Why Do I love These?!

Merciful! I have never been a huge chip fan. You know, Doritos, Lays, etc. I never bought them, and at parties and such I never really had the desire to put any on my plate. But over the past couple weeks my desires have changed! I love chips! I need the snack often!! Why the change of heart...I have no idea. But I am not complaining! Say hello to a few of my favorites!

A friend at work was eating some of these guys and I had a taste...Yep! I liked them!

I love anything Doritos!!

I, in fact, bought a bag of these last weekend....Aaaaand another one this weekend.

These are one of my new fav's! I just finished eating some...:)

Yummm.....!!! I love all these tasty snacks!

Yay for Sun-Days!!

It FINALLY hit the 70's this weekend! Happy day! Dan and I were both so happy about this we had to get out! So seeing as how I have Fridays off we wasted no time! We put on our shorts and headed to Beaver Dick (a little camping ground by Snake river about 10 miles from Rexburg). We laid out a blanket and had ourselves a picnic with sandwiches, grapes, strawberries, cookies, and Dan's Gatorade! (He LOVES Gatorade!) It was so wonderful to soak up the sun! We loved it so much that when we were done eating we felt we were not done with the sun! Sooo...We hurried back home and dressed for hiking!

Where to hike?? We just decided to go somewhere close. Rexburg has an "R" mountain about 15 miles away. It is actually a dormant volcano which I always think is kinda cool. :) So after dressing for the hike and getting some water and camera we were, once again, off to enjoy the sunny day! The hike took us about 2 hours. But we did sit and enjoy the sights a couple times. We had so much fun enjoying each other, the beautiful scenery, and of course the sun!!

This is us at the beginning! We are excited!

Me! About halfway!

Dan the Mountain Man! (Said in a deep mountain man voice)

We were right above the "R" with Rexburg right behind us.

Snake River and Good ole Rexy!

(Am I allowed to show this?)

So as you can see the hike was definitely worth the trip!

Yep! We had a fun day of it! And I now have a sunburn to show it! Happy Spring and Summer y'all!

Love My Mothers!

Happy Mothers Day to all you wonderful Mothers! On this day My heart is turned to all mothers and especially the ones I am close to. I think of my two Grandmothers, my own Mom, my Mother-in-law, and also my sister who will be celebrating her first Mother's Day. I love them all so much!

Grandmothers can be such special people. They raised our own mom's and dad's. They are another source of love and comfort on this Earth. I love my Grannie and Grandma very much, and am so thankful for them. They have provided me with so much love in my life. I look up to them both in different ways and appreciate all they have taught me. I hope they enjoy their Mother's Day and feel the love that will be felt for them from me, the rest of their grandbabies, and their own children. I will be thinkin' about ya!


Happy Mothers Day sweet Grannie 'o' Mine! Love you and your smiling face!


Love you Grandma!! Hope your Day is wonderful!

Next I have to wish my Mother-in-Law, Shoney Thompson, a happy Mother's Day! I love that when we are married we get even more family to love! Daniel's Mom is such an amazing lady to me. She is such a good example of love, courage, energy, and commitment to her kids. Whenever Dan and I are visiting her in Texas she always tells me, "I love my kids!" in her cute little accent. And the way she has lived her life is proof that she really does. Daniel has so many good memories of his mom that he loves to share with me. Some include how comforting she has been on several occasions. One instance that stuck out in his mind was of her comforting an older brother through a hard time in his life. She didn't say anything, just held him. She has been wonderful in inviting me into her family. I am thankful for her and for the mother she was to Daniel.

I love you Momma Thompson and wish you the best Mother's Day!!

Happy Mothers Day to my very own Mom. :) My Mom is so very special to me. A mother can be her daughters best friend and my Mom definitely is mine. She has offered me so much in my life. Love, support, learning, comfort, wisdom, and again, love. She is such a fun loving, out-going sort. Thank you Mom for all you do for me and the rest of your family. We all love you!!


Isn't she so cute?? Haha! I love her so much!

I found a couple quotes on mothers that describe my feelings exactly!
Mothers are so special! I love you all! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

"I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine-she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights" -Terri Guillemets

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us;when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts." -Washington Irving

"Is my mother my freind? I would have to say, first of all she is my Mother, with a capital 'M'; she's something sacred to me. I love her dearly...yes, she is also a good friend, someone I can talk to openly if I want to."

"The noblest calling in the world is that of mother. True motherhood is the most beautiful of all arts, the greatest of all professions. She who can paint a masterpiece or who can write a book that will influence millions deserves the plaudits and admiration of mankind; but she who rears succesfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters whose immortal souls will be exerting an influence throughout the ages long after paintings shall have faded, and books and statues shall have been destroyed, deserves the highest honor that man can give. -David O. McKay"

I Did It!

I did it! I completed my first week at my new job! I just started working at an orthodontist as an assistant. My good cousin, Amber Hendricks helped me get the job. :) I am so excited to be working there. Its so challenging and I have a lot of learning to do. I'm so grateful for new experiences and opportunities in my life. I am truly blessed. I have gained a stronger testimony of how much we need hard things and opportunities in our life so we can learn, grow and better depend on our Heavenly Father. It's allll good!! Wish me luck for next week! Haha!

Savanah!

So this is my sweet sister, Savanah. Also known as "Chonie". For some reason I have been thinkin a lot about her and appreciating her as my sister. She is such a funny, goofy girl! I had the opportunity to room with her the last time I was down. I loved it! We would fall asleep reading together, we would wake up and make our beds together, we would put our make-up on together.

A couple reasons why I really love her:

-She likes to read like I do! We enjoy a lot of the same books!

-She is a good example to me. While getting ready in the morning she blares young women music!

-She is a Nazi when it comes to a clean room! Hahaha!

-She is my little sister.

-She has a loving and caring heart.

-Oh, and she always emails me back.

I love my sisters so much! I am so thankful for each one of them. They each help make my life joyful and complete. Thanks for being my friend Chonie! Love you!

My Stay In AZ!

So I have been in Arizona for 2 weeks! The weather has been so so nice. I even had the chance to go swimming a couple times. Yeah baby! But the whole reason why I came down was for my sister Ariel who was going to be having her baby. She was due the 24th of March. I came the 21st. I told her to tell me the dates she would think I would need to be there and we booked a flight! So I got there Monday, she picked me up from the airport, looked at her cute pregnant belly and told her baby, "Ok you can come now." But much to Ariel and the rest of the family's dismay little girl was NOT ready to come out! She was nice and cozy in mommy's tummy. So...we had to preoccupy our time with fun things, birthday, castor oil, and excersize!

First things first was a girls night! I had the little girls, Storie and Ruby, help make innvitations for all the girls in my family. They were so cute and very creative. Savanah and Ariel helped too!

We made yummy treats that night. Watched a movie and painted our nails. Our cool cousin Kelyn came over as well. Oh yeah, and just because we like my brother Trey so much...He came too! It was great fun!

My family also got a milk cow while I was there! She isnt old enough to milk yet...but the process will begin in a couple months. Her name is either Miss Peach or Gemima. We'll see!

We also celebrated Jaret's 18th birthday! He is such a cool guy! He is a good example to his younger siblings. Jaret always has something funny to say or laugh at. He offers so much to our family. I am so thankful for him and love him a lot. He wanted an Angel Food Cake as well as a Chocolate cake. Both were delicious! We opened presents and just enjoyed our Jare-Bear!

Now I have to do a quick shout out for my hubby Daniel! I sure have missed him while I've been away! He is such a trooper to let me be gone for so long. He has been back home muscleing through the last few weeks of school and finals. He is such a hard, enduring worker. I am so proud of him and his hard work! I sure am looking forward to seeing him on Monday! All my family sure wished he was with me. This was a picture taken in rememberence of him!

He is the background on my phone.

Now... the moment I had been waiting for! The reason why I was able to be in AZ for so long! I was there the first week...and no baby, the second week started and I was hopeful but a little nervous that I would miss her entering into this world. The middle of the week passed and I was beginning to be resigned to my fate. I would miss her. But, Thursday came. Ariel went on a long walk with my mom early that morning. At about noon she took 3 Teaspoons of castor oil. She was ready to get that little girl here!

The family had a busy afternoon that day. I was helping run them around to where they needed to be. Ariel met up with us later, and started explaining the contractions she was having to my mom. She had had a couple of false labors the week before so we were all a little scared to get our hopes up. But they were different this time! Yay! We this was the day we had been waiting for! This was all at about 3:30 PM of March 31st. My mom called Aunt Joy, who would be delivering the baby at Tyler and Ariel's house, and luckily she was already on her way down!

By 12:00 AM April 1st Ariel's contractions started getting uncomfortable. She called my Mom and said she was ready for her and Aunt Joy to head on over. Its convenient at times like this that my family only lives a few minutes away from Tyler and Ariel! At 1:00 AM I get a text from my mom telling me I better get over there. I promptly got dressed and hurried my buns!

Now I have never been at a birth before. I was a little nervous to see it all, but curious. I also wanted to offer my sweet sister any support I could. When I walked into her bedroom it was an amazing sight. It was so quiet. Thats what surprised me. It was calm and quiet. Tyler had a special cd playing for Ariel to help keep her calm and focused. He was holding her hand and whispering softly in her ear. My mom was tickling her arms, trying to help her relax, Aunt Joy was massaging her feet. It was a room filled with love. I instantly had tears. Ariel was, of course, feeling very uncomfortable but she was trying to stay calm and not let the pain control her. Tyler was being so concerned and helping her focus. I was very impressed with the attention he was giving her. A little after I got there she started feeling the need to push. So we all, of course, stayed close to help her anyway that she needed.

I am so proud of my sister. Her strength amazed me. She had prepared for this moment and was ready and willing to give, what she believed, the best experience of entering this life for her sweet baby. She was so brave. I hope to be as brave as her one day. Her sweet little baby was born after 11 hours of labor at 2:45 AM on April Fools. She was 21 inches. 8 pounds 10 ounces. She has tons of family who love her so much! She is so sweet and precious! They have yet to decide on her name.

Her first bath and getting into her pink nightgown!

Mommy and baby all cleaned up. Aren't they such a sweet family??

Little girl with two of her Aunties!

So precious!

snow, Snow, SNOW!

So I came to a realization this morning about good ole Rexburg, ID. Springtime is just a tease. We are teased with nice 40-50 degree weather, where the sun shines and snow begins to melt. Its a lovely feeling. A feeling of freedom from winter jackets and houses with heaters. Then you wake up to a day like today. A couple inches of snow are covering sidewalks, cars, and streets. The wind is blowing, making the cold day even colder. All the progress you feel the process of Spring has made disappears. And I am once again reminded that I will most likely not see Spring. On Ground Hog's Day one of Daniel's teachers said after hearing that there would not be six more weeks of winter, "That does not apply to Rexburg." Oh goody!

So now what do I say?? Bring on the snowy days and the blistery wind!! I leave for Arizona in two weeks for two weeks! I will unthaw then. Then come back to Frozen Tundra and settle in till Summer! I am now to the point where, like the Little Engine that Could, I whisper to myself, "I think I can, I think I can." At times like these I become so thankful for all the little things. I have two wonderful heaters in my house I can sit by for as long as I need! Lots of blankets! (Granny I use the one you made for our wedding often.) A toasty warm husband who likes to snuggle! A cozy apartment that stays warm and guards us from the snow and wind. So once again I say "Bring on the snow!" I will try to stay unfrozen (and happy :)) until happy, warm summertime arrives!