Farewell

To Josh. We love you and miss you more than you can imagine. The memories seem to slip into somewhere hidden now that we are trying so hard to hold on to them. All the times you tried so hard to run and hide from the ever adoring nieces and nephews who just couldn't get enough of you. All the Sunday dinners and the holidays at Grandma's house. I feel so lucky that I got to hear you say "This is the best grandma's house ever!" Thank you for being a sweet gentleman & making your little mother beam with pride. Thank you for helping so many times with Alec and Ella and every other little errand we needed you for and being so willing to help. We wait for the day when we will be able to see you again and hear "Waterfall" played with your own little fingertips. We hope the wait won't seem too long. We love you.

Finally!!!!!!!!

We can finally talk about our big move to California since Brady quit today. And being kind of a freak about any random person knowing too much about our family...thanks to a psycho old boyfriend, I'll give only basic details. This is us at our 4 star hotel thanks to priceline....$90 per night! And our second DEAL was our $15 per day rental car!!! Priceline kicks butt! (Although we got all of our incidentals paid for at the Hyatt Regency because a huge spider ran up my leg in the middle of the night sending me into a screaming fit at 2 am) But as for our temporary living arangements, we found a sweet place that has an attached garage, 4 heated pools, two small playgrounds, and a huge grassy area right outside our patio. We are 20 min from Disneyland, 3 minutes from Brady's work and 5 min from the temple. Is that giving direct coordinates to the psychos who are stalking my block? Anyway, We'll only be there for 6-9 months and then the 50/50 chance of staying or moving to AZ. Please...... let us stay!

Georgia & Ella Valentine

The whole idea was to take Georgia and Ella's pic together, but Ella kept trying this move you see here! More pics to come. Thanks Georgia for letting me use you as our super cute little model!

Tara tagged me!

10 years ago today...

Hmmm. Ok so I am so much older than you. 10 years ago I was 20 and at Utah State University. Second year in Graphic Design, living in a house with Melanie Hall and some weird girl who would get drunk off wine coolers in her bedroom with her giant fluffy dog. She was a culinary arts major who would make pans full of lasagna and leave them on the counter never eaten. So...we (My roomates and I) stuck it all in the fridge and had free leftovers whenever we wanted! Sledding and freezing our butts off! I loved it.


5 things on my to-do list today:
Great day to ask!

1. Check train schedule to see if the 10-12 inches of snow will keep Brady in Chicago overnight.
2. Make Cupcakes....pudding in the recipe....MMMMM.
3. Laundry Laundry Laundry...are you serious you finished??? Does that ever happen???
4. Hope I can live for a third night with brady being gone till after the kids are almost in bed.
5. Finish going through my filing cabinet...yet another task never done. But you wouldn't believe what I've just thrown away! Yay!

I enjoy:

Designing or creating anything. Photography has become one of my new passions as well. One of those mom things. Making cute cupcakes and or sugar cookies. Playing with my kids. Can I put in here that I hate cooking??? And talking for hours if I can corner Brady!


What would I do if I were suddenly made a billionaire?

Travel, learn to surf, play golf with Brady since he thinks it's the game of the Gods, decorate a new house any way I like, buy lighting and backdrop equipment, get a new mac pro with an enormous screen, a new cake studio for Jamie and I to make cakes all day....oh the list would be embarrassingly too long so I'll stop here!


3 of my bad habits:

Hmmm. This isn't any fun. Um, I bite my nails sometimes. I love sugar...maybe it's not a habit but more of a hereditary flaw ask uncle rich,or Steve!!. And....i can't think of a third.


5 places I have lived: EASY!!!

1. Miton, Utah
2. Barrington, Illinois
3. Guilbert, Arizona
4. Logan, Utah
5. Orem, Utah

5 jobs that I have had:

1-Sounds Easy Pizza (Burned down while I was working...I got to evacuate the building and my midget friend "little Bec"called 911) not a joke.
2- Tony Romas in Logan
3- Heidi Swapp (never thought I'd be a scrapbooker. I guess I'm still not, but do blogs count?)
4- Flagger on State Street in Orem right after high school. I have way too many funny stories to tell about this one. Does F-chick come to mind?
5- 4Life - all utahn's have to work for a network marketing company at one time or another right?


5 things people don't know about me:

1- I broke both my arms at the same time.
2- All four of my front teeth are fake.
3- I'm nervous in public
4- I hate girls camp
5- I've had my license revoked once and denied once.

December 2007

"We just happen to be in the same colors!" Okay so it's the fam picture gone bad. It's just a snapshot in the freezing cold while the poor lady next door took our picture standing under dripping icicles and in a foot of mud and snow! Thanks lady next door! We all got the flu so our great plans to have Katie take our picture were ruined.


Stephy's wedding
Grandma Elsie & Papa Paul's Christmas

The grandkids. No explanation needed.

Alec kept telling me "Mom these presents are mines!" Except most were not for Alec since we had Christmas a few days before we left for Utah. I wrapped all the candy I could find in the house so he'd be busy unwrapping something! Only it backfired when he brought back all the empty wrappers for me to throw away for him! Note to self....don't be so stupid!

Ella kept cooing and loving her new dollies from aunt Jamie! She loves her new dollies.

Marissa and Mike reading thier new story to Logan. He loves Stories!

The lineup. This year it was youngest to oldest......back of the line Jamie & Mandy!


This was the fateful start of the Diego obsession! Go Diego Go!

Thanksgiving

Grammy & Grampy's house (We haven't consulted Grandpa yet on that name but we figure it's better than What Alec currently calls him. Crap-aw.) Thanksgiving Dinner, Josh's Eagle
Court of Honor,Girls shoe shopping with Dad, Girls day after thanksgiving shopping, & John & Kandy's.


This is the best picture of 8 grandkids we could get in 20 degree weather...or maybe it was just the 8 little kids that was the problem. Actually everyone was really well behaved until Alec & Ella burst into tears.


Brynna and Alexis were the best little mother's helpers for Ella. Thanks girls!!!


Grammy & Alec. He sure loves his Grammy.

Ella Belles

nicknames: Ellas, Smella, Elles, Bellas,Yella, Bells,Little Miss, Babeez, Elzabub.

alec's favorite: Ellas mom: Bells dad: Little Miss

Drew

Congrats to Michelle and Ben. Here is our photoshoot of baby Drew. He was a champ and let us get all the pictures we wanted. He was the perfect little angel. Alec and Ella were also great sports at Grandma's house hanging with Josh on a "Snow Day". Thanks Grandma and Josh! We so appreciate you. And once again Steve for taking over in a pinch!

NYC girls Trip!

One of my favorite places in the world just became my favoriter. NYC was so much fun thanks to the NYC gang. THANK YOU Diane and Daniel for letting us stay at your place! We were so lucky to have you there for us. And Thanks Kari, Isaac and Stephanie for showing us around town! And with Mama Lois Jean by my side, we figured out how to not die in the process of what we called "having one adventure afer another". We'll leave out all the details as to not incriminate ourselves. Let's just say we had a few near death or near embarrassed to death experiences!


We went on the great cupcake tour of NY while we were there sampling such delights from Tommies, Sugar Sweet Sunshine, Buttercup, Magnolia (Of Course) Amy's Bread and Crumbs. I agree with Alicia giving Sugar Sweet Sunshine the prize for overall best cupcake. My fav was the Red Velvet from Amy's Bread however.





Who is missing? Answer: Alicia who took it for Grandma!

Where's my Stevie?

Stevie Batman, Stevie, Steve, Steven Will You, my Steve, Alec's Toy. All of him are leaving. What will we do you ask when waiting those last few hours for Brady when Steve is usually entertaining the endless requests of Alec to "tie-it" (Cape fashioned from soft blue blankie by Steve) or do "jumpin' song" for the 32nd time in a row. Who I ask you will chop the onions and offer advice to "just add more butter"? And who I beg you will "hoagie" (hold and hug) Alec when he wakes up crying for an hour after his nap. What, what will we do without "my Stevie". I just don't know. So, Stevie....enjoy the peace and quiet but remember we miss you in more ways than you know! We love you!

Vintage Ella

This is my baby blessing dress from 1977 accessorized with Grandma Lois Jean Spencer's baby bonnet from 1955-ish. Can't get over it.

Happy Halloween!

I'm suprised at myself that I had so much fun taking Alec around to trick-or-treat. Maybe it was how he explained everything in his stash to the dracula that asked him what he had in his bucket just making conversation. Or perhaps it was that he made me carry the bucket until he got to each door. Or that he kept asking me "Mom...what's that scary noise?" referring to the spooky halloween sounds coming from a decked out front door. He didn't seem to be as stoked about the entire package of candybars he got from the neighbors across the grass. But somehow I was having the time of my life. I guess that was it. It's the best time of my life.

Ode to Sunny!

Sunshine Elizabeth Garner
Died of natural injection today after suffering from a tumor in her mouth. She had just been miraculously rescued by Dad the night before in a crazy escape gone bad. Typical Sunny had darted out of the shutting garage door and slipped down into a bunch of cold mud when dad and Mike found her buried so far that only her head could be seen. Here is the last picture of poor Sunner Bunner! We shared a special bond sunner and I. First....She was born on my birthday. Top that. Second...my personal favorite. She would growl at anyone who she thought was going to hurt me. AND she would also growl at them if I tried to hurt them! What a loyal little pup. Sunny the cat finally went to heaven. Goodbye old friend.

Classic

Classic Alec with cousin Sam going for a vintage ride in this sweet metal fleck painted carnival ride car. This was also the day of the perma-scowl I posted a few weeks ago. They had so much fun riding the rides, the ponies and even holding hands for a minute until they realized that was the best way to slow each other down. Thanks to Kristy, we actually have pictures of the post camera-battery-loss-tragedy afternoon at Sonny Acres. I owe you Kristy!

PS I just have to add, that the hat......was all Alec. I can't believe he actually fit it over his head. It was too small last summer and he insists on wearing it every time he finds the place I've hidden it. "It's my fishin' hat mom!" How can I say NO to that.

Ella 4 Months

I have to Laugh!

I just have to laugh. Last night Brady asks me. "Can you just take like that picture on the desktop and take off all my hair just to see how it looks?" "Um, I guess so. Why?" I reply. "Can't you just do it? It'll take you like 5 seconds right? Now that sounds like a challenge. Since he was up for the change, I thought I'd take liberty to morph in a little x-men while I was at it.

"Little Miss"

Brady calls her "little Miss". Something about it that I love. She is the little miss. She kicks it all day perched on my arm out to the side watching intently trying not to miss a thing Alec does. And every so often she turns and catches me off guard with the hugest grin you've ever seen. But all the while sucking on that sweet soggy hand of hers. MMmmmmm!

Oh.....isn't he so cute! Oh wait. Look a little closer and you'll see the fierce growl I get everytime i yell...."Hey Alec.....look at the camera." It's like he has this horrible vengence against the idea that the camera, if given into, will have control over him. And Alec is not controlled by anyone! Except for maybe a good sucker. So....maybe halloween is the miracle we have been looking for!

Chicago Botanic Gardens

Dragging the kids out sometimes seems futile. But Megan, Matt and Courtney were so much fun. The botanic gardens have orchards, vegetable gardens, gigantic carp and a ton of greedy geese. The day ended at the fountain for the last day of summer weather.

Baby Legs!

Okay so I'm in love with these new leggings for kids 0-4 yrs called Baby Legs. You stick on a cute onsie, add baby legs and presto - you've got an outfit. They come in a million different colors and styles. When the legs are little the baby legs are big. When the legs get big....the baby legs get a bit littler.

Cupcakes!!!

So I guess cupcakes are all the rage these days and of course I had to try out Chicago's finest while we were downtown this weekend. We stopped by Cupcakes which was a little on the "I gotta get used to these freaky combinations" sort of bakery with really stylishly decorated cupcakes. I loved the pear and pistachio flavors.




Ella and I hopped out to check out Angel Food Bakery and it's vintage collect-all atmosphere. They are known for their Boston Cream Pie cupcake (shown with red sprinkles). I now know why. YUM!


We happened to drive by a bakery on our way home and I bought Alec a Blue Fishy cupcake. He seems to be loving it here.