Mud Fun and Morgan's Birthday

This is the boys and Olivia playing out back while Janie and I chat it up inside. This is the last time the boys got a chance to play with Olivia. The last few days we were in Fernley the boys both got sick...bad. It was terrible so we never got a chance to hang out again.

As the pictures show they had fun, especially Cole (he got the filthiest)!

This one is so cute. The boys both stripped down to there undies and just got dirty. It was fun to watch them play and have so much fun. I was impressed that Olivia got a little dirty too. I miss all the fun play days we would have with our friends in Fernley. The boys had some great friends to play with there.

This was Morgan's 1st birthday! Look how cute those little lips are!!!! She is such a good girl.

She is saying a few words not many. She is walking very good and loves to play with Carson. She will just walk up to him and give him a hug. Morgan is very lovey too. She kisses her toys and will randomly come up to me or her daddy and pucker up. I love having my little girl.

Life Is About Change, Right?

I believe the answer to that questions is yes! Isn't it funny that I can understand that concept in theory but the application of that in the real world is so darn hard.



So we moved!!! It has been in the works since July but it came to fruition the end of September, which was a surprise. The whole process has been highly educational, inspiring, stressful, stressful and stressful. This is something that I have wanted for a long time. And for it to have happened is a major blessing. So it was very surprising for me to all of a sudden have what I wanted and then realize that it would be very hard to go through with it.



I have loved my home in Nevada. I grew so much and made such wonderful friendships. I can not speak highly enough of my experiences there and the people that influenced me.



However, I am now a resident of Utah. Very, very strange. We have been here a month now and I have got my directions down, my grocery stores, been to church , finally got my visiting teaching route, got Cole's school schedule down, and have been visiting with family and a few friends. It is starting to feel a little normal...but it is not what I am used to.



I have learned that change is something that I know is necessary and needed, and for most of the time I think, I welcome it. But the kind of change that takes you out of your comfort zone of friendships, and your normal everyday routine is hard for me. This whole move really made me realize I am not as strong and resilient as I thought I was. I am not saying that realization is bad though. It has been humbling.

I love where I am headed with my new home but I still cloud up over my old one.

Eventful August

Cole is a kindergartner! I can't believe it. Michael and I were so excited for him and he was very excited himself. The night before we had a little role play on different situations that could arise at school and how to handle them. We spoke of principles such as honesty, kindness, hard work and prayer.

I know I can't shield him from bad influences that will come his way but I CAN prepare for them and teach him what to do in those situations. Living the gospel and trying to teach it to the kids really brings me peace. I know that there is power that will keep my little boy safe and I want to do everything I can to tap into that.

Michael gave him his first blessing too after our little lesson. It was such a special moment. I can't even describe it.

Cole is so amazingly smart. He is very outgoing as well. It was not hard to let him go because he was so ready for it. I think he has been going for 3 weeks now and it is going so well.

And of course I have been in heaven minus one! That first week felt so wonderful. I was ready too! It has given me the opportunity to have really great one on one time with Carson.


Here is the second major event that happened. Cole started soccer!

I thought this was cute. This picture demonstrates all I have to learn from Michael. Okay, so it was Cole's turn to bring snacks to soccer. If I was in charge I would have just put goldfish in zip lock bags for all the kids and would have called it good (which was what I was planning to do until Mike heard me say that.) Michael on the other hand really makes it special for Cole and the other kids. (I just don't think like that....but I want to.) So he puts together these little oranges, scooby do snacks, and something else and puts them in baggies. Then he gets these drinks but not just one for each kid. He buys two different kinds so they can choose which they want. I thought that was so special. I bet that makes Cole feel good to bring such a good treat and the kids feel good for getting one. I need lots of help in the giving department.

The 3rd major event... our 7 year anniversary! This was a really fun night. I was going to take him to a nice dinner and then go do something fun like miniature golf or bowling or whatever he wanted to do. Well, on our way in he brought up us jumping off this bungee (sp) swing in Reno. I surprised him and said, "Lets do it." I think we just wanted to prove to each other that we could still be crazy and spontaneous. Well, I prayed the whole way up and cussed the whole way down. (I only swore once actually.) This thing took us both up 250 feet and then Mike pulled the cord and it dropped us. I don't remember the fall I just remember swinging for awhile.

We had a great laugh and proved that we were still young and crazy even after 7 years of marriage.

Family in Idaho 2

My mom and Morgan. This day at the pond was freezing.

It was a lot of fun to hang out with family that we had not seen in a long time. See how happy we are!

This was a cute one of the cousins. Kayden, Harley, Cole and Carson. They just ran around crazy. I love seeing them together. Harley is my sister Cortney's little girl. She is a week older than Carson. She is a cute little girl.

Family in Idaho

So these pictures were taken at the "pond". My Grandpa Ford decided to make a pond on his land and it has turned into a place where all the family likes to congregate. We happened to come when the Call side was getting together which was awesome!

The picture above is my cousin Paul. He is someone who has been very important in my life. We have grown up together but we really became close when we moved to Arizona to go to school. Not only did we live together, go to school together, we joined the gospel together. That time in my life will always be special.


This lovely lady is my Grandma Carol. She is a wonderful person who is always so kind and considerate. She has so many characteristics that I admire... one day I hope to have developed like her.

My Aunt Kathleen....she is awesome. We like to joke that I am really her daughter because I look so much like her. This is a woman whom I love very much. She has gone through a lot in her life and is still going. I spent a lot of time at her house for a few years there and she spoiled me along with Paul and Shana.

We played at the pond for two nights that we were there. This is one of the nights that Morgan was great. She was having fun walking around.

My adorable little Dottie!

This picture makes me laugh. Cole and Carson were playing with there cousin Kaden. That little guys is Paul's and he is one tough little cookie. It was fun to watch the boys fight and play over the ball.

I think this picture of mom and Morgan is so cute. We were really struggling with Morgan to get here to cooperate.

My mom is a wonderfully talented woman with so many gifts. Let me brag about her for a moment. She can sew anything from clothes to curtains and has for a long time. She also is a wonderful cook and makes the best rolls and bread EVER! As far as running a home...she is one of the best. Her house is kept clean and always in show condition. She exercises almost everyday of the week and has since I can remember. This woman is so creative. She scrapbooks, stamps, makes anything and everything that catches her eye. Have I mentioned that she can garden as well? Well, she can and does. She is currently involved in taking online photo classes to become an even better photographer than she already is. To say in one sentence my mom is inspirational! I owe a lot of who I am and what I am interested in to her.

She loves taking photos of her family!

While we were there this time we discovered that Cole has allergies. He woke up one morning and his eyes were almost swollen shut. It doesn't help that he went 4 wheeling out in the fields, but that didn't keep him from playing outside. He LOVES to climb trees. He wouldn't stay out of this one.

Outside in Idaho

My parents have the most beautiful house and yard. It sits on 40 acres and is just gorgeous. It is surrounded by fields of mustard right now and is so pretty. It is so nice being in open space and surrounded by fields. I know that Idaho is not the prettiest place in the world, but because it is where I grew up I think it will always be the best place to me. And the cottonwood trees there make the most wonderful sound in the wind. It almost sounds like water.

I didn't grow up in this house. My parents built this about 6 years ago. I grew up in town on Riverton Road. I will have to do a post about that house. I have a lot of good memories there. Even though I say it was in town, we were still across the street from fields. Thats whats great about small towns.

I think this property comes close to my dream place. They are situated in the middle of their land. They have a huge garden area and plenty of space to do whatever they want.

That day we just sat on the grass and I watched the kids play while my mom tried to get pictures of the kids. It was so relaxing. The boys just ran wild outside. Being in the country takes some pressure off watching your kids in some ways. First, you don't have to worry about them getting hit by a car, they can yell as loud as they want and they are not bothering anybody, and they can go and explore because there is so much space.