The Cards

The finished Pergula

2011-07-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

This structure has made a world of difference in our back yard and for the back side of the house. So glad we decided to build it...well Trevor decided to build it!

Building the Pergola

2011-06-03T22:12:00.000-07:00

So we decided to build a Pergola on the back of our house over Memorial day. Luckily Trevor is an engineer and LOVES this stuff. He hopped on Autocad...drew it up and figured out all the dimensions. He did all the prep work through the last two weeks on nights he had off so by Memorial day weekend we were able to put the entire thing together in one day. The girls were pretty neglected the whole day but they were really good being daddy's little cheerleaders! We just kept giving them otter pops and that kept them pretty happy and sugared up!!!!

Off to the hot tub

2011-05-23T07:29:00.001-07:00

One of the girls favorite things to do..going to the hottub with their daddy. I just picked the goggles up for the girls for the waterpark. They had to try them out!

Going Dirtbiking with daddy!

2011-05-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

Trevor and the girls took a little break from working on the trellis to do a little dirtbiking.

Working on the Trellis

2011-05-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

Trevor has officially turned our garage into a paint booth for our trellis we are building in our back yard. Trevor decided to use a little money from his side jobs to splurge on a trellis for us this summer. The girls have loved helping him paint in the garage but Trevor has really done all of the work. I have stayed clear because of the baby so I have been NO help at all. Building it is going to be some hard work but Trevor LOVES these kind of projects. He is behind a desk all the time so when he has a chance to be outside working on stuff he enjoys the time. We are hoping to have it finished over Memorial day weekend. I will post pics as soon as we're done.

Our Doctor's visit

2011-05-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

I brought the girls to the doctor's with me to see the baby on the ultrasound but found out since were past the "risky" part of my pregnancy we aren't going to have another one till we go to find out the baby's sex which will be at the end of next month. The girls still got to listen to the heart beat and are so excited about the baby! We stopped at in-n-out burger on our way out of town and grabbed a chocolate shake for the girls as a reward for them being good at the doctor's office....I wanted a burger and fries too!!! This baby LOVES in-n-out!

We are alive!! I am just a SLACKER

2011-05-18T18:50:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long I have written....Life has been busy and I have been TIRED! We are expecting our third baby in November and are SO excited for this new addition to our family. Every night Felicity prays for a healthy baby boy and Alexia is convinced it is a girl...ME, I am just ecstatic that we are being blessed with another little spirit..I just pray for a healthy baby! I have been sick and tired and poor Trevor has lived in a messy house with mounds of laundry stacks of dishes and very little help from me. He's probably just happy if I get a shower in during the day. Anyway, I am starting to feel better and ready to start working in the garden. Trevor has been working really hard on the garden this spring so I am ready to pick up while he is getting slammed with a bunch of anchor projects. I think it was a blessing for the year to start out slow with his side business because Trevor has been such a HUGE help to me with the girls and just letting me rest when I need to. I am so thankful for a wonderful husband that is so thoughtful and patient with my "crazy moments"!

Hopefully I will posting soon with some pics of the girls...they are getting soooo big!

2011-02-06T16:11:00.000-08:00

From Collages

Felicity's birthday from back in September

2011-02-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

GOOD MORNING!!

2011-01-10T07:06:00.001-08:00

This morning I woke up with a headache about 4:00a.m. Went to the kitchen and grabbed an Excedrin and then layed back down! I could not fall asleep...I guess Excedrin has caffeine in it and I just didn't think about it!

So, I got up at 5:30 this morning (anyone that knows me knows that is unheard of!) Made Trevor and Alexia some oatmeal for breakfast, made up baggies of oatmeal for him for the week and surfed the internet. Now I am going to get off this computer and try to do something productive today!

I am sure I will never take Excedrin in the morning again to cure a headache! I'm afraid I am going to be dead this afternoon but I feel pretty AWAKE right now!

A New Year one big new goal!

2011-01-09T20:00:00.000-08:00

The main goal I have this year is to be out of debt by the end of 2011 (Except our houses) So in order to do this I am really going to try and cut my budget for food and toiletries and use our food storage items on hand. The Utah Deal Diva really inspired me to really try and live on less. She spent only $2,100 over 2010 for all food, diapers, toiletries, etc! I have been HORRIBLE this last year with not keeping a budget..I just spent and didn't keep track. Well not this year in fact I am going to post how much I spent on my groceries every month on my blog to keep myself in check! I am hoping this will make me more responsible with my spending and we will ultimately be out of debt that much sooner!

We are officially on a cash budget....wish me luck....this could be a really long year!!!

Making Butter!

2011-01-08T19:42:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid we grew up on non-pasturized raw milk. My parents would bring us out to this awesome Amish family and we would always purchase our milk in those big glass gallon jars...that would occasionally be dropped by myself or my other 11 siblings...Hey those glass jugs are HEAVY! Anyway, I digress....The other night Franny called me offering me some raw milk from her cow that had just had a calf and had an excess of milk. I met Franny 2 years ago by chance. Trevor and I had seen her apple trees FULL of apples so we stopped and asked if we could get some. Well she let us and anyone else we knew come by and pick the apples as many as we wanted...We are still eating the applesauce I made from that summer. Anyway, She knows we are Mormon so she offered it to us and anyone else that might want/need it. I was pretty excited because I haven't had raw milk since I left Illinois when I was 18. We got it and it had a good 3 cups of cream on top so I took the cream off and made homemade butter. I have never made butter before but oh my goodness it was sooo easy and sooo yummy! Just whipped the cream for about 20 minutes and then the butter and buttermilk separated and there you have it. The girls loved it on the homemade bread I made and then later that night we topped some bread with butter and jam...all homemade! Yeah, you can start calling me Beverly now!(MY MOM)
I was pretty proud of myself I do have to say!

The girls playing Zoo

2011-01-07T20:08:00.000-08:00

The girls pulled out a ton of containers from my cabinets and went crazy getting all their animals the correct habitat. Felicity would ask me what does ____________ like to eat or what does this animal like to sleep in and then proceeded to find things that would work for the animals. The girls even went outside to collect twigs, grass, snow, trees (tumbleweeds cut into trees), and rocks. It was pretty funny watching the girls collect all the goods. Yes it was COLD outside and yes that was all Alexia was wearing. When I told her she needed to come in and get some clothes her response was sticking her tongue out at me! Oh well, I didn't feel like dealing with the tantrum and she came in pretty quickly because she was COLD!

Decorating the Christmas Tree

2011-01-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

We got our Christmas tree pretty late this year...time just flew! It is always hard with our birthdays only a couple weeks before Christmas. The girls pretty much decorated the whole tree! I didn't move any of the bulbs and Trevor helped with the star. Can I tell you how much I LOVE having plastic bulbs. I remember as a kid always having Christmas decorations drop while hanging them and the bulb would shatter instantly. Then everyone needed to worry about stepping on a shard of glass! Alexia even smacked Felicity across the face with her bulb and the bulb was still intact! I do have to say Felicity was pretty upset though! I will have to post the video...Yep, I got it on video!!!!

Trevor's 35th Birthday

2011-01-05T14:56:00.000-08:00

Not the most exciting birthday for Trevor! We all went to dinner at in-n-out (Of course) then it was off to Costco for a little family shopping. We had some last minute shopping to do for Christmas and this was the last weekend we could do it. Then ran through the drive-thru at Wendy's grabbed some frosty's for dessert and off we went home. It was nice to spend a little quality time with the fam. With Trevor working two full time jobs we really don't get to spend tons of time together so we are really thankful for these simple tasks that we get to do together as a family!

The bling

2011-01-05T14:47:00.000-08:00

I was working on the computer the other morning and Alexia walked in looking like this...Do I really need to say more?

Pictures from Bishops FHE

2011-01-05T14:27:00.001-08:00

Summer, Debbie and I were in charge of the dinner but luckily we had a bunch of people that pitched in. I think we had about 250 people show up to the dinner...it was a full house! I always feel bad at these events because Trevor has to take care of the girls while I'm running around crazy trying to get everything done! We had a fun time especially the talent show was fun to watch.

The kids did a fun little skit and Alexia was supposed to be in it but kept whining so I grabbed her off the stage while the other kids did the skit and she freaked out screaming and kicking. She was SOOO mad. I finally calmed her down by finding our old bishop who brought his little dog to the dinner. She just loved sitting and petting the dog and finally we could get through the night with a happy Alexia which is NO small feat these days!!!

Seeing Santa

2011-01-05T13:19:00.000-08:00

My girls LOVE to see Santa. Alexia always calls him PAPA. Before the Bishops Family Home Evening we have started the tradition of Santa coming to visit the kids. He brings them a treat and asks them what they want for Christmas. The girls were a little nervous about sitting on Santa's lap but when they were done they were so excited! The elf was a nice addition this year to the festivities..Thanks Andrew!!

My little pretties!

2011-01-05T12:58:00.000-08:00

My little girls are such hams when it comes to taking pictures..We were getting ready to see Santa before the Bishops family home evening and decided to take a few pics.

Time with the Cards

2011-01-05T12:44:00.000-08:00

We spent Saturday night with Trevor's family having pizza for dinner and playing games. Felicity LOVED playing go fish with Grandpa and the girls had a blast with little Keyan all night long. Trevor even got a little exercise in dragging the girls all over the kitchen!

Thanksgiving Dinner

2011-01-05T11:48:00.000-08:00

Just some pics of Thanksgiving dinner at Teeara's (Trevor's Sister) house. We had lots of yummy SUPER fattening food and Had our world famous dutch diner pies, Pecan and chocolate peanut butter...No wonder I need to get on the treadmill some time soon! Seriously the holidays have NOT been kind to me. I need to get signed up for another race fast to get motivated.

The kids had a blast seeing all the family especially their cousin Keyan. Felicity and Alexia just adore him so much! We had a fun time playing bingo and hanging out. I was feeling pretty exhausted after the race so I'm afraid I probably wasn't the most entertaining person ever but I never am so that's ok!

Hopefully next Thanksgiving we will be in Kansas City hunting some deer!!!
How will we get it home you ask...Trevor thinks dry ice. We'll have to check with the airport to see if they'll let us transport deer meat!

My First 10K run

2010-11-26T10:08:00.000-08:00

I decided to run a 10K on Thanksgiving morning. Treena and Teeara, Trevor's sisters, ran it with me. That morning I got up late and was a little nervous about running it because it was FREEZING cold out. Well when I got to Scheels it was 11 degrees and I thought I was going to DIE the first mile. My legs felt like lead weights and my lungs were on fire. But after the second mile I had warmed up and started feeling much better. Treena and I finished together at 1 hour and 3 minutes which for my first race ever I was pretty proud of! Teeara finished right after at 1 hour and 11 minutes. We had a great time running the race and Trevor said he would like to try and do it next year...Maybe. Anyway, I hope to sign up for more of these races in the near future. I figure with races in the future I will be better about running on my own.

Pre-Thanksgiving weekend

2010-11-24T19:40:00.000-08:00

This weekend was the best Pre-Thanksgiving yet. This was our 8th year attending this event in Tahoe city and we SOOO look forward to this weekend every year! We got there Thursday evening just in time to heat up some yummy potato soup and just veg! The next morning we got up and brought the girls down to the bridge where there are usually a ton of big fish, but we didn't see a single one. The water was pretty low and it was FREEZING so we didn't stay long. Felicity found the fun pinecone on our trip that she insisted on bringing home with us. Later we went to the Thrift store and headed back to the cabin. The picture is the view out the back porch at the cabin. You'll see in the next post why I added that picture!

more pictures

2010-11-24T19:00:00.000-08:00

So Friday afternoon all our friends got to the cabin and the snow started....we woke up to this view Saturday morning. The girls could barely contain their excitement. They were outside with Trevor while all of us adults worked on food for the big dinner. Later I got my snow gear on and sledded with the girls. Seriously they were probably in the snow for four hours that day. I so enjoyed it too...making snow angels, sledding, eating snow (The girls favorite thing to do), and just laying watching the snow fall. I usually am lame and stay inside while Trevor plays with the girls but I am SO glad I bundled up and got to enjoy the snow with my family! What a beautiful weekend!

Saturday dinner

2010-11-24T18:00:00.000-08:00

Me and Alexia relaxing on the couch after a yummy dinner

Joan and Wee Gee enjoying the yummy dinner

Joan, Me, and Wee Gee getting some food ready for pre-thanksgiving dinner

Carol and Wee Gee

The beautiful icicles forming!

Saturday night we had a yummy Turkey cooked by Trevor and Tom. They boys had to work very hard to get the too big turkey in the rotisserie machine. They tried to put it in but it was WAY to big so Trevor cut the wings off. They started the bird and after a little bit it started to smoke. The stuff they had tied the bird up with wasn't working and the bird would hit the side ever time it turned and a big puff of smoke would come out of the machine. SOOO they had to pull the bird out and shave off some of the legs so the machine was not smoking every few seconds. The turkey turned out wonderful after all was said and done. Every year it seems like there is something with the bird. One year the rotisserie machine made the annoying squeaking noise every time it turned and we all thought we were going to go crazy from the noise. Finally Trevor took some olive oil and covered all the parts with the oil and it worked, no more squeaks.

We were sad to not see all of our friends this year because of the snow or other plans but we are hoping everyone will be able to make it next year. We had a small intimate group this year which we loved just the same. It was fun catching up with old friends we don't get to see very often. I think that is our favorite part of the weekend...We are so thankful this year for the friends we have met during this FUN weekend.

For dinner we had all the fixings and it was yummy as always.

Thanks to Larry and Wee Gee for always being willing to share their wonderful cabin with all of us over this weekend. They always make us and the kids feel so welcome and right at home!

Sunday morning in Tahoe

2010-11-24T09:05:00.000-08:00

Trevor stuck the girls in the snow..it was as tall as they were

The girls with their monkeys

checking out all the new snow

Tom and Carol's car covered in snow...all you could see was their mirrors!

Out the back of the cabin...can't even see the deck after the 3+ feet of snow!

Saturday evening we had the gift exchange and Larry and Wee Gee were so sweet to give the girls little matching Fur Real monkey's that made little monkey noises. The girls insisted on sleeping with them and we insisted on shutting the noise off so we could actually sleep. They were VERY excited about their fun toys that Larry and Wee Gee were so sweet to give them!

Sunday morning we woke up to MORE SNOW!!! It snowed about two feet overnight. The girls were ecstatic and ready to go play some more. The plan was to go to the Firesign for breakfast but there was no way we were getting out until the plow came. So Trevor and Tom made a yummy breakfast and we all just stayed at the cabin.

After breakfast the girls got their snow clothes on and played in the snow some more. This time the snow was as tall as they were. Trevor shoveled while they played and finally the plow came and we all were able to head home.

What a FUN weekend we had....and what a blessing to get so much snow...This is the first Pre-Thanksgiving that Felicity will remember so I am glad it was such a fun one!

Keeping up on our list

2010-11-16T21:17:00.000-08:00

Well on Sunday we did one item on our list..make and deliver cookies. Felicity insisted on delivering the cookies by herself while I sat in the car! Then Monday it was off to the park where we were swinging, kicking the ball, petting the three dogs that came through the park, and going for a walk that took about an hour but was about 1 block...seriously! Alexia always wants to walk on the outside curb of the sidewalk like a balance beam...which mean a VERY slow walk!!! As we were walking Felicity says "Mommy, that's silly to have mail in the tree!" I was confused until she pointed to a small pine tree by the house that still had it's tree tag on it..she thought it was a piece of mail in it. We got a little giggle out of that one! Today it was supposed to be hot tub time but Felicity's little friend called and was going to the park, so off we went for another fun day at the park. I have a hard time keeping my girls inside when the weather is so beautiful!

We got home, had dinner, and Trevor came home with a big surprise for the girls a VHS player. Our last one was eating our ANCIENT tapes so Trevor was at the military thrift store on base (Yeah his favorite place to go at lunch time)and found one for $2. Got home hooked it up and it actually worked, can you believe that? Anyway tonight the girls and I snuggled up on the couch in a blanket and watched Brother Bear. What a great movie, the girls just love it! Now Everyone is tucked in bed including Trevor and here I am...writing!

I am so thankful for my life and my family! I am so thankful for the Temple and the comfort it gives me knowing my family and I are sealed together. Tonight I was talking to Felicity about our good friend Kaye Brown passing away and explained to her that Kaye was in Heaven right now and when her husband passed away some day they would be able to be together again. Then I told her if one of us died we are sealed together forever. We will all be able to live together on the earth now and when we all die we will live together with our Heavenly Father.

I am thankful for little teaching moments like these where during that short time before bed with nothing to distract us Felicity and I can have these nice little talks with each other.

When I put Alexia to bed tonight we read books and worked on her words a little and we kneeled to say her prayer and she actually wanted to say the prayer. I obviously said it and she repeated it, I was so proud of her! Then as we were laying there I told her I loved her and she said she loved me! I know that seems like a simple thing but this is the first time she has said she loved me without being prompted.. I just wanted to write that down so I never forget it!

What a day

2010-11-13T22:04:00.000-08:00

I kept going back and forth as to get a babysitter for the girls and going to a sealing at the Temple for a sweet family in the ward. Last minute I got a babysitter in Spanish Springs dropped the girls and I was off to the temple. I am SOOOO glad I made the effort to make it there what a special spirit that was in that sealing. I kept it together till the daughters came into the room to be sealed to their parents and I just lost it. I am thankful for the sweet spirit I felt and for the words that were spoken. Much of the ceremony I found meaning in for myself the importance of loving the Lord so we can love our spouses more.. the fact that we will be kind if we love our Lord and that is something I really need to work at being kinder! I love President Wadsworth! Every sealing I have been to he has done and every time I walk away feeling there were things said there just for me...I feel fulfilled, loved, motivated, and so much more! I was truly on a high today recommitting to be a better mom, a better wife, and a better person in general.

Then, the floor fell out...Tonight I learned from a friend that a dear friend in the ward that just went to the hospital for strep is dying. I had NO idea it was so serious just two weeks ago she had stayed late after the Trunk R Treat helping Summer and I do the dishes. What a precious memory I will hold in my heart forever. My prayers are with her family at this time and for the ward family we have. What a huge loss this will be for all of us. I Feel like today has been a total emotional roller coaster for me. I don't know that the situation has really sunk in. As I was sitting in the sealing I was thinking of going to her sealing just about a year ago and how thankful I was that she had been able to be sealed to her husband for time and eternity.

This experience also reminded me how short this life is and how quickly life can change. It made me want to go home and hold my family close to me and just love them....Because life is so unpredictable and precious!!!

DIY projects

2010-11-13T21:01:00.000-08:00

So, For the last few months I have been a major blog hopper trying to get ideas to decorate. I think seeing other people make junk into beautiful things motivated me to try some fun projects. I started out spray painting a bunch of stuff. Then we moved onto bigger and better stuff.

I have been wanting a desk in my room to keep my couponing stuff and paperwork on so Trevor's desk in the office would stay clean. Anyway I found this desk on craigslist for free so we went and picked it up realizing the color was not what I wanted. So Trevor and I decided we would paint it. I was going to go buy the paint when I found someone giving a bunch of paint away so I went over and found the perfect color for my room. (The pictures of the desk are actually a shade lighter than it actually is) Trevor did most of the work but I LOVED the desk when it was done!

Next I needed a chair for my desk. I found this FABULOUS material for a fabric pumpkin that I never got around to making so we decided to use it for my chair. Trevor had these OLD chairs from college that some one had given to him and we decided to paint it and cover it to see how it would look...pretty awesome if I do say so myself.

On to the kitchen...why stop when your having so much fun right? We have had our kitchen chairs since we bought our first house 7 years ago. We usually wash them every 6 months but they get pretty gross with a two year old and five year old. Anyway, the other day I found exactly what I wanted at the fabric store and $25 later it looks like we have new chairs! I am so excited!

I have realized over the last few projects with a little time and minimal materials you can turn something from trash to treasure so now I am looking around my house to see what fun projects lay in store for us...

Maybe the shelf I pulled out of my neighbors garbage???? HAHAHAH
Really it was beside the garbage so technically I WASN'T dumpster diving!!!!

More DIY pictures

2010-11-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

Felicity was a trooper helping wash the chairs off and being our little helper. She was up till almost ten loving every minute of it.

Seriously don't judge me in this pic, 10 minutes to get to a meeting I couldn't be late to still in the shower with Alexia so I ran out of the house in hubby's sweatshirt a wet hair bun (my LEAST favorite hairstyle of all time) and no makeup...not my finest hour..I'm just saying...cut me some slack. I was tempted not to add the pic but the concentration on both of our faces is priceless!

Making fruit loop necklaces and dominoes

2010-11-12T20:24:00.000-08:00

Friday morning Trevor had to work on his anchor stuff so to keep the girls entertained we did fruit loop necklaces and played dominoes. Felicity really enjoyed the dominoes, Alexia pretty much just kept throwing them on the floor...whatever makes her happy right? I have decided to try and do more fun things with my girls this week. Laying in bed last night Felicity and I came up with ten fun things we are going to do this week...
1. make and deliver cookies
2. Take a walk
3. Go to the park
4. Go to the swimming pool
5. I take them in the hot tub during the day (We have had that hot tub forever and I have NEVER took the girls in it Trevor always does...Felicity about jumped for joy she was so excited I was actually going to bring them in the hot tub!
6. Deliver hand soap to a few of our new neighbors
7. Go to the bowling alley and play in the ball area
8. Go for a dirt bike ride with daddy
9. Spend next weekend in Tahoe
10. I forgot!! See it's probably a good thing I wrote it down now! I have short term memory loss

Anyway, I'm excited to try and have more fun with my girls...I want my girls to have fun memories of me not just memories of me stressing out over the house or laundry...here's to hoping we all have a fun filled week with our kids...because really isn't that what life is all about, our families?

Felicity quote of the day

2010-11-10T19:29:00.000-08:00

I lay down with my girls every night for bed time...I have done it since Felicity was born. A while back Trevor was laying down with Felicity and he was telling her she is old enough to go to bed by herself without having mommy lay with her. I later told Trevor I WANTED to lay down with my girls every night because it gives us a few precious moments together and some day she will NOT want me to lay down with her so I am going to enjoy this time.

Anyway tonight I layed down with Felicity and we were just chatting about the day when she asks me..."Mommy, why does Jesus where the same outfit EVERY day?" I said well maybe he has 10 outfits that all just look the same. Maybe you should ask the Bishop, he's pretty smart. (thinking he would get a little chuckle out of the question.) Her response was.."LORON???" "He is JUST Chloe's daddy" We both started to giggle like giddy little girls in her bed. What a great way to end the day. My hope and prayer is my girls will be so used to me laying down with them at night that when they are in their teens in the quiet right before bed they will feel comfortable to share their joys and sorrow with me as we snuggle.

Alexia's new sleep schedule

2010-11-09T20:13:00.000-08:00

So for the last week Alexia has been waking up at 5:15a.m. or earlier every morning. I have gotten to the point where I get up get her a bag of cereal get her a sippy cup of milk put a "Doggy movie" on and go back to bed. Usually about a half hour later I hear my little Alexia opening the door saying poopy mommy poopy. So up I go again changing the diaper and rewinding the movie and crawl back in bed it is only MAYBE 6:00 if I'm lucky. Now some of you might think 6:00 isn't that early but for me it is SOOOO early. The next hour pretty much consists of me trying to get up and Alexia coming in every 5 minutes needing something. I am feeling so tired!!!! I really hope she adjusts to this new time and starts getting back to her 6:30a.m. wake up time.

Felicity and Olivia's all day play date!

2010-11-08T20:05:00.000-08:00

Janie was out of town with her sister in Utah so Olivia got to come over after school and the girls were so excited because she got to stay until it was DARK!!! We had a great time coloring pictures for Sharon Mulls Birthday then we drove over and sang happy birthday to her and visited for a little bit. Then we came home and the girls changed into matching pj's. (they like to match p.j's, dress up, swimsuits, etc. Whatever Felicity has that matches they wear it! I have to admit it is pretty funny watching them play together. After everyone was in Pj's we "rented" Toy story 3 (Santa still has to bring it for Christmas) and watched it together with some popcorn and yeast of course. I no longer ask if the girls want the yeast on the popcorn, if I forget it I get reminded how important the yeast is. In fact after they finished the popcorn (without my knowledge)they dumped about 1/2 cup of yeast in their cups and ate it....yep. I should probably keep a little closer eye on the two of them when they are together!

Halloween Trunk R Treat

2010-11-07T19:46:00.000-08:00

The kids had a great time at the ward Trunk R Treat. We had a chili cook off and then everyone went outside to get some candy. This year I let the girls decide what they wanted to be. Felicity was our little angel and Alexia was our little cheerleader. They had a blast running around with their friends in fact Felicity wouldn't even let us go with her she just wanted to walk around with her little friend/cousin Chloe. We decided not to trick or treat on Halloween day because it was on Sunday besides we did NOT need to eat anymore candy for sure!!!

More trunk R treat pics

2010-11-07T19:03:00.000-08:00

So, I actually won the chili cook off...secret ingredient Diet Dr. Pepper! Just wanted to share a few more pictures from our night. I am so sad Trevor was so busy taking pictures that I never got to take a picture of him with the girls. That is one bummer thing about helping with the events I always feel like I'm running around with my head cut off!

Also, this will be the last time you will see me in those glasses. Trevor and I decided to get Lasik for my eyes. My eyes have been bothering me for months and I have hardly been able to wear my contacts and I HATE my glasses! So we decided now was a good time to do it so I am officially a non contact non glasses wearing woman. It sounds kinda silly but I feel amazing being able to see my kids early in the morning without having to stumble around looking for my glasses. I am so thankful for a husband that actually really supported me in this because it is definately NOT a cheap procedure, but I have to say now that it is over it was worth every penny!!!

Primary practice

2010-11-07T18:38:00.000-08:00

Today Felicity and I went to church while Trevor (sick) and Alexia (tired) stayed home. We practiced out Primary program today. Felicity has her little part memorized "Prophets are called by God" I love being in Primary so I can hear her sing and do her little part. I am so proud of her she is such a good little girl. I am so proud of all the kids, this week went alot smoother than last week and hopefully next will be that much better. Every year I worry about the kids program and how reverent the kids will be but once the parents are watching they tend to be pretty well behaved and it really is one of the most spiritual meetings of the whole year.

Tonight we are making pies and cookies with the girls. Cookies for my favorite visiting teaching lady Sharon Mull who is turning 82 tomorrow!!! The pie is for Colten Egbert my go to babysitter who barters pie for babysitting every once in a while. I think I'm getting the good end of the deal and I'm pretty sure he feels like he is getting the better end of the deal so it is a win win situation!

All in all a great day...My cup is full to start the week hopefully it stays that way...

My goal this week is to start every morning with prayer and scriptures...wish me luck!

A little break from work for daddy

2010-11-06T19:01:00.000-07:00

Trevor has been working every spare minute to try and finish this Atlantis anchor job so the girls have been missing there daddy. Trevor worked all day on Saturday to try and finish the first of three towers for the Atlantis and when he was done he decided to bring the girls out on a quick dirt bike ride. Yes Alexia is only using a bike helmet but the dirt bike helmets are WAY to heavy for her little head and Trevor drives pretty slow....What was the exciting part of the ride???? Driving through the piles of wild mustang poo...Seriously? The things kids get excited about right! This has to be one of Felicity's all time favorite things to do with her daddy. She knows Alexia gets the short ride and she gets the long ride.

I am a total blogger drop out!!!

2010-11-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

I know I have been MIA for a LONG time...This year has flown by with a blink of an eye. Every time something new would happen with us and I would THINK "I really should blog these pics...." But here we are in November with no blogs in over six months and I have to admit I am feeling like quite the loser! I am sitting here thinking I should download those Halloween pictures but I'm not going to....see total loser! I promise some pictures soon. I guess I just figured if I write something tonight it will light that fire under me again. Instead of wasting time on tv or facebook I really should be writing on here leaving my girls a history of our lives together when they were small. I have really been struggling with feeling like a failing mom. I have been checking out WAY too much and the other day I actually spanked Alexia I was so frustrated with her. She had punched me in the face three times that day and she was flipping out when I was putting her in timeout and she hit me again and I just lost it. I have never hit my kids it is kinda my rule...My parents were spankers(how could you not with 12 kids) but I really don't want to be. After I left her room I just cried feeling like a horrible mom because I just lost it gave her one hard swat and yelled at her. Seriously she is only two...and I just expect too much from her. I guess I need to start praying for patience with my beautiful Alexia she is going to be the death of me if she is this defiant in her teens!!!

Anyway I digress

pictures will follow soon. They have changed a ton over the last few month...They are the most beautiful creatures God could make and I love them so very much!

More Easter pics

2010-04-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday

2010-04-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a relaxing day at home enjoying conference weekend and Easter. I really enjoyed listening to the talks (What i could hear with two loud and busy girls)! After conference we had Trevor's parents, Teeara and Jaba (the dog)out for Easter Dinner. Trevor made some yummy tri-tip and bbq chicken. We had a nice time seeing everyone and the girls were so excited to have a dog in the house. I think that may have been the highlight since the girls are such animal lovers!!!! After everyone left it was out to the hot tub to enjoy the neo noodle grandma and grandpa got Felicity for Easter. All in all it was a good day and I really enjoyed Trevor being around. Sunday is the ONLY day out of the week that we really get to spend time with him so we really love our Sundays!

Easter Weekend

2010-04-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday before Easter I took the girls to an Easter egg hunt at Walmart. I took them by myself because Trevor was walking the UNR building and a condo project he is doing in Reno. I got there and I forgot my camera. The girls had a GREAT time and I was really impressed with the Easter egg hunt. Wal-Mart did an awesome job and all the employee's were super nice. I wouldn't have been able to get pictures with the girls anyway it was all I could do just helping the girls hold there baskets and keep them under control from all the candy they ate. Super fun time. I think we will do this every year the girls loved it. There was even an Easter Bunny there. Felicity sat by her but Alexia FREAKED out. She just liked looking from far away not up close.

March catch up

2010-04-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted for a while so I am going to catch you up on the happenings in the card house for the month of March. I guess it is better late than never!

Alexia

2010-03-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

Alexia was being way to quite and this is what we found. She was picking off the keys to my laptop!!

Where do I start with our little Alexia. She is officially old enough to go to Nursery at church which is pretty exciting. The first couple weeks have been a little rough but she is starting to adjust. Hopefully in the next few weeks she will start enjoying it a bit more.

She is really starting to talk which is always fun. She called the Easter Bunny a UNNY this weekend. Every once in a while she'll just say a word clear as day. This is rare but so fun when it does happen.

Alexia is our early morning girl. She goes to bed about 6:30 and gets up about 6:30 which totally KILLS me. I am not a morning person and I would say this has to be the hardest thing for me. Felicity and I would sleep in till about 8 sometimes 9 in the morning. Those days are long gone so I guess I better get used to it. Now I know how my sisters feel that have always told me about there 5 and 6a.m. wake ups. I so miss sleeping in!!!!

I just adore our little Alexia. She has such a spunky personality that keeps all of us on our toes. She loves to Scream about anything and everything. When I say scream I mean fingernails down the chalkboard scream. Sometimes the screams are valid(Felicity stealing toys) other times she just screams for no reason at all (A little annoying). She loves to scream MOM, MOM, MOM.... all day long. When I have a good nights sleep I have patience with the screaming when I am tired she gets put in her crib...to work it out before I LOSE IT!

Felicity has trained her to sit, roll over, beg, and lay down. Most people may think this is weird but if you know our Felicity you understand why Alexia acts like a dog.

When Felicity gets in trouble and put in time out Alexia always freaks out and has to go into the room with Felicity and COMFORT her. This is so cute!!! I love to see how much the girls love each other.

Don't get me wrong....They fight all day every day...now I know why my mom would say...JUST STOP FIGHTING. This is how I feel every day. Sometimes I think Felicity likes pushing Alexia's buttons and my buttons.

Anyway please forgive my ramblings...I just want to document what is going on with Alexia right now. I don't want to forget some of the fun things about our baby girl that is not so much a baby anymore!

My new years resolution

2010-03-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

There is only one New years resolution I made this year, to read my scriptures each day, even if it was only one scripture I had to read something every day. Well I am happy to say I have done pretty good. The only day I forgot was the day we cleaned up our rental house and got home after 1 in the morning. I hope in December I can say I stuck to my new years resolution the entire year of 2010! Time will only tell but I have to say I am truly enjoying the scriptures at this time....Not studying as much as I should but sometimes just going through the motions still leads to growth.

St. Patricks day

2010-03-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

I am the worst with doing holiday things with my kids. I really need to be better...so I tried to get a little creative with the girls for St. Patricks day. We made four leaf clover pancakes, very sad looking I must add! But they WERE green and looked a little like a clover. The girls gave them some sprinkles and some syrup and they were pretty happy campers. Later we ran to pick up some sugar cookie dough at Walmart(My last time I tried them from scratch they were pretty gross...) We got home cooked and decorated the cookies together. We had a fun time just hanging out. The plan was to deliver them to people but we ended up eating pretty much all of them. We cannot have sweets in the card house we ALL are junk food junkies!

One of the things I want to be better at this year is doing fun things with my girls to celebrate the random holidays through the year. I guess we will just have to see how I do!!!

Feeling Very Blessed!

2010-03-13T22:43:00.000-08:00

Today I am feeling so blessed! This morning the girls and I got up early (it's always early with our little Alexia). We are getting ready for our Easter primary activity so the girls and I broke out last years Easter eggs and started counting them and putting them back together. The girls loved it and they were actually helpful. While sorting through the egg we found two pieces of candy left over from last years Easter egg hunt....Of course they wanted to eat them...I figure stale chocolate never killed anyone and they seemed pretty excited to get chocolate for breakfast.

Then it was off to Lowes with Felicity to do their little wood workshop. Alexia went down for a nap right before we left so it was nice for Felicity and I to have a little one on one time. We ran a bunch of errands and our last one was stopping by starbucks to see if I could score some coffee grounds...no luck with the coffee grounds but we got Felicity a kids hot chocolate and a mini sprinkled doughnut. The place was packed so we ran out to the car and she sat in the front of the car while we chatted as she ate her doughnut and drank her hot chocolate. After she finished we headed home.

I spent a couple hours in the back yard spreading my coffee grounds I got a while back, pulling weeds, and planted my apple tree. This is my first year at attempting a garden on my own...Trevor usually does the bulk of the work but he is too busy so I am going to try my hand at it. I'm even researching composting!!!! Pretty crazy I know!

Ran inside got showered dropped the kids off at the babysitters and I was off to Reno for a girls night out....Dinner at BJ's, a movie, but most important was the me time. Not having to run someone to the bathroom, wrestle someone to sit down, change a diaper, force feed someone, etc.... I just got to sit and visit and relax. I have decided I need to do this more than once every six months for sure.

Today was a REALLY good day and I am feeling the Lords blessings in my life at this time. I am Thankful that Trevor has a job, that we have the best renters in our home right now, and that I have an amazing family that I love so much.

Our Rental house

2010-03-06T20:42:00.000-08:00

The last few months we have been trying to sell our rental house with no luck. We decided to rent it out again. We got up early this morning, left at 7:30 with the kids and cars full...Rush to get the screen fixed, (Dog ate it) Load up the 100 lbs of dog pooh and wood chips in the truck, 1st trip to the dump, refill the truck with more dog pooh, wood chips, broken toys, broken BBQ, and all the other junk the old renters left in our yard, second trip to the dump, (I got to do this trip with Alexia in tow) clean out the house, 3 trips to home depot, 2 trips to the paint store, clean the bathrooms(they obviously did not clean them), pressure wash the house and patio, change the toilet seats, replace the missing toilet paper holder, spackle, touch up paint, vacuum, clean the blinds, pull the weeds, etc..... Oh and all the while our poor little girls got to PLAY...(Yeah right) Alexia was miserable. She is teething and has a fever and a horrible cough. She wanted to be held the whole time which made it VERY hard.

THESE ARE THE DAYS I REALLY WISH I LIVED BY MY SISTERS!!!!! I know they would have taken my kids in a second and never made me feel bad about it. They would have sent their husbands over to help and it probably would have taken half the time. I know right now this is where we are supposed to be but days like today make me get VERY impatient to be closer to my family. I know some day we will get there....Just a patience thing which I need to work on anyway!!!

We left our rental house at 12:30 a.m. with both of our girls passed out on the floor, exhausted. 16 hours of work trapped in an empty house with a 7 inch portable dvd player is borderline child abuse! I feel horrible for my kids on days like this but Trevor and I decided to have this rental and this is just part of being a landlord.

I think the worst part of the whole day was when I brought a huge load to the dump and had to empty it myself. Alexia was asleep in the truck and I was shoveling out crap (literally)for about an half an hour. I just felt so alone! My back was killing me and my arms were on fire. I seriously was on the verge of crying when this nice guy that worked there came and helped me finish. If he hadn't I think I would have started crying right there.

It wouldn't have been so intense but Trevor has VERY little time to take off work so this was the only day we could get the house ready for our new renters that are moving in on Friday.

I feel blessed that we have found renters and hopefully they will be long term so we don't have to go through this again.....I guess I'm done venting!!!

Sunday, Oh Sunday!

2010-02-28T21:04:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days I would NOT have gone to church if I didn't have a calling. I was in charge of sharing time so I couldn't skip but can I just tell you I really wanted to. I know it was Satan's influence on me today because I have just been in a huge FUNK! Anyway, this morning the girls were fighting and horrible listeners. I got them ready and then tried to get myself ready. As I'm drying my hair Felicity informs me that Alexia wrote on her head with marker...I go to check it out and she not only wrote on her head but also on her dress. Luckily it was a yellow marker that was easy to wash out (mostly)... and off we go to church. Did I mention Trevor had to go to a morning meeting so no help from him. Then at church the girls were out of control. Felicity was loud and Alexia was EVERYWHERE! I felt like I got a workout just trying to keep them contained during sacrament. Then off to Primary where I was in charge of sharing time...it went good but I really stuggled with the senior primary today. They just were so irreverent....I am sure it was partly my fault...I think I chased the spirit away with the day I was having. Super grouchy mom is back full force today.

Did I mention I ate HORRIBLE today. That didn't help the mood much either. Here is to hoping tomorrow will be better!!!!

Felicity's writing

2010-02-28T20:59:00.000-08:00

Felicity has really been trying to spell lately. The other day she brought me this page of writing with gratitude right on the top. I was so proud of her! We learned about gratitude a few weeks ago in our family home evening and she sounded it out and tried to spell it. Some of her words are pretty hard to read but I love trying to figure out what she is writing. I am putting these papers in her memory box. I'm sure when she gets older she will love looking through them.

I LOVE LOWES

2010-02-27T20:18:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful Fernley got a Lowes and a Walmart the last few years. Today I took the girls to Lowes to build a lobot (a robot and car) Felicity had such a blast working on it and Alexia just ran all over harassing the other kids. They even gave the kids their own goggles and aprons. I think Felicity was as excited about the goggles as she was about the car. I did the assembly but she hammered all the nails in. Felicity loves these type of projects. Lowes does these workshops every other week, I need to be better about getting going on Saturday morning so we can do this more often. Alexia wasn't really into it but that is ok...Felicity had a blast. When the lobot was finished Alexia thought it was a phone...She kept saying "Hi" into it.

Preschool at my house

2010-02-18T20:13:00.000-08:00

I had the girls at my house a couple weeks ago for preschool. I enjoy our little group of girls so much. We made some sugar cookies and the girls had a blast decorating them.I am a slacker but I wanted to post some cute pictures of the girls.

Got the computer fixed today!

2010-02-15T20:36:00.000-08:00

I called Dell the other day for our laptop and they said I needed to get the motherboard replaced, a new battery, and a new cord. Luckily we purchased the computer with a three year warranty so the only thing I have to buy is the battery...still pretty expensive though. Anyway he came over and Felicity was all over him trying to see him taking the computer apart. I was worried he was going to get annoyed but he was super nice to her. When he was putting the computer back together she even got to hand him the parts. I think he may have been one of the nicest computer guys I've ever met.

OH Yeah, who else LOVED the weather today. 60 degrees out and loving it. We got outside to swing and soak up some sunshine. Just what the doctor ordered after such a long snow. I'm sure winter is not over yet but I am going to enjoy this weather while we have it!

Happy Valentines Day

2010-02-14T23:57:00.001-08:00

What a fun busy Valentines day we had today. We got up early (because of Alexia of course) Trevor made breakfast eggs with heart shaped toast for the girls and then we got to work making some sugar cookies. We had grand plans to work on them today but the dough is still chilling in my fridge. Maybe tomorrow night for FHE. Anyway, Treena, Tyler and Keyan (Trevor's sister and family) stopped by about 10 on their way home to Utah. The girls loved seeing little Keyan, especially Alexia. She is pretty over the top when it comes to babies. She LOVES babies...she screams when anyone takes the baby away from her. After Treena and fam left we got ready for church and off we went. The nice thing is this week we were supposed to speak and there was a change of plans and we got out of speaking YEAH, neither of us were in charge of teaching primary or Young Mens. It felt a little bit like a vacation not having tons to do for church. Then we came home ate left over fajitas and got ready for our friends to come over. We invited the Chapman's and the Bostwick's over for pie and had a great time visiting. Once everyone left I told Trevor we will have to make this a regular thing once a month. It was so nice to sit down with friends and just chat about life while the kids played. What a fun Valentines day I had!

Found this video and had to share!

2010-02-14T21:36:00.000-08:00

This was Felicity when she was about 4 months older than Alexia. Her answers to the questions are Astronaut and encyclopedia. You have to listen close but it is soooo cute. Don't mind the HUGE mess of a house in the background. I can't believe I taped this without cleaning up! I am much more clean house conscious now...

Got this off my sister's blog and LOVED it!

2010-02-14T00:28:00.000-08:00

How Taxes Work

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten
comes to $100.

If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something
like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that’s what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with
the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. “Since
you are all such good customers,” he said, “I’m going to reduce the
cost of your daily beer by $20.”Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so
the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But
what about the other six men – the paying customers? How could they
divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his ‘fair share?’
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted
that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man
would each end up being paid to drink his beer.

So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each
man’s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work
out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued
to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to
compare their savings.

“I only got a dollar out of the $20,”declared the sixth man. He pointed
to the tenth man,” but he got $10!”

“Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a dollar, too.
It’s unfair that he got ten times more than I!”

“That’s true!!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get $10 back
when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!”

“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison. “We didn’t get
anything at all. The system exploits the poor!”

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so the nine sat
down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they
discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money
between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how
our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the
most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them
for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact,
they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat
friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia

For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who
do not understand, no explanation is possible.

A Busy Saturday!

2010-02-13T21:24:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days....Erica and I made rice crispy treats for the primary kids, made pies, made dinner, cleaned up after the kids, laundry, etc... All the while Trevor was working in his office doing drafting for a guy in Fernley. Finally it is 9:30 at night and the kiddies are in bed and I am sitting here resting my feet. Days like this I feel like I did when I was a server at my Mom's restaurant. My feet hurt from being on them so long.

Tonight as I was cleaning the kitchen up I told Felicity to go in my room and pick out her three books (ALWAYS two pooh bear books and one disney book) to read. I finished the kitchen and came in and she was folding the pile of clothes that I was planning on folding last night but ended up at the end of my bed not folded. I couldn't believe it she folded about 6 towels and a bunch of her and Alexia's clothes.

The other day I was being grouchy tired mom and she went in the living room and cleaned the entire thing and there were toys EVERYWHERE!!!! I am just amazed at how much help a little four year old can be.

Nights with Felicity

2010-02-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

Felicity has been coming into our bed almost every night over the last month. She will come in say Alexia woke her up and hop into our bed snuggle up to Trevor's back and fall asleep. It is usually early in the morning but she is a mover and hard to sleep in the same bed with. Some nights I bring her back to her room other nights I just let her stay. In her defense Alexia can be loud yelling Mommy over and over again. The other night we were sleeping and Felicity woke me up..she was talking in her sleep. "Animals have flubber that keep them warm in the artic." Then she rolled over and was back asleep. She learned this little fact from a book at preschool. I just giggled and rolled over and fell back asleep. I have loved preschool this year for Felicity and myself. I really enjoy watching the girls interact with each other and see them work out their problems. I am so thankful we are in Fernley at this time so Felicity can have such wonderful friends to play and learn with!

Felicity Hibernating

2010-02-04T10:49:00.000-08:00

Felicity learned about hibernating the other day at Preschool so when I moved the chairs out of the kitchen to mop she asked me if we could make a den for her to hibernate. I did and she filled the den up with all of her animals. She has been doing this alot. The other day my entire bed was full of stuffed animals. I HATE stuffed animals because they take up so much space but I can't get rid of them because she does actually play with them, as you can see in the pictures. She had a blast hibernating with her animals while I got to mop the floor and little Alexia was hibernating in her crib (taking a nap).

Reading Books.

2010-02-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

The other day I was cleaning the girls room when I realized Felicity and Alexia were being really good in my room while I was trying to get things done. I went to check on them and look what Alexia was doing. The ENTIRE bookshelf was empty, every book on the floor. It took me and Felicity a LONG time to pick all the books up and there is a new rule in the Card house. You are only allowed to take out a couple books at a time and I no longer leave Alexia in my room without me. I have to be honest...she sure had a good time clearing the shelf!!!

It has been way too long!!

2010-01-31T17:17:00.000-08:00

Trevor and I are sitting here chatting about the blog as I'm downloading pictures. He says "Man, you used to be so good about the blog, what happened?" My response..."LIFE" happened. His response..."No, couponing happened!"

I have to be honest and say he is right. I have been so CONSUMED with getting a great deal I have let other things go..including the blog.

Well it is a new year and we are on a budget(Hopefully we will actually stick to it this time). So no matter how good the deal is I only have so much money and when it is gone no more deals for me! January has been a LONG month so it has been a little difficult! But needless to say I have chilled a bit on the couponing. I am not quitting I am just not running to town to get free toothpaste and shampoo anymore.

I was going to post some of the old pictures from the last few months I missed but I decided just to start from this month and that is enough. Otherwise I get way too overwhelmed and give up! Here is to a new year and a better blog hopefully.

Dress Up

2010-01-29T17:30:00.000-08:00

On Friday the girls decided they wanted to dress up. We had a fun time dancing around and playing in their cute little PINK outfits. I got some great video of them dancing around and do acrobatics. They played so hard Felicity fell asleep on the couch right before Trevor got home. This was one of those GOOD days where we had so much fun together. I think we all have been getting a little cabin fever with all the cold weather.

2010-01-29T16:00:00.000-08:00

Felicity sound asleep on the couch right before Trevor got home.

THIS WINTER....IT has been LONG

2010-01-28T19:10:00.001-08:00

It seems like winter started on December 1st and hasn't stopped. At first it was magical and beautiful. I was so enjoying the snow and the beauty of it. In Nevada we should NEVER complain when we are getting moisture because we so need it, but....I have to say I am ready for some sunshine. Today it was a beautiful Nevada winter day and I LOVED it. I felt like it was a breath of fresh air. I am so ready for the spring and summer at the water park. Bring on the 100 degree weather....I am SOOOO ready for it!!!!

Off to the Library

2010-01-27T18:22:00.000-08:00

We were sick of being stuck in the house so off we went to the library. We were late to story time but they were making bird feeders out of pinecones, peanut butter, and bird seeds. Felicity did the entire feeder by herself and had a blast. We were just so happy to get out of the house and do something. I am definately ready for this long cold winter to be over!

Clearing off her plate

2010-01-25T18:07:00.000-08:00

Felicity has been so good about clearing her dishes after every meal. She lifted up her dish to me and dumped mac and cheese on herself!

Breitbart.tv » The C-SPAN Lie? See Eight Clips of Obama Promising Televised Healthcare Negotiations

2010-01-06T18:48:00.000-08:00

Breitbart.tv » The C-SPAN Lie? See Eight Clips of Obama Promising Televised Healthcare Negotiations

Just curious if anyone can let me know when CSPAN played all of the back door deals going on. Obama...change....WOW!!!

Our little mini vacation

2009-12-16T21:28:00.000-08:00

In October we got to take a little time off and go to Sacramento. We spent some time with our good friends Larry and Wee Gee and went to the Sacramento Zoo. The girls had a blast. The zoo was the perfect size for two small kids. They had enough but it didn't take us all day to go through it. We always have such a fun time when we visit our friends. We celebrated Felicity's birthday with yummy ice cream cone cakes Wee Gee and Felicity made together. I will post more pictures when I get them downloaded.

Felicity's prayers

2009-12-16T21:13:00.000-08:00

I have to say I am so proud of my little Felicity. For the past year we have really struggled with trying to get her to say prayers. Whenever we would ask her to say the prayer she would just ask us what to say and repeat whatever we said. We kept explaining to her it was important for her to THINK about what SHE wanted to say to Heavenly Father and pray those things. Well this week she has done a 360. Tonight she asked me if she could say the prayer at dinner and at bedtime. And they were GREAT prayers!!!! I am so proud of her. She would sit and pause when she was thinking of what else she wanted to say. I love seeing my little Felicity growing up to become a little girl...she is no longer my baby that is for sure. Here are a couple things she said in her prayers tonight that gave me a giggle
"Thank you for our skin so we aren't skeletons"
"Thank you for our blood so we are alive"
"Thank you for daddy's job so we can have our house"
"Thank you for our tires not to go flat" (Trevor had two flat tires seriously about 6 months ago but we haven't had any since...Felicity's CONSTANT prayers about our tires must be working!

At the beginning of the month Felicity got up and bore her testimony with Trevor. Of Course Trevor helped her through the whole thing but she did so awesome. She stood up tall talked right into the microphone in front of all those people. I was so proud of her! I get so nervous doing this I can't imagine what it is like for a little four year old.

I just wanted to write this down so I didn't forget when Felicity bore her testimony of the gospel for the first time and to remember her wonderful prayers.

Felicity our little artist

2009-11-15T21:26:00.000-08:00

Felicity has been drawing almost every day and she draws the cutest pictures. I just wanted to share her latest drawing with you. It's of Me, Trevor, Felicity, Alexia, Sophie (the dog) and Sheeba (the cat). I think I might frame it up for her. I love it.

Sick day at the card house.

2009-11-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

We woke up this morning to Felicity saying she had a fever in her head(A headache). I am just thinking she is sleep deprived but Trevor brings the girls to the kitchen and Felicity starts throwing up! She had the chills then she was hot then she had the chills. I went to church because it was the primary program and I had a part in it. I am so glad I didn't miss this. I felt the spirit so strong as the kids said their parts and sang the songs they knew. I feel so blessed to be a part of the primary...the only sad part for me was not having Felicity there to experience her first primary program. Trevor was so sweet to stay home with the girls so I could go today.

A rough day

2009-11-09T23:40:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up to a messy house grouchy kids and no motivation to do anything. I was busy all day and got nothing accomplished. I still have clothes in the wash that need to be dried...dishes in the sink that need to be washed... and toys on the floor that need to be picked up. Oh well, maybe tomorrow will be better. Here is to hoping for the best....maybe some motivation and a little happier Alexia!

Our Trip for the Celebration of Shane's life.

2009-11-08T22:04:00.001-08:00

We received the news that our good Friend Shane passed away last week so we drove out for his Celebration of life ceremony in Bend, OR. Trevor has know Shane since he was 6 months old and Shane passed away 16 days before his 19th birthday. He was fighting cancer for the last three years and lived his life to the fullest. He did more in his 18 years than most people do in their lifetimes. He was a true gift to those around him. We were constantly amazed by his passion for life and for his example to everyone. He went through many surgeries including the amputation of his leg and still was strong and happy. He truly will be missed. His final request was to donate his body to OHSU to help with Cancer research. What an amazing kid!!!
This picture is of his family and us at the celebration.

We were lucky enough to time it just right for Maddie's birthday!

Maddie and her dad Kelly. We sure liked him he is a great guy!

Felicity and her cousin Tayven

Maddie and Mackenna were Thing 1 and Thing 2. Their mom. Loritta worked super hard to get them all ready but it was worth it! We sure enjoyed the time with Family and friends on the trip.

Our Visit to Bend

2009-11-08T21:49:00.000-08:00

We took a last minute trip to Bend and celebrated Halloween with Felicity's cousins Tayven, Tayleigh, Maddy and Mackenna.

I am officially famous in Fernley...Well at least at Walmart

2009-10-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

So Trevor comes home for lunch today and tells me a lady at his work that I told about my favorite blog hip2save.com, had a little story about me from Walmart. She went in with her coupons and as she's checking out the checker mentions wow, you have a bunch of coupons...(I guess she knew the checker and never had used coupons before.) Anyway, she tells the checker the wife of a guy she works with told her about this website. The checker asks "does she have curly hair and two little blonde girls?" The woman responds "Yes." The checker proceeds to tell her wow you should SEE her coupon binder!!! Yep, it is official I am known around Walmart as the coupon FREEK! But hey I get good deals and that is all the matters, Right?

I do have to say my coupon binder is big!

the Card bad hair day

2009-09-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

Trevor and Felicity found Trevor's mullet in the garage and we couldn't resist...I'm still laughing. I think the best was Alexia. She screamed the entire time we put it on her!

Trevor is pretty creapy in the pic. I definately would cross the street if I saw him coming towards me!!!

Another shopping trip!

2009-08-21T08:25:00.000-07:00

My Smiths Trip. I spent $21 on all this!

Walgreens trips (What a pain but worth it!) $4.50

Target trip $5.55 yeah that is right $5.55

My free 25 prints from walgreens

This is how excited Felicity is about couponing!!

This couponing trip was not for the faint of heart. I ran into town with Alexia for some stuff for the primary carnival on Saturday and figured while I was in town I might as well go shopping at a few of my favorite stores for deals. My target trip was great. The coupons beeped but she still approved them and I gave her a TON of coupons. The walgreens trip was a NIGHTMARE!!! The checker was NOT helpful and I had my whole plan together but it didn't work out. I am on the floor with Alexia crawling around in Walgreens reorganizing my coupons to get the good deal. I would NOT advise a beginner couponer to do this...I was confused and flustered and even sweating(HAHAH)! So I left the first walgreens and went to a different one about 2 miles away and had a way more pleasant experience!!! Some days it is worth it and some days it definately is NOT worth it. Today was frustrating but when I got home and saw what I got for so little I realized it definately was worth it!
I know I'm a geek but I had to share.

Some random pics from the summer

2009-08-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

Our little family

Grandma and Grandpa come to visit

Making yummy brownies with daddy

Playing in the sandbox

Everyone attack daddy! The girls love it when daddy gets home from work. Alexia has started bouncing up and down and squealing every time Trevor walks in the door from work. It is so cute to watch them with their daddy!

My sleeping babies

2009-08-17T18:10:00.000-07:00

There is something so angelic about a child sleeping. No matter how crazy the kids are and how bad of a day I am having, once they fall asleep...I just love them to pieces. They truly are so special to me. Our little angels(while they are sleeping of course).

June and July posts below

2009-08-16T19:11:00.001-07:00

I am a total slacker and am super behind on my blogging. I will try to catchup over the next week but enjoy the old posts anyway!

Playgroup at the Johnson's

2009-08-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

We had some friends come into town so we had an impromptu play group at the Johnson's house. This is a special treat for the kids. They love playing with Dolly, the dog, swinging, playing in the sand and whatever else there is to do. This is one of my favorite yards in all of Fernley with all of the huge trees and beautiful flowers. The other day we flew into Columbus Ohio and as we were landing I told Felicity to look outside at all of the trees. Her response was...Mommy we are by Marilyn's(Johnson) house! Not quite but I got a little giggle out of it.

I just love this pic of Felicity

2009-08-16T18:49:00.000-07:00

The Cards from Bend come to visit

2009-08-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Tayven

Felicity and Grandpa

Felicity on the new 4 wheeler

Going for a ride

This is Felicity's standard wink. You gotta love it!

Trent, Lorrita and the kids came to visit for Tayven's birthday. We had such a fun time hanging out together,riding the bikes and the new 4 wheeler. We even had a little slumber party in grandma and grandpa's garage. We don't get to see them as much as we would like to. Thanks for making the trip guys!

More pictures from the visit

2009-08-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

Trevor and the girls dirtbike riding. I think Trevor already has two fans. Alexia LOVED the dirtbike and would get mad whenever we would take her off.

Lorrita and Tayleigh. We are so thankful Lorrita came into Trents life. She has truly been a blessing in all of our lives especially Trent's!!!

Trent and Alexia. Alexia was attached to Trent the whole visit. I am afraid Alexia is a total daddy's girl. Trevor loves it!

The Card cousins. The girls!

I love this pic of the girls. Felicity just loves her cousin Tayleigh.

Summers at the waterpark

2009-06-25T23:42:00.000-07:00

This is the third year we have gotten season passes for the waterpark and I LOVE it. This has been an awesome year for Felicity...She is getting so independent. She will go down the slides herself and carries the tube all by herself. This is a good thing because Alexia HATES the water. I put her toes in and she freaks out. My friend came with us the other day for the first time and her little girl loved the water....oh well, tis life right! Anyway, even though I have to carry Alexia everywhere we go and FORCE her to get in the water kicking and screaming the whole time...I really am enjoying the summer so far and it has just begun! I am so thankful for good friends to go with. I know I wouldn't go as much as I do if I didn't have fun people to hang out with while we are there. Since the waterpark is in Reno we get there about twice a week which is plenty for me and the girls. I count this as one of our blessings in life, having a wonderful waterpark to play in all summer long!

ok, you can call me a LITTLE crazy!

2009-06-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

I have become a LITTLE over the top with the coupon thing lately. I never realized you could buy lots of coupons on E-Bay did you? Anyway, I found the deal of the century last week and had to share it with all of you. I got 12 reams of paper and two boxes of 4X6 photo paper for a SCREAMING DEAL at staples. I found this website called common sense with money.com It is an awesome site that shares info about good deals at different stores...you all should check it out. A couple other sites I found is hip2save.com, and faithful provisions.com. Anyway, I find this scenario on the website that tells me how to purchase this paper. After it is all said and done on a purchase that would have been about $84.00 I spent $3.50 + taxes! Even with taxes added in I spent about .65 cents per ream of paper and got the photo paper free!!! I think I have paper for us for the entire year. Trevor just picked up 1 ream of paper the other day from Wal-Mart for the same amount I paid for ALL of my paper! I just wanted to share my awesome deal...I'm trying to make mom proud! Next time I find an awesome deal I will share the info a little sooner!

Card Family Pictures

2009-06-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

As many of you know Trevor has been SUPER busy with his two jobs so we have been major slackers on getting a family picture. Alicen was GREAT and took some awesome pictures of the girls(Way better than JC Penny's Did) but Trevor wasn't there and he doesn't have the time for a road trip to Utah! Anyway, Trevor's brother was in town with his family so we went in early on Saturday and got some pics done. I really HATE taking family pictures because there is so much pressure and with kids it is always crazy...(I don't know how mom ever did it with 12) Alexia was a nightmare but thanks to some practice with Alicen Felicity was a perfect cheeser! All things considered I was happy with the pictures. It is sad Alexia is 9 months and this is our first official family picture...besides the ones we took ourselves. In the future we will be better, I hope!

Felicity our little potty mouth...but she doesn't know it!

2009-06-04T22:06:00.001-07:00

A fun picture of the girls at the Memorial Day BBQ me and the girls went to without Trevor, he was busy working! We had a blast and couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day.

Two days ago Felicity, Alexia and I were laying on the floor in their bedroom playing. Lately Felicity has been spelling things and asking me what they spell. So as we are laying there she says what is SSSAASSS spell mommy? I say Sas. Then she says what does AAAAASSSSSS spell mommy? I started laughing and she asks what is so funny. I played it off and told her Alexia was tickling me and making me laugh..She jumps on me and starts tickling me and all is forgotten for her but I am still chuckling a few days later.

Another thing Felicity has been doing lately is rhyming which always concerns me a little because of the words kids can come up with while Rhyming. I have noticed most of the time while she is rhyming she puts a B in front of whatever word she is saying and for the last few months nothing bad has come of it but today she rhymed pitcher replacing the letter with B. I really didn't know what to say so I didn't say anything. I didn't want to bring attention to it but again (Being a bad mom!!) I got a little giggle out of it. I figure it is all innocent unless she starts using the word on a regular basis then I may have to explain the word is not a good word! Maybe when she reads this when she's 16 she'll get a little giggle out of this post too!

Where have the cards been?

2009-06-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been a long time since I have been on here. I have been quite the slacker and a bit overwhelmed with life. I have come to realize two kids are ALOT more work than one and I am having quite a time trying to stay on top of everything. The last few days Felicity and I are having a power struggle. It is in and out of time out pretty much all day long. Last night I prayed for patience with my little girl. She woke her sister up twice..which means a very grumpy Alexia which means a very grumpy mommy. Alexia doesn't take very long naps and that quiet time is very precious time to me! I told Felicity she was in trouble for waking Alexia up and she got this little attitude with me. I told her she could NOT go out with daddy and work in the yard tonight and she told me..."I'M GOING TO DO WHAT I WANT TO DO!!!" I put her in time out and she screamed the whole time! What a night. Sometimes I get frustrated with myself because I know I should be a more loving patient mom even though I am NOT! I guess I just need to keep praying for help because she is only three and If this keeps up it could get really interesting by the time she is a teenager!

Some Funny quotes from Felicity:

They are twins, mommy! They look the same." Refering to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father.

"Mommy, you are a nurse" (as she is coloring a picture of a nurse) "No, hunny mommy is not a nurse but your aunt Treena is." No mommy you ARE a nurse(pause), you nurse Alexia all the time!"

Thank goodness for these funny moments to make up for all the crazy moments!

The Tea Party in Carson

2009-04-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

Summer and I took the kids to the Tea Party in Carson City our State Capital. There were about 2,000 people there protesting the insane spending in Washington. This was a way for us to get our point across that Washington is not listening so we need to stand up for what we believe in. I left the kids with Summer and had a chance to walk through the crowds with Alexia just soaking up the positive energy that was there. Everyone was smiling waving there flags and carrying their signs of protest for all the spending in Washington. Many people stopped to tell us how happy they were we had brought our children so they could be a part of this. I think the best part of the day was when we drove down the street honking our horn and waving our flags. Everyone was cheering and waving there signs...just enjoying the COLD day...working to have their voice heard! I am so glad I bundled the kids up and made the trip. This is what our freedom of speech is all about!

Jump man Jump

2009-04-14T15:03:00.000-07:00

We decided to have a little fun this last week while the kids were on Spring Break. We went to try out Jump man Jump and the kids had a blast. It was really fun the only thing I didn't like was we went in the afternoon so there were lots of big kids and they tend to be a little rough around the smaller kids. I could see the bigger kids just pushing past Felicity and knocking her over because she was moving to slowly for them. Next time we will go in the morning where hopefully there won't be as many kids. That being said it was still a great time. I really just sat and visited with Friends while Felicity and her Friends ran around playing. What a fun day.

Easter Bunny Saturday at commons beach

2009-04-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

Easter Weekend in Tahoe

2009-04-14T09:40:00.000-07:00

Felicity and Wee Gee working on her puzzle

Wee Gee and Alexia

Larry and Wee Gee with the girls

Working on a broken table at the cabin

Felicity painting her eggs the night before Easter

Our good friends Larry and Wee Gee called us to let us know they were going to be at their cabin in Tahoe for the weekend and invited us up. We LOVE spending time with them and were excited to spend this great weekend with them. Felicity had Wee Gee read her bedtime stories, Wee Gee does much better than I do with the voices. They painted eggs together and worked on a puzzle together. We all had such a wonderful time. We are so thankful for Larry and Wee Gee's friendship. They have become adopted grandparents for Felicity and she sure loves them. I feel like you can never have too many grandparents in this life!!!

More pictures from Tahoe

2009-04-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

Me and the girls drove to Tahoe on Thursday night so we could spend a couple days up there. Trevor had to work so he showed up Friday night. We decided last year we would start celebrating the Easter Bunny aspect of Easter on Saturday so on Sunday we could totally focus on the true meaning of Easter...The resurrection of Jesus Christ. So Friday night Trevor, Felicity, and Wee Gee decorated the eggs and when Felicity went to bed the Easter Bunny came and left her and Alexia baskets at the cabin. Felicity was very excited Saturday morning!

Dressing herself!

2009-04-14T09:33:00.000-07:00

It has been helpful having Felicity be a little more independant but sometimes she dresses herself and I have to stop myself from giggling. This was one of those days. She comes out of her room and tells me she is ready to go. I convinced her to change her jeans and put them OVER the boots but that was about it. We did her hair so she looked a little more presentable. Hopefully she gets the matching thing before Junior High. At least she does let me help her get dressed most of the time!

General Conference Weekend

2009-04-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful weekend. When I was a kid I used to dread General Conference Weekend. We would drive 25 minutes to church and be at church for 6 hours then drive home. Felicity and Alexia are pretty lucky because we get to enjoy conference in the comfort of our own home. As I have gotten older I have grown to LOVE conference and the talks. I so enjoyed this conference because I felt the spirit of the Lord and I know the talks were inspired words from the Lord to us at this time. I know there is much Fear in the world right now and one of the most powerful messages I got from all the talks was....yes hard times are ahead BUT, we have a loving Heavenly Father who wants us to be happy even during the difficult times.

My Goal after this conference is to attend the Temple more regularly, to make my home a more spiritual home, and to be HAPPY, to not let the media work me into a frenzy!!!!

As we were watching conference people were wizzing by on their dirt bikes and instead of feeling envious I felt sad for them, that they were missing these wonderful words of encouragement and love from our Heavenly Father. I think everyone LDS or not could benefit from the words that were spoken from the prophet and the apostles today.

During the two hour break we had brunch with a few friends, what an enjoyable time and really yummy food.

After Brunch Melanie and Reed (Trevor's Parents) came out to visit and we had a wonderful time with them. Felicity LOVES it when her Grandparents come to visit. We had some yummy Salmon and some Strawberry cream pie. All in all it was a really good day!

Thanks Jeanie

2009-04-03T14:57:00.000-07:00

I love these cute little dresses! Jeanie (My little sister) gave me them and I just pulled them out last week. I have been struggling with spending a ton of money on dresses for Easter...but, problem solved. I think I am just going to use these ADORABLE dresses. Yeah once again for hand me downs!!!

My NeW tReAdMiLl!!!!!

2009-04-03T14:52:00.000-07:00

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Yeah, New treadmill for me!!!! We just gave the old one away that didn't work and bought a new one from Costco..because costco has the best warranty and will take about anything back! I have gotten about 15 miles in this week and I am LOVEING having a treadmill back.

The Ward Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-03T14:45:00.000-07:00

Felicity had a blast at the Easter Egg Hunt for the Ward last Saturday. I was in charge of the event so poor Trevor had to get the girls ready, help Felicity do the hunt, take pictures, and video. Needless to say the pics aren't great but at least we got them and Felicity had a good time. I think everyone enjoyed the morning and I think we are going to try and do this every year. I sure miss my Dana and Britney with these events...move back so I don't have to be in charge..I HATe being in charge!!!

Dirt Bike Riding

2009-04-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

I know I am always posting about Trevor and Felicity riding but I just love that they get to spend time together doing something they both love. Trevor has been so busy he doesn't get much time to take Felicity out so these are precious one on one times together. I am excited for the time when Alexia is big enough to ride so we can all go out...by then I guess we will probably be trying for another baby so I guess it will probably be a while before I will get to enjoy dirtbike riding again!!!