The Starrs

Family Photos

2011-01-14T14:26:00.000-08:00

I know it's been over a year since I've posted. There have been a lot of crazy things happening in my life, and I needed to refocus my attentions. We had these pictures taken right before Christmas. Sasha is 2 and a half now, and it growing like crazy! I sure love having her around! She brings a lot of joy and laughter into my life!

Mark, what are you wearing?!

2009-11-10T20:59:00.000-08:00

Dear Mark,

Today you gave me such a fright! The last thing I expected to see this morning was you walking out of the bedroom with my pink silk bathrobe on.

I realize I left all of your clean laundry out on the couch last night - from g's to outwear....

(I laughed, and I laughed, and I laughed.....)

But please.....

Don't do that again.
It scared me. Ha ha ha

Love much,
Kris

Halloween

2009-11-07T10:15:00.001-08:00

Two Sundays ago, they made an announcement that they were realigning our ward boundaries! We were shocked - although we kind of knew it was going to happen. We had a BIG ward! Well, just a few days later we get a call from the new bishopric asking if they could meet with us on Thursday - which happened to be their "Trunk or Treat" party. So we figured since we were going to be there anyways to meet with him, we'd go meet some of our new ward memebers.

This worked out perfectly because Sasha had TWO costumes, and I couldn't decide which to put her in, so she got to wear both! So on Thursday she was some sort of Spider Princess? Who knows. (P.S. we got both her costumes at a garage sale in Idaho for 0.15 cents!!) That is how she ended up with two. :)

I was so proud of my mad sewing skills for her trick or treat bag!

It was so cold that night!! Sasha's little nose was pink as soon as we got there!

On Friday we went to our "old" wards Halloween party. We invited some of our friends to come with us - this is their daughter Sedona who is just a few weeks younger than Sasha.

Skipping to Halloween night! Sasha is a bat! It had really cute ears, that of course we lost about an hour before we left! Go figure. Sasha went trick or treating with her friends Jack and Hazel! They looked so great!!

This girl wanted to walk EVERYWHERE!!!

She had so much fun, and we had so much fun watching her enjoy herself!! Halloween is my least favorite holiday - and I can now say that having a child makes it a bit more manageable! :)

What was your favorite part about Halloween this year? What did your kids dress up as?!

Last night.....

2009-11-04T10:47:00.000-08:00

The creative juices were flowing!!!

Boo!!!!

2009-10-31T16:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!!!

Playing at the Splash Pad

2009-10-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

Sasha and Jackson (only 6 days apart) loved being at the spash pad. This was Sasha's first time going and I probably had more fun watching her!!

Halloween Projects

2009-10-14T10:04:00.000-07:00

Our RS had a sewing class last week and I attended - seeing as how Mark bought me a machine for Christmas that I don't really know how to use.....so check out these uber cute trick-or-treat bags!! I made the 2nd one much smaller than the first for little Sasha.
Then I saw these cute little things HERE! My friend Jess and I used extra material from my bags to make these jars. They are so simple!! Give them a try!! They are going to my VT girls - hope they'll like them!!

Sneak Peek

2009-10-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

We had our family pictures taken last weekend and here are just a couple! We haven't gotten them all back yet, but I love these two!!!
I have had a crazy few weeks, and I'll be sharing lots of pictures of what I've been doing - probably not for another day or so - but check back in a few days or so. And I'll also be doing a give away!!! Don't miss out!

Hope every one is well!!!

Reflections of Christ - Another Testament

2009-09-22T00:04:00.001-07:00

If you haven't watched the newest Reflections of Christ video - it is beautiful! Click here if you're interested!!! This crew is so talented and they do amazing work!

Savvy Sale...continued...

2009-09-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

These are just two pictures of the sale from the spring!!

Savvy Mommy Sale on Saturday!!!

2009-09-18T10:58:00.000-07:00

Okay ladies! If you are in the Phoenix area, you have to check out this sale. This is the biggest consignment sale in the valley that happens twice a year, and lucky for you, it is this weekend!! If you registered for a pre-sale pass, that is tonight - otherwise it is open to the public tomorrow (Saturday) from 7-1:30 - with the half price sale from 11:30-1:30!!! They have everything baby/kid! From clothes to toys, books, shoes, cribs, strollers, everything!!

If you are interested in going, the address (cross streets are Crismon and the 60) and additional information is at http://www.thesavvysale.com/

I will have a booth there, so hope to see you there!

Market Boutique - Head start to holiday shopping!

2009-09-11T15:30:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to give a little shout out to my fellow Arizona friends. There is going to be a boutique tomorrow from 9-3 at the Red Mountain Multigenerational Center located at 7550 E Adobe Rd. Mesa, 85207. Cross streets are Power and Adobe (Adobe is just North of University.)

I will have a booth set up there, as well as my friend SuJean, with "Suji's Unique Bowtique". (http://www.sujisuniquebowtique.com/) And of course many others. So if you want to get a little head start with your Christmas shopping, come on out and take a look!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Labor Day weekend

2009-09-08T20:36:00.000-07:00

Here is a small update: Our anniversary was August 20th! (Happy Anniversary again, Marky!) We went out to eat and took Sasha along with us! She was being so crazy. Mark took this picture and then just started laughing. He said, "You have to see what she is doing with her eye!" So he took a second one, and she did the exact same thing!! I think she was trying to stare at the camera and the red-eye light at the same time! I just had to share that!
This picture was taken just before Sasha started getting sick. Perfect fair skin turned to this...overnight!
Sasha just had 5 vaccinations done, and 10 days later had a pretty bad allergic reaction to one of them. (On top of 2 ear infections!!!) We still don't know which one it is, but she seems to be doing a little bit better. Today she was still very itchy and spotty, but less fussy.

We got the BEST rain storm this weekend too!! We opened the windows and let Sasha put her hand in it! She liked it, and we all enjoyed the "cool spell" it brought along with it!

Our wonderful friends S & B came down from Vegas to spend the long weekend with us!! Shannon and I literally scrapbooked all weekend. It was great. I got 19 pages done, which for anyone who knows how incredibly SLOW I scrapbook, this was a great accomplishment! Shannon got a bunch done also! It was great. Brian and Mark spent several hours at Cabela's on Saturday.....Mark LOVES that place! I think they had a good time also! Thanks for coming Shannon! We had a blast!

The last month.....

2009-08-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

We swam, we visited, big bows, and bracelets! (Well, watchbands)Music,
and pouts, undies, and puffies!Made wet-one case,
bad hair day, picked dots off of dice,
ate a whole piece of pizza!!

2 weeks in Idaho, and 2 weeks in Arizona - it's been a busy month! Sasha had her 12 month check up. 30 inches, and 22 lbs! :) Sasha and I are going to our ward campout tomorrow (Mark has to work - :( But I am excited that we get to go!

Hope everyone is enjoying their August - crazy that it's almost over, huh?

Sasha's Birthday Party

2009-08-03T14:19:00.000-07:00

I know I am really late on posting these, but here are some of the pictures! There were so many pictures, so I just picked a few. We had such a good time with your friends and family that came. Sasha enjoyed the swimming the best - She wasn't really excited to get out - but once she saw the cake, she was fine!

We are in Idaho right now, and let me tell you - we are loving the weather!!! It's been a great little trip!! I'll post again soon!

Happy Birthday my little Sasha!!!

2009-07-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

It really does go as quickly as everybody says. I really just can't believe it!! Here is a short recap of the last 12 months.

This was her this morning as my mom and sister sang happy birthday to her - she thought it was hilarious! I will post more later about our birthday celebration!!

4th of July!

2009-07-06T14:38:00.000-07:00

Our 4th of July was wonderful!! It is my favorite holiday, so as you can imagine - I was so excited to share it with little Sasha! We were invited to spend the day with some friends, so we went to their house where we had a BBQ, home made root beer (YUM!) and played games.

Later that day we went swimming. Sasha had a really good time and kept wanting to put her face in the water! She is such a water baby!

When we got to TTL to watch the fire works, I busted out some glow sticks to see if they would keep Sasha entertained till the fireworks started. They did!! We put them around both legs, both wrists, and one around her bottle! She played with them the whole night!

I can't imagine what it would be like if we didn't live in a country where we were allowed to exercise our free agency. I am forever grateful for the people that have made it this way, and I truly feel blessed to live here, to raise a family here, and to say that I am an American!! Hope you all had a good 4th!

My baby can swim!

2009-07-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks we've had such a neat opportunity to put Sasha into Infant Swim Resource - a baby survival swim class. We're not talking the back stroke or freestyle here (although that would be cool, huh?) - this is if Sasha was to fall into a pool, or pond or something - she would know how to roll over and stay afloat until someone was able to get her out!! Wow!! She still has one more week till she graduates, so maybe I'll post something then also. She doesn't like to keep her one arm out all the time....

After they have learned how to maintain a stable float, they are tested in pajamas, regular clothes, and winter clothes. Today was winter clothes day - the heaviest day - and she did great! Here is a clip of her doing a "Flip-de-doodle"!

If you want more information about this amazing program, visit http://mysafeswimmer.com/ (our instructor's site) or http://www.infantswim.com/ (national website). They do children from 6 months to 6 years - so take a look! Especially here in AZ, where kids live in the pools during the summer, I thought it was so important. :)

Father's Day Weekend

2009-06-23T17:38:00.001-07:00

Sunday we had a great Father's Day!! Mark truly is a wonderful Dad, and it was a lot of fun celebrating with him!! (This was us after dinner!) Sasha was in a crazy mood, and since she wasn't really in the mood for pictures earlier (See pictures in dress with no smile...) I thought I'd grab the camera!

She sure loves her da-da!

We made Mark a tie with pictures of Sasha on it! It turned out great! Sasha really didn't want to smile too much after church though, she was tired...having 12:00 church is a rough time for her!

This was before church, more smiles, crappy lighting! :)

Okay, here is the fun part! We went camping for Father's day. It was a short trip, since we went up late Friday and came home Saturday, but it was Sasha's first time, and my first time...kind of. If you count girls camp, then it wasn't my first time...but Mark says girls camp really isn't camping...

It rained the entire night, which (I think) helped keep Sasha asleep the whole night! She slept like a log! I, on the other hand, kept waking up, wondering if Sasha was warm enough, etc., but it all turned out fine!

As soon as Sasha woke up, she was eager to get out of the pack-n-play and hop into our sleeping bags!

(This is the sight I woke up to!) I turned over and she was just smiling at us!! It was adorable!

He always sleeps really well when he is camping too - was I the only one waking up all night?!

My little love bug cuddling with me in my super warm bag!!

FREE nursing covers - HURRY

2009-06-11T09:59:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to pass on a little bit of Free-Ness to my fellow mothers. If you aren't currently nursing - these make GREAT baby shower gifts!!

www.uddercovers.com is doing a brand new promotion where you can get one nursing cover (regularly $32.00) for free! You just pay the shipping ($8.45)!!

Once you get on the site, click on "Shop Now" and it will ask you for the promotional code. Type in "babies" and it will take you to what you are eligible to purchase. They do have some gift sets for a few dollars more, or the nursing covers of course!

Hope it helps someone out there save a little bit of money! Hurry though...they are going quickly.

My New Brother

2009-06-05T14:44:00.000-07:00

June 2nd was such a special day for us!! Joey, our foster brother was sealed to us in the Idaho Falls Temple! **And do you know what made the day even more special? Joey was sealed to us in the same sealing room Mark and I were married in!!!) He looked so handsome in his little suit and was so excited to go to the temple. My parents decided to change his name to Koree (since all six of us have "K" names - but kept Joseph since that is what every one knows him by.
Kaitlin was adamant about sitting with Sasha and Korban - so she refused to be in the picture - but she was there, and she did so well in the temple, I was so proud of her. Mark was the only one who couldn't be there, which was really sad, but my brother Korth (the handsome lad next to me) said he would be my stand in husband! He even opened the doors for me and everything, it was hilarious!

Update from Idaho

2009-05-31T07:20:00.000-07:00

The wedding was beautiful - the bride looked elated and the groom...well he is just hilarious!! The weather in Boise was wonderful, and it was a wonderful couple of days!! (For those of you that don't know, Autumn is Mark's little sister!)

We got to go through a session with Autumn and Josh - which was our first time through the Boise temple! I love seeing how each temple is a little different inside.

We met most of Josh's family there also, they are all great. Such a lively bunch! I don't think Mark is capable of posing for a nice picture, so I just started giving in....so romantic, huh?

This was at the reception. They made Sasha a beautiful dress to match the colors...too bad she slept through most of it (awesome bed head!)

Sasha is TERRIFIED of grass. Funny thing is that I was too when I was a baby! If you set her down she will keep all unnecessary appendages off the grass and just sob. It's so sad! :(

This is my brother Korth! Sasha has had so much fun playing with the dog and all her aunts and uncles!

And yesterday we spent the day at Lava enjoying their water park. And this little munchkin on my lap is Joey! He was officially adopted into my family on the 28th and we are getting sealed to him on the 2nd! He kept running away from us, so he got the leg lock and was forced to sit on my lap long enough for a picture!

Autumn and Josh

2009-05-19T21:10:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I leave to go to my sister-in-law's wedding! I have so many other things to write about, but you'll just have to wait. When I get a free moment in Idaho, I'll upload some more pictures and tell you all about it!! My brother Joey is getting his adoption finalized on the 28th, and we are all being sealed while I am up there too! I am so excited! :) I'll let you know more when I get a chance! Hope you all have a great week!!!

Beautiful Blue and Swimming Too!

2009-05-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was sitting on the couch watching Sasha play, when my eyes locked on her little tutu. I looked from Sasha, to the tutu, then back at Sasha.....hmm....this could be fun!!! I hopped up, and this is what happened!

Saturday was a fun day. Mark had been doing homework all day in preparation of finals - and I was able to convince him to take a break for us to go swimming. It was such a nice afternoon, so the three of us ventured over to the pool. Sasha loved it until Mark put her in the "back float" position and after that she was a grump. So I got her out of the pool and we both sat and watched Mark swim for a little while, but it was so nice to enjoy the weather before it gets too hot!

Dear Mr. Tooth,

2009-04-28T16:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr. Tooth,
It's Tuesday, and I am a little uneasy about the way you are handling your relationship with my daughter. It has been two whole days of you nagging her, annoying her, and hurting her. Your twin made his entrance weeks ago, being the best little front tooth any baby could ask for, so why can't you just come and join the party? You'd be able to experience delicious food, fingers, toes, yummy juice, and best of all - my camera...but instead you are sitting there in her gums, 2.4 mm away from becoming an important part of her childhood. Thanks alot....

The Mom :)

This weekend

2009-04-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sister Kourtney!!! The big 21!!! :) This weekend Sasha and I went to a friends birthday party. It was funny to see Sasha react to the grass (crawling on it), and she is just starting to get very timid around strangers - which is so the opposite of what she has done her whole life!

Yeah for beautiful girls on beautiful GREEN grass! :)

And I don't think Sasha could handle herself if it wasn't for "Mums". She eats those things like they are candy. Thanks Grammy for introducing her to them! She LOVES them! :)

A little shout out to Mark - (if you read this! :) I hope your final goes well today!! I love you and know you'll do great!!! I am excited for summer break - I might get to see you every once in a while! :)

So - this is random - so feel free to skip the rest of this post - but do you know who you are?

You could be thinking:
"Of course I do...I am a wife and a mother."
"I am a sister"
"I am the ruler of the world."
"I am a gym-o-phobic"
"I love to read"
etc...

But I mean....REALLY know who you are?

I am on this new road to discovering who I am. I am 25 years old, and have always thought I knew who I was, my purpose, my likes, my dislikes - but over the past few months as I have been learning to be more authentic with myself and others, I have realized that some of the things I disliked was only because I feared it....and some of the things I thought I liked - I only liked because others liked it. Have you ever felt that way?

I am going to be posting about this a little more as I find things that are interesting enough to blog about - but come join me! Have you taken a step back from motherhood, or being a wonderful wife, mother, sister, father, friend, etc - to see who you really are? Leave me posts and let me know how you find yourself - and we can all get to know each other better.

I am also going to be doing a giveaway...watch for details soon!!!!!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Easter and Crawling

2009-04-13T16:24:00.000-07:00

She did it! She crawled yesterday for the first time - she has made some awesome tries, but she was determined to get my cell phone yesterday and actually crawled to it!! It was awesome. I was telling one of my friends today that as I was jumping up and down cheering her on (and looking crazy) I was thinking, "Does it get any better than this?" There have been multiple times this week where the joy of having her in my home has brought me to tears. Almost like I can't express to her how much she means to me - is that normal?

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter, I know we sure did!

Easter Bunny

2009-04-10T10:23:00.000-07:00

Mark and I helped out at a community fund raiser in Mesa last weekend and while I was at our booth, Mark took Sasha over to have her picture taken with the Easter Bunny. Here are a few of the shots!

Mesa Temple Easter Pageant

2009-04-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

Last night we had the opportunity to go to the Easter Pageant with some of our friends. It has become a little family tradition since we've lived in Arizona, and we sure love it. I wasn't sure how Sasha was going to do with it since it started right at her bedtime, but as soon as it started she was clapping, bouncing and smiling the rest of the time. She fell asleep about 30 minutes before it ended, but she saw a good majority of it!! This picture we took right before we left. She was laughing at herself, so I took a picture!

When did that happen?

2009-03-31T14:22:00.000-07:00

She might look innocent...but.... did you hear?

This girls got curls from ear to ear!!

(Not wet)

(Wet)

That was my exciting announcement. It isn't curly on top (unless it is wet) but the back is! :) Sorry if it wasn't what you wanted to hear! :) But you know what? Sasha is a miniature Mark - so when I saw those curls sneaking up - I got so excited. I may not have passed on much, but I love my curls, and I hope she does too! The sad thing is that after having her, my hair isn't as curly as it used to be - probably because I gave some to her?! Who knows...hopefully it doesn't get less curly with each pregnancy...I don't know how to do straight hair!!

I finally have my pictures downloaded - so here is a recap.

While my mom, Kira, and Emma where here we went to the Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium! It was really neat. We all got to pet and feed the sting rays - along with star fish, sea urchins, and horseshoe crabs.

I think Sasha really liked having Emma around. They played together really well! (Emma is petting Sasha - not pulling her hair - just incase you were wondering! :) I am so glad I have such a wonderful family that would take the time to come see me. I really needed it and am so grateful for all their help!

So much...

2009-03-30T21:57:00.000-07:00

So much has happened this month - the biggest highlight was that my family came to visit - so I will post those pictures soon with a little update of what we've been up to. But until then, here is picture of my baby - she just turned 8 months old - I can't believe it!! And I have some exciting news!

The funny things she does....

2009-03-01T14:33:00.000-08:00

The other night Sasha kept scrunching her face up and breathing really heavy though her nose! It was HILARIOUS!!

These were just a few pictures I took a few weeks ago. We were getting ready to go somewhere and it was a little chilly so I put this hat on here - and from where I was standing, it looked so cute - I ran and grabbed my camera!!

Push-ups

2009-02-17T19:46:00.000-08:00

Mommy and baby both worked out today!

P.S. She cut tooth #2 today!!

Sasha's First Tooth

2009-01-30T11:04:00.000-08:00

It happened. After 3 months of teething her first tooth surfaced! Sasha bit down on Mark's finger last night and he yelled to me to come feel it - YEAH!! You can't see it very well at all, but when you can I'll try to post a picture. This picture is from a few days ago. She has started discovering her own fingers and it is really funny to watch her play with them. We are excited for the weekend - to have some quality family time, and finish some projects around the house! :)

What are you doing this weekend?

Commentary

2009-01-24T08:15:00.001-08:00

I didn't have enough time to post anything with my pictures - but here is a rundown of what happened last Saturday.

Friday night (16th) we went to dinner with some friends for my birthday. It was a lot of fun. Mark didn't let me stay up too late because of my "birthday surprise" - so I went to bed kind of early. He layed out my clothes and said, "We have to be out of the house by 6:00 tomorrow morning. WHAT?!?!? on my birthday? I can't sleep in??

So we wake up on Saturday at 5:20?, got Sasha ready, our babysitter was at our door at 5:55 to pick up Sasha, and we were in the car by 6:00! We drove and drove and drove. I was so confused....then we hit a car accident where traffic was pretty backed up. He gets on the phone, trying to be as indescrete as possible and says, "We are on our way to Deer Valley Airport, we ran into traffic and should be there shortly".

He is taking me to an airport?!?!? What is going on!?

We finally arrive there about around 7:10. He parks right infront of these tiny jumper planes. My mind is going crazy - "is he taking me skydiving?" I know he has always wanted to do that - but I need to work myself up for something like that! But I finally saw some vans with the hot air balloon company on it - boy was I excited! I have always wanted to go on a balloon ride (As a kid I was obsessed with the chipmunks movie where they travel around the world in a hot air balloon). Hee hee.

We were up in the air for a whole HOUR! We traveled in a 5 mile circle, reached heights of 4000 ft., and got up to 9 miles per hour. Afterwards we had a nice breakfast - and it was WONDERFUL!! Thank you Mark!! - you succeeded at keeping it a secret for a whole year! I couldn't have done it! (I usually get so excited that I can't keep secrets from him very well!)

My Birthday Surprise

2009-01-23T14:19:00.000-08:00

2009-01-14T07:33:00.000-08:00

This picture didn't make it into the slide show and it is one of my favorites - just wanted to add this one on there too.

We have some exciting stuff coming up this week - stay tuned!

Family Photos!

2009-01-09T15:07:00.000-08:00

I LOVE these photos!! Sasha is in such a fun phase. She loves to smile and laugh - I can't even handle it sometimes!

Kourtney and Ben's Wedding!

2009-01-07T18:02:00.000-08:00

We just got back from our incredibly short trip to Idaho - where we got to attend my little sisters wedding. She received her endowments at the Rexburg temple before the wedding, and it was my first time through that temple! It is small, but beautiful! Then on Saturday she got married in the Idaho Falls Temple - which is where I got married, so it was a lot of fun to visit there again!

Her reception was a blast! They did a movie theme, so there was a consession stand where you could get your popcorn, candy, and soda - then there were desserts you could eat also! Their cake was adorable, and all I can say is my mom, Kira, and their group of helpers did a GREAT job!! You looked beautiful Kourtney!!

P.S. She got snowed in on their honeymoon and have had to eat Ramen for the last two days...poor things....

Back it up or publish it!

2008-12-28T13:32:00.000-08:00

http://www.bloggled.com/

I read about this website where you can back up your blog (for FREE) and if you use your blog as your "journal" you can actually have it published in book form so you can have it has a journal!! How great is that?!?!

Enjoy!

Word Clouds!!

2008-12-28T13:16:00.000-08:00

I LOVE word clouds! You can scrapbook them,frame them, blog them, print them, share them - whatever the occasion - they are the best! My favorite word cloud site is called wordle.net

Here is one that I made for my day planner!

This Christmas...

2008-12-23T18:42:00.000-08:00

I stole this of off my sisters blog. When I read it, it just made me happy inside!!

This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again.

Pres. Howard W. Hunter, Dec. 1994

2008-12-14T19:29:00.000-08:00

My little sister, Kourtney, is getting married in just a few weeks! (YEAH!) This is the dress that Sasha and my niece Emma will be wearing. I took a few pictures of her in it today while we were waiting for Mark to come home from his church meetings! I didn't know it was possible to love something so much! I am so thankful that she is part of my life.

Does this need a title?

2008-12-05T15:46:00.000-08:00

I took this picture this morning!!!

2008-12-05T12:21:00.000-08:00

I was teasing Mark the other day about how he can't curl down his bottom lip! I don't know why he can't do it (I shouldn't say anything - I can only wink with one eye....) But I sometimes make this face at Sasha and she laughs... I think it makes me look NASTY. Note to self: Don't ever do that face in public!!!!

Marks attempt....

Elder Joseph B. Worthlin

2008-12-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

We lost a beloved apostle. He sure will be missed, and what a great service he did while on the earth. I sure loved listening to him during conference. He was one of my favorites! From Lds.org:

"Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has passed away at the age of 91. See the Newsroom for the latest official information."

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T15:24:00.001-08:00

We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Shannon and Brian are always so fun to hang out with, and we are grateful that they made the long journey down here! :) I really enjoy taking pictures, so on Friday we went out and I played photographer - here are some of our shots!

I couldn't ask for more!

2008-11-17T19:53:00.000-08:00

Gilbert Days Parade

2008-11-16T14:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was so fun! We met some of our friends (Sonia, Jason, and baby Korban) at the Gilbert Days parade! Sasha is such a big girl - she sat front-facing in her stroller and played with her cow toy (thanks MOM!! :) You can't really see it in the picture because it is hanging in her lay - but she loves it!!

Sasha and Korban! Isn't he adorable!?

This is Sonia! Sonia, Mark, and I all went to highschool together. Mark and Sonia were close friends because they were both in choir, but I didn't reall become close with her until college when I was in the architecture program and she was doing interior design!

Where can I get one of these?

FREE Snapfish Book

2008-11-12T19:20:00.000-08:00

My friend Susan and I were chatting tonight and she told me about this great deal that was on Oprah today!! They are giving away a free Snapfish book for the rest of today and tomorrow. Go to this link:

http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20081029_tows_messyhouse/7

Hope you enjoy!!!
THANKS SUSAN!!!

17 Days till Thanksgiving

2008-11-10T08:45:00.000-08:00

17 days and counting....
17 is my lucky number.
It was the store number of Inkley's when my dad was the manager.
I was the 17th student (by last name) in my 3rd grade class, when we were required to turn our work in by number order. Which I found out I was 17th in 5th, and 6th grade also...coincidence? I think NOT! :)
My birthday is the 17th.
"1776" is one of the funniest musicals I have ever seen.
17 is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18.
17 is the 7th prime number.
17 is the sum of the first 4 primes.
17 is a mild swear word in Swedish. It can roughly be translated to "Darn!". It is of course also used for the number 17.
17 is the number of Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon Webb.
In the Harry Potter universe, 17 is the coming of age for wizards.
"Seventeen" was the original name of The Beatles song "I Saw Her Standing There"..
The atomic number of chlorine.
Year 17 A.D. was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar....I like Fridays!!

My wonderful friends S and B are coming from Vegas for Thanksgiving, and we can't wait to see them!

My silly little girl

2008-11-06T14:44:00.000-08:00

Sasha and I really like to go on walks. It is our little mommy/daughter dates that we go on several times a week. Last week we were walking and she was making the funniest faces - so I grabbed my camera - and this is what I got!

Trunk-or-treating

2008-11-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

Sasha was awake for about 15 minutes before she started getting tired...

Kylee tried to console her....

But she was the cutest sleeping chicken ever!!

We went with the Svancara family and the Zemp family!

Hazel and Jack(-O-Lantern) looked great in their costumes!!

My eye twitch

2008-10-27T17:47:00.000-07:00

So I used to have this eye twitch....a REALLY BAD eye twitch. It got so bad I thought I might have it for the rest of my life. Just kidding. Well, the optometrist said it was stress induced - and to take a bubble bath! WHAT!?!? Well, it went away earlier this year after we moved into our new house. I actually didn't have it the entire time I was pregnant nor did I have it after Sasha was born....but it came back last week....

The same time I went back to work.....

Any good recommendations on bubble bath?!?

2008-10-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

Sasha has so many Halloween outfits (not including her costume!) So I put one of them on her the other day since I was going to an appointment with her - and she looked so cute I had to take some pictures! Here are the few I got of her on Saturday! I'll post some more soon!

2008-10-17T17:46:00.000-07:00

Sasha was so great when we were traveling to Utah to go to the airport! She smiled and cooed for a while before she totally zonked out!

I aspire to be as buff as my brother, Korth. We constantly joke back and forth about who could "take the other out". I had a lot of fun hanging out with him. I didn't get to see much of him the last time I was in Idaho, so it was fun spending some more time with him.

My sister-in-law, Autumn, had a nice little visitor this last weekend! Her friend Josh drove down from Washington to spend a few days with her. He just got back from his mission! He seems very nice!
Joey is just a ham. As soon as brought out the camera he would start smiling!!

My mom came 2 weeks ago and spent another week with us. She fell asleep next to Sasha one night and I had to take a picture!!

On our drive back to Idaho we stopped at Glen Dam to stretch our legs.

Glen Dam Bridge

Sasha, my mom, and my mom's friend - Bobbie!

Can you believe this girl? She fell asleep like this while we were waiting to have my oil changed! She is so precious!!!

Sasha LOVES her sling. I take her everywhere in this thing. She always "clings" to her binki (on the days she actually feels like using one).

We took Sasha swimming!! She really liked it. She is such a water baby!!!

This is my daddy. He got Sasha to laugh!!!! Which she has only done 3 times...she loves her "Poppy!"

Snow?!?!

2008-10-10T05:20:00.001-07:00

Well, I am off to Idaho for a small little trip (I'll tell you why later!!) but my sister called and said it snowed a little at her place there yesterday!! And it is supposed to snow all weekend!!! Can you believe that?!?! Hope you all have a fun weekend - I'll blog soon!

Funny picture

2008-10-05T22:22:00.000-07:00

I finally downloaded the pictures that my mom had taken while I was in Idaho - and I thought this one was hilarious. Joey (my soon-to-be new brother) sure loves Sasha. He called me today and wanted to webcam. He was so excited! "Hi baby Sasha!!" "Why isn't baby Sasha talking?" "Hello? Baby Sasha??"

Meet Ben!

2008-10-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

It's official - my sister is getting married!! Ben proposed to her about a week and a half ago- we are so excited to have him in the family!! I had the oppurtunity to meet and hang out with Ben a lot during my 2 week visit to Idaho and I just love him to death. I guess we have a guaranteed trip to Idaho again in January! :)

Sasha's Play Date

2008-09-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

Today Sasha had a play date with her friend Sedona. I met Sedona's mom during one of my child-birth classes, and today was the first time I was able to meet her little one! Sasha has a new facination with her play mat, so we put Sedona under it to see if she liked it also, and it was a hit!!

Sasha's Blessing - 8-31-08

2008-09-19T15:18:00.001-07:00

Family Pictures 8-31-08

2008-09-19T14:47:00.000-07:00

After Sasha's blessing, we walked over to the park and took family pictures! It was a lot of fun having everyone there! I thought they turned out great. Sasha looked so pretty in her dress! Thanks mom for making it so PERFECT!!!

Birth Announcements

2008-09-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

Here are the two birth announcements that we made for Sasha! Thanks to my two TRICIA'S for helping me. Tricia L. took my pictures and did a FANTASTIC job, and Tricia A. put my announcements together! We couldn't decide on just one, so we used both. One cute-sy and one more elegant!

And a random pregnancy photo just for fun!

I'll post pictures of my trip soon!!

One week down, one more to go

2008-09-05T18:29:00.001-07:00

Well, I have some FABULOUS pictures to post, but for some reason it won't let me attach pictures right now, so I guess we'll just have to wait!!!

But this first week has gone by so fast. I flew in last Friday, Saturday we were planning and getting things ready for the baby blessing, then on Sunday we had the baby blessed, had a HUGE lunch/get-together with both sides of the family, and entertained the rest of our family on Monday. So I really didn't sleep well for several days, but it sure was fun!! I love being here, and it is going to be really hard going home. Although I miss Mark more than I can say, I love being around both of my families! (this is the longest we've been apart - and I still have 8 more days till I go home!) :(

Sasha is growing like crazy - I can't wait to post some of the pictures I have taken of her. Ahh! I just love her so much.

Well, I will try to post pictures another time! Hope you are all doing well!!!

Pocatello invite

2008-08-28T16:45:00.001-07:00

To my friends in Idaho and Utah, we are going be blessing Sasha this Sunday at the church building on the corner of Hawthorne and Chubbuck Rd. at 9:00 Am if you would like to come!! If you want directions or anything, please feel free to let me know!

We are flying out tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM! I am so excited to see my family!! Sasha had her one month check up today. The Doc said her neck muscles are to the strength of a 3 month old!! She grew 2 1/4 inches since birth and weighs 9 pounds, 13 oz!! (Hard to believe that I was bigger than that when I was born!) She is so beautiful and has started smiling on her own! I'll try to post some fun pictures of her smiling!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Make sure to read my post below about Nie Nie.

Lets help our fellow Mesa Family!!!

2008-08-28T16:21:00.000-07:00

If you know NieNie, you know the story of the plane crash that happened earlier this month here in Arizona. This family needs our help! They are going to undergo months of recovery and we all know how hospital bills can be.

One of my funnest friends, Sheena, is holding an auction of some of her beautiful photographs for Nie Nie's cause. Visit her blog here.

Happy Anniversary

2008-08-19T17:27:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is our 3 year anniversary! And what a wonderful 3 years it has been!
Mark and I were talking the other day about how so much has changed in the last year. We bought a house, moved, had a baby, and have had some pretty large changes in a few other areas. It is amazing how when we got married I didn't think I could love Mark more, but I watch him now and wonder the same thing.

He has been such a help with Sasha. At night he gets up with her EVERY time she crys and only really brings her to me if she needs to eat. He even helps with feedings in the middle of the night if I have pumped milk. It is such a great help. We've become so much closer, and he is the best friend I could ever wish for!!

We have known each other since we were 12 - it has been such a fun journey!

This is one of my favorite pictures!

My two beautiful ladies!

2008-08-03T15:10:00.000-07:00

I took these pictures of my mom this morning before taking her to airport. It has kind of been a sad morning, I miss her already.

Little update!!

2008-08-02T22:51:00.000-07:00

My mom has been here since Sasha was born, and I couldn't have asked for a better week!! I had a great time taking pictures of Sasha and getting to know her sweet little personality.

We then designed and decorated her nursery!! This was so much fun!!!

My mom painted the room and the three canvas pictures. My pictures don't do her talent justice at all!!! I am so grateful for her and all the help she has given me. I can't even start do discribe all she has done while she has been here! She is leaving tomorrow and I am going to miss her so much.

Her Lady Bug bedding

We did a lot of other fun things that I will post about later!! I love you MOM!!!!!!!!!!!

Sasha Kapri Starr

2008-07-26T22:26:00.000-07:00

Sasha Kapri was born July 24th at 1:11 PM. She was 8 pounds even and 21 inches long! We just got home from the hospital today and are both doing really well! She is so beautiful and we are so thankful to have her in our home!

My little Sasha!

2008-07-26T22:25:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few pictures of the newest member of our family! We had such a great hospital experience - everything went so well!! My water broke on Wednesday evening, I went to the hospital about 4 hours later - went immediatly to labor and delivery, labored for a few hours - pushed for less than an hour - and then she was here!!
We are both doing really well - so thank you for your comments, phone calls, and acts of service - we sure appreciate it!

Sasha has been such a great baby - she sleeps well, eats great, and loves just looking around and observing things - I can hardly wait for you all to meet her!

Water, water, water!

2008-07-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

Well - water broke today - I am not really having any contractions since it happened - but I'll post pictures after she is born! WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!

Quick! Help!

2008-07-15T14:11:00.000-07:00

Fellow mothers - Can you tell me what your favorite car seat/strollers are?? I have been looking at many - but thought this would be a great place to get advice on this! Let me know what you have found that you LOVE or HATE!

A few pictures

2008-07-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

I have some great updates from the last 2 weeks- but not a ton of time right now - but here is a picture of our baby - I had to get an ultrasound today because I am measuring a little bit larger than normal. I love her little lips and cheeks!!

More to come as soon as I download the rest of my pictures!

Happy 4th of July!!!

2008-07-03T19:57:00.001-07:00

I LOVE 4th of July! It is such a great holiday - and I think many people don't realize how great we have it. Growing up learning about how the cultures and countries are so different, (my parents lived in several different countries) it made me so grateful for our Independence, and it has always been a very special subject to me.

I hope you all have a great and safe holiday!!!

I am alive!!

2008-06-27T07:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't updated in a while - I have received several emails asking how I am doing - so thank you so much for thinking about me! I am doing really well!! Here is a recap of things that have happened lately! :)

- My friend and old college roommate Shannon and her husband came to visit Father's Day weekend - which also happened to be the same weekend as my baby shower (which was WONDERFUL!!!!) I'll post pictures of the shower when I get them! After the shower we drove up into Phoenix and made a quick stop at the Arizona Science Center. I am an idiot and didn't realize that it closed at 5:00 and we got there about 4:45!!! :( We did get to take a few pictures though!!

Mark and I had a wonderful Father's day. I bought him some camping supplies and he was really excited about it. He keeps wanting to take me but it is just too hot!!! We are supposed to be going today after work, but I think he finally understands how much I love my AC!

We also found out that I might be going into preeclampsia. Don't worry - I don't have high blood pressure or anything, but I do have excessive swelling that (no matter how hard I try) I can't get it to go down...so if that is the case, our baby will be here very soon!! I don't really want to be induced, so hopefully I'll be able to wait it out. We may be able to compromise on going on bed rest until she comes. (I REALLY don't want to do that either!) So we'll see!! I have another appointment on Wednesday. I honestly still feel GREAT!! The swelling can be a little uncomfortable, but I anticipate the next few weeks being a breeze!

On July 1st two of my sisters are flying down for a friends wedding! Kourtney (left picture) and Kira (right picture). I am so excited I don't think I can even find words for it. Kira has to fly back really early on the 4th, but Kourtney will be staying until Sunday! The 4th of July is my favorite holiday and to spend it with family will be great!!!

I hope you all are doing well!! I'll try to keep this more updated - especially with our baby news!! My tummy is still getting bigger and she moves all the time!! We have 4 names that we really like - and hopefully will be able to decide on one after she is born. Stay tuned!! :)

Technical Difficulties

2008-06-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

So I was messing around with my background tonight designing a new template and I accidentally deleted ALL of my links - so I am slowly trying to put them back on there - so if yours isn't on the side of my blog at the moment please forgive me....I am trying to figure it out!!!

Child-birth class #2

2008-06-13T16:38:00.001-07:00

Wednesday's class was pretty eventful - I even won some free baby stuff because I was born in Michigan! Woo-hoo! The only funny thing to write about is this video we had to watch (no delivery videos yet..). This one was about people being in labor and dealing with contractions at the hospitals. It showed different positions that might help to alleviate pain, hydrotherapy, etc.

Well, they get to this section explaining how some woman are "vocal" about their pain. (i.e. moaning, groaning, screaming...) There were two woman on the movie that moaned SO loud, and Mark is just cracking up! I look at him and he stops...so 5 seconds later he starts giggling again - so I look over at him again...he leans over and says, "if you do that during labor, I am going to laugh at you!" I had to laugh too, it was pretty hilarious - however, I am sure neither one of us will think that when it actually happens, but it made the night a little more fun!

Doesn't it always happen that way?

2008-06-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had the experience with something (a car, appliance, camera, etc.) that isn't working properly - so you take it in to get it fixed, and it doesn't do it anymore??

It is that law that if someone else is looking - it magically fixes itself??

Well, I sent my camera in to get fixed right after Memorial Day. It had been acting up for a few months, but it wasn't until my sister and her family were here that I finally had enough with it!! When you push the button to take a picture it only works about every FOUR pushes!! Then 50% of the pictures would be very pixalated after putting them on the computer. This can't be happening - especially with our little baby on the way! :( Luckily, my warranty is still good until June 19th. Well, they called me this week saying that they couldn't duplicate the problem!! WHAT?!?!?!?! Are you serious!! It even happened at Best Buy when we were standing in line to drop the camera off! She said she would continue to test it this week, but if she couldn't fine the problem, they would just send it back to me! Sad day.... I need my camera! I won't have it for my baby shower this weekend or for my friends Shannon and Brian being here this weekend! :(

I love this song!!

2008-06-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

This is Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat singing "Lucky". I LOVE this song!!! The album cover is a little distracting - but great song! :)

Our first child-birth class!

2008-06-05T08:04:00.000-07:00

Last night Mark and I went to our first child-birth class! I was a little nervous about what to expect, because lets face it - you always hear the craziest things about what happens while you are there.

But I have to say it exceeded my expectations. The lady who is teaching our class has been a labor and delivery nurse at my hospital for 27 years and she is hilarious! The other neat thing is that all the ladies in the class all go to the same OB team, and will all deliver at Banner Desert, so it was great that the doctors invested time and effort into having a specialist come to our doctors office to have these classes with us! I hope this lady is working when I go into labor!!

Who knows how the other 3 classes are going to be, but I can say the first one didn't scare me as badly as I thought it would!! What are some of the crazy things you have heard of or gone through during child-birth classes?

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-31T21:23:00.001-07:00

My sister, Kira, and her husband and daughter came in town late Saturday night and were here until Thursday! It was such a blast!! I will post pictures soon.

My camera has been doing really weird things lately - so I took it in today and they are sending it off to have it looked at. I feel weird not having my camera - it is kind of like one of my companions - always there in case something fun or interesting happens. Hopefully I will have it back in two weeks!

Beware of nasty pictures

2008-05-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

I really have had the easiest pregnancy and can't complain about anything that has happened so far - but I can tell you that since we had our wonderful 110 degree weather this last Monday and Tuesday, my left foot has swelled like a balloon and I can't seem to get it to go down! It doesn't really bother me at all, and Mark and I have found a lot of humor in how oompa-loompa-ish my foot/leg looks. I am retaining enough water that when you push on my shin the divits stay there a good 10-15 minutes before they start to diminish. And lets face it - I already have genetics working against how "sausage" like my toes are....so the water doesn't really help! Gross!! I've iced, I've elevated, and have eaten enough bland/less-salt food to kill me - if any of you have a magical answer - please let me know!

Cook wins American Idol

2008-05-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, both of these guys have great voices - just totally different ends of the musical spectrum. I didn't get to watch last nights show...but I heard that David A. was AMAZING...It will be interesting to see what the two guys albums sound like!

Congrats David!!

Can-opener update

2008-05-19T14:27:00.001-07:00

Mark officially gave up using the stupid can opener yesterday! I was sitting on the couch and he comes over with a can and hands me the opener and he says, "Let me show you how to do this..." I sit - watching to see if it works, and it DOESN'T!!! It's sad...and happy.... and a stupid thing to be happy about - but maybe he will buy me a new one now!!!

Reflections of Christ

2008-05-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

I think this is such a captivating photograph - one of my favorites out of the Reflections of Christ collection. If you haven't seen the slide-show of these amazing pictures go here.

Who ever thought of these anyways??

2008-05-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about all the random items I use on a regular basis - and honestly - who really had the time to invent these? How did they come up with them??? I don't know who you are but THANK YOU for making my life a lot easier!

1) The hair diffuser: look at this thing - it is like a dish with spikes, yet thousands of people use this contraption every day while hanging their head upside down amidst a cloud of hairspray and hair products - LOVE IT!

2) Pop-top cans: I don't really know what to say about these little guys other than I am glad we have them. Some of my friends know the story about my kitchen-aid can opener and how I really despise opening cans right now - I refuse until I get a new can opener, but mark insists that it is fine - so go on strong muscle man - you can open all the cans!!

3) Jolly Time Pop Corn "Mallow Magic": If you have not tried this - GO BUY SOME THIS WEEKEND!!! It is one of my favorite snacks - to the point I am only allowed to buy it for special occasions! It is Marshmallow popcorn - you pop the regular popcorn (it is a sweet tasting popcorn) and then you add a pouch of marshmallow topping to it and mix it all around! Who thought of that?? GENIUS!! It is delicious!

Can anyone think of a special occasion that I could use to convince Mark to let me buy some?!

Congrats!

2008-05-09T06:49:00.000-07:00

Mark is officially done with his semester!! I am so excited for him - and SO proud of him!!! He is such a hard worker and takes such good care of me - I love you honey!!!!

What to say?

2008-05-05T19:26:00.000-07:00

I feel like I need to blog about something, but I really don't have ANYTHING to talk about! My life is so boring right now!!! I guess I can tell you a couple of things that have been going on:

1) I felt the baby have hiccups for the first time on Friday while we were out to eat at Cantina Loredo.
2) Mark has finals this week!! One more week till I have him around again!
3) I bought some fabulous red vases/pottery at JoAnn's this week on clearance!! :)
4) I am hosting my first ever Arbonne open house in a few weeks - I am a little nervous, but very excited! (Please come - it will be a lot of fun!)
5) I have a doctors appointment on Friday. I am 28 weeks! :) (I was in the hospital last week for what they think is a blood clot? They are keeping an eye on my lung for now, but I am feeling fine - so hopefully it was nothing!)
6) Crib shopping is a lot harder than I thought it would be....
7) I volunteered at a golf tournament on Friday and got to drive a golf cart for a few hours - shuttling golfers to and from the rec. center!! I LOVE driving those things! Some day I might just buy one for the fun of it!

Okay - that is all for now! :) I'll take pictures of my radical vases!!! :)

Bye, bye, Brooke!!

2008-04-30T20:26:00.001-07:00

I am so sad that Brooke is off American Idol - I really like her voice and her "singer/song writer" talent! Plus she is from here, so hey! But at least she still gets to go on tour and I KNOW she will release an album! :)

100 Days!

2008-04-23T09:37:00.001-07:00

Only 100 (give or take) days left of being pregnant! Its going to go by so quickly - I can't believe it!

Things to do in Phoenix???

2008-04-21T10:29:00.001-07:00

So I am having company come in May and I need your HELP! My fabulous college roommate and her husband are coming from Vegas for a weekend, then my sister, her husband, and their two year old daughter are coming from Idaho - and I need some ideas of places we can go! So if you know if great restaurants, activities, (especially for little 2 year olds...) etc. PLEASE let me know!!!

I feel like I have a few places that would be fun - but I kind of live in this cycle of "sleep-work-drive-sleep" and don't really get out a whole lot!

Made in the Shade

2008-04-12T18:41:00.000-07:00

I was going to do a really cool "Friday Favorites" post - but as you can see it is Saturday and that didn't happen....but I still wanted to share a SUMMER FAVORITE with all my "super-white-I-couldn't-tan-if-my-life-depended-on-it" friends. (Not that everyone reading this is, but if you are, read carefully!)

This is the BEST self-tanner EVER! It is scentless, and doesn't make your skin look orange at all!! If you're looking for a tan over night, this is not the product for you - it works by applying a small amount of color evenly - on my mayo-legs, one application is all I need!! I will go from ghost white to vanilla-cool-whip white! I have had friends that put it on everyday and it makes, then maintains a beautiful sun-kissed tan!

Plus! It is SPF 15! So it makes you look like you were in the sun - but actually protects you from it as well! :) Stay tan!

New Bed Set

2008-04-12T18:24:00.000-07:00

You won't believe this, but I found the most amazing deal on Craigslist this week!! For those of you that have seen my entertainment center, I found it at Furniture Affair - (a store that sells Model Home furniture) and it was one of a kind! We got such a steal on it and I fell in love with it immediately!

Well, I was looking for a dresser on craigslist and I saw an ad for "old world" something or another - and being that I love furniture derived from European "Old World" style, I clicked on it!

Well, it is the bed set to my cute little entertainment center!! It was like uniting twins that had been separated from birth!

Here is a picture of the bed. It is hard to see from these pictures, but the engraved heart and circles on the top of the armoir match the headboard of the bed! (not to mention that the pictured bedroom is the same size as my entire house....)

It even has the dresser and nightstand also!

Ahh...what a great day for my fellow furniture friends.....

Where is Mark??

2008-04-10T09:57:00.000-07:00

Those of you that have had your spouses go through rigorous college majors have probably experienced what I am about to describe!!

On a typical night that Mark stays up and does homework (Mon-Thurs.) I usually go to bed by myself. Mark will come in so we can say prayers, he kisses me good night, and leaves me to slumber about the strangest things possible. (Pregnancy thing....)

On these "homework nights", my body will automatically wake at 1:00 AM without fail. If Mark isn't in bed, I assume he is still working and will be to bed soon. My body then will automatically awake at 2:00 AM. Mark has always been in bed by this time, so I make sure he is there, and roll back over and go back to bed.

Well, last night I went through my usual 1:00 awakening - Mark is still gone. I wake up at 2:00 and he is still gone! I see the lights are still on in the kitchen and just went back to sleep - no big deal. Well, I wake up at 3:15 and Mark still isn't in bed!! I knew that he was working on a VERY big project for his Chemistry class...so I lay there trying to tell myself he is fine, but on top of my fear that he was still working on his homework and was going to be sleep deprived, I really had to PEE! So I get up and walk out to the living room, and there he is working on his big presentation board. Poor guy - I felt so bad for him - I told him just to come to bed since he would be more efficient after he got some sleep.

Hooray that Mark got some sleep! Bad for me though - I was now completely awake, Mark was snoring in blissful sleep, and my daughter was now awake and kicking me like crazy!

But on a positive note - only 5 or 6 more years to go.... hee! hee!

Easter 2008

2008-03-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

Mark and I had a wonderful Easter!! We were able to go to the Easter pageant with some of our friends - which has kind of become a new tradition for us! Then!! I had such a wonderful surprise on Easter morning - let me preface this by saying that I always "fill" our baskets the night before - because Mark isn't really that "type" - but anyways....I went to bed before Mark because he was still preparing his talk for Sunday morning, so I woke up really early and ran out to the living room very quietly to start putting the candy in the eggs. I grabbed the first bag of candy and it was open. I thought to myself, "what a punk - he sat up all night eating our Easter goodies while he prepared his talk!" Well then I saw that all of them were open - and my basket was full!

I was so excited - Mark had actually took the time and filled my basket!!! Well, long story short, we opened out baskets after church and in each one of my eggs there was a little slip inside that said one of the reasons why he loved me!

I can't tell you how SHOCKED I was!! It was one of the nicest things ever! I loved it!!!

Update:

We have gotten a lot more done around the house - our painter is getting ready for the big project! I am so excited to have that completed!!! I also bought a really neat metal star for our front entry! My new favorite store is Kirkland's - right on Santan Village - it has GREAT deals on home decor if any of you need something!!!

My Daughter

2008-03-07T16:33:00.000-08:00

Here she is - baby Starr. I finally got our printer set up so I was able to scan these in!

100 Calorie Pack - Favorite

2008-03-07T11:29:00.000-08:00

I had to post about these. I am sitting here at my desk, basking in the enjoyment of eating these three delectable blueberry streusel muffins! I place one on my tongue and it takes me back to when I was 7 and my grandma would bake....

No, that was a joke, but imagine them taking you back to a childhood memory, okay! :) I haven't tried the banana or the cinnamon coffee cakes, but I really think you should try the blueberry ones! I think they are $2.50 for 6 packs of 3!

Weight Watcher points: 2
Calories: 100
Loving every bite: Priceless

Beautiful Emma!

2008-03-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

This is my beautiful niece, Emma. She will be two this April - isn't she beautiful?? I had a pretty hard day on Wednesday, so I emailed my sister, Kira, and asked her to send me pictures of Em. They were exactly what I needed. These were my two favorites!

It is weird to think that two people can create such beautiful spirits - it is even more weird to think that I will have one of these soon!!

Its a GIRL!!!!!

2008-02-28T14:20:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!!! My appointment went so well today!! I had the nicest tech who did the ultrasound and after doing all her measurements (which all looked great!) she saw that it was a girl!!! How exciting is that?? I have to say there were many moments over the last few weeks where I thought I was going to have a little boy, so it was a shock - but a very good one!!! I can't wait to buy little dresses, and bows, and I hope she has curly hair!!! I'll post pictures as soon as I get my scanner up and running! :)

Thank you all for being so supportive! It's been such an exciting day!!!! And TL - thanks for the cinnamon bears!!! DELICIOUS!