Much to do...

Well life is definitely busier here it seems, but it is a lot of fun. My brother Shannon is in football and he really enjoys playing. We have gone to two of his games now and Tamina LOVES being able to yell and shout and not get told not to lol. She was having so much fun last night cheering and yelling go, go, go! Her uncle Christopher even let her have his bell to ring and so every time she heard everyone else ringing their cow bells she would pick hers up and shake it with all her might to. I wish I would have thought to get my camera out and take a picture, it was so cute.

I did get a couple pictures of her at the game last week, it was much colder last week, but she was still so cute all bundled up and cheering.

She definitely sleeps well on the nights when she is out there cheering so hard. I love how she isn't super attached to any blanket or anything like that except the first toy that her Daddy gave her. She doesn't HAVE to sleep with it every night or anything, but it is the one toy that she loves more then any other. It makes her Dad very proud because it is one he picked out and gave to her. It is Lady from Lady and the Tramp and here is a cute picture of her cuddling her one night.

She is such a big helper. She loves to help me and her grandma pick up and clean the house or even push the little cart in the store (I should get a picture of her with that to), but she just loves to help. She is getting better at talking and wanting to talk now, once in a while she gets really frustrated because she just wants to talk so much and yet she can't get it out fast enough. One day when we were out running errands she was just sitting and being so good on a couch that they had in the room and I caught this picture...

I just love the face that I caught because it almost looks like she is giving me her "I'm innocent" look yet she was being so good and wasn't getting into any trouble at all, lol. She sure is the light of our lives. Brandon and I would be lost without her. Sometimes she tests our patience, but only to remind us to have patience and explain things to her without blowing up. Sometimes she just makes us laugh until we are crying. Sometimes she makes us cry, but usually they are happy tears because she learned something we have been teaching her or she just caught on to what we have been explaining and it makes sense and you can see the lightbulb click on for her. It is kind of crazy sometimes how much we can love someone who we have known and watched grow for a little under two years and yet we know that love is just going to keep growing. It is the same way with our relationship. We have known eachother for a little over 4 years and yet we still surprise each other with things we didn't know before, or we are able to understand the other one better because we have learned how they are and what makes them tick and how to just enjoy the moments of life together.

Brandon is such a sweet heart because he is always doing so much for me and Tamina and still finds ways to surprise us and make us feel even more special. The last couple of times he has been home he has surprised me by showing up at work and taking me to dinner when I got off, with flowers, and even with a necklace at different times. I sure don't know what I would do without him. We have been through so much together and yet we still have so much time we get to spend together. I am so grateful we get eternity because I wouldn't want to be by anyone else's side or raise our kids with anyone else. He completes me and makes me so happy. I know we have gone through some stressful times, even lately with moving and all, but we feel we are where we are supposed to be and that makes us both happy.

Well it's off to more fun today, and getting ready for Brandon to come home on Monday. I always look forward to his days off and being able to spend time with him. :) Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Change

Well life is changing still....

I got a job at the local library, it is an awesome place to work, and I can't wait to use my library card (which I successfully made myself :)) to check out lots of books for Tamina and I to read together. It is a very part time job which is amazing, because it isn't easy to leave Tamina. But it will get us by better until things all fall into place. Tamina is LOVING being with her Grandma, Aunts and Uncles all the time. Here are two pictures of her watching movies with her uncles... and one by herself, lol she loves to just lay down wherever she can, especially at night when she is tired.

 Watching a movie on the laptop (my brothers way of getting out of homework) lol

Different night, but she was loving being able to relax with her uncle and that he let her spread all over his lap.

Tamina is having a blast, and much of the time she tries to be the center of attention. She has enjoyed doing dishes with grandma, and successfully soaked herself and much of the counter and floor in front of her. 

She has found that one of my sisters has a small stash of candy/goodies in her bedroom. Luckly they are out of her reach but she is so cute because she will go into her room when she is in there and stand by her bed and say please, please, please, please...etc until my sister gives her a small piece of candy and then she says thank you and will leave. She is quite the character. 

Tamina has enjoyed skype with the family that we left in Rexburg. She thinks it is so funny to see them on the computer screen. 

Brandon is home again and we are excited to have some time with him. He has popped his hip out so we will be letting him relax a lot and hope Monday can come soon so he can get it put back in and be out of pain. He enjoys helping out on the farm and helping with the tearing of things down in the other house right now. 

I have really enjoyed spending some time with my Mom. It has been a long time since I have just been home with her. We have torn down a couple of walls in the other home and gotten quite a bit of things on a list so that we know what and where we have to go from here. There is a lot of work to be done still but it is nice to see the work coming along!

Getting Settled....

Well, we are officially all in Star Valley and all of our belongings are here also. It has been a crazy couple of weeks, but I am going to do better with Blogging because I really want to keep people updated on us and our crazy lives, and I have great friends who have inspired me to blog so they can keep up with us. :)

Well to start off with a cute picture, this is how we all felt after getting everything moved, and our vehicle (finally)

Well then sitting around the other night I had this thought... "Ever feel like you have made the right decision but then you still wonder about it sometimes? How do you know the difference between faith and relying on the Lord or just going your own way? Well I don't think you can know sometimes until later on down the road and I am at that cross roads right now. I have to be patient and wait for the blessings/confirmation more entirely and the lessons that come with it, and patience can be hard to have at times. I have felt peace about this all but the unknown just gets to me sometimes"

Well Listening to conference was a huge blessing. I can't say I remember all the talks because sometimes I was running around getting things for Tamina around the house or helping her with something she needed, but the talks I listened to I LOVED and I can't wait to read all the ones (or parts) that I missed. I am so thankful for this gospel.

Tamina rather enjoyed conference also...

She wanted her baby and Lady to watch conference to :)

She has had a wonderful time getting to know her aunts and uncles here a little better. We all miss our family we left in Rexburg, but we have a feeling we are on to better things for our family and our lives right now. Brandon is enjoying his job still, and he has really enjoyed being on a farm where there are things to do. Him and my brothers went out shooting, and he has loved learning how to operate a backhoe and other equipement and learning how some of the things of the farm work. I think he is enjoying it and I know we are having fun. I am enjoying getting to better know my younger siblings. They are a lot of fun to be around and it is great to spend some time with my mom, she is always such an inspiration to me.

Well I am making a cheese cake, pumpkin, pecan pie and it is smelling amazing and I better go to finish the topping but I will write more later.

Chau!

MOVING... Ahhh

Well, on this night when I should be in bed I find myself not able to sleep, so I decide to blog instead... hmm. Well I am going to get better at this whole blogging thing so I can better keep up with life's events and keep everyone better informed about us :)

So we are moving to Star Valley! We are pretty excited about it, I have a job opportunity that makes pretty good money and I will only be away from Tamina for 2 hours a day. I really can't beat that because Tamina is my first priority. We are pretty excited about the thought of getting ourselves out of our debts and moving on with life in a better financially stable way. It will take time of course, but we will be able to start seeing results faster then where we are at right now, so that makes us pretty happy. We really feel like this is the right move to where we need to be next as a family. It took some time and convincing, but I guess when you feel that peace of mind (even when there is a lot of controversy and craziness going on around you) you can't deny it and you better follow, cause the Lord knows better then we do.

Tamina has been doing awesome with everything going on, and her world pretty much getting changed drastically. She is a bit more loving and a bit more clingy to me, but she is still the sweetest little angel. I don't know what I would do without her and Brandon they are my strength and my rock when I feel I am going to go crazy or completely fall apart. I am also thankful for wonderful friends and family.

I apologize for the many pictures to come and the catching up, that is why I need to do better, and I will do better. But here are a few highlights of our summer up until now.

 This picture I just happened to capture and I love it. She has such a cute personality. Oh and Yay for summer hats :)

Now this is what happens when you give this girl a graham cracker with icing, hahaha, she licks all the icing off the best she can then leaves the graham cracker.

 Now these two pictures are what happens when she learns how to say the word dance and then hears some music. A most precious sight indeed.

 She loves the park and she loved it when I finally gave in and just let her go down the slide by herself.

 She got a fish :) She loves her 'fishy' (that is what his name is) In the picture above she is blowing him kisses goodnight. Then in the picture below she was wanting to pet him and wave night night. Lol, this little girl is so full of love for anyone and anything.

Yay for the Carousal being open. She wasn't sure what to think about it at first, but then after the first time she LOVED it. She would yell yah yah as we went around. 

This is us going on the stake Temple Walk. It was a beautiful morning and my camera ran out of battery so I wasn't able to take any other pictures, but it was such a neat experience. I was able to make it 5.5 miles pushing a stroller and up and down hills. It was awesome to be able to point out the temple and explain to Tamina how important it is (although I know she doesn't understand all I say just yet) She was a trooper and I am so thankful the that opportunity to do that with her. 

So I won't post until I get all settled again up at my moms house cause everything here is pretty much all crazy anyway. I am thankful for so much and though I feel so overwhelmed and unsure of things at times, I will just say this. I know the Lord knows our sorrows, our heart aches, our joy, our pain, our insecurities and so much more, but please never loose hope. He does hear and answer our prayers and although it may take more trials to get us to where we are wanting to be and where the Lord knows we are supposed to be, it will be worth it in the end when he says "welcome home my dear one" I will miss so much about Rexburg, believe it or not I will even miss my teaching calling on Sunday because I have learned so much, but we are onward to where the Lord needs us next. It's kind of crazy how life works, but I know he is listening to me, I just pray I am doing the best I can with what he has given me.

Star Valley Fun

It is always fun to go to Star Valley and enjoy some quality time with my family. Growing up on a farm I though I would never want to come back, because it is hard work, but I really enjoy it and am so glad Tamina gets the chance to share in the open air, freedom, fun and even some of the work that goes along with it. She really enjoys the animals and the HUGE lawn that she gets to run around in and play. When we got here we were able to make and decorate the cupcakes for Vannece's birthday, 16 years already I can't believe it! My siblings are growing up way to fast.

 We went to the park and enjoyed it for a bit. Tamina would live outside 24/7 if she could, but it was getting rather warm and we had my nieces and nephews coming so we went home. Tamina loves her cousins Saige. They are only 4 months difference and they are the same height and they love to play together :)

 Who knew two pieces of ice in an ice cube tray could be so entertaining. They loved touching their fingers to the ice and then putting their finger on the other one or on one of us lol.

 We gave her a water balloon and I tried to get a picture of her with a water balloon like 5 times, but each time she managed to drop it right before I snapped the picture. She couldn't figure out why it kept disappearing every time it hit the ground.

 Enjoying the great outdoors, she loves Popsicle and even got to play in the sprinkler a little bit. She also enjoyed watching Grandpa work on the swather and trying to figure out why he was under there lol.

Look what the dust pan caught ;) She likes helping with the chores, both inside and out, and she is always smiling and so happy. She has loved being outside so much and although mommy got burnt to a crisp yesterday, she was lucky and we kept enough sunscreen on her that she didn't get affected by the sun. She even managed to not get a single mosquito bite while I have been getting eaten a live!

Also some exciting news for this week, I have gotten a transcription job! YAY! I will get 0.20 for every recorded minute. I know that doesn't sound like a lot but the better I get at typing and the faster I can get at editing and using correct grammar then the more that will bring in, in less an amount of time. So I am very excited, a little nervous, but am so glad for this opportunity. I know it is a blessing and that it will help us out. So I hope it goes well and that I can get really good at it and I sure hope I can keep improving my grammar. Commas are the death of me!

Brandon is doing great. He really enjoys working for Killpack Trucking. In fact he was able to actually have a vacation and he spent a whole week off at home. It wasn't at a time we planned, but it was wonderful to have him for all that time. He has had some medical problems, but they think they finally have it figured out and have a medication that will work for him but with his job at the same time. They have had him on others, but you just cannot be drowsy and be a truck driver. We really appreciate him and all he does for our family.  Oh we even took Tamina to the Zoo while he was home! I will have to post pictures from the Zoo another time because they are on my actual camera.

Here are some other fun pictures from this summer so far:
Mowing the lawn with Daddy.

 Nice Sunday walk at Nature Park to feed the ducks with Mommy.

 Enjoying Grandma and Grandpa's Ipad while waiting for Home Teachers to come one nice Sunday evening.

 Relaxing and enjoying the car ride with Christopher while we helped to take him to the dentist.

 Me trying to get a good shot of my new glasses. I really like them and it is crazy how such a small difference in sight can feel so good :)

EASTER and Conference Weekends

Oh what a fun time it is to have a young one in the house for each holiday. It helps us to have fun with the holidays, but also reminds us even more of the true meaning of each holiday as we are teaching our little one the true meaning of each holiday. Easter this year was fun as we got everything ready, we decided that we would use our plastic eggs again this year because we didn't really want to deal with trying to remind Tamina that the dye-water was not for drinking. So we went with the less messy method this year, and I think it was a success we had a lot of fun anyway.

We were also so excited it was warm enough we could hide some outside and let her enjoy the sidewalk chalk we had gotten for her.

She wasn't really sure what to think about the eggs at first, but she has played with them before so she enjoyed it when she woke up just enough to realize they were already around the house and she got to pick them up and shake them and there was something inside!

Easter Sunday is always fun to get dressed up, but also to be able to enjoy the sacrament and the special meaning it has, and it's importance every Sunday. But it just seems so much more special on Easter Sunday as we remember the Lord and his sacrifice and the amazing power he has in our lives to help us in every aspect.

We also had a fun time watching conference the weekend before. She loved just sitting on the floor enjoying her snacks and me trying to point out each speaker and telling her their name.

She is also getting so helpful at helping herself. I can't believe how much she grows and how fast she picks up on things. I know I say that a lot, but she knows where things are and she helps herself to them. She likes chips and decided she wanted some so in the time I walk down the hall to put some laundry away and walk back into the living room this is what I see...

She gave me the sweetest smile as if to say, yes mom I have helped myself and I am so proud of myself. lol, oh it was so cute. Although our lives are full of lots of different things going on, I know that my Heavenly Father is always near and watching over us. I'm thankful for him, my Husband and my Daughter and my heavenly son also. Life is full of trials, it is our choice to live them and do so with a smile. :)

Mothers Day and Our Fun Crazy life

Well this year was a great Mothers Day, besides being spoiled beyond belief from my husband and the cutest and most precious 'picture' drawn by my daughter, I have really enjoyed being a mother. There is nothing to compare to the joy and thrills that a little one brings into our lives and helps us to remember the small things in life. Such as this adorable picture of my sleeping princess after a good afternoon of playing hard.

Well i don't think that I have mentioned this yet, but I am the second Sunday teacher in the Relief Society. It is fun, and I have gained so much from it, but it is definitely not easy for me. I think I received the call more for my own growth and learning than for the learning and growth of others. It has been a blessing in disguise and at times I truly feel it is being disguised because I have a hard time with many of the topics I am asked to teach because they touch so closely to my heart. My family is the most precious thing I have, and I would never give that up for anything. I'm so thankful for a spouse who allows me to be a stay at home mom to our children. 

She was wearing my shoes around the house one day and then another day she wanted to be all bundled up just like her dad.

She is always surprising us with how much she picks up and how fast she learns. She likes to be just like us, and while at times it is a call to attention to watch our actions and words, it is such a proud moment as a parent also. :)

Life is Good

What a blessing it is to have the gospel in our lives, we get to listen to General Conference starting tomorrow. I can't wait, it is always a learning experience for me to listen to the leaders of the church, and have the opportunity to learn how I can even better my life by their counsel.

Well Tamina is now almost 15 months old! My how time goes by, she has learned so much and is growing so fast. This is a picture from her first birthday, she had fun smashing the cake between her fingers and all over her face.  :)

She now loves to walk and run, laugh, play and try and see the things she can reach on the table or counter and pull them to the floor lol, she is such a joy. She loves to play peek-a-boo and give lots of hugs and kisses. She already enjoys the outdoors, which I am so exited about.

For valentines day she enjoyed helping me decorate Brandon's chair so that he could be surprised when he got home. She got to start playing with crayons and she enjoys scribbling on paper now. 

Brandon is really enjoying working for Killpack and enjoys the environment there. They treat him with respect which is so important in a job, so he works very hard for them. In February I went with him for a week and we had a lot of fun. We got to go to Ohio and back. I enjoy going with him once a year to have that week alone with him and just have a good time. He is a wonderful husband and I know Tamina and I both appreciate him so very much for all he does for our family. He also works with a really good friend of his, they have a good time being able to talk and work together. 

I enjoy being able to be at home with Tamina and being her mother, and also the duties I have as a wife. Already I have a hard time keeping up with how fast Tamina can get her toys out of her toy box. She is getting to be pretty quick. The other day I was doing dishes and she was playing with my tupperware lids in the drawer next to me and the next thing I know she had walked over to the counter, grabbed the back of chips and walked off, reaching in to grab a chip and went to enjoy her victory. hahaha. She has such an amazing personality, she laughs so much and she will even laugh just at random. She also enjoys playing on the bed while I make it, this is her after about half an hour of playing and we finally got the bed finished :)

Life can be hard at times, but I am so thankful that Brandon and I have the gospel and each other to get through the tough times. We have learned a lot about communication and true unconditional love. We couldn't have asked for a better daughter, and we definitely love our lives. We feel we are making progress in many ways and that we are getting better so that one day we can return and live with our Heavenly Father, and our baby boy. Life teaches us many lessons and it is very busy, but never too busy to have a good time and enjoy the ride while we are here.