn't done that since I was a little kid. I wished Tomi could of come but she had to work. I was on call and luckily didn't get called in. We sure are getting some good use out of this Zoo pass my mother in law got us.

Birthday

2008-05-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Late Birthday to me. I turned 29! I can’t believe it. . . this is the last year I have in my 20’s, so I’m vowing to make it worth it! Oddly enough, I’m not dreading the big 30. In fact, since I was about 23, it’s been really hard for me to remember how old I am. People ask and I have to stumble a little, guessing back and forth between a few ages and then finally saying, “I was born in this year, so I guess that makes me ___ now.” Sad that I can’t even remember how old I am anymore. For me, I think I reached age 23 and birthdays didn’t really matter anymore. It wasn’t like I had age 16, 18 or 21 to look forward to anymore. Birthdays all just started to blend together and they just aren’t a big deal anymore.

This year, I had a great time and was truly spoiled by my family. Almost everyone got together at my favorite place for dinner, Ocean City. What’s better than sharing your favorite food with those you love. My aunt, cousins, sister and her family, Jon and I all had a great time together. After dinner and gifts, we went to my Aunt’s house to chat for a while before Jon and I went out to the movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Great Movie!

Speaking of gifts, I was totally spoiled this year. My Aunt’s and their families got me two tickets to Celine Dion. WOW! This is a sold out show and somehow they got tickets. I am so excited and a little annoyed that I have to wait clear until November to see her! They gave me a DVD and CD of her music and tour so I can become a little more familiar with her newer songs before I go to the concert. What a treat. I’ve only been to a couple of amphitheater concerts before, but nothing like Celine. Jon gave me a new seat for my bike so we can go riding more. My old seat killed me, so he got me a larger one with gel inserts so it’s now much more comfortable of a ride. :) He also got me some beautiful place mats and napkins like I’d been asking for and also the first book in the Spiderwick Chronicles “The Field Guide” since we loved the movie so much! He did a great job finding things I really enjoyed. My mom outdid herself again by shopping with me for bathroom rugs, shower curtain, kitchen rugs, etc. She also gave me a year pass to Hogle Zoo which we love to visit on a regular basis, a hand wheat grinder to add to our food storage and some extra spending cash. I’m sorry to report that my mom wasn’t able to join us for the festivities this year. Teri gave me this great set of stripped place mats with coordinating napkins also. Everyone did such a great job in helping me to outfit my house with things more my style. :) My cousins gave me a gift certificate to Ztejas to use before the we go to the Celine concert. And Jon’s parent’s gave me a gift certificate to my favorite store. What a great birthday! I am surrounded by so many great people who love and care for me and spoil me on every occasion. Mostly, it was such an enjoyable day because I got to spend it with those I love! Thanks again to all of you for your generosity and kindness!

I’m setting new goals and keeping the big 30 in mind throughout the year as I enjoy these last moments of my 20s.

Inspirational Women

2008-05-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

We were sitting around having lunch on May 4^th after the blessing of my newest niece Sydney when a comment was made that I guess I’ve never thought of or at least never put to words. Teri was talking to my cousin Gina about how our family has supported her in an effort to run a marathon for charity. I can second that! My family has been such a support to me over the years, more than I can possibly describe. I am so grateful for the love and support my family offers me. . . especially for these four women who have truly been an inspiration to me!

My Mom: My mom is an amazing woman who raised two independent, strong, intelligent daughters. She taught my sister and I the value of hard work at a young age, yet also made sure we found the time to play and have fun. My mom was always honest and upfront in all her dealings. She taught us to have values, morals, principals and to respect others for their differences. I use to think I knew it all and that my mom didn’t understand or have a clue. . . but when I moved out on my own, I quickly gained a deep, permanent respect for my mom and all that she did for me. She always knew more than I gave her credit for and I can never possibly thank her enough for the values she instilled in me. She taught me to stand on my own two feet, to be independently strong and steadfast, characteristics I hope to one day instill in my own children.

My Aunt Karla: I lived with my Aunt Karla and her family after I finished my Associate’s Degree at Rick’s college and didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do with my life. She gratefully took me under her wing as I tried to figure out which direction I was headed. She was the one who pointed out to me that I am a huge fretter and like to fret about things in advance. J She always said, “You’re borrowing jacks!” I can’t quite remember the story behind that but generally speaking, it means, I’m fretting about the things of tomorrow that I have no control over and that don’t matter. She stepped in as my second mom when I sat at her table, crying, confused about life, school, work, etc. Karla is also a strong, independent woman, who helped me put things into perspective when I needed it most.

My Aunt Beezer: Arlene, otherwise known as Beezer, has also loved and cared for me as if I were her own daughter. When I made the decision to not continue with my education, she was the one who continued to have conversations with me about the importance of education. I remember thinking that getting a bachelors degree was going to take way too long and I felt like I had other things I wanted to do with my life besides school. Beezer helped me to realize that the time in school would pass quickly and I would never look back with regret on those years. J Those heart-felt conversations about my future really did have an impact on me and needless to say, she is one of the main reasons I continued with my education, on to get a master’s degree. She is the one who calls me to offer suggestions for our blog, decorating our nursery and anything to offer advice in the hopes that we’ll get a child sooner. I swear she’s the person most excited for us to get a baby.

These three women are sisters that have bonded together and share this amazing friendship that I hope to have with my sister. They love, support and help each other and the other’s children no matter what. They are all strong-willed, independent, beautiful women that I aspire to becoming like as I get older.

Last but not least, my sister Teri: We had our fare share of fights when we were younger. . . if fact I may go as far as to say that we hated each other some days. However, in the past ten years, we’ve grown closer and I’ve come to admire Teri and all that she is as a woman, a sister, a friend and a mother. She has three beautiful children that I love more than I thought I could love anything and I’m so grateful that they live so close so I can be a part of the girl’s lives. She isn’t perfect, but she is a wonderful mother, teaching her children with love and logic. Her patience, love and ability to discipline the children in a positive manner is amazing. I don’t know if she’s aware of how much I watch her and take note of how she handles her children, for one day, I hope that I can be the same kind of mother to my children. Talent pours from her in every aspect. She’s an amazing pianist, artist, vocalist, and is extremely intelligent. Everything she attempts to do she succeeds at, with seemingly little or no effort. Teri has honestly become my very best friend. She listens to me cry, whine, laugh, smile and she’s always there to listen and be my friend. I think that she and I are well on our way to establishing a long lasting friendship like my mom and aunts have.

I can’t even begin to describe my appreciation to these four phenomenal women. They are my inspiration and my light! They have been there to support me through my good and bad decisions, through my ups and downs, through the trials and triumphs. They rally behind me in everything I attempt to do and stand in the sidelines cheering me on full-heartedly. I love them dearly and hope they know how much I love, appreciate and cherish their love, friendship and support.

Camping

2008-05-16T07:15:00.000-07:00

Despite all my fretting about the house and all the projects we needed to get done, Jon talked me into going camping with some of our friends last weekend. It was a 4 day excursion to Vernon Lake out somewhere south of Tooele. I'm not familiar with the area, so I can't exactly tell you where it's at, but it's this beautiful, small lake out in the middle of now where. We left on Thursday and came home dirty, tired and sun burnt on Sunday. :) Thanks to Mark for house-sitting and babysitting Chico while we were gone despite the torn apart house. Chico was definitely jealous when we got home cause our friends brought their 3 dogs with them, but we felt it was best to leave Chico home this time.

We had a great time. We spent a lot of time fishing, four-wheeling, playing games and eating. The bad part was that it was cold, windy and totally dusty the entire time we were there. Thank goodness the friends we went with had a trailer, so we were able to stay out of the wind and spent a lot of time playing some great games, Ticket to Ride (one of our favorites) and Settlers of Catan (a new found favorite).

There wasn't much flat ground in the camp site we chose, so Jon and I did our best to pitch our tent on the most flat spot we could find. Needless to say, it wasn't flat enough, so that first night, we kept having to wake up, get out of bed and pull the sleeping bag to the top of the air mattress. . .we, along with the sleeping bag kept sliding off the end of the mattress. Speaking of mattresses, ours must have a slow leak in it somewhere, because each night we'd end up sandwiched in the middle, almost on top of each other. The second day we finally had to move our tent to almost to the road for a flat spot.

Our friends also introduced us to another game we've really love. . . don't know what it's called, but you throw rubber tennis balls on strings at the goal and you get points for which bar you can hit. It really is a lot of fun.

Here are some more pictures of the fun weekend! As you can tell, I had the camera most the time, so there's lots of pics of Jon. Next time, we'd like to go some where it's a little less dusty and windy.

When It Rains It Pours!

2008-05-01T20:54:00.000-07:00

Oh boy, it's been one of those weeks. So you've seen in the previous posting, we flooded our basement. Well, three days later, I am ready to go to work at 4 a.m., I go downstairs and land in another lake of water at the bottom of the stairs. My first thought was that Jon's plumbing from the earlier flood didn't hold. I holler for Jon to come quick and I begin looking for the source of the water. To my dismay, the water isn't coming from the faucet they fixed just days earlier, instead it is coming from the ceiling in the laundry room.

This time, the hose that feeds water to the ice machine came loose from the refrigerator and leaked water all over the kitchen floor which leaked through the hardwood floors, into the basement ceiling in the laundry room and bedroom, down the walls, and out into the garage. What a mess. Once again we had to call the clean-up crew to come out and tear up the carpet, rip out the sheet rock and place the fans to dry out the water. So now 3/4th of our basement is without sheet rock and the downstairs is in total shambles.

We're now in the process of getting estimates for the repair so we can start the repair work. Looks like it will be a least a month or two before the repairs can be done. I guess the bright side of the story is that we're going to pay a little extra to have some additional stuff done so that we can then be finished with the basement and have it just the way we want it. Also, because of the damage done to the hardwood kitchen floors, we are getting the kitchen floors redone too! It's been hard to see the rainbow through the rain this week, but we're trying to find the bright side of things!

Master Plumbers

2008-04-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you, we're becoming master's at this home ownership thing! We've had an outside water faucet that was giving us a hard time last year, and hasn't worked at all this year. So, being the great "Do-it-yourselfers" that we are. . . we thought we'd fix the problem by replacing the faucet. Why we decided to do it at 10 p.m. on a Friday night is now beyond me, but what can I say. So Jon turned off the main water valve in the house and proceed remove the faucet. I was upstairs when I heard a pop, Jon saying "Oh No!" and a gushing water sound. I went running downstairs to see water shooting into the wall and all over the downstairs living room. What in the world, the water shut off valve was OFF! Now what? I reached into the wall and tried from the inside while Jon pushed from the outside to reconnect the faucet, but the pressure coming from the pipe was just too much! Water was shooting all over me, the living room, inside the wall and even outside the house. The basement was flooding!

Not knowing what else to do, I ran next door to get the neighbors. Sleepily, the lady next door comes out wanting to know what is going on. Her husband wasn't home, so she and I ran next door to fetch the next neighbor. Out in the their pajamas, they all come to the rescue. I grabbed the water key to turn off the outside water that was right by the house, but needless to say, that only turns off the sprinkler water. While all this was happening, the neighbor got the water shut off out on the street. . . but by this time, the damage had already been done! We had water all over the basement. It soaked about 3/4th of the family room, ran into the under stairs storage, out into the garage and out into the driveway. Here's the access panel we were working through (you can't see it in the picture, but the water shut off valve we had turned off is right above the panel in the ceiling). Also, here's a picture of the pipe we were fixing.

Here's more pictures of the damage.

We ended up calling a disaster recovery company that came out to assess and fix the damage. They had to pull up the carpet, rip out the carpet pad, suck the water out of the carpet, remove all the sheet rock and insulation and put down industrial fans to dry everything. We are now just waiting for everything to dry so they can come back and re-do the sheet rock, carpet, etc . Interestingly enough, when they removed the sheet rock, we found the actual main water valve shut-off. Looks like someone who lived in the house before sheet rocked in the valve, then either didn't want to redo it, or didn't know where it was, so they put in a the valve in the ceiling that we had shut off. Needless to say, the one in the ceiling turned off everything in the house except the one and only faucet we were working on. What a learning experience! Here's some more pictures of what it looks like without the sheet rock. Quite the interesting weekend! We're laughing about it a lot now, but hoping and praying we never have to experience something like this again!

Zoo

2008-04-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my mother, we got a yearly zoo pass to Hogle Zoo this year. We LOVE the zoo! It's one of our favorite places. To test out the new pass, we gathered up Teri and the girls (Ryann, Laine and Sydney) and headed to the zoo on Friday the 18th! Something was going on that day where they were kicking off a children's race or something, so the lines were horrendously long. . . however, having a pass, we were able to go right to the gate and get in since we didn't have to stand in line to buy tickets. YEAH!!!

We all had a great time at the zoo, especially Ryann and Laine. They're both old enough now that they love the zoo and ooh and awed over all the animals. Ryann spend most of the day riding on Jon's shoulders. The greatest part was when we were watching the a new baby orangutan named Acara. It was sliding down the hill on it's belly, playing with it's blanket, and doing somersaults. Ryann was sitting on Jon's shoulders, bouncing up and down and slapping both of his cheeks saying, "Come here monkey, come here!" It was really cute!

As you can see, we didn't get many pictures except by the Giraffes. :) All in all, it was a great day! The weather was beautiful, the kids had a great time and it was fun to spend such a great day with family. We're so excited to have a pass where we can go so many times this year.

Chico

2008-04-19T09:51:00.000-07:00

I just noticed that in most our posts and photos, we haven't talked much about our little dog, Chico, so I thought I'd introduce him here. He is a pure bred, AKC registered, Miniature Pinscher, born on May 18, 2001. The name on his registration certificate is Cheeko, but I never liked the spelling, so I've always spelled it Chico. He's black and rust colored with cropped ears and a docked tail and the most snuggly little critter you've ever seen.

Chico has a bit of a sorted past, since I was the third owner to him in less than 2 years. A family in Jackson, Wyoming purchased the dog, but then sold him to my friend's brother. I'm not sure what the story was behind that, but I'm a believer that everything happens for a reason. My friend's brother decided to give him away a little while later because they had something like 2 cats and 3 or 4 dogs all living in the same house at the same time. I guess it was just too much, so they wanted to find Chico a new home. Around that same time, I had decided that I really wanted another dog. As a youngster growing up in Star Valley, we always had dogs and I had always wanted one of my own. At that point, I owned a townhouse in Millcreek, so the situation was perfect for me to bring a dog into my home. Anyway, somewhere in the summer of 2003, my friend's brother offered to give me Chico and I gladly accepted and he's been in my life for the past 5 years.

Shortly after bringing Chico home, I realized he was suffering from allergies. Poor guy was always scratching and had teary eyes. I also realized that the little guy was built a little funny, so whenever he'd go outside to take care of his business, his aim was off and he'd hit his chest and both front legs. Thank goodness a little minor surgery helped take care of that problem. Over the past couple of years, Chico's allergies have gone through some serious flare-ups that have been successfully treated with medication. However, this latest flare-up hasn't cleared up, so back to the vet we went. We've now realized that Chico suffers from Canine Autoimmune Disease and will need to be on a low dose of steroids to help combat the symptoms the cause him to itch. My poor little Chico now has to take Benedryl twice a day along with a steroid, thyroid pill and omega 3 capsule every day. It's obvious that our free little dog has now cost us a pretty little penny. . . but I believe it was all worth it. Despite these plethora of drugs, he is as happy and loving as ever!

Chico weighs only about 12 pounds, but his little body doesn't slow him down. I swear he thinks he's a full-grown Doberman. He LOVES to go on walks, especially to Wheeler Farm where he can check out all the animals. His favorite toys are anything with a squeaker in them. He grabs the squeaky toy, finds the exact spot where the squeaker is, then runs around the house squeaking it until his jaw gets tired. His favorite spot to sleep is in out bed, no matter who it is or what time they are in bed, he loves to crawl in with you, but he insists on being under the covers. His little nose is always cold, so whenever he's just sitting somewhere, he likes to push his nose under a blanket. Because of this same thing, whenever we're folding a load of laundry that comes straight from the dryer, Chico loves to nestle into the fresh, warm clothes. For a treat, he will sit, lay, jump and shake hands on command. The telephone is annoying to Chico for some reason, so every time the home or cell phone rings, there's Chico, throwing back his head in a long, drawn out howl. It is the funniest thing ever! This is one of my favorite pictures. . .I couldn't find Chico one day, I called him and whistled and the whole thing. Finally, when I went into the bedroom to look for him, he poked his little head out from under my covers with that look on his face like I had just woke him up.

I just can't say enough how much I love my little dog. He came into my life at a time when I needed him so much. He knows when I'm having a bad day and he crawls into my lap to snuggle. He is lovable, sweet, snuggly and has so much personality. Chico has been my baby for the past five years and I hope he's around to brighten my days for many more years to come.

Decorating

2008-04-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my dear mother shopping for an early birthday present for me while she was in town, I now have a kitchen and bathroom that look brand new. Well, close to brand new. I've been dieing for some new rugs for the kitchen since mine were falling apart and also for some new rugs, shower curtain, etc in my bathroom since they were also getting old and ratty. Mom and I had a wonderful time shopping our guts out at my favorite store, Bed Bath and Beyond. It was so much fun and I was so excited to get my new stuff up. Just take a look at how great things turned out. Jon also installed some blinds in the kitchen today. Now we can make breakfast in our undies without the neighbors seeing. :) Sorry, once again, the pictures don't do the rooms any justice. I just wish I would have taken pictures before we put the new stuff up. I still need to find some curtains to go in the bathroom now. Granted, the whole house still needs some remodeling, but until we have the money to redo the kitchen and bathroom cabinets and counter tops, it sure does feel nice to have new accessories to spruce up the place.

The nursery is still ripped apart for painting and redecorating, but it's really starting to feel like OUR home now, not just some place you move into. Jon and I had a discussion a while back in which he said how much he loved the house and I just shrugged. I couldn't express the same feelings. All I kept seeing in our house were all the things that needed to be painted and updated. Now that it has some of my very own personal touches to it, it's feeling like "ours" and I'm falling in love with it, even the little blemishes. I'm going to take a few more pictures later so you all can see what the rest of our house looks like.

About Jon

2008-04-14T03:43:00.001-07:00

Places I've Lived:
I was born in Mountain View, California. I moved to Sandy, Utah when I was 4 years old. When I first came to Utah I had never seen snow except in a Christmas card. So when we came here it started snowing and I said. "Mom! it's Christmas!!!"
I have also lived all over the Salt Lake valley. I lived up in the Avenues of Salt Lake City and in Murray, Utah. We now live Sandy.

States and places I've visited:
California, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, Montana, Texas, Hawaii, and Mexico.

Jobs I've Had:
Dishwasher, Prep Cook, Shoe Salesman, Telemarketer, Telephone Services Residential Sales Rep., Professional Fund raiser, Satellite Salesman, Computer Network equipment Salesman, and last but certainly not least Railroad Conductor.

Favorite Foods:
Mexican Food (any kind), Steak, Mashed potatoes, Hamburgers, Pizza, Shrimp, Chocolate Ice cream and French Silk Pie.

Dislikes:
People that try to put themselves above you, sushi, coconut, some power hungry Managers.

Favorite Movies:
all 3 lord of the rings, all Harry Potter movies, Casablanca, all Indiana Jones movies, and I love the new James Bond movie Casino Royal.

Favorite Books:
Ender's Game, all Harry Potter books, Lord of the Rings, anything by John Grisham, and I love Louis L'Amour.

A Few Interesting Things About Me:
I did sales for 14 years and had never thought about the railroad. Now that I had this job fall into my lap I love it. Not a lot of people love their job but I do. I have wanted to write a book for a long time. I almost completed a book years ago but didn't back it up and lost it when my computer fried. Something else interesting about me. about four years ago (through diet and exercise) I lost over a hundred pounds and have kept it off. I still need to lose some more and I am working on it. Well that is about it for now.

More Babies

2008-04-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

Wow, this has been a busy week. On April 8, 2008, two new babies close to my heart were born. My sister gave birth to her third daughter, Sydney, at about 1:30 p.m. She is absolutely adorable. 6 lbs, 2 oz. and 20 inches long I think.

Sydney's sisters, Ryann and Laine are so gentle with her. All I hear Ryann say anymore is "I wanna hold the baby." I am so excited to have another niece. All three of the girls are so precious. They have a beautiful family and I'm glad I get to be a part of it.

Jon and I went to the hospital with my mom, Ryann and Laine to see the new baby. Here's a picture of Jon holding Sydney. He was so excited to hold her and I could see the longing in his eyes, knowing that one day he'd be holding his own son or daughter.

At about 3:30 p.m. that same day, my friend Michelle had her 3rd child, a boy named Daniel. I think he looks a lot like his sister Carrie. Once again, a beautiful child! Sorry the picture isn't the greatest, it's from a cell phone. He was 7 lbs, 10 oz, 20 inches.

This makes 4 new babies through friends and family in the past 2 months. Joylynn's new baby Merijoy, Rachel's adopted son Dylan, Teri's baby Sydney, and Michell's baby Daniel. It's it a miracle! So many babies to love. My heart has been all smiles this past month as I think about what a miracle these little souls are. How amazing it is that they come to this earth, straight from the presence of our Heavenly Father and into our lives. Healthy and happy souls that these mother's have been trusted to raise and care for. I wish them all the very best with their new additions and am keeping my fingers crossed that soon we'll have a little one of our own. One that will have so many friends to grow up with, learn from and play with.

Being Prepared

2008-03-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

So we all know that the economy isn't doing very well right now. . . the mortgage crisis, energy prices, etc. Well, now it seems to be taking another turn for the worse. . . the price of wheat has tripled in the last 10 months (KSLNews), in turn increasing the price of flour, bread, etc. Food prices rose 4% last year, the highest rise since 1990 (CNN). Now there are rumors that truckers will go on strike next week. This could have very fast negative effects on an already floundering economy.

It all just gets me thinking about what we've been taught our whole lives. . . BE PREPARED! I'm so grateful that Jon and I have made the effort over the years to establish a sizable amount of food storage. We have learned to shop the case sales each spring and fall and to take advantage of the canning opportunities through the church and through the community canning project in my mom's neighborhood. If at some point, there was a shortage of food in the stores (due to storm, power outage, trucker's strike or natural disaster), we'd be prepared for it! I realized the importance of food-storage when my sister lived in Michigan during the Northeast Blackout of 2003 during which they were out of power for about 3 days. They went to the store to buy water during the first day of no power, but the stores had already sold out of bottled water. They were very grateful to have what food and water they had a home at that time.

Then it makes me think about our finances. . . if one of us were to get laid off or unable to work for a period of time, we've also worked hard to set aside a short-term and long-term savings account. Accounts that we're able to use for unexpected expenses, emergency care and home repairs as well as to live off of in case of injury or lay-off.

I am just so grateful that we've listened through-out the years and have prepared ourselves well. Needless to say, we can always do better, but at least we've got a start. I think "being prepared" and in an attempt to become more self-sufficient, I've enjoyed planting a garden for the the last couple of years. I also did my first canning project last summer in which I bottled the peaches from the tree in our back yard. (I got a new canning set for Christmas!) I also got a juicer for Christmas, so I'm excited to juice our concord grapes this year. Turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. Our neighbor has 2 apple trees, so I've really gotten into dehydrating apples too. Thanks to Jon's mom, I now have a new dehydrator. One more thing I was pretty proud of this year was that I made apricot jam for the first time. One of these days I'm going to come by this domestic stuff naturally.

Provident Living is a great site to go to for more information on food storage, family finances, education, etc. We're working on it one day at a time, but at least I know we're working on becoming more self-reliant and being prepared.

About Tomi

2008-03-12T18:55:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I must have no original ideas of my own. . . but got thinking, why not post some things about me. . . Jon will love to do this too when he gets home.

Places I've lived:
Star Valley, Wyoming
Rexburg, Idaho
Salt Lake City & Sandy, Utah

States & Places I've visited:
California, Nevada, Oregon, Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Michigan, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Hawaii, & Puerto Vallarta with many more to come I hope (I can never beat Deedre in this area). Thanks mom, I forgot about Canada (Windsor I think).

Jobs I've Had:
Worm Picker Extrodinaire
Dishwasher, Hostess, Waitress
Sales Associate then Department Manager at ZCMI
Career Services Specialist
Financial Aid Administrator
Federal Government Employee as Material Manager and now as the Program Logistics Manager
Hope to soon be part-time teacher

Favorite Foods:
Pizza, Lasagna, Popcorn, Carrots with dill dip, Frito's, Funions, Fried Shrimp, Chocolate covered raisins, Chicken fingers dipped in ranch dressing and more than I'd ever like to admit.

Things I Dislike:
I don't like when people are mean, self absorbed, unhappy about life and their circumstances, or are dishonest. Grocery shopping & shoe shopping, cooked spinach, and I'm having a hard time with this one because I'd like to think I'm pretty easy going.

Favorite Movies:
Tuck Everlasting, Ever After, The Princess Bride, Harry Potter

Favorite Books:
Tuesdays with Morrie, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, The Grapes of Wrath

A Few Interesting Things About Me:
I raised a few raccoons as pets when I was younger.
I LOVE animals and always wanted to be a veterinarian, but decided that C's in college Biology and Chemistry weren't going to help me get there.
I want more than anything to be able to sing and be artistic and crafty.
I talk way too fast. . .oh wait, you already knew that one.
It took me 26 years to figure it out, but I want to be a teacher. . . I'm working on doing something part-time at some local proprietary colleges.
In recent years, I find it a habit to use ". . ." way too much.
I'd love to vacation in Australia.
I want to be more domestic by being a better cook and baker.
I have a Master's Degree in Business and have yet to figure out what I want to do with it.

Now it's your turn!

San Antonio

2008-02-29T17:19:00.000-08:00

We just got back from San Antonio. What a blast! I had to work for a few days there, but we still had plenty of time to play, so we made it a working vacation!

The first day we were there, we went to the San Antonio Temple. BEAUTIFUL! It's one of those smaller temples, but still absolutely outstanding. Every window was made of stained glass and so amazing. It's a little different in those smaller temples, but still, the spirit is there and you know you're doing God's work.

We went to the Alamo the third day we were there. How amazing. The feeling there is so sobering. . . to walk the streets where men died fighting for their land, their country and the freedom gives one a feeling of respect and remorse all at the same time. It's astounding at how small the Alamo really is.

Then on Thursday, I got done with work early, so we went to a place called Natural Bridge Caverns as well as the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch. What an awesome day! The caves are tremendous. It's so neat what water, minerals and rock can do in a few thousand years. The Wildlife Preserve was by far our favorite thing. It felt like driving through the Serengeti with the animals all running around loose. We got to feed whatever animals came up to our car. As you can see, the zebras and ostriches were the most friendly. We laughed so hard as they took food right from our hands and kept sticking their whole heads in through the window. How fun!!! We're going to save our money for a real African Safari one day.

Here's a link to the rest of the pictures if you'd like to take a gander.

Tales from the Railroad

2008-02-24T12:34:00.000-08:00

I wanted to talk about my job a little. I am a conductor for the railroad and I love my job. I get to see a lot of nature ,which I love! I get to see elk, deer, moose, bald eagles and antelope on a regular basis. I also get to do important work. On my last trip we ran a train that had the solid propellant rocket boosters for the space shuttle. How cool is that?! I also get to see some beautiful scenery. The run I am working on right now goes through a gorgeous canyon and ends up in Green River, Wyoming. I think every child played with trains as a kid and now I get paid good money to do it for real as an adult. Here are a few pictures I took with my cell phone. They are not the best quality but it was all I had with me at the time. The last picture is a picture or the Green River.

Congratulations!

2008-02-24T11:46:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to our dear friends who just adopted a child for the second time. We just got the announcement today and we're so very excited for them. They have been patiently waiting for a few months and have gone through some struggles in the process this time. We are so happy for them! We're just keeping our fingers crossed that we're next. :)

Dear Birth Mother

2008-02-21T16:02:00.000-08:00

For our adoption, we had a to write a letter to the birth mother. Let me tell you, this is the hardest thing we've ever had to do. How do you put into words how grateful you are to someone for giving you the opportunity to be a parent? How do you demonstrate who you are in two pages or less? Our thoughts and feelings about adopting a child are so hard to put on paper. After much thought, here's what we finally came up with. We had to put it on 2 separate pages because that is the way we had to give it to the agency. Just click on them to read. Below the letters are the 2 pages of pictures we also put together.

How We Met

2008-02-20T18:12:00.000-08:00

One of my very first roommates, Cheryl, was a wild and crazy woman. She spent a lot of time on the internet, meeting and chatting with people from all over the country. On occasion, she would find individuals in Salt Lake that she wanted to meet, so off she'd go to meet people she'd been introduced to on the internet. Well, I must have had a weak moment, because she somehow convinced me to put my profile on Yahoo. I posted a picture, my age, that I was "single and looking" in Salt Lake City. Almost three years later, I got my first e-mail from that profile.

Jonathan was surfing through Yahoo's profiles when he came across two profiles that he was interested in. . . mine and some other girl. He sent us both an off-line instant message. When I saw his message the next day, I checked out his profile. Cute guy, but he didn't look a day over 18 despite the fact that his profile said he was 32. The thing that interested me the most about him was the fact that his profile said he was a widower. That just touched my heart. I couldn't imagine being 32 years old and a widower. So, I dropped him a line just to say hi and to tell him that I was sorry to hear that his wife had passed away at such a young age. After that, we started e-mailing on a regular basis, talking on the phone, and eventually, we decided to meet.

We met each other for the first time on April 6, 2005 at Jim's Family Restaurant on 3300S and 900E., not far from my fist town home. We met there at around 6:00 p.m., had dinner and chatted until the waitress finally had to kick us out at about 10:30 p.m. I'd finally met a man that talked as much as I did. We talked about anything and everything, laid out all our baggage,
and had a great time. We've basically been inseparable ever since.

On September 9, 2005, Jon proposed to me and we were married on February 11, 2006 in the Salt Lake Temple.

I now work for the Government at Hill Air Force Base as a Program Manager and Jon works as Conductor for Union Pacific Railroad. We're happy and things just couldn't be better.

Adopting

2008-02-20T17:48:00.001-08:00

In October 2007, after a little over a year of trying, Jon and I decided to add to our family through adoption. We decided that LDS Family Services was the best agency for us to work with since they offered such great counseling and financial assistance to their birth mothers. Anyway, we're very excited! Our paperwork is complete so we should be approved on about February 26th. Then we'll just have to wait! It makes us nervous but so excited at the same time. We can't wait to have an addition to our family. Jon's was so excited that he already set up the crib and a few things in the nursery.

Joined the Blogging World

2008-02-20T17:27:00.000-08:00

Well, I've finally done it. . . joined the world of bloggers. I've fought this for a very long time, but now I think it's time. I kept saying that no one wants to read about our boring life. . . they probably still won't, but at least I'll feel like I'm with the times. :) Well, here's to post #1 with more to come.