The Christensen Family

McKay is 5 months old

2012-02-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

McKay turned 5 months on January 28th. Poor little guy seems to not have as many posts documenting him as Ty did when he was little but I am vowing to do better. McKay is such a fun little baby and I am enjoying staying home with him and Ty. I am enjoying my time with this little guy. Here are some things about our little guy.

He is a smiley baby
He is a drooler. His shirts are always soaking wet from it and he loves to put everything in his mouth
He is getting his first tooth
He loves to be held
He loves to be paid attention to
He LOVES his big brother Ty
He doesn't let mom get much done without holding him
He doesn't sleep through the night yet but will go until 5 AM
He breastfeeds so well and really doesn't like taking a bottle
He is a a skinny tall baby. He weighed 13.5 lbs at his 4 month appointment and was 26 in long
He has to have one rice bottle a day due to him being so little
He is crier especially when daddy gets home from 5 PM-9 PM
He always get woke up from his naps by his brother so he is in the habit of taking little power naps and then he is ready to go.

He is such a fun baby and has been so different from Ty. I love being able to be there through all of the milestones. I feel like a very lucky mom!

We have a 2 year old....really

2012-01-23T14:53:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe we have a 2 year old and we are loving and hating this age. We love him of course and we love seeing him learn and grow however we do not love the tantrums or the "I want to do everything myself" parts. We are just enjoying the ride and taking lots of time outs ourselves.

Ty's birthday was last Wednesday the 18th. We enjoyed chocolate chip pancakes a treat we would not normally have for breakfast but it was his birthday. He was able to have calls from grandparents and great grandparents and most especially daddy. Daddy was able to call him at lunch and he enjoyed talking to him. Daddy also made sure he got Cars 2 in the mail from Netflix that day so that we had a fun movie to watch. We just had a chill day spent at home. He also got to have half of his presents from us which was a cowboy hat and an Elmo chair. We were shopping one day at Smith and Edward's and he saw the cowboy hat and wanted one. He is so in love with it. The Elmo chair was one my sister in law was getting rid of so I snagged it. He had no idea who Elmo was but seems to love the chair which is good.

We celebrated a second time on Sunday the 22nd. We had our family come over which included Kip and my immediate family and our parents and grandparents. We had a full house. We served dinner and cupcakes and brownies. We have amazing family support and we had a fun night. It was a very crazy night but Ty had fun and we enjoyed the good company of our family. Ty got lots of presents and has enjoyed playing with them all. One of his favorite is his farm. My mom and dad had the barn from when my brothers were younger and they weren't using it so I asked if we could give it to him. I picked up a bucket of farm animals from Target in December that came with 45 animals and it was only $7 on sale. It ended up being a really cheap birthday present but one that he LOVES. I am sure he will get good use out of it.

Things about Ty at 2 years old:

Loves to sing
Loves to dance
Loves to be read to if he is calm enough to listen
Can say his prayers
Sings the ABC's
Counts to 10
Knows his name, daddy and mommy's names and McKay's name (It's really entertaining to hear him say Christensen)
He has a lot of tantrums and sits on many time outs in the corner
He loves his brother McKay and gives him kisses and loves on him all day long
He is the only little guy in nursery in our ward and LOVES the attention from his teachers
He loves living with my family
He loves all of his grandparents
He loves his cousins
He is definitely an outside boy and is having a hard time understanding the need to stay inside

He is a fun little boy and we are glad he is in our family. We love you Ty!

P.S. These pictures were taken at the farm at my parents and around their house. It is so hard getting a 2 year old to hold still and smile. Add in Maggie our neighbors dog and then it's really hard to keep his attention. At least we should remember what age he is from the pictures.

Power outage fun

2011-12-10T16:11:00.000-08:00

Thursday December 1st we had our power go out around 6:30 AM. It was a really scary experience with popping lights etc. This was during the big wind storm that passed through. When my parents power goes out it causes a lot of issues because they run off of well water not city water like most. Their water is really good and if you've ever tasted the North Ogden Stump water that is what it tastes like. However it makes it so the toilet doesn't work, you can't take a shower or have drinking water. So I decided I would pack a few things for the day and head to one of my grandparents. I knew the Barker's would be up that early so we went there. They took us in for the day and it was really nice! We talked, had soup and yummy bread for lunch and they let me take over their house for the day. Ty thought it was a fun adventure! My mom called the power company and they said it would be 3 days before they could get it back because we were only 1 of 3 homes affected in our little neighborhood. They had a lot bigger issues with some people in Davis county. Instead of invading my grandparents for 3 days Kip and I decided to go out to his parents and stay there until then.

The 3 days came and they finally fixed it by end of day Saturday. But then we had an even bigger issue. As my parents power was going you could smell burnt/hot wires and when they got the power on found out the furnace and stove wouldn't turn on. Since we didn't pack church clothes we came home and got ready for church, went to our ward, Gramly Jones fixed us a nice Sunday dinner and let me bake a cake for Grandma Barker's Birthday and we went to the Barker's to celebrate. We were able to stay at Kip's parents until Tuesday and my dad was able to fix the furnace himself but the stove is toast. There was a tree that fell over onto the power line that knocked out the power. This caused our power to short out and caused our furnace and stove's motors to burn up. Thankfully nothing else happened, we were all safe and that we are back home with minimal issues. I know some people had a lot bigger issues.

Luckily we have a few safe havens to go to if we are in need. My Grandpa and Grandma Jones, Grandpa and Grandma Barker and Allan and Annette. We are so lucky that they are so kind to open up there homes, feed us and let us take over a room anytime we need one. My parents are awesome to get everything going as quickly as possible and welcome us home when we arrived. We enjoyed the time we had to visit, eat good food, stay warm, give haircuts, read stories, have fhe and so much more.

Thanksgiving Christensen style

2011-11-28T13:05:00.000-08:00

Branson loves McKay

Two of my handsome guys

Brynlee is getting so big and is such a good babysitter

Waiting to eat

Preparing the food

Burke loves to entertain with his funny YouTube videos-Love Josh in the background!

Grandma Beus loved the little puppies

Brother and sister

The boys loving on Aunt Ann

Ty was so excited to eat his first Chocolate pie that mommy made for him-He loves Chocolate as much as dad

This year we spent Thanksgiving with the Utah Christensen family. This was the first year I have been away from my family for Thanksgiving and the first year we have spent it with Kip's on Thanksgiving. It was a lot of fun and I loved spending time with the family however I did miss my family a little bit. Burke and Michelle were our hosts and they did an excellent job. There were 28 of us at their house and that is a big sit down meal. Michelle said it was the biggest sit down meal she had hosted at her house. The food was awesome and the company was great.

We had a little scare part way through the day when Ty went missing. He was playing upstairs in their family room that is attached to the kitchen. I was feeding McKay and Kip was playing a game. Ty had to pass a lot of people to get out so I thought he would be fine playing. I had checked on him a couple of times and he was fine. I couldn't see his head when he was playing so I would have to stand up with McKay and go walk over a little bit to see where he was at. I had done this 2 maybe 3 times and was doing again. I am kind of a worry wart about checking on him. The last time I checked on him he wasn't there. So I looked in the spot he likes to play in which is her front sitting room. He wasn't there but the front door was opened. I look outside and he is in the front corner of Michelle and Burke's house with his vest half way on. I said, "Ty what are you doing? Where did you go?" (I was panicked at this point) and he said, "I playing mom, I playing!". Some of the older kids had gone out back and he thought he would go out and play to. Needless to say it scared me to death and I was watching him even closer the rest of the night. I am thankful I found him before he went wandering to far. He is not scared of anything and has a mind of his own.

Here are people we had fun spending time with:
Burke, Michelle, Brayden, Brynlee and Branson
Gary, Ann, Natalie, Rachel, Jacob, Josh
Jared, Mikhail, Peyton and Emery
Dale, Nicole, Kasey and Kale
Bud and Jeanene
Kaylie and her friend Jessica
Allan and Annette and Grandma Beus

Cameron, Kip's cousin came home from his mission the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Kip and him have been pretty close since Kip moved here after his mission.We didn't get to go see him the night he came home due to Kip working pretty late that evening. He came to Burke and Michelle's to see everyone that night. He is so much the same but you can tell he really loved his mission and has grown spiritually. My favorite part about seeing him that night was when he saw Grandma Beus and how he just hugged her a few times and cried because he was so happy to see her. It brought tears to my eyes. He also had some pretty cool stories to tell.

We had lots of fun and we were happy to spend the day with the Christensen's.

Things I am thankful for...

2011-11-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

I have so much to be thankful for this year and I don't want to forget them so I am posting them quickly while my little guys are sleeping.

Kip
Ty
McKay
The gospel
My savior
Prayer
Nap time :)
Modern day stuff like washers, stoves, microwaves, internet, phones, cameras etc
A warm house to live in
Our cars
Family
Journals and blogs to remember our memories
Missionaries
Service men and women
Children
Being a mom
Being a wife
Cooking
Service
Scriptures

This little guy is so fun right now. Oh how I love him!

This handsome man holding Ty. Oh how grateful I am to have him in my life! Love you!

I <3 this little guy! He is such a sweet baby.

I am sure there are many more things that I could be thankful for but these are just a few.Thanksgiving is a fun holiday and always helps me remember to be thankful. I could do a lot better job than I am doing with showing my gratitude. I guess I better work on it.

Faith and prayers=my greatest blessing

2011-11-14T10:54:00.000-08:00

It finally happened. I am officially a stay at home mom (I've had this dream forever!). Now all of this happened by accident but I think it was really a blessing from above. I was all prepared and ready ( well as much as I could be and secretly dreading) going back to work Monday November 21st. But my mom who has been our babysitter since I went back to work with Ty got a job. This is very good for her and my little brothers. She needs to be working and it all happened so perfectly. She didn't have to interview and her friend just recommended her. She did some job shadowing and of course they gave her the job.

I have been thinking about what we would do with the kids ever since she got it. I DID NOT want my kids to go to a daycare. I don't judge anyone that has their kids in one but for me and my family it was just not an option. As Kip and I were discussing what we would do and how we would do it. We decided we would look at our budget one more time. We did and it's going to be tight but we are going to try and do it. It is what I've always wanted and Kip wants it to.

As we are working through this big change in our lives income wise, Kip is working hard at getting a new job. While still working hard at his current job and putting in tons of OT. He will hopefully know whether he gets it or not by January 1st. It has been a long process and he has worked very hard through it all. In the meantime I am enjoying my little ones and loving the time I have with them. I am so thankful my husband is such a hard worker and willing to take a big step with faith in trying it.

My little boys

2011-10-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

Ty absolutely loves being outside. If someone says they are going outside he immediately says, "I go" "I come". He loves to get the eggs from the chickens with Grandpa, Caleb or Cache. He loves to play in the sand with Crystal. He loves walks with mom and McKay to see the horses. He loves picking apples from Grandma and Grandpa's apple tree. He loves the park and he is going to be devastated when it is to cold to go outside every day.

I am always amazed at how much he learns and the milestones he reaches. That is one of my favorite parts of being a mom is seeing what he learns and how much he grows. It is also one of the hard parts about being a mom is to see the mistakes he makes and learns from and I am sure it will only get harder as they grow up. He has been really cute lately. Some of the things he does that I want to remember about him at 21 months are:

He will run and get a blanket and say, "I freezing mom!"
When he counts he says, "1,2,3,4,7,8,9,10!"
When you ask him what his name is he says, "Ty, Ty"
When you ask him how old he is he will tell you 1 and hold up his finger but sometimes he says 2
When you ask him what McKay's name is he says, "Baby Brother!"
He loves nursery
He loves all his grandpa's and grandma's, aunts and uncles and cousins but especially loves Crystal, Cache and Noah
When you ask him who's boy he is he says, "Noah's boy"
He copies everything you say
He loves to sing songs
He is now sleeping in his own bed but occasionally coming in mom's and dad's at some point during the night
If he can't find McKay he says, "Where is McKay?"
He doesn't like it when McKay is crying and will get his paci and give it to him
When dad wakes up on Saturdays and Sundays Ty will say, "Morning dad!"
He loves to read the children's book of mormon
He just started saying the prayers at dinner

I am loving this age because he is really learning a lot. It makes me happy and sad at the same time to see how big he is getting. I never can believe how fast time flies.

McKay is still small to me but is starting to smile when you talk to him and seems to be growing so fast. He loves to eat and loves to be held. He really likes to be snuggled and warm. He is sleeping about 5-6 hours at night but will have an occasional bad night once in awhile where he will want to eat every 2 hours. He is really been fun for us.

McKay James Christensen

2011-09-17T11:29:00.000-07:00

McKay James Christensen was born August 28, 2011 at 9:01 AM. He weighed 7 lbs. 9 oz. and was 21 in. long. His original due date was September 14th but I was hoping he would come sooner because my sister Cassie was getting married September 10th. Most of you know we are the best of friends and I wanted her there and she wanted to be there. My doctor had planned on starting me on the 9th in the morning if I wanted but I just wasn't sure I wanted to be started. I have heard horror stories about it and I just wanted him to come when he was ready but also didn't want to miss Cassie's wedding. I just kept praying the baby would come when he needed to and that everything would work out.

Kip's work had rented out Lagoon Friday August 26th and it would be Ty's first time going. I knew I would have a hard time walking around but I wanted to see Ty for his first time. I decided to go. We walked around a lot that night from 6 PM to around 12 AM. It was a lot of fun but by the end of the night I was hurting. We didn't get home until around 1 AM and I had to be up at 6 AM for our Focus Four Run at work. As soon as I was up I started having contractions. They were very inconsistent but I knew they were there. I had them all day. They got closer around 5 to 6 minutes apart in the evening and I decided I would call the doctor. My doctor didn't answer and didn't call back. I decided I would just go to the hospital and get checked because the week before at my appointment I was already a 2 and 90% thinned. We went up to the hospital around 11:30 PM and I was a 3 +. My doctor was out of town and that is why she didn't answer or call back. They told me I could stay if I changed in 1 hour. An hour came and I hadn't changed so they sent me home.

We returned home around 1:30 AM and Kip and my mom went to sleep. My contractions got stronger and at 4:00 AM I woke them up to go up again. I was a 5 by then and they said I could stay. I got my epidural around 6:30 AM and it was heaven after that. I was able to sleep and around 8:00 AM Machelle my fill in doctor for Karen came in to break my water. After that I was fine for awhile then felt the baby slide into place and tons of pressure. I was just about to call Machelle when she came in and said she wanted to check me. She checked me and said you are ready let's have the baby. I started pushing and only pushed for two minutes and he was here.

The delivery was much smoother this time around and I didn't feel anything. I felt much better and have had an easier recovery. We had a ton of visitors at the hospital. One of my biggest fears about having kids so close in age was how Ty would adapt to having a new little one. I was so worried about him liking the baby and still getting the attention that he needed himself in being so little. I will never forget how precious it was the first time Ty saw McKay. He was so sweet to him and still is. He always says, Hi there or hello baby brother. It was a lot better than I thought it would be.

So lucky

2011-09-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

I am loving being home with my little guys! I have always wanted to be a stay at home mom. Even from the age of a tiny little girl I always knew I wanted to be a mom and a mom only. I am enjoying that right now even if it is for a small time. Ty is at such a fun age right now although it is a little challenging. He is learning so much and talking so much. He is my big helper and makes me laugh all day long! He loves his new baby brother and is so sweet to him (he is a little rough but doesn't mean to be so rough). McKay is sleeper except when he is hungry or needs his diaper changed. He is a fun baby and has a sweet little spirit. I love having two little ones (As I was typing this Ty was climbing up on something really high).

I am often thankful that heavenly father allowed me to be a mother and trusts me with these special little spirits. They bring so much joy into our life and we are so lucky to have them. Kip is at work today and I can't help but miss him. I am thankful I get to stay home for a little while and that he works hard so that we can do that. I am way behind on blogging and need to update some things we've been up to but maybe I'll just start fresh. I will however post about McKay's birth and his stats.

New Baby here we come

2011-04-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce that we are expecting baby #2. We found out we were expecting on Ty's first birthday. It is a little fast but we are so excited! Ty will be a great big brother and he is already growing up so fast. The due date is September 14th and I know what we are having. Kip would like to be surprised again so if you would like to know text or call me.

It's been forever since I've updated and we've had tons going on. Ty turned one 01.18.2010 and we celebrated with a family birthday party. We were in the middle of moving and therefore had the party at Kip's parents house. It was so much fun and Ty loved the cake!

We decided to move in with my parents and rent out our house so that eventually I can be a stay at home mom. I wish I could work for my company from home so that I would still get to do things with Ty but that isn't an option right now. We are having a lot of fun at my parents and Ty is loving the attention from his aunt, uncles and grandparents. It's been an adjustment for us.

Kip started a new job at Lifetime as a forklift operator until he finds something better. He has learned quickly and we are thankful for the income it provides. He has been applying at plenty of other places and hopes to find something he will enjoy.

We look forward to this Summer and we are hoping Spring is just around the corner. Ty is getting so big and it will be a fun Summer with him exploring new things.

A much needed update

2010-12-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas tree-December 2010

We finally put up our Christmas tree. I loved it and although it's just a little dinky tree, it is fun to have up. Ty is going to be a trial to keep away from it this year but we will do our best.

Some things I want to remember about Ty at this age. He is now 10 months and coming close to 11 months. We love him so much and we are enjoying watching him learn new things. The more I am with him, the more sad I am that I miss so much during the day while I am at work. He does so many cute things and is learning new things every day.

He gives open mouth kisses
He can walk but chooses not to because he doesn't concentrate and gets to distracted
He loves frozen peas
He loves frozen raspberries
He loves drinking from a straw or regular cup
He has these crazy temper tantrumes
He can high five-not sure if my little brother Caleb taught him or if Kip did
He loves me to come play in his room with him and play toys
He crawls to me and says ma ma when I get home-Oh how I love this!
He is a pretty happy kid as long as he has what he wants
He gets into everything and is very busy
He has such a cute smile and laugh!
He sleeps through the night most nights in his bed but occasionally I have to let him cry until he goes back to sleep-I know I am such a mean mom!
He says Da Da
He is learning to waive bye bye

We love him so much and we are so grateful is a part of our family!


Frozen raspberries

As you can see his is our life right now and we are enjoying it. Can't wait to see him open Christmas presents this year!

Anybody got any good traditions they do in their family. I would like to hear about them.

He's home

2010-11-10T21:34:00.000-08:00

My little brother that is. He went out on his mission back in February and while in the MTC hurt his knee pretty bad. He had surgery and soon went into the mission field. His knee is pretty messed up now even with surgery and had to come home to get the surgery completed. He will be down for about 6-8 weeks. It was so good to see him even though he has only been gone since then.

Ty and I went down to the airport with my family to welcome him home. Then we all went to dinner after. It was so much fun to see him and we are glad he arrived home safe. We hope the surgery goes well and he can return to finish out his mission. We will enjoy him while he is here.

It has started to snow and although I know I am one against many, I love the snow! There is just something magical about snow and the world during and after a snow storm. I think it is so beautiful! I am a lover of Thanksgiving and Christmas. They are coming and time is just going by way to quickly. I started getting Ty's presents a while ago and I still have more to finish. The hard part is being creative with the budget we have and getting Kip something he will like. He is so hard to buy for. I can't wait for it to come! I am also so excited to visit temple square, make yummy treats and attend the Forgotten carols (my absolute FAVORITE).

Ty is getting so big. I cannot believe all that he is learning and doing. Cassie and Noah moved out and we miss them so but now Ty sleeps in his own bed and room. I feel like he is so far away because he has been so close to me for so long. It has been an adjustment for both of us. He is doing better than I thought. He has pretty much weaned himself from his paci which is nice. I thought it would be a trial to get him off of it but it was so easy. The bottle will be the trial. Ty is a big crawler now and gets into a lot of things I don't want him to. It is so much fun to see him exploring new things and getting creative with how he does it. He wants to walk and isn't very afraid. He lets go of everything and can stand on his own for about 30 seconds. He is pretty fun to watch right now. He says da da really well and has started saying ma ma and more. He can also give fives which has been fun. I am happy to see him growing and developing but sometimes it all seems to go so fast. I miss all of his stages but have loved seeing him in each new one. He is our life right now and so much fun!

Kip started a new job as a runner for Backman Title. He is doing well at his job and thinking about new things to explore at the same time. He still does Send out Cards every chance he can. I have a new job within my company and it is keeping me very busy and very challenged. I appreciate the new challenge as I had excelled at my old position but it is very demanding. It has been hard learning how to balance everything but Kip has been good to help fill in my many gaps. What would I do without him? Ty is so little that he luckily won't remember any of the craziness right now in our lives. I just remind myself often why I work so hard and that is for my little family.

We haven't really been up to anything special lately so I just posted a few of our random pics. Enjoy!

Mikey's birthday

Girl's party while the boys were hunting

Halloween this year. Ty hated wearing his costume and only kept it on every visit we made for about 5 minutes tops.

Kip's birthday

2010-09-24T11:37:00.000-07:00

Kip on his birthday with his beloved red velvet cake

Kip is now 28 years old. He is kind of a pain when it comes to birthday's or christmas because he doesn't want anything. He is not a big money spender, he loves movies but doesn't like to buy them, he doesn't like clothes and the only things I could think about getting him were way to expensive for our budget these days. So I went with a movie that I got for a really good deal (Thanks to Cassie for pointing it out), an Ipod holder for when he runs (Thanks to Cassie for finding such a good deal on one) and treats that he loves (Mint Oreo's, Kit-Kat candybar and Sangria (a mexican soda). He seemed happy enough but I wish I could find some other stuff he would enjoy. I had to beg him to tell me what he wanted me to make him for his birthday dinner and I just made him a cake I know he loves. It worked out to be a pretty lame day for him though. I had to work until 7 and luckily I was able to make him his cake and lasagna the night before but he had to put his birthday dinner in the oven. We ate at 7:30 PM. I invited his Dad, Mom and Grandma over to have cake and we sang to him as well. He isn't big on attention so I didn't do anything to big for him. He seemed to have a pretty good birthday but I wish it could have been better. I am really thankful for him and all he does for us! He is such a good husband and dad and I am the luckiest to have him in my life!


Ty and Kip on his birthday. Ty is a spitting image of his dad.

Ty thinking is he oh so big and can walk. If we would let him he would do a face plant because he will just let go.

Ty is getting so big. I can't believe how fast time is going and how fast he is growing up. Before we know it we will be celebrating his 1st birthday. He is so ready to just go, go, go. He wants everything and he is not afraid to fall. He will scream when we are holding him now because he just wants to stand up next to the couch and be big. He has started to scoot a little and is so close to crawling but hasn't figured it out just yet. We will have our hands full when he starts crawling.

We have really had a hard month with Ty as he has been getting his 2 top teeth. He got the one and was a happy boy for 2 days then started getting the other one and he is a grouch. I can't say I blame him as they look like they really hurt. Poor kid! I am excited for him to continue to grow and develop but it's sad at the same time because he is really getting out of the baby stage and growing into a little toddler.

Last Friday we went to the state fair. We had a lot of fun! Well I had fun. It was really hot and my hubby hates hot. He gets sunburned really easily. He was a really good sport though. We also went to Ikea. I really love that store! We picked up a little present for Ty for Christmas and we also got a pizza cutter for really cheap. I could spend a long time in that store and a lot of money.

Noah got to ride the ponies. So cute!

Ty hated his stroller and wanted to be out looking at everything

This bull was huge. That is a regular size bull next to it. Crazy huh?

He's officially done

2010-09-07T21:15:00.000-07:00

We took Ty to his last appointment with the specialist at Primary Children's today. He was given a clean bill of health and declared fine. He will no longer have to visit Primary Children's for that issue again. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for this. This wasn't anything that was a huge concern but it was something that scared me and made me think. Life is so precious and I am often reminded of this through little things that happen. My sister and NieNie recently turned my attention to a blog that I have come to love. This blog can be found here. Oh how fragile life is and this story has made me remember that!

Today as we were walking out of the hospital I saw a mother wheeling in her son or daughter that had cancer. My heart ached for this mother because I would have a hard time with that. They were awesome! They seemed so happy and at peace. It really made me think about how I would act if I were given the same life experiences as these mothers. It also makes me remember just how fragile life is and what is really important. Although these situations are sad and my heart goes out to these mothers, I can't help but be thankful for all that I am given. I feel so lucky!

I love this picture! We were just getting ready to go into the park. I just love my hubby because he is so handsome and my little guy looked so big in the stroller with his hat, hoodie and sunglasses.

This picture cracks me up because this is his sad face. He makes me laugh when he does it and then he gets even more sad.

On a different note we had a wonderful visit to Willow Park in Logan with my family yesterday. We met up there for lunch a visit to the park. It was almost perfect weather but a little cold for my taste. Ty absolutely loved being outdoors all day as that is his favorite thing. We saw some fun animals and it was so much fun to be with the family. I love spending time with my family! My grandma was so sweet to arrange it all and seemed to really enjoy herself all day. We missed a lot of our family but that happens when you get older I think. We also picked up some yummy snow cones for the drive home and they were delicious! I will miss eating those things come fall and winter.

Oh so cute!

My grams taking Ty for a swing. She is so cute! Ty wouldn't look at the camera. He gets distracted really easily.

We had a lot of fun at the park! This is the first time I've seen Kip swing on the swings and he really enjoyed himself. He would probably kill me if he knew this was on the blog. It will always be a memory I cherish though.

So behind

2010-09-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

We took Ty to his first demolition derby this year. Call me white trash but I absolutely love these things! This year freaked me out a little bit because there was some crazy stuff happening.

We took Ty to his first drive in movie. Oh how I love these things! Cass and Noah came. Noah and Ty were awesome and it turned out perfect. We had so much fun!

Ty looks bald but I cut his hair every 2-3 weeks when I cut his dad's. He just gets a little crew cut every time. He is such a good baby while he get's it done.

We welcomed our long waited niece into the world on August 26th. She is so precious and we love her so much! She is all girl and her mommy dresses her up so cute! After 3 nephews and my little guy our family is so happy to finally have a girl in the family! We are so glad you are finally here AndiLyn Jade Jones!

I am seriously always behind on my posts. Each time I post I vow that I will do it more often and keep everyone updated on everything that we've been up to. However every time I fall behind and I am always waiting a long time between posts. This is something that I would like to add to my journal one day and that is why I need to do better at posting.

On Sunday morning's I am generally awake early with Ty. If you know me you know I love my sleep so it is really hard when I don't get it. But I have come to love these early mornings, oh how I love these early mornings! I turn on soft Sunday sounds and let Ty play while I ponder my life. This is such a good thing for me because it allows me to ponder what's really important. I think about how blessed I am and I get a chance to thank my heavenly father for everything that I have. We don't have everything we want right now but we do have the important things like family, love and the gospel. I am so thankful for the way things are right now. I am truly blessed to have a wonderful husband who helps me so much and is such a blessing to me. I love you honey! Our little boy is such a bright spot in our lives and he really keeps me going. He is so much fun and is learning new things all of the time. I think back to life without him and I can't really remember it. He has really helped us become the family that we are today! I love you buddy!

We have had a fun summer and we are excited for the fall. I love the fall! I love the smells of fall, the food, the fun things we do as a family, the clothes and the holidays! I love the changing colors and the cool, crisp air! It is something I look forward to all year long. I am excited for Ty's first fall! I can't wait for him to enjoy his first Halloween and all of the other fun things that come with it.

With Fall coming Summer is going. This is kind of sad but it will come again and we have had a lot of fun times this Summer. Next year Ty will be old enough to enjoy Summer more and I am certain we will have a ton of fun!

Ty's surgery

2010-08-10T07:40:00.000-07:00

Ty had surgery yesterday at Primary Children's hospital. I won't bore you with very many details except to say that I am so grateful for the staff at Primary Children's hospital! They were so great with Ty and although it was still hard I think it would have been a lot harder if the doctors and nurses weren't so great. The hardest part for me was leaving him with the anesthesiologist and walking the opposite way. I pretty much bawled all the way down the hall. He was a good little guy and didn't really even cry that much. There were screaming kids all around us in the recovery room and Ty was sleeping peacefully in my arms. We are so lucky to have our precious little boy! We love you Ty!

Lately...

2010-08-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since my last post. I haven't updated forever but I was reading someone else's blog the other day and they posted about how blog's can be used as a journal. I vowed I would use mine as a family journal but still update my regular journal at home with more personal stuff.

Let's start out with Ty. He is so big and I love him oh so much! I miss him when I am away from him and I love spending as much time with his him as I possibly can when I am home. He can now roll over front and back, sit up, he has 2 bottom teeth (which are to die for cute) and he is just growing up so big. I cannot believe how fast time goes and I wish I could freeze it as to not miss anything. When I took him to his 6 month appointment he weighed almost 18 lbs (70%), he was pretty tall(95%) and his head even grew(95%). He doesn't sleep through the night yet but we are working on it.

Kip is still going strong with Send Out Cards and looking for other work while doing that. He is enjoying his work and loving not having to answer to a boss. He has done well with this company and it is amazing to see how much room he has to grow there. He has been visiting a dietitian monthly and exercising a lot. He has lost about 20 lbs and looks really good. He has really made a huge change in regards to his food choices. I am really proud of him!

I am still working at Focus. I have found myself wishing more and more that I could stay home with Ty. It has gotten extremely hard for me to leave my little guy. You would think after 3 months of working that I would finally be able to balance being a wife, a mommy and working but I will admit I am the worst. I can do 2 at a time but that is about it. I am so thankful for family and prayer to help me get through it all. Hopefully I will be able to get it all down soon!

We have been doing so many fun things this summer but the biggest thing has been enjoying Kip's parents return home from their mission. Before their mission they lived in Fresno, California where Kip grew up but now they have moved here. They are living with Kip's grandma who is just a couple of doors down. It has been so much fun having them home! I know people complain about their in law's but I am really lucky in that department. They are so awesome and so much fun to have around! Kip loves living so close to them and he is really good to help them with anything they need help with. We are looking forward to them staying for awhile.

Just stuff

2010-06-12T17:38:00.000-07:00

I'm really behind on posting because I really don't make time to update. I am still struggling with everything being so busy and me not having enough time during the day to do it all. So here is a little tiny bit of what we've been up to...enjoy!

Memorial day...
It is such a big day in our family on my dad's side and for as long as I can remember we have done the same thing. That same thing consists of hiking above G&G Jones' house to pick wild flowers for our ancestors graves. When you are done with the hike you get to enjoy donuts (kinda funny considering the calories you just burned from the hike). We then have a big yummy breakfast with pancakes, eggs, bacon and the best hashbrowns in the world! It is all so yummy and I am missing it as we speak. We then have an award ceremony for the flowers we picked (everyone gets one). After that my grandma gives a story about our ancestors. We then go take our flowers to the graves and then head up to Avon. Avon is a small town south east of Logan and I LOVE it! It is paradise to me! This year we decided to change it up a little and we all slept over at G&G's house the night before. Let me just say that it was so fun!

Ty went swimming for the first time last Saturday at North Shore in North Ogden. It was my nephew Aidan's birthday party and I had to work. So I was a little bummed that I would miss out on his first swimming experience but Kip decided not to let him get in until I got there. I ended up not missing it at all which was nice and he ended up loving it! We didn't get any pictures but we did get a video of it all so we will have to post that sometime.

That Friday before we went up to my parents house to get something and ended up staying for dinner and just hanging out all night. It was so much fun! We recently sold our four wheeler to my dad and Kip has been missing it. So while we were up there he took it for a ride and even took Ty for his first ride. He loved it and it looked so cute! I'm sure we will be getting one once everything settles down.

My uncle and aunt live close by and they recently had a couple of new baby horses so we drove out to see them. They were both so cute but this little guy was oh so cute! I cannot even tell you how cute Noah and my cousin Amy's little boy McCoy were with him.

Yesterday...

2010-05-30T10:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a good day! I got up went yard selling, visited with family, played with Ty, cleaned house and did laundry. I loved yesterday because I got to wake up to Ty smiling and talking his baby talk, I got to see my family and spend time yard selling, I got to visit my grandparents whom I absolutely enjoy spending time with, I got to hold Ty, I got to read to Ty, I got to rock him to sleep, I got to feed him baby food and rice, I got to clean and do laundry and lastly I got to feel like I accomplished a lot to help my family. I think most of all yesterday allowed me to be a mom and do the things that mom's do which I love!

I am incredibly blessed to have a good family and I love them so much! Yesterday one of my favorite things was Noah and Cassie coming home with not one but two gold fish. Noah was oh so cute carrying in his little bag of fish and telling us what he got. I will cherish that memory forever! Another favorite thing about yesterday was Ty and him reading with me. I read him Dr. Seus', "One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish". I loved the way he looked at the pages and the baby talk he made while reading.

Life lately...

2010-05-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

Lately life seems to be so crazy! I just don't know where all of my time goes and I feel like it is all passing way to quick. I feel like I am at work way more than I am at home and I especially miss spending time with little Ty. I live for Saturday's and Sunday's and I am a much happier person when those days come(who isn't). I haven't gotten all my laundry done in who knows how long, Kip has taken over the dishes because I feel like all of my time once home should be spent with my little guy before he goes to sleep and all those dishes can wait right. :) I think all those dirty dishes were starting to get to him and he finally decided to do them. I'm very thankful for Kip and Cassie because they are really helping me so much so that I have more time with Ty when I get home.

Kip is loving his new life and job. We started a new diet with a dietitian about a month ago and Kip is still sticking to it(I dropped it after the first week). It is very limiting to what you can eat but helps you become a healthier person and he seems to feel so much better. He loves working with send out cards and is a very big card sender now. If you know anyone that likes sending cards or invitations then send them here .

Ty is now 4 months old and he is oh so cute! I love how big he is getting but at the same time it all seems to be going way to fast. Ty is now rolling over, eating rice, drinking 6 oz of milk every feeding and throwing fits. He still doesn't laugh but I hope he will soon. I feel like I am missing him grow up since I am away at work a lot but I know he is in good hands with my mom. He stopped sleeping through the night about a week ago and now wakes up every 3 hours to eat(I am hoping this doesn't last). He is so smiley and slobbery right now. He is constantly putting everything in his mouth and I constantly have people asking me if I feed him or if he is getting teeth. I kindly respond that he isn't teething and that he is not hungry, he just does that all the time. He is so much fun and I love having him in our family!

Ty is starting to really recognize Noah and they are starting to have fun together. We love watching them interact with each other.

I am really learning to enjoy the time I do have with Ty and hope all you stay at home mom's know just how lucky you are. I am thankful to Kip and Cassie for helping so much around the house because it really feels overwhelming sometimes. I am constantly inspired by the video called, "my new life" on Nie Nie's blog. I think you all should check it out because as bad as you feel your life is there are always good things. On a side note I uploaded all of these fun pictures and decided I won't bore you with writing about them. They are pictures of what we've been up to the past month or so.

Ty is 3 months old

2010-04-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

Ty is 3 months old and I know I say this on every post but time is going by way to fast! I love seeing Ty reach milestones but I also wish I could slow time down. I really missed getting to spend time with him during the day this past week but I really enjoyed him on Saturday and Sunday. I cherish every moment I get to spend with this little sweet boy because he is so precious and so much fun! Here are some things I would like to remember about him during this stage:

He is very smiley! He will even smile when he is not looking at me but can hear me, his dad or Auntie Cassie talking to him.
He gets so excited when he is lying down and wants to be held!
He doesn't roll over yet but has a couple of times and then can't get back over.
He doesn't laugh yet but is really close!
He loves his daddy and has been spending lots of time with him since I am back to work now.
He loves to sit up and look around.
He hates lying down.
He loves to chew on everything and is drooling everywhere!
He is eating about 5-6 oz. of mommy's milk every feeding which is about every 2 hours.
He prefers his bottle but drinks mommy's milk (which means more work for mommy!)
He hates his swing and loves his bumbo!
He hates his car seat and cries almost the whole time he is in it but not asleep.

He is our precious little spirit and we are so thankful for him! We love you Ty and we are so thankful you are in our family!

Back to work

2010-04-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

I went back to work on Monday and it was a little bit hard. First off let me just say that I love what I do, I love the people I work for and I LOVE the company I work for! I am lucky to have the job that I have and I am grateful for the blessing it is to me and my family. I bet you are wondering then why I would be sad to be back to work and why it is so hard, let me just tell you. I miss my baby! I miss being able to have dinner ready when Kip, Cassie and Noah got home. Overall I know my baby is in good hands and that all will go well but it's still hard sometimes. One day I hope I will be able to do my dream job and just be a wife, mother and homemaker or maybe I could possibly work from home. I came home to my mom watching Ty at home so he could transition into life without mom during the day and Kip brought me a rose and card which was very sweet.

Kip also quit his job at Wright signs about 2 weeks ago leaving the company he has worked at for over 6 years. He did this because he didn't love his job, he wasn't sure there would ever be an opportunity for him to be able to support us without my having to work and it was also a very demanding job. He is now doing Send out cards which is an awesome business and where he has the potential to make a LOT of money. He is also looking at going back to school or possibly other jobs. I am so proud of him for taking that big step of leaving such a secure job and for wanting to allow me to be able to stay home with our family eventually. This is a very different time in our lives as so much has changed over the past 6 months. We are doing well and we are very blessed! We are so grateful for the company he worked at before because it has really provided for our little family for our entire marriage thus far.

Vegas and St. George

2010-04-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

We decided to take a little trip to Vegas and St.George before I went back to work this week. Our friend Caitlin lives in Vegas and we wanted to come see her while we were down there. I called her and she said she would love for us to visit so we added an extra night into our plans. We left Wednesday day and drove to Vegas to stay the night with Caitlin and Steve, Thursday we spent the day on the strip and shopping at the outlets in Vegas before meeting them at Claim Jumper that evening for dinner. It was so much fun to see Caitlin and Steve and catch up with them! Caitlin is such an awesome friend and I realized how much I missed her seeing her again.

Thursday night we drove to St.George for the remainder of the weekend. Friday we attended the St. George temple where we all took turns doing initiatories and we met a lovely old lady. It was a really neat experience and I loved that little lady! She inspired me because she attends the temple daily and not only does she attend daily but she knocks down 2 sessions each day, AMAZING! Thursday afternoon we went swimming and then to dinner. Noah and Kip loved the swimming pool while Cass, Ty and I thought it was way to cold!

Saturday we went to breakfast since it was Cassie's birthday and then we went shopping all day. We also took Cassie for her first Jack in the box experience, she loved it! Then we drove home to meet the family for dinner at Pizza Ria for Cassie's birthday dinner. Ty had a blowout and I had taken his extra outfit out of the bag. We couldn't reach his clothes in the car because his bag was the first one packed in the trunk (I know..I am a terrible mother!). Needless to say Ty spent the time at Pizza Ria wrapped in a blanket!

The kids were awesome in the car and the whole trip for that matter! Kip was an good sport because we did a LOT of shopping! I decided that I hate Vegas and I was really glad Ty wasn't old enough to understand what a bad place it is down on the strip. Kip compared it to a rated R movie because although there are a lot of good things to do down on the strip there are things that make it a place you don't want to see or be around.

Sunday we were able to spend at my cousin's baby blessing. Her baby, Hudson was born about 3 weeks after Ty. We love supporting our family and wouldn't have missed such a wonderful event like a blessing!

Clown show

2010-04-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

My brother works for the North Ogden fire department and he is one of their clowns. Each year they write a clown show about fire safety and travel around to the different elementary schools to perform. He invited us to go watch his show so Cassie and I took the kids. It was so much fun to watch him and Noah sat like an angel throughout the whole thing! Their names are hose tower and Hydro, they are really funny!

Easter and conference

2010-04-13T21:16:00.000-07:00

We had such a good Easter and conference weekend! I love that we were able to celebrate Easter over conference and hear all of those amazing stories. I absolutely love spending time with my family and I love listening to the apostles! The talks were so good and I felt like they were just for me. I loved hearing about how we need to be better parents and really teach our children.

Saturday we had the girls over for crafts while the boys went to priesthood. We made Family signs for our house and they turned out so cute! We were up pretty late and we had tons of fun. The boys went to eat afterward which was nice because we needed the extra time to finish.

Easter morning Ty and Noah took their first bath together. All was going well and all of the sudden Ty pooped in the bath tub. Bath time wasn't so fun anymore because we had to get the kids rinsed off, clean up the tub then finish washing them. It was a crazy time and a first for me! Sorry Noah!

Cassie was so tired after a late night the night before and we found her sleeping soundly looking like an angel. She is beautiful!

We celebrated Easter with Burke's family in the morning while watching conference then we visited the Grandparents and had yummy Easter food. Of course we had lots of candy and a lot of fun!

Coloring Easter eggs

2010-04-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

We colored Easter eggs with my family a couple of days before Easter and it was so much fun! I think I will ALWAYS love coloring eggs no matter how old I get! Noah was by far the funniest to watch because he did everything with the eggs including licking, throwing, squishing and dipping. The eggs turned out so pretty!

Our finished product

2010-04-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

We finally finished our Easter baskets and they are so cute! Maybe a little too cute, but we love them! We had fun making them and maybe we will try to make some more that will turn out a little more "manly" for our boys. Ty looks a little grumpy in the picture, it's funny!

Cute and very fun craft

2010-03-31T11:47:00.000-07:00

I am pretty sure I saw this on Good things Utah but I am not sure when. It was how to make your own Easter baskets. I told Cassie about it and we decided to do it. Then I found a coupon here for 40% off an item at Hobby Lobby. Yesterday we headed there and found everything we needed to make our darling Easter baskets for the boys. We were so excited about it that when we got home we started on them right away. So they are in the works and as soon as they are done we will post pictures. But I am pretty sure they are turning out way cute! I can't even do craft things very well and this was way easy for me. Head over to that website to print off your 40% off coupon!

Clean up at Grandma's

2010-03-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

My grandma asked if the family could come help clean up her yard yesterday. She said she would feed us some lunch and that she had a few things we could help her with. We gladly answered the call as did a lot of our family. We had so much fun and it was actually a beautiful day (minus the time when the sun went behind the clouds). We got so much accomplished and there wasn't even everyone in our family there to help. The food was yummy but most of all it was nice to know that my Grandma didn't have to worry about doing all of that herself. Our family is very hard working and I am so thankful they are all so willing to help!

Afterwards we went to visit my other grandparents because if we are in North Ogden we like to visit both! They were so much fun to visit with and we had a lot to talk about. My grandma seems to be doing so well and drove herself to get her hair done yesterday all by herself (this is the first time since her huge surgery). They also went to the temple this last week and did their endowment and sealings. They are amazing!

I really love my Grandparents! Both sets never ask us for anything and always do so much for us. They have taught us so much but most of all they are such amazing examples! Kip was also a good sport yesterday. He is such a homebody and lives for his Saturday's where he can lounge and watch his basketball especially after a busy week. I didn't want to ask him to go because of his love for Saturdays but when I did ask he willingly accepted. I am really lucky to have him and especially lucky that he lets me do so much with my family!

Ty is 2 months old

2010-03-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

Ty turned 2 months old last Thursday and Friday was his 2 month appointment. He weighs 12 lbs. 10 oz. (90%) and is 24 inches long (95%). He seems to be a pretty healthy kid and is so freakin cute! He got his first set of shots and it was really sad (I think more for me than for him). He only cried for a second until I was able to pick him up and then he calmed right down. He was really brave! Some things about Ty right now:

He loves his blankets!
He loves to be held!
He is really smiley!
He is a little pig and eats a ton! He wants to eat every hour and even after he eats still thinks he is hungry and sucks on his hands. The doctor says he is healthy and gaining a normal amount of weight.
He loves his swing!
He is starting to coo and be very alert!
He still doesn't sleep through the night but only wakes up once or twice. Maybe we will get that luxury one day!

Ty's blessing

2010-03-07T17:49:00.001-08:00

So before you freak out because you weren't invited to his blessing let me explain. We decided to bless Ty at home because at our last doctors appointment we had to wait for our doctor for over 45 minutes. When he came in he said that the reason he took so long is because he has been crazy busy with RSV this year. He then suggested that we not bless Ty until April or May because of this and that we not take him out unless it is in controlled environments. I wanted to get him blessed as soon as possible because I think that blessings are so special and wanted to take advantage of it before he got to big. I had heard of people blessing their babies at home and talked to Kip about it. We decided to do it and discussed it with our bishop. He gave us the okay and that is why we had it yesterday and why you were not invited.

There were a couple of benefits to us doing it at home. Kip's mom and dad who are serving a mission in Mexico City got to enjoy via Skype with our Webcam, very exciting! My Grandma who just had brain surgery was also able to come because it wasn't at church, I was so glad! Lastly, Ty was able to blessed before he got to big.

The blessing was so special and the spirit was so strong! I almost liked it better than at church because it felt more intimate and personal. Kip did such a good job blessing Ty and Ty was such a good baby during the blessing. I feel that we have a very special baby and that he was saved for this time because of his strong little spirit. We had a lot of our family there and lots of yummy food! We also had a member of our bishopric come and we were thankful for him taking time out of his busy life to be a witness to this. We were able to do it at my brother in law Burke's home because our house is a little small and it wouldn't have worked with everyone we invited. All in all the blessing was beautiful and it turned out so nice! I feel very blessed to have this little baby boy in our home and I am thankful he is in our lives!

Ty

2010-02-26T09:23:00.000-08:00

Ty is getting so big and I can't help but wish time would slow down. It seems like yesterday he was born and now he is almost 6 weeks old. He is getting so smart and strong. He holds his head up, he smiles, he loves bath time, he loves tummy time, he loves to sleep with one hand raised, he loves to fold his arms while he sleeps, he stands when you are holding him up and he is being very fussy lately. He throws a fit when it gets close to his time to eat and will cry when you take the bottle away to burp him. He loves to be held all day long and if he is put down he will cry(this is not a good thing but I am just cherishing every stage). I know that he won't stay little forever and I've been told to love every stage they are in because you will never be in that stage again with them. I am dreading the day when I have to return to work not because I don't love where I work or what I do but because I really don't want to leave him. It's sad to think about! Here are some pictures from the past couple of weeks.

Our second anniversary

2010-02-26T09:03:00.000-08:00

Our anniversary was on February 22nd and Kip took me to see Dear John and then we went to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. Cass watched Ty for us and I was so grateful because I knew he was in good hands and didn't have to worry about him all night. Kip and I had so much fun and it was nice just being with him and spending time together alone. Over the past 2 years since being married we have had so many big things in our lives and I am so thankful for them all! As I think back to when I was dating I can't help but be thankful for my cousin and him setting us up on a blind date. I am so thankful Kip chose me and that I have him in my life! He is an amazing man and I am so grateful for all he does for me!

When we got home from going out on our anniversary Cass had Ty all wrapped up in the Mobywrap and he looked so cute I just had to post the pic.

Blogger

2010-02-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

I am a little behind in the times but I am having a lot of fun learning new things to make my blog look a little better. I am so thankful for the help from other blogs to help me make my blog a lot better. I still have a long ways to go but I am making baby steps.

Ty is 1 month old

2010-02-16T13:41:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that Ty is already 1 month old as of yesterday. He is such a big blessing in our home and his little spirit is so sweet! We love having him in our lives! He has recently started smiling when I talk to him which has made it so much more fun. He is still a pretty good baby but is having a hard time with eating. He wants to do it every 1 and 1/2 hours and still doesn't latch onto me so I get to pump and feed him from a bottle. Other people get to help with feedings since he does eat from the bottle which has been fun!

Ty's newborn pictures

2010-02-08T17:01:00.000-08:00

We got Ty's pictures taken when he was a little bit over 1 week old and I am so happy with them! If you go here you will find her website and she does an awesome job! I was really nervous about getting his pictures taken because he was so little and I didn't know if he would be good. But she did a great job and he did an AWESOME job! She said he was the best baby she has done (She probably tells all of the mom's that but I still liked hearing it!). I am so glad we got his pictures done so that we can always remember how cute he was as a newborn. These are only a few of my favorites but we got so many more cute ones.

Ty is 1 week old

2010-01-25T19:17:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh time goes so quick, Ty is 1 week old today! I cannot believe how fast time has gone! He has already changed so much and it's only been one week. He is such a blessing in our lives and I am so thankful for him being in our home. Here some fun things to remember about him:

He looks a lot like his dad did when he was a baby.
He is a really good eater.
He already sleeps pretty good during the night and only wakes up 3 times throughout the night to eat.
We went to his 1 week appointment and he is almost up to his birth weight coming in at 8 lbs. 12 oz. The doctor says he expects this by week 2 but this is really good.
He is so cute!

We love you Ty and we are so thankful you are in our home!

Ty Rigby Christensen

2010-01-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

Born: Monday January 18, 2010
Weight: 8 lbs 13 oz
Length: 21 inches

Baby shower #2 and baby updates

2010-01-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I had baby shower number 2 and it was so much fun! This one was given by my sister in law, Michele and included Kip's side of the family and the ward. There were so many people there and I felt like we got really spoiled with stuff. I am so thankful for the support and love from people in our life! Michele had chocolate fondue with so many yummy things to dip into it along with veggies and dip.

That evening we were able to go to the temple one more time before the baby came and it was so nice to get to be in such a peaceful place. I will really miss going for awhile once the baby comes but we will see how soon we can go back once it comes.

Sunday I asked Kip to give me a blessing so that I was prepared for the baby when it came. He gave me a beautiful blessing that really made me cry and feel the spirit. I am so thankful for Kip and him being worthy enough to give me a blessing. I feel so much more prepared now!

Baby news...I went to the doctor on Tuesday and I am almost a 2 and 60% thinned. The baby is so healthy and growing so big! It weighs in at 8 lbs. 3 oz. and has been gaining weight every week. The week before the baby gained 1 lb 3 oz. The doctor says we will have at least an 8 lb baby if not bigger. I can't wait for it to come into our family because I feel like we have waited so long for it! I have my last day of work on Friday and although I am going to miss it, I am ready to be done for a minute. I go to the doctor next Tuesday and I will know for sure when this baby will be coming.

Baby shower #1

2010-01-04T18:42:00.000-08:00

I finally had a baby shower this last Saturday and it was so nice! I am not a big fan of showers but it was very fun and low key which I like. I am so thankful for people and their kindness and generosity towards my family but I will be so glad to get my next shower over with on Saturday.

My mom and sisters threw my shower for me and my extended family helped with everything. We had soup and bread sticks and yummy cheesecake and mini fruit tarts to eat. My mom had it at her house and it looked so nice! Everyone came and I got so many cute things for the baby. The problem was carrying it in without Kip seeing it but we made it work. I made him hide out in the bedroom while I brought the stuff in.

We also went to dinner with some of my family that night. My mom's birthday is January 1st so she wanted to go eat at Pizza Ria but only after my shower was over. Not everyone could come so it felt a little weird with my parents, 2 of the 3 little brothers, Cass and Noah and myself and Kip but it turned out really fun! My dad was very generous and bought our dinner, thanks Dad!

Waiting anxiously

2009-12-30T18:39:00.000-08:00

We are awaiting the arrival of our little one anxiously! I am trying to enjoy the little time we have left as just the 2 of us but I find myself really excited for the new baby. I feel a little more prepared now because the past few weeks I have been getting things ready for our little one. I haven't had any showers yet but I will be having one on Saturday and then one more the next Saturday which will be fun. I do have the basic stuff ready that I have and if it came today we would be good.

I am still working and I think I will work until I can't anymore. I have started my weekly appointments yesterday with the doctor and she said everything looks great! I am dilated to a 1 and the baby weighs 6 lbs 9 oz so it should be a good sized baby. The due date is still set for January 21st but we will see when it really decides to come. It may be early and it may be a little later.

We had an awesome Christmas this year and Kip surprised me with a lot of really fun things! Cassie my sister also got me a few things that made me really excited! Cassie surprised us with a ping pong table which Kip has been wanting for so long, she is so thoughtful! It was really fun this year to have her and Noah here with us! Noah brings so much joy into our home and we enjoy having them so much!

Update

2009-11-13T09:48:00.000-08:00

We have been so busy with stuff going on in our family and I have been a big slacker with posting lately. Life is going really good right now and I feel so blessed with everything I have in my life.

Last night my little brother Jordan got his mission call. He is going to the Eugene, Oregon Mission and it will be Spanish speaking. It's pretty exciting and neat especially because my uncle and his family live in that area. He will be an awesome missionary and I am so proud of him for choosing to go!

Our baby is so fun right now in my stomach because it moves around so much and is very active. I am really going to miss having it move so much inside me when it is born! I am now 30 weeks and my belly is HUGE! I am not sure how much more my belly can stretch but I am sure you mothers know that feeling.

I am loving the holiday season right now! I love this time of year and all that comes with it! I can't wait to get our Christmas decorations up and my house smelling like Christmas!

Here is a picture of me and my cousin Amy. Amy is 3 weeks behind me in pregnancy and it has been fun to compare our belly's the whole time. She is so tiny and I just poke way out there!

Our little one's pictures

2009-09-24T18:49:00.000-07:00

Here is the newest pic of our little one. I know some people think it's kind of a freaky weird picture but I LOVE it!

Happy 27th birthday Kip!

2009-09-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

Today is my hubby's 27th birthday and I just wanted him to know how much I love him!

Here are 27 things I LOVE about him:

1. He is the most amazing husband!
2. He will be the cutest dad to our new little one!
3. He loves, loves, loves basketball!
4. He is very helpful!
5. He is such a hard worker!
6. He loves movies!
7. He can remember almost every movie and can quote it word for word!
8. He honors his priesthood
9. He is very giving with his time
10. He loves hunting and is a very good shot!
11. He is so sweet to me
12. He is very handsome and so sexy!
13. He has recently started loving Coke but loves Mountain Dew
14. He loves a good steak
15. He LOVES chocolate and peanut butter!
16. He is very knowledgeable about the gospel
17. Loves the office
18. Loves 24
19. Loves the Utah Jazz
20. Loves spending his time at home just hanging out
21. He is so funny and makes me laugh so hard
22. He loves being a little bit cold because that's when it feels the best to him
23. He hates being the center of attention and loves being one on one with people
24. He always has his hair buzzed down to the shortest length
25. He is a good cook when he does it
26. He has a contagious laugh
27. He loves me so much and I am so thankful for him!

I hope you have an awesome birthday honey! I love you so much!

Shhh..don't tell

2009-09-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

I finally found out what we are going to have but Kip wants to be surprised so I now know and Kip is going to hold out until delivery day. It's kind of fun but I have found myself slipping more than a few times. I also can't show him anything I buy unless it's unisex which isn't very many items. That kind of takes the fun out of it a little but it's still fun! So if you want to know what I am having then please text me or call me and I will gladly tell you. I love being planned and prepared so that is why I found out. I am thinking that once I have one of each then I will be better able to go without finding out but for our first I wanted to know.

A shoe/purse party Wednesday!

2009-08-18T07:04:00.000-07:00

I went to a shoe party a little over a year ago and LOVED it so I decided to have one at my house with my sister. We will be having it tomorrow Wednesday August 19th 6:30-8:00 PM. It's an open house and they will have the shoes there for immediate pick up. Come and bring a friend and just get away with the girls for a night. It will be a lot of fun! Hope to see you there!

www.shoeparty.com is where you can go to see a list of shoes she will be bringing to the party. There are womens and little girls. They start out around the $20 range and can go up to $32.99 for boots.

Focus Four Run

2009-08-06T19:09:00.000-07:00

Last year on August 24th, which was a Sunday I received a call from Sam who was my boss at Focus. He told me some very sad and surprising news, he let me know that some of our friends who had been traveling to Guatemala had died. I remember it like it was yesterday and I am so happy the company I work for cares enough to remember it!

These are my thoughts from last year and it brings tears to my eyes to remember this time.

2008 thoughts: We had 5 Focus employee's traveling to Guatamala to do a yearly Humanitarian project for a village down there. They had arrived in Guatamala City Saturday evening and on Sunday morning boarded a small airplane that would take them to the village where they would give service. The pilots reported engine trouble and went in to make an emergency landing in a field but they weren't able to. Four out of the five Focus people died and the survivor is in critical condition in a hospital in Guatamala. It really made me stop and think about how precious life really is. You never know when your time will be and every second of your life is so very precious. I think it will be something that helps me remember the important things in life and that we should take advantage of every single moment we have with the ones we love.

A year later Focus and the families of John Carter, Cody Odekirk, Jeff Reppe, and Lydia Silva have decided we want to celebrate their lives. We have put together a four mile race and one mile walk to honor these great people and raise money for scholarships in each of their names for other Focus employees.

I'm hoping that by posting this anyone who reads this will walk or run to participate and/or help me spread the word. The race is on August 22nd at the George Whalen North Park in Roy which is located at 4200 S. 1900 W. The four mile run starts at 7am and the one mile walk starts at 7:30am. The cost of the run is $20 and the walk is $15. Participants will receive a t-shirt and water bottle then be entered into a raffle to win a lot of awesome prizes. If you are interested in participating you can register by visiting http://www.focusfourrun.com/. At that website you can register online or print out the registration paper and mail it in.

Camping and family fun

2009-08-04T17:27:00.000-07:00

Kip's sister Sue and her family came to visit from California this past couple of weeks. They were so much fun to see and hang out with! They stayed at Burke's who is just a couple houses down so we were able to see them a little. Kip and I were both really busy with work but we still managed to see them some and spend time with them.

This past weekend we went camping to the Uintah's and it was really nice! I loved getting away, spending time with Kip and doing nothing! Here are some pic's.

While we were gone we missed my grandpa and grandma Jones' 50th wedding anniversary picnic. We were so sad to miss it but we knew they were surrounded with lots of loved ones. Congrats Grandpa and Grandma! I hope Kip and I will be as cute as you when we get older.

Oh baby!

2009-06-30T19:21:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce that we are pregant! We are due January 21, 2010 which seems like a long ways a way but I'm sure it will come fast. We are so excited and can't wait to find out what we are having!

Happy Birthday Grandma CoCo!

2009-06-23T18:35:00.000-07:00

My great grandma CoCo will be 100 years old on Thursday, we had a birthday party for her on Saturday and I just wanted to wish her a happy birthday! She is an amazing woman and has gone through so much in her lifetime! She has been a widow for over 35 years and has had to live without my great grandpa for a long time which would be hard in it's self. She has raised 3 sons and 2 daughters whom are all very neat people! She has tons of grandchildren, great grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren! She is so sweet, giving, loving and humble! She is also the most beautiful person I know inside and out! I think it's neat I have gotten to know her and been able to have so many wonderful memories of her even though she is 100. Just to let you know how much spunk she has for being 100 years old, she danced with all of her sons and son in laws at her birthday party and stood and gave a speech for about 15 minutes. Pretty amazing! We love you Grandma CoCo!

Our remodeled house

2009-06-16T18:00:00.000-07:00

As many of you know we moved out of our house during most of May to get our house fully remodeled. We lived with Burke (Kip's brother) who lives 2 doors down from us in Hooper for about 3 weeks. Burke and Michele were so nice to let us stay at their house and I had a blast while being there those 3 weeks! We've been home for awhile but I've been such a slacker about posting and I am just getting around to doing it.

I will post some before and after pictures so you can see the difference. It may not seem like a lot to you but it feels like a new home to us, we love it! As we were moving our stuff out we decluttered a lot of stuff and now we have so much more space. We got new carpet, painted the walls and trim, took off mirrors that were EVERYWHERE, got tile in the kitchen, added some new furniture and now we have the finished product.

Branding weekend

2009-04-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

On Saturday my cousin Megan and her husbands family had branding weekend for their new calves on their ranch. They live in Park Valley, they brand the new little calves once a year and they are always so sweet to let us come. I LOVE Park Valley because we grew up going there and for me it always reminds of good memories. Branding is a needed process for ranchers but to me it's sometimes sad, I usually go to be amongst family and to enjoy the outdoors.

Saturday morning I had an early morning and woke up to a very rainy stormy morning which made me ask myself why I was going. I still got ready and drove to Cassie and Kevin's to drive out with them. Kip had to stay home to help his young men's group clean the church that morning and he didn't really want to go because of the rain. We got to Park Valley about 8:00 AM and visite with Meg (my cousin) while we waited for the boys to bring the cows in from the pastures. That is really neat to watch and we made it just in time. They brought them down and then had to seperate the mother cows from the babies, it's kind of sad but needed. Then all you hear is cows mooing because they are seperated from the babies. You line the little calves up for branding, castreting, medincine and de horning. I had fun talking to Cass, holding Noah, visiting with Katie and Meg and just watching the boys get the job done.

The Morris' made us lunch and we ate at their house which was really nice of them. We then visited at my cousin Meg's house before making the trip back home. It was a really fun day full of lots of excitement! I am so glad I was able to go, the weather turned out really nice and it was a gorgeous day!

That night I came home and my honey took me to dinner, his brother Burke came with us which was really nice! Anytime I get to spend with Kip is a perfect night!

Happy Late birthday Jeremiah!

2009-04-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

I am really slacking on the birthdays but I wanted to post and tell my brother Happy Birthday! His birthday was April 14th. Thanks for being such a good big brother to all of us younger ones for setting a good example for us! We love you and we hope you had a great birthday!

April birthdays

2009-04-12T14:20:00.001-07:00

We have a ton of our family whose birthdays fall in April. My dad April 8th, Cassie April 10th, Jeremiah April 14th and Amber April 30th. It's so much fun to celebrate them all and to see another year celebrated for each of them! For Cassie and my Dad we went to dinner at Pizza Ria (one of our family favorites!) and it was a blast! Although we missed Jeremiah because he was working and my mom and the kids because they are in Vegas we still had a ton of fun. They waiter brought the little kids Easter eggs with candy and I thought that was really sweet. They also got us in real quick, got us ordered and our pizza to us real quick. It was a really fun night!

We then finished up by going to Cass and Kev's for cake and icecream, it was really chill but great fun to sit and talk amongst each other. Happy birthday all!

Cassie's birthday

2009-04-12T14:15:00.001-07:00

Friday April 10th was Cassie's birthday. I know it's a little late but HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I love you so much! You are such a great sister, the best mom, awesome wife and my best friend(next to Kip)! You are the most giving person I know and so easy to forgive. I am glad you had a good birthday and I hope you have a great year! We love you!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2009-04-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today is my dad's birthday and I wanted to wish him a HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! He is such a good example to me and I am so grateful for him! He is a hard worker, loving, fun and very kind hearted! Happy Birthday dad! We love you!

Conference weekend and Easter fun

2009-04-05T17:11:00.000-07:00

I am so thankful for conference each time it comes, I know it doesn't bring the best weather with it but it is so good to hear the talks. Yesterday I watched conference while I was cleaning and doing laundry plus my dad was here redoing one of our bathrooms. There was a lot of confusion but thank goodness for a DVR so that I could rewind things I missed or pause and play when I was done getting the laundry. There were a ton of good talks and somethings that I really took to heart. I know I will apply a lot of what was said to my life and be blessed!

Last night we had a family party with the kids and the girls at my sister, Cassie's house. It was so much fun! Kip went to the priesthood session and I was so proud of him for going. It is so easy for us to just forget those and do the normal day to day stuff but I am proud of my husband and my brothers for choosing to go!

Today we had Burke's(Kip's brother) family over for conference all day and it was so much fun! We had them over for a big lunch and it was the first time so it was really fun to entertain us. Kip is always a little hesitant to have them over because they are really good cooks and great entertainers but I assured him it would be fine. It was great and I am glad we got to watch it together!

Sunday at Grandma Jones'

2009-03-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

I already posted pictures from G&G Barkers when we had the birthday party so these are just pictures of Grandma Jones'.

Visit's to G&G Barker

2009-03-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

As I said before almost every Sunday since I was little I would spend visiting my grandparents. I love it and it just doesn't feel right when I don't go! Today we had dinner at my Grandma Jones' then went to visit my Grandpa and Grandma Barker. They are so happy when we come to visit and I seriously LOVE going there! They are always waiting to greet us with a big hug and smile, their home is full of love and I feel so safe there. They are always full of fun stories about what they did throughout the week and I am thankful for their example of service. They are so worried about their kids and although they have the means to travel often don't because they are worried one of their kids will need them while they are gone. They are taking a break this next week and going to Arizona for the Easter pagent and are so worried about leaving us for Easter. I told them not to worry and to enjoy themselves! They definately deserve to have some fun and although we will miss them we are SO glad they will be traveling and enjoying that pagent and each other! I love you Grandpa and Grandpa (aren't they the cutest!)

Sunday dinner at grandma's Jones'

2009-03-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

So as long as I can remember I've gone to both of my grandparents house's each Sunday after church so it feels like home everytime I go. Today was no different as my grams invited my family over for a birthday dinner at her house. One thing I love as well is the fact that even though her kids are all grown up, she still has each one of them and their families over for dinner on their birthday so today was my dad's turn.

Her house is always so inviting, comfortable and I can just feel the love their! She is always waiting for us, in her cute little apron's that she makes and greets us with a smile! She always has yummy food waiting for us including some kind of meat, some kind of potatoes, some kind of fruit or jello salad, some kind of roll or bread, some kind of vegatable, a delicious drink and a beautiful dessert. It is the best meal! Oh and her table is always set with the most beautiful dishes, table cloths and centerpeices. It is amazing and a lot of what I do when I entertain and cook, I've learned from her. She is such a good example to me and I am so thankful for all she has taught me! Here are some pictures from dinner at her house. Thanks Grams, I love you! Oh and here is a picture of her (doesn't she just look like the perfect Grandma!).

New Car Pictures

2009-03-26T17:40:00.001-07:00

My new car

2009-03-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

We finally got a new car this past weekend after sharing a car and saving for a little over 1 year. Right before we got married we decided to do the one car thing and it has worked out great, we have truly enjoyed the extra time we have been able to spend with one another. It has been hard but we were able to save for our new car and put half down. It ended up being a great purchase! We will post pictures soon.

Kip's shoulder

2009-03-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know Kip, you know he loves playing basketball. He usually plays every Saturday with a few guys at the church and loves it! Yesterday he played and hurt his shoulder. He was in so much pain yesterday and today. I got him some Tylenol to take and an ICYHOT thing to wear so the pain would go away but he's still in a ton of pain. I feel terrible because there's not a lot I can do but hopefully he get's better. We had Kevin's birthday party yesterday at Chili's and then went to Kev and Cass's afterward, Kip was great to endure the pain and have fun. But we had to get home early so that he could lie down and get feeling better. Today he is a little better but not doing great. I'll keep you updated.

Birthday FUN!

2009-03-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

My new schedule

2009-03-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

I have a new schedule at work for a while and it's been a life changing event. We have been struggling at work and I was asked to change my shift for a little while to see if I could help. I wasn't to fond of the idea but knew it was something I could do even if it would change life for a little while. With the economy the way it is right now I am SO thankful for my job and I LOVE the company I work for so I am truly happy to do it. I have only done it for the past 2 days but I am enjoying being able to spend time with my employee's and getting to see just how hard their job truly is. I miss Kip because our schedules are way different now and our fun nights we could spend together but I know it won't be this way forever! I am thankful for Kip's support and Marjean (my aunt) who is willing to take me to work in the morning's since I don't have my own car.

My dad

2009-02-23T20:01:00.000-08:00

My dad's company closed the location to where he worked out of and has been laid off for the time being. If anyone knows of anywhere that is hiring let me know! He is a very hard worker and knows how to do just about anything. He is very reliable, dependable and is like I said a very hard worker!

Kip's big buck

2009-02-23T19:58:00.000-08:00

Kip and I share a car so we ride to and from work together, when we arrived home the other night much to my surprise (the taxidermist told us 6 months which would be April) there was Kip's buck hanging on the wall. I had wondered why he was so happy that day! So Kip finally got his buck from the taxidermist and it's now hanging in our living room. He love's it and it actually fits in our little living room very well! Here are some pictures. Sorry in advance to those who don't like hunting!

Our first anniversary

2009-02-23T19:53:00.000-08:00

We finally made it to our first anniversary and has all seemed to go by so quick. I have loved our first year of marriage and have enjoyed all we've gone through. For our anniversary we just did it really low key and didn't get gifts for each other since there are other things that we could use our money for. We did however go to dinner and to a movie which was really fun! Our anniversary was the 22nd which was actually on Sunday but we celebrated on Saturday by going out. On Sunday I cooked us a yummy dinner and Kip did the dishes (how sweet!). It was a fun night!

Babysitting adventures

2009-02-18T17:38:00.001-08:00

Occasionally we will babysit Burke's (Kip's brother) kids on Tuesdays because they have a class in Salt Lake that they go to. I love babysitting them and they are pretty well behaved kids. They love to play games and make things, type on the computer and color. Yesterday when they came they brought a friend who's mom was going with their parents to the class. I didn't know she was coming because my husband forgot to tell me but I didn't mind at all. She was so cute and we had fun with her. Her name was Sophia and she is 3 years old. She was so much fun to play with and to have around. We made Valentine's cookies and they each had their own color of frosting to frost their cookie with. It was fun to see how creative they could be with it.

Our new little neice

2009-02-18T17:36:00.000-08:00

We had a new neice born over the weekend. Her name is Mia Victoria Christensen and she is soooo CUTE! They waited a long time for her and she finally came. We are so happy for them, Congratulations Christensen family!

Valentine's day

2009-02-18T17:29:00.000-08:00

For Valentines day this year we went to the Salt Lake City LDS temple with G & G Barker, Mom, Jer and Amber and Kev and Cass. It was so much fun and I loved being there! The temple is always so beautiful and quiet, I enjoy the peace it has. I am thankful that we all went as a family because we haven't done that a lot.

After the temple we had a problem deciding where to eat but finally settled on The Outback which was yummy! We had to sit in two groups because they were a little busy but other than that it was nice.

We had gone to the temple in the morning and lunch in the afternoon so that night we watched basketball. Kip LOVES basketball and I enjoy it too so we had fun!

Day 1 of the Director Summit

2009-02-10T18:36:00.000-08:00

If you don't work at Focus then you probably don't know what I am talking about so allow me to explain. I work for Focus Services and every year they do a Director Summit with upper management. I was lucky enough to get to go this year and today enjoyed day 1. It is a workshop teaching you about principle's and teaching skills to help with every day life as well as work. I am thankful for the company that I work for and the fact that it believes in developing the one. They are teaching me so much about life and skills to better others. I can't wait to go back tomorrow!

Superbowl Sunday and the Jazz game

2009-02-05T17:28:00.000-08:00

We had a Superbowl party last Sunday and had a lot of fun! Nobody really likes football except my Grandpa Barker, Kip and the boys but it was an excuse to have a fun party with my family. We got a really good deal at Kent's last week on Pork Ribs and so we cooked those for our party for our first time. They turned out soooo good and we got them for a good deal! The party was fun and I was glad that everyone got to come hang out!

Benson (Kip's cousin) knew someone that had Jazz tickets so we bought them from him for Monday night's game. They were on the first row of the upper bowl but we still had fun! I always get so scared when you get those high seats because you are so far off the ground and I am terrified of heights but these ones weren't so bad. I mostly loved spending time with Kip and I really enjoy basketball and the Jazz so we had a great time! Hopefully we will buy tickets again and go.

Forever Strong, Facebook and Cassie going back to work

2009-01-28T17:16:00.001-08:00

We finally got to see "Forever strong" (the Rugby movie) last Saturday night because it's playing at the Kaysville theater. We love those cheap movies since it's a great deal and it's still just as fun to watch the movies! It was a really good movie and had a great story line to it. I loved the things it taught and the values that were shown. I also enjoyed spending time with Kip!

Kip's new thing is Facebook and he is on it EVERY spare moment he has! I love the fact that he is able to connect with his old friends and catch up on what's going on with them. He loves it so much! I don't like that it takes a lot of his time but at lease it makes him happy!

Cassie(my sister) had her cute little boy in November and has to return to work on Monday. I feel so bad for her because I bet it is a terrible feeling to think of having to leave your baby. But I know she will be fine and he will be taken care of by people who love him and will take good care of him. Good luck Cassie!

Goodbye Allan and Annette

2009-01-13T18:28:00.001-08:00

On Monday Allan and Annette reported to the MTC for the mission. We had the opportunity to go to dinner with the Utah family at Maddox on Saturday for one last time for at least a year and 1/2. It was a lot of fun! We met Burke, Michelle, Grandma, Brayden, Branson, Brynlee, Gary, Ann and Jared there with Allan and Annette. We had thought to do this earlier in the day so luckily we made reservations because we know Maddox is always packed and although we had reservations it still took them a minute to get us in. We had a lot of fun with them there! We took pictures, talked, laughed and enjoyed our time together. Jared (our nephew) surprised everyone with a nice new missionary haircut. He has had his hair really long the last little while and he looked like a different person that night at dinner. I think it was the perfect gift for Allan and Annette before they left!

On Sunday we went to church with them then spent some time with them that afternoon at Burke's for Brayden's birthday dinner. He had been ordained a priest that day as well which is pretty special! The following day Kip was able to go to the MTC with them and say goodbye. I bet it was neat and they are so excited to be going. They will do amazing on their mission and because they are such loving and giving individuals they will touch many peoples lives!

We love you Allan and Annette! Good luck in Mexico City!

Christmas in California

2009-01-05T19:02:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas for the 2nd time in California and it was soooo FUN! Since the majority of his Immediate family lives in California it is very hard for us to get to spend time with them however the past 2 Christmas' we have been able to spend in California. Kip's mom and dad are leaving for a mission on Monday January 12th to the Mexico City, Mexico temple mission and we got to spend their last week with them at home. We packed up and left Tuesday December 23rd with his 87 year old grandma and drove what should have been a 12 hour trip in 16 hours. The roads were horrible and very icy, we saw around 15 car accidents some of which happened right in front of us. It was crazy but we finally arrived safely there. His brother and his wife, Aaron and Kristy were kind enough to let us stay with them the week and 1/2 we were there in California (Thank you, Christensen family!!!) We had so much fun with them and they treated so well! We spent Christmas morning with them and enjoyed watching the little ones open up their Christmas gifts. Although we were there 1 and 1/2 weeks we didn't spend as much time with everyone as we would have liked. Time seems to go by so fast and before you know it, it's time to go home. We enjoyed family parties, movies, games, tennis, basketball, moving, cleaning, warm weather, yummy food and good company. I loved getting to know his family a little better and seeing how much the kids had all grown up! We are excited for our new little California neice or nephew who will be coming soon!

We had the opportunity to go to the Fresno temple with his parents one last time before they left and it was so neat to be able to do that! We will really miss his parents but know they are off to do bigger and better things!

7 days until Christmas

2008-12-17T19:05:00.000-08:00

Only 7 days until Christmas and I am so excited! I heard a really neat thing today at work that I wanted to share, it's about Christmas. A friend says that she does it every year for her neighbors and it helps them(herself included) remember the true meaning of Christmas. She buys a nativity set and delivers one peice a day leaving the baby Jesus until the day after Christmas, on the baby Jesus gift she leaves she asks the question, "Did you remember the true meaning of Christmas this year?". This helps her family and the families she is delivering it to remember the true meaning of Christmas. It's neat!

Christmas time is so fun and I love the feeling of it! It's neat to have so much time with your family, give things to people you love and even people you don't know, bake yummy things, smell the smells of Christmas time, enjoy laughter and remember our savior. This year I am definately able to remember our savior more because I am teaching it to the little ones in my primary class. It is an awesome reminder of why we even have Christmas!

We are leaving to California in 5 short days and I can't wait! It will be fun to see the California family and get to know them a little more. This is a special year as well because Kip's mom and dad are leaving for the mission. I am excited to be able to go and see them give there farewell talk and spend some time with them since they will be gone for a while.

15 days until Christmas

2008-12-10T19:44:00.000-08:00

Only 15 more days until Christmas and 13 days until California. I'm so excited to be going to California for Christmas and I am loving this Christmas season. Working at Focus helps me remember that not all people are as fortunate as I am. I am grateful for the opportunities that come to me and for the smiles it brings to others faces when I am able to help!

Monday night we got to see Cache perform at his choir concert and he did so good! He looked very handsome and sang every song. I am grateful for him inviting us to come watch him.

Last night I got to go see my Grandpa and Grandma Barker with Cassie and Noah. We got to visit and enjoy the time spent together. They were so cute to go and get us all of this yummy food just for the visit we had with them.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T16:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and it was a really fun day. We got to sleep in until 9 which is a rare treat, it felt really good! We visited my dad at my Grandma Jones' and then we had dinner at my Grandma Barker's with the rest of my family. It was really fun and we ate a lot of really yummy food! I got to hold Noah and Asher, both of which are getting so big already. Noah seems so much more alert and like he wants to smile already. Asher is talking and actually likes me to hold him and play with him now instead of always wanting his mom.

I got to talk with mostly all of my brothers and sisters and that is always nice. Caleb had a football tournament this weekend and won his first game in the tournament yesterday. I got to help Cache pass off some scout stuff and that was a lot of fun! Crystal and I planned a sleepover at my house next weekend. Jordan is busy dating new girls and has decided to move in with my dad instead of staying with his freinds which is a very good choice. :) Everyone else seems really good!

Kip went duck hunting this morning at 4:00 AM and I missed him tons! He came home with 3 nice ducks but said it was the coldest hunt he's been on in awhile and thinks it will be his last this season. We ate the duck for dinner tonight but it wasn't very good, I guess I'm not much of a duck person.

Duck hunting and Baby Noah

2008-11-12T19:19:00.000-08:00

Kip went duck hunting with his cousin James awhile ago but we hadn't seen the pictures from the hunt. Kip just got them and wanted to post them. There is a picture of Kip and one of his cousin James' dog, Sadie. Kip thinks that she was one of the most amazing dogs and very beautiful!

As you know little Noah was born last Friday early in the morning so I am posting a picture of him while at the hospital visitng. He is so freakin cute!

It's finally baby time.....

2008-11-06T22:28:00.000-08:00

I got a call from an excited Cassie today at around 4:30 saying she was going to be induced tonight at 5:30. So I rushed to call Cassie and rushed home to fix Kip dinner then rushed to the hospital. Here we are at 11:30 Pm and she is has just gotten her epidural and is hopefully going to have him soon. It's hard to see her in so much pain but is so exciting because a new little one will be here soon! While Cassie was getting her epidural I walked down to the nursery and saw cute little baby twin girls, just born one with blond hair and one with dark hair. They were so cute!!

Basketball and horses

2008-11-05T18:12:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Kip playing basketball and playing with the horses. We bought a basketball a couple of weeks ago and now Kip is able to play anytime, he loves it! The horses are Burke's horses but they live in our backyard so we go visit them once in awhile. It's really fun having them in our backyard since we get to see more of Burke's family!

November here we come

2008-11-05T18:00:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already November but I am so excited! I swear I never thought it would come since Cassie and Kevin (my sister and her husband) told me they were due in November. I have been waiting and waiting to see their new little one but he still isn't here yet, his due date is November 6, 2008. Maybe I'm a little anxious but I just can't wait. Hopefully he'll come tomorrow because I am so excited to meet him!

Halloween was last weekend and it was a really nice night. Kip and I picked up Cassie and we all went to dinner since her husband was working he couldn't come. (: While driving to dinner we saw my little brother Jordan and stopped to talk to him which was good because it's a rare occasion to see him. After dinner we went to the grand parent's and my mom's to visit everyone. Aidan and Asher were so cute in their costumes and I loved getting to hang out with them for awhile( I think their mom liked it too since their dad had been working and she was tired).

Christmas is just around the corner and I have to admit October, November, December and January are some of my most favorite months of the year. I love the meaning and feeling Christmas brings and especially the family parties! I love shopping and with Christmas comes shopping so it makes me really happy! I admit I've already started but will hopefully finish in the coming weeks. Happy shopping everyone!

The big buck

2008-10-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Kip's first buck and he is a nice one!

Sunny Sunday...My favorite

2008-09-30T17:06:00.001-07:00

On Sunday we had the funnest day! Kip and I had the opportunity to watch Aidan and Cache in the primary programs at church. They did so good and it was so much fun to watch them say their parts! After church we went to my mom's house for dinner, it was so loud cuz all of us kids were there but so much fun at the same time. We went to Grandma Jones' after dinner to visit her and we all sat around and talked which was really nice. After Grandma's we got to go to family home evening at Tami and Tim's which was another crazy experiance but one that I loved! We all got together to plan Cassie's baby shower and Brooke's bridal shower and it was a lot of fun. We missed Megan and Amy but it was still good to visit with everyone. I love Sunday's and all that they bring church, soft Sunday sounds, family, relaxing and visiting. Some of my favorite things!

Fall is here

2008-09-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

Fall is finally here and I love it! I love this time of year and all that comes with it! Football, school, hunting, Halloween and so much more! I love the fall leaves and the beautiful weather that usually accompanies it! This year Cassie will be having her baby and that is something that will be so much fun!

Life is great!

2008-09-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

Life is going so well! This weekend we found out Kip's brother Aaron and his wife Krisi are expecting a new little one; we are so excited for them! I have heard of some many close friends and family expecting babies and it makes me so happy for them! His parents also got their mission call to Mexico City Temple, Mexico. That is so exciting for them! His parents leave January 12th and seem very excited for the opportunity to serve the lord. Hope all is well with everyone else!

2008-08-27T19:49:00.001-07:00

My friends at Focus

2008-08-25T15:51:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I received a call from Sam Foster who is my boss at work telling me the news that our friends who were traveling to Guatamala had been in a plane crash. We had 5 Focus employee's traveling to Guatamala to do a yearly Humanitarian project for a village down there. They had arrived in Guatamala City Saturday evening and on Sunday morning boarded a small airplane that would take them to the village where they would give service. The pilots reported engine trouble and went in to make an emergency landing in a field but they weren't able to. Four out of the five Focus people died and the survivor is in critical condition in a hospital in Guatamala. It really made me stop and think about how precious life really is. You never know when your time will be and every second of your life is so very precious. I think it will be something that helps me remember the important things in life and that we should take advantage of every single moment we have with the ones we love.

Blog update

2008-08-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

Today I got busy building my blog and it was a lot of work! I love doing it and have a ton of fun learning how it works! I can't wait to continue to improve it each day and I love hearing about other people's blogs as well!

Our latest adventures

2008-08-19T19:12:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

I thought I'd post our most recent pictures from our camping trip. These pictures are of our latest adventure to the Uinta's. We went camping with my sister and her husband; it was beautiful! The misquitos were crazy, I got bit a million times (they didn't even bite Kip) and it rained a lot of the time but it was worth it to get away for awhile. Kip was disappointed because there weren't a lot of fourwheeling trails around us but still had an enjoyable time.

These pictures might be a surprise for some of you because you haven't seen Kip with hair or a beard but this is what he's looking like right now.

Jessica

Our new blog

2008-08-19T18:55:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Today I decided to start a blogspot for Kip and myself. I have been getting really bored once I get everything I need to at the house done so this will help occupy my time. Last Saturday I decided to create a picture book from our wedding at www.blurb.com and it has been so much fun! I didn't think I would have very much fun with it but surprisingly I did. I worked on it Saturday evening, a little on Sunday after church and finished tonight. I am really pleased with how it turned out and can't wait for our copy to arrive. Feel free to check it out as it is published for the public to veiw at www.blurb.com/bookstore/new because we just published it.

On Sunday my dad's side of the family had a big family home evening and I was so excited to go. Last week when I had Mikey up from Salt Lake he showed me a text from Joni (my cousin) and it said that she was going to have a baby. To say the least I was shocked because I hadn't heard anything. So I text her and asked her about it, she didn't confirm or deny so I decided maybe she wasn't ready to tell anyone. Then I got the call that we would be having family home evening on Sunday at her parents house and I thought for sure her and Dave would make the announcement then. But Joni and Dave never showed up to family home evening however her mom did announce the preganancy and told us that Joni was to sick to come to the party. Poor thing but I am so excited for them!

Jessica