Sarafina....

Oh Sarafina, what a name. Today as I was unloading pictures off the camera I stumbled across some shots Avery had taken. She is a frequent thief of the camera and some day I'll have to make an album of just "her" shots. Yes, including all the ones of the toilet, Spongebob on TV, her pet shops all stylishly posed and especially the ones from a visit from Great Grandma Mattie's home of the cow's and their poop. I love how they are all from down low, giving me an eye view of Avery's world. This day she was particularly proud of her lovely ribbons she had raided from my craft box and adorned her precious kitty cat Sarafina with.

Sarafina was a special find at Deseret Industries for a whole quarter! And by looking at the tag it was made for the Dollar Store. It's so funny that this very used and loved pet is the one that hardly cost anything at all. Avery carries her just about everywhere and has to have her tucked in next to her at night. She is even seat belted in the car. She just loves Sarafina, and I have to admit, I love her too.:)

A little stimulant....

A few weeks ago I had to be up and ready for church early to attend our Activities Committee meeting, which you'd think with church at 1pm wouldn't be a big deal. Needless to say I was actually on time to church that day and even had an extra hour to sit out in the back yard, read my book and try to get a little sun on my scary white legs that defy wearing nylons in the heat of summer.

Fluffy my sweet 12 year old kitty is drawn out during moments like these of solitude, where there is no threat of a screaming kid chasing her to pet her fluffy fur. She knows she has me all to herself and it is a beautiful day to sun herself. After ample petting she crawled back into her pile of catnip leaves that grow abundantly under our bedroom window. She just sits and basks in the warmth of the day and the essence of catnip. It was at that moment that I was so grateful, yes as silly as it sounds, I was grateful. Why? I am glad that since I've had a home of my own that there has always been a little spot to grow some catnip for my kitties. They have loved it and I have loved that they love it. Anyway it was a good feeling.

Yesterday Avery and I decided to do something fun and creative together so after collecting some lovely rocks from my parent's neighboring fields...we washed them, dried them and started to paint. Avery loved doing this but didn't like how long it took to dry and was more content giving me orders on what to paint next.... She loves sharks so there is a tribute to a very fat and full shark. She wanted a bloody foot dangling over the fully stuffed Great white shark. That I didn't indulge.

4th of July came and went. My parents officially had their street christened with our little pathetic show. I was blown away as we waited for our turn in the firecracker line (20 minutes!) for our $13 haul, and watched people blow over $100 on that crap. Yes, you may think I'm not patriotic, which isn't the case. I just prefer to watch other people's money go up in smoke instead of my own.:) Avery loved every minute of it except when there was a pause between the show in the sky.

Yes, you are mesmerized, we were too..........

Avery was busy with a couple of little class/camps this summer. First up was swim lessons out in Eagle with her cousin Nathan. I felt like she actually walked away with some swimming skills this time.

One, Two, Three.....

Avery with her best buddy cousin Nathan!

Then she had her little Miss Homemaker's class with her great Pre-school teacher Janis Atwood. I seriously couldn't stop smiling when I picked her up each day. They made cinnamon rolls and lip gloss, bread and pizza, birdhouses and painted vases, and it was all these girls up to age 14. I just think Janis is great and this class will become a tradition for Avery for many summers from now on.

Finally she had a little dance camp from a older girl from our ward. It was pretty cute. Avery is always dancing and twirling around, so we thought she'd love this. She really dragged her feet on this one though. I think she liked it okay but on the last day when they were going to do a "dance recital" for us parents she informed me she had Dance fright, which of course Mom is like stage fright! She frowned and held her hands up in an X the whole time to let us know she was not happy about dancing in front of anyone. AAAAAHHHHHH, glad it's done.

We also had a great visit from Britt's sister and her family! We love spending time with Autumn, Allen, Olivia, Charlotte and Grady. We didn't even really leave the house but we had a blast! I have come to the conclusion that Britt has a man crush on Allen and vice versa. They are like two little boys when they get together and are oblivious to anyone or anything than their own funny conversations. It's actually pretty funny to watch. We enjoy their family so much! Avery loves having her cousins come and visit! I get excited to absorb whatever I can from Autumn and her amazing creativity. Maybe some day it will rub off on me.:)

Here's Charlotte, Olivia, Avery & Grady!

Olivia dominates the trapeze, plus she's the only one tall enough to get on it herself!

Grady with his new collection of rollie pollie bugs that live in abundance in my garden.The kiddo's were so good together, chillin' watching a movie.

Charlotte winning points with me with a lovely drawing that said I love Aunt Nicole!Tuesday I laid down with Avery for a nap and stayed there for a while resting my ridiculous knees which have seen their fair share of damage lately. I wish I had of picture of the smile on her face when she woke up and saw me still there next to her. It was priceless to me. Some days, more often now than not, I wish I could just hang out in bed snuggling with her, painting our nails. I have an amazing and very loving daughter. I think Heavenly Father knew I needed her much more than she needed me when He sent her to me.

My Father, My Hero, My Friend....

Strength, Loving, Honor, Compassion, Integrity, Humor, Laughter, Charity, Respect, Generous in word and deed....the list could go on for miles. These words are only a few that describe the man I call Father, Dad, Daddy. He may not have a flowing cape and the fancy tights to go with the title of Superman but that is exactly how I've always seen my Father. I have never known a man that I respect more than my Dad. I have never known someone who is a harder worker or more giving of what is most precious, his time.

My favorite memories with my Dad are the ones of working out in the yard, him allowing me to plant the tiny pink corn seeds with him, holding the tiny trees as he planted them in the back 40. Going on one of his work field trips eating cherry cordials and listening to John Denver's country road take me home. Putting in my sprinkler system in Tooele with Mom as our gopher. I used to beg to come along with him on his exercise walks around the block, the block being a couple of miles, and he would just listen to me blabber about my life, ya know really listen to me. I don't know, maybe he was going deaf back then and maybe that's how he tolerated me and my gabbing, either way it meant the world to me. I knew I could always confide in my Dad and always knew he was there to help me, protect me and keep me safe. I remember him teaching me to dance, the waltz was one of the first he taught me. He gave me my love of drama, of writing silly plays, having a sense of humor, a love of writing. I always loved sitting around the piano with Candy and my Dad singing those old hippie songs from the 70's. He has set high standards for me concerning the men in my life, Britt has certainly felt the pressure.:)

I have been so greatful for the example he has set for my man, my husband Britt. Giving him an example of a righteous priesthood holder, a patient husband who dotes on his wife (yes, he even putting linoleum in his new shed to please my Mother.:)), a jack of all trades who isn't scared to tackle anything and everything. That is one thing I know I got from my Dad, is that I have no fear to do something I put my mind to. My Dad always believed in me and trusted me for some crazy reason I still don't know why. When he and I get together to do some crazy cock eyed project I am suddenly fearless and somehow we pull it off.

One of my favorite things to do in the world is to do a project with my Dad. His calming presence boosts my spirits when I am down. He has always come to my rescue, always been my night in shining armor. My Dad is amazing, I can't even explain how amazing he is, I wish I could somehow describe how great he is, you'll just have to take my word on it.

So Dad on Father's day, I hope you know how much I love you. Britt, the same goes for you, I am so glad you are my companion and my friend. I love watching you take Avery fishing, seeing you two camp out in the back yard and call me on the cell phone as I watch from the window in the comfort of my soft bed. I love you! Happy Father's Day!

Mother, I love you, I love you I do....

I often go walking in meadows of clover and I gather armfuls of blossoms of blue, I gather the blossoms the whole meadow over, dear Mother all flowers remind me of you!

That song gets me every time. I start bawling like a baby. I wish I could describe the amount of love, respect and admiration I have for my Mother. This picture is of my Mom holding Avery after she was just born. It is one of my favorite. It's like she was inspecting this little one and showing her approval all in one glance. It meant the world to me. She gave me a card we had bought years and years before that she said she would give me one day when I had my own, which seemed completely implausible at the time. She always believed in me and knew I could do whatever I put my mind to.

My Mother is the most amazing woman I know. I don't know how she raised us 6 wild and crazy kids but she did and I think we turned out okay! My Mother has always been a beacon of strength, her kind soothing words calm me just at the sound of her voice. My Mother always told me I was beautiful, even when I know I wasn't, and she still does. My Mother always brought me to her side to watch what she was doing, how to sew, make pies---I had her pie crust recipe memorized when I was 5, how to treat people. Obviously I didn't listen all the time but I tried. I should be a better woman for the example I've had.

Besides having her with me after Avery was born, one of my other most precious memories was the day I was married. I have always been cheap and when I got married I certainly didn't want to put my parents out. Mom and I carefully found a pattern, saved our coupons for the right sale at Jo-Anns and then of course put off sewing the dress till the last moment because we were also renovating the house that summer. I had tried on the basic pieces of material when she was pinning them together but never again. Two days before the wedding I didn't think she'd get it done. We were going to go rent a dress. My Mom was still in the motel sewing furiously that morning and showed up 15 minutes before the ceremony. I was mortified and scared but I had that underlying faith in my Mom's ability. I was right to have it. I put the dress on and it fit like a glove. It was perfect! I actually felt bad for the other brides there that day because my dress was so much prettier than any of the others. But it wasn't that it was prettier, it was as simple as the answer I gave to one of the temple ladies when she asked me where I got my dress...."My Mom made it."

My Mom is amazing, kind, loving, funny, brilliant, beautiful, righteous, faithful, obedient, compassionate and more than anything her love is unconditional. There are many more words I could use but I wish I could verbally explain the feeling in my heart for my Mother. I know a name, a glorious name, sweeter than any other. Listen I'll whisper that name to you, it is the name of Mother. Mother I love you, I love you I do.

Cringe! I A spotlight!

Well I know it would shock many of you who saw me love drama in high school or have experienced the so called drama of my life, but I actually don't like being in the spot light. Especially as I have gotten older and with the more apparent flaws, I don't like eyes on me and I am quite content to sit at the back of the room and quietly observe. This month I am spotlighted on the Paper Cottage Blog which is kinda fun and kinda embarrassing. So here's a toot on my own horn.....
http://mypapercottage.blogspot.com/

I'm always playing catch up!

So if you were to ask anyone who's been around me lately my most common statement is that I'm always playing catch up. It feels like no matter how hard or fast I work I'm still falling behind. So what is now to be my usual fashion....here's a recap of the last couple of months!

I finally got my own work space that will help keep all the dang dust out of my house, well that is until I walk into it....:) I also started working on my blog for my little business http://sweetpickledesignscompany.blogspot.com I have been so busy and been making some fun things! So you can check out my silly happenings there!

We moved everything out of the shed into the garage and all my crap in the garage into the shed. This was originally supposed to be a wood working shed which is why I was so drawn to this little house in the first place. It has lights, electricity and is insulated with 2 windows even! I should have done this a long time ago but then again I didn't think or know this would turn into a full time gig.

So after it taking 2 1/2 hours to clean Avery's monstrosity of a room, she was happy to decorate it too! She found one of the signs Candy and I made this fall and promptly hung it up. When Britt got home that night he peeked in to say hi and she quickly said "The sign on the door, read it." That was it, and a shocked Britt stumbled to me and said you won't believe what Avery just said to me. It was pretty funny.

Not so funny is the little note she made that she hangs every once in a while....

She tricked me by having me spell out Allowed on a piece of paper. Ha Ha.

Another hilarious moment was while I was threatening with keeping her bedroom clean....she is obsessed with a certain little bat from Littlest Pet Shops that I of course have been hanging over her head for motivation for a while now. She is now an artist who expresses her feelings through her art. This is one of the pictures, the first one was much more detailed but I can't find it....and yes she made lots of duplicates to make sure her point was made.....

Angry Mom=Sad Avery=Broken Heart/Hurt Feelings=No Bat:(

I couldn't help but laugh!:)

Since I'm showing off her artwork, here's one of her latest that I just loved! She's getting good! Avery is obsessed with Halloween and everything about Halloween since it's her birthday time of year! It also doesn't hurt that I love Halloween too! I just got a kick out of these mummies....

One of my favorite photos of Avery! She had the poofiest pony tail this morning and was so smiley, I love happy mornings!

Avery had a pajama and pillow party at preschool to learn about the letter "P" that week! Wow getting to wear jammies to school is fun!

On Conference Saturday and in with my total guilty complex of feeling like I've been neglecting my daughter, I gave into her constant begging to get her ears pierced. These pictures turned out so hilarious!

I'm trying not to be scared.....

Ouch!!!! A friend of mine saw this picture and said it was the crustiest look he'd ever seen! Thank goodness it only lasted about a minute.... A few minutes later in the car and Avery was begging to call anyone and everyone to tell them about her new earrings! I have to admit I was scared to call my Mom and Dad. They didn't let me get my ears pierced till I was 12 and even then when my Mom brought me home from getting them done at the JCPenny's salon, my Dad said in his scary general authority voice "If God wanted holes in your ears He would have put them there himself." My Dad's disappointment in me has always been a very effective force in my life. So when I got my second holes, I snuck and hid them with my hair for several months until he noticed while we were visiting my brother Cam in the MTC. Thank goodness for the crowd of people around us, so all I got was a "look". Again a visit home a few years ago after President Hinckley told us to have only one set of holes, my Dad reminded me of this and I haven't worn a second set of earrings ever since. Thanks Dad for your disappointment in me, it has motivated me more than you could know. That all sounds weird right?;)

Easter was "hare" and gone before I knew it! Avery and I made some yummy sugar cookies for our neighborhood egg hunt, I frosted and Avery sprinkled. We make a great team!

Thank goodness for pretty dresses from Costco! This was a lemon cream with pink flowers embroidered on it. I love pretty dresses!

Avery got a bunch of ring pops in her Easter basket and ate them into a sugar coma. It was to cute of a picture to pass up! THE ICING ON THE CAKE....

Well I was so excited for Spring Break to come, we were headed to Utah for a lacrosse tournament and so excited to visit Grandma Mattie and Autumn and Allen. And then....my pretty washer....not even 3 years old.....died. Could life get any crappier? My computer crashed on a Thursday, the Washer died on Friday and the furnace was on a the fritz and I would lay awake at night listening to it, waiting for it to blow us up in our sleep...... So my Dad knowing I wouldn't call a repairman, did it for me and my heart was broken....completely, I was on the ground weeping, contemplating all the crappy luck we've had this last year. Seriously, could my life get any worse? I'm totally serious about being on the floor crying. I was pathetic and I know it.

Well my wonderful hubby stepped up to the plate and went and picked out the ugliest most institutional looking thing he could find but that worked great. Only problem is our limited space in this place didn't allow me to stack them anymore and I was now in desperate need of shelves. Once again my Dad to the rescue. I called on my trip to Utah and sent Britt on his own while I stayed home and built shelves with my Dad. It was so much fun though and revitalized my soul! Not only did we put in new shelves and got it painted but we put down new linoleum (a great find from dumpster diving at my parents construction site this summer!) It fit perfect and looks so much better! Now I have so much more room! I am so grateful to my Dad. He helped me in more ways than he knows!

Later that week I met up with Candy and her boys and we took the kids to the park to play and ride bikes. Avery had so much fun she said the funniest thing on the way home...."Mom, I wish the whole world had no more grass......that it was all sidewalks for me to ride my bike."

Here she is doing her meditating....where she got this I have no idea!
Avery and I on the see saw. Avery and Zach had a blast with me making them fly through the air. This was one time I was glad for a big bum for my nephews amusement.

I finally got to use my stroller again, this time with Andrew. He was so funny here. We wrapped Avery's scarf around him to keep him warm and he just didn't know what to do with it.

Nathan, Zach and Avery posing on their bikes!

The kids all piled into the back of the car. Avery and I just chillin one afternoon. There's a reason I don't take many pictures of myself, I'm shocked at how haggard I look anymore.

Avery lost her second tooth. To this she now says, "my mouth is a bank Mom! I just have to pull out teeth and it gives me money!" In my world....I wish!

Britt trying to yank it out to no avail. Only a grumpy kid.

Avery finally got it out on her own while watching TV. So there ya go. 2 months recapped. Britt is finishing up with his boys Lacrosse team and doing great! They have their playoffs this next weekend and it has been a great experience for Britt. I'm no longer working in the shop at Paper Cottage except to teach classes which is a total blessing. I am so glad to be able to work from home. I am so thankful for the great ladies I have been able to work with and met through this crazy hobby of mine. I feel like I can see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel and I am glad for that. Avery is growing like crazy. I can't believe she is almost in Kindergarten. Seeing her teeth come out, holes in her ears....it makes my maternal instinct kick in like crazy. How did I get so lucky to have her? Of course I wondered this through her barf-o-rama Sunday night all over my bed, my carpet and floors, and while I did the pukey laundry into the wee hours of the night. I was just grateful at the end of it that she was okay, I'm okay, we're all okay. And it's okay to be okay.

As Nathan puts it, Candy is officially "BOY TRAPPED"!

Welcome welcome little one! Candy had her 4th little boy very early Monday morning and I just got back from visiting them in the hospital. Although he doesn't have a name, you can't deny the resemblance to his brothers! He is so cute! Here's a few pictures to get you baby hungry, which he certainly made me. Thanks to Candy for sharing her kids with me. I was so glad to be able to share a part in the special time for them! Congratulations Candy! You did great!

Long lost 9 months....

Okay, so I haven't been very good at updating for it seems to be 9 months and counting. I've been busy and this picture should say it all.

I have started my own little thing of cutting out wood letters in my garage for fun and it has turned into a snowball effect....I know provide all the letters for a little scrap booking store here in town, where I also work a few hours and teach classes on how to decorate them. Plus I do lots of custom orders on the side. It's been pretty nice, but from this picture you can see what I do most of the time and why I've been so out of touch!

Here's a quick recap on us:

July-September....Mom and Dad's house is built and finished! It was quite a process to be involved in and we are so glad to have them here! I spent a lot of time dumpster diving (I can't believe how much construction stuff is thrown away!), got to help design the yard with Mom and marveled at how our choices all came together! The house is beautiful but even better is being able to pop in on them when ever I want! I was so impressed by Cam and Vaughn and their willingness to take time off to come help them too. Cam was a complete life saver, how many trips he made down with loads, I lost count....

June: We took a 3 week trip across the United States for a Cornaby family reunion meeting at the beach in Charleston, SC. The reason I was behind in blogging is that the camera was "lost", only to be found a week after we got back. The only pictures we have are on the Video camera or a few shots from the cell phone. I'll try to get some shots from Aunt Autumn soon. We traveled up through the Tetons, saw Mt. Rushmore, across South Dakota (which was beautiful!) Down to Winter Quarters, Adam Ondi-Oman, Independence Missouri, Knoxville, Charleston SC. Then on the trip home we went down through Georgia, the Florida Pan Handle, stayed in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Austin (for a quick visit with Dallas & Melisa Family, a highlight of the trip! I had so much fun with my nieces and nephews!) up through New Mexico, Utah and finally home. I thought I'd go nuts being trapped in the car that long but we did great! Avery only watched about 1 1/2 hours of Harry Potter the whole trip. Thank goodness for her Leapster! Britt had in his Ipod and I had complete silence. It was perfect! I was shocked at how much I enjoyed the beach. Besides the sweltering humidity, being down by the water was great! We enjoyed many hours of shell hunting and brought home quite a few mementos. We saw so many cool things, here are a few: A real live bear!, antelopes (cantaloupes is what Avery calls them),buffalo's, deer, elk, moose, hawks, bald eagle, vultures, prairie dogs, alligator's, heron's....and I'm sure I'm forgetting something else....

July: The beginning of my letter cutting. I did a class for enrichment and it all went from there.

Britt went on his high adventure hike and came home with 3 toenails ready to fall off. Gross! He has really enjoyed working with the scouts and it's been good for him. I have seen a great mellowing of my husband since we have moved here and it's a good thing!:)

With Britt's time off we finally put together the swing set that yes (lucky number 9 months again,I got last fall), put together finally! I got it for a whopping $50 normally $400. Now we just need to put Candy's together!:)

This picture was taken by our budding photographer Avery!

August: Okay, I have never been more scared in my life, even about birthing Avery, than I was over doing the wedding flowers for Kelsey Peterson. Her Mom is my visiting teaching companion and somehow talked me into doing the flowers for her wedding. I lost more sleep worrying over these silly things than anything else in my life. Yes, silly, I know. I had to find the best price for real live sunny yellow calla lilies,which was a chore in itself. All said and done, my pride will allow me to say they turned out perfect! I even had cars stop and stare as I hauled them in at the temple. Avery was my little helper all the way. The wedding was on our anniversary so that quashed much of our personal celebration, but can I just tell you about the relief once I dropped all the flowers off and was done!!!!

September: Mom and Dad officially move to Boise Idaho! Hooray! I'll have to say though that moving them was way harder than ourselves and ours was pretty scary! We also got a great visit from Dallas and his family for a few days and from Cam & Brandy and the girls too! I have to say I have seen more of my family/extended family since Mom and Dad have moved here than most of my life! It has been so wonderful! I told Mom and Dad from the beginning "If you build it, they will come!" It has been so true! Avery loves seeing her cousins! She glued herself to sweet Ellie and still talks about her as the cousin with the blue striped shirt.

Britt makes a career change and decides to go to work for Farmer's Insurance. Yes, Enterprise is now thank goodness a thing of the past. We knew that if we intended to stay here in Boise, he would have to land another job so here it is. I don't really know what to say, so it's "no comment"at this time. Read into what you want.... At least we aren't going anywhere!:) We also had a great visit from my dear friend Celina Dulude Lay and her hubby Jeff and daughter Esther! It was so great! Her little girl Esther and Avery hit it off completely. Those two were snuggled up in Avery's bed, giggling till 1:30 in the morning. Our husband's weren't too happy about it but Celina and I were giggling about as bad, just at the thought of our girls giggling together. It was a very sweet moment for us! If you would have told me 8 years ago that we'd have 2 girls giggling together, let alone that they'd even exist, I wouldn't have believed it! Celina has been such a good friend to me, especially as I have struggled all these years with infertility. She gives me hope, believes in me and encourages me that it's worth the fight. She is amazing!

October:

Only a few pictures here of stuff we made.
Candy and I also decided to do the whole boutique/bazaar scene here. We started with our very own boutique which at the end of the season actually turned out to be the most successful. We rented her neighborhood clubhouse and just about made ourselves and our husbands crazy. I thought I was going to lose it after spending 6 hours kneeling on my cold garage floor hand painting the dumb signs to go up around town. We weren't even good about taking pictures of the stuff we did. I only have a few of the bazaar and odds and ends. We promise that this next year we'll not procrastinate.... The good thing is that it really got our name out there and I continue to get orders trickling in from them. It's a good thing we have a year until they start again because it will take that long to get the courage up to do it again. All I can say is that my sister is amazing! She is my biggest cheerleader, confidant and friend. I love doing things with her. I am so blessed to have her as my sister!

Halloween is our favorite time of year~ Imagine my relief with my crazy schedule when Avery wanted to be a kitty cat this year. Oh how I love glitter glue and a glue gun! It was her favorite costume yet, and she wore those kitty ears for about 2 months straight, I'm not kidding, everywhere we went! I also got to watch the boys along with Mom and Dad while Candy and Bryan went on a cruise. It was really fun and we went along with Nathan and Avery on their preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch. It was soooooo cold!

November: Avery turns 5! Can you believe it! This year we didn't do a party, just a little family one. Uncle Chris happened to come into town and Avery still is convinced that he came just for her! Grandpa was out of town for business so we grabbed Grandma and Uncle Chris and went to the build-a-bear factory where Avery had a blast! It was a very fun day!

I also taught my first class for Paper Cottage. I was shocked at the response to my first project I made. I spent a lot of time cutting and prepping for that class and even put my little worker Britt to work. Yes, he complained the whole time! I have felt doors opened to us through this though, blessings I couldn't have even imagined and I am grateful for them. Although I'll probably die from all the saw dust I've sucked into my lungs....

Avery got her very own camera for Christmas (this way she'll leave ours alone and I won't have to hide it so well that I can't find it for our vacation!) Here's some photo's she took Christmas day.

Bryan was so good to sit and play games with the kids. They had a blast with checkers and bingo!

December: Flew by, in fact I don't even know where it went. Christmas came and went and Avery was so funny! I honestly couldn't care less about how my Christmas goes as long as I get to watch Avery enjoy hers! We went over to Mom and Dad's and hung out till almost midnight! A few days later Autumn and Allen surprised us with a visit! We cleaned like crazy, since all my craft stuff littered the house and we hadn't used the kitchen table for 3 months..... It was so great having them here and having them closer to us! We enjoy them so much! They were here for Britt's b-day and then as they left to go home Cam and his family came into town to pick up a snow blower. Cam snapped his collar bone (wicked bad!) and needed extra help with all the snow they were dumped on!

Avery, Charlotte & OliviaThe "kids" spitting into the pond for the fish to eat, yes they also tossed pennies and dimes to see if they'd eat them too. Kids huh.Here is Grady, who has the sweetest eyes. They melt me!

Avery and Daddy trying not to slip at the park.

When Cam got here we all headed to the Souper Salad, yes Mom and Dad's new favorite "old folk" spot. They give a senior discount!Here's Andrew, Avery, Zach & Sierra. We then headed over to this great park we have here. It was so cold with the wind blowing, we only lasted about 15 minutes!

Taylor Madison
January: I turned the big 35. Woo hoo. That's about as exciting as it gets. As long as I have some almond roca my day is complete. Candy came and grabbed me and took me out for a fun morning and then we went out to eat with Mom and Dad. It was a nice day! They spoil me! Nothing else really to say about this month. It just came and went.

Here are some of my latest projects. I am doing an ongoing monthly class with the seasonal hanger. Each month we do a different hanger for the holiday. I've had a great response to them all. It still amazes me that someone let alone anyone would want to buy my crap!:) I cut these home letters and house out for Candy and she decorated them. They turned out cute!

February: Avery has lost her first tooth! Yes, I could hardly believe it! I gave her a piece of gum at the end of sacrament meeting that she bit down on wrong and waa lah, a loose tooth. Only 30 hours later and she yanked it out! I can't believe how ridiculously I reacted to it. I have a phobia about my teeth and to see her precious little teeth wiggle made me want to pass out! She was a brave girl and made me laugh with all her excitement and posing in the mirror.

Britt has started coaching the Centennial High School Lacrosse Team. Cool thing is that his cousin Dylan is on the team. He loves it and is really good at it too. He has wanted to go back to coaching for a long time and has never been able to with his crazy schedule with ERAC. Another blessing from Farmers I guess. I am so busy getting things going with my classes.

This is my latest creation that I have to get going on for my class Saturday. I'm such a procrastinator! I'm trying to be a bit more prepared but I think the last few crazy months have caught up with me. I can't wait for spring to come and I've spent some time out getting the yard ready. I love having my parents close. Have I said that too many times? I just love them! I love spending time with them, I love seeing Avery with them and knowing that she is building a relationship with her grandparents that I didn't have with mine. I love going over there with Candy and her family to watch lame BYU games. I love that my parents always hug me hello and hug me goodbye. My Mom is the best cook in the whole world. She has the magic touch to get our kids to eat vegetables. Her quite gently disposition, they are drawn to. My Dad always makes me smile and laugh. He is the epitome of safety to me. He's going to be sick of giving the grand kids surgeries some day....maybe not!:) I am blessed, truly, I am.
So there, in a nutshell is the last 9 months. I promise to be better at blogging! I've been caught up on Facebook lately. I signed on so I could see Celina's baby's pictures and have had so much fun reconnecting with my childhood friends and friends from Tooele! I have heard more about Dallas and Vaughn from their children on there than I have in probably 5 years or more from them. It's great! It's good to have friends....