She FINALLY updated?!?

This is quite overwhelming! I haven't written on my blog in over 2 years! So much has happened that I honestly don't even know where to begin! But here's a try:

After 7+ years of living in Provo, we are now living in Henderson Nevada! It was a bitter sweet experience to be sure. For several years, we were itching to be out of the Provo 'bubble' as some call it, mostly because we had been complex managers for students at BYU. And as great as they are, it becomes a bit tiring  dealing with never ending problems, difficult landlords, etc. But then we said goodbye to the managing and entered a new living situation that was (almost) entirely student-less. We lived further away from campus and life was GREAT and fun. We made amazing friends and started to settle into life in our new Provo experience.

 Then came another exciting adventure:

Spencer had an opportunity to make his way up in the hotel industry. His company recently acquired new Marriott hotels and needed Spencer to help in the transition to new ownership/get it up and running to Lodging Dynamics (his company) standards. They own hotels all around the U.S., and we luckily got relocated to the place where Spencer grew up AND where the majority of his family is! HENDERSON, Nevada! We get to see Grandma and Grandpa often along with an Uncle and an Aunt :) Such a fun way for our kids to grow up. Speaking of kids.....

Notice how we only had ONE child in these posts? Well, now we have THREE girls!

On July 18, 2011, we welcomed Leah Katherine to our family.

She is quite the sweetheart. She was always such a good natured baby and now we'll shortly be having her 2nd birthday next month! She is still such a blessing, but she also has a bit of spunk to her, for SURE! And a bit of a temper when it comes to older sister Maddie when they 'attempt' to share. She's gotta hold her own, right? Can't be pushed around by big sister-that's a definite no. She learns so much from her older sister, Maddie--she already knows most of her letters and numbers and is starting into the princess phase of dressing up and pretending to be (mostly) Disney princesses. I guess that's inevitable with girls, right?

And then 16 short months later, we welcomed Hannah Elyse into the family.

Now I know what the automatic response will be to the age difference--YES--she was a surprise, yes life can be a bit crazy, but ya know, life just wouldn't be the same without her! She is such a sweet little thing--all smiles and giggles with hardly any fussing (unless she means business--the 'eating' business and then the '#2 poopie' business). We didn't know what we were missing until she came along! We love her so much!

And Madisen:

She's gonna be 5 on Monday (June 17th!) Can't believe this! And in the fall, she'll be starting kindergarten. So weird that i'll have a kid in school! She's so excited, though. She has recently started to really pick up on writing/reading, and surprises me often with how much she knows! She is as energetic as ever and LOVES helping Mom take care of Hannah. She's my little helper and I couldn't do it without her :)

(Sidenote: Isn't it funny how much they look alike? We liked the first prototype so much we just kept it the same for the others ;) har har)


We are very much enjoying our new life here in Las Vegas. Trying to get used to the hotter summer temperatures, though! It was 115 degrees last week! So when it's in the low 100's, it's time to get out and play (still at early hours, of course).

I promise to be a bit better about the blogging experience (note: I said 'better' not 'perfect' or everyday, so as long as I post more than once every 2 years, I should be good, right?) and not go another 2 years without writing!

So glad we're friends...

Thanks to a WONDERFUL friend who is a GIFTED photographer (although she refuses to believe it), fun memories were captured today at playgroup!

Maddie and Abby taking turns blowing dandelions


Maddie giving Abby a turn

*Right after this shot, both Abby and Maddie dabbled in tasting the dandelion. Maddie literally chomped it, and we spent several minutes trying to clean the seeds off her tongue.*

Abby is, I daresay, Maddie's best girlfriend. When we are not playing with her, she wants to be. When she SEES her, she squeals in delight. And when we have to leave, she asks me when she'll see Abby again. Seriously, two little peas in a pod. Maddie couldn't ask for a better friend. And neither could I--So glad we're friends, Lauren. We so enjoy our time with them and will be sad to see them leave...we just won't even think about that...

Yay for friends!
(excuse the pink pants--Mommy had to change her since she fell in wet wood chips!)

One year older and wiser too...?

I'm not sure about the wiser part, but I definitely am one year older and more BLESSED than ever, thanks to a WONDERFUL husband (and loving family and friends) who made my birthday so special.

I definitely have a lot to be grateful for.

A couple of thoughts brewing in my mind....

1.) I DO recognize favoritism when I see it.
2.) Why in the world is my daughter still awake in her crib at almost 11p.m.?? Tomorrow should be fun.

And i'm done.

Sorry, I had to vent.

Pitching our Tents

(*Preface--the date is ACUALLY 10/2/2010--i started writing this last night, and blogger won't let me change the date*)

In preparation for Conference , our family literally and figuratively pitched a tent towards the Prophet (or the t.v. where conference will be broadcast) this weekend. This came about as we were reading in Mosiah about King Benjamin and how the people pitched their tents to wait and hear his words. We came up with this idea last year and created a dinky little blanket tent. But THIS year, since we have a bigger living room, we decided to get our real tent out and make a weekend of it. And how FUN it has been! Here's some pictures to give you an idea of how much room this tent takes up in our living room:

and we have a PRETTY big living room!

And camping wouldn't be complete without tinfoil dinners!
(Spencer and my brother, Gary, eating in tent)

Turned out quite nicely, I might add--and easy clean up too!

And delicious, hot smores too! :)

The next morning....

Let's just say sleeping in a tent is no where near as comfortable as a bed, but hey, it's part of the camping experience, right? Spencer went quickly to work on our breakfast...omelets in a bag, boy scout style. lol. And here is my concoction:

(Please excuse me--afterall, I just woke up!)

All analogies and family traditions aside, I just LOVE the opportunity I have hear from these wonderful men, these men of God! I honestly look forward to this time of year, and it never comes too soon--i'm always ready and eager to hear what they would have me do. I do remember being younger and sometimes dreading two whole days of broadcasts, but I have learned to appreciate the importance of hearing from our Prophet, especially knowing that he is our Father's mouthpiece and speaks to us by and through the power of God. How incredible is that?!? I know without a doubt that our Heavenly Father has placed a Prophet on this earth to lead and guide us. Many faiths believe that God no longer speaks to those on the Earth, but I say to this--if He wants to speak, He will. He has placed Prophets on the Earth throughout its history, so why would he stop? He hasn't. And to many of my non-member friends who read my blog, I invite you to listen to these wonderful men and hear for yourself the message of Jesus Christs' gospel. Just go to: www.lds.org, and the main page will have a link so that you may listen. Please open your heart and mind to the messages, for they will truly change your lives if you let them.

Enjoy your Conference Weekend! :)

Follow the Prophet

Family Home Evenings can be challenging with a two year old, mainly for two reasons:

1.) They don’t sit still
2.) They’re not even listening half the time

But I’m an avid believer in consistency in hopes that with enough repetition, it sinks in. And last night, it DID! We are preparing for General Conference this weekend and thought it only fitting to have a lesson on prophets. We told Maddie that Heavenly Father has “helpers” here on Earth to helps us make good choices and they’re called Prophets. And for our activity? While holding a picture of Thomas S. Monson and Joseph Smith, we marched in a line around the house while singing “Follow the Prophet”. Now we did this for at LEAST a half hour, needless to say that Maddie loved the object lesson. And the crowning jewel for Mommy happened afterwards when Maddie was able to repeat this back to me:

SUCCESS! :) And now she can't get enough of Prophets. :) She goes over and talks with their pictures all day!

How grateful I am for the opportunity to teach my daughter the gospel. It is such a blessing for me when I see the gospel in action in my home. Madisen already has a love for temples and makes sure to point them out everywhere she goes. For example, here's a conversation we had in the car today on the way home from the University Mall--she spots the Provo Temple:

Maddie: "Look, Mommy! I love to see the temple! I'm going there someday!"

Mommy: What do we do in the temple, Maddie?

Maddie: We listen and we pray. And get married. Mommy was married in the temple, Daddy was married in the temple, Grandma was married in the temple, Gary was married in the temple...

Mommy: That's right! Except for Gary isn't married yet. Someday he will, and someday Maddie will get married in the temple too!

Maddie: Yeah!

Her knowledge is so simple still and so pure, but she's learning everyday, and I"m grateful for the chance to help her learn and grow. :) Being a Mommy is the best!

I Canned, I Peeled, I Preserved!

Let me start out by saying that somehow I've become obsessed with canning. I NEVER knew there were so many possibilities with what you could can, and now that I do, watch out mason jars! I'm coming for you!

I got started last year when a co-worker taught me the art, but I was a bit turned off with how long the process took. Lo and behold, you DON'T have to peel each individual peach with a knife--there's an EASIER and more EFFICIENT way to do it. **This technique doesn't work with all fruits, but it does with peaches** You just put a bunch of peaches in boiling water for 30-60 seconds and then dip them in cold water and VOILA--the skins come right off!

With this little tid bit of knowledge under my belt this year, canning became a delight, and even Spencer wanted in. It is somehow therapeutic for me. I love working with my hands and i've always loved cooking. And if I can save a buck in the process by canning my own stuff, count me in! :) We've finished now 14 quarts and have 2 more to go! Now on to apples, then strawberry jam (i'm cheating and buying the strawberries from Costco instead of a local vendor), and then some homemade salsa. If anyone wants in, lemme know! :)

For now, i'm enjoying the sound of popping lids. What a nice sound that is. :)