Emma and Abby Take Springs Preserve

For all the time Emma and Abby have spent together, I have so few pictures of them together. So today, when I took them both to Springs Preserve (thank you for loaning me your lovely lady, Becky!), I thought I would bring the camera along.




I have no idea why this picture is sideways, but I am too tuckered out from the fun to fix it now!

31 reasons

In honor of my husband's 31st birthday today I present 31 things you may not know about him. Here they are in no particular order:
1.) He does the best Jimmy Stewart impression.
2.) He eats french fries with a fork
3.) He is a graceful loser and a gracious winner
4.) He can set a land speed record for BBQ consumption
5.) He can juggle
6.) He once had a solo in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat
7.) He also performed as a storm trooper in a Star Wars themed ballet
8.) He tears up easily. Honorable mentions these last few weeks was reading his daughter a story from the Friend magazine and watching her in the primary program.
9.) There was a time in life where he could bench press a bus...now it's more of a Vespa, but still impressive.
10.) He doesn't embarrass easily.
11.) He is Handy Manny. He can fix anything.
12.) He could watch Bonanza endlessly.
13.) He is an exceptional kisser.
14.) He is easily invited. He may not want to do what you asked him to, but he'll do a lot just to be with people he enjoys.
15.) If Brandon loves you, there is no way you're going to shake him. He's super loyal.
16.) He never, ever, never, ever, under no conditions...never, ever...quits.
17.) He is an excellent public speaker
18.) He loves the cold. When we visit my family in Washington, he shovels snow for the pure enjoyment of it.
19.) He is a romantic- he loves to surprise!
20.) He turns every shopping cart into a race car and Abby loves him for it.
21.) He can ride a horse like a real cowboy. He is Buffalo Brandon the Buff.
22.) He has weighed the same our entire marriage, with few exceptions, and I hate it.
23.) He can parallel park anything.
24.) He has gotten a manicure. It was my fault.
25.) He has a hard time spending money on himself.
26.) He doesn't think he is a picky eater but he has a list the length of his arm he wont eat, i.e.: The Devil's Fungus (mushrooms); The Devil's Crustacean (shrimp); The Cheese that Smells like Feet (feta)- so on and so forth.
27.) He is a grouchy bear on fast Sundays.
28.) He falls asleep almost as fast he eats BBQ.
29.) He rarely feels guilt or pressure- which makes him the perfect companion for me.
30.) He can crack anyone's back. Seriously a gift.
31.) I love him more than I can say. He is it for me. He improves with each year and I think I will explode with gratitude and happiness each time I stop to consider who it really is who shares my life with me. He fills me in and fortifies me like an industrial strength fortification, fortifying thing with extra strength fortress powers (I don't know the technical names for these things, but Brandon does...and that is another reason he is Bad to the Bone B-Boney-Bone!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Oh...and...


32.) He let me eat his birthday cake.

Love you!

Scenes of October

I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I should have this month (I completely missed Halloween), but here are a few honorable mentions. Our house is, finally, no longer a construction zone (well, at least until we save more money). Above is a picture of our dining room and the built-ins we put in. It is super useful as a buffet and hides the ugly intake really well.

Primary has been a little demanding this month- with the program, trunk-or-treat, and your standard sharing times. These little owl cuties were thank you gifts for our teachers for the awesome job they did helping with the program and all of its practices. Since Halloween was on Sunday, we wanted it to be themed. We tied them up in little bags with an owl tag that said "We appreciate 'hoo' you are and 'owl' you do!" I hope it made sense :)

This is my sweet little witch and my husband. We are out to a Greek restaurant for my 30th birthday. Abby is in such a good mood because she just got a sticker from a police officer and just discovered her love of gyro meat and yogurt sauce.

This is my gift from Brandon. It was a total surprise. In the morning there was a knock on the door. I opened it up, and a big, typical, gruff delivery guy says "Where you want your piano lady?" And I appropriately giggle so violently I can't respond.

Here I am trying to smile without showing teeth. I haven't wanted any pictures of me with braces on, but looking at these two samples, I look a lot worse when I don't show teeth. It was a great birthday! Tons of friends, food and family. Brandon made me my favorite breakfast- chocolate chip whole wheat pancakes! My family in Washington sent me a package full of Brie from the Oregon coast. They might as well have sent me a slice of heaven. I meant to take a picture of it for them, but Abby and I have had it for three straight meals now, and...well, we've greatly diminished the brie supply.

I finally saw my husband's office this month. I've been scared to go in. I don't know why. I guess I was afraid that us being done with grad school, the bar exam, and now being gainfully employed was all just a mirage and that if I touched it, it would vanish.

We finished up our fireplace too!


Abby had a visit from her cousins. Love having my niece and nephews at my house. I love that the girls always have me do their makeup. I especially love that they're probably moving here!

Well, of course I missed a lot. I missed posting the adorable pictures of abby at the program. I missed blogging my pre-conception visit (I think I'm the only woman who actually does that). I missed blogging my sister's birthday. I missed my anniversary. I missed Halloween, the pumpkin patch, trunk-or-treat, and a few parties. I'm only going down this list for posterity's sake. I'm totally unrepentant about my sketchy blogging.

Tin Grin

This is not a picture of my smile. First, this person doesn't even need braces...and second, I haven't smiled in 36 hours and I don't know if I ever will again. Indeed, I have adult orthodontics. It's a good thing I made good friends here in Las Vegas before I did this, because I'm pretty sure I spit on most of them today at the park...purely accidental and purely embarrassing.

Abby has had picture day, we celebrated our nine year anniversary, I'm working a lot, the primary program is this weekend, our family ran a 5k together and we've had various parties and festivities...but I don't want to blog about any of them.

Did you notice I said nine year anniversary? I don't even have enough spare lip to kiss him decently. When I dropped him off at the office after our anniversary lunch, I said "I have to go, I'm late for fourth period." It was funny. We laughed. He went inside and I cried my eyes out. I'm a freckle faced girl with braces!

I better be so freakin' hot after this that a soundtrack plays whenever I walk into a room. For those of my friends who confessed their head gear, mouth guards and awkward moments to make me feel better- thank you. I know I'm a whiner about my 6 months of traction. If you want to bring me treats to help me self medicate the pain, feel free. Just please puree them first.

Way more vacation information than you will ever care to know...

My little family was so lucky to be able to spend 5 days in Oregon. We visited Portland and the Oregon coast with my family. And because it was the world's most awesome vacation, I must post no less than a million pictures. The above picture is a little surreal for me. Brandon and I were married in the Portland temple almost 9 years ago. The wedding photo hanging in my house was taken in front of that fountain, and here, in the same spot, is that handsome devil with the cutest little salmon spawn in the northwest!

We also went to the Portland Zoo. World's best zoo. I know it looks like Brandon is really happy to be there, which he is, but I actually told him to say "Yee Haw" for the photo. I don't think he would let me share this photo unless I explained that.

My little eagle family.

The main lady. This is my sweet mother.

3 generation shot.

A pack of wild, ice cream loving farm animals! Oh, wait...it's the Tracy family? Yep, that's my sister, her husband Phil, and his daughter Tiffany. We are at the Blue Heron cheese company. Best brie I have ever had. They ship and it is my birthday next month. I'm just saying...(I like the pepper flavor please)

The blue heron also had a petting zoo. We fed the llama flowers. Which, according to a sign we later discovered, was detrimental to his special diet. No one has ever died from dandelions though, right?

I make the northwest look good. Granted, I am the only one in sunglasses, but it's the Vegas in me.

Abby could feel her heritage taking over. She took to the tide pools at Haystack rock like the little star fish she is.

Here we are warming up for our tide pool excursion at the Seaside Aquarium. All the hesitancy in her face was quickly replaced by pure zeal. She touched everything. And I am now out of hand sanitizer.

The crew at the aquarium.

This is me being VICIOUSLY assaulted by seals. When I went through my original tree-hugging phase (which I am back in, by the way) in the 4th grade, I had a poster of seals. Loved 'em. And that is why I paid 5 dollars to feed them...the ungrateful curs...the moment I took a brake feeding them they splashed me, AND my new boots! I just screamed and chucked food in as fast I could. It was pure survival instinct that took over. My vanity was out the window.

The beast in action.

Cleaned up for a date with the hubby. We ate razor claims and saw the cheesiest local theater you can imagine.

The farmer and his cow.

You know we hit the Tillamook cheese factory, and you know we ate ourselves sick! Thank you Thompson/Tracy family for such a wonderful vacation...and if you are still reading this, thank you too!

First Day Photo Shoot

Dear Abby,
You have no idea how much I am going to miss your preschool self. I am going to desperately miss the moments when I ask to take your first day of school picture and you run off to make sure all of your favorite blankets and baby dolls are in the photo. Please, please, please stop growing. It's gone by too fast! And I only have one more year until you leave me everyday. You simply must do your best to slow down.

Love you,
Mom

Viva Lost Wages!

We had a more than exciting weekend! Starting off with the least exciting was our recent flood. We had a plumber come work on our house to repair a leaky pipe in the wall while we were doing our renovation. Well, he made the leak a lot worse. Apparently, it has been leaking for a while, but thankfully we had some guests in town this weekend which made our water use go up and it made the leak bad enough to really notice. If they hadn't have been here, it would have probably completely ruined our floor and caused a huge mold problem. Thank you for thoroughly flooding my house, Hales! I couldn't have done it without you :)

We have had these airport sounding blue fans blowing in our house all weekend long. On the bright side? I finally get to get rid of the gas station tile on my downstairs bathroom!

3 month old paint, dry wall, base mold, wood floors and doors...gone...sniff! Never been happier to be married to an attorney than I was when the plumber who did the work showed up to see what had happened...it was so very People's Court/Judge Judy/World Wrestling Federation/Pride and Prejudice. He is so my Mr. Darcy!

Now on to the good parts! This is Brandon and I at the Bellagio...and since we're from Las Vegas, we have a lot of pictures of us at the Bellagio...but none taken by the Hales family!! Our BFFs from Florida (the ones who fed us, held my hand through my first year of mothering, made us laugh, took us to the best restaurants ever, and taught me kanasta) were out on a tour of the west and stopped by to see us.

This is Abby and one of her favorite baby sitters ever- Brianna!

The Hales family! Thanks for letting us show you around our sleaze hole of a town! Glad we could do all the classics....the sign, the fountains, the buffet, the porn stuck to your shoe and the reaffirmation that we are truly on the top of the food chain of humanity.

Friday was Abby's final cheer leading performance. Proud of you little cheer star! Your teacher says you are a natural...and you know I thought you were the best!