I dedicate this entry to my favorite, one and only Aunt Debi. The only reason I'm posting anything is because she reminds me quite often that I need to update this blog. I love writing in my journal. It's one of my favorite things to do, but I do not feel the same about keeping an online journal. It's just not the same thing to me, plus it's so difficult for me to work out the writing and where the pictures go, it takes forever to download....what work! So I really have to have motivation in order to post anything on here. Thanks Aunt Debi for the motivation...for that reason this post is dedicated to you!

Where to begin.....well, we're moving! Actually, to state it correctly, we have moved. Yes, we moved out of our dear little #601 apartment a few days before Christmas. We loved it there...two years, what fun we had, but 495 square feet will only work so long with a little baby crawling around. The last two months it finally got to the point that I couldn't handle Kaylee in our room at night anymore and I wanted to train her to sleep through the night without waking up and needing mommy and food. We started moving her play pen out in the living room at night. I slept much better once we did that because I stopped waking up to her little whimpers here and there. If she ever woke up in the night I would go in and stroke her forehead and talk to her for a bit and then let her put herself back to sleep, but I never put her to sleep myself. In my parenting class I learned that it's important to help your kids learn to soothe themselves so they can learn to handle their emotions instead of expecting mom to come and make everything alright when the tears come. After two months of doing this many times it is now paying back. She no longer wakes up during the night and wants to be fed. I get a wonderful nights rest and if she does ever start to cry she quickly puts herself back to sleep. The work was worth it.

Going back to moving...I've never ever cleaned so hard in all my life. It took me three entire days to scrub every inch of that tiny place. I left it as clean and polished as I possibly could and by the time I was done I was spent with no energy left. I don't ever want to move again. Yikes! We're moving across the street (we don't move far do we!) into a two bedroom apartment and boy are we excited. We'll stay in the ward, which we're so grateful for. Jared and I are still enjoying our callings, which continue to keep us ever busy, especially when the semesters change, which happens every 13 weeks...new callings within the R.S and priesthood, re-arranging home and visiting teaching, meetings and more meeting, and visiting the new couples that move into the ward. We have about 80 couples in our ward and every thirteen weeks at least 1/3 if not 1/2 move out...crazy busy but what fun! (most of the time).

It's been wonderful to take a break from everything and spend Christmas with my family. We went sledding on Christmas Eve and Kaylee even went a couple of times. Then we came home and made gingerbread houses, then watched Muppet's Christmas Carol and then all of us kids fell asleep together in the room next to the living room. I had fun staying up a little later with mom and Jason, stuffing the stockings and laughing for another hour or so. That was probably one of my favorite parts.

Kaylee, Kaylee, Kaylee. We love her so much. She is sooo easy to love and take care of. She continues to a content, easy going, and happy little girl. She's not really a baby anymore, especially not now that she crawls everywhere and wishes she could walk. What a cutie pie.

Right now we're in St. George for the week. Angie's getting married a couple of days after we get home, on the day school starts up (thanks Ang), and then we are going back to Rexburg, moving into our bigger (;->) apartment (we couldn't move in until Jan 1st so we put our stuff in a storage area during the break), moving Ang and Austin's stuff into their apartment too while they're on their honeymoon (since they are missing school for that entire week), and get busy with school, Jared with work, and lots of church stuff to do with the new semester. WHew! But we are so happy! We love having purpose in our lives. We got married two years ago on the 28th and have found so much joy in the journey we've created together. There just isn't much more we could ask for in life.

Alright Aunt Debi...did that work for you?

the joy of an orange

Our little family

whew! it's been a long time...

Hello hello to everyone out there. It's been so long since I last said anything. I'm no good at this blog thing. I'd much rather actually talk to someone in person than write on this thing, but, oh well. My Aunt Debi scolded me for not keeping up to date on this thing. Well, here goes.
WE are happy...and doing very well. We really couldn't ask for anything more in our lives. .nope, nothing. . . .except. . .a bigger apartment, ok, you got me. I have come to the realization within the last month that we have outgrown our first little apartment. I think I knew it a long time ago, but we have been here since the first week of being married and have loved it so very very much. We are happy in the ward and are so grateful to live across the street from campus. We are also grateful for our callings which keep us up and hopping. We are playing with the idea that we'll move in December, but if you want my honest opinion, we'll stay, I'm sure of it. We graduate in April '10 and we've made this beautiful, little place work for a year and eight months, so what's another eight? Even if we have to stick Kaylee's crib in the shower we will make it work!! Jared is the Elder's Quorum President and I am the Relief Society President and that has been a blessing in our lives. There's not much more, besides family, that makes me happier than serving in the church, where ever and however that may be. It gets me out visiting and serving other sisters constantly. My testimony has grown tremendously of Visiting and Home teaching and the impact that we can have on each other.
Kaylee is a doll! We love her so much. I didn't know I could love being a mom this much. She was cute when she was born, cute when she was a month old, and cute when she fit in our sink (ha, no bathtub in the place...another reason it's soon time to move), but now, she is so beautiful to me. I laugh with her all the time. What a little personality this girl has. She is ALWAYS smiling. If you look at her she smiles, if you blow kisses at her she smiles, and if you hug her she smiles. She never really gets upset. Well we reached a big milestone today. She fell off the couch. I now have to watch her every move since she wiggles around and rolls over where ever I put her. It was so sad but cute when she cried for me and only wanted her mommy. Can anything be better than that?
I am taking three classes, an Ethics/philosophy class which is fantastic, a Sociology/family interactions class, and one of my final psychology classes. I don't want this time to end here at BYU-Idaho. I know that it's winding down, but everyday I've been here I have felt so grateful for this place. Being here has been like serving a mission, or more like the MTC...just crammed with spiritual and secular knowledge to be learned at every experience.
We can feel that Fall is fast approaching...good, I am ready, although Jared is not, nor ever will be. It's my favorite time of year. I think Jared wishes it was summer, summer, summer everyday. Nope, not me. I enjoy wearing sweaters and jackets, scarves, and cute socks, hearing leaves crunch under my feet, smelling pumpkin spice, and hearing the heat on in our home. It's a cozy time of year, if you ask me.
Well whoever out there reads this, I hope this finds you equally happy and doing as well as can be. Life is so wonderful. I am constantly in awe at the beauty and joy that our Heavenly Father shares with us each day!

We are having so much fun!

Balloons are. . .scary?

We celebrated Jared's 26th birthday on Saturday. Everything I planned went wrong, but that's ok. He decided that Subway was exactly what he wanted for a birthday meal so that's what we did for dinner (he even got bacon on his sandwich, which he never does because it's a whole $1.75 extra). Later that evening we went to Grandma's and had cake and then our activity was nintendo. I rarely, if ever play so it was one of my little treats to him.

Summer time!

Bath time is a fun time, right...

Getting ready for church on Sunday...

I went to Broulims last week to get a few bits and bobs, plus they had a good sale on Fruit Loops, which Jared LOVES! This is what we looked like when we walked home. People think I'm crazy, I know, but I cannot bring myself to take the car when it only takes me 20 minutes to walk there, plus you all know how I love taking Kaylee out for walks. The cereal kept her nice and warm!



Blow-outs, how we love them...

Moonlight Serenade

This last weekend Jared, Kaylee and I went with Grandma Bird down to Utah to be with my family and go to Moonlight Serenade that Davis High school puts on every year. This was Jason's last year in the Jazz band so of course we had to go. It was a big, exciting thing for me when I was in high school. I always looked forward to being a waitress. Thur-Sat nights the Jazz band plays, there are singers, jazz dancers, and the whole cafeteria is transformed to fit the mood.





We had a beautiful stake dinner with amazing rolls and cheesecake, among other things. I always love going! So we all dressed up and had a great time. I tried to convince Jared quite a long time before hand that we WERE going to dance (it scares him but I love it). He made me laugh when we were out dancing. During one really fast jazz song with people dancing like crazy (the polka, I think), we were around the edges starting to dance and he grabbed me and said "oh, this is scary...just hold me," as he was laughing. It just made me laugh too. I love my family so much. What a fantastic weekend we had.

President Gordon B. Hinckley

"The observance of four simple things on the part of parents would, in a generation or two, turn our societies around in terms of their moral values...Let parents and children teach and learn goodness together, work together, read good books together, and pray together."

Camp out, S'mores, and "The Sandlot"

Like daddy, like daughter

General Conference Fun

It has been great fun around here the last while...General Conference was wonderful. We got together with some of our ward friends and had breakfast and then watched the first session. Then my neighbor Jenny and her little boy, my upstairs neighbor Mary, and I went for a walk all around campus since it was so beautiful. Taking walks is something I love so much, just being out doors each day and seeing how beautiful everything is and enjoying the fresh air, as well as having a chance to talk to friends along the way. I think it does the mind and body much good.