YOU'VE GOT A WHAT IN THE OVEN??...

Some call it a bun, We call it our BABY!

That's right, we are happy to announce that we are having a
BABY!!

We are due July 8th, 2010!!
I am 12 weeks, and 3 days today!
We are SO excited!!!

I haven't had morning sickness.
And beyond ALWAYS being hungry, everything has gone FLAWLESSLY!
(Not that being hungry is a flaw, I was just worried it was twins for a while)

We got to see our little baby last week, and it was SO fun to watch.
It sure is a kicker, and as Russ put it
"It takes after me, cause it NEVER stops moving!!"
(We got a pic I still need to scan, when I get it scanned, I'll post it)

We will start taking pics soon!
But until then, here is one to get you by!

Can you tell that we are BEYOND EXCITED?!?

Anyway, We all hope you had a FABULOUS Christmas!
We have LOVED being here in Utah and are SO torn about leaving.
We head back to AZ in a week, so I may not post until we get back.
In fact, I know I wont post until then.
So peace out until next week!

I KNOW... I KNOW...

Its been too long, and I am sorry!

We really don't have much going on right now.
Russ has been double phasing so he has been going to class from
6:00 AM-8:15 PM.
I do a lot of cleaning, and show watching. Its been pretty uneventful.
Tomorrow we finish our final packing, and Saturday,
WE HEAD TO UTAH!


We will be there until January, and we are SO EXCITED!!!

Since the last post, the most important thing that has happened is, we have a new niece!
Her name is Emma, and she is BEAUTIFUL!
(I can't wait to see her this weekend!)
I got to spend a week in Utah with my mom and Julianne to help out!
It was a blast, and I am so glad I didn't have to go THAT long without seeing my family!

Anywho, I hope to post more pics, and blog more when I am in Utah.
That is IF I have time.

We are both still looking for jobs.
Some are VERY close to happening, so wish us luck.
OR if you know of any great TEMP jobs, let us know! :)

THE PERFECT WEEKEND

A LOT has happened since my last blog.

We have a ton of picture and SO many stories,
but I'll just cover a few things.

Friday we left right after school and flew to UTAH!
We were SO happy to be home!
It was SO green, and smelled amazing!

Saturday, we went through the Provo Temple.
It was the MOST BEAUTIFUL experience we have ever had!
It was the best day of our lives, and SO spiritual!
We are so happy to be together FOREVER!
We are SO grateful for all our Family and Friends
who shared that special day with us!
It meant so much for you all to be a part of it!
We had a Barbecue at Russ' parents afterward.
It was SO YUMMY!
And we were so happy to see family,
and catch up with everyone!

We were very busy the whole time we were in Utah.
We did a lot of driving, and saw A LOT of people.
It sure went by fast, but we wouldn't have done it any other way!
Yesterday was our 1st Anniversary!
We cannot believe how FAST this year went,
and how many changes we have had in this year!
We went to the movies,
and had a WONDERFUL dinner at Red Lobster.
(one of Russ' favorites)

When we got home we decided to pull our cake out of the freezer.
We were a little worried about it making us sick.
But we did eat a some of it!
We had the BEST year of our (almost) 7 years together this year.
I don't know why people say the first year is the hardest,
It was our easiest, and our HAPPIEST year!

I love my husband SO much!
To MY HANDSOME RUSS-
I love you more then ever!
You are the most incredible man I have ever met!
You have an amazing light!
It radiates all around you!
You are so service oriented, and have such a BIG heart!
I love EVERYTHING about you!!
I could go on forever about how much I love you!
You are so fun, and I love spending all my time with you!
I cannot wait to add to our family someday!
You are going to be the most amazing father!
I am so excited to spend ETERNITY with you!

To MANY more ANNIVERSARIES and beyond!

I LOVE YOU FOREVER AND ALWAYS!

A YEAR AGO TODAY!

Wow...
Time sure flies when you sit down and think about it.
This happened a year ago TODAY.
Sure doesn't feel THAT long ago!

In case you don't want to click the link.
I'll give you a QUICK run down.
A year ago today,

Russ was Baptized
We were Engaged
and decided that day to get Married a WEEK later!

What a year it has been!
And we are more in Love then we ever have been!
We are SO happy!!
I LOVE MY LIFE AND MY HUSBAND!

This Saturday, we go through the Temple!!
We are both SO excited for this HUGE STEP!
And can't wait to be in PROVO!!

Obviously next week is our first Anniversary!!
CRAZINESS!!

That's all for today! :)
Lots of love!

TO MY MOMMA!

I have been dancing around my house all morning,
and singing a song that goes a little something like this.

THIS MONTH IS SUCH A SPECIAL ONE
ITS BIRTHDAY TIME FOR YOU.
WE'D REALLY LIKE TO CELEBRATE
THIS HAPPY DAY WITH YOU!
ZIPPIDY EIGH AND HEIDI HO
THERE'S SOMETHING WE MUST DO.
WE'LL SING A SONG
THAT WE ALL KNOOOOOOOW...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!

(I REALLY wish I had more pics of you Momma!)

Momma-
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
I hope you have a WONDERFUL DAY!
I am SO excited to see you next week!
But am SO sad I am not there with you today!
We'll consider me coming to you
a late birthday present. :)
(Just kidding...sorta)
WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!
Have such a GREAT ONE!
Talk to you SOON!!

A BITTER SWEET POST

Lets start with the SWEET shall we?

Today, my BFF and Maid of Honor, LACEE got MARRIED!!
Unfortunately, I was unable to fly out to Cali for the B-E-A-UTIFUL event!
I know she is going to be SO happy with her Jason!
I love her SO much, and am so glad she is now MARRIED!!
Welcome to the club Lace Face!
I can't wait to see pics of your Wedding and Reception!

I LOVE THIS PIC OF LACE!
SHE IS SO GORGEOUS!!

Love ya girl!
Thanks for ALWAYS being there for me!

Hope you have SO much fun on your Honeymoon!

*******************************************************************

And now the bitter.

We had to give Mover back...
Let me give you a time line for the reasons why.

We got him Wednesday,
Wednesday night he tore up a towel that was at the bottom of his kennel.
We didn't really think anything of it.
Just figured he got bored.

He wasn't alone until Sunday.
(I had put a blanket in his kennel with him Thursday, cause he liked it.)
When we went to church, he ripped up half of it.

So we got the hint that nothing could be in the kennel with him.

Now not many people know this part,
but now you will.

Monday night we had Temple Prep.
We put him in his kennel.
When we walked in,
there he was waiting for us-at the door...
We were afraid of what we would find.

Yes, it was bad.

He dug a hole in our carpet (down to the concrete floor),
squished his body through the opening in the bottom of the kennel,
lifted it over himself and got out.

Its the worst spot in the room too!
Smack dab in the middle.
But it will be fixed soon.
Of course Russ was IRRITATE,
it really could have been EXPENSIVE!

Russ screwed Movers kennel to a sheet of wood,
so there was no way he would get to more carpet or out of his kennel.

Ok so, Tuesday night I had Young Womans.
Russ was leaving with Jeremy for a half hour.
He got the idea to put a video camera in the room
while he was gone to see what he would do.

Its actually a really sad video.
He barked the WHOLE time,
and he was MAD.
REALLY mad.
He kept trying to bite the door open,
and was cutting his face in the process.
He got a hold of 2 zip ties and broke them off.
Basically he was trying to do ANYTHING to get out of his kennel.

Russ was REALLY upset when I walked in the door,
so I knew it was not good news.
I asked him how he was and all he said was "Look at the video".
I knew at that moment we were going to have to give him back.

**He always had a friend at his other house (another dog).
So he was NEVER alone.

Russ took him back on Wednesday night,
I cried the WHOLE day until I had to go to work.
The I had to fight the tears as I had to say good bye to him.

Its been lonely for me since he has been gone.
He was by my side all the time.
My little cuddle buddy.
My protection while Russ was gone.

I miss him A LOT!
I know we will all be ok,
and this is better for all of us.

So now you know.
But I sure miss this guy!!

OUR LITTLE MOVER

Most of you are not aware,

but I was recently called into the Young Women Organization in my ward.
I am the 1st Counselor in the Young Women Presidency...
Yes, I said 1st Counselor... I was just as shocked.
I am LOVING my new calling, LOVE the girls, and LOVE the Women I serve with.

This story started the day I got this calling.
The new Young Woman President was asking how many kids we had.
I said none, then she joked...
"We have an extra dog, you can have him!"
At least I thought she was joking.

Every time we were together she said something about this dog.
Last week we held our meeting at her house.
I walked into the door, and saw the dog she was referring to.
It was LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.
He sat at my feet the whole time during the meeting.
He even licked my toes.
I was smitten.

At that meeting, I heard the story of Mover.
Let me tell you it now.

At the beginning of December 2008,
Callie's (Callie is the name of the Pres.) Husband was hanging Christmas lights.
He saw a dog wondering the neighborhood.
He didn't think much of it, until the dog decided that their door step was his new home.
There was even a day that they were putting the kids in the car and the dog jumped in.
Callie FREAKED out cause the dog was in the car with her 2 boys.
After 2 weeks of the dog never leaving,
They brought him in the house.
Callie called the local Dog rescue,
and was informed that there was no room for more animals.
The man on the phone asked what kind of dog it was,
She informed him that he was a Pit Bull.
With no hesitation the man on the phone said
"DO NOT TAKE HIM TO THE POUND!"
I guess that at all pounds, they put Pit Bulls to sleep on the spot.
He also informed her that 90% of the Dogs pulled from Michael Vick's house
were able to be rehabilitated.
The other 10% couldn't be because they were SO sick
and hurt they found it best to put them down.
With all this in mind, Callie decided that she had to give him a home.

This dog had gotten himself out of the rope/collar he was tied up with.
He had a REALLY bad cut around his neck.
(I guess down here, when people lose their houses, they just tie their dogs up out back and leave- horrible visual, I know but I think its TERRIBLE!)

The first time they bathed him,
Callie was SOO worried because she didn't know how he would react.
He sat in the tub, and never moved. He was so submissive.
She asked her son after a few weeks what they should name the dog,
Cale (her son) said "Mover!"... and he had a name.

Ok, now Callie has 2 boys (4 and 2), is pregnant and already had a dog.
The boys used to sit on Mover, attack him, and he would just lay there.
With him being a Pit Bull he has high tolerance for pain.
Callie knew all along that they would try hard to find a new home for him.
She liked him, but it logically never made sense.
With the new baby coming, she didn't want to train Mover how to be around the baby.
She was running out of options, and was getting really worried about it.

So now, this past week (after the meeting) I had to talk seriously with Russ about it.
I really wasn't going to, but something about Mover made me think twice.
So after telling Russ about Mover, of course, he didn't even have to think.
He wanted him right away.
Sunday, at church, I let her know that I was serious, and that we REALLY wanted him.

Callie was worried a little, because Mover was definitely beat by a man in his previous home.
He is very scared of men, until he gets some sort of affection from them, and then he is smitten.
I knew Russ needed to meet him, and see how Mover reacted to him.
Tuesday night was the meeting of Russ and Mover,
and again, of course, it was LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT.

We brought Mover home Wednesday and he has been my little Love ever since.
He follows me everywhere, and we already have bunch of fun stories about him.
But for the sake of this post, I will post pics and tell more stories later.

He's a little guy, at least compared to Jar and Jett.
He goes up to Russ' knees, but he's a stout little fella!
Weighs 60 pounds at the most, so he is perfect for out Apartment.
We love him SO much, and he is already a member of the family!

So here you have him...
OUR LITTLE MOVER!!!

Don't mind me in the background... LOL

Such a little guy!

I had more pics to post, but I'll stop here! :)

A PERFECT SUNDAY

Today has been a WONDERFUL day!

Russ was Ordained to the office of an ELDER!

For the past year, Russ has been working hard to get to this point!
We are all SO proud of him, and so excited for whats to come!

My dad was unable to be here to do the Ordination,
so Russ asked my Uncle Troy to do it for him.
We were SO glad that he was willing and able!

We are also SO glad to have so many worthy men in our lives!
The Ordination was great and the Blessing was beautiful.
The Spirit was SO strong in the room!

We LOVE the Shepard family,
and we are so glad we got to spend the day with them!

Russ also wore the tie Josh sent from Korea,
We look at it as Josh being present at all of these events.

*Sorry, I forgot to take pics today,
and the tie was off before we were home from church*

We love our family so much!
We hope you all know how much we wished you could have been here today!

I am BLESSED to have such a WONDERFUL Husband!
He is a WORTHY PRIESTHOOD HOLDER!
And now, he can do ALL the things that are needed and
important parts of life!
I love him SOOOO much!

I LOVE YOU RUSS!!

With this said,
next month we will be here!
We can't wait!!

SNUGGLE BUDDIES!

Today has been another fun day!

When Russ got home from school we were hanging out on the couch,
again...both boys joined us.
No only did they join us, but literally sat on top of us.
It was great!

Jett fell asleep on my shoulder.
It was SO cute!!
He was even snoring!
Sorry no pics were taken,
we couldn't really get up to grab the camera.

I am going to miss these Snuggle Buddies when they leave!
They sure have kept me warm!
I'm FREEZING in my house these days!
I almost put a long sleeved shirt on,
but knew I would have to go outside at some point.

So anywho,
We are still having fun.
They are still alive, and happy!
Here are a few pics!

When Jeremy was eating,
this is what the boys were doing.
They never took their eyes off him!

This is how Jett is sleeping,
as I write this...

I LOVE these boys!!
More on them tomorrow, I'm sure!

Dad comes tomorrow too!!
Hopefully I get some pics!!
*****************************************
**HELLO!! TO A FEW PEOPLE BACK HOME**
To my mother-in-law: I am on the phone with you right now!
Sounds like you are having a fun summer!

Brooklynn & Kaden: I heard some FUN stories of you from Lake Powell!
Sounds like you had a blast!
Your "Changing the rope" story was REALLY cute!

Colby: We hope you are having fun!
We miss you lots!

Teea: HI! Its been too long!
Hope your Summer has ended better then it began!

Anyway, We love you ALL and miss you LOTS!!
See you all in 36 days!!
*****************************************

ANOTHER DAY IN HELL.... BUT ALL IS GOING WELL

We've all done some of this today...

Then they did this...
One more try...
Much better!

They sat right on top of me!
I love having snuggle buddies!!
Even if this all I could see...
Its been another fun day!!

Momma-
I can tell they MISS you!
But they are doing just fine!
There isn't much to do here,
Come Sunday I KNOW they will be ready to head home.
Hope you are having fun over in Mesa!!
Try not to melt!
Were staying nice and chilled!

Sending our love!
Can't wait to see you again in a few days!

VISITORS AND A BIRTHDAY BOY

HAPPY DAY!
Rach and the boys got here yesterday.
I am SOOO glad they are here!
We've been REALLY missing home lately and now it feels like we are home.
The dogs will be here all week, while Momma just left for Mesa.
Ryan (our cousin) gets married Saturday,
so everyone is coming to hell to party!

Yes folks, I said hell, we feel like we are in the center of it!
Blasted heat!

So here are some pics of the doggies and me!
I love these boys!
I am so excited to spend a couple days with them.

Momma is a little worried about the boys,
(probably more worried about me having to take care of them),
but I promised her I would post pictures of them everyday
so she knows they are still here, and are still alive!
So the next few days will be posts with them!

My Dad also comes into town on Thursday!
Folks I have not seen my Dad in almost 6 months!
So it will be a GRAND Reunion when he gets in!

I also want to wish this little guy a HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY!

I cannot believe you are ONE Ropa-Dope!!

We sure LOVE YOU and REALLY wish we could see your smiling face more!!

Have a great day, eat LOTS of cake, and live it up! We miss you lots!

**Thanks Jen for the pics, I stole them all off your blog, Hope that's ok! :) **

P.S. Thanks Roper for dialing my number after I sent you a text!
I actually got to wish you a Happy Birthday!
Its ok that your finger was on the "end button" the whole time,
It was the thought that counts! :)
That was a treat! I love you lots!!