The Walls

Cute Chica's

2012-01-03T15:11:00.000-08:00

I really need to update my blog. I guess I'll start with an updated pic of the girls. Adi and Emi got haircuts because they decided to cut their own hair with their friend Tahni. I think all of us parents were pretty shocked! hahaha! I guess we can laugh now. Anyway, here is a pic of my 3 honeys. Adi age 5, Emi age 3, and Kadynce age 8 months.

Halloween Family Fun

2011-11-06T23:03:00.000-08:00

OH MY GOODNESS! we had the most fun halloween weekend here! Most of the family was here, ALL of the grandkids were together, and we got to celebrate a fun holiday, and my dad's birthday too! I took tons of pictures of all the fun for everyone, and I can't seem to narrow it down enough. Here is just a few (like 37!). They are completely out of order, but I will let most of the pics speak for themselves. If any of you family want a disc with this weekends pics let me know and I'll get it to ya.

(one of the many frankenstein faces adi drew on her pudding. he's licking his lips here)

witches brew

popping the "pumpkin"

men being men...

our awesome creations!!!

we gave out awards for the pumpkins :)

my cute giraffe!

super pals Adi and Mitchel!

so tough

YAY! I LOVE MY CUTE GIRLS!!!!

sweet cousins

tickle time!

buddies

BAHAHA! I put a pony tail in Coles hair!

"Hi mom!" from the hay ride

so excited!

hello brother of mine...will you please move here?

and you too? ya cool farmer Joe?

the perfect pumpkin

ready...set...go!

"give it to me!"

oh so cute!

"Hi mom! Tell Aunt Ashley to put away the dang camera and let me play!"

carving pumpkins

vampires blood

dad's birthday pumpkin cake

monster eyeballs

the pumpkin threw up...wahahah!

mummies

Such a fantastic week. I love my family so much and am so blessed to have them. Thanks for the perfect time my friends! Love you all!

Family Pics

2011-09-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

We took a few family pics the other day. It's about time too. It's such a pain being a photographer, because for some reason I take everyone elses pics, and not my own. Anyway...I won't make the same mistake again. It's worth the hassle of getting everyone ready, picking a location, and choosing poses and ideas because in the end I have frozen that moment in our life, and I LOVE that!

Getting big...

2011-09-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

Oh man, I'm the worst blogger these days. I need to get on top of things. I'm making it a new goal, so I'll start here.

My cutie patootie little love started preschool! I can't believe how fast time flies, but she is so ready, and SO loving it! I miss her tons while she's gone, and so do her sisters, but she's having a great time doing all sorts of projects and learning so many good things. Such a bright girl. Proud of you Adi-bug!

Baby girl is 3 mo. old!

2011-07-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

My sweet little Kadynce is 3 months old, and already developing quite the angelic personality. She loves to giggle, and loves her momma! And I can NOT get enough of her sweetness. She is already rolling over. She started this before she even hit 3 months! Her nickname is Kynce amongst our family. Her sisters love her more than she can take somedays, but I think they all get along perfectly already. We're so lucky to have her. I had a few minutes to snap a couple of photos today, so here is glance at the babe!

I forgot to mention...she's a chunky thing, and LOVES to eat! I love her rolls so much I just want to kiss them all day!

Old Barn Windows

2011-07-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

Hey, I have a bunch of these barn windows in different shapes and sizes. They are so cute for decorating with. Going to sell them for 25$ a piece. If your interested let me know. I'll be coming to IF in August, so I can bring them there too if you want.

OVERLOAD!!!

2011-06-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a look at what we've been up to since I've been a total slacker on the blog lately.

I had the way fun opportunity to go see Wicked with my sisters and Mom. What a FUN FUN time!!!

One Saturday afternoon Caleb and I took the girls to see the Warhawk Air Museum with some coupons we had! So glad we had the coupons, because it was a neat place!

Another Saturday afternoon we went down to Julia Davis Park and took the paddle boat swans for a spin.

They were suppose to be cleaning their room....

Adi wanted me to take a picture of her cute hands:)

Still so tired! So tired in fact, that this time she's asleep on the bathroom counter!

Kadynce is growing wonderfully, and just like her sisters, she LOVES bath time!

3 of my favorite people at the Museum. They know who's boss ;)

Adelynn had her 2nd year dance recital. She did tap and ballet this year. Her favorite still remains ballet.

She loved getting all pretty and done up!

Cool airplane huh Emi?

I must ware my kids out a lot. Tell me how you could fall asleep on the living room floor with a unicorn horn stuck in your eye? Must be pretty tired!

Sweet sisters! I love my girls. (I swear that Kynce likes to be held by her sisters...just not for long!)

But she likes to be held my her momma! And momma likes to hold her!

Kadynce is smiling regularly now. She's on the verge of giggling, and I can't wait to hear it!

Well there is an update at least! Now maybe if I do 20 more of these I'd be caught up!

Little Honey

2011-05-10T16:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of my little honey Kadynce. These were taken at 5 days and 10 days old. I should do some more since she is now 3 1/2 weeks old! hehe, I just can't get enough of her!

Here is a couple of pictures of her little footsies with her sisters. Love these little toes! (Biggest sister Adi's foot is on the left, and Big Sister Emi's foot is on the right. They are awfully close in comparison!)

The arrival of Kadynce

2011-05-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

I haven't had enough time to sit down and document Kadynce' arrival, but I better get to it, because yesterday she turned 2 weeks old! I'll start at the beginning. I was suppose to be induced on Friday April 15th at 7am. I woke up that morning to a phone call at 5:30 telling us that they were too full, they wouldn't be able to induce me. We were pretty bummed because we'd already taken the girls to Grandma's the night before, and things were planned. But, they assured us that they would try to get us in at 11. I never really got back to sleep, but that was OK, because I would just be going in at 11 right? So later that morning we decided to pack our bags and head to town and wait for 11 while we ate pancakes at IHOP. Well 11 came and went and they said they were too full, but let's shoot for 1:30. Then 1:30 came and went, and we were shooting for 3:00. Needless to say it was a long day, and we didn't get in till 4:00 that afternoon. By the time labor got going in full swing that evening I was exhausted from just being up all day. You can tell by this picture!

I was toying back and forth with the idea of doing this one naturally with no epidural. No reason in particular, just something I was wanting to try. So Caleb and I were up walking the halls to work through some serious contraction when our nurse came and got us and told us the babies heart rate wasn't doing good, and I had to spend the rest of my labor in bed, and I needed to be put on oxygen. (time for another lovely photo!)

We got babies heart rate stabilized after about and 1 1/2 hours of oxygen and rest. At this point is was late, and I was emotional and tired and I decided to do an epidural. The anethesiologist came in and had to do 2 epidurals because the first one didn't go in the right spot, and let me tell you...that is painful! Then the 2nd one decided to just not work. Later the nurses told us he was new. Nice! Just what we wanted to hear! Anyway, the shift change for my nurse was at 3am so she checked me at 2:45. I was a 7. My new nurse came in at 3:00 and I told her how painful the contractions were, and that there was so much pressure down there I felt sure her head was getting ready to come out! I said I felt the urge to push, but not super strong yet. She said she would check me at 3:45 and see where I was at. I told her I'd like her to check now, and so she said she would even though my other nurse just had. When she checked, sure enough I was a 10, and complete. I always seem to come fast at the end. I did with both my others too. So, Baby was just waiting on me. They called my Dr. and I just had a little while to labor down and get ready for pushing time. My doctor was great when she arrived. She left the pushing up to me and it was a great experience. After a bit of pushing, Kadynce Niselle Wall decided to join our family at 4:20 am on April 16th. I got to lift her up immediately and hold her, and it was beautiful, and she was beautiful.

She weighed 8lbs and 7oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. She is completely healthy, and we are so grateful to have her in our home.

Her sisters couldn't be more thrilled to have a new baby in the family!

She's being showered with lots of love.

The "new" carseat

2011-04-06T15:23:00.000-07:00

I guess I was feeling sad that we don't live in our own home anymore and I couldn't re-do a room for the nursery, so I decided to take on the carseat:) I thought it would be a fun quick and easy way to cuten up the carseat. It WAS fun, but it WAS NOT quick and easy! Luckily I was able to enlist the help of my SUPER-SEWING-MOM! I think it turned out cute. Now we're just waiting for a cute baby to put in it!

The cute little flowers that we added for some detail.

Isn't it sweet? I think so!

Thanks for all your help mommy!

Maternity by Caleb

2011-04-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

I've never really taken any maternity pictures, but Caleb offered to do some for me this time. So I just set the settings and put the focus on manual, and he didn't do too bad:) Although I have to admit, I am MUCH more comfortable behind the camera, than in front of it. But, here is a few of the many pictures we got anyway. We did two sessions, so here is a few from both.

This cracks me up, I really look like I just stuck a basketball up my shirt...hahah! I'm huge:)

Oh, I'm embarassed to even show this one, I look evil, but Caleb likes it.

This next bunch is session two with my girls. It was a fun session. Can you tell how much they love their little sister?

Last night I had some pretty good false labor(not surprising, it happened on both my others at about 38 weeks too). Hopefully it means something is moving along though, we'll see wednesday. AHHH! I can NOT wait to have her in my arms, and neither can the girls and Daddy!

36 week update

2011-03-22T19:59:00.000-07:00

Well there has been a request for some belly updates, so I had Caleb take some pics tonight to update you on my ever expanding middle! Yes, I'm big, and Yes, I waddle already. It's OK. Not too much longer. Can't wait to meet little baby Kadynce!

I had an ultrasound and fetal weight done last week to see where I was at because of how big I was measuring consistently, and so my doctor wanted to be sure. It looks like she's already almost 7 lbs, so we'll see...but I am pretty sure she might be a big baby:) Probably my biggest considering if the weight is accurate she is already bigger than Adi when she was born!
On a different note, it was so fun to see her in an ultrasound at such a developed state! She was suckling her lips, and we could see her hair too. We were all so excited, and we're even more anxious for her to join us soon!

Word Up....

2011-03-10T16:10:00.001-08:00

It's Word Girl!

I think it's cute how much this little doll LOVES the cartoon "Word Girl".

Seriously!!! Check it out...

Staking my claim!

2011-03-07T08:27:00.001-08:00

This little cutie is my niece.

Since we moved here I've gotten to spend a lot more time with her, and I just love the little thing to pieces. She is a really good girl. She is so sweet, and I'm not sure there is a mean bone in her body! A few months ago we decided Kira might be a good option to ask to babysit for us. She is responsible, fun, and my girls LOVE her. She just babysat for us on Saturday while we went to a BSU basketball game with some friends, and of course she did great! The next morning the girls couldn't quit raving about how awesome it was. She did activities with them from the activity jar that included treasure hunts and all sorts of fun. They were all bathed and in bed, and the house was in pretty good order. I realized that night as I was driving her home that one day soon, she might be a pretty hot comodity, so I'm placing my claim on her now. I want her to be my personal babysitter forever, because how could I ever find another that could compare with her?!
We love you Kira, you did great. Thanks so much for being such a great girl!

My 4 Special Valentines

2011-02-14T09:11:00.000-08:00

I'm so lucky to have loved ones to celebrate Valentines with. So I just thought I would share why today, on Valentines, I feel so blessed. Here's a look at my 4 very special Valentines.

Kadynce:

It's been a rough few months since we moved. We have faced trials and situations that we just did not forsee. But through it all this special little babe has been a rock for our family. We always have something to look forward to. She has brought so much love and strength to this family already, and she's not even here yet. I know she is a special daughter of God sent to our family for a reason. I love feeling her movements within me as she grows and matures to enter this world. I will miss the bond that we share as I carry her within my womb, but I can not wait to hold her in my arms. I look forward to seeing her, rocking her, singing to her, and loving her. Kadynce you are mommy's special Valentine!

Emersyn:

Emersyn is so spunky, sassy, sweet, and loveable. She captures everyone she meets heart with those kissable, squeezable cheeks, and her beautiful personality. She loves to be held and cuddled, but at the same time she is sure to assert her authority and let you know that she is a big girl! She is funny and quirky and loves to laugh, and make us laugh. She doesn't like to see others hurt and is quick to hug and comfort them; and she gives the best most slobbery kisses that will melt you in a heartbeat. Her best friend is her big sister Adi. They adore and love each other so much, but she loves to tease her as well because she has a very mischievious side that we all secretly adore. Emersyn surprised this family with her arrival, but our lives would never have been so complete without her! Emersyn you are so special to me and I love you so much. Thanks for being my Valentine!

Adelynn:

Adelynn is my oldest child and she works very hard every day at being the best she can be. I am amazed constantly at the level of intelligence she has, and the decisions she makes to always be her best. She is genuinely a good girl, and wants to be a good girl. She reminds me everyday of where I can improve, and I'm grateful for that. She is funny and quirky and original in every way. She loves to interact and be active with the family. She is constantly planning activities and ideas for us. She loves her little sister with all of her heart, and she is beyond excited to add another one to the family. Every day she asks me if it's April yet. Adi is always trying to be helpful to me and often will give me hugs and back rubs to make sure that I'm feeling ok. She warms my heart. I love you my tiny Adi, and am so happy that you are one of my special Valentines.

Caleb:

And last but not least my special Valentine Caleb. Where to start? He is my best friend, and my companion. We are so right for each other. He is patient and kind and loving. Caleb is so sweet to me, always making sure to help in ways that I truly appreciate. He constantly makes me and the family laugh. Seriously...he is funny! He is so inteligent that I needn't wonder where Adi comes from, because she is a complete replica of her Daddy inside and out! Caleb's kind gestures, sweet words, and subtle kisses remind me every day that I am the lucky one. His desire to spend all of his time with his family shows each of us daily how special we are to him, and makes each of us feel of great worth. Caleb tells each of us at least a hundred times a day how much he loves us, and it's easy to see why we REALLY love him too. He is the best Daddy, and Husaband I could have ever dreamed of. Happy Valentines Day!

Running out of catchy title ideas....

2011-02-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

These little girls love their daddy so much, and story time with him is a cherished moment at our house. They look forward to it every night. He's the best story teller and book narrator ever!

After about 20 minutes of reading books with Dad, Emi came to sit with me and she was out in 2 seconds! It was only 7:15 and so I soaked it up while Dad and Adi finished books. It's been forever since she fell asleep on me like that! Oh I just want to squeeze those cheeks every time I see them!

One morning Caleb was sick and sitting at the table shivering during breakfast. He's so spoiled his girls quickly ran to the rescue bringing him blankets and snuggly animals. They're so good to take care of their Daddy! That's probably why he wanted another girl so much:)

Afterwards the animals were treated to a cartoon.

More dress-up with the girls. It never ends with these princesses I tell ya!

They would seriously go out like this if I let them...no joke.

And we've been busy with some more activities from the Jar. It's still a success. They just love it. This was from a Pudding party we had. They used the pudding to paint....

And to decorate faces....

Cute!!!....

And of course to EAT! They dipped in oreo's, and pretzels, marshmallows, and crackers. It was a super fun activity.

Another day we had a bubble storm and filled the bathtub full of bubbles. We blew them, threw them, made shapes in them, whisked them, and covered our faces in them. They insisted on playing in this till all the bubbles were gone, who knew that would be 2 hours later!!! But, as you can see...they were happy!

What's not to love?!

I love these 3 so much. Aren't they so cute? (and handsome?) :)

All smiles

2011-01-26T13:28:00.000-08:00

I am all smiles to tell you our latest here...seriously! I really think you guys will love this idea here...

I have been feeling a little like I need to make a better effort as a mom lately. I was talking to Caleb one night telling him how I think I spend too much time worrying about the mess they are creating rather than diving in and joining them in creating a memory. So I set out on a journey to find some sort of idea that might help with my rut and be fun and exciting for all of us. I couldn't find anything I liked, but it just so happened that when I checked my SIL's blog, she had this perfect idea! An Activity Jar! I knew right away this was perfect for us. I told the girls the idea and they were extatic. So we created this jar and filled it full of fun activities that we get to do together every day. Some of the ideas were our own, some we stole from my SIL. In the Jar are things like:

having a tea party

a treasure hunt

going on a rock hunt to start our rock collection

build a princess's castle for the barbies out of blocks

write a play and act it out

make sock puppets and put on a show

color make and fly paper airplanes

and the list goes on!!!

We have had a few activities and it is truly the highlight of all of our day! They take turns every day picking an activity. We never know what it will be, but we inevitably love it. I feel so much love, and such a strong bond as we spend this special Mommy/Daughter time together. The girls just love it. The first day Adi was so overwhelmed she jumped around and got giddy and said over and over "This is the best day ever" or "I am so so happy!" I felt like I was glowing inside, and I realized my calling as a mother to be such a beautiful blessing.

At the end of the activity I gather the girls around me and they sit on my lap and I tell them how much fun I had. And then I ask them if they know why I had so much fun. And then I tell them it's because I love them so much. The girls love this new activity and look forward to it all day long, and so do I.

Don't mind my tripple chin...I claim it was the angle. But we tried to get a picture of the 3 of us in our fort before our movie started. They make me smile.

You know what else makes me smile? I smile every time I walk past my latest wall hanging that I am IN LOVE WITH! It's huge...like 47x27 huge....but I love it. I can't wait to get my Temple done now.

Here is an angle to show you the super cool texture it has on it. You can achieve this texture by using acrylic gel.

This little girl loves to cook and begs to either make something with her easy bake, or something with mommy every day. She makes me smile too.

So these necklaces are so fun. I love to craft when I have a spare Saturday or evening available. I got the idea from a friend of mine who got the idea from here.

Valentines is coming, and I decided to make this rosebud wreath. It's originally suppose to be in the shape of a heart, but I went with round because I have something that is going to hang from the middle. I like them both. But FYI: don't do this project....it is so time consuming!!! But, I am loving it. We'll just see if I even get it up before the 14th! I got the idea from here.

Anyway, that's just a few things we've been up to lately.

Thanks for all of your comments on my last post. I honestly didn't realize how many people feel the same way at times. Aren't we all silly? I know I never go home analyzing others like that...so why do we doubt ourselves? Here's the good news...at least we're not alone!!!

I hope your all having a great week and that something is making you smile!

Socially Awkward

2011-01-17T11:57:00.000-08:00

I have somehow become completely and totally socially awkward. I have a conversation with someone and I inevitably come home replaying the conversation in my head and feeling stupid wondering:

"why did I say that?"

or "did they think that was dumb?"

or "maybe I laugh too much."

You get the point. It's terrible. I used to be confident and loved making friends and social settings were perfectly lovely to me. Now every week I go to church and I get lots of wonderful ladies wanting to talk and I'm a social retard. And here is the thing...there is no need for it. I have the nicest ward with some seriously amazing people in it. Everyone is always kind and suggesting get togethers or playgroups. Or they are very complimentary towards our family, or my baby belly or something.

Here's my question to you. Has this ever happened to any of you? Is it because of the move and I'm still just adjusting to being out of my element and having to make new friends? It really is hard being the one that seeks acceptance rather that the one comfortable in your element giving the acceptance.

Or is it because I'm a SAHM who has lost herself and really needs to get out more often and talk to someone other than my 2 and 4 year old?

So all of you confident amazing women...now you know my struggle...help me please!

(if I'm not a lost cause that is!)

Little Turkey

2011-01-04T09:12:00.001-08:00

This little turkey decided she had to sleep in bed with her Mom and Dad last night when she woke up at about 1:00am. We've never let our kids do that before, but she wasn't feeling her best, and she was so sad that she won out.

Can you tell why?

Let me just say it won't be happening again despite those big rosy pouty yummy lips. This little girl owned the bed, and now we have one really tired mommy on our hands, and one completely exhausted daddy at work. Whew! Who knew a little 2 year old could need a whole king size bed to herself?

On another note I thought I would share my word for the New Year.

PROGRESS

Hope you all had a great New Year, and are excited for everything 2011 will bring. I AM!

Lots of Fun

2010-12-29T09:29:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot of craziness lately with all of the holiday madness, but it's all been great! Here is a little of what we've been up to.

Adi woke up early one morning and told me she was going to excersise. She went down stairs, put in my video, and this is what I came down to...

This is a super bad pic because Caleb wasn't around to take one for me, but I took this in the mirror for my friend Crystal who keeps asking for a belly update. Here I was at 22 1/2 weeks I think. Still no name decided on, but we've been thinking about Kadynce lately too.
Funny thing, I went to my 24 week appointment and the Dr. looked at my chart and said "looks like we gained a little holiday weight along with the baby weight!" hahaha. Yeah, between that and the fact that baby is measuring 2 weeks early, I guess I'm a little bit big this time:)

The girls loved everything about Christmas, especially the story of baby Jesus. Here they are both taking care of their baby's in a manger:)

Cuddling and playing with Daddy enjoying our evening of snow!

Some of the Christmas lights we went and walked around with family for an FHE.

Christmas Eve we had a party with my parents and sister, and Grandma gave the grandkids jammies to open. My little honey's loved theirs and haven't really taken them off since...seriously! They look adorable in them too I might add:)

Dad got this shirt from Mom. It was great to see his reaction. My Grandpa (his Dad) used to have a shirt just like it that read "Scrooge Lives" So mom had this made for him... "Scrooge Still Lives"! PERFECT!

Proud Grandparents with some of their Grandkids.

Christmas morning Emi got a new blankie from Grandma. She loved it!

Both the girls got new computers. Here they are trying them out on their new little "tangled" table.

Adi loves her own new cooking oven! (an easy bake) We had to make cookies right away! She did great, and was so proud of her creation.

The girls loved all their new games and haven't stopped playing them since.

Christmas was really Beautiful. I love this time of year so much. I have everything to be grateful for, and am so blessed. Especially because I have such a wonderful family.

Here is a quick pic of each of my cuties taken Christmas Eve. It's not often that they are dolled up, so I had to capture their cuteness as quick as I could.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and now enjoy celebrating in the New Year!

Merry Christmas from the Walls

2010-12-20T08:55:00.000-08:00

Adi's birthday and visit with G & G Wall!

2010-12-12T10:17:00.000-08:00

I'm home from church sick with the flu (which is so not fair since I just BARELY got over morning sickness) so I thought...Wow, I have a minute to actually put some pictures on here and update my blog!

Adi had a birthday clear back on November 20th, and she was so lucky to have Grandma and Grandpa Wall and Mia come to visit! We got to spend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with them. We did all sorts of fun things, but mostly just enjoyed having them here. We've all missed them so much. When it came time for them to come home the girls were very sad, but thank you for a wonderful weekend you guys!

Caleb was anxious to induct his dad into the BSU Super Fan club, so he talked them up all weekend, and took his dad to the game. A great memory for Caleb.

The girls were anxious to soak up any time they could with grandma which of course includes stories!

and decorating some cookies with Grandma before the big party.

Adi wanted her birthday party at "her ticket store" which is Pojo's, a very kid friendly game place. It was a hit, chaotic...but a hit! Here she is riding a toy with her best friend Tahni.

Bowling with her cousin Jed.

Birthday girl on the carousel.

Feeling shy while everyone sings Happy Birthday to her.

Yummy Birthday cake!

She was spoiled with lots of fun presents from all of our wonderful friends and family. Thanks everyone for coming!

She loved her new dress and was very excited to get all dolled up for church the next day. It was the primary program and she got to participate for the very first time. Her line was "Jesus Christ loves me very much." And she did so well, and was very cute. Even if she was practically wrestling with the boys on stage every time they sang!

Happy Birthday little love!

And thanks again to Grandma and Grandpa and Mia. We love you all.

Busting at the seams...

2010-12-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

I've never really been pregnant in the middle of winter before, so all my pregnancy clothes are the wrong season.
Any suggestions on what to do for a coat without having to buy a new fat lady one that I'll probably only use this one season and then never again? I put on one of my coats today and couldn't even do it up! AGH!

Bring on the hormones...

2010-12-01T15:50:00.000-08:00

Just had my ultrasound yesterday, and it looks like baby #3 is another girl! I have to admit, I was pretty bummed. I really had my heart set on a boy. I love my girls so much and knew that I would be OK with another girl, but was REALLY wanting a mommy's little guy to snuggle. But, it looks like it's more pink, priss, sass, and sweetness coming our way. And really, I know how much love I already have for this baby, and boy or girl, she belongs to this family.
Adelynn cried at the ultrasound because she really had her heart set on a boy too. We told her she could help us name her and that heavenly father has a special place in our home for this little honey, so we're really lucky to get her. She felt better and is getting more excited. She's just happy to have another baby in the family.
Anyway, bring on the hormones. You may have to put me in an insane assylum before they are done with their teenage years, but I'm sure I'll make it.
Truthfully, I love my mom and sisters and the relationships we all share, so I'm sure I will rather enjoy my 3 little princesses.
Caleb is thrilled. He loves his little girls, and they love him.
We've talked only a little about names, but since the beginning Presley has been a favorite of ours. We'll see how that process goes...
In other news Emi is potty trained! It looks like I'll be diaper free for at least a few months before I jump back into baby land! The girls like to take diapers and practice changing their stuffed animals and babies bums now. They will be great helps I am sure.
Well, that's the news for now. Baby #3 is a girl, and coming along very nicely.

Happy Birthday Adelynn!

2010-11-20T11:45:00.000-08:00

My dear little love is 4 years old today. Can it be?

Oh Adelynn, your such a special girl. You are bright and funny, and silly. You are inquisitve and smart and beautiful. You are kind and loving, and outgoing. You are a blessing to your mom and dad and sister and everyone that knows you. I hope you have a great birthday and always remember how much we love you.

50 Free cards

2010-11-17T16:16:00.000-08:00

If your interested, Shutterfly is doing a giveaway of 50 FREE Christmas cards HERE. Super easy to put together, and so cute.
Or you can just got to shutterfly and make some cards of your own, or even a calendar!

Yay for the Holidays!

Long Hair

2010-11-11T07:45:00.000-08:00

I straightened Emersyn's hair the other day and I thought she looked so big and grown up. I guess her little curls have always kept her lookin'...well... little. I was just in shock by how long her hair was, and how grown up my baby is. Here's the cutie.

My girls and me

2010-11-08T10:43:00.000-08:00

I never have pictures of me with the girls because I'm always the one behind the camera. The other day I was wanting to take a picture of the girls and they suggested I be in it with them. Caleb wasn't home so I swapped to my kit lens so I could fit us all in, and we all said "Cheeseballs" and here you have it...a self portrait of me and my girls.

It's not incredibly easy holding a freaking 10 lb camera with one hand and clicking the shutter, so it's not totally flattering either, but...

Love them!

How to wear them

2010-11-05T15:17:00.001-07:00

Ok this is for all of you haters. Mostly because I was one too until I discovered something....

Let's start here with what I've learned....

The popular trend of the oh so popular jegging could really be a bad thing. Let's say for example...most of the stars in the picture I posted! The truth is jeggings do not flatter 95% of the female population. I am pretty sure I could walk out on the streets with my camera right now and bring back 1/2 a dozen pictures for proof. Truthfully the legging like quality of the jegging can make even the most curvaceous of women look like a pear. So how do we stay trendy and COMFORTABLE (my most favorite reason) in this latest fashion trend? Here is the secret...layers. If worn properly they say they will actually cinch your waist, and elongate the frame, and their will be no pear shaped women.

My favorite combinations so far are always paired with boots, but you work it out to your own taste.

Most fashion advisors say the longer than average shirt helps with the pearness we want to avoid.

Still not convinced? That's ok. What would this world be like if we were all the same?

Disclaimer...I'm handicapped when it comes to fashion half the time...so take it for what it's worth!

P.P.S This was all written in Good Humor!

Finding love...

2010-11-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

In Clothing....? YES! It's possible.

Have you ever hear of the Jegging? Well, it's Jeans + Leggings. I was skeptical of them...actually down right opposed to them, until recently I read my friends blog and she said she gave in and got a pair and guess what...LOVED them. Yes, it is possible. So, I decided I would just have to give in too. I got a pair, and guess what...yes, I LOVE them. They are so comfortable and flexible. Oh yay! The best part is they even fit me with my ever expanding belly! And when they stop fitting and start feeling snug...don't fret....

The Bella Band is here! Oh my friends, especially my pregnant friends, this is indeed a must have, and yet another of my apparel loves.

Ok, now that I got that out of the way, (whew! so excited! what are you waiting for? Go get a pair!) Thanks for all the tips on nap time. Since we live in a 3 bedroom townhouse the girls share a room, and their toy room is actually now the walk in closet attached to it. So when Emi is napping, Adi doesn't have access to the toys. We watch movies occasionally, but mostly I was just needing some fresh ideas because I do enforce quiet time, but it never lasts for as long as nap time. Anyway, all of the ideas were great, and so helpful, and I'm especially excited to try making some of these tot packs. You guys if you didn't see the link my cousin Jesse left for this site, GO CHECK IT OUT HERE! Such a perfect, great idea for our tots. I'll be doing them for a few reasons.

Halloween has come and gone, and we had a blast. Lots of sugar, family, friends, homemade rootbeer in a cauldron, lights, pumpkins, witches, goblins, music, movies, and lots and lots of costumes. We love this holiday! Here is a glimpse of my cuties on the big day.

Scrumptiously Sweet Super girl...

And mommy's lovely minnie Mouse.

And now here we are looking forward to a happy November filled with much to be grateful for. A great friend of mine Christina inspired me to say something I'm grateful for in every post from now till Thanksgiving so I'll start it off with how grateful I am that we will be able to see family this month. Caleb's parents are coming to spend Adi's birthday here, and on Thanksgiving we will be in Nevada celebrating with my awesome Bro and his cute wife and son this year!

Need some help..

2010-10-28T09:06:00.001-07:00

Dont know what to do with this little girl during nap time anymore.

She has decided that most days she is too big for naps. So most days I have to find ways to entertain her during sisters nap. A lot of times we draw, or color. We make up silly games (but seriously how long can the game "unicorns" last?) She is getting good at writing her name, so we work on letters a lot. But I need some ideas! If ever I try and get something done, it ends up being counter productive because she is so busy she wants to be doing something too. Here is what happened when I was folding laundry the other day. I thought she was putting the towels away in some messy manner (but was prepared to deal with that later because she was helping) and this is what I found...

I don't have TV, so cartoons isn't an option. Any fun ideas that we can do for 3 hours during sissy's nap?

Halloween and all it brings

2010-10-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

Things have been busy around here. Starting to get settled, and finally feel like we belong. Our new ward is GREAT! We feel so welcome after only 2 weeks, and we are very excited about the transition.
We've been enjoying the fall weather finally. Some rain here and there, but mostly gorgeous lovely days filled with leaves changing colors, and autumn starting to manifest itself in every beautiful way possible. My scentsy is in, we're cooking yummy fall dishes, all the decorations are up, football is in full swing, and we are loving it all. We've watched several spooky movies so far, and have several more to get through. We dance every night to our crazy halloween soundtracks, and the kids talk non-stop about how many days till halloween!!!
My belly is starting to grow already. Yes, I realize I'm not far along enough for this, but I have no control over it. I've lost several pounds and yet my tummy is slightly rounding off. My pants feel to tight to button, so I just purchased a BeBand, and I'm in love. I'm convinced my uterus must sit directly behing my belly button(at least this is my excuse for something the size of a large grape causing me to look so chubby!).
Adi and Emi are doing really great sharing their bedroom and we don't ever have any problems at night. Emi sleeps like a rock if Adi ever wakes up to go potty, and they both go to bed so well with the other. 3 beds and 2 1/2 baths really isn't that bad for us...right now:)
Anyway, enough babble, here are some pics.

Emersyn climbing trees with sister. Lucky she doesn't climb as high as her though...

Adi thinks she is a monkey and goes way way way too high! She was way out of arms reach here. She is completely confident however. Wish mamma was!

Movie night party.

Look at the new do!

We went to the temple one Sunday and enjoyed the beautiful grounds with the amazing colors.

This was my attempt at a picture with my kiddo's. Adi really did have a good time, I swear!

There! That's better. I guess she just didn't want to share the lime light:)

Adi looks like she might be contemplating jumping in...hmmm...

We've also done the typical pumpkin patch ordeal, and had quite the good time too. This was with their cousins. They also got to go with a preschool group once too! Lots of pumpkins outside our door right now.

Riding the hayride with the girls.

She stole the pumpkins hat:)

Found her pumpkin. Perfect size.

Grandma got to come once too. Wow...I swear, Adi does smile!

And so does Emersyn!

Oh there is a smile from super girl! This is the Halloween costume she picked this year. Oh I love it. So SO cute!

And you'll have to excuse the quality of the picture, but here they are in their Halloween jammies. It's a tradition that we all get some every year. Last year we got the footies, this year they chose glow in the dark skeletons.

I hope you all have a great Halloween week, only a few more days!!!

Prayers

2010-10-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

(I love listening to my children pray, and I want to record some things here in hopes that I'll eventually move the more personal version to my real journal!)

There is something completely pure and sweet about a childs prayer. The absolute faith that they have in their Heavenly Father and the sincere love that they have for their Savior Jesus Christ is one of the many reasons I believe we are told
“...Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:2–4).

Caleb and I are no perfect parents. We raise our voices, we feel frustrated, and we have so much to learn. But if there is one thing that we try and be consistent in, it is prayer. We once read a talk that taught us to know the importance in prayer. As parents we are convinced that nothing has such a determining influence on life as does effective prayer. It can and should determine everything else, including our actions, attitudes, and responses in all that happens to us.

On the other hand, if prayer is neglected, everything else in life can be negatively affected. But if honored, everything else in life is graced. It is no wonder God commands parents to teach their children “to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.”

It's not easy to teach our children to pray. Most meals it includes a fight over who gets to say it, and most nights it includes a lot of wrestling Emersyn. But I just love how their little souls shine as they pray.

Last night Emersyn said her first prayer all by herself with no help from beginning to end. We were so proud of her! It was so simple and sweet. She blessed the food and gave thanks for many members of the family, and then closed. When she opened her eyes they were so big and lit up and I nearly teared up with love for that girl and for the example my girls are to me.

Adelynn's prayers are an example to us as well. I love the sincerity and innocence in them. That pure faith that everything she's saying is being heard, and that her prayers will be answered. Sometimes her prayers get almost funny. A few that we have loved have included...

1) To get a spacesuit and mask so she can go to saturn and jupiter

2) To be allowed to look at the moon from the telescope

3) That mom can have another baby after this one

4) To watch the new movie her dad got her

5) To make friends in Boise

6) (while helping her sister pray) to help Emi be nice to Adi :)

The faith of a child is so amazing I almost want to find a way to get her a space suit and send her to Jupiter!

Love my kids, and love how much they teach me everyday.

Blogging....

2010-10-13T21:56:00.001-07:00

Life as of lately

2010-10-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in forever. I guess that's what happens when you get pregnant, feel sick, and then move. We've been busy though, and it's been FUN! We are loving Boise and all it has to offer. For the last few weeks we've been back and forth on houses, but we finally decided to rent for the next little bit while we search for a home. Our rental is a townhouse that's brand new, 3 beds, 2 1/2 baths, and 2 car garage. It's a good location, and it will work just perfectly for us for the next bit. It's always hard to go back to renting after living in a home for the last 4 years, but we're not too bothered.
I recently had my first Dr. Appointment (finally!) and was really pleased with my doc. She's actually a Certified Nurse Midwife (which was recommended by my friend crystal who recently had a baby) and I think she's perfect. So much more personal and friendly than my last OB. She did an ultra sound that day and we were excited to see little baby in there moving around. It is a miracle to me that at 11 weeks along we were able to distinguish the head, nose, hands, and feet, etc. Such a beautiful, perfect miracle. The girls are so thrilled and look at the picture of their baby everyday. Emi tells everyone I have a baby in my pants. :) I'm not sure where that one came from, but it's cute.
Caleb is doing great in his job. He is a wonderful hard worker, and does great at anything he puts his mind to, but the best part of this move is...He is happier than I have seen him in a long time. It's really nice having a little more flexibility too, and he's enjoyed that time to have some special dates with his girls.

Here he is with Adi before their date. They had a great time. They went to pizza, and the toy store, and her "ticket store" and a movie. It couldn't have been a more perfect date for her.

And here he is with little Emersyn before their date. They went to dinner and the toy store. They rode on a crousel and played at the park. She hasn't stopped talking about it since and every night her dad comes home she begs to go on a date!

I got my own special date too, but I didn't take any pictures...oops!

Emi had her 2nd birthday. My baby is now 2! She's obsessed with mickey and minney mouse, so we decorated for that.

Her and her cousins made mickey mouse candy necklaces.

She loved her presents.

That's her happy face:)

She really liked her Minnie plates.

But mostly she loved her presents!

Adi was very patient and sweet, but as soon as Emi was ready to share, Adi was eager to play!

I slacked off this year because of being so sick, I didn't make her cake. BUT, I did the next best thing and ordered it from pastry perfection!

She was pleased as could be, and it was a really fun party.

Saying Goodbye

2010-09-13T10:51:00.000-07:00

I really had no idea, but it really is always hard to say goodbye. Especially to a house that's been your home for the last 22 years of your life, and especially to a neighborhood that's more than that...it's a family. It was emotional, it was exciting, it was just hard. I have so many memories in this home. Some of them from childhood, and some of them from me and Caleb's first adventures in our own life together.

Goodbye pink room. This used to be everyone in my family's bedroom at some point or another. Lots of memories here. It was the first room in the house we re-did when we found out we were having Adelynn. This is the room we brought her home from the hospital to. And then it was the room we brought Emi home to.

Goodbye Green room. We re-did this room as a family together when we found out we were pregnant with Emersyn. Adi got to move into this when sister came home to the pink room. This was also my parents room when we were little. I remember sneaking into this room at night to get my legs rubbed from Mom when I had growing pains. I remember my brothers jumping out of this window in the summer.

Goodbye measurements and memories from our childhood. This wall was a little heartbreaking to leave. If you can see, it's measurements from members of our family throughout the years.

Goodbye pine tree that we used to jump over when we were little.

Goodbye Locust tree that we planted as children.

Goodbye kitchen that I re-did last summer. It was fun and rough. But we'll miss the memories of that kitchen. Family do you remember the "line"? Stay behind the line! haha.

Goodbye living room that has been the home to many laughs and family love. Always a place of gathering, the walls in this living room could tell some stories!

Goodbye little blue house in Ucon. You've been a perfect home. I can't even begin to describe the emotions of sadness I feel to have left you. Left Ucon. Left friends.

But we're off to a new adventure. And we're excited. And we miss you Ucon. Goodbye.

It's no secret....

2010-08-24T15:34:00.000-07:00

But it might be a surprise?

Yep, we're expecting again! We were going to wait a while to tell everyone, but it turns out 3 year olds don't actually understand the meaning of a secret. Either that or they think the purpose of a secret is to tell everyone?! It's OK. I am excited, and Caleb is excited, and Adelynn is so thrilled she wakes up every morning and tells me my belly is getting bigger! That's nice considering I'm only a few weeks pregnant! Emersyn is pretty clueless unless we're debating on whether it's a boy or girl, then she insists boy while sister insists girl. Anything to fight about I guess :) So there is still quite a way to go, but I figured if you hadn't heard yet, it would be catching up to you soon anyway. So if you weren't in primary 2 weeks ago when Adelynn prayed about it and announced it to everyone there, or she hasn't called you, or cornered you on the street, then here is my big announcement....

WE'RE EXPECTING #3!

due April 22, 2010

Moving/Garage Sale

2010-08-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, Saturday the 21st we're having a moving/garage sale here at my house in Ucon. We live on 109th. If you need directions, feel free to e-mail me. We have a lot of great things we are selling. TV's, desks, bookcases, dressers, clothes, toys, jewelry, gift bags, nice home decorations, a fridge/freezer, a barbeque, etc. It's all for sale. We will also be selling some home made goodies like cinnamon rolls! Come on over and check it out.

Thanks all for your support!

Facebookers?

2010-08-12T16:01:00.001-07:00

To facebook, or not to facebook, that's my question.

So I have several friends that have been 'nicely encouraging me' for a long time now to join the facebooking community. It seems that everyone but me has an account these days! What are your opinions? Do you facebook? Why? Should I join? Do you waste all of your time on it, or is it convenient? Do you prefer blogger, twitter, facebook, or some other site out there that's made for technologically advanced people, and not me?

Can't wait to hear your thoughts!

My Girls Pictures

2010-08-05T10:41:00.001-07:00

I took my little munchkins out last night to try and get some happier pics of them. They were great, and I'm pleased with the results. I hope you like them.

I love these two little girls more than anything in the world. I'm so blessed to be their mother.

The End.

Happy Family

2010-08-04T10:54:00.001-07:00

My best photography buddy took some family pictures for us last night. We have the exact same camera, and we've been learning together, so it worked out perfect for us to take each others pictures. The girls had been sick and crabby, but I had already canceled on Christina once, so I went ahead with it anyway. They were not the most cooperative, but we still got some pictures that we are happy with. I've been editing them this morning, and was feeling anxious to share, so I thought I would quickly pop one up here.

Okay, two...

Stay tuned for some of the girls. I didn't get them last night because of the crabbiness, but I will be taking them out as soon as their happy faces are back!

Summer Rain

2010-08-02T17:35:00.000-07:00

That's one thing this little girl is going to miss about East Idaho.

We are moving to...

2010-07-22T18:11:00.000-07:00

BOISE!

After many questions, I'm happy to answer you all that in 1 month, we're out of here.

Am I stressed?
Yes.

Am I nervous?
Yes.

Am I scared out of my mind?
Yes.

Is there a lot to get done?
Yes.

Do we love Boise?
OH HECK YES!

Is it the right thing for our family?
No doubt about it.

So again, wish us luck.

It's official

2010-07-19T10:27:00.001-07:00

OUR HOUSE IS FOR SALE!

Wish us luck...

Wild Thang

2010-07-15T16:20:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying that Adelynn's ambission in life is to grow up and become like her Aunt Gayle....

My sister came over on Tuesday to show me her cute new hair-do. It included purple under sections! WOOHOO! They are actually real hair clip-ins so she doesn't have to have purple hair all the time, but it was something fun for her to try and use when she's feeling adventurous. It's super cute too. Let's just say Adi liked it, and was feeling adventurous too. She immediately wanted hers done as well, (remember, anything to be like Aunt Gayle!) so we took washable markers and let her be cool like her very cool Aunt for a day. Her daddy let her choose 3 colors so as not to get out of control. She chose pink, purple, and brown. Notice that Gayles hair is Brown with red highlights and purple? Ya, she's a little star struck with her! Needless to say, she was also very thrilled.

Thanks for influencing my daughter to have purple hair Gayle! Love ya!

What a cute, happy, Aunt and neice combo don't you think?

A whole lotta fun

2010-07-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

I realize I've been M.I.A for a while, but I swear, summer hit and I lost complete control of life. Family reunions and barbeques and friends have been our life for the past while. It's been a whilrwind, but it's been a blast. I am totally needing to catch up since I use thing blog as a basic journal, but since I don't want to bore you all with the 329 pictures I've taken, I'll just a post a few (which we all know means a lot). So if your interested, take a look! Hope your all having an awesome summer too!

My mom put together a Witters Family Reunion in Preston Idaho this year....yes...Preston. It was a good middle for the whole family. Although....it was actually SO FUN!(as embarassed as I am to say that about Preston!) They have a small water park resort there, and we had a great time.
Emi was happy to see her Grandma.

We all had lots of fun with crafts and swimming and eating and bubbles.

My sister Shana came back from the Reunion to spend a week with us, and celebrate the 4th here in IF with the fun Melaleuca fireworks!
While here we had a bubble blowing contest. I know...we're cool!

We also went to the Splash Park, and ice cream, and got Kira's ears pierced.

We spent a lot of time outside, and at Rigby Lake, and shopping. Then we had a family barbeque on the 2nd and had an awesome time. The cupcakes were a hit with everyone!

Daddy and Uncle Craig seem to lose all of their brain cells when they are together, and we all love it because they make everything a great time. This time they decided to throw those little snap crackle pop fireworks at each other. They were hilarious!

Nanny was bombarded by Emi the whole week she was here, and as you can tell, I think she totally minded.

We lit off fireworks at our family barbeque and they were super cool! If you don't believe me, just ask caleb...

And what's a family get together without a doggy pile?!

We celebrated the 4th like we always do by going to the firemans breakfast, the parade, and then freeman for the fireworks. We had a great time with Shana and her family, and Bec and her kids too.

Here is the girls looking super cute in their little outfis for the 4th.

After the 4th celebration I took my sister and her kids back to boise on Sunday and stayed for a few days to spend some more time with my 'too-cool-to-smile-for-the-camera-brother'! I don't get to see him a lot, but I Love this guy, and we're so proud of him because he just got his first store in Sparks Nevada! Go COR!

Cory hand made these amazing wooden swords for my girls and painted them with pink and purple hilts. Thanks for the amazing swords yet again, the girls are still in love with them!

We loved seeing Aunt Kristie too. And I think she is probably the one that actually painted them!

It also doesn't ever hurt to spend time with this 'so-cute-he-makes-me-smile' nephew of mine who I also don't see near enough!

Little babe stayed true to her accident prone self and got burned by a sparkler on Sunday the 4th. The picture doesn't even do it justice, but it was nasty. 2nd and 3rd degree burns on her chin, neck, and chest. Sister was spinning and accidentally wacked Emi in the neck. Her reaction was to recoil on it, and trapped the sparkler in there burning through her jammies and getting her pretty good. It was a sad time. She was crying so hard, and my heart was breaking just wishing I could do anything to take her pain away, and Adi was in shock feeling absolutely heart broken. She's doing much better now but still cries when it has to be cleaned. The doc says it will leave a scar, and we're pretty sad about that, but hopefully in time the nasty red scar it is leaving will fade. At least she still has her cute little face!

Jed and Adi are tampoline pals. Adi understands that he's just wrestling with her, and I think he loves that.

And what's a good time without Caleb to laugh with?! He's such a good dad. He heard about Emi and was so heart sick he drove right over from I.F. to be with her. It meant a lot to me and especially to Emi.

Adelynn wanted to have Mitchel over for a cousin sleepover at Grandma's, and they had an impromptu strip down to the skivvies and run through the sprinklers party. Me and mom just did what any other sensible adults would have done, and got our camera's!

And boy were they happy!

They kept turning the water up on each other as they were running through. Here is Adi getting Mitchel.

Hahaha. It's been a fun few weeks, but I'm glad to be back to some normalcy. Although I'm starting to think things will not be normal for so long. I think that was the longest family reunion ever! 2 weeks of family! Good thing my family is the best.

Fathers Day Idea

2010-06-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share a Father's Day Idea with you:

I combined my new passion for photography, with my girls love for their Daddy, with a need for a fathers day gift, and WALA!

(click on the pic to make it big)

SO EXCITED!

Better do it soon, Fathers Day is this Sunday, and I think Caleb actually has it off, so WOOHOO!

Ready for Summer

2010-06-08T08:04:00.000-07:00

The title has nothing to do with this post, I'm just feeling really ready for some nice weather!
We've been busy lately, but in an absolutely good way. We've had lots of fun activities with friends and family going on, and we can't wait for more...LOVE summer! I'm working on somehow getting my husband to move me close to Rhonda so I can live in summer all year long!
Here are some pictures from our happening lately. They are totally out of order, but I'm too lazy to put them in order, so here ya go...

Grandma Wall had us out for some dinner and the Girls got to play with their cousins. They love spending time in grandma's yard!

The kids love to play on the swings in Grandma's yard too. Here is Nadia getting pushed by her brother.

I caught these 2 holding hands and then hugging and then pushing each other. Pretty cute. At least I caught the sweet moment!

We went to Boise this weekend for my nephew Reese's baptism. While there we celebrated the kids birthdays, and Emi liked the chocolate!

Here is the stud himself after the baptism. He is so funny! He posed this picture all himself...hahaha, what a ladies man!

Speaking of Ladies man...I can't get enough of this guy. He is SO munchable! mmm, miss him already!

Girls getting some cuddle lap time with Grandma. My girls love spending time with her so much. We miss her already too.

My sister has these gorgeous wildflowers sprinkling her lawn all over, and Adi loved them. She picked qutie a few this weekend.

Memorial Day we went to Rigby Lake with the Matt and Bec family and Grilled and played and ate and rode bikes. It was a great time. The kids were loving being outside and playing.

But Emersyn mostly loved the Rhubarb Crisp! :)

Memorial Day weekend was packed for us. My Dad also came up to go up to Henry's for opening day. before he went up he visited us and gave Adi a present...her first fishing pole! She was stoked! We went up Sunday to spend some time with him and my Brother and Sister doing some fishing, going for a boat ride, and enjoying a camp fire. Adi loves spending time with family. Here she is with my bro. Notice her hat...that's what she chose to wear to keep her ears warm! ahahah! It's part of a costume. She is such an individual.

And here she is with Grandpa learning to fish for the first time. She loved it. Thanks Grandpa.

And lastly Adi completed her first year of dance. She had her recital and was so lucky to have family come and watch her and support her. Grandpa Wall, and Gayle and Charlie were able to come. And then she was surprised when Grandma Boise, Nanny, and Kira drove up from being at Kira's dance competition in Lagoon to see her. She got flowers, and to go to Pizza Hut. It was a good time, and she couldn't have been happier. She did so good, and we are so proud of her.

Well, I think that's pretty much caught up. Now hopefully we'll get some nice weather rolling in soon so we can get busy on our summer fun!

Happy Birthday Caleb

2010-05-27T08:26:00.000-07:00

Today is May 27th, my very best friends Birthday! Caleb is such a good guy. I can't even begin to know what to say to impress upon you just how much he means to this family, but it is worth a try. Since Caleb is 29 today, in no particular order, here are the 29 reasons I love this man with all of my heart.
1. He is funny.
2. His wit is completely unpredictable constantly catching you off guard and making you laugh until you cry. (we're on a detox cleanse! hehehe!)
3. He is incredibly handsome.
4. Those blue blue eyes...
5. He is a hard worker. He put in 92 hours last week....yes, in 1 week. I mean really.....
6. A devoted father.
7. Charming.
8. He never gave up on me.
9. He will never give up on me.
10. Our 2 beautiful children.(and hopefully more soon!)
11. His testimony and knowledge of the Gospel is always teaching me.
12. His knowledge in all things is constantly teaching me. Seriously, this guys is too smart.
13. He is a talented writer.
14. Can make me laugh no matter my mood.
15. Isn't too proud to admit wrongs, and make rights.
16. He loves this family more than anything.
17. He shows us everyday that we're the most important things in his life.
18. Caleb would rather spend his time with us than be out with the guys.
19. He is an avid movie fan and can quote anything...literally anything.
20. He supports me in all of my dreams and ambitions.
21. He not only tells me I'm beautiful, he makes me feel beautiful.
22. He is selfless. After having Adelynn he sold his favorite car to buy a van for me because it was cheaper payments, more practical than his 2 door, and I would be able to cut back on working because of the money we would be saving.
23. He's romantic. For Christmas he wrote in dedication to me, my own personal book. I love it!
24. He's fun, and always likes to do adventurous and new things together.
25. He can't cook worth a lick, but once when I was pregnant and sick he tried to make me some soup to feel better. He combined a can of cream of chicken soup with a can of chicken noodle. Needless to say, I didn't feel better, but what I love is...he tries.
26. He holds my hand wherever we go.
27. He smells goooooood.
28. He's a blast to play games with.
29. He is my very very best friend in the world.
I love you Caleb. Everything you are, and everything you do for this family, is the glue that holds us together. I hope you have a Happy Birthday.

Pursuing a Passion

2010-05-21T09:17:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, I have a passion for all things Photography. I am in the process of Portfolio building for the future launch of my business, and have decided to open up my services at a heavily discounted rate. I will be offering sessions for you, your family, and your children. The fee will be $50. This includes a 1-2 hour session at a location of choice in the East Idaho area for up to 6 people ($5 per additional person). From your session you will recieve a disc full of edited pictures along with a disc release form. Book now while prices are low!

email me at calebashleywall@gmail.com

Help me spread the word.

Thanks!

Friends forever

2010-05-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

In high school I was totally blessed to have some of the best friends of all time! I was so lucky to be surrounded by positive happy influences. Friends always come and go, but I'm telling you, some of them last forever!

Bethy Pooh is one of those friends that will last forever. It seems like no matter how long we are apart from each other, we get together, and it's like no time has changed at all! Well Beth was here visiting while her hubby man finished finals...(congrats Chance!)...and I got to spend some time with her and her little sweetie Bailey. We had such a good time getting to know Bailey, and just spending time together. Me and my girls both adore these two, and already miss them. I just wanted to share some pics from my fun time with these great girls, and say I'm so happy I have her friendship, and that our girls can too!

Bai's at the zoo.

Adi at the zoo too.

Beth and Adi and Bai feeding and petting the goats.

Ah! Big kisses for our friends!

Playing with the finger puppets we made.

Putting on a fabulous little show for us.

And holding hands while hanging tongues out. What more are friends for?!

Mothers Day

2010-05-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

“Motherhood is near to divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels. " -The First Presidency

These two little cheese buckets are what Mother's Day is all about for me. I have to say, the last few Mothers Day's haven't amounted to much though. Caleb has to work a lot of Sunday's, and so while he has good intentions, and he's very thoughtful and kind, Mothers Days have just ended up being another day. He was suppose to have this Sunday off, and as fate would have it, we all got sick this week, and he had to trade days off on the day he was sick. So, he is working till 11:00 tonight, and will be back there from 8:00 to 8:00 tomorrow. While I was feeling a little let down about this, I find myself feeling a lot more fortunate tonight. Do you know what I'm talking about? You know those moments where God just steps in and allows you to see the beauty and miracles surrounding you in your life? I'm so grateful for those. I just spent the most lovely afternoon and evening with my little babes. We played hide and seek, and we made finger puppets,

and we read stories all cuddled up together for over an hour. Come bed time I just had to relish the moments of the day, and the evening, and I was almost hesitant to put them to sleep because I was enjoying them so much! Adi had to ask me if she could go to bed because she was tired! Lately the girls have been sleeping together in the same bed, and I adore watching the interaction of them giggling together and hugging and kissing. There truly is nothing better than a sister. Emersyn is also doing this melt-your-heart-sweet-thing where she insists on lots of hugs and kisses at bed time, and OH! it does make me melt. All in all, I just feel so blessed. I love being a Mother, and while I might not be getting showered in gifts and spoils, or having breakfast in bed, or dinner made for me, I do treasure the most special gifts in my life, my children. (sounds cheesy, but whatever, it's how I feel. AND, I'm a woman, so while I normally refrain from such gooshy sentiments on this blog, I'm allowed to let my emotions go whack!)
And while on the topic of Mothers, what better time than now to say how lucky I am to have such amazing Motherly influences in my life from both my own beautiful mother, and my husbands as well. Caleb's Mom has been a wonderful mother to me, and truly taken me in and loved me as a daughter, and I love her deeply for it. While I got the chance to visit Mom Wall today and wish her a happy day for tomorrow, I don't get to see my mom....
I really wish I could be there to see her tomorrow and tell her how wonderfully perfect she is. How while most people dread turning into their mothers, I want to be more like her. How while I once took for granted our relationship, there will never again be a day go by that I don't treasure everything she is to me, and to our family. I love you Mom.

Motherhood truly is the most sacred responsibility, and I'm grateful to have been given the Eternal calling of mother, and am grateful to have numerous motherly influences in my life, and the best example in my own Mom. I hope you all have a Happy Mothers Day!

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family. Many are able to be “full-time moms,” at least during the most formative years of their children’s lives, and many others would like to be. Some may have to work part-or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else." -Elder Russel M. Ballard

I Never Knew!

2010-04-11T20:01:00.001-07:00

We had quite the event this weekend. We went down to Pocatello for my neices dance competition on Saturday (she did great!) and while we were there, the fire alarm went off. It was crazy to think that the college building full of nearly 1,000 dancers and people had to be evacuated! What was even crazier was when I looked down to see Adelynn standing next to me holding the handle of the fire alarm, and I realized it was MY daughter that was evacuating the entire building, and sending scared little girls screaming outside!

Why didn't anyone ever tell me that adolescence begins at the age of 3?

Adi is sure a character, but man, I COMPLETELY disagree with the "Terrible 2's" theory and restate it as the "Terrible 3's" theory, or maybe the "Trialing 3's". She's still a great girl, but lately she has had more attitude, sass, curiosity, and spunk than I knew that little sweet body of hers could handle! She really is a joy, and half of the attitude is funnier than anything. But for journaling purposes, I thought I would share a few of those "spunky" moments for laughs.

The other night, Adi said she didn't love me. I'm not sure what sparked it, but best as I can tell, she's just experimenting with emotions, and words etc. She reassured me that she still liked me, but that she just loved Daddy and Emersyn, and maybe she would love me later. I told her that was fine, but that I would always love her.
Later she said that sometimes she loved me, and sometimes she liked me, and that sometimes she hated me. I told her that it was never a good idea to hate anyone, and that when she didn't love me, my heart was breaking, but that I would still always love her.
Later that night as we sat at the dinner table she leaned over and told me that she did in fact love me.
She said "You are wonderful, you are the most wonderful thing in my heart."
It melted me to say the least, and I held her close and said "that was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."
Then she told me she thought I was the most beautiful girl she ever saw.
It was a tender rollercoaster of an evening. I was feeling pretty bad that she felt that way, even if she didn't understand what she was saying. But as a mother, to devote yourself wholeheartedly in every aspect of your life to your beloved children, you can't help but ache a bit when they start to test those waters. However, it was a sweet ending to the evening, and her love has surrounded me again.
The next day Caleb felt like he would still like to talk to her about it a bit, and I was grateful for his love for me and his support in the efforts to teach our children to love and respect their parents. I was downstairs and Adi came down to lay by me and give me some loves, and she looked at me and said "mom, I never ever hate you, I always, always love you." Afterwards when she was walking up the stairs you could hear this...
"Dad, I did it. Can I have a treat now?!" hahaha!
Even if she said it for a treat, I was grateful for his support and the encouragement he used in teaching our children to love and respect their Mother.

I've been thinking though, how do you guys deal with your children when they act/say these type of things? Do you teach them it's not kind to act that way, and we need to love everyone, or do you let them express their feelings and just assure them that no matter what you will always love them? I don't think there is a right or wrong answer, but sometimes as fellow parents, it's good to encourage each other and give insightful feedback to one another.

I just never knew....!

Winter Wonderland

2010-04-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

Seriously? It is April 6th...and it snowed 6 inches last night, and the schools were closed today! Are you kidding me? Man, I am really wishing that I were somewhere else right now...like maybe? back here...

WHY do I live in East Idaho??? I'm going out to buy a "for-sale" sign right now. Look for it.

The End.

April Fools

2010-04-01T07:46:00.000-07:00

I guess the joke is, that I'm actually posting! It's not that I haven't had anything to post, just that I've been so busy in other directions. But, here are some pictures to catch up on what we've been doing around the Wall home. We went to Boise this last week, and had a great time. While in Boise we spent an afternoon at Celebration park and got to picnic and had quite an adventure. We even got to find hieroglyphics on rocks. We had a great time.

Adi decided to draw her own hieroglyphics in the sand.

Learning to throw arrows like the Indians did.

Mom and Dad at the picnic.

Jed was LOVING Charlie.

Even if Charlie is special! :)

We had a picnic, and just enjoyed the amazing weather. (Look how dirty she is!)

At celebration park they had this neat bridge! I took some pics of the girls on it in their Easter Dresses. I love those little sweeties....sauciness and all.

While staying in Boise we went to the Fablehaven, Brandon Mull book signing. Kira and Reese were thrilled. He was so nice. I got a book for my nephews, I can't wait to give it to them since they couldn't come. He was such a nice guy.

Craig got some new goats, and we went over to play. Adi got to feed Sophie. It was a little chilly, but fun.

Adelynn was playing dress up and used nearly all of her Tu-Tu's and dress up clothes, and then topped it off with one of my tanks. CUTE!

St. Patricks day dinner. We had everything green, including green Chicken Bacon Artichoke Pasta, salad, green ranch, juice, and jello cake.

Adi had dance on the 17th, so I made her a St. Patty's tu-tu and bow. She was so excited because of having learned about it at Pre-school the day before.

All dressed for Preschool. Pretty stylish and sassy little thing, don't you think?

Emersyn has 2 best friends, her lamb, and her blanky. We blame Grandma for getting her such cozy gifts! Here is lamb after Emi situated her to read a book. She even shared her favorite book. How nice.

Here is Emi putting Lamb night night and giving her kisses. (that's her toddler bed. She sleeps perfectly in it. No problems still!)

Ahh! Giving Lamb some loves.

Here is her other best friend, and one true love...Blanky! We can't go anywhere without it, seriously.

She loves that blanky. Oh my.

And if you made it through this...Oh my to you too! Thanks!

Happy April Fools everyone!

Tiny Dancer

2010-03-13T11:38:00.000-08:00

We got Adelynn's dance pictures back, and they turned out so sweet. She's been such a joy to watch grow and learn and dance this year! She was awarded student of the Month for February. We were shocked, but she was completely thrilled and so proud of herself(why not?) and we were so proud of her! She was awarded a gift certificate for new dance clothes, and a lunch to TGIFridays. Way to go Adi!

Here is our Tiny Dancer!

Adi is in the middle row on the second from the right.

Can you tell....

2010-03-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

That she LOVES her daddy....

???

Why do my kids keep on growing!

2010-03-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

I had Emersyn's 18 month check up a little early (17mo.) because I was a slacker and missed her 15 month and 12 month check up. She is growing so big, and it's pretty fun. A fun fact about Emi is that she is very extreme. What I mean by that is; she is on one end of the spectrum for everything. There are no in-betweens for her. She can be such an angel, and when she is, she tops them all. She is sweet, and cuddly, and loving, and completely adorable. On the opposite end, she is such a bear! She can be so mean to sister and bite and pull hair and throw ridiculous tantrums. Yet on another hand she is sweet and hugs her sister and kisses her and holds her hand wherever they walk. When she's sick, she's as feisty as they come. When she's laughing, it's loud and excited and contagious! She is advanced in her talking. She says so many words that I thought about documenting them, and I couldn't even begin to write them all. The Doctor was really impressed and couldn't stop laughing because she even talks in short sentences. We're impressed too :) It's funny though, because Emersyn loves to copy anything and everything you say. The other day I said "Dang it" and the rest of the day she ran around saying "dane it!" It was the same day that I said "oh boy!" and the rest of the day she exaggerated everything with an "oh boy!" I have to watch it now, and am on my toes a lot around her. No one seems to have sympathy for me about how much my children talk though, they all say they wonder where my kids could have inherited that from! Oh well, maybe this means we'll always have really great conversation together. Emersyn is also extreme in her stats. Her weight isn't too low(unlike her sister! she finally made the charts with a whopping 9th%!). Emi is in the 30th%. Her height on the other hand remains really high in the 96th%. Again...my extreme baby! She also seems to want to grow up to be a big girl so fast. She is now sleeping in a big girl bed completely(that was hard for me because I felt like I was letting go of my baby). She stays in it all night, and naps there too. She is pretty impressed with herself. She also has gone pee on the potty. She insists on wearing panties over her diapers every day. She tells me to change her diaper anytime she wets, and has to get a new one. If I don't react quick enough she'll even get me the wipes and a diaper sometimes. I'm pretty sure she would potty train now if I had the gumption, but I'll wait a few months to minimize on the messes! Anyway, just a fun few facts about my baby. She REALLY is a joy. Every extreme angle to her we just love.
Also, I took some pictures of my brothers dogs, and for being brand new at all of this, I didn't think they turned out too bad. I'm definitely no professional, but I want to become better, so give me some feedback on the pics and some tips too. I welcome your comments and pointers.

This is river. She is a puppy that my brother just got for hunting. She is beautiful and already fetches so well. She is only 13 weeks old, and is huge! My brother really loves her, and he liked this pic the best. I thought it was really pretty with the coloring of her, and the bright beautiful sky in the background.

This is crazy Lola and Brody. They are such cute little pups! They are busy and wild, and snort all the time. Too fun! What I like about this picture is their heads turned in opposite directions with the same expression and crazy bulging eyes.

And this dog is Acaida. She is beautiful. I was having a hard time capturing a good picture of her though. She had chewed through her kennel earlier that day, and got into trouble, so she wasn't in the most cooperative mood. She has the most stunning blue eyes, but because of the uncooperativeness(it's a word! my word!) I really didn't get a great pic, and it was slightly blurry, so I turned the tones down on this and softened the saturation to an almost complete black and white photo. Was that a good idea, or no?

Thanks all of you photography GU-Ru's you! I can't wait to learn more!

Valentines, Romance, and True Love

2010-02-14T09:00:00.001-08:00

We have had quite the happy Valentines here this whole month. It's a fun holiday to have the opportunity to express our sincere love and appreciation for each other. Hopefully we do it more than this once a year, but February 14th is just another reason to show people you care. I made Caleb an advent calendar this year and it proved to be a lot of fun building some anticipation for the big day. There were all sorts of fun and romantic things to do each night including slow dancing in the bedroom, making each other homemade cheesy cards, pillow talking while telling each other our favorite memories from the dating years etc. It was a really fun 2 weeks looking forward to the next nice thing we could do for each other or share in.

I also didn't want the girls to miss out in the fun, so I made them some mailboxes and we delivered love notes throught the weeks this way. Definitely a fun new tradition I think we'll keep. The girls gave out Valentines at Preschool, and to their friends while being babysat last night. They loved giving. They also loved recieving... Speaking of which they got sent some valentines from their Grandma and Grandpa "Boise". They recieved the traditional homemade card which is always a favorite, and new piggy banks complete with money to put in them.

They both already have a love of money and saving it. This was a great gift, and they both really enjoyed it. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Caleb and I decided to attend a Masquerade Ball together for Valentines. We have both been very excited for it! Originally I was planning a little party with a few of my sister-in-laws, but different plans fell into place. We made our own masks, and we thought they turned out pretty fun and fancy!
Pretty good for amateurs right? Caleb even designed his himself.
And here is the sexy couple! It was so fun and Romantic to get dressed up all fancy for each other and enjoy the night dancing in each others arms. He looked so handsome, and we had a lot of fun together. I got my "hair did", and I felt so pretty, which I am sure all of you other mothers will agree that THAT alone is a rarity! My hairdresser helped me do temporary extensions for it on Friday, and showed me how to do it for Saturday. I loved it!

When I was finished getting my hair done at the Salon all of the women were "oohing" and "awwing" at my hair, and one asked where I was going looking so done up. I told her that I was going to a masquerade ball on Saturday, and all of the other women present were swooning. I took the opportunity to gloat about it(you better believe it!) and one woman said "let me guess, you are single and still in love right?" I said "No, Married, 2 kids, and still in love." Everyone was shocked. I told Caleb, and he seemed to like my response because the next day I got this beautiful bouquet of Roses with this note. Aww! I love that boy.

At the ball there was a live band. We also enjoyed refreshments and entertainment, and even got our pictures taken like we were at the High School Prom...hehehe. I'm still on cloud 9! Funny thing though...Caleb and I aren't bad dancers, but we're certainly not the best. We bumped feet quite a bit last night, and by the end the big toes on both of my feet were worn through my nylons! :) Too cute!
We finished off the date like any good date ends by going to WalMart! hahaha. Seriously! We ran over there afterward and at 11:30 at night, pushed our cart around while in our formals and picked up a few little sweet gifts to put in the girls Mailboxes for today. They were really excited to get them this morning. We certainly do love them!

I got Caleb a little gift, and he got me one too. I just wanted to share what he got me though, because I thought it was so tender and thoughtful. I love Willowtree statues, and I guess you could say I collect them. Look at this perfect one he got me....Dancing! A perfect reminder for our perfect evening. And the title of this one.....Romance!

I had a wonderful evening, but today we had to come back to reality. Caleb was back to work today. He has been so maxed out lately, and I've been going in after hours to help him get some stuff done and hopefully eliviate some of that building stress. Wednesday we were there till 12:30 am. Today he asked me to come in again and help from 12-5. My sister-in-law Bec watched the kids so I could. I ended up helping him from 12-6. We got a lot done though, and I really was happy to help. I love him, and seeing some of that stress ease out of him is worth it. But as I thought about it, I thought you know...this is what Valentines is really about. As the years progress in our marriage I am amazed at how our love continues to grow. It knows no bounds. Last night was Romantic, and defnitely a night to remember, but I honestly feel choked up knowing that we love each other so much, so selflessly. I am happy to help him, and he appreciates that a lot. And you know what, I appreciate that he is willing to let me help, and trusts that I can do the job right. It means a lot to me. And in it's own, insignificant, unromantic, probably not even understood by many way, it shows to me just how true our love is. I am so lucky to be married to my man. I love you Caleb.

I hope all of you have had a wonderful Holiday too. Happy Valentines!

Experimenting

2010-02-09T10:05:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm in the dark about a lot that this camera has going on. I'm learning about Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO. Who knew there was so much to learn and understand? Anyway, I've been trying to understand as much as I can, and in my past time this camera (that I am SO in love with!) consumes my time! Here are a few pictures that I've shot. I'm no professional, and I haven't gotten the technicalities down to an art by any means, but it's fun to experiment! Trying to figure out lighting as well as blurring the background as well as freezing the subject all the while getting the perfect coloring etc. is still a bit beyond me, but like I said I'm experimenting. That's the beauty about digital...experiment experiment experiment! This was the first picture I took. Of course Adi is SUPER cooperative!

The rest of these pictures are from the other day when Adi had some of her friends (her cousins) over. We made "Peanut Butter Stripper Dippers". They are a great invention we came up with along with one of Adi's friends, Will, who we watch. So fun for the kids. You make a grilled peanut butter sandwhich, cut them into strips, and then let them dip 'em in their favorite things i.e. chocolate, caramel, and strawberry jam! Not the healthiest, but we try and even it out with some fruit too:) This one didn't turn out hardly at all. I'm really having a hard time grasping how to still frame them and get the lighting to work. (sigh) Like I said, experiment!
Getting ready to try some Peanut Butter Stripper Dippers...mmm...She likes peanut Butter!

And OH Yeah, We LOVE the chocolate!

Best buddies!

Well, hopefully next update I'll only be getting better.

My heart is breaking...

2010-02-07T13:49:00.000-08:00

(turn your volume up for this post. FYI: I realize that this is not the "typical" post. I think this is a little bit more mature content than usual. However I feel strongly about this, and maybe the more awareness you can spread, the bigger difference you can make.)

As many of you know, after I graduated from High School I went to Ecuador, South America to serve in the orphanages there. It's been nearly 7 years ago this March that I left. It was THE MOST fulfilling, rewarding, eye-opening BLESSING I have ever had the privilege of experiencing. I never knew ya know? I never knew a lot...and I learned so much. I realize that doesn't make sense, but it's hard to put in words. Ever since then children, orphans, and adoption have held a very dear place in my heart. And they forever will. In light of the recent tragedy that has befallen on Haiti, I have been feeling particularly heavy with heartache for the children.

Today I learned of more tragedy that has befallen upon this country and these beloved and blessed children. Because of the Trauma the country has suffered, an increasingly large amount of children are being taken to the Orphanages. Parents who fear their children will starve take their beloved little ones here in hope of giving them the only thing they can...a chance of survival. To them, the orphanages are a Godsend. Yet the conditions of the orphanages often consist of concrete floors, and broken windows. There is no electricity, or running water. Due to the quake, the conditions are only worsening. More and more people are homeless and left with what they feel is no other option than to take their children to these orphanages. With this is arising more problems. Children are coming and going without paper-work etc. Because of the large numbers inhabiting and overwhelming these orphanages, authorities fear that some are taking advantage of the numbers and the chaos and selling children as servants and sex slaves. Trafficking is a multi-million dollar criminal network. It is real. My heart is breaking, I feel an actual ache for these sweet and perfect children. Sometimes I think we like to live in unawareness, and naivety, and it's OK. Other times, I think it's appropriate to realize the conditions of this world. Bend down on your knees and thank God for the life you have. And while you are there, will you please join me in saying a prayer for the Children?

It pays to Save!

2010-02-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

I've been saving for so long for a nice Digital SLR camera. It's been quite a go too. I would save and save... and then something would come up and thank heavens we had that money saved you know? And then I would save some more, and Christmas came. Well needless to say, it's hard to save right? Am I the only one? Well, I'm here to tell you that patience pays off. (see...there's that word again!) I got my camera! WOOHOO!!!!

It's the Canon Rebel T1i. I have so much to learn that's for sure, but I can't wait to get learning on this baby! The 500 page manual it comes with isn't daunting at all! :) haha. Anyway, just wanted to share my complete and TOTAL excitement! I heart my new camera!

Waking up

2010-02-01T08:49:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to Adelynn sneaking into bed with me and cuddling up. I love those early morning moments when her freezing cold toes slide under my legs for warmth and she nuzzles in closely. This morning I awoke to an even more special treat. While cuddling she told me she brought me a present. Usually it's a lego tower, but today I looked over to see she had used Emersyn's stacking cups to put some Gerbera Daisies in. Aww, what a lovely way to wake up! Here's hoping to a good week, and an early spring!

Bummer, any suggestions?

2010-01-30T09:13:00.001-08:00

For christmas I made Caleb this....

A date for every month of the year.

This is what we did for the month of January...

We saw Avatar and ate at Cafe Rio.

And the real big surprise was the month of April, our Anniversary, he is getting this....

A Trip to NEW YORK! Wahoo!

Caleb served a two year mission in New York, New York. He hasn't been back yet, so for our 5 year Anniversary I decided to combine Christmas and the Anni and surprise him with this. The whole she-bang. Staying in Time Square, going to a Yankee game, Broadway, etc. He was really excited, and I was too! But here is the catcher. When Caleb got back from the conference in Nashville he just went to, he found out that when his store makes the official Name transition this spring/summer, there will be no time off for anyone. For the months of April, May, and June, there will be NO time off. We were both pretty devastated since it looks like New York will be waiting yet ANOTHER year! (sigh).

Well, looking for the positive we decided it would be OK since times are tough, and we could pay down some bills. I let him have some of the money and get himself a present to make up for the disspaointment in not going, and basically loosing your Christmas present! So as frustrating as it is, he got a nice gift, and we're OK with waiting another year and paying down some stuff. But here is my quesiton to you all. I want to do something special for the Anniversary since this is kind of a let down, and especially since he's working so hard now, and will be working really hard then, and looking toward some really long days. Any great ideas that I could do to make it special for him? I thought about staying at the New York themed room at the Destinations Inn, but I don't know if he'll even get time for that. So, any creative ideas on turning our house into some sort of romantic NY getaway? Or other ideas too? Our Anni isn't till April, but I'd like to get ideas to start planning now. So any suggestions would be great.

He doesn't read this blog a lot, and with him being crazy busy, we'll keep our fingers crossed that if I don't mention the blog, he won't care to check it:)

Another Curly Haired Cutie, A Handy Hairdresser, and 2 Magnificent Mommy's!

2010-01-25T14:49:00.000-08:00

I know I've blogged about Adi's hair being naturally curly before, but I'm not sure if I showed you all that the bouncing little spirals were passed on to sweet little Emi too. She bathes at night and sleeps on her hair so the next day it's usually just wavy, but here is a glimpse of those sweet little tendrils on that sweet little face that I love so much!(when she's not sick...but that's a different story!)

The girls both got baby dolls and strollers for Christmas because they love being Mommy's SO much! When we got home from Boise on Saturday night Emi wanted to sit on the counter and eat some marshmallows from the Marshmallow Mattie bag. Whatever. I was tired and exhausted, and mostly just happy to see her happy(I'll just say it wasn't a pleasant last 2 days because she was sick...but again, that's a different story, and WAY too long to share here). Anyway, she couldn't eat cereal without sharing with baby, and I just thought it was so cute how she held her little dolly in her arms while she ate. She also fed baby. She likes marshmallows too I suppose.

Last night after bath's right as we were sitting down for scripture study Adelynn sattled up next to me and proceeded to lift up her nightgown. I asked her what she was doing, and she said that baby duck was so hungry she had to feed him. So the entire time we read scriptures Adi fed baby. Then while we were in the middle she lowered her shirt and proceeded to life up the other side. She said "I have to switch sides now." hahah! Then when we knelt down for prayers she said it was baby ducks turn. Since she is his mama she helped him kneel down and then did the prompting. It went like this "Say Dear Heavenly Father....(pause)...Say Dear Heavenly Father....(as if she's waiting for him to respond! hehe) And then she proceeded in helping baby duck give a very nice prayer with sufficient pauses for baby to respond. Aww, what a good mommy she is!
Not this last weekend, but the weekend before I went to Boise, my Mom and Dad came over to pick me up and take me back with them. My diddy-boo helped fix our hot water heater while he was here, and it was my Ma's birthday, so we had an adult only dinner(thanks bec, I love ya!) at the Olive Garden to celebrate! YUM! I know it's boring, but I did the soup salad and breadsticks because they are just too delish! Anyway, that weekend Adi was so excited to see family. She just loves all of our family all around. We are lucky that way. While they were here she put on a show for us. (I didn't take pictures because I was too busy enjoying my time, and I spaced it, but it's good to write down for memory). Anyway, she got all dressed up fancy and got a tall little stool out and sang a great song she made up about giants and fairies and who knows what else, and she danced for me and Gayle and Grandma. We clapped and then she said "goodnight everyone, have a goodnight!" Then she made me get up on the stool and sing "Twinkle Twinkle" for everyone. Then Gayle had to do "I'm a little Teapot" and Grandma had to do "Mary Had a Little Lamb." It was such a hoot watching all of us adults up there dancing and singing for each other. It was pretty cute of her to do. She told us we were all wonderful and beautiful. Too sweet. Then later she wanted to cut me and Gayles hair. I remembered to get pictures of this...hahah! Anyway, after she finished "cutting" our hair, she styled it. Gayle got the best do, so I'll share some of those pics!

(Do you see how cute Adi's new haircut is?!)

Also while my mom was here we did some crafting. I love crafting, and it's especially fun with my sisters and mom. It's not finished, but I got started on this family night board. I did vinyl lettering for the words, a metal plate, and then mod podged some cute paper onto some letters and then attached magnets. Pretty cute, simple, and easy. A perfect project for me. And to go along with this, I'll pass on this site that another friend of mine shared earlier. It's a year's worth of FHE's that go along with the 2010 primary theme. I'm sure a lot of you have seen this, but if not, download it here It's worth it!

(I hope the rest of our kids have 3 letter nicknames:) Oh well, at least there is only 2 more open spaces, not 8 or something!)

MIA

2010-01-19T08:50:00.000-08:00

I realize I've been MIA for a while. I guess I've not really been in the blogging mood. Not that there hasn't been much to blog about...there's been a lot going on...just not in the mood. I was doing some thinking this morning though, and thought maybe I would come write a little, and post an update.

I had my first Sunday teaching Relief Society this last week. It went SO good. I felt like I learned a lot from the lesson, preparation, and from the participation. I thought I was going to puke before I had to give the lesson, but I made it through everything fine.

This last week I got to do some home Improvement projects with Bec. We had a blast. We painted her Kitchen RED and stayed up laughing and eating yummy food. I love home improvement, and my mind has been twirling fabulous ideas for my house ever since!

I cut Adi's hair over Christmas break. Her cousins cut their hair, and so she wanted hers done too. I thought maybe it would help thicken out her hair a little, and it did! She looks adorable! (sorry, I will post pics to come...I'm not on my own computer...which brings me to now...

Caleb is gone. He left Saturday to go to meetings in Nashville. He's been having a good time. He got to meet John and Ashley Force. He said they were hilarious...I don't doubt it!! He also got to meet the Tennessee Titan Cheerleaders. He got his picture taken with them, and I think that made the trip worth while for him :)

I'm so jealous though. Look at this place they put him up. It's the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. AMAZING!

These gardens are all in a glass covered dome IN the hotel. Lucky duck!

Same with the waterfalls. Too bad he's sharing his room with a big fat mexican instead of his sweet little wife:)

I'm glad he's enjoying his time. I miss him tons. I hate being aways from him. I feel such a loss. But, I love him and am glad he's have a good time.

So since my husband is gone my sister decided she was going to come over and stay with me. OH! AWWW! So nice! ...

Then she got a notion to instead use me as her babysitter so she could go to HAWAII! hahaha, I don't mind! I'm thrilled for her.

She is staying at Turtle Bay on the North Shore.

Yesterday she called me and said "I'm in Hawaii in a Yellow Jeep with the wind blowing through my hair!"

I said AMAZING...and I'm....in Boise Idaho! WOOHOO! hehehe

Acutally it's been great. I was a little nervous about her little guy Jed. He's kind of a momma's boy. But as it turns out he's been GREAT! He's only cried once, and that was cause he fell and got a bloody nose. Not bad. The kids have been getting along perfectly and everyone's been sleeping great and we were even on time for school this morning! I didn't know how great I would be at that considering I'm NOT a morning person, but it's been nice. Maybe I can handle 5 kids afterall.

Speaking of that, my new years word has proved to be useful so far. I've really been enjoying it. Finding more patience in all that I'm doing has helped me be happier. Although I will admit I had a huge meltdown blowout on Sunday on the drive over. I'm so embarassed and mortified over my behavior! Why is it that I snap like that sometimes? Why can't I be the calm collective person I want to be? It ended with Adi in sad tears, and me not too far behind. We both said we were sorry. I told her I don't like it when she beahves that way, because it makes me sad. She said "but it makes me sad too." So we both agreed we didn't like it, and we would both try to be better. She got grounded from movies(which is like the ultimate punishment for her) and so far she's been great since. She really is a good girl. I do love her so much.

Last night there was one little incident that left me feeling slightly sad. My nephew was having a bit of a hard time and I wasn't quite sure how to comfort him. But we said a prayer and he went to bed. This morning he gave me a big hug and told me that "it's weird, but that prayer really helped." I was glad. I felt a lot better because last night I was feeling a little helpless. I talked to him after about the power of prayer, and he seemed to think that indeed it is powerful, and that helped him perk up.

At breakfast this morning we said prayer and then I had each of them recite an article of faith as part of their morning devotional their mom does with them when she's here. It was funny cause after they both got done reciting from heart their Articles and then I said "great job!" Then they both said "Your turn!" ....ugh....talk about being put on the spot! OK...memory....DON'T fail me now! hahaha. Luckily I stammered one out. I guess I better do some studying tonight to freshen up for the rest of the week!

Anyway, there's some tidbits of life. Aw, life. So fun. It keeps going whether or not we want it to. Look for pictures soon, and hope you all have a great week...or month...or however long it is till I type again:)

2010 Word

2010-01-07T09:59:00.001-08:00

Without going into too much detail about why I chose the word I did for 2010, here it is... I feel good about this word. I've been thinking about it for a few months now, and this is the word that keeps coming to mind. Patience in all things, every aspect of my life...I need to work on this so much. Wish me luck!

Shoe Fetish

2009-12-29T13:21:00.000-08:00

I'm addicted to shoes...I'm admiting it. And you know what, I'd be willing to bet that 95% of you women out there are also addicted. However, my fetish has gotten a little out of control, I'll be the first to say it. They are taking over my house people! Anyway, I've been having dreams of organizing and labeling and getting myself put back together now that Christmas is over, and I've been dreaming of cleaning out my shoes...ick! What a daunting task! BUT...(drum roll please...) I did it. I went through the closet today, and WOOH! I feel so much better. I threw away 4 pairs of shoes, and got rid of over 20 more pairs. Welcome back closet space! Now I can't wait to start shopping so I can add some more new shoes to a nice new home! hehe

(I can hear you laughing as I'm typing mom...and I know you must be proud Aunt Andy!)
Also, If any of you out there are in need of some good shoes, I am getting rid of some really nice ones. If your a size 7-8 and want to take a look, let me know. They aren't all old and worn out, I just had to de-clutter some-how. There are a few Dr. Martens, some cute sequenced flip-flops, some tall fur lined boots in tan or brown, and even some great sunday shoes. I'm taking them to D.I. asap if I don't hear any takers.

P.S. Does any one else love this show and secretly wish this were THEIR closet?!

A girl can dream right?

Too Funny!

2009-12-24T09:12:00.000-08:00

Remember this:

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to Mid-December. Female Reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring.

Therefore, according to every historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, every single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen, had to be a girl.

We should have known only a woman would be able to drag a fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost!

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Random writings

2009-12-13T15:41:00.001-08:00

I need to talk. I don't know about what, but I need somewhere to write. It's not that I've had a bad day, just feeling like letting some pent-up thoughts out. It's Sunday. The girls weren't too bad at church today (unlike some sundays can be) and I got a new calling. I'm super nervous about it actually, because it's the one calling I've never wanted, because I don't see myself fit for it. Hopefully I can rely on the spirit to help me through. I won't be sustained till next week, but I'll let you know how things go for me.

In Sunday school today we had a great lesson on forgiveness and love and charity etc. I really liked how they talked about making our own lives and homes a personal Zion. I've been really working hard at that lately by trying desperately to reach out to others, unite relationships, keep a positive outlook, not be quick to judge or take offense, and in a sense just allowing myself a really long leash of tolerance. They talked about that today too. Yet somehow, when your working your hardest, doesn't it seem like something always comes along to throw a rock in your path?! Why is that? And why does it always come at the most in-opportune times? I guess keeping your chin up and pressing forward is always the perspective you must maintain.

I'm getting very excited about Christmas! I can't wait to give some pretty special gifts to some pretty special people in my life. We also are doing some pretty fun things too. Tomorrow we are going to do some Christmasy stuff with Adi's bestie and cousin Nadia. Also next Sunday we're going to SLC to stay with Caleb's sister and go see the lights. And I really really love the spirit of Christ that accompany's the season. Charity and love abound so much, that you can really see why we should make Christmas a part of our lives year round. I have this quote displayed in my home that I've been pondering a lot today, it's:

"The magic of Christmas never ends because it's greatest gift is family and friends."

Sometimes I think we fail to see that, but it's so true!

This is probably the most random post ever...I'm sorry. The girls are napping, I'm emotional, and sometimes blogging is a little therapuetic right? It's not just me right?

Let's end this with pictures. Anybody want to see some pictures...of course you do! Enjoy!

P.S. My husbands cousin, and my good blogging friend Rhonda has this saying where she calls herself the Mamarazzi because of the insane amount of pictures she takes, and I'm convinced I have this disease too, so word to the wise...consider yourself warned once again on the picture overload!

Trying to get Emi to smile for pictures, and she only wanted to cry. This was this morning before church looking so cute in her Christmas Dress. A lady at church told me my girls are alwyas the best dressed kids in the ward. AWWW!

I had to chase her to the bathroom to get her smiling:)

Adi loves her picture taken, hers was not hard!

Another one of my famous shots that Adi took of me. She told me to put my picture on my "computer, you know where you put the pictures of me". hehe I must really love her to oblige with something so ridiculous!

I bought some material to do these cute stockings with, and since my machine is broken my Mom did them for me. I LOVE THEM! Adi does too, and had to take a pic of her Gingerbread girl.

Reading Christmas stories one night.

Emi really likes to color like sister. (don't mind the mess!)

Emersyn making a huge mess with some cereal. What? I'm hungry!

Emi loves to brush her teeth. She is always doing it!

Adi had another dance recital. She was PERFECTLY adorable again!

Adelynn visiting Santa at the Mall.

Emersyn pretty sure she didn't want anything to do with Santa, except maybe that candy cane...hmmm, maybe Mom could get it for me.

This is a picture of the day we made cinnamon cut-outs. Such a great day.

This is also that same day when we got into the bubble fight. this was before it exploded, and I could still manage them and take a picture! :)

We got this little train to put around the tree. The kids love it.

Here is the kids doing a beeny bag dance at preschool at Roselle's house.

And aren't they so good sitting quietly and listening to the story?!

Thanksgiving weekend Grandpa was one lucky guy, he got to snuggle with 3 of his grand-daughters! How cute!

I thought this was such a funny follow up pic to the last one...gotta say cheese! I have my kids trained so well. On a side not, Adi LOVED her cousin's Maylyn and Tessa. We can't wait to see them again for Christmas, and the Temple lights.

Also at grandma's, and also trained well!

I love my family so much. And if I don't say it enough, I'll say it again. I love my family SO much!

Calling all friends...

2009-12-08T19:08:00.000-08:00

Okay all of my high school friends, it's rapidly approaching that time where we will all be back home for the holidays. Over the last few months we've talked and left several messages through cyberspace about getting together this Christmas season. So I thought maybe we should start to plan something. So, leave me a comment on what you think we should do, when we should do it etc. Or e-mail me at calebashleywall@gmail.com, and give me your phone number in case I don't have it, and I will call you when we have a better idea. Nobody excluded, it's always so fun to see EVERYONE! Does that work? Am I being obnxious? I hope not, I'm just so excited to see you all. Maybe we could just do dinner, or we could all get together at my house again, or we could have a New Years party, or maybe put bags on our heads....hahahahah! I don't know why that memory just popped into my head?! GOOD TIMES! Can't wait to see ALL OF YOU!
Luvs to you all,
Ashley

'Tis the Season

2009-12-03T20:36:00.000-08:00

I love this time of the year. There is such a contagious spirit of love and laughter and giving and family. We set up our decorations the day after Thanksgiving, and have had the wonderful aromas of nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, pomegranate, pine, orange, and other fabulous spices lacing together to create an even cozier atmosphere. The house looks beautiful, and our family is aboundingly giddy with Christmas Spirit. I want to write down my day on Tuesday in hopes of preserving a most fabulous day that, in my mind, was the perfect December day, and I never want to forget it. (I did take some pictures, but I feel as though they do no justice to the memory of the moment, so I am choosing to just write this post. Sorry to those of you who hate written posts with no pictures...I know it's boring, and I am in now way a story teller, but bare with me here...)
Adi got to spend some time with her Aunt Gayle that morning while I caught up on some bookkeeping. She colored and decorated ornaments, and was really pleased with the outcome, and thrilled to have spent some time with one of her most beloved friends. We decided to stick with the ornament theme and later made cinnamon cut-out ornaments. We all got garbed out in our Aprons and mushed and rolled applesauce and cinnamon together until it was ready, and then we rolled some more, all the while basking in the amazing scent that it provided to my home. The girls had a wonderful time cutting them out with Christmas shaped cookie cutters, and then poking the hole for the ribbon to go through with the straw. The snow was softly falling outside, and Christmas music played quietly(and sometimes loudly) in the background, while we merrily sang along. When we finally finished the huge batch we had made, we cleaned up. Gayle had to go home, so we said good-bye to her and then the girls wanted to help wash dishes. Feeling completely overwhelmed with pure happiness surging through me, I let them! We made lots of bubbles and soon it turned into a very fun bubbley event. We smashed it on each others heads, and tickled it on to each others noses, and attempted to launch it through the air at each other. The deep belly laughter and high pitched squeals of excitement were almost more than I could bare...in such a good way! I felt that if my day were to get any better, I might possibly burst.
After cleaning the kitchen Emersyn, exhausted from the day, lay down for a second nap. Being the Angel she always is, she was happy to go down. Having some down time with Adelynn I siezed it to spend a little Mommy/Daughter time together, and of course crafting something is always fun for us. So we decided to make a christmas countdown chain, you know, the kind you did when you were younger too?We had a ball together, and she excitedly tears one(or two) off every morning!
When daddy came home that night the girls were very excited to show him their accomplishments, and he of course lathered them in compliments. After dinner we bathed the girls (which is always a blast for them anyway) and then turned off all the lights in the house except the Christmas ones, and we lit the candles. More playing and giggling insued, and then we read wonderful stories together of Elves and Santa and Reindeer too. We admired pictures of beautifully decorated trees, and snow covered forrests.
The girls went to sleep without a peep, and I tell you, I felt as if I could float away on a cloud that night from being too puffed up with love for my family, and for this special Holiday.

So grateful...

2009-11-26T10:03:00.000-08:00

I love this Holiday. Thanksgiving is such a beautiful time, and there is truly so much to be thankful for. And while I have thought and talked about all that I am truly in gratitude of this season with my family, there is one thing I would like to express here, now. I often am able to express on this blog how much I love my dear children, and how thankful for them I am. To be their mother, to learn and grow in this life with them, it's truly something to count my blessings for. I don't, however, often express how truly lucky I am to have such a kind, endearing, funny, loving husband and father to my children.

I think that the world is a place where people walk around today calling everyone their best friend. I don't know if the term has any real meaning anymore. Mere aquaintances bestow each other with hugs and kisses upon only a second or third meeting. Everyone is telling everyone they love them. Don't get me wrong, I think that it's important to love your neighbors, and I love sharing hugs and kisses too. But as a result of the careless passing of truly endearing sentiments, I believe that when you tell somebody you love them today, it isn't much heard. But I just want to say, I love you Caleb, you are my best friend. I can not imagine going through this life without you as my best friend. I am, indeed, grateful for you and your love.

First Dance Recital and a Birthday!

2009-11-23T08:32:00.000-08:00

This last week was a crazy one, albeit a REALLY FUN one. Adelynn had her very first dance recital at the festival of trees. She was so excited, because Santa was there to watch her. The anticipation for this has been building for weeks, and she has worked really hard to perfect her dance. I really am so proud of her, because she practiced and practiced, and it all paid off. When the little kids were paraded out onto the stage, all of them started looking around for their parents, and waving. The place was packed, and Adi couldn't see us, so I waved and waved, but she just timidly stared around at all the strange faces. Then the music started, and she immediately knew what to do and began dancing. Then a few steps into it she saw me and waved. My heart nearly exploded with pride at that moment! Then she quickly got back into her steps. She was so good, and the most important thing is that she was proud of herself, and it was a positive experience for her. After her first dance I went back to check on her, and she was just as giddy as a little pony! She immediately wanted to know if Santa saw her, and I told her he did. Then she wanted to know if he clapped for her, and I said "oh yes! He is so proud of you! You were such a beautiful little dancer!" She told me "I know, I am a beautiful dancer!" Then I gave her some kisses and went back out to watch the next dance. She performed wonderfully again. It was a crazy night, so many people, but it was so fun. After her dances she got to go see Santa, and that was the highlight of the whole night. She asked for Unicorns for Christmas. It was a festive night with all the trees and lights, and she looked beautiful, and danced great! Oh, I just love that little girl. Here are some pics from that night. (I don't have pics of her dancing, but I do have video. I just can't get it to load, so for any family that wants to see it, let us know and I'll get you a disc.)

Getting ready for the big night.

Lookin' so cute!

In the warm-up room between dances. So happy!

Here she is telling Santa exactly what she would like. And don't you just love this picture? It's my fave. They are both so intent and serious. This is business people! :)

He was so sweet with her and made her feel very special. What a perfect Santa!

We got home and the excitement had not worn off. We continued to dance...

And dance!

So after the recital we had a day break, and then the big 3rd birthday! It was such a great day. I stayed up Thursday night decorating the house and making her cake so that everything would be ready for Friday. I got the idea for this cake from my sister in law, and it's perfect. But, I was up till 1:00 in the morning with this cake, because I was not doing very good on my fondant. I could just not get the right consistency! Oh well. It turned out well enough for her to be thrilled, and completely appreciate it, and if that's what we got, well then it was worth it! We decided just to spend the day together with our own little family. It was nice and cozy this way. Just some quality time together. But during the morning she kept asking for her cousin Nadia, so we called them and they met up with us to get some Pizza for lunch and play at Adi's favortie place, Game World. She calls it her ticket store because she loves to collect those tickets and get prizes. All in all it was a great day. We all spent some nice time together, and she got to do whatever she wanted for a day, plus she got a princess cake and some tickets, and presents! Woohoo! Here is the cake.

She LOVED it!

Thanks momma!

I'm just glad it made her happy. (and glad it's done!)

Shooting some balls at the "ticket store". She's actually a good shot!

I can't leave a post without one cute pic of little Emi! She loved the party too! She was really sweet to sister, and although there was some screaming, it was minimal:)

Blowing out the candles. (she wished for unicorns!)

Opening presents. She has been really wanting these "sparkly shoes". And was so excited to open them! (I love the cake on her face!)

Some pink lego's...awesome!

Grandma was sweet to get Emi a dress and shoes too. It was kind of nice that she had something so she wasn't stealing from Adi! She does look so pretty!

Adi really loves her dress and shoes. They are so pretty too!

We just love you little Adelynn.

You really light up our lives. Happy Birthday.

(and thanks again everyone for your gifts and cards and money and thoughfulness in coming to watch Adi dance, we do appreciate your support, and love you all!)

Dear Adelynn,

2009-11-22T11:29:00.001-08:00

(For my own journaling purposes)Happy Birthday! I can not believe you are already 3 years old! What a big girl you are. It seems not long ago that you were in my belly and growing. I loved feeling you kick and move, and shy away when I tickled your back, and I remember fondly every morning when you would get those little hiccups and Daddy and I would giggle to feel those little jolts in my belly. Funny that you still shy away when I tickle your back! I also remember clearly the day I went in to deliver you. I was so nervous and so excited, and I didn't know what to expect, but I was overjoyed when I had a perfect delivery, and rather enjoyed it actually! I cried such joyous tears when I held you for the first time. What a wonderful moment to see our family begin to grow with you my sweet Adi! And who knew that I would give birth to the most beautiful baby?! And now you have blossomed into a beautiful little girl. You have such a delightful personality. You are so helpful, and thoughtful to everyone, especially to Mom and Dad and sister. You make us all laugh. Sometimes I wonder where that little firecracker sense of humor and attitude came from! but, we are so glad you have it, it is who you are, and we love you for it. I love how every morning you crawl into bed and cuddle with me and then nicely remind me that you would like breakfast. I love the way you tell me you love me. I love how you quote movies and say "ha ha, that's so funny", and then laugh at yourself because you think that YOU are so funny. I love that you can talk and talk and talk non-stop and never run out of anything to say. I love it when I lay on your lap and you sweetly run your fingers through my hair and play with it. I love that you still call me momma. I love it when you make me dance for you and then clap for me when I am done and tell me I am beautiful. I love everything about you Adi. You are very smart, and so talented too. I was so proud to watch you dance your little heart away for Santa this week. You are a very beautiful ballerina. How ever did I get so lucky to have a daughter as kind and funny and sweet as you? We all had a wonderful time sharing your birthday with you this Friday. I hope you enjoyed it too. I love you so much, and consider myself the luckiest Mother in the World to have the challenge, privelage, and blessings of being able to raise you. Happy Birthday Dear Adelynn.

Love,

Momma

What a Turkey!

2009-11-17T15:59:00.000-08:00

At preschool today Adelynn learned the letter "G" as in GOBBLE. So cute. Check out the little Turkey's they made...

AWWW! I love my little turkey!

Crafting

2009-11-12T16:36:00.000-08:00

Last night me and my sister-in-laws and my mother-in-law got together to craft. We made watchbands and hairbows. I tried them on the girls and couldn't resist a few pics. I tried warmifying a couple and doing some touchups on a few, but I'm not quite good at that stuff yet, but still...aren't my girls the cutest ever? (yes...I'm biased, but still!)

Seriously long day

2009-11-09T16:40:00.000-08:00

Is it really only monday? Today I had extra kids, and it wrapped up to be quite the day. I won't go into too much detail, but let's just say it was LONG! ...ok, here is a little detail. It started out quite well. One of the little boys I was watching was being quite sweet and melancholy, and I was rather enjoying him. But when I put the little ones down for nap, he woke up and said "Ashley, me's puked." I went downstairs to see the damage, and sure enough, power explosions all over my brand new bed set. I stripped him, and stripped the bed, and shook off all the chunks. While I was starting a load of wash, I went upstairs to help in the bathtub to find him trying to go potty on the toilet! Good boy, but with diarreah...it was everywhere. I got him cleaned up and the bathroom cleaned up, and put him in the tub. I've done 5 loads of wash trying to clean all of the pillows, shams, towels, bath rug, comforter, clothes, rags, etc. After all of this was said and done, another little boy told me I looked like I was going to have another baby. :) That always helps your day! Then I was trying to do a little prep for dinner and was making some cornbread and ruined the whole batch by adding a 1/3 cup oil instead of MILK! AGH! Am I already this scatterbrained and it's only monday?! Wish me luck for the upcoming week, I will need it.

Halloween Post Overload...warning...this is LONG!

2009-11-04T15:22:00.000-08:00

Halloween! Eek! It's my fave. We have had so much fun this month doing festive things, and we are sad to see it go, but the next two months are full of just as much fun. Here is about a bizzilion pictures to re-cap our fun.

Here is Adi posing before church...It has nothing to do with Halloween except it's cute, and it was this month.

Adi loves to rock her kitties like they're her babies. Prince Louis loves her!

Caleb and I got Halloween footie jammies. They have skulls on them, and they are the BEST! If you don't have a pair, you should get one!
Adi got a pair of $.50 skull glasses. They were a hit!
Here is Adi before her dance class on wednesday. They got to wear their costumes and have a party.
Emi got to go and dress up too!
Here is her group. Such cute kids!
After Dance class we went to Boise to spend the rest of the week with family. It was great. Gayle and Charlie and Craig got to come too. We missed Chelsey and Cory and Kristen and Mitchel tho. It was so full of fun and festivities. We went to the pumpkin patch. Here is Jed pretty proud of his pumpkin.

Shana pushing around all the kids and their pumpkins.

Emi and Daddy with the pumpkin they picked.

Me and Emersyn in the hay maze afterwards. Adi was so brave in this. She kept charging off on her own, and we'd have to go search for her. It was fun.

We made sugar cookies and decorated them.

Emi got to help too.

Adi loved this activity, especially the sprinkles and candy part!

Here are her finished cookies...don't you love the bite out of the purple one.
That night we went to a ward trunk or treat with Shana's ward. Caleb and I were a Roman warrior and his Roman Goddess.

Jed was the most adorable little penguin!

Emi and Adi went as BSU cheerleaders that night.

It's so hard to get the 2 of them to look normal at the same time! :)

We straightened my sisters hair because she was a witch for the trunk or treat. AH! Straight hair....it looks so witchy! :) heheeh

On Halloween we got to together and carved and painted our pumpkins. My friend Heidi came too, so Adi got to see her friends Tawny and Greyson.

Reese liked the guts!
Grandma was sweet to help Emersyn feel involved.

We made edible magic wands. Again, the sprinkles were a hit!

Here are the kids with some of their handy work.
We played in the leaves, and Jed wore Reese's jacket, he's so cute!

Raking them up to jump in, the funnest!

That night we had a party for my Dad's birthday. All the men are decked out in their BSU attire because they went to the game that day. Of course we won!

Daddy and Sissy "hee-yawing" before the party.

The birthday boy with 2 of his grandkids and his sister, my Aunt Andy.

Then it was on to Halloween fun. Here is the pretty princess!

And the most adorable Bee ever!

Apparently I am a Halloween nazi, and I made everyone dress up somewhat. Come on people, it's Halloween! Here is the group.

And here are the grandkids. We really missed Mitchel man and his Mom and Dad. They couldn't be there.
While we were trick or treating there is this crazy decked out house by my parents that we went to. SO AMAZING! That's the spirit!

Saying good-bye to my sister I was trying to get caleb to take a pic for us, and if you know my hubby at all, you probably don't have to guess why we look like that, we were laughin so hard at him.
Then we tried to pose again, and this time he was video taping, so we bust out laughing again, and he snaps a picture! ha!

Finally after crying from laughing so hard he takes a pic, and I look ridiculous from laughing so hard. Oh well, great memories.

This is Emi when we got home the next day and I was feeding her lunch. Do you think we wore her out?

It was such a great holiday. I am really blessed to have a beautiful family with a great husband, and not only that, but great Family on both sides. Ok, now bring on the rest of the Holidays! WOOHOO!

Preschool Halloween Party

2009-10-27T11:13:00.001-07:00

I was in charge of Adelynn's Preschool this week. Since it is the week of Halloween, we did a party. Before each holiday we are going to have a party for the kids and their parents. I did the letter "H" and the color orange. We had so much fun, and so did the kids...and Mom's too! Here are some pictures from our fun today...

These are the scary monster jaws we had during snack time. Super easy, and nutritious...just apple wedges with almond slivers for teeth, and pretzel sticks with peanut butter to stick on the eyes. The kids loved them.

These are just hot dogs cut in half to be bite size, with crescent rolls wrapped around them to be mummies. The eyes can be ketchup or mustard. Super cute for little ones!

We also drang Orange juice to go with our color.

This is the craft they made. Since the letter was "H", we made scary Hands.

We also strung orange and black beads onto orange pipe cleaner. For letter time they were given a VERY LARGE letter "H" to apply scary stickers too. They loved that, and most did very well. Some stuck stickers everywhere, but most were able to stick them in the shape of the H. Circle time we talked about weather, and it started snowing while we were doing so, and that was kind of fun for them. They also got to each take a turn and talk about their costumes. Adi LOVED that part. She stood right up and went into detail about her being a princess.

During singing time they got to hold pumpkin faces while we sang "The pumpkins are everywhere". It's sung to the tune of "The farmer and the dell." ....

The pumpkins are here, the pumpkins are there, the pumpkins, the pumpkins, they are everywhere....included is up and down and in and out etc. It was very fun and interactive for them.

We also tied orange ribbons on their hands and sang "The Hookey Spookey". It's done to "The Hokey Pokey". ....

You put your orange hand in, you put your orange hand out, your put your orange hand in and you shake it all about, you do the "hookey spookey" and you turn youself around...etc. It was also perfect for their age group.

We also read the book "The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything." It is such a fun interactive book that lets the kids become a part of it by clapping and stomping and nodding and wiggling etc.

And here is the happy group. We were missing a few people due to sick kids, but it was certainly a blast for all of us that came! And Sorry to Heidi for being cut off of the pic...my house is not big enough to get a huge group shot I guess!

This is a busy week with lots of fun halloween stuff, so be prepared for blog overload! Tomorrow is dance class, and they get to wear costumes there too!

Upside Down

2009-10-25T20:39:00.001-07:00

Take a minute and watch this. I promise that you will feel moved. You must watch the whole video to get the entire message though. Inspiring!

Don't you just love the part where it turns everything around and it comes to the "misguided" part? And instead of being misguided by believing in Him, it becomes misguiding to NOT believe. AWW! I love it!

Pledge of Allegiance

2009-10-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

The following words were spoken by the late Red Skelton on his television program as he related the story of his teacher Mr. Laswell who felt his students had come to think of the Pledge of Allegiance as merely something to recite in class each day.

Now more than EVER, listen to the meaning of his words, and maybe it will hit you like it did me.

"I've been listening to you boys and girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester and it seems as though it is becoming monotonous to you. If I may, may I recite it and try to explain to you the meaning of each word?

I
me, an individual, a committee of one.
Pledge
dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.
Allegiance
my love and my devotion.
To the Flag[of the]
our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever she waves, there's respect because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts freedom is everybody's job.
United
that means that we have all come together.
States [of America]
individual communities that have united into 48 great states. 48 individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose, all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that's love for country.
and to the RepublicFor Which It Stands
Republic ... a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people and it's from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.
One Nation
One Nation ... meaning, so blessed by God.
Indivisible
incapable of being divided.
With Liberty
which is freedom, the right of power to live one's own life, without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation.
And Justice
the principle or qualities of dealing fairly with others.
For All
For all ... which means, boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine.

And now boys and girls let me hear you recite,the Pledge of Allegiance.
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance - "under God."

Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said, "That is a prayer," and that would be eliminated from schools, too?"

Red Skelton

The last couple of weeks

2009-10-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

Well, most of you are probably not going to believe this, but it's true...We got a new Kitty! As you can see, Adelynn is HAPPY as can be. I've never really liked cats, and I use to tease my friend Crystal about her cat, but it turns out I have a daughter after her own heart, but these kitty's are pretty cute. Adi is completely smitten. She has been asking for one for a long time. We kept telling her No, but then Saturday she and I were walking out of a store, and there were these kitty's, and it was over from there.
This is Prince Louis. Adi put her Barbies crown on him!
Louis is Adi's favorite, she says "I'm your momma, do you love your momma? I love you!"
OH...we got 2 cats...hehe, we couldn't leave the other one! So yes, there are 2 new kitty's, and the girls love them. The other cat is Princess Giselle. Emersyn is a little rough with them, but she's learning. And Adi is very good at taking care of them and getting there food and water and putting them to bed at night. It's very sweet.
Adelynn started Preschool. I organized a cooperative preschool with several women in the area, and this is her on first day. So cute!

School starts at 9:00. It's a little early for her:)

They learned the letter B and the color red, so they got red Balloons. She was really excited about it.
We had the swine flu here at our house, as well as strep and hand foot and mouth...it was great. Well, on that Sunday we had started to recover, but weren't well yet, so we put the mattress up and let the girls play on it as a slide. It was loads of fun.
Woohoo!

I re-arranged the living room and the couch now lies underneath the window, so during the day the black gets really warm, and Adi and I LOVE to lay there and soak up some rays!
Emi loves food, and when we were eating some Ice Cream Cones, she wanted her OWN!
This is right after we got to remove Emersyn's cast. It healed very well, and everything is going to be fine!
The girls love to play the piano:)
Here is a cute picture of Emi with grandma. Grandma is showing off her cards, and Emi loved them. Emi mostly just loved Grandma I think.
Aww! Sweet cuddles! We miss you grandma!

Another Adiism

2009-10-10T18:55:00.000-07:00

Adelynn is 2 going on 20. Here is an excerpt from our conversation tonight...
Adelynn: "Mom, your ruining my life."
Mom: "What did you say?" (I wasn't sure if I heard correctly!)
Adelynn: "Mooooom, your ruining my life."
Mom: "I'm pretty sure I'm not ruining your life!"

Any of you other mothers with girls probably recognize the line, it took me a moment to figure it out, but I knew it had to be from a movie because she's always spouting lines off...it's from Barbie and the magic of Pegasus. Man the things that girl picks up on!!

How you can help...

2009-10-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

This sweet little girl named Taylie has cancer. By posting this link to her website on your blog, you can help. 2 dollars will be donated to this girl for every person that posts her link on their blog. An easy way to help out right? Go visit the website, and go visit this blog for more details, and be sure to leave a comment so the 2 dollars will be donated.

Frustration...

2009-10-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm not TOTALLY frustrated, just a little. I actually just had the BEST weekend ever with my Mom and Dad coming to visit, and they even stayed here at the house with us! It was so fun, and my girls were totally spoiled, and we all loved every minute of it. Grandma took them shopping for some new clothes, and we made cards, and ate lots of yummies, and just had a good time. I will blog more on that later, because I took some great photos...anyway...on to my frustration, Emersyn's hand.
Yesterday was Emi's appointment at wound care again, and needless to say, it did NOT go good. When I got there I was already frustrated because Emersyn had unnaturally been VERY GRUMPY for about 5 days (since her last wound care appointment). I had called the Doc to see if she may have an infection, and he said no because there were no signs of infection like fever or throwing up, but to just give her tylenol and keep her happy. It didn't help. One night she was so upset she just cried and cried for 3 1/2 hours till she finally gave in at 11:30 and then was up about every hour after that. Anyway, this went on for 5 days. Yesterday I was anxious for some sort of answer. I got one...not one that I was very happy about, but I got one. Here it is, when they changed her dressing, and when they unwrapped her hand, they discovered that the nurse who had changed her dressing the last time had wrapped her hand wrong. She had somehow bent the pinky and ring finger in half, and then wrapped them together to the others standing up! No wonder she was so upset, it was hurting her so bad. The doctor came in, and I don't think he was too pleased either. We then had to spend a 1/2 an hour trying to see if she had lost functionality in her hand. It was so sad. She couldn't move the little fingers. After we worked with her for a bit though, she moved them slightly, so that's good. Then as the Doc examined her hand he said that there is a fine line between keeping a dressing too dry, and too moist. That's why they put different kinds of ointment on it. One's that provide moisture, and one's that absorb moisture. They start by giving it moisture of course, seeing that it is burnt, and they go from there. Anyway, apparently Emersyn's hand has been to moist, because between her fingers the skin has begun to decompose! Oh! As if it wasn't bad enough having her hand warped together in a completely uncomfortable position. So they decided to now use an ointment that absorbs moisture, and wrap each finger individually, and then weave stuff between the fingers, and then cast it. Hopefully this will help. On the bright side of things, her palm had begun to scab, and the Dr. is thinking positively that we won't need to do any skin grafting because Children's skin rejuvenates every 2 days as opposed to Adults every 45! Amazing right? He said that if she was an adult she would definitely need some skin grafting, but since she's little, we should be OK. So, I suppose we will count our blessings and be grateful that as soon as things straighten out she will be on a good road to a healthy recovery, with no Plastic surgery needed. Thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers.
Oh, and by the way, some of you asked how she burnt her hand....it was the lawnmower. She was outside playing on the slide while Daddy mowed, and I took sister inside to help with the potty, and when Caleb went to dump the grass, she hauled tale over to the mower and touched the engine. :( It's amazing how fast accidents can happen.
Thanks again for all of your support, I think she is getting better. And now that I have vented some more frustration, and now that she's being happier, I am sure we will make it through this just fine.

Happenings

2009-09-27T19:02:00.000-07:00

Has it been a Year already? It has? Oh my! I can't believe my baby girl is 1!
Oh my sweet little Emersyn! We love you so much. You are such a bright and fun little girl. So cuddly, so content, so happy, so full of smiles...everything about you brightens our lives. This last year has brought us even more happiness than we thought we could have. I can remember the night before I went in to have you I was crying because I didn't feel prepared to have two children. Who knew that having you would be even easier than 1? Your mommy and daddy and sister...and EVERYONE that has ever met you loves you very much! Happy Birthday little babe!
Here she is opening a present from Grandma Boise...books. Thanks grandma and Nanny for the books, and thanks Grandma and Grandpa Wall for the money, and Gayle and Charlie for the clapper and money, and Cory and Kristen for the Card and money, and everyone who came and showed support. She really loves the presents, and the books especially. There is nothing she likes better than to read.
You may notice in this picture her little wrapped hand...so sad. Friday night Emi burnt her hand very badly. She has had to have some treatment, and is now going to wound care in the hospital to make sure everything will turn out OK. It's hard to see her in such pain. On sunday when the doctor was cleaning the wound, she was thrashing and screaming, and I had to hold her down, and I just cried with her, it felt nearly unbearable. Because it is her hand she runs the risk of her hand growing deformed because of scarring. We are praying for her that everything will turn out alright. Sunday some family held a special fast for her, and we are very grateful to them for their love and prayers. BUT...despite the sadness of the hand, this didn't keep her down on her birthday, she was a beautiful happy girl who enjoyed everything! here are a few pictures from the event.

After a long fun party, the hair is out, the jammies are on, and she looks pooped, but she still wants more books:)
We went to the zoo the day of her birthday because it was free zoo day, and she loved it. The next few pictures are from that. It was funny, because every monkey that saw Emi came to the glass to see her. Maybe it was her bright green cast? :)

A few weeks ago we went to the fair. It was a good time together as a family. The girls LOVED all of the animals. It's so fun to go see them! Adi also got to do a few rides, so me and Emi watched her and Daddy and waved. They had a great time.

This is a picture of me and Caleb standing on the balcony in Venice! hehe, ok, the balcony in the Venice room in Destinations Inn. Caleb took me as a surprise earlier this month. It was a nice getaway, we always love going there!
We went to the park one evening with Caleb's sister and enjoyed playing for the night. It was good fun. Adi ALWAYS loves the park.
Emi thinks the slide is the best.
We had a BSU party on the first game VS Oregon. Some of you may have seen the game...AWESOME!!! Some of you others may have heard of the punch...also pretty awesome..hehe. Anyway, Dad was in town, and we went to craig's and watched the game. It was a blast. I took some orange salad, and we drank Blue juice, and Adi helped me make and decorate this cake. She was thrilled with how it turned out. She's such a cute little helper!
And they are both cute cheerleaders!

And the cake was so good, she was screaming for more! Anyway, here are some recent happenings. And Happy Birthday to my sweet little Baby girl once again!

Dancing, Farming, and Train Tracks!

2009-09-02T13:41:00.001-07:00

FEW! It's been a busy couple of weeks. It's back to school, and although my kids aren't in school yet, it's been hectic because I was asked to watch a few of my friends kids after school and during the week. I have extra kids 4 days a week, and on my day off is Adi's dance, and my time to get some work done for Bookkeeping clients, and it's also Achievement days as well. Life is kind of hectic, but it's good. The girls really like walking to school to pick up the kids from kindergarten. At the end of the week I needed a break from watching kids though, so Caleb and I went on a date. It was a blast. We went to dinner and then to the Teton Spectrum Raceway and raced. What a good time! I'll post pictures later. They are on my phone, and I don't know how to do that. Oh, and Adelynn started her dance class today. It was really cute. She was so excited! She wanted her hair done like a ballerina of course, so I took some pictures of her on her first day. She went right in with her teacher, and she did pretty good. She definitely has a ways to go on the listening and learning part of things, but she will do great I am sure. After dance when I asked how come she didn't do a couple of things she said "I was having a hard time." haha! But she hasn't stopped talking about it yet, and she really liked her teacher, so I am sure it will be good. Here are some pictures of her on the big day.

On saturday we spent the day with a friend at her Grandma's house on the farm. Adi was so excited, and we had a SERIOUSLY great time. We even made fresh yummy salsa from my garden tomatoes! MMM! I can't think of a better time i've had in a long time. The kids were so content to play, and we got to cook. And their family is the nicest family I know, and I felt so welcome and loved. It actually made me a little home sick. It brought back great memories of being on the farm at my grandma's house when we were younger, and I was so glad me and me kids got to have that fabulous day! (that was a typo, but when I re-read it it made me laugh because I sounded irish, so I'm leaving it!)
Yummy fresh salsa!
This is her Grandma Carolyn. She's so sweet.
The kids liked riding the 4 wheeler!

EWWW! Pigs stink, huh Emersyn?!
Adi doesn't think so. Anything on the farm is great to her!
Especially popsicles on the farm!
And MOST especially, riding the ponies on the farm!
Emi was napping during pony riding, so she came home and rode the lamb. Pretty cool too!

One day this last week Adelynn was suppose to be napping, and when I checked on her I found her lining up all of her shoes in the hallway. I asked her what she was doing, and she said building a train track!
OH! Pretty awesome train track!
We had a slightly chilly day last week, and got some rain. I can't wait for fall and for things to cool off a bit. I love the fall, so I just liked this picture of Emi in her hoodie, and thought I would post it in hopes for a nice LONG fall season. She's so cute:)