The McElprangs

Family Pics

2011-12-31T00:30:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving weekend we had some family pictures taken by our family friend Sean Huntington. We did a session with just Cory, Goose, and I and then my mom got the rest of the family together so she could get some family pictures taken too. He did a great job and I'm so happy with how they all turned out!

Tis The Season

2011-12-30T23:29:00.000-07:00

My sweet friend Heather Lee kindly reminded me that I haven't updated my blog in a while. So, I figured I better update it before I get too far behind.

Like everyone else, we've been happily busy with the holidays...

The week of Thanksgiving my little brother Jake came home from his mission in Denmark. We are so happy to have him home, especially just before the holidays! My Aunt Ria even came in from California to see him so we were all glad to have her here as well.

Also Thanksgiving weekend, Cory's good friend Lance (basically his brother) had his sister visit from California. I had never met Becky and Cory hadn't seen her in years so it was a treat for us all to get together and to listen to them talk about memories with each other.

After Thanksgiving we all started getting ready for Christmas. Lucy loved the cold weather and getting bundled up to walk the neighborhood and look at Christmas lights.

And of course it just wouldn't be Christmas if we didn't visit the temple to look at their wonderful lights!

A week or so before Christmas there was a big Christmas party at the clinic I work at. It was a family party so we took Kenna, Kai, and Goose with us. They got to meet Santa, have fun in a petting zoo, play with snow, and meet Bumblebee. It was a really fun time!

This year we were lucky enough to have Cory's parents come down from Pinetop to spend Christmas with us. Lucy adores her Grandma and Grandpa McElprang and it was fun to have them there when she opened her presents, especially now that she's getting older and actually likes opening up presents!

The day after Christmas we headed down to Mexico for a few days of fun in the sun. After the busy holidays it was nice to get out of town and have some time to just fish, sit on the beach, eat some tacos, read a book, and RELAX! Lucy Absolutely loved the beach and would constantly point to the ocean and sign "more". She could not get enough of it!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season as well!

Jolley Family Reunion

2011-09-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

The first week in August we were able to go up to Pinetop for a week for the anual Jolley family reunion. It was nice to get out of the heat for a while and enjoy some fresh mountain air. Lucy had a blast getting to spend a ton of time with her Nana, Papa, Grandma Delma, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

I think my parents loved having all the grandkids around too!

Of course we have to play a game of cards when we all get together

We were able to spend an afternoon up at Love Lake

And took some nice walks

Lucy was able to meet Cory's best friend's mom, Gwen

Bathtime for Lucy & Brock!

Cory and I had a chance to go to the Snowflake Temple with Sam and Nicole

It was such a nice, relaxing week. We were sad that it went by so fast and cannot wait until the reunion next year. In the meantime, we are just trying to survive this crazy heat!

gotta love me some lip gloss!

2011-08-26T16:21:00.000-07:00

Down East Basics is having a great giveaway right now. Just check out their blog for a chance to win a set of What's Your Virtue? lip gloss. I love that all the lip gloss names are wholesome and uplifting. LOVE IT!

California Vacation

2011-07-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

Last week Cory, Goosey, and I were able to spend a few days in California with my family. It was a very last-minute trip but it ended up being very fun. We drove down with Sam, Nicole, and cute little Bug and enjoyed every second of the non-scorching weather.

Of course we had to walk on over to the beach (although to be honest I'm not a big fan of California beaches....I think I'm too spoiled with the beach in Mexico). Lucy loved it though!

One day we decided to go to the Birch Museum. I hadn't been there since I was 12 and we'd gone for an ELP field trip, so I remember I liked it but wasn't sure if it would still be as good. It turned out to be so much fun!

Can you tell Lucy LOVES water!?

Lucy could not get enough of the different kinds of fish. All she wanted to do was pat on the glass at all the fish going by. She was mesmerized!

One day we were able to go over and check out the Mormon Battalion Museum. The presentation felt like a mini Disneyland ride but it was actually pretty fun. I was surprised at how much Lucy enjoyed it. Truthfully I was a little worried that she might be a little bored out of her mind (actually I thought that might be the case for me too). Fortunately it was a really fun place!

At the end of the tour we got to pan for gold. I was horrible at it and Lucy just wanted to play in the water.

We also had the chance to walk around the San Diego temple. I hadn't been there since the open house when I was little so I was excited to go back. Unfortunately we had the Goose with us so we weren't able to do a session but it was still really nice and peaceful to walk around the grounds.

Overall it was a fantastic trip. We loved being able to sit back and relax and spend some time with the family. It's just a bummer that summer is almost over.

sweet cheeks

2011-06-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

Today we had a power outage throughout most of Mesa. Luckily, it wasn't as hot today as it has been so we were able to stay relatively cool from the remnant cool air left in the house and with my parent's swimming pool. Of course Nana Sue had to let Goosey do a little skinny dipping so I was able to get this sweet shot of her.

Check out those butt dimples and thunder thighs! Haha! I absolutely love this little chubster. She is my favorite and I cannot believe she is already 9 months old! Where does the time go!?

Summer Lovin

2011-06-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and it seems to be getting hotter and hotter each day. Luckily, my little Goose is a sun baby and LOVES to be outside in the pool. I'm not a huge fan of swimming but if it keeps her happy and I can get a tan, then I can't complain much. I can't wait until next summer when she is old enough for swim lessons and floaties. For now, she'll have to settle to being confined in her little inflatable tube.

I know I say it a lot but I adore this little girlie girl. She is getting bigger and sassier every day! She's only 8 months old but I can't imagine what life would be like without her. We are so fortunate to have her spunky little spirit in our home!

Also, I think her hair is looking a tad more red. I'm a bit in deniable and feel like she will be a blondie but every now and then, if the light hits it just right, she's definitely got an essence of strawberry in there. Where did that come from!?

millions of peaches

2011-05-19T16:02:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we decided to check out Schnepf Farm's Peach Festival out in Queen Creek. I'd never been and had always wanted to check it out. So I convinced Cory and we picked up his mom to go see what it was all about. It wasn't as amazingly fantastic as I had pictured in my head, but it was still a nice morning. We decided to try and pick some peaches but when the tractor took us to the orchard we realized it was not very stroller-friendly. So, we ended up heading back to the festival empty handed. Oh well.

The best part was definitely the petting zoo. Lucy loved all the goats and animals. I was somewhat worried one of the more feisty goats might bite her or jump up and knock her on accident, but then again I worry about EVERYTHING. So with a handful of goat pellets we headed into goat territory. Honestly, we could've just done that and left and she would've been as happy as can be. She's definitely a curious little gal and was so interested in the furry little animals around her.

On a random note, Lucy farted in the bathtub for the first time the other day. I know, Cory and I are probably the only ones who find it absolutely hilarious....but still, it was hilarious! Even more, she's done it just about every day so she must've thought it was just as funny as we did. I was sending Cory a cute tub pic of her with my phone right as she did it and this is the shot I got....

I don't see her earning a Miss Manners award anytime soon, but I'm ok with that:)

mothering 101 by brittney spears

2011-05-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, Cory and I let Lucy sit on our laps as we drive from our house down to my parents or vice versa. I know, I probably shouldn't but seriously, it's only 3 houses down. Plus, she looks cute behind the wheel and she LOVES it. That's the limit of my Brittney Spears mothering techniques though...no worries, I will not be shaving my head anytime soon.

Easter Time Festivities

2011-04-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had lots of Easter fun with our whole family. On Friday we went over to Cory's parents and I made roast chicken with vegetables (my absolutely favorite dinner). Lucy LOVES her Grandma and Grandpa McElprang and they spoil her rotten! Unfortunately, I completely forgot my camera so I wasn't able to get any pictures. Sad. I'll make sure to remember it next time.

On Saturday my brother Dano and sister in law Linds invited us all over to their house for a BBQ. It is always fun when we get together with the Shreeve clan. There was yummy food, swimming, a potty disaster, and so much more! Lucy is starting to get to the point where she likes to play with other babies and since her, Brock, and Grady are all very close in age she has lots of babies to play with.

Huge Mother's Day Giveaway Via LWP

2011-04-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

Laura Winslow Photography is having a GIGANTIC Mother's Day Giveaway. Check it out!

cuteness

2011-04-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

My sweet little LucyAnn had her first 2 teeth break through a couple of weeks ago. Her Grandma McElprang discovered both of them. She just looks so stinkin cute with those little chompers. I love getting a big toothy smile out of her.

Can you see those beautiful pearly whites?

She is still getting bigger and bigger (in at least the 90th percentile for weight, head circumference, and length). I just can't believe how big our pork chop is getting! (Thanks Daddy for that flattering nickname)

But she is pretty dang proud of how big she's getting!

Another recent project is getting her on a consistent nap schedule and making her sleep through the night. We've taken the "cry it out" approach...tonight is night 4 and she is doing FANTASTIC! A week ago she was waking up every hour and a half and last night she went to bed at 8:30 PM, woke up once, at 4:00 AM, went back to sleep until 6:30 AM, had a bottle and slept until 7:40 AM. Now, a week ago she did have a cold and wasn't feeling 100% but seriously, going from waking up a minimum of 4-5 times a night to sleeping an 8 hour chunk...COME ON!!! Yes, the first night was tough (Daddy was on duty but I could still hear the cries), but each night has gotten easier and easier. I still wake up to check on her a ton in the middle of the night (just me being paranoid), but I see a whole lot more of this....

**Sigh** Such a beautiful thing.

Yep Goosey, I'm talking about you cute girl!

We adore this darling girl and, even though sometimes she drives me Nuts-O, I'm so very lucky to be her Mama!

blowing bubbles

2011-03-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

Cory and I are probably the only ones who find this little video absolutely adorable/entertaining/fantastic, but oh well. Our little LucyAnn loves to blow bubbles. Sometimes, when she gets mad at me, she will blow bubbles instead of screech. I prefer the bubbles to the screech.

I cannot believe my little Lucy is now 6 months old! Time just needs to slow down...I'm not ready for her to grow up so fast!

spring break

2011-03-19T18:07:00.001-07:00

This past week we were able to go down to Mexico for spring break. Basically, this post will just be pics of our trip. We had a blast! The weather was perfect, my uncle, aunt, and cousins from Colorado came down, and I got a nice spring tan. It was definitely a great trip. The only downer was cute little Grady wasn't feeling well when Sam and Nicole got there, so they had to go home after only a day. They found out he had an ear infection so I'm sure he's doing better now that he has some medicine. Poor little guy!

We had so much fun! I hope your spring break was great too!

oh my yummnesssss!

2011-03-04T18:03:00.000-07:00

So I've read all about these donut muffins on different blogs and recipe sites for months now and have always thought "hmmm, yeah, those might be good". Well today and made them and now I find myself asking "where have you been my whole life!?" Let me just say that I think a good cake donut is probably one of the best things ever and a good muffin isn't too shabby either. Well, combining the two is even more fantastic than I imagined!

I used this recipe from AllRecipes.com and only did 3 things differently:

1. I added a tsp of vanilla because I just couldn't imagine muffins/donuts without it

2. I only used 1/2 tsp of nutmeg because I didn't want it to be too strong

3. I baked them in a standard cupcake pan...it made 6 which was perfect for the hubs and I

Sooooo....if you are thinking to yourself "I wonder what I could whip up for breakfast?" let me just suggest giving these little guys a try. Oh, and they don't have any eggs in them (which I sometimes run out of) so they can be made with basically what you have on hand! The only problem I've found is that I think I'm getting addicted to them and now my goal of being bathing suit ready in a couple months might be in danger!

beach bum

2011-03-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we were able to spend a day down in Mexico. The weather was perfect and we all had such a good time! LucyAnn absolutely loved laying out on the beach.

We cannot wait until spring break so we can go soak up some more of that lovely ocean weather!

Cousins

2011-02-27T17:33:00.000-07:00

Lucy is blessed with so many cousins! Unfortunately all of her cousins on the McElprang side of the family live in Idaho, so she hasn't been able to meet any of them yet. But all of the Shreeve cousins live close by and she is so fortunate enough to spend time with them. Last weekend her cousin Nixon was blessed and we were so happy to be able to be apart of his special day. He is such a sweet little baby and we all love him and are so grateful to have him in our family.

Nixon Daniel Arledge

The Arledge Family

The men who participated in the blessing

Uncle Dan and Aunt Sue with all the cousins under 2 years old

Uncle Dan and Aunt Sue with all the older cousins

in case you're looking for something new to read...

2011-02-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

I would definitely recommend Matched. I bought this for Cami for Christmas, being a little selfish in knowing that I'd want to borrow it when she was finished. She finally read it so I got to read it last week and I loved it! The only bad thing is the sequel doesn't come out until November, so that's a bummer. But it is definitely worth a read if you are into books such as The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, etc.

Moose Track Brownies

2011-02-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I saw a recipe for some moose track cookies. Since I'm more of a brownie girl, I thought I'd go that route instead. They turned out yummy and oh so good! Next time I will make them thicker and will add more of the white chocolate chips, just because I love white chocolate! These were still super nummy as is!

Moose Track Brownies

1 family sized box of brownie mix

1/2 cup chopped reese's peanut butter cups (I used the minis)

1/2 cup of white chocolate chips

1 TBS flour

4 TBS (give or take) of hershey's chocolate syrup

Mix the brownie mix according to boxed directions. In a separate bowl, mix the reese's and white chocolate chips with the flour (this helps them from sinking to the bottom). Mix the reese's and chocolate chips into the brownie batter. Pour into 9x13 pan (8x8 if you want thicker brownies). Drizzle the chocolate syrup on top and then run a knife through the mix to create a swirl pattern. Bake at 325' for appoximately 30-35 mins. Enjoy!

Pavlova

2011-02-14T17:38:00.001-07:00

What could be better than crisp and chewy meringue, fresh whipped cream, and ripe berries? Not a whole lot! It's so easy to make and oh so delicious!

Pavlova

(alatered from this recipe from allrecipes.com)

3 egg whites, room temp

3/4 c. sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

1 tsp cornstarch

fresh, sweetened whipped cream

sliced strawberries, kiwis, etc.

Beat egg whites until they start to form soft peaks and then slowly incorporate the sugar. Continue beating until stiff peaks form and the egg turns glossy. Be careful not to overbeat the egg whites! When egg is glossy fold (or if I'm impatient I wisk) in vanilla, then lemon (if adding lemon), then cornstarch. Spread or pipe onto a silpat lined baking sheet. If you use silpat it definitely will not stick! Bake at 300' for approximately 1 hour or until lightly crisp and browned on the outside ---- to be festive I used a pastry bag and piped it into hearts and it only took about 40 minutes to bake. After the meringue is cooled top with sweetened whip cream and fruit. I've been told that traditional pavlova is topped with kiwi and strawberry but I always stick with strawberries...I think that maybe fresh blueberries, rasberries, and blackberries might be good too:)

This just happens to be one of Cory's favorite desserts, so I decided that we would have pavlova for our Valentine's Day treat. Happy Valentine's Day!

cold day remedy

2011-02-08T11:01:00.000-07:00

Last week it was unusually cold for Arizona weather. So, what better way to warm up than some yummy corn chowder? I LOVE this corn chowder recipe from Vanilla Sugar. It is unbelievably easy and absolutely delicious! Definitely not a diet friendly chowder but I'm ok with that.

I think some homeade croutons taste extra yummy on a rich soup like this. My favorite homeade croutons are made with these yummy brown rolls from Wal-Mart

Just dice them up into a size you like

Drizzle with some yummy olive oil and sprinkle with some good kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Then roast in the oven until brown and toasty. Sprinkled on top of soup adds a delicious crunch!

This has become one of my most favorite soups. It is so easy to make and I adore sweet potatoes. MMMmmmm!

happiness

2011-01-21T11:04:00.000-07:00

Everyday I fall more and more in love with this little gal. She definitely makes you work for her smiles but when she gives you one, it just melts your heart. I mean, who couldn't love that face!

Bluberry Mmmmuffins

2011-01-12T16:43:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I had a blueberry muffin from Mimi's Cafe for the first time. I've always liked blueberry muffins but my-oh-my it was delicious! It tasted more like a blueberry cake than anything. Every since all I can think about are these beautiful things

So when my mom had some blueberries left over from the tarts she made for Nicole's baby shower, I decided to make some blueberry muffins myself. I must say, they turned out moist and fabulous! I know Bashas has blueberries on sale this week so I am thinking I will just have to make another batch and freeze them for a quick breakfast. Next time, for fewer calories, I will substitute some of the oil and butter with applesauce and the sour cream with some fat free yogurt (maybe even vanilla flavor). Yummmm!

Blueberry Muffins

4 eggs

2 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup melted butter (I used salted butter)

1/2 cup oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 container sour cream (16 oz)

4 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2-3 cups of blueberries

Coarse sanding sugar

Beat eggs. Slowly add sugar and continue to beat until light in color. Slowly add oil and butter as you continue to beat the mixture. Add vanilla and sour cream. Separately, sift the flour, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Fold in blueberries. Scoop into paper-lined muffin tins and sprinkle with coarse sanding sugar. Bake at 400' for 22 mins if you are making jumbo muffins, 16 mins if you are making regular sized muffins. Enjoy!

Happy Christmas

2010-12-28T22:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Christmas is already over. Truthfully, it never felt like Christmas to me...not even on Christmas day! Oh well, whether it felt like Christmas or not, it was still a great day. On the 23rd the Shreeve side of the family got together for a big Mexican dinner. It was oh-so-yummy! For Christmas Eve we took the simple route and ordered pizza. Then we went to see the beautiful temple lights and afterward had dessert at my parents' house with our good friends the Selks.

Christmas morning we did our own thing at our house before heading down to my parents. As you can see, Lucy was less than enthused by the whole Christmas festivities.

Oh well...we enjoyed it enough for her.

We flew Cory's parents up to Idaho to spend Christmas with his siblings that live up there, so we were able to have his brother Brett stay the night Christmas Eve and share Lucy's first Christmas with us. I think she really likes her Uncle Brett.

After we did our Christmas thing, we headed down to my parents for the highlight of my Christmas day...

Talking to that stud on the computer! It was sooooo good to talk to (and SEE) Jake! We miss him so much and I was glad that he finally was able to really see his new niece Lucy (other than in pictures). Unfortunately, she was unwilling to be in a smiley mood and instead would only give her famous Lucy furrowed brow...oh well. I think he still liked seeing her and Navy and Brock and the rest of us all the same.

Check out the cute hats Jake sent us girls from Denmark.

(I won't show you the skimpy undies he sent the boys...Dano was even so bold as to model them for us but that's a picture better left unseen)

After we talked to Jake we opened presents ---- close to 4:00 PM! I think Kenna and Kai were going a little nuts!

All in all, it was a great Christmas. We are so happy to have this little girl in our lives and cannot wait until she is old enough to understand and enjoy Christmas as much as we do. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too!

Ria Tortilla, Tortilla Ria!

2010-12-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

Last month my Auntie Ria came to visit us from California. We love it when our Aunt Ria comes to visit...it always feels like she never left. We always have the best time shopping and visiting and just hanging out. I know that Lucy already loves her Aunt Ria and will love her more and more as she grows up.

Turkey Day

2010-12-01T15:16:00.000-07:00

We were able to spend Thanksgiving in Rocky Point this year. My family usually goes down there for Thanksgiving but this is the first year Cory and I have been able to go. It was so much fun and was even warm enough for Cory to do some fishing and for me to spend some time reading on the beach.

Lucy was too little to enjoy it this time but I know when she gets older she is going to LOVE the beach as much as her dad and I do. We can't wait until we get a break in our schedule so we can go back again.

Lucy's Blessing Day

2010-11-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we blessed our sweet little Lucy. It was stake conference weekend so we decided to do it at our house with our family. Cory's dad was in town and my dad finished up all his meetings early. It was so much fun to have everyone together to celebrate such a special day.

We had Lucy wear the same dress I was blessed in. She looked so cute with the bonnet!

With Grandma and Grandpa McElprang

With Nana and Papa

Lucy loves her Grandpa McElprang

Nana & Papa with their 3 grandkids

Kenna loves being an aunt and Lucy loves her Aunt Kenna

Four generations

She is the sweetest little girl and we absolutely love her. I cannot believe how much she grows each and every day and I just love how her little personality is developing. We love you LucyAnn!

Newborn Pics

2010-11-07T11:49:00.001-07:00

A couple of weekends ago we had Camie Shill take Lucy's newborn pics. She was awake for most of the shoot and wasn't too happy, so it was tough to get a lot of shots, but Camie did a great job!

Lucy holding a picture of her aunt Nikki

Typical Lucy stretch

Cory is such a proud daddy

She wasn't too happy about wearing her blessing dress...so this is the best shot we got of her in it

We do have a pretty cute baby, if I do say so myself.

Halloween

2010-11-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

We had a fun-filled Halloween Eve!

Cory dressed up like a farmer and we just put Lucy in a cute tu-tu and a Halloween onesie with some leggings. She looked pretty dang cute.

This is the best picture we were able to get of the cousins. Navy and Brock were Pebbles and Bam Bam and looked oh so cute! Their mom and dad were real sports and even dressed up as Fred and Wilma.

Kenna and Kai didn't want to change out of their costumes all weekend!

Hope everyone else had a great Halloween too!

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

Last night we had our families over for some dinner and pumpkin carving. It was so much fun to get everyone together for some yummy food and fun!

Kai & Kenna in their Halloween costumes

Sweet little Brock with his very own pumpkin

Lindsay drawing out her pumpkin's face

Kenna cleaning out her pumpkin and Dano carving Navy's pumpkin

We were so glad that the Selks could come!

Lucy loves her Grandma McElprang

Papa and Cami, trying to get Navy to smile...unsuccessfully

Dano and Brock with his pumpkin

Cory, Lucy, and I with our pumpkin

The carvers and their creations

Cory decided to pull out some leftover fireworks and our pumpkin started smoking...he felt pretty bad-a

Nicole, Danyelle, and the babies

Cute little Lucy in her Halloween onesie

Sam and Grandma

Of course we had to bust out Just Dance 2

Dad sporting Kai's spiderman mask

We had so much fun with our family and friends!

rub-a-dub-dub

2010-10-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

Lucy's cord FINALLY fell off last week so we were able to give her her very first bath! Yay! She actually didn't mind it and seemed to almost enjoy it.

We just can't get enough of this sweet little girl!

The Costanza Look

2010-10-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

Our sweet little Lucy is getting bigger each day. I can't believe she's already over 3 weeks old! She has started to lose her hair but right now it's just falling out on the top of her head so she's got this nice little George Costanza thing going on.

last week...

today....

Oh well, that's what bows are for, right?

just some pictures

2010-10-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures we've taken this last week of our little Lucy.

Kai & Kenna with Lucy

Cami with Lucy

Grandma and Lucy

Cory and Dano with their little ones

Our nephew Brock and Lucy...they are one month apart

After Brock's blessing with Lucy

LucyAnn is Finally Here!

2010-10-03T16:50:00.001-07:00

LucyAnn Nicole McElprang

September 28th

11:29 PM

6 lbs 10 oz

21 1/2" long

Cory and I before she arrived

During the labor I came down with a fever and she seemed to get a little stuck, so she was under some stress. When she finally got here, I only got to hold her for just a minute before they took her off to the NICU to check her and make sure everything was ok.

Cory got to go with her down to the NICU.

They were concerned she might have an infection so they decided to put her on some antibiotics and oxygen in the NICU. So, we didn't get to have her in our hospital room at all and I didn't get to see her until the morning after she was born. Cory was FINALLY able to hold her the afternoon after she was born.

Our first family picture (excuse my grossness!)

We came home on Thursday night and were lucky to bring our little Lucy home on Friday afternoon. We were SO happy to get her home and to be able to hold her without all her tubes and IVs.

Pappy, Nana Sue, Kenna, Kai, and auntie Cami were all so excited to have Lucy home too

Cory's dad came down from Pinetop so he could meet his new grandbaby.

We are ecstatic to have our little Lucy home and to be able to enjoy her sweet spirit. Every day she does something new and fun and cute and we just can't get enough of her. Even though she looks like a McElprang, I'm pretty sure she's got my personality...hence the inappropriate hand gesture. I'm sure that we will have many fun and eventful experiences with this little one and I just can't wait to see what's in store for our little family. Welcome home baby Lucy!

$25 and Under Boutique

2010-09-16T12:03:00.000-07:00

Summer Allen in my ward is hosting a FANTASTIC boutique next weekend where everything is $25 and under. I highly recommend you go check out all the cute stuff! Be there or be square!

http://adaisyoriginal.blogspot.com/

Ta-Da!

2010-09-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

I finally have most of Lucy's nursery put together. The crib is up, clothes are put away, and now all we need is our little girl to complete everything. I'm glad it's all ready for her but I still have another 3 1/2 weeks until she shows up so I'll have to keep myself busy with other projects.

BEFORE...

AFTER...

here's the cute letters my mom made to put above her bed

I stole the idea from my friend Amilee and made this bow board from an old picture frame, some fabric, and chicken wire

I found the vintage white lamp at a garage sale for just $2...it's probably one of my most favorite pieces in the room

we had this old chair in our house when we moved in and my mom got it recovered for us

Love it! And the table I bought for $20...it's just one of those old seventies style tables. I decided to paint and glaze it, topped it off with a goodwill vase and a cute little doily.

I absolutely love the way the nursery turned out. Cory was even sweet enough to let me put in new carpet and installed some crown molding to finish it off. Sometimes I just go and sit in there and think about how bizarre it feels to have a nursery in my home. We're both so excited for her to get here though so she can be the finishing touch on the room. Hurry and get here LucyAnn!

Welcome to the World Baby Brock!

2010-09-02T17:56:00.000-07:00

On Sunday my little nephew Brock was born. He is such a cute little stud and we all love him! Linds says he's a great sleeper and I'm only hoping his cousin will share that traight. I have only seen his eyes once because every time I've seen him he's been asleep! He's such a sweet little guy and now I am even more anxious for my little one to get here.

Can you tell that Kenna was so EXCITED to meet her little nephew?

Baby Shower...YAY!

2010-09-02T17:50:00.001-07:00

Last week I my baby shower. It was so much fun! I got to visit with some great friends and got lots of fun gifts! Thank you to everyone who came. Love you guys!

Mom and Kellie, doing what they do best...making GREAT food for everyone!

Grandma enjoying her diet coke and costa vida salad

Cami and Brooke, my photographers

The McElprang ladies

The Selks (and Mallory)

The Harper Gals!

Tricia and Meghan

Too many presents!

Kenna, clearly DONE watching me open presents. Haha!

Cami, pointing out just how HUGE I am

gearing up for baby

2010-08-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

Cory decided it was time to try out the baby carrier he bought. Since we don't have any dolls around our house, he went with the next best thing. I think our little yorkie Kingston liked the carrier more than we expected. I guess if the baby hates it, at least one of our dogs will like it.

Preggers

2010-08-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

After Sunday dinner we decided to get a picture of all the pregnant ladies in the family. Linds is due Sept 8th, I'm due Oct 8th, and Nicole is due sometime in February (not sure on the exact date). Soon there will be lots of little kiddos running around our Sunday dinners!

Harry Potter

2010-07-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

Just saw the new Harry Potter trailer and can hardly wait until fall! I'm so very, very, very excited! If you haven't seen the trailer you need to! And if you don't like Harry Potter, well, you need to give it another try because these last two movies are going to be AMAZING! Did I mention that I'm so excited to see it?

On the Brighter Side

2010-07-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

Despite the scorching temps, the fact that my belly is getting HUGE, and the realization that none of my clothes no longer fit, I've decided to look at some of the more positive things about this past week. Here's what I've come up with...

I slept through the entire night TWICE without having to get up to pee
We scored some free garage shelving thanks to my bosses at BlindsChalet.com
Cory has already set up said shelving and started organizing our garage
I found out I'm going to be an auntie again next spring
I got a great deal on a car seat and 2 bases on craigslist (only $40 for all 3 pieces!)
One of my BFFs found out she's having a boy so now we can set up an arranged marriage between our kids:)
Cory and I both have a 3 day weekend to spend together
There's only 97 days 'til my due date!!!

Yay for thinking more positively! Now it's time to go hit up some garage sales in hopes of finding a dresser! Enjoy your long weekend everyone!

Summer Trips

2010-06-21T13:14:00.003-07:00

A few weeks ago we went up to my parent's place in Hagler for the night with Sam and Nicole. We had so much fun just getting out of town for the night and enjoying the mountains. As you can see, my baby bump was starting to push its way out.

----------------------------------------------------------

Just last week Cory and I had the chance to take our summer trip to North Carolina where he was homegrown. It was great to get away from the scorching Arizona heat. I got to meet some of Cory's friends from church and school and some family friends.

Here we are up by the Blue Ridge Parkway

Of course no trip would be complete without a little fishing...except I think he was hoping to catch something a little bigger

We had some great BBQ

We even got to meet up with his Aunt Patti in Nashville

Cory did some cliff jumping with some friends...not something I was too happy about but he had fun:)

And here we are at Dry Falls. Clearly, my baby bump just seems to keep getting bigger and bigger.

Of course we had to stop by the University of Tennesse so Cory could chomp the sign in his Gator Gear!

It was a great vacation and it was very hard to get back to reality.

Glazing

2010-05-13T17:28:00.002-07:00

I saw this glazing tutorial online and decided to give it a try. I found this great little table at a garage sale for $10...

Pulled out some leftover green paint I had in the garage....

Brushed on some glaze, added some home accents and...

Tada! I totally love it and officially hooked on glazing. I have this funky hexagon table I bought a couple months ago and have been wanting to paint it but didn't quite know what to do with it. I think it will be my next glazing project.

P.S.

Notice the hardwood floors that we FINALLY finished...only 6 weeks after we started. I'm so glad the we're done and I love the new floors!

biting the bullet

2010-05-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

Ever since Cory and I have been married people have constantly asked us "when are you going to have kids?". My indefinite answer has always been "five years". Well, we've finally decided to take the plunge and can now change that answer to five months. I'm 18 weeks pregnant with our first nugget and am due on October 8th. We just told our whole family this weekend and found out on Friday that we are going to be having a little girl. We're both trying to get over the shock as we were certain it would be a boy, but we're still nervous/anxious/excited all the same.

Gila Valley Temple

2010-05-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Cory and I drove up to the Pima/Thatcher area for the Gila Valley Temple open house. The temple is gorgeous and we had a really fun time. After the open house we met up with our friends Heather & Terry for some yummy El Charros. Mmmm. Before we headed out of town, we got to go through Pres. Kimball's childhood home and met a really sweet lady who lives in the home he first lived in with his wife Camilla. It was great to get away, even just for the day, and spend some one on one time with the hubs. Loved it.

In front of the beautiful temple

Outside the historic Kimball home

Mexico, Easter, and some Spiritual Enlightenment

2010-04-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

Every general conference weekend my parents head down to Mexico for a nice long weekend. This year we were fortunate enough to have time off work to join them. It was Easter weekend, but we don't have kids so the whole Easter egg hunt, decorating eggs, and whatnot just doesn't really appeal to us much...we have not problem trading that in for a little sun. The weather was wonderful and we even got to feel our very first earthquake (looking back it was cool but at the time, I was having a little spaz attack about it and the potential for tsunamis). The Vance's even came too and we all had lots of fun enjoying the beach, listening to conference, and munching on Lucas chickens. Yummm!

Cory loves going down there and exploring the tide pools just as much as the kids

He even caught his very first crab with his crab trap!

We decided to do this thing where we ride boogie boards down the sand dunes...we called it sand surfing.

Here's Kai showing off for everyone

The guys even got dressed up to go into town and watch Priesthood session...the quad was their way of not getting sandy before they left for the meeting.

Overall it was a FANTASTIC weekend and we hope to be able to go back and enjoy the beach one last time before it gets too hot.

Sam & Nicole Shreeve

2010-03-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

Last Friday my little brother Sammy married the sweetest girl ever, Nicole Selk. We are so excited to welcome her (and her family) into our family. The weather couldn't have been more perfect that day and the reception was so much fun. Here are just some pics from the fun-filled day!

The New Mr. & Mrs. Shreeve

Mom & Dad with Sam & Nicole

The cutest little bug ever!

Uncle John & Aunt Tracy who came all the way from Colorado

Sisters! Linds, Mom, Cami, & Me

Sam & Nicole with all the kiddos: Taylor, Kenna, Will, Maddie, Navy, & Kai

The Selks

The entire bridal party

what happens when two impulsive people get together?

2010-03-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago Cory and I started talking about replacing our old carpet with some hardwood floors and new carpet. It was one of those casual conversations with a "we'll get to it in the next couple of months" attitude. About a week later Cory and I found ourselves looking at flooring in Tempe and before we knew it, we were swiping the card and leaving with a truckfull of materials. Within 24 hours our house suddenly became a demo-zone...

We even had our neighbor Chris come over and help us take out our old dated brick wall...it completely opened up our room!

I've decided that Cory and I are both too impulsive...one way we were simply talking about the possibility of new floors and a few days later we are waist deep in dust and glue fumes. Luckily we have some great friends who've helped us lay the flooring in our front room but we still have our entryway, hallway, and family room to go....and did I mention we have family coming to stay with us this Friday for Sam's wedding!? Yikes...we better get on this!

Snow Day, Mesa Style

2010-02-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

Cory has been going up to Flagstaff each week for a job they are working on up there. There has been tons of snow up north so this past week he brought back an ice chest full of snow for us to play in. I know, not a real snow day, but as close as we can get here in sunny Mesa. Kenna and Kai were so excited but I think Cory had more fun than they did. Sam and my Dad even got into it when they got home. It's amazing how much fun you can have trying to pelt the ones you love with fistfulls of icy crystals. Good times!

I don't think Kai knew that was coming!

But he LOVED it all the same!

This picture really says a lot about the man I love...Kenna is running in terror and he looks way too happy to be getting her with that snow. Haha! She actually really did like it though...even though I don't think this picture shows that.

Ring-A-Ding-Ding

2010-02-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

My little brother Sam has taken the plunge and is now engaged to Nicole Selk. We are so excited for them and so happy to welcome Nicole into our family. The big day is March 12th and we can hardly wait! Congrats you guys!

Happy Birthday Mam Sue!

2010-01-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

Monday was my mom's birthday so we all got together for dinner. It was fun to be able to visit with everyone and just enjoy some time together. We went to Texas Roadhouse and even though we weren't able to get her to jump on the saddle and ring the bell, we did manage to get a great birthday balloon hat on her head. We love you Mom!

back into the swing of things

2010-01-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

It is sad to get back to reality after the past couple months of holiday bliss. School started back up again so now 2/5 nights each week I am without my Corylicious. However, it also means my favorite shows start up again, which I am definitely excited about.

On Sunday night we celebrated my father-in-law's birthday. It was fun to get together and BBQ with the whole family.

Then, on Monday, we had Cory's best buddy Lance come over so we could celebrate his birthday. We all had some yummy pizza and more yummy cake!

Oh Mexico!

2010-01-01T21:20:00.001-07:00

This week, twelve of us packed into the super dog silver van and headed down to Mexico for some much needed sun and relaxation. It'd been months since Cory and I had gone and it was so good to be back there again. Yummy food, a little tan, time to catch up on some reading, and fun people. It was a great week and we wish we could've stayed longer but the real world was calling us back. Here are some pics from our week.

Mary's at the fish market...a must stop for our crew

Pollo Lucas...another favorite dining spot

Kenna chugging a manzanita...it's a little scary how good she was at that. Haha!

Flying a kite and enjoying the great weather

Jet skiing!

Fishing

Kai waiting in the boat while everyone eats lunch...determined not to get left behind:)

Gorgeous sunsets

Exploring the tidepools with Kenna

Relaxing on the beach

Shreeve Family Christmas

2010-01-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

This year for Christmas my Uncle John, Aunt Tracy, and cousins came to visit. It was so much fun to have them in town and to get to spend some time with them. Since Sam got home on Christmas night, we all celebrated Christmas on the 26th so we could celebrate with him. It was a fantastic Christmas!

Kenna, Taylor, & Maddie decorating a gingerbread house

Time for presents!

Cami got just what (or who) she wanted for Christmas. Haha!

Dad on the other hand, got the gift that keeps on giving...a chicken!

We also had a chance to go see the temple lights with our cousins

Welcome Home Sammy!

2010-01-01T20:32:00.000-07:00

After days of delayed flights and anticipation, the Sam man finally made it home at 8:00 PM Christmas night. We were all so excited to see him! My first response was "holy cow, he got tall!" Haha. He looks great though and we are so excited to finally have him home safe. Now we have another two years of waiting while Jake is on his mission:)

Waiting at the airport....

He's finally here!

Of course everyone had to try on the funny Russian hats:)

All the boys together again

McElprang Family Christmas

2010-01-01T20:16:00.001-07:00

On Christmas Eve we had had dinner with Cory's family and opened presents with them. It was nice to sit back, relax, and spend some quality time with his side of the family.

Christmas is Coming!

2009-12-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty much done with all of my Christmas preparations. Other than a few things for Cory I have all of my gifts purchased, wrapped, and nestled under our Christmas trees. I've got all three of my Christmas trees decorated and my house lights up. This year one of my Christmas trees have a fishing theme. It's definitely my favorite tree this year.

Last night my uncle John, aunt Tracy, and cousins got in from Colorado. It's going to be so fun to have them here for Christmas this year. And then on Tuesday the big man arrives...SAM! We're so excited for him to get here we can hardly stand it. He gets in Tuesday night, the perfect Christmas gift for all of us.

Winter Formal

2009-12-07T18:22:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my sweet little sis Cami had her first formal dance. I can hardly believe she's old enough to go to dances! It makes me feel way too old:)

Thanksgiving, Take 2

2009-12-01T14:45:00.001-07:00

We celebrated our second Thanksgiving last week with the entire McElprang clan. They planned their family reunion Thanksgiving week so I was able to meet some of the extended family. We all had lots of fun together with a pizza night, Thanksgiving dinner, and a movie night on Friday. Thanks to all who made the long trip to Arizona:)

The Eagle Has Landed

2009-11-22T21:58:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday Jake officially reported to the MTC. A guy that Jake and Greggy know picked them up from the airport and dropped them off at the MTC for us. He was nice enough to email my parents the following pictures:

Good luck Jake and Greggy! We love you guys!

B-B-B-Ballin!

2009-11-20T16:53:00.001-07:00

Today Cory "reached baller status" (his words). In the mail he received an offer for the Visa Black card. Even though we are way too stingy to pay the outrageous annual fees, the simple fact that he was offered the card is enough for him. It's funny how the littlest things can make someone's day:) Haha.

Out of Africa

2009-11-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

So Monday was out 2 year anniversary but with Jake leaving for his mission and all, we didn't really do much on Monday. So, today, after we sad our tear-felt goodbyes to Jakey, Cory and I headed up north to Out of Africa in Camp Verde, AZ. I know, it doesn't sound like the most romantic anniversary trip, but we had to find something to do together without having to take off work and spend the night somewhere. We'd just gone to the Grand Canyon a couple of months ago, so we settled on Camp Verde instead. Pulling into the park I was quite disappointed. There were hoards of kiddos and moms and school groups and we seemed to be the only child-lacking adults in the place. But, it was actually pretty neat. Much better than a zoo. We were literally feet away from lions and tigers and bears (oh my!) and could've probably had our hands chewed off if we so dared. Beyond the up close and personal caged animals, they have this big open area of land where they drive you around for a safari-like experience. We saw zebras and giraffes and all kinds of other things up close and personal. Cory got to feed a giraffe a carrot with his mouth and ended up getting a little more tongue than he bargained for.

After spending a few hours at the park, we had some time and headed over to Montezuma's Castle. We were already there so we figured, "what the hey", and decided to check it out. It took all of fifteen minutes but it was kind of neat to see.

After getting in touch with our native American history, Cory just had to stop and fish. So, we stopped by the river and let him fish for a bit. He did manage to catch a fish in the fifteen minutes that we spent fishing, which was good enough for him.

All in all, it was a pretty fun-filled anniversary.

Happy Anniversary!

2009-11-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

Today is our two year anniversary. I cannot believe it's only been two years...it feels like we've been together FOREVER:) Cory is my absolute best friend and I feel so lucky to get to spend forever and ever with him.

Our first picture together

Hanging out with friends

When we went to Vegas

Temple Square and the weekend he proposed

Wedding announcement pictures down in Mexico

Our wedding day

Our one year anniversary at Disneyland

Now

Jake's Farewell

2009-11-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

Today Jake had his farewell. He was so nervous but he did such a good job. It was packed and it was so nice to see all the love and support from friends and family.

One of his best buddies Greggy Romney had his farewell today too and also is flying out and reporting to the MTC on Wednesday with him. They're both such studs.

Tonight we had a big farewell party for Jake and Greggy at Sweet Cakes. It was so much fun to get to visit with friends and family while we enjoyed yummy pizza and goodies.

A big thanks to all those for their love and support of our Jakey!

Auntie Ria

2009-11-15T22:16:00.001-07:00

We always love it when our Aunt Ria comes and visits. She's visiting this weekend because Jake leaves on Wednesday for the MTC.

She finally got to meet Navy and finds her just as adorable and fun as we all do.

We all went out to dinner last night. It was so much fun getting to sit around and visit.

At dinner we were talking about Jake's farewell and he was getting all nervous and sweet little Navy reached over and patted his shoulder. It was the CUTEST thing ever! She's such a doll.

Happy Birthday Brett

2009-11-12T20:48:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my brother-in-law Brett's 24th birthday. Happy Birthday Brett!

Early Thanksgiving at the Shreeve Household

2009-11-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

Next Wednesday Jake will be reporting to the MTC in Provo. So, since he won't be here for the "real" Thanksgiving, we all got together yesterday for our own Thanksgiving celebration. It was great having the family together for one last big family dinner. It was probably one of the best Thanksgivings I can remember.

As we cook and before dinner starts we all tend to start picking at the food, or as my grandma says, "we're just getting a taste"

Dinnertime! The food was excellent! I typically don't like Thanksgiving dinner but this year it was delicious! (P.S. Linds, I want the recipe for your sweet potatoes)

Cory and I (and what I typically do to "convince" him to smile for a picture)

Random pics of the family

I know it looks like Pappy is kneeing Navy in the head, but I PROMISE he is not...I just accidentally snapped this picture of her crying just as he was walking by

Navers getting ready to give Kai a kiss

Cami showing us how to do cheer stunts

Jake, Kai, and Dano

The family Christmas card picture

A more realistic picture of the family

Painting and Getting Ready for the Holidays

2009-11-05T21:29:00.000-07:00

So lately I've been getting these urges to redo my entire house. Thankfully Cory is my voice of reason and keeps me limited on what I can do...otherwise my house would probably be completely torn apart right now. I started by painting a couple of the doors in our hallway (all of the doors in our house are this ugly old 70s wood...I'd buy new doors but it's easier just to paint them). I've only done 3/5 hallway doors so far but already it's brightened up the hall.

Once I finished a couple of doors I turned my attention to this little writing desk we have in our entry. I've had it for as long as I can remember but have never really loved it. So, I grabbed some leftover white paint and went at it. It actually turned out really cute and brightened up the corner quite a bit.

Next, I decided to tackle the ugly wood hutch in our front room. I contemplated just buying a new hutch but this one was free, so I figured I'd try painting it before I gave in and bought a new one. I must stay that I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out.

BEFORE

AFTER

On another note, I am getting ready to start pulling out the Christmas decorations. I know, Halloween was just a few days ago, but if you know my Mom then you know it's in my blood to take advantage of the Christmas season as long as possible. So, this week I put up my first Christmas decoration, a cute Japanese nativity set that my little brother Jake surprised me with. I came home last week and there it was, sitting on my kitchen counter with the sweetest little note. He's such a stud and I am so sad but excited for him to leave for the MTC in a couple of weeks. Now I have this cute little nativity to make me think of him whenever I see it. Thanks Jake!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-30T17:07:00.001-07:00

Today was the annual MacArthur Halloween parade. Kenna was a witch and Kai was superman. Kai has been putting his superman costume on as often as my mom would allow and he was so excited to get to wear it to school today. In his words, he looked "super cool" in his costume. Since Mom and Dad are in Colorado, I was on picture duty at the parade.

October Birthday 4/4

2009-10-26T13:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday was Cami's 16th birthday. I cannot believe she's 16! It makes me feel so old! I don't know if I'm ready to accept that she can date let alone drive! Oh well, I'll learn to deal:)

On Saturday night my parent's threw her a surprise birthday party at Sweet Cakes. She was completely surprised which is always a fun thing.

On her birthday, her good frien Becca set it up so 16 red roses were delivered by 16 different guys. The last guy was Dad, which was really cute.

Then Sunday night we had our family birthday party for her. We had her favorite dinner (maccaroni and hot dogs with lemon bars for dessert) and opened presents. We got her a Taylor Lautner key chain (because she's obsessed with him) and Nick Jonas plates for dessert (because she's obsessed with him too). It was so fun to have everyone together for dinner. I love family birthday parties!

October Birthday 3/4

2009-10-18T22:03:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Jake's 19th birthday. Mom made yummy Chinese food and we all had ice cream cake for dessert. I can't believe Jake is 19 years old! I feel ancient! We're sure going to miss Jake when he leaves for his mission but we're so excited for him too. We love you Jakey!

Jake & Grandma

Kai being a cheese-ball

Dad, Jake, & Mom

Pappy playing with Navy

Navy playing with the gift bag

Kenna & Kai helping Jake blow out his birthday candles

Another Testament

2009-10-12T11:55:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago our ward had the opportunity to preview Mark Mabry's latest work from his Reflections of Christ project. It was so neat. I definitely love this new group of photos more than his first. If anyone hasn't had the opportunity to see them yet, you can view the slideshow online. I highly recommend taking the time to watch it.

October Birthday 2/4

2009-10-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday our niece Mia turned 5. We all went over to Kellie and Reggies for dinner and cake. It was fun to have the whole family together for Sunday dinner.

Mia loves Tinkerbell and I volunteered to make the cake, so I had my mom help me whip up this masterpiece

I think Mia really loved the cake and had a great birthday

Cory's aunt Lavona is visiting this week from Idaho, so I got to meet her and visit with her a little bit

Fumpkins

2009-10-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

A while ago I saw these adorable pumpkins on The DIY Show Off and absolutely loved them. So this week I finally sat down and made them. I was a little disappointed to realize that the street light on the corner doesn't allow for quite the glow in the dark effect I would've liked, but I still love them. I'm so happy it's fall!

Orchestra Night

2009-10-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

This past week Cami had an orchestra concert so Mom, Grandma, Cory, and I went to cheer her on. It's been ages since I've been to one of her orchestra concerts and it was neat to see how much she's improved over the years. Good job Cammers:)

October Birthday 1/4

2009-10-03T10:43:00.001-07:00

This month we have four birthdays within our family. The first one for the month was our nephew Samuel's. Yesterday he had his first birthday party so had a chance to get together with the McElprang side of the family. Pizza, cake, and conversation. Good times.

Happy Birthday Papa Dan!

2009-09-25T15:02:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my dad's birthday so the whole family got together for dinner at Gecko Grill. Yum. It was nice to have the whole family together to visit and spend some time together.

After dinner we went back to my parent's for pie and ice cream and gave dad his gifts. Each year Cory and I try to give him some kind of a gag gift. This year, Cory found an old pair of hoochie man shorts for him (just like the ones he wore back in the good ol' days). He also photo shopped a picture of Clint Eastwood and my dad and gave that to him. I'm sure it will end up in the man cave up in Hagler.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Family Temple Night

2009-09-13T20:23:00.000-07:00

On Thursday Jake went through the temple for the first time. He got to go through with one of his best friends, Greggy Romney, who also went through for the first time. It was so neat to get to be there and share that special event with them. Afterward our family went out to dinner at Outback Steakhouse. It was nice to get to visit with everyone. Dano, Cami, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Jake, Cory, and I all went. Nicole Selk and her sister Danielle also came, and it was really good to visit with them.

Productive Morning

2009-09-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

Today I decided that I needed to add some fall decor to my house. Yes, I understand it's only the beginning of September, but I'm dying for fall to arrive. So, I headed off to Michael's to attempt a cute wreath I saw on All Things Heart and Home. I opted not to put the lights on because the battery operated lights only come in sets of 10 lights, which would look lame. Instead, I'll add the lights when we get closer to Christmas (for me, putting up Christmas lights before Thanksgiving is perfectly acceptable). My wreath doesn't look quite as good as the one I saw online, but for me, a non-crafty girl, it turned out pretty good.

I also made some scrumptious chocolate chip cookies. I got the recipe from Vanilla Sugar. They were the most buttery, delicious chocolate chip cookies I've ever had. Before they even got in the oven I ate a couple scoops of dough. Mmm. Warm chocolate chip cookies and fall wreaths. If it weren't for the 103' temps outside, I would think it was November.

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

This past week/weekend was nice. Cory and I were watching the kiddos because my parents went on an Alaskan cruise, so that was a little exhausting, but it was still good. Cami won Sophmore Class Vice President at Mountain View so she was pretty excited about that. Her slogan was "Don't be a Clam and vote for Cam". Yeah, I didn't really get it either, but it got her the votes she needed:)

Kenna and Kai got into all the glitter from Cami's posters and decided to write some letters and make some different crafts. Kai made a robot that he thought was, to quote him, "super cool"

And yesterday was Dano's birthday, so we all got together on Sunday for a family dinner

All in all, it was a nice, relaxing, long weekend.

The Boogie Oogie Man

2009-08-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

This week my parents are out of town so Cory and I are watching Kenna and Kai. Since we live just down the street, we are able to sleep at our own place while we watch them. Cami, Jake, and Grandma are all at the house so once we put Kenna and Kai to bed we can just go home. This morning at 4:00 AM I got a phone call from Cami. She said that there was someone in the house walking around with a flashlight. I tried calling Jake who was asleep upstairs but his phone was off so he didn't wake up. So, I crawled out of bed and headed down there to see who it could be. As I'm walking down there I'm on the phone with Cami and she's telling me that whoever it is they are walking down the hall into her room. She's clearly freaking out (as I know I would do, too) and so I start running down the street to save her from this boogie man. I look through the windows in the house to see if I can see anyone but nothing looks out of the ordinary. So I knock on the front door really loud and fast and suddenly, a dark, short, speedy little boy runs across the front room and up the stairs. It seems that Kai woke up and decided to go exploring through the house. He had been through grandma's and all over my parent's side of the house with his little flash light. Needless to say, neither Cami nor myself were very happy with his little expedition. But we were relieved to confirm that there were no robbers or boogie men walking through the house.

My Guilty Pleasure

2009-08-22T22:44:00.000-07:00

As much as I tried to fight it, I couldn't help but become a Twilight fan. It did take me a while to read Twilight and I wasn't too impressed with the movie, but then I read New Moon and that all changed. I read it within a week whereas it took me months to finish Twilight and I am officially hooked. The only thing keeping me from reading the next one is that I know it'll be a whole year before the next film comes out and I can barely wait a few more months for New Moon. Regardless, the latest New Moon trailer came out and now I'm even more anxious to see it. I must admit I'm a little ashamed of my sudden infatuation with the books, but there's more than a handful of other people out there who are just as fond of the books as I am (if not moreso). Anyways, here's the latest trailer. Enjoy:)

Well Isn't That Dandy?

2009-08-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

A little word of advice: don't lean on a towel when you are trying to curl your eyelashes. You might just slip and end up yanking out half of the eyelashes off of your already sparse eyelid.

crapity crap crap

2009-08-14T12:10:00.000-07:00

yesterday i was pulled over for speeding for the first time ever and got my first ticket. i was out in maricopa working on some observation hours and i was following the therapist in my car, so i assumed that she would be going the speed limit. nope. i was ticketed for going 46 in a 35 zone. let's just say i was more upset than any normal person should be, cut my day short, and headed home for some coconut crunch ice cream and a few episodes of king of the hill and the office to cheer me up. i also got cited for not having current insurance since the toyota's insurance accidentally ended up in my glove box instead of the mitsubishi insurance. luckily i can just fax a copy of that in, but i'm still pretty blue about getting the speeding ticket. look out defensive driving school...here i come.

Jolley Family Reunion

2009-08-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had our yearly Jolley Family Reunion up in Pinetop Lakeside. Cory and I headed up there Friday and came home Sunday. All in all it was a good time. It was nice to get out of the valley's heat and spend some time with the family. Good times.

Pics From Jake Opening His Mission Call

2009-08-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

Weekday Trip

2009-08-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

Cory and I decided to head up to Pinetop Tuesday night, since he didn't have work on Wednesday. We had to come back Wednesday but we're going back up tomorrow to spend the weekend up there for our Jolley Family Reunion. On the way up we got to stop at my parent's place by Hagler Creek and check it out. They've been remodeling it all summer so I was anxious to see how it's coming along. We brought Kenna and Kai with us and our little pups too. There's a creek right down from the house so Cory thought he'd try to get some fishin squeezed in. No such luck since the dogs kept playing in the water and chasing the fish away. Bummer. It was still a good trip though. Kenna and Kai even got to shoot a BB gun for the first time. Kenna actually hit the can on one of her first shots...it took me more shots than I could count.

Kenna & Kai getting a BB gun lesson from Cory

The house at the top of the property...the current project

This is the house at the bottom of the property...a future project

Called To Serve

2009-08-03T20:52:00.000-07:00

Jake opened his call this past Saturday. He'll be serving in the Copenhagen Denmark mission and reports November 18th. I'm so proud of him! I know he'll be a great missionary! (Linds put the video of him opening his call on their blog, so check it out there)

Yum Yum

2009-07-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

Last night I made Cory a yummy dinner. We had pasta with peppered alfredo, grilled lemon herb chicken, veggie salad, and chocolate cherry cannolis for dessert. I'm such a good house wife:)

Wicked

2009-07-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

On Friday my mom took Cami, Lindsay, Kelly Huntington, and I to see Wicked at Gamage. It was fun to have a girls night out. Wicked was ok...honestly, I'm not a musical person. I have to say it was better than I expected. The music was good and the actors were good...I just am not into musicals at all. Oh well. It was still really fun to get out and do something with the ladies. The only bummer was I had to get up early the next day for my AEPA exam. I'm hoping that went well because I do not want to have to take it again. Let's keep our fingers crossed that I passed:)

finally, a nice little vacation

2009-06-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

So this past week we were able to go to Colorado to visit my uncle, aunt, and cousins. It was a much needed vacation from our hectic lives. Dano, Cory, and I flew in last Friday and the rest of my family drove up and met us on Monday. We spent some time at my uncle's place in Grand Junction, spent a day in Ouray at the hot springs, shopped in Breckenridge, and had a few days to relax at their cabin near Fariplay. All in all it was a very relaxing trip. Here are some pics of our week...

We went to a block party that was in their friend's neighborhood. It was so chill. There was music, food, and lots of nice people.

We also got to go over to my Aunt Linda's for Sunday dinner. It was so much fun to visit with her. Here we are on her balcony eating dinner.

Here's Taylor making us all bannana splits for dessert.

Here we are up on the rim from our drive to Ouray

The boys got to go fishing while we were there

When we were in Breckenridge, Cory and I ate at this place called Rasta Pasta. It was so yum!

The day before we left we went to this old little museum-type town called South Park.

Dano told the kids that Yettis lived up in the mountains. When we were at South Park we told them that this was a Yetti skin. Here is will punching it out to show he's not scared.

Everywhere we went Jake was jerkin'. He would just put on those headphones and dance like there was no one else around. It was pretty bad-a.