Ouch!!

Our little naturalist was stung by a bee or wasp today. We're not sure which. We didn't get a good look at it. You may not be able to see it very good but her entire arm was swollen and covered in welts. Poor thing. She seems to be okay.....doesn't seem to be allergic. We gave her some benadryl to reduce the swelling and it seems to be working but at the same time putting her to sleep.

Okay...okay

I'll stop posting random pictures. Check back for updates and stories from time to time:)

I love this picture!

A walk down memory lane....just for fun

Why do they have to grow up so fast? It's not fair!! Aren't they just the cutest?! I think so.

A few of my favorite pictures

June-Bug

The newest addition to our family is our kitten June. I'm not much of a cat person for a number of reasons but I was out voted. She is actually a pretty nice cat. She lets the kids carry her around and she even lets Madi bathe her. For the most part she is quite calm and the kids take good care of her so I guess she can stay.

Cody James

Here is our lovely little boy. He is the very defination of the terrible.....I mean terrific 2 stage. He definately keeps me on the go. He is very curious and into everything. His favorite trick is to climb up on the counter and crawl across the... hopefully not hot stove top. He knows every trick and stunt from the disappearing act, to the flips off the arm of the couch. He scares me. He loves playing with his big sisters. He wears Madi's sunglasses everywhere he goes, including bed. His must have in the car used to be his bike helmet now it's his baseball helmet. I'm not quite sure why he feels the need to wear his helmet in the car, I think I'm pretty good driver. He must think differently. Cody is such a smart a cute boy. He's our little Bubba.

Emma Rose

This is our baby-faced little princess. She will be 5 October 29. She was almost born on halloween. I think that is why she loves witches so much. If she had it her way, she would wear her witch costume everyday. She loves to dress up pretty. sometimes I catch her sneaking into my make-up. She loves pink......it has to be pink and/or sparkley. Madi made the comment to me the other day, "Emma has to have everything pretty and fancy....for me, I'll just wear a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and 2 pony tails, and that is pretty to me." Emma wakes up every morning with a smile on her face anxious to start the day. She is such a doll ,we can't get enough of her dimples. Emma loves to dance and write songs with her sister. She is a great big sister to Cody....always looking out for him. She also loves to pal around with her big sister. Emma loves life and is sooo happy. She is looking forward to starting pre-school in the fall. She just barely missed the cut off for kindergarten, which is fine with me. She calls pre-scool....high school. Emma makes me laugh all the time. She says the darndest things. She tells me all the time she wishes she could stay little forever. She said this to me the other day "Can I call you when I get bigger and I'm at the gas station and need help pumping gas because I don't know how to pump gas." I'll keep this in mind when she is older and I don't feel as needed. She reminds me everyday that she chose me to be her mom. We love our little Bugsy.

Madilyn Grace

Meet Madilyn!!....(most of you have) She is our adventurous 6 year old.(going on 16) She loves nature and animals. She is also kind of an environmentalist.Don't be surprised if you see her hugging a tree. She is always on the go....she doesn't slow down. She's a lot like her Dad.Madi is always afraid she is going to miss something. She's been this way ever since she was born 5 weeks early. That just proves how curious she is....never misses anything. She is always looking for interesting facts and is constantly informing me about different kinds of bugs that she reads about.She is very sweet...most of the time. She worries a lot and she HATES good-byes, especially from grandparents and Aunts and Uncles. She is extremely smart and beautiful and we all adore her. Madi will be starting 2nd grade in the fall and I'm sure she will be the smartest in her class:)and smallest. She has recieved several academic awards...and I am totally bragging right now. She never ceases to amaze me. She is a great big sister and a darling daughter.

Where we are now

We've come a long way the past year. We are now living in Idaho, just outside Boise. We love it here. We are renting a house for now.....until we are sure this is really where we want to settle in. Ryan just started a new job and we are hoping that this job is "the one" We get asked all the time why we moved up here....honestly for no other reason than this is where we felt like we were suppose to be. Not quite sure ,why, just yet but we are happy here and feel at home. We live on a cul-de-sac with lots of kids and nice families. There is a park at the end of our street and a creek just a hop jump and a skip away. Madilyn is almost 7 now and will be starting 2nd grade. Emma will be 5 in October and is starting pre-school this fall. Cody turned 2 in May and he keeps me on my toes. As for me, I"m happy to be a stay at home mom and I love every minute of it.....well almost!!! I was just released from my calling as Activity day leader which I was kinda sad about and Ryan and I were called as primary teachers (Valient 10/11 combo)

Stay tuned for upcoming pictures of the kids!!!! Coming soon!!!

Where we were 1 year ago

We were living in our condo that we had been trying to sell for almost 2 years. We now had a new baby, Cody James. Here I was trying to keep my sanity while trying to keep the house perfectly clean in case a realtor called. Part of the time I was pregnant, Part of the time I had a new baby. Not to mention I had to take Madilyn to kindergarten everyday which was a 30 minute drive. Looking back....It was a miracle we sold that condo when we did. Honestly....that was one of the most difficult times in my life. I could go on and on about the challenges we faced while our condo was on the market for those 2 years. It was one thing after another. Then we finally found the perfect realtor...Lynne Casey with the Humphrey Team.....Our life saver.(wish we would've found her 2 years earlier) She had our home sold in no time!!! Amazing!! The day we closed on our condo. was one of the happiest days ever and it was also Madi's birthday.

Where we were 5 years ago

We were living in California, just down the street from my parents. We had a toddler, Madilyn and I was pregnant with little Emma. Life was pretty good. We were trying to save money to buy our first home.

Where we were 10 years ago

Ryan and I were attending USU. We worked together on campus at the carousel. Ryan was a cook and I don't know what I was. I helped get things prepared and did random tasks here and there. It was actually a fun job.....only because it was so social. During this time Ryan found me irresistable and the rest is history. We were married a year or so later in the Los Angeles temple on October 23rd 1999.