The Berry Family

New Address!

2009-08-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

We are changing our blog address! I really don't like blogger so I am switching to Word Press. Our new address is www.berryfamilyblog.com! Hopefully we will see you there!

Our Story

2009-08-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

I have couple friends that have posted how they met their husbands and became engaged over the past few weeks and I love hearing people's stories so I thought I would post ours so I could actually remember it someday. This may be boring and long to most but I need to write it down before I am too old to remember everything. Plus I never mentioned our 7th Anniversary which was last month so I guess this can take place of that.

Tyler's family moved into our ward when I was 9 years old and our families quickly became good friends. We would have dinners together and soon started spending more time together. I started having a crush on Tyler that would go in waves for many, many years. He also said it was the same for him. But that was news to me as he did not give off any signals.

We went to different high schools and dated other people. But we always had fun together and our families started taking summer vacations together. I always looked forward to hanging out with them and Tyler or course. Some mutual friends started dating our senior year and so we stated hanging out even more. We hung out a couple times during the summer and then both headed off to the same college. Ricks College. He got there a few weeks early to play football and we ended up running into him when my parents and I got there. We took him to dinner and I remember he wouldn't shut up. He was more talkative than I had even seen him. He said he was just so happy to see a familiar face.

School started and we ended up being in the same ward. Crazy. There are tons of wards there and we end up in the same one! Still nothing happened right away. We did our own thing most of the semester and made new friends and had fun. I really stated liking him more at this point but he was really indifferent so I moved on and of course when I did he started being interested in me! He started hanging out more and more with my friends and our apartment. I even went to his Great-Grandma's house for dinner in Idaho Falls.

We ended up going on a date to a dance with his friends and I knew he wanted to kiss me but I was so nervous because we had known each other for so long so I booked it out of the car without giving him a chance. (I still do that) :) But I finally let him the day before Thanksgiving Break. He didn't go home for Thanksgiving so I had to think about it all week and wonder what he was thinking. But We pretty much started dating from then on. We went home for summer and ended up breaking up for a few weeks. I seriously thought I was going to die. It felt like someone kicked my insides out. I had never felt like that before. We got back together and had a great summer together hanging out and going to the Lake a lot. I left for school in the Fall and he got ready to go on his mission in the winter. He left on Feb.23, 2000.

We wrote his whole mission. Almost every week. I finished Ricks and went to BYU-H. 6 months before he came home I moved to Sacramento and finished my BA and applied to the teaching program. Those 6 months flew by and before I knew it I was going with my Dad to SF to get Tyler from the airport. His parents went to France to get him so it was just us two. It was so great to see him! There was no hugging or touching since he was a missionary still. But we went to dinner at IHOP and then headed home. I headed up to Redding a few days later. The rest is pretty much history. After we spent that weekend together I knew we would be getting married. I told my Mom that I had already forgotten how hard the last 2 years had been and things were just as they should be. Things moved fast from there. We got engaged in Utah about a month later.

We were married on July 12, 2002 in the Oakland Temple. And all those years of having a crush on him and then later years of dating and more waiting were very worth it!!

EDITED: Tyler read this for me and his only comment was: "I forgot we went to IHOP! Mmmmmmm!" That's Tyler.

Should I Be Worried??

2009-08-18T21:35:00.001-07:00

Kindergarten Baby

2009-08-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

Hailee started Kindergarten this week! I can't believe it! She was just a tiny baby! She was so excited and she has loved it so far. She even has 2 of her friends in class with her! She goes in the afternoon class and so I get some time to do errands with just Cohen and then some time alone while he naps. It works out great for both of us. Plus I had no desire to get her there everyday at 7:50. I went to Back to School Night tonight and it seems like it will be a great year with both her teachers. They even get to have P.E., library time, and computer lab time. She will love every second of it. I signed up to be Co-Room-Parent with another Mom. We'll see if I regret that later. :) But I think it will be fun.
When she came home on Monday it was hard to get info out of her about her day. All she would say was that she learned to read. Ok....Funny girl! I think it will be a great year!

P.S. I was so mad that I forgot my camera at my parent's last week and had to take pics with my phone! Luckily it works pretty good for a phone! But still...

Hailee's Birthday Party

2009-08-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

This year we had a birthday party for Hailee at our house. She wanted to have a candy buffet like we had at Kathryn's baby shower so instead of a pinata we did that. I decorated in bright colors and ballons and I don't think I am too artsy so it wasn't that exciting but Hailee thought so and that is what counts. She came downstairs after I was done and she says "it looks like a miracle in here!" HA! Since it is so hot in July our generous friend let us borrow her huge water slide and it was a huge hit. The girls were on it almost the whole time. We also did an art project and made hot fudge sundaes in these fun pink sundae cups that I found at the Dollar Store. The little girls loved to be able to take them home as well as a bag of candy. The party was easy and inexpensive and I think they all really had a good time. And they were all polite and well-behaved. Hailee is lucky to have such nice friends! Here are some pictures from the party!!

Playdate

2009-07-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

Hailee had a playdate the other day and I let them take a picture of each other with my camera and here is how they turned out! One is blurry but still cute. Funny girls!

WICKED!!

2009-07-20T22:40:00.000-07:00

I went with Tyler's family too see Wicked on Saturday in San Francisco! It was so awesome! I just loved it. I am trying to go see it again in Sept with Tyler and hopefully my parents. I came home and bought the soundtrack and have been playing it. Hailee likes some of the songs too! Thanks to Tyler for watching the kids all day and to Tyler's parents for organizing it! Also thanks to Whitney for finding us great seats!! It was a fun day!

Hailee is 5!!

2009-07-13T21:07:00.000-07:00

I can't believe she is 5 years old! Hailee's 5th birthday was on Friday. We were camping and had a little party with her cousins but I don't have the pics yet because Tyler's mom took them. But it was a day full of swimming, presents, pinata, and cupcakes. We said she had a great day. We were shocked because she got a lot of clothes (which I love) and we were not sure what she would think, but she was totally excited!

Here are some fun facts about Hailee:

*She loves the summer. She has loved being able to swim almost every day, go to the park, zoo, lots of time at her grandparents, and camping. She is actually still camping right now.
*She loves art projects and working on school work. She picks up on things fast and I cannot believe she starts Kindergarten in 4 weeks!!
*She can beasty sometimes, but does have that very sweet side too.
*She is STUBBORN!!
*Loves to bake and help clean.
*Will only wear dresses and skirts.
*Loves her brother Cohen and is very good to him. I hope they will always get along.
*Has endless energy.
*Is full of questions. Sometimes they make my head hurt.
*Loves her friends, even when she is not nice to them. :)
*Will try almost anything once.
*Loves all her grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. She is lucky to have so many that love her.

A Fantastic Fourth!

2009-07-13T21:01:00.000-07:00

This is a little late, but still wanted to post about it. We had a great 4th. I went on a run early that morning with a friend visiting from Utah and some local ones as well. Later that evening our friends hosted a fun BBQ and swim party. There was tons of good food, a great fireworks display, and good company. Cohen didn't like the fireworks, but Hailee loved them!! She keeps asking when it is going to be the 4th of July again. It was a great Old-Fashioned Fourth of July!

A New Favorite!

2009-07-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

I bought the Shark Sweeper Cordless Vacuum last week at Costco and I love it! It is great for my laminate floors and especially the stairs. I think it works better than my normal vacuum. I got it for about half the price as the stores too! Gotta love that. And Hailee loves to use it so when she makes a mess in the kitchen she can sweep it up herself!!

Swimming!

2009-07-05T22:45:00.000-07:00

One of my kids favorite things about summer is the pool! We are lucky to have access to the pool at the gym and have friends and grandparents with pools. I think this last week we swam everyday but Sunday! They love it! Hailee is in the middle of swim lessons and she is going great. She is learning the crawl stroke and other things. She has really improved just in the last week! Plus I paid for a group lesson and there is only one other little girl in the class! This week there is much more pool time on the calendar plus a few days of camping! Gotta love the summer!

Catch-Up!

2009-07-03T13:44:00.000-07:00

I was looking through i-Photo and realized I never blogged about our trip to Fairytale Town and the Sacramento Zoo. We went on Cohen's birthday and it also happened to be another friend's birthday as well. The kids had a great time with all their friends! The weather was perfect and the day went really smooth considering there were 4 moms and 14 kids. Cohen loved the lions and tigers and Hailee loved the train and the animal cups we bought at the snack bar. :) The summer is so nice to be able to take the kids out and do day trips and not having to worry about getting to school and other things. I have been trying to enjoy these days of freedom because I know I only have 5 more weeks till school and soccer starts!!

Teaching Moments....

2009-06-28T16:51:00.000-07:00

I don't want to make light of the situation I am going to talk about, but it brought some interesting questions from Hailee. Last weekend our Stake President and his wife were in a car accident on the way home from Girl's Camp and she was killed and he is in the hospital. She was a great lady that Tyler got to know a little through teaching seminary. When a friend called to tell us the news, Hailee happened to be in the car and overheard us talking and has had a million questions about death and heaven. At first we were reluctant to tell her what really happened, but it opened up some good teaching moments. She grilled us on questions about heaven and how we get there. Not what we need to do to get there, but literally how we get there. Tyler does a good job with these questions, but she stumped him on the last one: "Dad, What is Jesus's last name? "

Happy Fathers Day and Birthday Tyler!

2009-06-23T22:22:00.001-07:00

I decided to combine to one post because they are close together! Just wanted to give a shout out to him since I had to work on Father's Day and we were out of town on his birthday. Luckily he doesn't really get that into all that so he was perfectly fine. Here are some reasons he deserves his own post.....
* He gets the kids breakfast every morning so I can get an extra 30 minutes of sleep. And we are both not morning people so this is huge!
*He never ever has complained about taking the kids the couple evenings a week I work. He cooks them good dinners, takes them on all kinds of outings, cleans, and always tells me he appreciates me working. My kids have a whole new relationship with him with me being gone more often. And I actually like working.
*He always puts me first. I know he would do anything for me and the kids. He works very hard to support us.
*He'll watch the dumb shows that I watch. Not quietly though...
*He doesn't care that I have stretch marks and things are droopier than they used to be. :)
*He organizes the fridge and pantry for me. I am trying to get him to do my closet.

There is much more, but that is all I have time for! I had to include the Little League picture I came across on his computer and couldn't stop laughing!!

Cohen is 2!!

2009-06-23T22:10:00.001-07:00

Cohen turned two on June 17th. We had a family party for him a few weeks ago. He had a total blast. Even though he had no clue it was his birthday but he was able to do his favorite things: eat and hit things with bats (pinata) It is a tradition that we have pinatas at my parents for kids birthdays.
I just love Cohen. He is squishy and cuddly. He is funny and mild-mannered. He has his moments of craziness, but he is over them quickly and there is not a whole lot of drama. We are so happy that he came to our family!
He loves food, kicking soccer balls, any ball really, Dora, playing outside, going to the gym, his dad ( I lost the top spot a few months ago), Hailee,sleeping,hugs, and being a true boy.
He is amazing me lately on how much he talks. I might be the only one that understands, but it is nice to figure out what he wants without whining. He is one fun boy!

P.S. Can you guess what picture Tyler "altered" while bored at work??

Summer, Summer, Summer!!

2009-06-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since a good update! We will start from the beginning. Hailee graduated preschool at the end of May. She loved her time there and I loved it there as well. I was really sad to see it end. But I know she is really excited about Kindergarten. They asked all the kids what they wanted to be and she said that she wanted to be a teacher. Not bad! Better than the kid who wanted to work at McDonalds! :) Here is a pic of her at her end of the year party. This is her new "pose"

We have lots of fun since school ended. We go to the park,library,pool. They also enjoy eating outside. We also learned that Cohen cannot be trusted with a pot of food if I need to go upstairs. Luckily, the stove was off.

We also spent a week at my parents when my sister was visiting. We lounged by the pool, went to Chuck E. Cheese, visited my mom for lunch while she worked, went on bike rides, pizza runs, baked, let the kids play hard. Tyler came up for the weekend and we celebrated his 29th bday. I made him a Tres Leche Cake. We fell in love with it in Mexico and so I found a decent recipe and it turned out pretty good!

Also, just a few randoms. Cohen was being beasty during church a few weeks ago. We go to the building about 20 feet from the Sac Temple so Tyler took him on a walk and he didn't get much happier. And all this summer fun makes the kids tired! I went upstairs for less than 5 minutes and this is what a I came down to!

We are home for awhile now. Cohen's birthday is tomorrow and we are heading to the Sacramento Zoo. I can't believe he is almost 2!!

We Miss Him!

2009-06-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

My brother left last Wednesday for his mission and now I am in Redding and it is weird without him here. He was away at school for a year, but now we can't call him. We wanted to call him the other day when we were trying to think of an ice cream place and it was so weird not to be able to call him. He seems to be having fun. But we will miss him.

Things are fun in Redding. My sister is here and we have been swimming, out to lunch, Chuck E. Cheese, bike riding and just hanging out. I love when they come to visit!

Cabo Dos

2009-05-18T22:07:00.000-07:00

After getting some rest on Monday we decided since we had a car on Tuesday that we should get some use out of it. We went to the main beach on Cabo to find some fun things to do. But once we got there all we wanted to do was go back to our hotel. People were hounding us trying to get us to buy things or do activities. While it was so annoying you felt bad for these people who do this for a living and have taken a hit too in the recent months. We ended up jet skiing out to Lover's Beach and seeing the arch which was really pretty. We don't have any pictures because all we needed was our new camera sinking to the bottom of the Pacific. On our jet skiing adventure we are almost positive we saw a shark and when we told the guy who rented the jet ski, he told us it was very possible as there had been sightings recently. Yea, thanks for telling us!! We had planned on renting boogie boards the next day and ended up deciding againist it. Kinda scary. Once we returned the jet ski we went back to the hotel for more swimming and relaxing. We also headed out to a dinner recommended by someone at the resort, La Fonda. It was so good and once again we were the only people there for most of the time.

Wednesday was our last day with the car so we headed out to do some shopping and lunch. The mall was really pretty and we found some fun things for the kids. Once again we were anxious to get back to the peace of the hotel and spent most of the day there. We were glad that we did have a car for a couple days to experience Cabo and some different restaurants.

I included a lizard picture. They were everywhere and could really run fast!!

Cabo Trip Part One!

2009-05-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

I am going to break up our trip in a couple different parts because I want to have a good record of it because it was so much fun! When we got to the airport I was a little skeptical because the airport is in the middle of the desert and is so dusty and kinda gross. But as soon as we got to the resort I knew we would have a blast. As I mentioned earlier with all the stuff going on in Mexico the tourist business is way way down so we had the place to ourselves. I think we only saw maybe 30 different hotel guests the whole 6 days we were there. The place was pure luxury. People bring you towels to wash your hands, something to drink as soon as we walked in, flowers everywhere, huge beach towels rolled on every chair, poolside service, the list goes on and on!!

We rented a car from the resort for the first 2 days so we could get some groceries and experience downtown Cabo since our resort was out a ways which we liked. So the first day was spent going to Wal-Mart, eating, and just taking some pictures with our new camera that takes underwater pictures. We ended up going to bed kinda early because we were up early that morning so it was a nice quiet day.

We loved taking pictures underwater for some reason. Even though they are not the most flattering!!

The view from our room!

Tyler and the sheep head from Wal-Mart

Cabo

2009-05-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

Just a post from Cabo!! We are having so much fun! Thanks to the Swine Flu the place is so empty that it has been HEAVEN! Our resort is beautiful and the people are incredibly nice. Here is a picture of us by the pool and don't know if you can tell but I am so sunburned today! Tomorrow I will be spending time in the shade!! :)

Random Happenings

2009-05-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

1. We bought the kids a swing set. It took about 15 hours for Tyler to get it put together but they love it. Post on that to come.

2. I am soooooo sick if whiny kids. Hailee's new thing is that she is bored. Yea I wish...

3. Finished my 4 week boot camp today. I am going to do one more session after my trip. It was really fun and I learned a lot. It was way harder than I ever thought it would be.

4. I have lost about 22 pounds. On a good day 23. :) That means I am a couple pounds from my pre-Hailee weight. And just a few more after that to get to the wedding day weight. So about 10 more total,but I would be just fine with 5 more too. But somehow I don't look near as good! :) Funny how kids change all that. Really trying to focus on being happy where I am. VERY hard for me. Hard to not compare to others as well. This has been my life long struggle.

5. Ran 5 miles in a little less than 45 minutes on Monday and I was so so happy and so so tired.

6. Have to work Mother's Day, but I leave on vacation the next day!! YAY!!! Tyler and I are so excited to get some time together with no kids. Also we get to fly First Class thanks to my cool brother!

7. Doing the Temple Marriage lesson in YW this month and need some insights or thoughts on marriage. We want to keep it positive, but also want them to realize that it is still work even after. Any thoughts?

8. Loved the Biggest Loser on Tuesday! Not a huge Ron fan, but thought it was so great that he finished the marathon. Big time tears!

9. Bought a new swimsuit this week. Very cute!! But I need a tan.

10. Hailee is writing words I didn't even know she knew. She made a card and labeled the whole family. Even the cat. She will really like kindergarten.

Cute kids!!

2009-05-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

Back and Forth

2009-05-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week we decided to change our Mexico trip to Cabo to a trip to Laguna Beach because of the Swine Flu. But after some research it seems that Cabo is still very safe and most of the hysteria is media hype anyway. So we decided to take our chances and just go. I really am not too worried about. You make think we are nuts but we really need a vacation! :)

Differences

2009-04-29T22:22:00.000-07:00

I know they say each child has their own personality, but here is an example that is very normal in my house.

Last night Tyler made pancakes, eggs, strawberries, and watermelon for dinner. He called the kids over to eat and Cohen climbs his chair looks at his plate says "thank-you" and licks his plate clean. He then gets up puts it in the sink and goes off to play.

Hailee gets into her chair and says loudly that she does not like watermelon (new development)pushes her plate away and sulks and whines till she finally eats half her food before stomping upstairs. Tyler has to force her to come down and put her stuff away followed by more sulking. Over watermelon????

She is so exhausting!! Luckily she has her sweet side. Yesterday she helped me by folding towels, sweeping the floor and putting shirts on hangers without being asked to. But this was after an hour whining session about not being able to go to Grandma's house. Sometimes I think she has split personalities. Tyler said she is just a girl. Maybe so, but she is one crazy girl! Luckily she is cute!

School Pictures

2009-04-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

Here are Hailee's school pictures! I can't decide which one!!!

Goodbye....

2009-04-22T16:01:00.000-07:00

Diet Pepsi... I had a dentist appointment today because I chipped a piece of my back tooth and it was lodged in my gums. I have had teeth issues since I was pregnant with Hailee and got some type of pregnancy related teeth problem. The dentist said I need a Sonicare toothbrush and to stop the daily Diet Pepsi. Occasionally is ok. So I am in mourning. It took me a long time to switch to diet from regular (which I can't even drink now because it is too sweet) How am I going to make it through the 4:00 hour! ;) But I did get my new toothbrush today! I even got Tyler one because they sell them in bulk at Costco. But I did leave without my 36 pack of Diet Pepsi. Hopefully my teeth are worth it!

2009-04-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

Last weekend in Redding, Hailee got to ride on Grandpa Berry's Quad. She LOVED it! Howard told me that I was in trouble because she kept yelling, "Faster, Faster!!!" I thought these pictures Tyler's mom took turned out awesome!

On another note, this weekend has been GREAT weather! We have been swimming twice and the kids are so excited for summer. The first time both were a little timid and Hailee did not remember that she learned to swim last summer so we will be signing up for lessons next month! Yesterday Cohen was jumping off the side and even going under! It was so cute! He will love the water this summer. Lucky for us we have some 90 degree weather this week so there will be more swimming! :)

Temple Trip

2009-04-15T21:11:00.001-07:00

Yesterday my whole family was able to attend the temple with my brother Tanner for first time. It was a great day that was so special, especially for my parents who were able to have all their children and their spouses in the temple together for the first time. Tyler's mom and other friends were also able to attend. Here are some pictures from yesterday.

Family Pictures

2009-04-14T21:56:00.000-07:00

As Part of our Easter Fun my Mom scheduled a Family Picture with my whole family because my brother is leaving next month for his mission and wanted to get a picture all together. I wanted to post a couple of the proofs for a sneak peak. I will post more when we get the good edited ones back! :)

A Family One.....

And really the one that should be framed because this just says what it is like to take pictures with this many people....

More on Easter to come...

Caged....

2009-04-09T21:02:00.001-07:00

At 2:30 in the morning on Wed we had a surprise visitor in our bedroom....Cohen!!! He learned to climb out of his crib. At first we thought Hailee heard him cry and got him out, but she was sound asleep. Then we thought it was a fluke because he didn't do it at all yesterday. but today was a different story. Would not nap and I had to rock him to sleep for bed(this after putting him down about 15 times) which I have not done since he was weeks old. Lucky for me I have a crib tent. But our cat peed on it and so it had to be washed so it will not be ready until tomorrow when we head to Redding. He is not going to be happy!!! :) I know some may think it is mean but he is so not ready for a bed and I need my sanity!

Done...Sorta

2009-04-07T18:23:00.000-07:00

My WW subscription ended yesterday so my computer says I am done, but I still have about 7-10 I want to lose (I have lost about 17/18lbs) and am going to still be watching what I am eating and working out 5 days week. It is easy to get down on myself because I don't like the number on the scale, but I know that my body is just like that, I weigh more than I look. At least I hope! It is so easy to compare to others, especially my friend who I have been doing this with lost 35 pounds! But she is a Human Weight Loss Machine. She would win the Biggest Loser. Well if they did it for people who only needed to lose 30 or so pounds! :)

But I have come a long way and am in the best shape I have been in a long long time!!

So now I am on to the next phase. Just trying to lose a few more and be happy where I am at right now!

Learning to ride a bike.....

2009-04-05T22:23:00.000-07:00

Without training wheels!! Tyler took Hailee and Cohen down to the turf field by our house and taught Hailee to ride her bike! He said it took about 3 tries and she was off! She was so excited! I was at work and I talked to her on the phone and she told me all about it!

Cohen was happy just to have lots of space to run around watch!

Just a couple crashes!!

She even has turning down!

She is off!!

Saving

2009-03-31T20:08:00.000-07:00

My friend April's post reminded me of some saving I have been doing at the grocery store and thought I would share. I do most my shopping at Winco and Costco but lately I have been reading the ads and shopping for somethings at other stores when they are better priced. Last week I picked up the ad for Savemart and made a list of all their deals for the stuff I need and this is what I got!

1 2 lb. Tri-Tip
6 pounds Strawberries
2 boxes of Corn Dogs (Tyler's fave!)
1 lb bacon
1 container of Sunny Delight
2 dozen Eggs
2 bags of bagged salad mix
1 sack of potatoes
1 8-pack Diet Cherry DP (the best!)
Box of Life Cereal
4 pounds oranges
2 gallons of milk

And the total came to $33.00! I thought that was pretty good considering the meat and the produce! It is nice to feel like you are saving money!

2009-03-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

So I was looking over my posts from the last month or so and they are all pretty much about me and my weirdness. Thanks for all the encouragement from my last post. It doesn't bother me so much anymore. Oh well. I am doing all I can. The kids are still here and they are way more fun and way less crazy! Here are some recent pics. The one with Hailee holding the baby is my friend's baby. She was over there last week and she LOVES him! She will be a great help when she has another sibling someday.
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I am not sure what was so funny!!

I swear he has had a hair cut since this! He was looking so shaggy!

Frustrated

2009-03-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

Someone said to me at the gym today as she was shocked that I have lost over 15 pounds and that I look the same as I always did. I am not sure how to take that. Am I delusional to think I look somewhat better? Am I being too sensitive? Or who really cares? I think I look better and I feel better so I guess that is all that matters. I am sitting here resisting going back to gym to add to the 5 miles already ran today. I can't let myself go too crazy!! It doesn't matter what others think...It doesn't matter what others think....:)

Small Brag

2009-03-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

I did a 3 mile run tonight on the treadmill. I ran the first mile in 10:30ish (I walk the first 2 minutes), the 2nd in 8:40ish and the 3rd in 7:50 with a total just under 27 minutes. This may not seem too fast to some but it has been my goal to get 3 miles in 27 minutes since I started running again and to do each mile faster than the next! I just can't let myself remember that I ran 3 in 20 minutes in high school. But that was a long long time ago and also 2 kids ago! :) Ok...brag done.

Lessons Learned

2009-03-07T12:38:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile since I updated on my Weight Watchers journey. It has been just under 2 months since I have started and I have lost about 14 pounds! ( I would like to lose about 10 more) That may not seem like a lot for two months but for someone like me who was not too heavy to begin with it makes me feel like a brand new person. Here are somethings I have learned and some foods that I have found in the last few weeks that have made my life easier. This may not be too interesting of a post to some but I want to remember that I can do it after I have another baby and start all over again! :) At least I will start out lighter!!

Things I have learned so far..

1. Eating is at least 70% of it. I had been the same weight for 18 months and when I finally started paying attention to what I was eating the weight came off.

2. That being said I had to step up my exercise. Longer harder cardio and more days week. I have been running more. I even had an 8 minute mile this week and that after 2 miles first. That may not seem fast to some but huge for me!

3. Not to compare myself to others. Everyone's body is so different.

4. Not to buy clothes till I am done!

5. That if I have a bad day that there is a new one tomorrow!

6. Not to focus some much of what I weigh more if I am losing inches and pounds. No one sees the number but me!

7. I have very encouraging friends!!

Foods:
Fiber One Bars! (YUM!)
Crystal Light
Diet Pepsi
Spray butter
Progresso Weight Watchers Soup
Double Fiber Bread
Yoplait Yogurt
String Cheese
Grilled Chicken Strips from Costco
Yoplait Smoothies (pre-packaged from Costco)
Sugar Free Jam
Sugar Free Pudding/Jello

iPhone Pics....

2009-03-04T22:52:00.000-08:00

In our new house we have a lemon and orange tree. They have the biggest lemons I have ever seen. This picture of Cohen and the lemons can show you how big they are and these are not the biggest ones we have seen. The oranges are even bigger and taste really good!

One night at when I was at work Tyler let the kids watch TV on our bed and they both fell asleep. They just look so cute. And it captures Cohen and his trademark 2 fingers in mouth! And it captures Hailee being a good big sister and letting Cohen cuddle with her. Isn't our bedding just fabulous!?? :)

Something to Look Forward To....

2009-03-03T16:23:00.000-08:00

Yay! Tyler and I just booked a vacation to Cabo San Lucas in May. The pictures are of the resort we are staying at We are so excited, we have not had time away in 2 years. A fun sunny vacation with no kids! The best part is the price. My generous brother gave us 2 free airline tickets (he works for an airport) and we got a deal on a hotel for the week we are only paying $249! This will probably be one of the cheapest trips we will take! May cannot come fast enough!!

Called to Serve

2009-02-21T23:22:00.000-08:00

My baby brother Tanner received his mission call today to Cuernavaca Mexico. He leaves May 27th. We are all so excited. He is at BYU-Idaho right now and has been waiting for his call and was really disappointed when it did not come today. Later in the day my mom called and said the call was in HER mailbox here in California and she could not get a hold of poor Tanner. Finally she did and it was decided that she would not peek and scan it and it email it. And then Tanner read it over speaker phone. He is thrilled to be learning Spanish and going out of the country. He is also excited for 80 degree weather all year long. His kind of place! We will miss him so much but know he will do great things in Mexico!!

Hannah Jane

2009-02-19T17:59:00.000-08:00

My brother and his wife had their first baby last night! She is too cute! Congrats to Drew and Kathryn!! We can't wait to go up and see her!!

WW Update

2009-02-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

Just FYI, in the last 2 weeks I have lost 7 more pounds! It feels so great to finally see some visible results. I am not really sure what my total ( Over 10 for sure!) is since I have used different scales, but now I have one that I have been using for a couple weeks so I will definitely know when I am losing or gaining. It is nice to be back into most of single digit pants size again. Size 6 here I come! Or at least I hope/dream!

V-Day, moving, ect

2009-02-15T22:14:00.000-08:00

We are finally moved to our new house! We are loving the extra space and I even have empty cabinets in the kitchen! I am sure they will be filled sooner or later! This last week was a stressful one full of sick kids, sick mom, Tyler totaling his boss's car in San Francisco (he is fine!), working, and trying to get out of the old house. That is finally done!! Next time I am hiring someone. (Right, Tyler? :)) He did most of the work.

I am not a huge V-Day person and just wanted to make it fun for the kids, but with all of us sick with colds and such it didn't work out that way. But Hailee still was spoiled from us and grandparents. Cohen too. He just doesn't care yet. Tyler and I got a sitter on Friday and we to dinner and then to the old house to clean. It was one HOT date! I worked last night but it was a BUSY night and totally worth it.

Hailee cracks me up with the things she says. The other night Cohen was watching Elmo and it was about animals and they showed an Octopus and she yells out , "Hey, an Octopus. They have 8 legs, 3 hearts, and no bones!" I cracked up because she is right (I think) and I think she knows all kinds of things we just know she knows from school and books. Her mind is a definite sponge and retains almost everything she hears. This is why Tyler and I have to be careful what we talk about and words we use in front of her! ;)

Cohen is not diggin the stairs right now. He fell the first day we were here and is a little scared. He is starting to talk a lot. Yelling in my face while I am in bed after Tyler gets him out of his bed: "I want Breakfast or I want a show!" My kids always watch a cartoon during breakfast. He loves the words Don't, Mine, Stop-It, No, Doggie, Night-Night, Blankie, Toot (in context too) Cup, and Haywee.(Hailee) He is one funny little guy.

Tyler is off tomorrow which I am excited about and we will just be working around here and maybe going to Costco. This week will turn out exciting though. Kathryn will have her baby by Wed and Tanner should get his mission call at the end of the week . I will keep everyone posted on those exciting things!

How about this for the most random post ever!??

Weight Watchers Update

2009-02-02T19:45:00.000-08:00

I thought I would give a small WW update since it has been a month. So I lost about 7 pounds this month. I am kinda disappointed in that BUT it is better than gaining and I don't have a ton to lose I can't be hard on myself. Also I wasn't totally anal like I should be and so this month I am buckling down. I am going to have more intense and longer workouts and be more precise in my points. AND try not to eat after 8. So there you have it! My goal for the month is to lose 10 more pounds. I tough one, but not impossible!

Small and Simple Things....

2009-01-27T14:37:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the small things that I am thankful for right now....

1. HEAT!!! Our heater is broken. The guy was supossed to come Saturday afternoon and didn't show and now is he is an hour late. I know California is not that cold, but when your house is 58 degrees with 2 kids that are waking up at night because they are cold it is no fun! So I am thankful for places with heat!!!!

2. My body. I complain about it a lot. But I am lucky that I have a body that can workout, keep up with 2 crazy kids and work around the house and at work. I have been trying to tell myself that I am much better off than most. I think I just compare myself to all the skinny minny people in Folsom which is place unlike some other places where people bounce right back after babies and are all a size 4. Most people can't afford plastic surgery! :) Just kidding.....

3. Friends. Sometimes I feel out of the loop and like the only one who doesn't have weekend plans (mainly because I work on the weekends) But I have really good friends who are supportive and helpful. And I hope they feel the same way about me!

4. My car. I really do want a minivan, but I am glad I at least have something and don't have to take the bus!

Cinnamon Rolls

2009-01-22T12:26:00.000-08:00

Tyler's mom gave me this recipe and I make them every conference weekend. Tonight I am teaching the YW how to make them and thought that I would post the recipe. I love them and it will be SO hard not to eat one or two!:)

Combine:
½ cup warm water
4 tsp yeast
2 T. Sugar
In a separate LARGE bowl combine:
1 small box vanilla instant pudding: make as directed on box and add:
¼ cup melted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
Add to Yeast Mixture and then add 8 cups flour.
Knead and let rise. After it has risen roll out and add filling.
Filling:
¼ cup melted butter
4 cups brown sugar
4 tsp cinnamon
Roll dough into tubes and cut into cinnamon rolls and let rise again. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Frosting: (frost while hot)
8 oz cream cheese
½ cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1 T. Milk. (may need a bit more!)

2009-01-21T18:12:00.000-08:00

Can you believe that I registered Hailee for Kindergarten today!? School doesn't start till August, but they need the numbers early for the budget I guess. I can't believe I have a child old enough for public school. She will LOVE having school every day. She loves school!

Things are going along here. The weather has been great here. 70s!! Last week we had many days at the park and lots of playing in the yard. It is supossed to rain the rest of the week so we will be looking for new things to do.

Weight Watchers is going along. But today I really want junk food! Dieting is hard!!! But I have lost about 6 pounds. Hopefully I can keep going and start seeing some visable rewards soon!!

Well I better go figure out dinner!!

Movie Quote Game

2009-01-13T15:36:00.001-08:00

I got this from my friend. Below are listed some of my favorite movies. Try and guess the movie by the quote below. Put your answers in my comments. No cheating, googling, ect! :) I will post next to the quote the Movie and the person who guessed it.

1. "Michael... I love you. I've loved you for nine years, I've just been too arrogant and scared to realize it, and... well, now I'm just scared. So, I realize this comes at a very inopportune time but I really have this gigantic favor to ask of you. Choose me. Marry me. Let me make you happy. Oh, that sounds like three favors, doesn't it?" (My Best Friend's Wedding.. Jaynee)

2. "Whenever I'm in a room with a guy, no matter who it is - a date my dentist, anybody - I think, If we were the last two people on Earth, would I puke if he kissed me? " (Girls Just Want to Have Fun...Kim)

3. "You remember the day I went out for cigarettes and didn't come back? You must have noticed. "

4. " Half the people in this room are mad at me, and the other half only like me because they think I pushed somebody in front a bus, so that's not good. " (Mean Girls, Allyson)

5.That it?
:That's it?
: [points to purse on desk] That's it.
Have you looked inside?
: Do you have an ethical problem with rifling through a woman's purse?
Uhh, yeah, I guess I do.
Well, it's hardly a purse, dude, it's more like a... clutch or something.
Guys, a woman's purse, alright, it's her secret source of power. Alright? There are many dark and dangerous things in there, that we, the male species, should know nothing about. (How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, Janyee)

6."You keep playing this way, you won't beat anybody who's even good, let alone great! You wanna make this team? Then you better start playing at a level that's gonna FORCE ME to keep you here! AGAIN! " (Miracle, Whitney)

7. "You're everyone's problem. That's because every time you go up in the air, you're unsafe. I don't like you because you're dangerous. " (Top Gun, Jaynee)

8. "We got no food, no jobs... our PET'S HEADS ARE FALLING OFF!" (Dumb and Dumber, Jaynee)

9. "I really love Rudy. He is totally enamored of me. I mean, I've had other men love me before, but not for six months in a row."

10. "Our surrogacy fee is $100,000.
It costs more to have someone born than to have someone killed!
: It takes longer." (Baby Mama, Jaynee)

YUM!!!

2009-01-12T18:20:00.000-08:00

I made these tonight to take with a dinner I made for a friend who just had a new baby. They were so good! I just had a tiny tiny square because I am doing Weight Watchers (lost 5 pounds in one week! Yay!!) But Tyler and the kids liked them and I will be making them again sometime when I am not dieting. I don't even want to know how many points these babies are!! They are from the blog Picky Palate,

Crispy Caramel Brownie Treats

1 brownie mix of choice 9x13 size
¾ Cup caramel ice cream topping

3 Cups Mini Marshmallows
2 Tablespoons butter
3 ½ Cups rice crispy cereal

1 Cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons coconut oil (you can also use heavy cream)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. As soon as they are done baking, remove from oven and drizzle with caramel ice cream topping.

2. In a large microwave safe bowl, melt marshmallows and butter until puffed up. Stir in cereal until well combined. Quickly place over brownies and gently spread evenly over top. Place chocolate chips into a medium microwave safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. Stir in coconut oil or heavy cream until shiny and smooth. Pour and drizzle over top of brownies. Let cool then cut into squares.

12 large brownies

Another Fave....

2009-01-07T12:35:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post this on my list of favorites, but I love it so much it deserves its own post. Apple TV. It connects to your TV but is somehow synced to your computer. So any movies, music, pictures, ect can run through your TV. We have movies that we have bought from i-Tunes, DVDS that we have uploaded on our computer that run into our TV. It is nice not having to pull out a DVD everytime Hailee wants to watch something and to have everything in one place! Eventually we would like to have our whole DVD collection on the computer but that is a work in progress. The music feature is great too. Totally worth the money!! I don't think they are too expensive either. Our is from Tyler's work so I have no idea what the exact cost is though! The perks of being married to a computer nerd. :)

Yay for Me!

2009-01-05T22:38:00.000-08:00

I am very excited! We are moving. No not buying again (not for awhile) but to a new bigger house just down the road and in the same ward. I have been wanting this house for a year now (it is a friend of ours) and it is finally vacant. It is about 300 square feet bigger than my current house but WAY WAY more storage space, a big kitchen and a 3rd bathroom. I know we are renting for awhile and this place will feel more like a home than this house does. I think it is because of the paint and the coziness of the floor plan. The house is also well-kept and has some nice touches such as pergo floors and new carpet. Here are some pics of what the model looks like. No this is not our house. But gives u some idea of what it is like. The cabinets are about that color though. We move in the beginning of next month and I can't wait. Too bad moving is no fun!!

Loving.....

2009-01-04T18:38:00.001-08:00

Here are a few of my favorite things lately!

I love this stuff. It tastes so fresh. Too bad it is like over $4 for less than half a gallon. But sometimes I find it 2 for $6.

This is one great idea! I love to serve veggies with dinner, but hate the prep and half the time I forget and so they go bad. These you just put it in the microwave for less than 5 minutes in the original bag and they are done. They even taste fresh. AND Dr. Oz says frozen veggies lose very little nutrients. :) Thanks Dad for the tip!

My mom gave me this CD for Christmas and I love it! Have it on in the car right now and even Hailee is learning the words! :)

Toni (Tyler's mom) always has the best smelling lotions and body washes at her house. I discovered this over Christmas and ran the Victoria Secret's Semi-Annual to pick some up! I love the smell, reminds me of summer!!

WANTING::

This is basically the same blender they use at Jamba Juice and since I use my blender everyday this thing would be so nice!! Tyler and I both covet it! :) Soon we will be owners, I hope.

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-26T12:31:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas here in Redding. The kids were able to see lots of cousins and aunts and uncles. Hailee was so excited to get her Baby Alive Doll, which is actually the Little Mommy Doll so everything is just pretend instead of a huge mess. She loves it!! My mom made her a new wooden cradle with homemade bedding and she is in heaven. Cohen woke up with Croup. That poor baby has been sick both Christmases of his life. (Last year he had the rotavirus.) But he is ok and still liked his presents. Especially his Little People Toys.
I finally got my Kitchen Aid and everyone pitched in for Tyler and he finally got his PS3. It was a great Christmas and we are so blessed to have all our family around and be able to have so much fun together. I am here until the New Year and am enjoying being with everyone! Tyler is out golfing and I am enjoying quiet while Cohen is napping and Hailee is out with Grandma. Later we will go to my parents to play Rock Band and play with cousins.
I will post more about our December later and leave with some of our family pics from this year. Cohen was not too happy, but they still turned out nice!

The Sickies

2008-12-17T10:37:00.000-08:00

I have strep. Hailee has strep. AND Cohen has strep. I went to the Dr. yesterday and had a strep test. She was pretty sure it was positive so she started me on antibiotics. Hailee woke up yesterday with a sore throat and so later in the afternoon Tyler took her in for a test and took Cohen just to give me rest and they swabbed him just to make sure. Well this morning all 3 came back positive. No fun!!! Poor Hailee has to miss her preschool program. She was so excited! At least I have a husband who can work from home, a cozy bed, and a TV with TIVO in my room as well! Hopefully with the medicines we are all on the mend!

I Might Die

2008-12-15T20:40:00.000-08:00

I have the flu. The achy, sore throat, fever, headache, just want to die flu. I hope I feel better tomorrow because it will be a really long day if not. Plus I don't want to miss my book club party because I have not made it to a single Holiday function because of work. Could I be more of a complainer?

Who am I Going to Marry?

2008-12-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

Hailee has been into playing wedding lately. Awhile back the babysitter told her that someday she would marry a prince. Today as I was getting her ready for school she told me she didn't want to marry a prince, but she wanted to marry daddy. I explained that I already married dad and she would find someone just as good someday. (Tyler says he can't blame her as he describes himself as the perfect package! Ha Ha) So we discussed this for a few more minutes and finally she said "Fine! I will just marry Cohen!"

And she added she only wants girl babies.

Tag

2008-12-10T13:29:00.000-08:00

*i am a wife and mom.
*i want new bedroom furniture and bedding to go with it.
*i have a great husband
*i miss my friend Jaynee and her family :)
*i fear losing a child or husband
*i hear nothing. Hailee is at school, Cohen is napping.
*i search for creative teacher gifts in the Internet
*i wonder when I will want another baby
*i regret not getting up early to run this morning
*i love candy
*i forgive myself for loving candy
*i ache in my bum from cycle yesterday
*i always think about my weight. Not healthy. :)
*i try to be patient with Hailee. very hard.
*i am getting more organized
*i seem easygoing
*i know a lot about US History
*i feel like I want new shoes
*i dance: never
*i give a YW lesson this Sunday
*i listen to a lot of screaming between my kids these days
*i sing when I get songs stuck in my head
*i laugh at Hailee a lot. She says funny things.
*i can't lose the 15 pounds I want to.
*i write on my blog
*i cry more easily since I have had kids.
*i sleep as much as possible
*i see my computer screen
*i need new workout clothes and shoes
*i should finish organizing my toy room
*i tag Whitney, Rachelle, Shelby, Tiffany

Slacker Blogger

2008-12-04T09:28:00.000-08:00

I have been a huge blog slacker lately, not that I have too exciting of a life. But here are some highlights of what has been happening the past few weeks.

* We had a great Thanksgiving in Redding. I went up on Monday and then back to Redding Wed night when Tyler arrived to work on Thanksgiving. (my choice so I wouldn't have to work on Christmas Eve) As I was getting ready Thursday morning my boss called and asked if I wanted the day off and I told her no because I had driven a long way just to work. So I worked and drive back that night. I got up on Friday and did some early morning shopping.

* Hailee loves preschool and wants to go everyday. She is getting really good at writing letters and wanting to learn to read, but that may still be a ways off. She is testing my patience lately with her stubborness and thinking she is the boss. She still gets into things she shouldn't and Tyler and I just wonder when if ever she will outgrow it. She is really excited for Christmas.

* Cohen will be 18 months in about 2 weeks! I can't believe it! Yay for nursery! He is at a super fun stage with learning new words and really wanting to be a big boy. He cries when I carry him through parking lots because he wants to walk like Hailee. He is going through the "I don't want to go to bed and I will cry or scream for 40 minutes will I finally conk out" stage.

* We are decorated for Christmas and plan on finishing the tree decorating tonight and I am about half done with shopping and just need to get my act together on that! Luckily the kids are almost done! I am already done with my nieces and nephews as well.

So here are some of the things that are going on here. I told you it was nothing too exciting! :)

Hailee and Spelling.

2008-11-14T20:23:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I was wearing my gym name tag and Hailee was sitting by me and looking at it weird. Finally she says, "That is not how you spell your name Mom!" So I asked her how it was spelled and she proudly says "M-O-M" Smart girl!

Can't leave Cohen Out!

2008-11-13T22:36:00.000-08:00

Cohen is becoming such a little boy now and not a baby. This is very sad to his mother, but also brings lots of fun times. I was out tonight playing Bunco with a friend's soccer team and Tyler told me this story when I arrived home. He put Cohen down around 8 and decided to play a game of Ball in the living room (which shares a wall with Cohen's room) with Hailee. All was quiet until Cohen heard the ball thumping around. Then he hears "Mom!" "Mom!" and then "MoooooooM" Then "Ball, Ball, Ball!!" Followed by crying. He felt bad so out of bed he came. A game of ball was played and then he went back to bed. Cohen just can't be left out!

All Aboard!!

2008-11-11T19:02:00.000-08:00

Today we and some friends went to the Train Museum in Downtown Sacramento. We decided that we would take the Light Rail from Folsom to Downtown to avoid traffic and parking. It ended up being a fun ride and the kids loved it. More so on the way than the way back. The museum is really nice and fun to look through. Cohen was unhappy for part of the trip because there is no food in the museum and he was mad I took away his snacks and if you know Cohen that makes him very upset. So I spent most of the time chasing him around while Hailee ran through the trains with her friends. Even with that crazy part it was still a fun day!

Here are two pics from the day and one from later on, that was just cute. Excuse my camera. It is having problems that Tyler is working on as we type!

Seriously???

2008-11-07T23:30:00.000-08:00

A friend of ours posted this on her blog. This happened at a church building just a few miles from us. They called to get it cleaned up and ended up getting on the news. Hopefully the exposure will help get whoever did this. This bothers for a few reasons:

1. If our side would have lost I KNOW that no one would have done this to someone else's property on the opposite side.
2. We were not the only church/group involved in passing this. Why pick on us???
3. It is a church building. I don't care what church it is, you just don't do that.

I guess I should not dwell on the negative things that have come our way in the past few days, but just be thankful that it passed and the church was a HUGE reason it did!!

I

VOTE!!!

2008-11-04T11:43:00.001-08:00

I voted this morning at 8:30. I had to wait for about 30 minutes which they told me was an improvement from the hour wait at 7am! No matter what your view on the issues make sure you remember to vote!!

Happy Halloween!!!

2008-10-31T08:41:00.000-07:00

Sleep

2008-10-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

I have had trouble sleeping lately and it drives me crazy!! It takes me forever to fall asleep. I need some tips people!! I think I have not fallen asleep before 12:30 this whole week. It doesn't help either that Tyler is out of town and I hear every little noise. But when he is home and falls asleep within 30 seconds I just look at him peacefully sleeping and I just want to smack him! :) My mom and sister have trouble sleeping as well, so maybe I inherited it from them. Why didn't I inherit their skinny bodies instead????

Apple Hill Fun

2008-10-30T11:29:00.000-07:00

The Happiest Place on Earth

2008-10-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

Disneyland really is the Happiest Place on Earth. We had such a blast on our trip and want to go back. We were lucky enough that most of both sides of the family were able to join us on this trip. The kids were happy to just spend time with all their favorite relatives in one of the most fun places.

We did 2 days at Disney and a day at the beach as well as 2 days of traveling and lounging. The first day Hailee went on the Madderhorn early in the day and that kind of scared her for the rest of the day. She was happy to stick to Dumbo, the train and any ride that was outdoors. She LOVED the Toy Story ride at CA Adventure. She was in heaven when Grandpa Berry bought her Minnie Ears with her name on them. We were also able to get her face painted and catch Storytime with Belle. We had such a great time that day riding as much as we could and taking some adult time (Thanks mom) so Tyler and I could enjoy all the rides as well. LOVED Space Mountain, Soarin, Screamin, and Tower of Terror!

The second day Hailee was a little more daring and went on a few more rides that she wouldn't have gone on the time before such as Nemo (too dark) She ended up liking it too! One of the highlights of that day was taking Hailee to Ariel's Grotto and eating lunch with almost all her favorite princesses. It was such a blast and something she does not stop talking about. Thanks again to my mom for taking Cohen so we didn't have to wrestle him. But I think one of the highlights for the entire family was the parade that night. Thanks to a friend who told us the best place to sit we were able to have the princess dance and sing so close that Hailee was able to touch them. It was so fun to see her sing along and wave. It was a great way to end our trip at the Magic Kingdom.

Cohen was an angel boy. He loved to sit in the stroller and eat (of course) and go on some rides and just enjoy the attention and watching it all go by. His favorite was getting the Mickey Mouse Sword at the parade and banging it on everything in sight. Hailee was great as well. We thought she would want every toy known to man. I think the only thing she asked for was popcorn and face painting. We were shocked. My mom took her to a shop to pick out something and all she wanted was a sucker. Crazy girl!

It was sad to come home, but we have already started talking about next year's trip which may include a Disneyland day. We want to rent a beach house in Newport so if anyone has any recommendations feel free. It would have to be big to fit all of us! Tyler and I were talking on the way home and we want to go as much as we can while our kids are younger and when it is just so exciting for them. There is nothing like seeing pure happiness!

Disney Pictures

2008-10-27T22:28:00.000-07:00

Trunk Or Treat

2008-10-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

Tonight was our ward Halloween Party. Hailee is Belle and Cohen was a Dinosaur. It is hard to tell on his because the hood would not stay on. Hailee had a great time with her friends and Cohen loved getting candy. He would always try and take more than he was allowed, but did manage to say Thank-You are almost every car. Here are some pictures!

P.S. I know I have not blogged about the trip. I plan to this weekend sometime. I need a new computer because mine slowing down and it drives me crazy!!

We're Back!

2008-10-19T00:12:00.000-07:00

We are back from our trip and we had the best time!!! I will blog all about it soon. I am trying to get all the pics together and then I will post more!

Ready for Fall

2008-10-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

I finished my Fall Decorating yesterday and it turned out pretty good. My super talented friend April posted these wall plaques that she made on her blog the other day with some instructions and so I decided to try them out myself. She did black and orange ones that said "Boo", which I was planning on but could not find the right paper so I went with doing "Fall" They turned out pretty good, not as good as hers, but oh well. The "F" ones goes crooked everytime the door shuts. Oh well.

I can't figure my camera out either. Every picture was blurry and the colors are not right. I should read the manual.

Hailee has a pumpkin patch field trip today and we will be getting some more pumpkins to finish our outdoor decorating. I love fall!!

8 Things Tag...

2008-10-06T19:26:00.000-07:00

I stole this from a friend's blog and thought it was cute!

Eight TV Shows I love to Watch!
1. The Office
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. Desperate Housewives
4. Re-Runs 90210
5. The Amazing Race
6. The Hills
7. 30 Rock
8. Jon and Kate Plus 8

Eight Things that happened yesterday:
1. Made yummy Cinnamon Rolls
2. Made dinner for our neighbors who just had twin boys!
3. Went on an evening walk to the park
4. Watched Conference. Loved Pres. Monson's talk on the Sunday AM session.
5. Cleaned the Kitchen 3 times
6. Got Tyler to agree to take to H&M while in SO Cal next week
7. Slept in. (Thanks Tyler!)
8. Bought our Disney tickets on Ebay. Got a great deal!

8 Favorite Places to Eat
1. Costa Vida
2. BJs
3. Cheesecake Factory
4. Jacks Urban Eats
5. Mountain Mike's Pizza
6. Macaroni Grill
7. Diddy Reese (just ice cream)
8. Big Spoon Yogurt

8 Things to Look Forward to:
1. Disneyland
2. Beach next week
3. Catching up on TIVO tonight.
4. Apple Hill
5. Halloween
6. Tenative Trip with Tyler early next year
7. Buying a house again someday+
8. Getting a van

8 Things on my Wish List
1. House
2. Mini-Van
3. New fall clothes
4. More weight to come off
5. Vita-Mix Blender
6. Playhouse from Costco
7. Bedroom Furniture
8. New Bedding to go with that Furniture

8 People to Tag:
I will just tag anyone who reads this!!!
7.

School Pics

2008-10-01T16:14:00.000-07:00

The same lady that came and took Hailee's school pictures last year came again and they turned out cute. Hailee is in a weird picture taking stage so every picture turns out funny. She is having a great year at school. She loves learning about letters and is getting better at writing all of them and pretty good at her name. I love having quiet afternoons and her being happy!

Pig-Pen

2008-10-01T14:50:00.000-07:00

Tyler's mom came up with the name Pig-Pen for Cohen because he is always playing in the dirt and always getting dirty. Here is a scrapbook page she did for her store from a trip to the lake in August. So cute!!

One Car Family

2008-09-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

Today our lease ends on my Pathfinder. The plan was to join the mini van club when my lease ended and then we began this get out of debt/savings plan. We thought it over and decided we could survive on one car for a little bit. Hopefully just till the spring. This means me taking Tyler to work (he works 2 miles way) , less room in the car, and me picking him up. On days I don't have the car I can still walk to the store, the gym, and the park. But with all the pain in the butt stuff also comes no $400 a month car payment, $70 off in car insurance and no more $80 fill-ups every 2 weeks. The BMW cost about $50 and lasts almost twice as long. These are things I try to remind myself as we set off on this new one car adventure. I am sure it will be worth it when we pay cash for our new (used) van.

YW Activity

2008-09-18T09:13:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to blog about a fun Laurel Activity I planned last night. We had a short spiritual thought about sculpting our lives and getting rid of things we don't need to be the person we are intended to be. This led into Ice Cream Sculptures. I supplied each team with a carton of vanilla ice cream, tons of candy, spray frosting, and gloves. They had to plan a sculpture and create it. Here are what some of them did:

One is a peace sign (kinda looks like a pig nose) and one is a shoe. The girls seemed to have fun and so did we. We ended by talking about how they had to make the creation they had thought of and how that can be like our lifes. Sometimes it takes a little sculpting to become the person we want to be. And then we ended with this handout( I took it from a YW blog):

It ended up being a really fun night! I really love my calling!

Ready for Bed

2008-09-18T09:02:00.000-07:00

I found this picture when I was uploading from my camera. Tyler took this when I was at work one night. Ha! Ha!

Hailee's New Do

2008-09-09T20:56:00.000-07:00

Hailee got her hair cut yesterday! Here are some new pics!!

Tyler......

2008-09-09T15:41:00.001-07:00

Fix my blog!!!

Please.

Soccer, blogs, and backgrounds

2008-09-06T19:02:00.000-07:00

Hailee had her first soccer game today! I realized that my camera battery was dead 5 minutes before the game! Oops! They did great! They won, even though I don't think they keep score. Hailee really really wants to score so I hope for her sake she does soon. She is good about running after the ball and not just standing around too much, but we will have to get her to be a little more aggressive. Usually we have the opposite problem. But she is doing great and loved it regardless of the 100 degree heat.

My roommate from college led me to site about a woman from her high school that was involved in a small plane crash 3 weeks ago. Her and her husband are recovering from severe burns and family is taking care of their 4 young children. I have been reading her blog and getting caught up on her fun life the past few days. SHe seems to have a huge following and I see posts about her all over now. Her blog is so fun and she has the most positive outlook on being a wife and mother. Usually blogs that are so happy and make everything seem perfect get on my nerves, but not hers. It seems so real and not for show. It is funny too because really we are very different, she is into vintage, home births, and a vegetarian. If you know me that is so not me, but her blog leaves me wishing to know her. I wish her and her husband (they seem to have the most fun romantic relationship) a speedy recovery. To learn more go to: www.blog.cjanerun.com. This site is updated by her sister.

I really don't like the look of my blog right now. I have put my computer stud of a husband on the job of fixing it and making it look better. Stay tuned....

Cohen feel asleep eating dinner at 6:00 tonight, the question is will he stay asleep or think he is napping and be up till the wee hours!!!

Back to School!

2008-09-04T12:52:00.000-07:00

Hailee went back to school yesterday. She is at the same school that she was at last year. We both love it there and she has a great time. Her teacher is the best. This year she goes afternoons M/W/F 1-4. This is great because Cohen naps around this time! I have so many things I want to get done and I can't wait! She had a great first day and can't wait to go tomorrow.

Baking

2008-09-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

I really like to bake. So does Hailee, most of the time she loves to help and always ask to make something. rr Sometimes I am good at it, sometimes I am not. I baked 2 things this week. Usually I limit my baking to once a week but I had a recipe I wanted to try for cookies and we picked apples on Monday so I had to make a pie.
I was reading my friend Kate's blog and she made these awesome chocolate chip cookies that she got from another blogger that she got from the NY times. The recipe is a bit different than your standard one, but they were seriously so so good! Here is the link: Cookies. Letting the dough rest does make a difference as does having you ingredients at room temp. They were very yummy and will be making them often. One of the best cookie recipes I have ever made!

Then tonight I made a great Apple Pie. Tyler and I both really liked it. Here is the recipe:
2C finely chopped apple
2 T flour
¾ C sugar
1 C sour cream
1 beaten egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
Mix flour and sugar, add sour cream, egg, vanilla and salt. Beat until smooth. Add apples and fold gently. Pour into lightly baked pie shell (store bought or homemade). Bake at 375 until set (about 40-45 minutes) Knife should come out clean when inserted.

Topping:
½ C sugar
3/8 C flour
¾ tsp cinnamon
4 T butter
Mix together until crumbly. Sprinkle over pie while still hot.

Optional- serve with vanilla ice cream.

Funny Cohen

2008-08-25T22:51:00.000-07:00

Here is a short funny video of Cohen. He is always doing funny things. This snorting thing is new. Yes and he has purple markers on this face.

Bits of Randomness

2008-08-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

1. Tyler bought me a new camera for my birthday! So fun to have it again. I keep forgetting that I have it.
2. Hailee starts school next week! So happy for both of us!
3. My reunion was on Saturday and didn't go. I talked to my good friend that went and she said it was fun with a a just an ok turn out. She told everyone that I was working. Like I want everyone to know that I am waiting tables at 28. ;)
4. Tyler cleaned the whole house this weekend while I was at work. And laundry. I owe him.
5. Went to our new library. Fun times. Have already read 2 of my books.
6. Feeling like I need some type of change. Not sure what. Just feeling blah.
7. Must get to the pool this week. Going to be over 100! Really want a pool and not the kind you blow up in your yard.
8. Have a to-do list as long as my arm.
9. Found a great deal on a hotel for Disneyland. Thanks for the website tip Nicole!
10. Started running again this morning. Hoping this will make the blahs go away.

2008-08-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

Life has been crazy around here as usual. Cohen is getting molars, Hailee NEEDS to go back to school (before we strangle each other :)), I have been working a lot, and Tyler is working and trying to keep me from going completely crazy. I am already half there. :)

I think I need a vacation.

Sunbeam Soccer

2008-08-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

Hailee started soccer today! She had her first practice. She is on a team full of church girls and 2 very patient parent coaches. We realized that we could put a team together with all the 4 year old girls in our ward alone so when everyone registered we all made sure the girl's were on the team together. Naturally they are called the Sunbeams. There is one girl not from our ward but some of the girls know her from preschool. But it is fun since all the moms are friends of mine. The moms enjoyed chatting as well as the dads that were able to come.
All the girls did great! We were a little worried because most have pretty strong personalities. Hailee only got mad once when someone took her new pink soccer ball. But otherwise she did great. It was a hot hot day and she came home red and sweaty and ready for some dinner. We will know be having practiced 2 nights a week and starting in a few weeks games on Saturday. I can't believe I have a kid old enough to play sports!

2 Things....

2008-08-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

1. Did anyone see the 4X100 swim relay last night? It was one of the most exciting events I have ever seen in my years of Olympic watching! I guess the French should have kept their mouths shut till it was all said and done!

2. Wicked is coming to San Francisco from Jan-Jun of next year! I am SO SO excited to go see it!

Olympics

2008-08-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that the Olympics are here! I LOVE the Olympics. My DVR is ready to record it all!. There is something so great and hopeful about the games. My favorites are swimming, gymnastics, track, and diving! And the Opening Ceremony was so cool! I loved the drummers! Happy Watching!

Breaking Dawn

2008-08-05T22:31:00.000-07:00

My sister got me Breaking Dawn for my birthday and I just started it. I am sad to start it because I don't want it to end, but know that I have to read it soon because otherwise someone will tell me what happens. I held off on Eclipse for a long time so I wouldn't have to wait so long to read this one! Well I better get reading!!

Lake Pictures

2008-08-04T23:47:00.000-07:00

See a couple posts down for description of the week so far!

More Lake Pictures!

2008-08-04T23:41:00.000-07:00

Our Trip So Far....

2008-08-04T23:14:00.000-07:00

We have had the best time here in Redding the past few days. We picked up my sister's family at the airport on Thursday evening and headed to Redding. I am going to recount what we have done each day as a journal for me and so I hope I don't bore people too much.

Friday: Swimming and more swimming. All the boys played golf in the afternoon and we swam with the kids and then we everyone got back we had a BBQ with the Berrys and the boys played pool basketball till they were too sore and scratched up to play more. We also planned our October DIsney trip. It will be a big Berry/Wilson trip with lots of fun for sure!

Saturday: Tyler was supossed to go on a friend's private plane, but something happened and they couldn't take it out and he was bummed. We spent the day at Whiskeytown Lake. We found an island equipped with picnic tables and set up a camp for the day. The day was spent playing in the water and boating. We were all so tired by the end of the day we could all hardly keep our eyes open. Except for the kids who swam after we got to my parent's house. We BBQed that night and all went to bed early.

Sunday: The day was spent relaxing and catching up on TV and me reading Eclipse all day long (Yes, Finally) We had dinner with the Berrys and headed to my parents to have a birthday party for Jack. Tyler had to head home for work last night and I am here until Thursday. I am so glad he took an extra day on Friday and to have some fun times with everyone.

Today: We spent the day swimming. Hailee learned to swim without floaties. She doesn't even really dog-paddle, she really swims with her face in and everything. She also jumps off the diving board and swims to the side. Yay for her! Kathryn also cute my hair which I love and we just hung out and I finished Eclipse. Not sure what I thought. I think I am leaning toward Jacob, Edward is a pouter and so serious all the time. But Bella is kinda the same way so maybe they belong together. I am going to start Breaking Dawn tomorrow so we will see! :) Love it!

Tomorrow I turn 28. Ew. More on the rest of the trip and that too. Here are some pictures from the lake, Cohen loved it and was so dirty. Hailee loved playing in the water and tubing behind the boats.

Well the pics are not loading tonight. I will do it tomorrow. Too tired to worry about it!

Time Off!

2008-08-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

I have had some days off this week, more so than usual. It has been so nice to have sometime to just relax and have fun with Tyler and the kids. Here are somethings that we have done:

*Went to IKEA with some friends. I got a kid's picnic table for the yard that is so cute and they love to sit at. I also got home other fun purchase. I did manage some restraint though!
*Took the kids on a few walks in the morning to Jamba Juice and other shops. As well as a walk one night to pizza and the park. Every walk includes a stop to the pet store to pet the bunnies.
*Swimming
*Baking with Hailee

We did other things I am totally drawing a blank right now. We are in Redding till the middle of next week. We got here last night. My sister's family is here and so there will be time at the lake tomorrow, swimming in the pool, BBQs, golf, and lots of other fun things. So nice to have somedays off!

How Cute is He?

2008-07-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

Cohen had his 1-year pictures done today and they turned out really cute. I couldn't decide on which to get so I need some input. I did get the one with the football (the smiling one). I just can't make up my mind on the rest!
Ok So they are small, but at least you get the idea!

Hailee's Birthday Part One

2008-07-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

This is a post dedicated to her actual birthday. I will post about her party when I get the pictures. We had such a fun day on her birthday. Birthdays were a huge deal growing up and so I wanted the same for her! I had the kitchen decorated when she woke up and she loved that. We went to the gym because she wanted to tell everyone there that she was 4! Everyone there made her feel special that day, as they do everyday! :)
Then we met Toni in Roseville at the mall and went and rode the merry-go-round. She loved that Grandma Berry came just for her day. It was so nice of her to come all that way. We then went to Disney Store and she was able to pick out something. I purposely put money aside from her birthday budget so she could pick something out. Lucky for me the toy she picked out was on clearance for $4.99! Nice! They were having a huge sale. She also picked out a Beauty and the Beast figurine set and a Mickey one. We loved the Disney Store!
We then went and got some treats and let her and Cohen play in the kid's area. We hit the merry-go-round one more time, Children's Place and then headed home. When Tyler got home Toni and I ran to the store to pick up her cake and they never made it and the bakery was closed! So they called over the manager of Safeway and she gave us any 2 cakes for free! Hailee was disappointed that there was no princess cake but she got over it.
We then went to Red Robin for dinner and they sang to her which she LOVED! We then went home for presents and more cake. She loved her bike! We weren't sure since she hasn't really asked for it, but it has been a hit and she is super fast! All and all it was a great day and we all had a fun time! Here are some pictures from that day!

Scariest Picture...Ever!

2008-07-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

R-Ranch

2008-07-15T22:38:00.000-07:00

Hailee was lucky this weekend to get to go to the R-Ranch with her Grandma and Grandpa Berry and all her aunts and cousins on the Berry side this past weekend. She got to swim, fish, sleep in the trailer with Toni and Howard, eat ice cream, and run around outside all day long! She has been tired the past few days but she sure had fun! I am so grateful to have grandparents for my kids that love to have them around!
We are planning a trip there in a few weeks with the Berrys and my parents and siblings. Can't Wait! I can't believe I am excited about camping! :)

I had to post the top pic of Hailee and Shelby (her aunt) because I think they look a lot alike. I hope they do because Shelby is a stunner as are all the Berry kids. Especially their son. :)

Memory Lane

2008-07-13T23:15:00.000-07:00

I stole this from my friend April! Please play along!!

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Happy Anniversary!

2008-07-12T20:51:00.001-07:00

Today we have been married 6 years! I worked a lunch today for someone in a bind and there was a Banquet for someone who had just been married in the Sac temple and they were actually from Redding. Just seeing everyone there brought back so many memories of that day. It was such a perfect day and can't believe it was 6 years ago!

We didn't do anything too special. Since it was just Cohen today we didn't get a sitter to save money. We took Cohen with us to dinner and Tyler helped me do some handouts for my YW lesson tomorrow! So exciting! But it was still fun. Tyler and I work so well because we are both boring! :) We have the most fun just laying in bed watching movies together and playing games like UNO and Yahtzee. I told you we were boring!

It has been a blessed 6 years and wouldn't change a thing!

Making Me Happy!

2008-07-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

A friend tagged me today do post somethings that making me happy right now!

1. A new i-Phone. Well not "new." It is Tyler's old one. He got up at 4am with his boss to stand in line for the new ones. He said there was like 200 people in line at 5am! Crazy. Luckily his new phone was on his company's dime! :) He even got me a cool new pink case to protect againist the inevitable drops!

2. Hailee's birthday. I will post more later on this but we had a great day yesterday. My fave was the Disney Store and it getting us excited for our Disneyland trip in October.

3. Tyler's company possibly going to 4 day work weeks. Longer hours M-Th but Fridays off. Might have to do some work at home, but still will be home. So nice. Also a promotion of sorts for Tyler this week at work as well. His job is going really well right now.

4. A quiet house. Cohen is napping and Hailee is camping with the Berry's for the weekend.

5. Getting my carpets, chairs and couches cleaned in 2 weeks. The guy is super busy and that is the soonest!

6. My new calling. I am the Laurel Advisor now. I think it will be so fun.

7. Getting an ice cream cake for free at Safeway last night. Yummy!