I'm done!!

Well Monday made it official. I AM DONE WITH COLLEGE!! On Monday, we had our Elementary Education Graduation luncheon. My mom and Chris' parents were able to come. It was really nice. The food was good too! =D I am so happy to be finished with school. It has been a long road. At times, I definitely wondered if I'd ever finish, but I did!! I am going to miss a lot of great friends from my cohort. We all became so close, it is bittersweet leaving them.

I don't know where the next part of my education road is going to lead me. Right now, I am just happy to be able to focus on being a mom and wife, while preparing for our new little addition arrive in April. Life will definitely be different without having college classes to go to or lesson plans to write up, but I'm pretty sure I think I'm going to enjoy it!! =D

IT"S A....

GIRL!!!

We are excited to announce that the new little addition to our family will be another girl in April!! Mckenna will be a great big sister. I am excited to have another girl too. It will be so fun to watch them grow up together. (Plus it makes it easier on mom and dad because we already have so much baby girl stuff!! ;D)

Happy Halloween!!

WOW!!! What a crazy month!! I can't believe October is over this week. I am excited for Halloween. Mckenna is going to be dressing up as a cute, fluffy little duck!! She finally agreed to try back on her costume after not liking it for about a month after buying it. When she did try it on, I was able to capture this cute little picture of her!

What a cute little chicky I have!!! =D

In other news with our family....Chris is busy as ever at work. He is putting in the hours and the hard work it takes to be a good boss. I am so proud of him and his hard work. I am grateful for a hard working husband who cares so much for his family!!!

Mckenna is busy being a 2 year old!! She is talking so much and I mean SOOOOOO much! She says things everyday that amaze me....sentences, requests, and even some orders!! She is getting pretty good at saying demands and things like "mommy, my turn!" or "just a minute, mommy!!" I hate to say it but I'm pretty sure she gets that little attitude from her daddy...just kidding, I mean her mommy! Sometimes it is hard to not laugh when she is ordering us around. A cute, bossy little two year old...that's what I have on my hands!!!

I am busy, busy, busy doing student teaching. First graders really do keep you on your toes, ALL DAY LONG!!! It has been a lot more enjoyable since I have been feeling better. I am pretty much over my morning sickness phase!! YAY!!! =D It has been nice not wanting to throw up on the kids at school. That is always a plus in any teacher's life. It makes my days go by a lot faster too. I still am tired as ever when I get home, but I feel like I'm actually getting into the teaching mode and feel like I can do this! Teaching is very overwhelming at times, especially when you are a wife, mom, and 16 weeks pregnant. I still have those days when I desperately want to just be a stay at home mom and five up this teaching bit, but I'm glad for those days as well. I am glad that I have the option of being a student/teacher now and also being a mom. I only have about 6 more weeks of student teaching and college and I'll finally be able to say I'M DONE!!! That will be a great day!! That is really what keeps me going each day!! The end is near and I AM going to make it!!! =D

Exciting News....

So....



Now, if I can just survive being pregnant while being the mother of a 2 year old, wife of a full-time boss, and also student teaching full-time in a 1st grade classroom for the next 11 weeks....=D

Life is busy...

Wow! Life is busy! Now that I am back in school, 5 days a week, I am realizing just how true that statement is! There doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done. School is at times overwhelming...not really hard, just overwhelming with stupid busy work. You'd think that since I'm finally in my last semester of school, the teachers would realize that we have paid our dues and done enough busy work to last us the rest of our lives. Apparently, they don't understand that. But I will do what it takes right now because it is worth it just to be able to say I'm done in just about 3 more months!! Yahoo!!

To add to life, Mckenna is absolutely acting like a 2 year old! She turns 2 next Friday, but oh man....She is turning into a little monster, still cute...yes, but sometimes I just can't take her tantrums....well, I'm sure most of you know what I mean! Chris is very busy at work too. I guess that's what happens when you are the boss.

But, even though life is busy, life is still pretty darn good!
Now if I can only keep my house clean....=D

Final days of summer....

I can't believe that summer is almost officially over for me! =( It went by way too fast! I start my last semester of school up on Monday! It will be nice to get it started because then I will be that much closer to being done!!

To play catch up a little on my blog.... The first part of August I went on a trip with all of my family to Southern California! Mckenna and I went, but Chris was too busy at work to come! We definitely missed having him there! (I did especially as I was driving in heavy freeway traffic!) We spent a week there! We had a great time. We went to Newport Beach for two days and we went to the LA ZOO, and did some other fun things. It was just really nice to be able to spend that time with my family! I needed it!

Me and my little girl!! =D

The boys!! (Jacob, Leonard, Sam, Andy, and Charles)

The girls! (Mom, Geneava, Kenna, Me, Heather, Sarah, and Holly)

Well since I have been back from California, I have still be really busy playing catch up on the laundry, cleaning, and getting everything ready for school to start. I have missed the time I used to have to just sit and craft or sew for hours. I had to make a little time for that though, because for my birthday, my mom gave me a new digital sewing machine!! I hadn't had any time to play with it, let alone even open it! So I knew I had to at least get it out of the box! Well I did and so far I LOVE IT!!! It is so nice and does so many fun stitches and things that my old one didn't do. The first thing I made with it was a sewing machine cover. Since I had been cleaning, I specifically made a spot for it to be able to sit out in our back room/converted office/craft room. I made a cover for it so it can stay clean and also so Mckenna doesn't see it right off and go for it! I think it turned out really cute! I got the idea from the make it and love it blog. I ended up using two placemats I had gotten as a gift that I never used. They worked out perfect.


Another project I did was also based off of another birthday present I got from my brothers. They all pitched in and got me a new Cricut cartridge. I love it! It does so many cute fonts and has a lot of cute functions too!

This is the project I was inspired by the BLVD Home Furnishings to do. I went there with my inlaws over a month ago and we saw a bunch of these type of things hanging up for sale there. They were quite pricey (of course!) and so I told Debbie that we could make it ourselves so we did!! I think it turned out really nice and I have lots of other projects in my head of things we could make using this general procedure! It's just cut vinyl letters put onto the glass of frames I painted. It was very inexpensive and really could go in any room with any saying with any colors.


Even though summer is ending, =( I'm hoping that I will still have a few minutes here and there to craft or sew. I love doing it and it really gives me a break. I think during this last semester of school/student teaching that is probably what I am going to be needing a lot of.....BREAKS! I am looking forward to student teaching and just hope that this semester goes by fast.

Happy Birthday!

On Wednesday, July 29th, I celebrated my 24th birthday! I had a really great day. Mckenna and I hung out most of the day together because Chris had to work. We went shopping and went out for ice cream. =D It was fun. My next door neighbor's little girl that is Mckenna's age happens to share my birthday too, so later in the afternoon we went over there for a small birthday party for her. She was turning 2! It was fun. Chris came home early for work. (That was a great birthday present!!!) Later that evening, we went out to dinner at Bajio's with all of Chris' family. It was really fun. I am so blessed and thankful for my family and friends. They made my special day even more special! Thank you to everyone for all the birthday wishes and gifts!!

One of the best presents I got for my birthday was from Mckenna. She sang me Happy Birthday...the ENTIRE song!! It was so cute I had to record it! So enjoy..... it's pretty cute!! Oh and sorry it's hard to see. It's pretty dark, but listening is more important that seeing it. And if you are wondering what she is doing at the end of the song...that's her blowing out candles. Apparently she things a great big blow at the end is part of the song!! =D She's cute!

Camping Attempt #1

Yesterday after Chris got off from work, we decided it would be fun if we just took off and went camping. We have never been camping as a family (or couple for that matter) before. It has been so hot in St. George lately, so camping in the mountains sounded really cool and relaxing. We headed off to stay at Chris' sister's in-laws camping site at Duck Creek (which is up past Cedar City if you were wondering). We were grateful for knowing people that had an empty camp site reserved because it was full everywhere else...guess that's what happens on the weekend of the 24th of July.

Well, we got up to the campsite about 6 or so in the evening. We unloaded and Chris started a fire. We made dinner on the fire, hiked around a little bit, and just enjoyed being together as a family with no distractions like cell phones, internet, or TV. (That was my favorite part!! =D) It was really nice and a much needed break to be together! As it got later, and it got darker we decided it was time to go to bed in the tent. We put out the fire and headed to bed. Mckenna was pretty tired by this point. I thought that she'd fall asleep fast and we would all be to sleep in no time.

Well, right when we all got into the tent and changed into our pajamas, Mckenna started to be really fussy. She was whining and crying and kept reaching for the door of the tent. She wanted out! To our surprise, she was scared of being in the tent in the dark. We tried to lay her down in the middle of us to calm her down, but nothing seemed to be working. She was seriously scared. It was really sad. She just kept saying "go home" or "leave please." She did not like being there. So after about 20 or 30 mins of attempting to get to sleep, we decided it would be best for everyone (the other campers, included!) if we packed up and just headed home. By this time it was well after 10 pm and we had about a 2 hour drive home too.

So we got home late last night and thus ending our 1st attempt at camping as a family. Not exactly how we imagined the night going, but oh well, such is life! We did have fun together while it lasted. We will have to try camping out again when Mckenna gets a little older. Maybe by then, she won't be so scared of being inside of a tent. It was a fun family outing, nonetheless!!! =D At least we have a story to tell!

Summerhays Happenings!!

Wow!! It has been an eventful summer! We just finished up June and started July with a Summerhays' Family Reunion. It was fun to finally meet most of Chris' extended family. We had a lot of fun with everyone. It was nice to be able to spend time with Chris especially. He doesn't get too much time off from work so Mckenna and I were so happy that he was able to get the weekend off!!

One of the activities we did at the reunion was bowling!! Oh my goodness Mckenna LOVED it!! I would have never thought she would be at the age right now where she would like it so much but it was absolutely adorable watching her!! She got so excited about bowling. It will definitely have to be a family activity we do more often now.

Bowling with mommy (above) and with daddy (below)!! So much fun!!

We were able to take some family picture with everyone too. It was so hot we all opted to take the pictures under the shaded pavilion rather than on the planned grassy area in the sun. Here is a cute picture we captured while we were waiting.... Mckenna and her Auntie Nicole with the giggles! =D Makes me smile!!!

Mckenna and her cousin Charity and Chris' cousin Andi. All of the little girls had matching white daisy flower clips for their hair. (I made 12 of these clips total! =D So worth the time.) They looked so darling!!

Chris' family picture...There was a lot more people there but this is just the immediate family picture. The large family picture had so many people in it, it looked like a where's waldo picture. We were all in white shirts and jeans....So instead of posting it...I'll let you all imagine what it might look like! =D


Most of our evenings at the reunion were spent at the park. It was really a nice park. Chris' aunt planned lots of fun activities for the kids to do. Both nights, they had 4th of July pinatas for the kids. Mckenna was excited to hit it. I told her there was candy in it so she got super excited. Although the time I told her that, the pinata was actually filled with little toys and stuff...no candy. She was kind of disappointed. But the next night, the pinata was filled with plenty of candy!! =) She was happier that night!!

The 4th of July was the last day of the reunion. That day was spent at Chris' parents house. There was plenty to do to keep everyone....of all ages....busy!

As you can see there was a bounce house. Chris and Stephen apparently thought it was ok for them to bounce in it with Mckenna. I'm pretty sure they were over the age/height/weight/etc limits but oh well...it kept Mckenna entertained and also kept them from playing xbox or being on the computer inside so it was perfectly fine with me!! After all...they are really just big kids at heart!!


Chris' cousin has a little boy named Brendan who is just a few months older than Mckenna. They had a blast playing together. It was really cute to watch them. Brendan is small and so is Kenna...they practically looked like they could be twins. They loved playing in the little pool and slide together.


It was a fun week, full of lots of family laughs and fun! I was happy to meet and re-meet most of Chris' extended family. I was especially grateful to spend the time with Chris. I enjoy the little moments I get with him these days. He works so hard and puts in so many long, long days. I don't get to see him that much so I was thrilled he was able to get the time off to spend with us!

Summer Smiles!

This summer has been filled with a lot of fun days so far! We have been really busy and so I'm trying to play catch up with my blogging. Last week Mckenna and I went to Moab to visit my mom and brothers and sisters. It was really fun. It was a much needed get-away to visit family.

Tomorrow will be the 1 year anniversary of my dad passing away. It has been an emotional year, but one that has also been filled with many blessings. I am so blessed to have such a strong family. I know that with my dad's death came the strong unity of my family. We have drawn closer to each other and have helped each other through the tough parts of the last year. I love them all so much! The Lord truly does bless us...especially when we are least expecting it. I am so grateful for the gift of eternal families. I know that we will see my dad again one day! The truth of that statement really does keep me going each day.


On a slightly happier note....I finally took some really cute pictures of Mckenna. She has turned into a real stinker when it comes to taking pictures. She won't smile for me when I get the camera out. She does everything possible to avoid pictures. I have tried everything. Recently I found out that she nearly blushes to death when I sing "Happy Birthday." I don't even know what brought me to this idea or why I tried this or why it works either. All I know is that she melts for this song. Monday night, we went to the temple for Family Night. We walked around the grounds and looked at all the flowers. That night is when I captured these cute pictures of my little girl! She is quite the little stinker, but absolutely adorable too! Got to love her!!




Mckenna loves flowers. She had to stop and look at and smell every flower she passed at the temple grounds. I was playing with my camera and captured this really cute picture of her by some bright yellow flowers. I love how it turned out too. We had a fun time walking around with her there. Chris and I will definately have to take her back because she loves it!

Mckenna's New Obsession...

For Christmas my mom gave me a few Disney DVDs to get my childhood collection growing in my own home. One of the dvds she gave me was The Little Mermaid...Oh my goodness....MCKENNA LOVES IT!!! Just recently, all she wants to do, every minute of the day, is watch "mermaid mommy, mermaid!" We seriously watch it at least 2 to 3 times A DAY!

So far, I actually haven't gotten that annoyed with it yet. I like the songs in it and they keep me company while I clean house or do whatever. I just think it is so funny that she is so obsessed with it. She absolutely loves it! She will sit on the couch or her camp chair right in front of the tv and watch the whole movie. She used to have a hard time sitting through a full episode of Dora. I guess the Little Mermaid is just ten times better in her eyes.

But, if anyone has any good suggestions for a new movie she might like, let me know! I don't think I can handle watching it all summer long.

Summer Update

So far this summer has been really fun. I've only been out of school for about 2 weeks now and I have moved past the bored stage! I have started doing a lot of really cute projects. They are keeping me busy.

So far the projects I have completed are:
1 apron for Mckenna

1 skirt for me (for mother's day =D)

1 purse for me =)


and 2 tiles with vinyl lettering on them


I think so far I have done pretty good. I still have a lot of ideas running through my head of projects to make too. I am happy that I have this time to sew and make craft projects. It is so much fun! So if anyone has any good ideas of cute craft projects, let me know! I'd love to make them.

Besides craft and sewing projects, the beginning of my summer has consisted of swimming with Mckenna. She has actually gotten a lot braver in the couple weeks we have been going. She will jump in to me off of the side of the pool with her arm floaties on. She loves the water. I am so glad because at first she wasn't liking the water too much. Probably because it was colder than she would have liked. It's warming up so much now that she loves it!

This picture was taken at the community center. We went there with Mckenna's cousins. She had a lot of fun.

Although Mckenna loves the water...she LOVES to sunbathe too! It is so cute. She will lay outside on a towel on the lawn chair and just soak up the sun. She is just like her mommy!! Got to love her sunglasses too!!! What a babe! =D

I Survived!!

I am happy to report that I survived my almost-last semester at Dixie! I just finished up half of my senior year and it feels great to be done. I am also very thrilled to have passed with straight A's!! It was worth the hard work to see those beautiful capital A's across my transcript!! =D

Now, I just have one more semester of student teaching in the Fall and I'll be DONE!!! Yay! But first I just have to focus on surviving this summer...which will consist of a whole lot of swimming, laying out by the pool, playing with Mckenna, hanging out with family, and just plain having FUN!! My only problem is that I've already started to get bored...I need to start on some major fun craft projects and I think I'll be ok!

What a big girl....

Today, Chris was home watching Mckenna as he usually does Mondays while I am at school. He took Mckenna into give her a bath. As he was getting it ready, he took her clothes off and Mckenna told him that she needed to go poo poo. Not thinking too much of it, he put her down on her little potty chair. (She has yet to ever use it, but we thought buying it was wishful thinking...) Well who would have ever guessed it, but she actually did indeed go poo poo on her potty!

I couldn't believe it when Chris text me at school that she did. If it wouldn't have been for the graphic video of her potty with the poo poo in it =D as well as her hand touching it (gross I know), I don't think I would have believed it.

So yes...today is a day to go down in history...Mckenna, only 19 months old, used the potty for the 1st time!! What a big girl!!

Easter Weekend

We had a great Easter weekend! Mckenna is old enough now to enjoy it. She absolutely loved the Easter egg hunt we had at Chris' grandparents house. She was the littlest one there and so she got a lot of attention! She loved finding the eggs and putting them in her basket. It was really cute to watch her.

She would take her time and look for the eggs...under bushes, under rocks... wherever she could stick her little hand, she would reach for them. She was a good hunter!

This is a picture of Mckenna before the egg hunt. She was waiting inside so patiently while the eggs were being hidden. She looked really cute in her new pink blouse and white sandals from her Easter baskets too!!

After we got home from church, we gave Kenna her Easter basket. She loved it. (although she helped me put it together the night before, she still acted surprised to see what was in it! =D) We recycled some of her old toys that she never plays with and gave them to her in her Easter basket. I love this age...she'll never know the difference and it saved us time and money!

Saturday, it was a rainy day. Mckenna and I were bored and so I decided to take her to the temple. I got her rain jacket and her rain boots out. She loved it! It actually stopped raining for most of the time we were there. It wasn't too chilly either. It was fun to see Mckenna there. She learned how to say "temple" and now she says it whenever she sees a picture of it. It's cute. It was a fun morning together.

She loved splashing in the puddles at the temple. She looked so cute all decked out in her rain gear. She is at such a fun age...I love watching her and showing her new things. We had a great time! Next time, we'll have to go back on a sunny day!

Spring Flowers...

I love spring--especially when I get to plant my flowers! =D This year I'm so excited because they are actually doing really well in spite of the crazy weather we have been experiencing. I feel like the weather is really teasing us all this spring. Just when we think it's going to start really warming up it will get cold again.

Mckenna and I planted these flowers over my Spring Break in March. I just think they are so beautiful. This is my favorite part about spring. I can hardly wait to own my own house so I can plant a large flower garden!


Here is another view...from the top!

Mckenna absolutely LOVES our flowers too! She always goes up to them and says..."oh... cute! Flowers!" It's really adorable to hear her say that too. She also loves to water them. I'm training her to like gardening, that way when we have our own house and yard someday I'll have some help with the flowers and plants! But until then...our potted flowers are just fine! =D

David Archuleta Concert

Tuesday night, Chris and I went to the David Archuleta concert here in St. George. We went with Chris' sister Nicole and brother Stephen. It was so much fun. We had 2nd row seats!! We all had a great time. It really was a great show. He was very entertaining and he sang really well live. Even though we were surrounded by screaming 12 year old girls and their parents (hehe), we really enjoyed ourselves.

I'm not going to lie, I pretty much knew every word to every song he sang. I didn't realize how big of a fan I really was. The CD is in our car and rotates through with the other CDs and I guess I listened to it more than I thought. =D I really enjoy his songs though. They are always easy to listen to and sing along with. It was so much fun to go. Chris and I are already talking about going to another one of his concerts someday.

For those of you who missed it, here is a little clip from the concert that we recorded on our camera. This song is called A Little Too Not Over You. Enjoy! =D

A wedding and a hike...

On Friday, March 13th, my older brother Sam was married in the Salk Lake temple to a really cute and wonderful girl, Holly. It was fun to be with all my family and share this special day with Sam and Holly. Holly looked beautiful and my older brother looked as sharp as I've seen him in a while!


It was a special day for us all. I think we were all feeling many emotions the whole day. I think bittersweet is a good word to describe how I was feeling that day. This was the first time we had all been in the temple since my dad died last June. I truly believe that we could all feel him there in the sealing room with us. It was a great testament to me in knowing that families really are forever, especially as Sam and Holly started their eternal family that day. We all missed my dad a lot that day and wished he could have been there in person, but we all knew that he was there and that he is proud of my brother and his choice to be married and sealed in the temple. I know I am very proud of my brother and I am always looking up to him. He is a great example to us all! Thanks Sam and good luck with your marriage!!

Below is a picture of all my brothers and sisters and my mom. I love this picture! We truly are an eternal family and I love knowing that!

Mckenna was a sport and lasted throughout the entire, long day of wedding events. She only took about a 20 min nap in Chris' arms and was still wide awake into the evening. She looked really cute in her new dress for the wedding. She was full of energy the whole day! Can't complain too much when she has smiles like this at the end of the day!!

Overall it was a great weekend. We got to stay with Chris' sister Nicole and that was fun too. We don't get to see her too much. Mckenna had a lot of fun being with her Auntie Nicole again! Thanks again Nicole!!

So this Monday started my spring break from school! Yay! I wanted to do something fun with Chris that day since he works pretty much every day and Monday he had the day off. We decided to go hiking. The weather has been so nice and it was a perfect day to be outside. Mckenna loved it too. Stephen, Chris' brother, came with us too. We had a great time. Here are some pictures from our hike to "Fat Man's Misery."

Steve, Mckenna, Me, and Chris

Peek-A-Boo Mckenna!!!.......

What a big girl...

It really amazes me how fast kids grow up! Mckenna doesn't seem like she should already be this big, but she is really growing up!! She (and I) got this trike for Christmas from Chris. He just barely found time to put it together. Mckenna absolutely loves riding her new bike. She asks to ride it all the time. The great thing about this trike is that I can push and steer her. It is perfect for both of us! We love it and it is going to be a perfect thing to have around for spring walks!!

Another thing Mckenna absolutely loves doing is drawing or coloring! She actually does pretty well too, meaning she hasn't colored on the walls or herself lately! (Hope it stays that way!) It is nice that she enjoys coloring because when I'm doing my homework, I can usualy get out a paper and colored pencils for her and it entertains her for a little while! Our little artist in the making!!

Mckenna also likes to help make cookies!! Does it get any better!! I was very impressed that she actually helped out so well. She knew what she was doing. She didn't even eat any of the cookie dough!!

She knew just what to do with the rolling pin. It was so cute. Glad to have a little helper around the kitchen!!

So....Does anyone else believe in getting an early start on child labor?? =D She also does windows, laundry, and sweeps!!! This is what I've been waiting for!!! Tehehe

Cute pictures of our little girl...

I took some really cute pictures of Mckenna today. I thought they were cute enough to share, so enjoy!! =D She loves, loves, loves, LOVES phones!! We have tried play ones, but she is smart enough to know the difference most of the time.

I love the one of her in front of the window. She was posing for me in front of the camera. It was so cute!

Okay...let me explain the following pictures. Mckenna discovered a while ago that she could fit into our side cubbards in our kitchen. They have lazy susans in them. We had to pull all of the food and other cooking items that were once in them out because daily I was having to pick up everything. Well the other night Chris and I were watchign tv and Mckenna was playing on the floor. After a couple of minutes, we realized that she had wandered into the kitchen. We heard a wimpering noise. Chris ran into the kitchen and found Mckenna like this.... She managed to climb onto the top shelf of the lazy susan and she couldn't get down. It was hilarious!! She is one funny child. Another funny thing about these cubbards is that she will go in them on her own and shut the door. For some reason, she likes being inside them, by herself, in the dark. It is so funny. So whenever we can't find her, we end up looking in our cubbards and usually can find her there!! =D

She wasn't too happy about not being able to get down off the shelf by herself!

Silly child! Oh and like the hair....right in her eyes like most days!! It's getting really long and she doesn't always like hairties or clippies in it. Oh well...she is still cute and we love her!!