Happy 50th Anniversary Mom & Dad

April 10th was my parents' 50th Anniversary. 50 years...that is a long long time! We surprised my parents by having a little family party for them. The great surprise was that our whole family was there (except for my nephew K-Neal and niece Stephanie). The surprise started out by my sister Cheryl and her family showed up at my parents house from Utah. Then a little bit later my brother Clint and his family showed up from Arizona. Then Joe and Abi showed up unexpectedly. Jay & I showed up and then my sister JC and her family came over. It was so great to be together as a family!! On the first night we were all together I insisted that we take some siblings pictures. Good thing I did, because we were going to take a family picture on Sunday, but it didn't happen. At least we have this:

Clint, JC, me, Cheryl & Joe

This past week...

Lately, I have not been very good at keeping up with new posts. I haven't been spending much time at the computer--enough to look at other people's blogs, but not enough time to do a new one. I feel like I am so "far behind". Well, I finally downloaded some pictures tonight...

I had to get a picture of the kids before church.

It is so hard getting a cute one of all of them!!
On Monday night we went up to Long Beach to Jay's parents house for dinner and some swimming. The kids had a fantastic time! They are little fish. Travis is getting really good at swimming. I hope that Sara will learn to swim this summer too.

I took these pictures of Leah while the kids were swimming. I think that they are just adorable (if I do say so myself!)
This picture is just a typical Leah face. She doesn't smile much, especially for the camera. I love this little face though. Sometimes she seems a little bit serious to me.

Tagged...

I got tagged on Kjrsten's blog, so here I go...

10 YEARS AGO...
I was living in SLC with my sister and her family. I was deciding what I wanted to do with my life. I never really thought I would have to get a "career". Not knowing what I wanted to do, but knowing that I loved traveling I thought that I should be a flight attendant. I was waiting for training to be a flight attendant for United. In the meantime, I was substitute teaching. Right after spring break I had just gotten a long term sub job at Eastmont Middle School for a world history class because the teacher had gotten fired. The classes were mine until the classes until the end of the year. I was getting paid something like $38 a day. I had no idea what I was doing, but I knew that I loved it and needed to go into teaching. That summer I went home (Carlsbad) and started working on my teaching credential and master's degree.

5 THINGS ON MY "TO DO" LIST TODAY...
1. pick up my bedroom
2. mall returns
3. get present for Lisa's bridal shower
4. outdoor training class
5. go to Carlsbad for Lisa's shower

THINGS I WOULD DO IF I BECAME A BILLIONAIRE...
Move!!! I have to be honest, I would have a dang big house with a dream pool, tennis court, basketball court, in-ground trampoline, lawn the size of a football field, big swing set, playhouse, batting cage, guest house, etc (just have to keep it real guys...) Make sure Jay & my families were taken care of... Travel!!! DONATE LOTS!!: Set up scholarships for college; donate to school districts; clothe, feed and build homes and schools for many villages in South Africa; set up afterschool programs for kids in the inner-city...



5 OF MY SECRET BAD HABITS...

1. I am so cluttery. I have a hard time throwing anything away (it is not a secret if you know me!)

2. I love to grab a handful of chocolate chips out of the freezer when I walk by it.

3. I drink lots of diet coke everyday!

4. I don't take my vitamins (esp. calcium-diet coke depletes it and my mom has osteoporosis)

5. I rarely wear sunscreen. (I used to never wear it!)



5 PLACES I HAVE LIVED...

1. Carlsbad, CA

2. Provo, UT

3. Belhar, South Africa (Cape Town)

4. Long Beach, CA

5. Aliso Viejo, CA



5 JOBS I HAVE HAD...

1. Lifeguard

2. Swim Teacher

3. Rich's Bagels (made all the cream cheeses for 2 stores..loved it!!!)

4. Substitute Teacher

5. High School Teacher



5 THINGS PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT ME...

1. I love BYU football. When I was in jr. high and high school I used to go to the church to watch the games on satellite. It was me and the old men and the missionaries. In college I was obsessed with football (ok, and the players too). I am not as fanatical about watching the games like I used to be, but still love it!

2. I took a semester off at BYU to become an EMT. I never worked as one, but I loved getting certified. It was so fascinating to me. I really wanted to do something in the medical field, like be a midwife or a nurse, but I thought that it would be a waste because I really wanted to be a mom. (ok, and I decided this my 3rd year of BYU, and I had so many prereques to take and I would never pass the classes....chemistry--ya right! I would never get into the program anyways, but I did get the paperwork for UVSC.)

3. I stepped on a piece of glass from a bottle of olive oil when I was a kid and I got blood poisoning.

4. I cry whenever someone gets an award or succeeds, whether I know them or not. For example, I bawled when Tony Gwynn got his 3000th hit. I mean bawled! I even cry when I watch Miss America. My eyes tear up when someone on American Idol gets good comments from the judges.

5. I love to try new food at restaurants, but I rarely ever like it!

I TAG...
1. Patience Roney
2. Laura Ek
3. Sara Walker

The Time Has Come...

Leah is now 5 months old.... I have to be honest, I have not dieted one single bit since I have had her and I think I might have gone on 2 walks, total....and I have some weight to loose. For some reason I have not been motivated one bit and Jay has even given me a really good incentive, but that still has not worked. Finally I have decided that I am ready to loose the weight.

I signed up for this program that I am really excited about. It is 4 weeks long and I go 4 times a week. Once a week I will do a gravity/GTS resistance session, a private reformers pilates session (I am so excited to try it!!!), a outdoor boot camp session, and a session with a trainer. Today was my first day and I worked on the gravity machines. They are awesome! I am feeling it right now. After working out I went on a walk with Allyson in Laguna Beach. It was a good walk, great company and beautiful scenery (can't complain when you get to see the dolphins playing around in the water). I do think that I am going to be sore tomorrow though.

Gravity Session

You might be wondering why I am posting about this. I will tell you why. I thought that if I blogged about it, people would know, and then I would be held accountable. This is my incentive to make it work! So, I have 4 weeks to get back to normal... Wish me luck!!

Wanted: Decorating Ideas

Love this one! Seems classy and love the pink and black...

What color on the walls...need 2 colors...

Alright...I need help. Those of you who know me well know that I have the hardest time making decisions. I come up with lots of ideas, but just never have the courage to pull the trigger. Well, I am really trying to improve and I am tired of not having the rooms in my house "done". (I am sure I will never have one done either, because by the time I ever get one done, I will be ready to change it). I have already bought stuff for Travis's and Sara's rooms, but I am really struggling for what to do to my little "froggy's" room ( that is Leah...remember, she has frog legs now!). I have a time limit...I have to paint by next Monday....less than one week. Next Monday we have some guys coming out to put crown moulding and a high chair rail (about 2 feet from the crown) in her room. Then all workers will finally be done in my house and we will be getting the carpet.

I found a few "inspiration" rooms. What do you think? ps...just so you know, my furniture is white and I have a white glider, but might recover it (white not good color on a chair...duh!). Just so you know these are only inspirations, between me, my mom and Abi, we can make this stuff, hopefully!

Love the colors! Seems like a cheery room.
Pink & Animal print...enough said!
Simple and classy...and love the color on the wall...a bit different
The whole time I was thinking pink and brown...pink on the main part of the wall and the brown at the very top. Don't love his one, but like I said, "inspiration room".

Lately

Last night set up Travis and Sara in the playhouse in the loft with blankets, sleeping bags and a movie. It was fun for a while. They have loved playing in there lately. I can not wait until it is finished!!
The kids after church.
Lately, Leah is always holding on to her feet. I think it is so cute. She has gotten used to the brace.
A couple days ago I set Leah on the bed and propped her up on some pillows. She would not lean on them, she kept sitting up. I don't know if this counts as sitting, but it is sure close! She is getting too big too quick!

Love it!!

This makes me happy...Grandma Sycamore's bread. Delish!

My friend Heather was in Utah for a couple of days and brought me back this treat. Yes, it is a treat!! Granny bread puts a smile on my face. I love the smell of it. I love how soft and doughy it is. I love, love, love the ends. All I want to do is eat this bread. It is fantastic with pb & j, nutella, and toasted with butter. It is fantastic for my diet (not that I am on one, but I should be!) I don't even want to share it, especially with anyone at my house because nobody appreciates it like me! Thank you so much Heather. You made my week!