Yuck!!

Well today it was a harsh reality slap of no more vacation and back to every day life. We got up early, packed up and had a great breakfast that my Grandma made for us and then we were headed home. As soon as we were out of town I started feeling really nauseous and so uncomfortable it was hard to breather. Baily was so tired and couldn't get comfortable as well so she was fussy. I kept just praying the nauseous feeling would pass. Right after we got into the curvy part of the canyon Baily puked. Well that was enough to set me off and let's just say it wasn't a pretty sight. Robert couldn't pull over right away so when he was finally able to there was a horrible mess to clean up. Car sickness stinks... literally. (Sorry for the TMI!) We managed to clean up the best we could and change our clothes and Baily and I were passed out the rest of the trip home. I think it was just a combination of getting up so early and not having much sleep the past couple of days along with eating too much for breakfast. Plus the heat and curvy roads didn't help. After we got home and unloaded the car Robert had to go to work and Baily and I showered and got cleaned up. We felt much better after that. We didn't go to church because I didn't want to risk getting sick there. We really needed to rest for a while. I really missed the spiritual boost of church today though. The rest of the day we just took it easy and relaxed. I did only the necessary unpacking and laundry and saved the rest of it for tomorrow. I called a lot of family and had some nice conversations with them which is always a nice Sunday activity. Baily and I watched the last quarter of the Cardinals game and it was pretty exciting. And wouldn't you know...miracles do happen- Cardinals won! It was a big win too against the Steelers. It was so cute... Baily was cheering them on and getting excited at all the right parts. She definitely is her daddy's girl! We also hung out outside for a while. Although it was nicer than it's been the past couple of weeks it was still hot comared to the nice, brisk, cool weather in Show Low. Oh well! We watched movies and chillaxed until Robert got home around 10:30 and then Baily and Robert fell sound asleep. She had to wait until her daddy got home before she could fall asleep I guess. I love that she has such a strong relationship with Robert. Tomorrow a fresh new start to a new week and new month. I love fresh new starts! And I love October! It should be a great month!

Fabulous Fall Fun!!

Show Low Videos

Blogging Withdrawal

I'm totally going through blogging withdrawal. It's the first time in about 2 months that I haven't blogged every single day. We're out of town in Show Low so I haven't had time or access to a computer until now. I'm bumming my brother's computer right now so I don't go crazy. I won't be able to post all my pictures (and there's a LOT!) until tomorrow but at least I can update before I forget everything.

So Thursday was crazy busy. I had to get all my laundry done so I could get us all packed up for our trip. Well the stupid dryer was taking forever and the washer was acting up so it took all day to get the laundry done even though there wasn't that much to do. While I was waiting for the dumb laundry Baily was getting restless but I didn't want her to nap that day so she would sleep on the car trip. So I took her to the park for a little bit and of course she loved it! After we got home we left with Bryan and Robert to Andre's football game at Dobson High. Baily and Bryan had a blast playing and getting filthy on the bleachers. We had to leave at half time but I guess they finally let Andre play a couple of times after we left which I was glad about. Maybe his coaches are finally coming to their senses a little bit. They ended up winning 44-51- a high scoring game. After that we came home and the laundry was finally finished so I finished up packing real quick. I hate packing! We were in a big hurry so the house looked ransacked by the time I was done. After we were all packed up and ready to go we left and went to Robert's softball games. It was not good. They ended up ending the 1st game after the 2nd inning because they were losing by the more than 20! They played the same team for their 2nd team and stayed close with a chance of winning up until the 5th inning where they let them score like 15 in an inning so they lost again with a slaughter. Bummer! The good thing is that they got done a lot earlier than usual and it's a good thing because we ended up having to go back to the house to get shoes since I forgot to pack them. We didn't get to Show Low until 2 in the morning and we were BEAT! Baily only slept about half of the trip regardless that she hadn't had a nap all day and played and ran her heart out. What a looong day!

Yesterday was nice and relaxing. We woke up late and hung around just visiting and enjoying the outdoor weather with my Grandma. We got some yummy pizza for lunch from Pat's Place... it's a tradition whenever we come up to Show Low. Gerald came by and then took me and Baily up to meet Rachelle at this nail salon. I got treated to a wonderful manicure and pedicure which were badly needed! Thanks sooo much Rachelle. Gerald took Baily back to the house while I was being pampered and she hung out with my Grandma. When I got back we stayed outside for most of the time. The weather was PERFECT! We took lots of cute pictures and just enjoyed visiting with each other. Then that evening we had Baily's birthday party since none of my Show Low family was able to make it to her earlier this month. Alex had to work so he didn't get there until 9 but Gerald and Rachelle and Fran and Grandma were all there. My Grandma made a delicioso roast dinner and we had Baily's pooh cake and ice cream. It was yum-o! Baily loved her cake and talked about it all night. She loved being able to blow out her candles and open presents all over again. Talk about spoiled! She got lots more good presents too. After all the birthday fun we watched part of the movie Monsters Inc. and then we all crashed. Oh and Alex got me a book I've been wanting to read forever and I'm so excited to read it. It's called Twilight. So thanks soooo much Alex!

Today was another fabulous day. We all slept in again and took our time getting ready. We had a delicious and nutritious breakfast of cold pizza and birthday cake and then got ready for our day's adventures. First we went to the Fall Festival. It was fun to look at all the neat stuff but it was all so expensive. We didn't stay there too long. It was also super windy. I didn't mind the wind though... it was such a nice break to experience the nice, cool, brisk weather and fresh, clean air. After that we went to the car show where they had over 500 cars. It was a lot of fun. They had some awesome cars and they were playing great music so it was a great atmosphere. After we left the car show we stopped for a small bite at Burger King then we headed up to the mountains to go look at the leaves changing colors and hear the elk bugle. Let me tell you... this was the highlight of our trip for me. It was so beautiful up there. And we saw the most beautiful elk closer than I'd ever seen them. And it was the biggest ones I've ever seen too. When we got out it was freezing cold but it felt so good and refreshing. Baily was really excited about seeing and hearing the elk and experiencing wind and cold weather and hot chocolate. It was so awesome! On the way back we stopped at El Rancho restaurant (one of my absolute favorite restaurants in the whole world!) and Alex, Gerald and Rachelle met us there for dinner. Then we came home and watched Monsters Inc. again and I did this post. So it's been a great vacation. Unfortunately Robert has to work tomorrow so we have to leave early in the morning. While Robert's at work Baily and I will go to church and I'm going to try and watch the Relief Society Conference from tonight online. I was really bummed it was today and I had to miss it. So hopefully it will be online tomorrow and I can watch it! And be ready for lots of pictures tomorrow!

Pres. Hinckley Quotes

"The things of God are understood by the Spirit of God. That Spirit is real. To those who have experienced its workings, the knowledge so gained is as real as that received through the operation of the five senses." GBH

"No woman can afford to demean herself, to belittle herself, to downgrade her abilities or her capacities. Let each be faithful to the great, divine attributes that are within her. Be faithful to the gospel. Be faithful to the Church." GBH

It's the Most Wonderful Time of The Year

I know, I know... that song's supposed to be about Christmas. Well that's a wonderful time as well but I gotta say- I LOVE the Fall. Today was such a nice Fall day. It wasn't exactly cool and crisp but it's getting closer to that ideal by the day. Not only do I love the weather but I love the decorations, Halloween, football season and it just seems like there's such a nice peace in the air. Today I got to experience a little of this Fall fever. Mya stayed home with her dad today so it was just a nice relaxing day with me and the Bug. She of course wanted to go on a walk so she sat in her stroller and we were off. We ended up at the Dollar Tree Store. For a dollar store I have to say that they have some pretty cool stuff. I needed to get a couple of frames for my new pictures of Baily I just got (I know... lame that I get my frames from a dollar store but hey- we're broke!) and I ended up getting a bunch of fun stuff... all under $12! I got some cute decorations for Fall and Halloween, cute Halloween barrettes for Baily along with Halloween activity books and pom poms- all stuff to do with this wonderful season. Whenever we go to Andre's football games and there's cheerleaders she just stares at them in awe. She was so excited about her pom poms and couldn't wait to cheer with them. We'll see if she will use them tomorrow at Andre's game. Isn't she the cutest little cheerleader though?

After I finished the tedious task of going through and organizing the millions of clothes that Baily's grown out of (it took like 4 hours!... seriously I never realized how many clothes she's had!), I took Baily and Bryan to the park this evening and they had a blast. As soon as the park was in view Baily was squealing with excitement. She just couldn't contain herself. The minute she was out of the car she dead sprinted to the playground and went a mile a minute the whole time. You'd think she'd never been to the park before. She must have the Fall fever as well and was just excited to be able to play without losing all her fluids with sweating. She was so fearless this time- more than she's ever been. Usually she has certain areas that she won't even go near- you know the bigger kids areas. But not this time. She played on everything. It was so fun to watch her having such a good time but it was bittersweet at the same time because I had another reality slap about how big she's getting and how fast she's growing up. I really enjoyed just sitting there and relaxing. The weather was PERFECT! There was even a nice coolness in the air. By the time we left there was an amazing harvest full moon in the sky that was awesome! I love this season!

After we got home I wasn't in the mood for what I had planned on making for dinner so I made spaghetti and garlic bread instead. Sometimes the basics are just so good and this time it really hit the spot. And here's some random things I wanted to blog about. I've made the final decision on our Halloween costumes. I was planning on making Baily a witch but I've decided to dress her up as a nerd instead. I've already got it all figured out in my head. And if I can talk Robert into it we're going to be a whole family of nerds for Halloween. I think it will be so cute and hilarious. I also wanted to note that I looove the story of Abinadi and I love reading his teachings. I just finished up that part of the Book of Mormon and it's such a spiritual boost to me every time I read it! He was so awesome and powerful and courageous. I can't imagine speaking with such power and firmness under those circumstances! And finally here's a couple of things about Baily that I've been wanting to blog about so I don't forget them. I've been waiting to get pictures and videos but have been unsuccessful so I'll just have to write about them for now. First, shibby shibby. When Baily was about, I'd say, a year and a half she started saying this saying all the time... shibby shibby. Robert and I could not figure out for the life of us what this meant. We finally realized that she would say it right before she would roll her arms in circles and do a somersault. To this day she still does shibby shibby and we love it! It cracks us up every time even after all this time. Also- she's still doing the licking and smacking thing. It's disgusting and it drives me crazy! I'm pretty sure her molars have already but through but I'm still hoping this habit thing will pass soon!! And finally I just want to wish a formal farewell to her habit and fetish with ear tugging. It took me a while to notice that her obsession with touching hers and other people's ears to comfort herself went away with the po-po. She doesn't do it anymore since she's been off her po-po. I guess it just went hand in hand with it. It got a little annoying at times but it's still bittersweet to see her grow out of this phase. Just another reminder of her growing up! Time needs to slow down dang it! And that's about all for now. Tomorrow's going to be a busy day of cleaning, laundry, packing, football game, softball games and driving to Show Low. Wish me luck and energy to get through it all!

Hormones- urghhh...

Today started off pretty stressful because I was a little... how you say- hormonal. I was stressed before I even had a reason to be. Seriously... these crazy out of conrol hormones are driving me crazy! Baily was a little naughty but I know it was me more than her that was driving me crazy. I desperately tried to pray my hormones away though and I think it helped a lot. Baily was begging to go on a walk and since I just wanted her to be occupied and get out of the house for a little bit we walked to Burger King and had lunch there. I felt much better and less stressed once we got home.

After Robert got home I had a ton of errands to run so I packed up Baily and off we went. We went to the Distribution Center, Walgreens, Walmart Neighborhood market to get her pictures, the post office and my regular Walmart to get the oil changed and return a shirt and get some warm clothes for our trip to Show Low this weekend. I'm glad we finally got the oil changed... it was way overdo. By the time I got home Robert was outside with some guy I had never seen before and they were looking under the hood of our old P.O.C (piece of crap) red car. I later learned that he was a neighbor that saw the car as he was passing by and was asking if we were trying to sell it. We've been wanting to sell it but haven't had the money to fix the brakes and tires for it. This guy's a mechanic though and after working on it for a while they got it started and they took it to this guy's house around the corner. He's gonna buy it! Hallelujah! We could definitely use the extra cash and it will be nice to not have that blight in our parking space any more.

I tried a new recipe tonight and it was really good and Robert really liked it which is a bonus since he's so picky. It was lemon chicken... mmmm. After dinner and after I cleaned up really quick I told Robert I was clocking out for the next 3 hours for my only tv time of the week. He ended up being outside working on the car the whole time but Baily was great so I was able to watch my weekly shows. I was so sad to see my grandpa guy go home tonight and for the blue team to lose. I think they're so stupid for voting off their leader. It was cool to see that he's lost 88 lbs though since he left. The blue team was my favorite but now I'm kinda mad at them. I really like the black team excepr for the one dark haired girl who thinks she's all that and she's not. I loved the challenge with the racing against the kids. And I loved the twist of the temptaion challenge. It was a good show tonight even though the guy I liked got sent home. Tonight was the season premiere of Law & Order SVU and it was a good one. I had a feeling the whole time that the psycho girl was faking it. I love this show! And that's about it for this Tuesday. Nothing too exciting... well except for selling that car!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

So I hate to admit it but my daughter is becoming more of a mini-me every day. Not only do I think she looks more and more like me but she's seriously becoming a clone- and that's a scary thought. The other day she started saying "oh goshhhh!" every time I told her to wait for something she wanted. She totally got that from me. She also grunts and sighs when she's impatient or frustrated about something... again totally from me. Whenever I'm wearing socks she has to wear socks, when I'm wearing flip-flops she has to wear flip flops... even when I put deordorant on she acts like she's putting it on. I'm not trying to boast or brag but she seriously tries to do everything I do. I'm sure this is normal but it's made me very much aware that I need to really be careful about the kind of example I'm setting for her. It makes me think of this scripture from Mosiah 4:30.

"30 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not"

Her cloning me is definitely good for me in applying this scripture to my life!

Yesterday was good. I felt like a good little housewifey. I cleaned, did laundry and prepared a super delicious dinner and dessert for FHE. I made roast beef with the works and cooked it in the crockpot all day long so the smell filled the house. It brought back so many memories of Sunday dinners with my Willis grandparents. I don't know why but certain foods just make it fill like not only is it filling my home with good smells but with the Spirit. I also made this awesome dessert- I seriously think it's one of the best I've ever made and I'm sure it will be a staple in our home from here on out. They're called

caramel cheesecake bars. They're a lot more work than my normal cake from a box but man are they good! For FHE we watched a really good movie- "We Are Marshall." I know... I kind of took the easy way out but it was a good activity. We seriously never have time to sit down and watch a whole movie together as a family so it was nice to finally do this. And Baily was a sweetheart all day. I love her all the time but I really enjoy her on days like these!