The Happy Hodsons

I'm Torn

2012-01-24T00:20:00.000-07:00

Blogging Cons for me:
*It takes a lot of time...I need to not feel like I have to catch up on every little thing that is going on in our lifes. And I need more time period :)
*Only about 1/3 of those who were into blogging are still blogging...once every 4 months.
*Everyone can see your pictures on FB...even though I still don't put them there either.

Blogging Pros:
*I miss it...wierd. I look at everyone who does keep up their blogs and love to look at them...it makes me wish I was more consistent.
*It is a great way to express my family life in pictures and words to share with friends and family.
*I would get my endless amount of scrapbooking done faster.

...but you might have missed this:

1 of about 200 pics from Christmas time...2011

...or this random happening. This is what happens when brynlee gets a hold of my ipod. I find these little gems. What better way to share then on blogger?

Wow...I just noticed that pictures are so much easier to load now on blogger... this might cut down on the whole time consuming thing...hmmm...

Brynlee Meets Waldo and the Best Flippin' Deal in the valley for FHE!!!

2011-11-22T02:17:00.001-07:00

Kari and Rob got season tickets to the Weber State basketball games. We tagged along the other day to one of the games. Now you might be thinking to yourself that Weber State isn't really good at anything. Well, you are wrong. They rock at basketball. I'm pretty sure they've won every game so far this season and are a top seed in their conference. (I've got to defend my alma mater.) This game was a blow out, but it was still fun to be part of the blow out action! The funnest thing of course was watching Brynlee and Eliza have so much fun experiencing new things. Brynlee's favorite part was the churro as well as watching the dancers. Every time there was a 20 second time out and they would come out to cheer and do back flips Brynlee got super excited! Funniest thing was when she would immitate their back flips and put her head on the ground and bum in the air and shake it. Oh so darling!!! Now Waldo the cat is another story, but basically she wanted nothing to do with him. As you can see in the picture below Brynlee will not even allow him to look her in the eye...for fear of...who knows what.

So we figured out that at the HAFB bowling alley they have a super duper deal on Mondays. You can rent a lane for up to 6 people for 2 hours including shoe rental and pizza for $30. That makes this awesome deal about $5/person. It's actually a really nice bowling alley that was recently remodeled. We pretty much had the whole entire place to ourselves besides maybe a couple of other groups. So much fun, and Brynlee loves to bowl and when she isn't bowling she can run around and be as loud as she pleases. We went with Ty's fam and in a couple of weeks we are plannning on going with my family. What can I say, pretty much we will be pro-bowlers in probably about a year :) Look for us on the PBA on ESPN2!!!!!!!!!

Gigantic Orange Vegetables

2011-11-22T01:34:00.000-07:00

I remember the Halloween scene for the few years between high school and marriage. Friends, (some more then others), and I would go to a singles dance or two, and then procede to hit pretty much every party from Provo to Logan staying out till way past the time that the H.G. goes to bed. All for the sake of boys...most of them definitley not worth the effort. It makes me tired just to think about it. Life is much calmer now, less dramatic, and good. Not to say that one way is better then the other, but I am glad that I am where I am.

Halloween was fun with little Brynlee this year. She actually cared :D. It's so fun to listen to her say, "Happy Halloween" and "Trick or Treat" in her little munchkin voice...all for the sake of a tootsie roll. Her eyes light up whenever she sees pumpkins or anything else having to do with Halloween. In fact at the grocery store we were in a hurry and heaven forbid we walked right past the big bins of pumpkins without ewwing and awwing over them. I hear "mommy punkin"....progressivley getting louder until I turn around and acknowledge the fact that their are great orange vegetables just needing to be looked at. I love the whole experiencing new things through your child's eyes!!!

And again, because I am lazy and not wanting to be repetitive here is a link to pictures on Facebook of the other festivities of October at the Hodson household. All in all it was a fun and busy month.

Facebook October Pictures

My Bucket List Before I Die....

2011-10-06T01:55:00.002-06:00

Before I die....of the freezing cold this winter!!!!

I actually was surfing the internet and ran across an October bucket list and thought to myself....I want one. So here it is:

1) Attempt {this recipe} for caramel apples. Ty absolutley loves them and would think I was numero uno wifey if I made them and they actually turned out.

2) Mmmm........YUM!!!!!!....attempt to make an apple pie and maybe share one with a neighbor?...Again, if it actually turns out.

3) Carve pumpkins 3 times. Once with Ty's fam 10-16-11. Once with My fam 10-28-11. Once with Rodriguez's, Allred's and Butler's....tradition that is 6+ years and still going.

4) Take a drive up the canyon to look at the beautiful leaves.

5) Visit Black Island Farms {Click here}. This is something I wanted to do last year, but didn't get around to. This year will be more fun anyways with Brynlee being a little bit older.

6) Start Christmas shopping early...HAHAHA!! Don't you know me by now?

7) Make something "fally" from one of my 1 billion pins on Pinterest {Click here}

8) 2 date nights!!!!!!!!!!!!...one being to the temple.

9) Actually dress up this year. I always leave it to the last minute so resort to sending my kids (Tyler and Brynlee) all dressed up, but don't actually participate myself.

These are all the fun things...then there is everything that I don't want to do, but have to anyways. Because they are not fun I won't even bother to put them on this blog.

My weekend fix!

2011-10-03T00:37:00.002-06:00

Because sometimes I can be a lazy beast....

PRESS HERE for: A few pics from the last couple of months!

Anywho...this weekend was a great one. I have been really stressed about random stuff in my life...a new job, a dang hard class, a calling that shouldn't but does stress me out, everything that I want to get done and organized, but can't quite seem to find the time because of previous mentioned stressors. I think that this weekend was the perfect fix for all of that. I was able to get out with my family and have some fun and forget about the things that really don't matter so much. Ok they do matter, but for the sake of my sanity,...there are much more important things.

FRIDAY!!!
I got woken up to Kari calling me on my cell phone. This had to be good or the phone was going in the garbage. Well, she was calling to see if we wanted to go to Lagoon for $10. Her mother in law was so nice to think of us and we were so excited to load up our girlies to take them. It was Brynlee's first time and it made me so happy to see her so happy and amazed by all the new adventures. What I didn't get was a picture of her cute little scrunchy-faced-cry that she gave us everytime the ride ended. How in the world do you explain to a 2 year old that we have to wait our turn...and sometimes that wait is longer then 20 seconds (especially on frightmares/employee day at Lagoon)...yah, you don't. Anyways it was so fun!!! I've always loved Lagoon,....Ty not so much, but I must say it was so much better experiencing it through a little person named Brynlee.

SATURDAY!!!

We went shopping in Park City. This is something that I THOROUGHLY enjoy. Why? Because I love to shop. Even if I have zilch money. It then becomes the thrill of the chase. We first stopped in Morgan to drop something off at Ty's grandparents. Something about Morgan and the air up there that I just love. I could've stayed there all day and would have been perfectly happy. But on to Park City we went. We stopped at ...not Baja Cantina like usual... We decided to try something new. What?!?!? We heard that The Loco Lizard was delish and so stopped there. It was nummy and I would definitely recommend it. We drove out of Park City a little bit poorer, but got some great deals. Ty found some shoes and work shirts, me a REALLY CUTE coat, and Brynlee some clothes along with these shoes that were very much so...on sale. (Side note. No we didn't listen to conference :( Our usual tradition includes doing things around the house and listening to conference on Saturday. Please don't judge.....) Later on that evening we made a stop to visit Brynlee's Uncle Zach. Yep, I said Uncle....adorable!

SUNDAY!!!!

Awww! The essence of Conference weekend was captured in this day. No makeup, pjs, relaxation, conference blaring, yummy food, and family love! Absolutely perfect. Listening to the prophet's voices brings such a peace to my life and I look forward to it more then any Sunday. Most of the talks applied directly to me and I am so thankful for the words that I heard and the spirit I came away with. I LOVE the gospel and know that it is what makes my life so wonderful and allows me to be so happy.

They needed an Asian

2011-05-16T00:04:00.017-06:00

So this is a compilation of what was going to be about 10 different posts. Life comes at you and blogging doesn't always so much always happen. But like always I will always try harder and be better :) I have left out:

~Easter~
~SanFrancisco~

because there were a whole load of pictures...the plan is to blog about these in the next week....or so.

Do you recognize her? Yes that is my "Sillouhette" from the February Ensign. Long story short....I went with my sister to an Ensign photoshoot. They specifically needed an Asian girl. I fit the bill. The plan is (suggested by my Momma) to put it in a small frame for Brynlee's room so that she can always have the example of her Mom reading her scriptures.

I really love this show--

I could tell you why, but then it would turn this into a really long post. Just watch it. Oh wait...the season ended. Well, watch it when it returns in the fall. It will not disappoint!

Please don't report me to CPS. We brought this upstairs one night because Rusty was sick. Brynlee loves to play in it. She honestly puts herself in there and closes the door. She'll bring toys and books in there. It's a party!

Digi-scrap = Newest addiction of Sara's

And this next collage is one done by Annette. I think it's just adorable. It does however make me a teeny bit sad, because she as you can see from these pictures...she's growing up right before my eyes...

This was Brynlee's 3rd trip to the zoo. We took her when she was 4 months old. Not a whole lot of fun for her. We took her again when she was just over a year...not a whole lot of fun for us...she was a bit moody. And then a few weeks ago I went with my friend Marilinda. SO FUN for everyone!!!! Perfect day, a little bit cooler, but that's ok because the animals were way active, and NO crowds! I had so much fun that I have asked a few others to take the journey down there in the coming weeks.....

Yes...she eats and drives at the same time. She must get it from her Momma.

Minute-to-win it was so much fun with the Young women. Definite crowd pleaser and highly entertaining. Probably the most hilarious one was the orange in the nylon game. Pictured below is "Junk in your trunk".

Oh my sad! They are completley revamping the temple Ty and I were married in. It will be, I'm sure, so gorgeous when it's all finished, but the old building is definitley sentimental to us. Our children will have to see pictures of what it looked like when their parents got married there...instead of driving past it. We were able to make it to one last visit about a week before it closed. Tear.

I love this Before and After blog. It's so cool to be able to see what people do with old furniture or grody rooms and make them into something wonderful and new again. Here is my own.

Before **DI find of $15. Please excuse my big booty**:

After **A black desk...we don't use the desktop computer as much though...so this might have another future use. Thanks Mom for your help!!**:

Next on the project list is this:

{Waiting for pic}

I picked it up off of KSL for $25 buckaroos. She called it Shabby-Chic. Um...maybe not. But I do really enjoy the cute little legs and quaint little edging at the top. The plan is to strip the 20 layers of paint off of it and paint it a creamy color for Bryn's room to hold all of her books.

In the past couple of months Tyler has probably made 4 or 5 batches of chili verde. He has tried out several different recipes and is becoming the Verde Master!!! It is so delicious!!!! Ask anyone, he's a better cook then yours truly. I'm am totally ok with that :)

Here is a video of one of the grossest things.

She knows it sicks us out...and to her that is hilarious. Peace out!!

Love,

If I forget.....slap me!!!!

2011-04-20T01:25:00.003-06:00

dear sara,

remember to:

*look at your calendar~you are a forgetful person

*take time for yourself

*wash behind your daughter's ears

*not step in the wet,.......very wet, unlandscaped dirt with slip on shoes

*buy gas when you're not in a hurry

*thank everyone who does kind things for you

*........especially family

*think of easter~ish activities more then a week before easter

*not stay up too late~you're not a morning person

*quit packing so much into your life~you're gonna miss out

*oh yes, get an 'a' out of stats the first time around~yes i got an 'a' :)

Guess who's excited....

2011-04-04T15:34:00.003-06:00

....for SUMMER!!!!!!!!! Brynlee! And the rest of our little family. We seriously can hardly stand it any longer. I have a list of about 50 things that are summer- only kind of activities. I can't wait! I bought this swim suit for Brynlee not because it is cute (because really it isn't exactly all that cute), but because she is in love with Dora and I knew how happy she would be to just see it and try it on. She was thrilled. You should have seen how much she giggled and smiled while I was putting it on. I'm just glad it made her happy (and it was only about $5). I'll probably find 1 more swimsuit that is more eyepleasing for me, but chances are she will want to wear this one every time. Oh well, whadya do? I will post more on what we've been up to later. Luvs!!

Yes, he ran into a wall........

2011-02-20T15:31:00.005-07:00

When we were in San Fran in January my Mom called in a panic. She said "something's happened to Rusty". Automatically I thougth hit by a car, stepped on by a great dane...etc. Well, not exactly. Rusty had been chasing birds in the front yard. My Mom called him to the back yard and he was cruising. He ran so fast that I guess he did not see the spout sticking off of the brick on the house. BAM and he has a gash the size of a quarter on his shoulder. My Mom was so good to baby him and wash his wound and bandage him up for a few days for us. He is so funny. With those bandages wrapped around him he acted so pathetic. Obviously he knew that he looked like an invalid wiener dog. {The pic below is not for the faint of heart} I am happy to report that the wound is barely visible now. The Roo is back to himself.

This is sooo cute. Brynlee takes the Daddy doll and baby doll and carrys them around everywhere. They give each other kisses, play in the doll house, ride on her car, and pretty much everything else you can think of.

She LOVES her Daddy!!!!

And can you guess where I always find the mommy doll?

{Dramatic pause....and gasp}

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I still don't quite know what to think of this.......

In LOVE with Grandma!!!

2011-02-02T23:04:00.012-07:00

Bryn loves her grandmas so so much! You can see how excited she gets when she sees them. I also love them too! They are so special to us!!!

At Grandma Scott's

She get's to see her at least 3 times a week for 3-4 hours while I'm at work. Not sure for how long, but for right now that is our schedule. Grandma Scott has taught her so many fun things. Just today she taught Brynlee how to put her hand up to her nose and say Ah Choo! It's darling. Someday Brynlee will be Grandma's little quilting protege. Grandma S is so excited!!

Here she is with cousin Eliza. Grandma and Grandpa S wanted everyone sitting around the table and so got a couple of highchairs. The girls love being a part of the family dinner table.

{December 2010}

Brynlee's favorite corner at grandma and grandpa's is behind the couch in this corner with a special little cupboard of toys. She makes her way down there almost immediately to play with all the toys and sometimes finds special suprises (in the way of toys)! She LOVES it!! This cupboard was used by Kari and I growing up and was made by our Grandpa Robbins. It's fun to see it getting use through the generations.

{December 2010}

At Grandma Bates'

Brynlee also loves her Grandma Bates. Grandma Bates lives pretty much next door. Who wouldn't want to live next door to Grandma? Whenever we go to her house she immediately points towards the garage and waves goodbye to us. This is because she knows that grandma will spoil her with goody's which usually include a shake from Mcdonalds.

{October 2010}

Brynlee also likes to go to Grandma Bates' to see Uncle Casey, and to feed the fish. So much to do...so little time!

Brynlee can also almost always count on getting her picture taken by her Grandma Bates. For some reason she is a good little poser and smiler with Grandma B, but not usually with us. You can see who she favors :) And Grandma Bates is an awesome picture taker. Maybe someday Brynlee will learn some of her picture taking skills too!

{October 2010}

I am so grateful for each of Brynlee's grandparents! We love them so much!!!!!

Our HUGE blessing that stands about two feet high.

2011-01-17T20:49:00.008-07:00

Brynlee Mae...what more can I say. We are totally in love with this girl. Everything about her!!! This is such a fun age. She is so fun to watch and play. She just loves to be with us and we love to be with her. She is learning so much and we are totally in awe. She is seriously such a sweetheart and I feel so blessed!

November 2010. This is at the kiddy place in the Newgate Mall. Brynlee LOVES it! She mostly stands around watching the other kids play, and then plays a little.

I think this is on the same day...just chillin while Mom and Dad attempt to do some Christmas shopping....

This one is a tid bit blurry, but it kinda shows how she is immitating everything we do!!! I mean everything. We yell at the dog...so does she. We fold our arms to pray...so does she. I put a sticker on my forhead...so does she. She is so impressionable!!!

And this is how she decides to wear headbands. It's so cute watching her put them on her head and then walking around thinking she looks beautiful. She does no matter what!!

Brynlee and baby Zach

Brynlee and Uncle Elmo. Ashley and Brock bought this shirt for Casey and she LOVES it!!!!

This is what she looks like most mornings when she's eating breakfast. She always wants to wear any coat "coe" and has to have her blankie "Beebee" by her side.

ps...if you're wondering why I never dress my child in anything besides jammies and never do her hair. Well, this girl has a little mind of her own. She loves certain outfits and anything comfortable. I have done her hair in piggies several times, but pretty sure she just pulls them out within 10 minutes...

Hold those you love close!

2010-12-06T23:31:00.005-07:00

It truly amazes me at the amount of faith that people have. Their faith strengthens my faith. I stumbled across this blog a few days ago. It is so hard to see the struggles this little family is facing from recently losing their little girl in a drowning accident. But then I see how strong they are in their testimonies and I am inspired and strengthened by them. I think you will be too.

http://patrickandashley.blogspot.com/2010/07/blessings.html

http://patrickandashley.blogspot.com/2010/10/pay-it-foward.html

http://patrickandashley.blogspot.com/2010/09/answers.html

I can't help but literally sob, thinking about what this young couple is going through. It makes me realize: that no matter what our Heavenly Father loves us and is there...especially during the tough times, that this life is precious...we should not take one day for granted, and that those around us are precious. Hold to them, hug and kiss them...and tell them that you love them!!!!

The Bag Lady

2010-12-02T23:46:00.002-07:00

I really should be posting about Thanksgiving...and Halloween...and everything else in between. However, this seemed more fun at the moment.

Well, we have a little bag lady in our house who collects everything she can find or that she likes into her miniature shopping cart and baby carriage. As you can see here it becomes quite the collection.

We do not help her arrange any of it. She squeezes it all in like a puzzle and then pushes it up and down the hallway...looking for quarters I suppose...or maybe some pigeons to feed.

Other items we have found in their...garbage, dog food, ritz crackers, baby medicine, Mom's toothbrush, a computer mouse, remote controler, keys....all treasures to little Miss Brynlee.

Wow! You should be just as amazed as I!

2010-11-04T00:30:00.002-06:00

First of all I am impressed with Digis.

My pictures are loading so much faster.

It might just be a joy to blog more often.

Second of all I am impressed with my Mom.

She always comes up with the most creative ideas.

If you have never looked at her blog...you should here.

This is where you will see the cutest growth chart ever.

She is caring on what my Grandma Robbins always did each year.

Pencil notches is what marked the spot on her door frame.

Man, I wish I had a picture of that.

All in favor of my Mom selling her stuff...say I.

I think she would do so well!!

(Thanks Mom for letting me borrow your blog tonight for a quick post. I love you!)

A House Becomes a Home

2010-10-18T23:02:00.006-06:00

Has it been 4 months since my last real post. Yes! I think that time just gets away from you in the summer kinda like a dream, and then reality hits and it's dreaded winter again. To say that the last 4 months have been busy would be an understatement...more like a whirlwind, but it's over now :)

I think she looks like Tyler in this one...except with asian eyes and such.

A little more about Brynlee....

She is now 16 months old. Wow! She is such a joy to be around and I love her with all my heart! She impresses us each and every day with how quick she is catching on and learning things. She immitates us like crazy, so we are making sure to watch what we are saying and doing...because we now have a little shadow. She is very good at making the sounds of each animal and pointing to her body parts. She loves to help me clean and of course loves little songs and books. She has discovered the television. This is good for when I am needing a minute to do the dishes or fix my hair, but try to turn it off and she will tell you what she thinks. I think that she could become an addict of television if we allowed it.

She is a very social baby. For example, it was just me and her in church yesterday (Ty was sick)...we sat in the gym because of a farewell and she probably sat on 5 different strangers laps, brought back licorice, and toys of all sorts and flirted with anyone who would lay eyes on her. Oh, and then at one point I had her by the skirt, ya know the stretchy part. Oh did she think that was something to giggle at...well, somehow she got away and sprung forward into the collapsible wall thing. She laughed and unfortunatley so did everyone else...I really could've used Ty's firmness this Sunday. Oh well, I guess it was entertaining for all those around us.

And I could go on and on...hopefully I will be now updating this a little more, so if you care, I will be divulging more on our sweetheart.

A little more about Tyler...

*So happy to have his hot rod down here...to just look at for now until he has the space to work on it.
*Hates school from the bottom of his heart!! Just 2 more 1/2 time semesters...You can do it!!!!
*Is oober proud of being the only one in society to not be on Facebook.

A little more about Sara...

*Is suddenly much more aware of all of the crap that is in our food (high fructcose corn syrup, preservatives...etc.)
*Loves life, but would like it to slow down.
*Makes dang good zucchini bread...mmmm!!

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This was taken probably 4 months ago while Brynlee was helping us work on the house... Notice the circled area on the bucket.

Does this qualify me for Mom of the year? I think not.
We did manage to make a little fun for ourselves this summer. The funnest part was watching our little baby become a toddler. She is a walking diva now!! We also of course ate ourselves silly with hamburgers and hotdogs and swam a bit, well 2 or 3 times (which is miniscual - considering there is now a pool basically in our front yard) and thanks to the Butler's made it to one out-of-town sort of trip to Bear Lake.
(Butler's, Hodson's, Allred's....Rodriguez's came too, but had to leave early)

We spent the summer months mostly finishing our home in the 105 degree heat. Yah, that was fun and all, but I am happy that we are now just sitting here on a Monday night relaxing together as a family. THANKYOU to all of our wonderful family and friends who spent a lot of tiresome hours helping. We hope to someday be able to return the favor somehow.

These are pictures before we moved in all of the furniture. I will at some point decorate...and then put up some more pictures. My favorite rooms ended up being Brynlee's striped yellow room. Notice in the picture it still needs Chair rail around it....yep, still haven't done that. It is on our checklist of about 100 different things. That is not an exaggeration either. I also love how the kitchenn turned out ...oh, and the dark brown wall. I was a little scared for that, but am now loving it. BUT I'm not so much looking forward to the day when dark brown is out of style and we have to paint over it.

And that is all for now. Sometimes I wonder if it is worth writing on a blog. I had a good friend get rid of hers and so it kinda tempted me ( I won't mention any names, but her name starts with a K and ends with an ATIE.) It does seems like a lot of work and just one more to-do, but for now here it stays.

Sara Scott, Sara Hodson, Ogden, Utah

If you like Hip-Hop...

2010-10-01T00:24:00.004-06:00

I started writing a blog, but now I am way too tired to finish...so tomorrow...or Sunday...it will happen.

In the meantime I found this amusing. Maybe you have already seen this...and maybe not. And I hate to admit it, but I really do love hip hop music...and Justin Timberlake. So prepare yourself for the Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake--History of Rap:

xoxo Sara

...and then we ATE ELMO...

2010-06-17T07:40:00.014-06:00

Sunday was Brynlee's birthday. Can you believe she is already a year old? I sure am having a hard time believing. I think that this past year went super fast...which could be good or bad depending on how you look at it. She is our little sweetheart and we couldn't be more thankful for such a good girl!

We ended up celebrating her birthday on Monday, because of the Monsoon that we had on Sunday. We really wanted to have it outside since we were grilling kabobs. Plus, that is how I had it planned out in my head. It turned out really nice! Thanks to our family for coming and for being so nice to spoil Brynlee with gifts. She now has a different outfit to wear for each day this summer, and lots of fun toys to play with!

A nice Monday evening....very different from the night before!

These were pretty fun to make. Luckily Tyler's Mom had a bear mold that I used which made them a ton easier.

Dig in!

Want some????

Mmmmm.....Cake....

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!....We pretty much reached her happiness limit by the end of the evening.

On Monday Brynlee also had her 1 year check up. She is 18.8 lbs, and 28.5 inches long, so we will be holding off on the front facing car seat for a little bit. Too bad for her because I'm pretty sure she would love it so much better. She also got her MMR, Hepatits, and Chicken pox shots, but no fever this time :) . I asked the doctor about her little tantrums when changing her diaper and she told me to just ignore her...and to make sure to emphasize the good things she does when she does them. You catch more bees with honey.

So, we are still not in our house like we had planned. Things are taking a little longer then we had expected. Hopefully within the next 3 or 4 weeks...hopefully.

Checklist:

_Soffit/Facia/Raingutters

_Garage floors

_Driveway (We're doing)

_Landscaping (We're doing)

_Taping on sheetrock

_Cabinets

_Painting (We're doing)

_Tile (We're doing...maybe)

_Carpet

_Finish work...moldings etc. (We're doing)

_And about 100 other little things (We're doing)

Do you think we can do this in 4 weeks??? We will see....

Here's a couple of pictures of the amazing brickwork! Tyler loved Augie Romero's work and his bid was right around everyone else's.

Take time to slow down!

2010-06-07T12:22:00.003-06:00

Even if you are not religious I think that THIS is an article that can be appreciated.

President Hinckley recalled that his father “never ceased growing” because he made time for “thinking, meditating, and pondering.”

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin observed how easily we fill our lives with “appointments, meetings, and tasks” and then act frightened at the prospect of some quiet time. Why would that be? He feared that we might “feel that the busier we are, the more important we are—as though our busyness defines our worth.” On another occasion, he reminded us that “being busy is not necessarily being spiritual”—for in fact, noise and busyness can actually crowd out the still, small voice of the Spirit.

“When we put God first,” President Ezra Taft Benson promised, “all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives.” This is one reason President Spencer W. Kimball could say that “we will move faster if we hurry less.” Undistracted by other gods, we trust the Lord to help us allocate our time and talent to their very best uses each day. As a result, we do more good and we make real progress.

Life is SO busy! Sometimes it is so busy that we forget to appreciate and enjoy life. I am a partial failure at taking time to slow down. I want to work on this more and really enjoy everything that I am blessed with.

On Studio 5 this morning...(yes I watched studio 5 this morning)...they gave a summer parenting challenge part of that challenge included letting go of rigid expectations.

"Basically I am giving parents an excuse to relax; to have fun and enjoy their kids. I am allowing parents to "play hooky" from their regular schedule for 3 months, then to assess the aura in their home. Children who come from homes like this are happy. They have fewer illnesses.They are successful in school, successful in careers, and successful in relationships."

So, here's to a fun summer of 2010...They started on the insulation and sheetrock this morning, so hopefully we will be moving in within a few weeks :). Then we can relax and enjoy some fun times as a family.

ps This is more for my own benefit...I hope I'm not sounding preachy.

really?!?!

2010-05-24T14:04:00.005-06:00

three things:

...this is a tag stuck to my straightner

...that i just barely noticed

...but luckily i didn't try to staighten my eyelashes with my straightner

...this is a monitor

...which we wish we would have bought about 11 months ago

...because it has been so nice to go over to our house and work with ty without having to check on little miss every 10 minutes

...this is a website

...that my coworker showed me

...to make brynlee's baby book because i am just now getting around to that...check it out...it's awesome

THE END

Untitled

2010-05-20T07:44:00.006-06:00

I really mean to update this more often, but it doesn't so much happen. Probably because when Brynlee is asleep I have a list that's pretty deep of stuff that kinda takes the cake as far as being more important. Also, I lost my camera, then I found it, then I lost it again, and then found it again..........But this is what's been going on:

* Brynlee loves her baby cousin Eliza...well all babies really, but especially Eliza.

*Ok, the Rodriguez's are awesome!!!!! They had a Cinco de Mayo party complete with mexican cuisine, a pinata, and good company. I decided to try something different...so I made faux fried ice cream. I think it turned out pretty good....here is the recipe.

* One plus about living out here is you can burn stuff. We burned some old plywood the other night and then made hobo dinners....yummy!!!! I definitley recommend these more often then just when you go camping.

* I got a little crafty for Mother's day. Here's what I came up with. My coworker actually showed me these probably about a year ago, but I didn't really get around to making them till now. Mother's day was wonderful!!!!! Ty spoiled me with flowers and breakfast (not in bed because Brynlee is usually our alarm clock on Sunday's). Then we went and ate lunch at Ty's Uncle Terry's and Dinner at my Momma's.

* The Big Bang Theory.....Get it....watch it....LOVE it!...on NETFLIX

* 6 years = the amount of time Ty have been legally and lawfully married....and eternally. I LOVE him mucho mas and it seriously just keeps getting better and better. I am loving growing old with him!!!!

* Remember this post. Well, I haven't really been more committed to my first goal, so until I have made a valiant effort toward this, then I can't move onto other goals. I have tried...but not to my liking. Here's a picture of Brynlee and cousin Eliza getting ready to go on one of the probably 2 runs that I've been on.

*She's such a joy!!!

* Hey, aren't these cute. Well, as of a couple months ago I'm the personal progress go-to person in our YW's. I had the girls decide what goal they wanted to work on this month and then make a button ring to coincide with the value color. You can find the demo here. We have personal progress once a month here, which compared to my last ward is a lot. So I want to be creative and make it exciting for the girls. Well, needless to say, that's not so easy to do. So if you all have any suggestions or ideas I am more then open :)

* Sometimes she thinks I'm a little wierd.

* My dad = the newest bishop of the South Ogden 6th ward (as of 2 weeks ago). Congratulations Dad. We love you!! See you in 5 or 6 years.

Chop-Chop

2010-04-27T18:20:00.007-06:00

WANTED: LOST CAMERA!

So, I still can't find my camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I remember having it at Kari's husband's b-day dinner and then it vanished into thin air. I think that somebody is playing a mean joke on me because there are a ton of pictures on there that I am stressed/sad that I might have lost FOR-EV-ER.

Until then here are a couple from my Mom's camera that she took of me before my hair became about a foot shorter. I decided last week to chop my hair short. It hasn't been this short for a while, but my long hair was pretty nastified. I donated about a foot to locks of love, so I'm really hoping they can use it. If not that's ok too...it was time for a change.

It was so cute to watch Brynlee's reaction. She looked at me and smiled. Then she reached out for my hair and kinda pulled her tiny fingers thru it all the way to the ends for a few seconds. Then she was done with that and wanted to go and play.

ps...thanks Laura for showing me how to make cute collages for my blog :)

Oh, and how do you like that sexy LDS Family Services shirt? I'm not complaining though...it's the one day (about once every 2 weeks) that I don't have to put a skirt on :)

Just Words

2010-04-22T15:16:00.002-06:00

I am absolutley loving motherhood!! Not that I wasn't loving it before, but it seems as though it just gets more and more rewarding!!!!!! Seriously Brynlee is the funnest thing on the planet to me! She is so entertaining to watch and to play with. She is soooo smart too. I think that she just might be going to Harvard like her Daddy thinks she will.
Right now she will:

***Give you high five when asked.
***Clap her hands together if you mention "patty-cake".
***Lean in for a kiss if you ask her for a kiss.
***Wave bye-bye all the time.....but not when you want to show her off to someone she's not familiar with.
***Growl at the dogs...especially Rambo, who happens to be her favorite...Also she enjoys feeding Rusty her puffs and crackers. He loves it too!
***Crawl in everywhich direction and especially not the direction you are expecting. Um...she even is climbing up stairs. Yikes!

Oh, she is a handfull, but I absolutley love it!!!!!!! She has been much more pleasent lately now that her top two teeth have broken through.

Brynlee is so sweet too. Lately she hasn't been taking her normal 3 hour nap and so I know that she's tired and she'll sit there and rub her eyes and cuddle her head into her blankie, but still just be the sweetest little gal.

I am at work right now so I will post some pictures when I find my camera and when I'm at home.

Christmas day!

2010-03-29T18:25:00.008-06:00

Christmas was so fun with baby Brynlee!!

Yippee my favorite perfume!

My favorite gift = sewing machine from my Mom and Dad

Tyler ♥'s this show...don't ask me why?!
Ty's favorite gift = $$ from his Mom and Grandma and Grandpa B.

Brynlee had to taste everything to make sure they were ok to play with.

Brynlee's favortie gift = The wrapping paper and bows

Brynlee and her cousin Taitlyn (2nd cousin)

Such a great day with our princess :)

Is this wierd that I'm posting this a week before Easter?????!!!!????

Brynlee Bear Sure is Growing!

2010-03-21T15:07:00.000-06:00

Ok, so she is 9 whole months now!! That sure did fly by. She is our little angel, and we are so grateful for her everyday! It hit me the other day when I was in the store looking for some summer clothes for her. I was in the infant section and couldn't find any of her size....that's because her size is in the toddler section now! What!!!???!!!

She is now:
...26.5 inches long and 17.85 lbs-kinda on the smaller side.

...pulling herself to a standing position, but has yet to crawl. Somehow though if we sit her in one place she ends up in another place that's about 3 feet away. I think somehow she's scooting.

...loving Cheerios :) But hating any kind of baby food that's not sweet potatoes.

...getting a little anxiety when we hand her to someone she doesn't know.

...is a little chatterbox and screecher. In church this has proven to be a problem. She will hang over the back of the bench and screech at all of the people behind us, and then protest very loudly when we try and get her off of the back of the bench. OH, and then there was the time that someone was singing a very lovely musical number and she chose to sing along in her screech owl voice. FUNNY, but maybe not so funny to the people trying to sing

Pics that Ty's Mom took:

Pics that JCPenny's took:

As you can see it takes her a little bit to warm up to people...and that is why there was not even a hint of a smile for the girl taking these.

...and what have we been up to?...

It will hopefully be done soon :) Ty has been working SOOO hard on it. He goes to work from 6 to 3:30 and then comes home and works on the house until it gets dark. Ty, his Grandpa, and his brother have been doing the electrical and plumbing and little framing jobs inside for the past couple of weeks. I think they are amaaaazzzing! This week the brickers are putting on the brick. It is beginning to look like a house, but has a ways to go until it looks like a home.

Something different for my 100th post...

2010-03-17T15:50:00.001-06:00

No it's not a giveaway...sorry...maybe if I had something fun to give away.

While looking over my blog list, I noticed the word "recommitment". I would love to be recommited/committed to lots of stuff, but lack the time and energy. But how 'bout just being MORE committed to everything life has to offer?? So, I'm going to try and be "more committed" each week to something different. And hopefully by doing so will be able to inspire the millions of readers who read my blog....haha actually I just wanna inspire myself and by putting it on here I am more likely to accomplish my goals.

I have loved the Wordless Wednesday's and Pretty Monday's, So each Monday plan on "MORE COMMITTED Monday's", whether you care or not, I plan on posting what I am going to be more committed to and report back on how the past week went. I want to try and be more committed in 2 or 3 ways each week :). We will see.

Some ideas that are brewing right now are: being more committed to......

==my husband==

==my daughter==

==finding a bargain==

==exercising==

==my dog==

==being crafty==

==relaxing==

==being spontaneous==

==reading==

==scrapbooking==

==my religon==

==my ward calling==

==eating healthy==

==reconnecting==

==Oprah==

==Starting my business==

==My Car==

==Summer time==

==Finding simple beauty==

==Finding color==

This should be interesting. And if you find that I suddenly stop posting it isn't because I have given up...well maybe it is...but more likely I have become lazy in posting to this blog. So really maybe one of my More Committed Monday's should be dedicated to being more committed to blogging.

This week I plan on being more committed to exercising. This gorgeous weather will definitley be a factor in helping me accomplish this :)

How many times do you see the word commit?

(Answer: 12)

A new addition to our family...

2010-02-22T13:46:00.008-07:00

....the Scott Family that is. Kari and Rob had their sweet little Eliza on Friday February 4th. For the complete story click here. I am so happy for them and can already see what great parents they are. I also am so excited for Brynlee to have a little sister-cousin that is only 8 months apart to play with, share secrets with, and have so much fun together. Seriously, they are gonna have a blast! And we're gonna have a blast watching them! Brynlee is already lovin' her cousin Eliza. She smiles and laughs at her and wants to play already. She is really good about being soft with her. You can see her patting her as gently as possible...that can be expected from an almost 9 month old. It's also so fun for me to watch my baby sister go thru motherhood. It has been great to bounce ideas and issues dealing with being Moms off of each other.

Oh, and p.s. This is SUPER FUN for my Mom. Kari and I were about 13 months apart. Both of us were in diapers and not walking for a time. For her it is kinda like reliving her time with her baby Sara and Kari....except for now it's baby Brynlee and Eliza.

<><>Stolen from Mom's blog<><>

<><>The Bruderer's<><>

Kari needs a shower!

2010-02-02T23:50:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to throw a baby shower for my sister Kari a couple of Saturdays ago! I got a little overwhelmed, however, looking at all of the bagillion ideas out there on the internet. Well, with the help of my Mom, we got it put together. I copied Erica's shower and had cinnamon rolls and hot cocoa...which was perfect for a snowy January morning. Then we got the idea to decorate onesies from a shower idea on the internet. Well, it turned out wonderful. Now, we will just have to wait for little Eliza to get here hopefully by next Sunday :) Can't wait!!!!

These were the easiest thing ever!!! I am now gonna make them for every party we go to in the future :)

Nummy Cinnamon Rolls (Dad got them from Adventurous Cafe on 25th). We made little toppers that say, "A Bun in the Oven"...Kinda fitting.

I thought they turned out so cute! Kari's buds were pretty creative...Now, I just have to sew around them.

Cute little sweater dress for Eliza...and Kari and Rob.

For Bliss....

2010-02-01T10:33:00.002-07:00

(This is for Bliss's internship. Such a great article...Good luck to her!)

Hello to all of Sara’s blog readers! My name is Bliss Stinson and I actually work with Sara at LDS Family Services. She is an amazing woman as you all probably know. She is a loyal friend, a wonderful wife and mom, and a bubbly person to be around. I love knowing her. Well you are probably wondering why this post is on her blog! Well, for my job I write health and fitness blogs and articles for different companies. I am loving it completely! In fact I have such a passion for it that I would like to share some things that I have learned with those that I care about. I chose to post a guest post on Sara’s blog because I know that she cares about her body and her health and I am sure that all of you moms out there do. Don’t we all? Whether it is maintaining that nice figure, trying to lose that baby weight, keeping up with your little ones, or simply trying to live a healthy lifestyle while you are pregnant- we all know that it can be hard. It definitely takes work and effort. However, it honestly can be easier than we make it out to be. We simply need to realign ourselves away from the views and teachings of society and learn more about our body. You see our body has ph levels in our blood, which can range from being alkaline to neutral to acidic. The acid in our body is what fosters degenerative and autoimmune diseases. It can impair major systems in our body such as our organs, digestive tracks, skin integrity, and repair from injury. Now you may ask, “how do we become acidic?” The answer to that is – “by what you eat.” The saying is true, you are what you eat. There are different foods that have an alkaline effect on our body and other foods that have an acidic effect on our body. For instance milk, cheese, sugar, saturated fats, chocolate, beef, and cashews have an acidic effect on our bodies. Food such as avocados, oranges, spinach, almonds, olive oil and watermelon all have an alkaline effect on our body. It has been proven that when we are in a neutral or more alkaline state, our body has more energy, we have better athletic and mental performance and we reduce the risk of serious diseases. All you have to do is incorporate more alkaline foods in your diet. You should simply be eating 60-80% of alkaline foods. How easy is it to add better foods to your diet instead of doing completely outrageous fad diets that leave you unhappy and starved? You can still have that daily acidic food that you love as long as it stays in the 20% range of your diet. It’s a different concept that takes some time to soak in and understand. If you want to test your ph levels to see whether or not you are acidic, you can buy ph test strips in some grocery stores as well as online. You simply dip them in your saliva or urine and wait 15 seconds and you can find out where you stand on the ph scale! If you want to learn more, I challenge you to go to THIS SITE to find out more information so you can become a better more capable woman who is ready to conquer any challenge before her- ESPECIALLY weightloss. Let’s get goin girls!

Photoshoot with Grandma.

2010-01-27T07:11:00.019-07:00

Ty's Mom watches Brynlee on Friday afternoons while I'm at work. She got some great shots last Friday...you can see all of Brynlee's personality shining thru. These are just a few of the grundle that was taken. Which they all still might look the same to you, but I can't choose just 1. Brynlee is so much fun right now. She's loving the shopping cart and flails her arms out and whoots and hollers at the passerby's. I think they're amused. Oh, and we were wondering when she was gonna start teething...well yesterday on the way to work my Mom called and said that she has her 2 bottom teeth now. They must've popped up this weekend, but you would never have known. Brynlee wasn't fussy or anything like most people say they will be...I guess we will wait and see how she fairs with the other ones. Anyways enjoy the pics...

These Oranges are Sour!!

2010-01-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

View Full Album

We are grateful for the season!

2009-12-18T15:47:00.005-07:00

This is one of my favorite times of year! First and foremost we are so grateful for our Savior who's birth we are celebrating right now. I know my life would be pretty empty and lonely without the knowledge that I have of his birth, death, and resurrection.

I am also grateful for what we do have. This year our ward did an angel tree. It was very humbling to see that all that some of the kids wanted for Christmas were simple things...like some nailpolish...or the game of "Life".

I also could not be more thankful for a baby to share the Christmas holiday with. It's been so fun this year to spend time with her and eating up her eating up everything about this season. Even though she is small, she definitley notices the beautiful lights and sounds of Christmas...and I'm sure feels of the wonderful spirit that goes along with it.

Have you heard...

2009-11-28T16:16:00.001-07:00

.......She already craves chocolate...if she could only reach it.

.........She can walk...with help.

.......She can read...or be read to rather.

.........She breaks my heart when I go to work...by watching my car drive down the street.

.........She likes sleeping in Mommy & Daddy's bed

........She enjoys sucking on her bottom lip.

.........She brings us soooo much joy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanksgiving, Family Pics, & A Huge Crane!!

2009-11-28T16:06:00.001-07:00

Turkey day was way fabulous!!! We have a new tradition on my family's side where we do Thanksgiving dinner the night before. That way my parents can go up to Idaho and Kari and I can go to our hubby's familys. All I can say is that I ate myself silly both days!!!

I have a lot to be thankful for this year...a wonderful husband, baby, family and good friends. I also have my health and the gospel in my life. And so so so much more.

Thanksgiving day:

Here we are eating dinner at Ty's Grandma's:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few weeks ago we had our family pictures taken. I can't say that I'm thrilled with how they turned out. Don't get me wrong...the girl who took them (Sharstin Miller) did a wonderful job and is very talented, but we just happened to do them around Brynlee's nap time, therefore we didn't get a single picture with a smile. And of course I can always nit pick myself.

Here's a few:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tyler's been working like a dog to get the house dried in before a major snow storm. I can't believe the talent that him and his grandpa have to be able to do a project like--a house.

I woke up one morning and this is what I saw out the window...this gargantuous crane...woh baby.

It feels like you're running at an incredible rate.

2009-11-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

I am saving my money for this:

Ta-da...

I have come to the realization that this will be the only way that I will actually exercise.

**I have a gym membership that I haven't used since before I was pregnant...I was a little paranoid and so didn't exercise one drop when I was with child. Now Brynlee is here, it's hard to find the right moment when I can go to the gym and Ty is able to watch her...and when that moment does happen, I just want to stay home and hang out with my family. Oh, also there is a daycare in the gym, but who wants to take a little baby around kids who may or may not have the dreaded swine flu??

**For a while I wanted wii active, but had no idea what to expect from it. Is it a good work out? Would I eventually get bored with it? Would Brynlee like the fact that I'm ignoring her for an hour while I'm staring at the TV and swinging my arms about looking way silly?

**What I would ideally like is to be able to go bike riding as a family. This would require us to A) have bikes, B) have one of those things that drag behind the bike that holds our precious cargo...aka Brynlee (is that really safe?) C) have a husband who actually has a little time. I will definitley reconsider this option in a few years.

**How do the movie stars get back into shape after only 2 months? Oh wait they have a nanny. Since that is not an option....I will for-go.

So, anyways this seemed like the perfect solution. Running (which I am one of those wierdos who like it) with Brynlee in plain sight, enjoying the outdoors, hopefully raising my heart rate a little, and not succumbing to the wonderful world of Cafe Rio/Carl's Jr./Einsteins/Krispy Kreme/Olive Garden/Santa Monica Pizza Kitchen/Oh-I could go on and on...

From Halloween to a REAL Hole in the Ground to a Little Turkey...

2009-11-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

She was a ladybug. OH, man did she make a cute one!!

And then Mr. Hodson was 2 things. For work he was a Minuteman missle test pilot. He is a program manager for this missle...so it's some kind of inside joke at work. I guess there aren't really test pilot's for this missle...yah, I didn't get it either. ANd then he was Frankenstein. At our ward trunk-or-treat most of the little kids would walk waaay around him watching him the whole time to make sure he wasn't gonna jump out and get them. It was funny!! The other guy is Ashley's hubby, Brock...he went as a baby.

The other day we tried to feed her cereal. But after talking with a lactation nurse and some friends we are trying again at the first of December when she's 6 months.

Isn't this a cute picture?

Oh, and did anyone happen to see the post "A Hole in the Ground"? Well, if you did, sorry it was so negative. Ty told me to erase it because it was negative and it kinda mentioned a little bit too much info. Well, things are much better now....like, for example...there is a hole in the ground :) Here is the progress:

This is our before picture...hopefully there will be a house there in about 6 or 7 months.

A few weeks ago we had our annual Halloween party with Ty's friends. Teresa captured this picture of the 3 babes born all almost exactly a month apart in April, May, and June. Aren't they cuties?

And it seems like everyone is doing applique tees, so I decided to make some....mostly becasue they are easy and I am far from a pro sewer. I think they turned out ok though. My Mom drew the pattern...aren't the little Thom Turkeys just so adorable?

Progressivley getting nicer :)

2009-10-27T16:39:00.003-06:00

I love the snow, but I love this too:

It’s Octubre!

2009-10-12T17:25:00.002-06:00

Isn’t this pumpkin cuter then the pumpkins??

Brynlee went to the zoo for the first time in her life! She was so amazed by all of the animals and loved seeing them up close and personal. She couldn't get over how cute the little baby Zuri was...ok not really...she slept for most of the time. It was still fun though; much more fun then last year. If you remember (I definitley do) last year was horrible because of heat stroke. Well this year was perfect weather! Anyways, we went with Ty's family and it was so fun to walk around with Ty's grandpa who loves wildlife and animals. Can't wait for Brynlee to actually understand what's going on. It's fun to pretend though :)

Brynlee I think LOVES elephants. She can't stop staring at anything elephant...

And goodness gracious she’s sitting in a bumbo…she is very proud of herself!!!

Oh, and look... I'm being crafty. I've decided that I love sewing!! I'm not so good yet, but someday soon hopefully. Thanks to my Momma for helping me learn...despite years of neglect and abuse by me in not wanting to have anything to do with it.

Oh, and yes I need to update my blogger header....Thanks for always reminding me Mom.

3 Months Old, Idaho Falls, & Kids Having Kids

2009-09-17T14:09:00.016-06:00

Brynlee is now 3 months old!!

3 MONTH STATS:

-She smiles with delight at pretty much everyone who will talk to her.

-She is sleeping....5-8 hours straight a night, eating, and then sleeping for usually 1-2 hours
more. We couldn't be happier :)

-She loves to be held. When she isn't being held, but wants to...she will yellat us.

-She despises the one bottle a day that she has and usually won't take it, but will patiently wait for her momma (me) to get home from work.

-She is so gassy! But refuses gripe tears.

-Her favorite things to say include: a-booo, aah

-We call her our little "hoot owl" because that's exactly what she sounds like.

-Bath time is pleasant up until the point of washing her neck/face/hair...and then you would think I was torturing poor Brynlee.

-She loves to see everything there is to see.

-She loves peek-a-boo

-Her hair is brown and eyes are TBD...

-If you touch her nose she will give you the biggest smile.

-You can expect a blow out from her at least once a week.

Last weekend I went up to Idaho with my family to go thru the Idaho falls temple with my Aunt Rhonda. This was a beautiful temple and I am so happy for Rhonda. It ended up being a really nice day (Ty unfortunatley had to stay home to finish getting bids for the house). This temple is also the one that my parents were married in 31 years ago. I love Idaho and all of the people there :)...oh, and I love the potatoes.

And...Once upon a time...Almost 10 years ago Val, Mar and Me were in High School. Now we have children of our own.

Multi-tasking

2009-09-10T14:38:00.003-06:00

I'm sitting here at work multi-tasking. So, how 'bout some politics??

This is a short video that my mom showed me...you will find it hilaaarious:

And this pretty much sums up what I think of Obama's speech last night:

"You Lie"

You can agree or disagree with me...I still like you :)

Summer Dayz

2009-09-07T10:37:00.000-06:00

I'm a little sad that it is the end of the summer! This has been such a different but most wonderful summer. A baby changes the way you live your life, but most definitley for the better. I absolutley can't believe that she'll be 3 months next week...already the time is flying by.

At her last appt. she weighed in at a whopping 11 lbs. and is 23+ inches long....and most importantly healthy :) Apparently she is in the 90th percentile for her height. Maybe short little Sara will have a tall daughter :)

Ty's little sis got married last weekend too in Ty's Mom's backyard! It was a beautiful wedding and reception....Congratulations Ashley and Brock Meibos!!!

Warning....Unrated Material

2009-08-22T14:43:00.004-06:00

This is the face that she gives me right before she blows her diaper off....you would never think huh?!...Yah, neither did I.

PS- Her t-shirt reads: "My Heart Belongs to Daddy"....couldn't be more true.

4 New Totally Awesome Posts

2009-08-11T20:59:00.001-06:00

I haven't found time to blog...But have every intention of keeping this thing up. Here are 4 more posts:

* Brynlee's Big Day...And Some Other Cute Pics

* Guess Who's Preggo?!?!?...And Other Latest and Greatest News!

* Scotty Reunion....4th Annual

* Talented Momma's

Brynlee's Big Day...And Some Other Cute Pics

2009-08-11T20:50:00.002-06:00

Brynlee was blessed on August 2nd by Ty. It was a beautiful blessing and a beautiful day. Thanks to all fam and friends who were able to be there. She looked so adorable in her beautiful dress that my Mom made for her and she didn't make a peep all thru Sacrament meeting and her blessing. Several times she was blessed that she would be happy. We then all went back to Annette's and had a nummy luncheon...Here she is in her dress. I didn't get any pictures of that day, so I'll have to depend on my Aunt Rhonda and Ty's Mom for that (Rhonda, if you're reading this I would love if you could email me those pics).

And then to sort thru the 5 million pictures that we've taken of her to find a few to post on here is quite the task, but here's a few that I thought were cute

Guess Who's Preggo?!?!?...And Other Latest and Greatest News!

2009-08-11T20:42:00.002-06:00

Kari and Rob are gonna be having a baby girl in February. We all couldn't be happier for them!! They will be the cutest parents ever. I'm also excited because Brynlee will have someone close to to play with. I didn't really grow up with cousins that I saw a lot so this is a big deal to me. Can't wait to hold their little bundle of joy this winter!

We are finally moving forward with the building of our house. After a couple of months of fighting with the county with issues dealing with the size of the driveway I am seeing progress. We ordered our plans and received them yesterday....Here is the basic plan (we've made some changes to it such as a daylight basement.):

http://creationswest.com/plans_results.php?plan=r-2176-00ce

We feel really blessed to be building...interest rates are low, labor and materials are low, Tyler will be the General contractor so we'll save money there, Tyler can do some of the work so we'll also save money there, and we are lucky/blessed enough to have land that was given to us by Ty's Mom. So in the end our mortgage will be about half the amount of what it would be if we were to just go buy this same house somewhere else.

I went back to work last week. I have very mixed feelings, but so far it has gone well. I am working 4 days a week for about 4 hours a day...it is so far just enough to have a little time away from Brynlee, but by the end of the shift I am totally missing her and wanting to hold my baby girl. My Mom is watching her along with Ty's Mom on Friday's so she is with trusted people which makes it easier.

Last week also was Ty's grandma and grandpa's 50th wedding anniversary. Happy 50 years to them!!!!

Some not so happy things: She's still not sleeping through the night, we have a neighbor who's not exactly happy about us building, Brynlee is a VERY gassy baby...and when I say VERY I mean VERY!, 800=how much it cost to get my car registered this year because of some ridiculous tire issue...anyone want a Mazda 6?...this car has been a money pit FYI, but all in all...

Life is Good!

Scotty Reunion...5th Annual

2009-08-11T20:31:00.002-06:00

We also were able to go to SL with my family for the annual reunion at the Kimball. We didn’t go swimming at Raging waters like in the past because of Brynlee, but we still had fun! We went to the This is the Place Heritage Park and to The Living Planet Aquarium. Both of these were way fun but will be even more fun with little kids. My Mom and Dad got these touristy passes which allow you to see like 20 different places in SL for 20 dollars. Of course we couldn't see all 20 in 2 days, but it was still a deal considering most of the places were like 8-10 dollars to get in. We had a lot of fun and I really hope this tradition carries on forever. I love my family!!

Talented Momma's!!!

2009-08-11T20:20:00.002-06:00

This is the beautiful announcement that my Mom-in-Law whipped up in like 10 minutes.

And this is the life-saving Hooter-Hider that my Mom whipped up in like 10 minutes.

They are talented ladies, and are always more then willing to help the not-so-talented me out. Luv them!!

Noteworthy...Maybe...Not really

2009-07-15T10:07:00.003-06:00

*Watching a baby sleep is so peaceful! I used to sit forever and watch baby Rusty-Roo (the dog) sleep...I should've guessed this would be a problem when Brynlee came along.

*Summer, no matter what, flys by!

*We have been dealing with the county and their stipulations for the last couple of months, but it looks like we are just about ready to get started on our house. We picked out a house plan...and our goal is to be done with it all by May. We'll see how that goes. A year seems like a long time away, but I was looking at my blog from a year ago and all of that seems like it just happened.

*We took 1 month pictures of Brynlee the other day...yah, I said one month. Crazy time needs to take it easy for a bit.

*I still miss everyone in Riverdale! (side note: everyone in West Weber is sooo nice though) I also miss our home, but if any of you have driven past it lately, it is lookin' a little different.

*The mosquitos seem extra mean and gnarly this year!!

*Only 3 more weeks until I go back to work. It's only 16-20 hours a week, but it's killing me.

*It's really hard to find time to cook with a baby...any pointers anyone on how all of you amazing momma's do it??

*Dang stretch marks...My lower tummy kinda looks like a trippy/cracked out spider web.

*5 dollar.....5 dollar....5dollar foot loooooooonnnnngs

*Please don't talk politics with Ty...it might cause an annuirism.

*Evian baby commercial (baby's roller skating to Rapper's Delight) cutest ever!!!

A Lucky Girl

2009-07-09T13:00:00.002-06:00

She is seriously growing too fast...and it's only been 3 1/2 weeks. We had a check up appointment for her last Thursday and she weighed in at 6.95 lbs and 21.25 inches. I'm sad to see her get big, but at the same time it's fun to see her change.

Lately we have been trying new adventures with her. She now has travelled as far as Magna and Tremonton...and did wonderfully. We also tried the thing of leaving her with Grandma Scott for almost 5 hours while we went to the Cache Valley Cruisin'...she did wonderfully again...my-oh-my was I ready to explode though. She also went to church for the first time last Sunday. Just to sacrament though because Tyler is afraid of the RS ladies all hovering and giving her the swine flu or some other random disease. She did great and looked so dang adorable. We have yet to introduce her to the pool or fireworks however. This will probably be an adventure for next summer.

Brynlee is also a very lucky lady to be surrounded by 2 grandmas 2 grandpas, 3 great-grandpas, and 4 great-grandmas. Here are some pictures of being loved by them…

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This last picture is a picture of her with her great-grandpa Robbins (my grandpa). This blankie was made by my Great-Grandma Robbins who I remember well. She made it for my Grandpa Robbins who was wrapped in it. It was then used to wrap my Mom in, then I was wrapped in it, and now we wrap Brynlee in it. It is very tattered and old, so it will be a once in a while kind of thing. But someday Brynlee will hopefully wrap her dear sweet baby in it as well.

Also I wanted to thank my sister for throwing me a baby shower at the end of May. She went to a lot of work and it turned out wonderfully. It was touching to see everyone there. Those who couldn’t come I totally understand too. Tyler and I have had so much love and support from family and friends and we feel so lucky and blessed. Here are a couple of pics from that:

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Brynlee Mae

2009-06-30T15:08:00.001-06:00

Yes, it's been over 2 weeks since Brynlee was born, and I haven't posted about her. I don't feel bad though because all of my spare time has been with her. It's been wonderful getting to know this little angel. This girl: has the cutest expressions, looks so peaceful when she sleeps, eats and poops more then anyone else I know right now, is a daddy's girl, hardly ever cries unless she's hungry...and is just so dang adorable!!!

She was born on Saturday the 13th at 5:09 pm. She weighed 5 lbs 10 oz, and was 18 inches long. Everyone who has met her has fallen in love.

The whole labor thing was not so bad. I was induced at 8am and shortly after they broke my water, and then gave me the epidural right away...I at first was upset that they didn't wait a little longer for the epidural, but now looking back it ended up being right for me. I ended up sleeping up until the time she needed to be pushed out. She was beautiful and got a perfect APGAR score...Ty and I of course cried like babies ourselves. We're just extremely grateful and overwhelmed with joy!!

The past two weeks or so has been fun! Ty took the first week off of work and then cancelled his business trip for the next week so he could be with us more. We've taken her to both of our work's to show her off, to the parade of homes, to visit relatives, and she's also been out to eat a couple of times and did fabulously. But mostly we've just been taking it easy and figuring out the whole nursing thing and sleeping schedule :)

Although it is mostly bliss...I must be honest and say it is a lot of work too!! I can't believe how much time is taken each day and night in feeding this girl. Also, the little tasks around the house that took 5 minutes before (i.e. folding laundry) take a lot longer now. Thus the reason for being about 2 weeks later in blogging then when I originally wanted to post. Nobody really tells you these things beforehand, but I love her so much that I think it's totally worth it.

We've already taken about 5 million pictures, but here are a few for sharing.

View Full Album

So, It's Been a While

2009-05-13T09:51:00.015-06:00

Hey all! I hope you haven't given up on me with this blogging...It's been a great past month that has flown. Nothing too exciting oh, except for the small fact that we are no longer in Riverdale and that we are soon to be proud parents given about 4 weeks. Here's what we've been up to as of lately:

Almost 36 weeks preggo…dun dun dun
This whole experience has raced by. Some days I think I’m ready, and then others I’m pretty sure that I’m not. We had an appointment on last Thursday and are happy that she is not breach anymore. She is a healthy baby with a strong heartbeat. Unfortunately she was not willing to show her adorable little mug for the ultrasound…maybe tomorrow. We feel so blessed!!!! Here are some pics that Annette took for us at 35 weeks.

(I love Ty's face in this one above)

Goodbye Riverdale…Goodbye living across the street from Wal-Mart.
We are moved out of Riverdale and living with Tyler’s Mom. Leaving the 3rd ward in Riverdale was pretty hard, but I know that we have friends forever there and we’re so excited for new adventures. Probably harder then moving out was being asked by the Stake President to bear my testimony after Tyler was released…sobbing through the whole thing…and then sitting down after doing so, and not exactly realizing anything I had just said. Hopefully it all made sense and came out as something I would have wanted to say. It was such a great 5 years there and where Ty & I started our lives together. It will forever hold a special place for us!

5 years and more in love then ever!

Absolutley can't believe we've been married for 5 whole years. We enjoyed a yummy dinner at Outback together and Ty suprised me at work with beautiful flowers. Most of the therapists there still think that I am 19 or something because they had a hard time believing that I was old enough to be having a 5 yr anniversary.

Baby shower with Coworkers

My sweet coworkers threw me a baby shower last Friday. I thought that it was so thoughtful of them. They got Ty and I lots of cute little outfits and other stuff for baby that we will thoroughly enjoy and use!!! I didn't get any pictures of the whole group :( ...Here's Bonnie and I laughing about something...

Birthing Class
We took the birthing class at Ogden Regional. Oh boy did we learn a lot!! It was the first time I've seen a movie of a birth, and not gonna lie, I'm a bit scared, but also amazed. I guess you could say that I've heard it all by now, and kinda figure that it is different for every person...Whatever happens happens :)

Older pictures:

Here are some pictures from over a month ago (Feb and March ish):
(Bowling balls)

(Teresa & Brandon had their sweet boy Max about 3 weeks ago)

(Our dogs hate us)
(Tyler's paradise)

Ps: I am not scared of the swine flu.

Boozer...

2009-04-09T16:41:00.002-06:00

Finding Joy in the Journey!!

2009-04-02T00:17:00.006-06:00

Ok, well here it is at 12:30 am. I have been laying awake for about 2 hours trying to get to sleep because I have to get up at 5:30 for classes tomorrow. But with so much on my mind I tend to be restless...so what do people usually do when they have a lot on their mind...They write it down sometimes in a journal. Well, since I have not really opened my journal for about 2 years. I will write it here.

I hate the unknown. With us moving in a few days and birthing in about 10 weeks, there is a lot you could say that is unknown. Such as:

* Where in the world are we going to put all the stuff that we've accumulated over 5 years?
* Uh, what do contractions exactly feel like?
* How big is the epidural needle? And are all of the bad things that could happen with that process likely to actually happen?
* How does the whole forwarding of address process work at the post office? I really enjoy my mail!
* Where exactly is Brynlee going to sleep? And where will we hang all of her precious little dresses and put her tiny little shoes?
* What is Rusty Roo going to do all day now that he won't have people walking by our house to watch or fire engines screaming down the streat to howl at?
* How is Tyler going to work, go to school, build a house, spend time with his new precious cargo, AND hang out with the asian woman that he calls honey?

Now, if you're Tyler, you simply tell me to not worry about the things that are beyond my control, or about things that could or could not happen...WELL, I'm a women and that's what I think we do very well (if not perfectly) is worry.

I also have a lot to be grateful for. And the other night in our prayers I wanted to be sure to thank for those things that I don't have to worry about. There are so many who have to worry about where they will get their next meal, how they will keep warm for the night, how much longer a loved one has to live, and so on. My worries actually seem miniscule when compared to those worries...so I am REALLY trying to focus on everything that I have to be grateful for...such as:

* A wonderful Mom and Grandma Bates who came and helped me pack up pretty much our whole entire house today.
* A wonderful Mom-in-Law who is right now rearranging her whole house/life for us to move in and invade.
* Caring neighbors and friends who have offered any help they can give. Just their offering is a blessing enough.
* A patient husband, who I have yet to see get stressed out about this move.
* A healthy baby who I love a lot already!
* The gospel that brings so much stability and peace in this crazy world!
* A job that I love!!!
* Marie & Katie for working for me this whole week, to lessen my stress levels.
* Yummy food!

Today I got home and got a little overwhelmed so I decided to calm my self and read something spiritual. I typed into the search engine of LDS.org: "Life Changes"....and came up with this talk called "Finding Joy in the Journey" by President Monson. Ok, can you say perfectly what I needed to read. You can read it here: PRESS HERE

Here are some points that I enjoyed:

* "The difference between the changes in my life and the changes in yours is only in the details. Time never stands still; it must steadily march on, and with the marching come the changes."

* "I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."

* "My brothers and sisters, there is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today....Of course, there is no going back, but only forward. Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future."

* "Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know."

* "Despite the changes which come into our lives and with gratitude in our hearts, may we fill our days—as much as we can—with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed."

This makes me excited to watch conference this weekend! Luv Sara.

A Comfy Cozy Baby

2009-03-23T19:22:00.006-06:00

These are the beautiful quilts that my Mom made for our soon to be bundle-of-Brynlee. She put a lot of work and love into them and I think they turned out perfectly. I am not a sewer. There was many a time growing up that my Mom wanted to teach me to sew, but I always thought I had something better to do. Now, seeing the amazing things that can be done with a sewing machine makes me want to learn to sew so much!!!....The only sad part of this is that we won't be able to put them in a nursery for about a year, but we all will still enjoy them thoroughly. These quilts will definitley be treasured forever by us and Brynlee as a special gift of love from her Grandma and Grandpa Scott! Thankyou so much!

ps This was Ty's favorite picture of the bunch...we honestly didn't realize that the clock behind my head looked like horns until after the fact...

13 weeks left!!!!!!!!

2009-03-10T23:29:00.013-06:00

A few have wanted to see my ever expanding belly. I really haven't expanded all that much...in fact just today, the adoption director asked me if I was pregnant or if I was just getting fat in the belly. You have to know her and know how funny she is...I wasn't offended at all. Well, here I am at 26 weeks:

I have felt so amazingly great in the past couple of months. No sickness, lots of energy, and a great appetite for what I love doing most....eating!!! Below is a picture of what I enjoy eating most--anything with SUGAR (Please note the massive mound of whipped cream!). Oh, and thanks to Grandma Bates for all of the yummy strawberries!:

And these are a couple that I got a kick out of. We like to think that Rusty is excited for the new baby, and that he will be her little protector. We will see exactly how that all rolls out come June.

On another note. I am so proud of Ty! About 3 weeks ago he got a promotion at his work. He'll be moving to a new department in about a month to be a program director. Congratulations Tyler Lynn!!!!!!! If you wanna know more what he'll be doing you'll have to ask him. I get confused.

And on one final sad/happy/stressful/exciting/what the heck note...we sold our house today. Well, it's still not final, but someone put an offer on the table and we have accepted. In a market like this I have no choice to be grateful for actually being able to sale! And after all of the apprehension I was feeling a couple of months ago about selling, I suprisingly feel a sense of peace and feel like this is actually the right time to be moving. I was sad and teared up when Ty told me, but only because we're selling "our" first house, and moving away from people that we love (our ward family). So, yeah...I took the day off tomorrow and everything to paint the extra bedroom pink, but I'm not so much gonna be doing that tomorrow....Mom, wanna go to Kohl's?????

Halitosis

2009-03-02T23:16:00.001-07:00

Rusty had his teeth "professionaly cleaned" exactly one week ago today, and already his breath smells a little like an overflowing sewage pipe....why?

How you can get pregnant from ice skating...

2009-02-19T19:58:00.008-07:00

I can already tell that baby Brinlee is a sweet spirit by the simple fact that she has already brought so much joy into Tyler's and my life. We love just laying there on the couch with our hands on my buddha belly waiting for her to kick or move. We also love to think about how are lifes are going to change and how much this little baby will be a big focus of our time and love. Yesterday was our monthly appointment...It's always fun to see her little face, hands, and feet and see her wiggle around. And I must say it is always a relief for me to know that she is still alive and kickin'. I love our doctor too. I know for a fact that he's heard all the questions before, but he doesn't act like it's the same-old song and dance,...he always answers our questions thoroughly and is great!

Only problem is that the time before she gets here is going faster then I imagined. I was thinking about what was about 3 1/2 months ago...Halloween! Ok, that seems like just barely. And in that same amount of time we will be birthing. Holy bananas! I am sooooooooooo excited, but at the same time starting to freak out just a bit.

Ok, so you're probably wondering about the title of this blog. Well, this is how "Ice skating turns into getting pregnant":

This is a picture of Tyler and I's 3rd time together (one week after we met). It is also the first time that we ever held hands. The story goes something like this (don't feel obligated to read):

"My friend Anna and her friend Brent kept talking about a guy they wanted to set me up with. I had pretty much been set up by one-too-many dates by Anna. Don't get me wrong, I love the girl, but the dates she thought I would like were either too into themselves, or a little akward. Well, I guess Brent finally gave his friend Tyler my phone number because I got a call from this guy they had been talking about. On the phone he was very nice, and a little shy (which I love about Ty) and also my first impression about him was that he was a cowboy. For some reason back in 2003 I assumed that everyone who went to Fremont High was a hick who wore wranglers. Well, anyways we talked for quite some time on the phone and then he finally asked me out for that Friday (November 14th). The date was awesome!! It was a big group of probably 20 or so people, but I couldn't tell you who was there now. All I remember was the great time that I had with Tyler. We went to Olive Garden and then back to Tyler's to watch a movie. Anyways it went really well! We hung out one more time before this infamous picture and then the following Friday we all headed up to the Gallivan center for some ice skating. I honestly don't remember much about the night, but how much I enjoyed spending time with this guy!!!!!!!!! I do remember that we held hands for the first time on this night and sparks flew...woot woot... I also remember hearing my friend Tommy making fun of us for holding hands...All kidding aside, it was definitley one of those moments that I hope to never forget. And the rest is history. The rest of our dating and engagement is a story for another day, but that is basically how ice skating results in getting pregnant. Since I didn't post anything for Valentine's I thought it would be fun to share this picture. Tyler and I fell in love a little over 5 years ago, but are now much more in love!"
----------
Valentine's was great even though Ty had a slight case of Pneumonia. After taking care of Tyler all day and nursing him back to health we were able to go to dinner and a movie. Mostly it was just fun having Valentine's be on a Saturday so we could hang out with each other all day.

Ok, gotta go...Rusty is crying for chocolate, which I will not feed him, but I will try to appease him with some other doodah of a snack.

Congratulations Lovebirds!

2009-02-16T09:35:00.004-07:00

Congrats to my wonderful Sister-in-law Ashley who just recently got engaged to Brock!!! They are planning a summer wedding and couldn't be cuter.

I will post later on Valentines day and updates with our little baby Brinlee, but I just wanted to make sure Ashley & Brock knew that we are excited for them!

GOALS:

2009-01-25T23:11:00.011-07:00

I thought I would post some of my goals on here, since I check this more often then not...

1. Dejunk our basement and closets by 02/07/2009.
2. Plan something special for Tyler for Valentines Day (He doesn't read this blog unless I tell him to, so no worries...).

3. Make these blocks (From Larkandlola.blogspot.com):

4. Read my scriptures more!
5. Take Rusty on a walk/Get my light pregnancy cardio in at least 3 times a week.
6. Organize and prep the spare bedroom for painting by 01/31/2009.
7. Paint and prepare baby Brinlee's room by 02/21/2008.
8. Get straight A's this semester...haha!
9. Learn how to do this with Adobe Photoshop (From Misty Cato Designs):

Man, I have a lot to do...I better get to it!

How many licks to get to the middle of a Dingo?

2009-01-23T10:46:00.005-07:00

Well, for Roo.........

One....Two....Chomp! Yum!!

Also, Rusty loves to play. His favorite playmate for the past 4 years has been Rambo. A few weeks ago he was introduced to this sweet thing. Her name is Schotzee and they are getting along fabulous. This video is their first meeting (Um, you will have to ignore my fake sounding laugh...I honestly don't usually laugh like that):

In other non dog-related news...I just now put Adobe photoshop on my computer. Help!!!!!!!!! Anyone have a good website to help me learn or know of a class of some sort? I will be using it mostly for scrapbooking......................................??????????????????????????????????????

Life sure does go fast when you're having fun!

2009-01-18T20:11:00.011-07:00

Wow! The last month has been great!! We had such a wonderful Christmas and New Years break...I miss it! We were spoiled by our families and each other with wonderful presents and time spent together. It was also great to see friends you only see once or twice a year. I love the holidays and can't wait to do it all over again next year!!!!!!!! Um, what else...Tyler turned 27 on Dec 22nd. I met this wonderful man when he was only but a wee thing at 21 years old (he turned 22 a month later). He only get's better and more wonderful with every passing year (I'm trying to be cheezy here, but am being honest at the same time). Also on his birthday we found out that we're having a baby girl! Tyler jokes that now he will be outnumbered in our house when this little one comes. He's right, but I'm sure his girls will shower him with tons of love too. We haven't quite decided on a name yet, but are somewhat leaning towards Brinlee....The names Addison and Taya are still in the mix as well, but when I get the "hmm...that's nice", with a shrug of the shoulder kind of thing, then I tend to stray away, but I think we both are liking the name Brinlee, but we will see when she pops out if she looks more like a Molly or some other random name. Also just with in the last few days Tyler decided to put our house back on the market. We put it up this time for much cheaper then originally. This market is a killer, and so we are not expecting to get what we wanted out of it, but I think Tyler is anxious to get into something a little bigger while interest rates are nice and low. As for me I would be happy in Riverdale for 5-10 more years. I guess whatever happens, happens for a reason. Oh, note to self, don't go see a movie that will make you cry when you are expecting a baby. I saw two of these (Marley & Me, and Benjamin Button). Somehow I really don't think they were all that sad, but once you start tearing up with all of these random hormones running through you...those tears don't stop, and before you know it your sleeve, your kleenex, and your face is sopping wet. How embarrasing :) Ok, that is all. Here are a few pictures. I really haven't been hauling my camera around like I should, but am vowing to be better. Loves to all! -Sara-

p.s. Stay tuned...tomorrow is our "big ultrasound". Happy MLK day!

Tyler kinda looks like he secretly wants to attack me here

My friend Keri & me

About 30 minutes after giving Rusty a stuffed animal...this is what he does to the poor things.

I stole this picture from Ashley's blog. I really took zippo pictures on Christmas day.

Me at 18 weeks

Don't Judge Me :)

2008-12-18T10:45:00.009-07:00

There's only a week left week of Christmas and....

I just barely got my tree and decorations up at the first of this week…ooops.

Just so you know I am usually the first person to put the tree up…usually before Thanksgiving, but somehow this year it didn’t happen until pretty much just now. Don’t ask me to explain why because I honestly can’t. But it is up and that is all that counts. I am a bit regretful that I didn’t just take a couple of hours earlier this month or last month to put it up because I could seriously sit here for hours looking at the pretty lights. Oh, and also, this is the first year that our house doesn’t look like a gingerbread house on the outside. We decided that it wasn’t worth Tyler risking his life…especially since he will be a daddy in a few short months.

But, just because it took me this long to decorate doesn’t mean that I’m not excited for the holiday…I even went to what many of you would consider a “dorky” Christmas sing-along at the Energy Solutions Center with a couple of coworkers…..SO FUN!!!!!!!!!! Singing Christmas songs will definitely put you in the mood. I’ve actually been singing them since right after Halloween. I’m not kidding when I say, that it was the ONLY music on the radio that didn’t make me sick to my stomach in my first trimester. I am the type of person that loves pretty much all music, but it was the Christmas music that kept me from losing my lunch and kept those happy nutrients down for little baby Hodson to enjoy.

Ummmmm……..I don’t know what else to write, so here’s a way funny video that I'm sure a lot of you have seen (and ps I am not trying to advertise for Budweiser):

Now, to finish shopping......

Oreos drenched in milk!

2008-12-08T23:36:00.010-07:00

Um....so I am the type of person who can take on:
--2 jobs (30+ hrs/wk)
--full-time school
--a busy church calling
--cleaning a house
--and a husband

...all with usually 5-6 hours of sleep.

Now, I'm down to the following:
--kinda 2 jobs (less then 20 hrs/wk)
--2 online classes
--a piece of cake calling that requires little to no extra effort
--somewhat keeping the house in order
--and hopefully paying enough attention to my husband so that he knows he's still loved

...all with about 10+ hours of sleep...with random power naps throughout the day.

It's amazing to me how much energy I don't have these days...thus, also the lack of posting to this website I call bloggaboo.
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Well.......These are some things that I would have made into seperate posts over the last couple of weeks, but now you get them all in one helping and condensed:

1. 11-21-08 Kari and Rob's wedding was such a beautiful day! I am so happy for them! It was a long day, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The ceremony was beautiful, the weather was perfect, the luncheon was so nummy, and the line to congratulate the couple was horendous (in a good way)...I loved seeing old friends and acquaintances that I haven't seen in forever. The following is a slideshow with pictures from my Aunt Rhonda's camera. Thanks Rhonda, for taking these!:

(ok...I'm getting tired, so I'll post these sometime tomorrow or Wednesday...Here's 3)

2. THANKS to everyone for the congratulations on here and Facebook...Ty and I feel really blessed to have so many good people in our lives. This is a picture that I wanted to post a long time ago, but couldn't. Remember the picture of Ty sewing on the sewing machine? Well, this is the little number that he created:

3. 11-29-08 I went to Twilight. I suprisingly enjoyed it and am a bit anxious now for the next movie. Tyler was off-the-wall excited that he did not have to sit through the movie...although I'm sure he would've if no one else could've gone. This is a pic of us in front of the movie poster...except for the guy taking the picture cut off Edward's big forehead:

4. 12-02-08 I was sad to hear of Elder Wirthlin's passing, but then I heard that he was 91 and his wife had died a couple years ago, and so sadness turned to hapiness thinking of the reunion with his lovely wife. Almost immediatley after hearing of his death I kinda wondered what the last thing he left us with last conference was...so I read this talk, "Come What May, and Love it". It talks about how we can react to adversity, sorrow, and hard times. I recommend reading this short little talk...what a great man with some great wisdom. I liked this quote from the talk...and definitley need to take it to heart:

"The next time you're tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead.
It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more
enjoyable."

Ok, that is all. Happy last minute Christmas shopping to you all!

Thankful for----The 2nd Trimester!!!!

2008-11-25T23:10:00.002-07:00

We are thrilled to announce that we are pregnant...with a baby!!!! Tyler is going to be a daddy, I'm going to be a mommy, and yes we are a little overwhelmed, but so excited and grateful for this blessing.

Technically the 2nd trimester isn't for 2 more days, but some of you know how hard of a time I have keeping secrets.

This is something that we have been wanting and praying for for a long time. We just feel so lucky and can't wait for little baby Hodson to get here...June 12thish. A summer baby :)

Turkey day is sneaking up!

2008-11-23T15:49:00.001-07:00

Happenings at the Hodson Household

2008-11-18T22:07:00.001-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while. It's not even that I've been that busy, but I just enjoy reading everyone else's blogs and then run out of time/energy to post to our blog. But this is what's been going on in a nutshell:

*We have never stayed home on Halloween night. This year we decided to stay home so we could see just how many trick-or-treaters we would get...we got ZERO. I was really sad and disappointed, but I think I'm just used to my parent's house where they get a ton.

*Starbucks has REALLY GOOD hot cocoa!

*We voted! I voted for the people that I thought would do the best job...Tyler voted straight Republican. He is anti-democrat, but I think he has come to a realization that even though our next president is a democrat he will give him a chance to prove himself. If Obama messes up though, I do not want to be around to hear the rantings of both Tyler and my Dad.

*Rusty knows that the Christmas season is approaching. His squeaky toy shaped like a Christmas bulb was brought out for the first time in about 10 months by himself. (ps the picture is not of Roo)

*Tyler helped in the slaughtering of the beef that his Grandpa raises...His Grandpa and Grandma are very generous in sharing so we have all sorts of beef year round. Tyler's fancy for beef, however, hasn't been there for the last few weeks.

*Kari gets married on Friday!!! We went through the temple on Saturday night. I love going through with someone who has never been before. You seem to see the endowment session in a fresh light. Here's a couple of her bridals (just proofs) that I liked:

... (VISIT: http://scottstudio.com/)

...Oh, and a picture of the shower Tanya and I threw her:

*I bought some really cute Croc-slippers that are super warm for only $10...and found them at RiteAid of all places.

*We recommend the movie "Eagle Eye"...but not if you're looking for something that could totally happen. This movie is a bit far fetched, but really entertaining. It has the guy in it from Transformers and is action-packed the whole way through.

*A favorite thing to eat right now are Clementines!

*My Mom bought me some more card-making books. I now have an entire library of books and magazines on the cutest scrapbooked cards you have ever seen. I also have the whole scrapbooking supply section of Joanne's in my storage. Now I just need to actually make some. I'll post some when I get around to this crafty thing that I've really been wanting to do!

*I am really enjoying my calling. It's a bit exhausting by the end of the 3-hour block, but we have some of the most adorable kids in our ward! It's so fun!!

*A couple of weeks ago I went to Body Worlds with my co-workers. Truthfully it wasn't exactly worth the money spent, or waiting in line for an hour...but I did learn a lot so I guess that is what it was worth. My favorite part is the same as my friend Katie...with all of the different stages of the fetus. I kinda had mixed feelings about seeing something that sadly didn't live, but at the same time found it so fascinating.

*Tyler has left me :( ..................just for the week to go to Dayton Ohio of all places. He has training for work.

THE END!

3 Best Friends Right Now...and My Cuddle Buddy

2008-11-03T10:30:00.004-07:00

Best Friends =

Cuddle Buddy =

A Few Pictures to Appease:

2008-10-25T08:35:00.000-06:00

Giddy-up!!....Rusty's Halloween costume that he hates. Poor baby doggy!

............see how annoyed he looks in this pic above.............

A couple of Kari & Rob's engagements. These are proof's, but I absolutley love the work this guy does. To view more of Scott Sumner's work go to: http://scottstudio.com/ I think Kari & Rob make an adorable couple!!!

And....Next season on "Dancing with the Stars":

Don't forget to vote for your favorite :)

I think I'm gonna cry!...

2008-10-21T13:51:00.004-06:00

I'm just so happy!!!!...look at today on MSN:

Finally, under $3.00!! 2 years ago this wouldn't have been so happy, but for today it is GREAT!

And look at what the lowest gas price is in the USA today:

WOWZER! I'm out, see you in Oklahoma.

Grocery shopping at Walmart is not and never will be fun!

2008-10-19T17:17:00.014-06:00

In the past couple of weeks...

On October 5th my sister Kari got engaged to Robert Bruderer. They have been dating for the past couple of years and make an awesome pair. They're getting married in the SL temple on the 21st of November which is really close, but great for planning purposes because everyone like the photographer and such, are free. We love them and are excited for them! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

It's Fall! This is my favorite time of year!! Beautiful colors, cute sweater and jacket weather, perfect temperatures, etc etc etc

This is Tyler's newest purchase...Let me just tell you that Tyler is my "Joe the Mechanic". If for whatever reason he ever loses his job, he has a trade/skill that he can fall back on and make a decent living. A couple of years ago he bought 2 snowmobiles for just under $400.00. He worked hard and got them in working condition and had some fun with them and in the past couple of weeks got $1000.00 EACH for them on KSL. He then used that money to put towards this newer one.

(Please ignore our old couches on our back porch, we plan on sending them to the DI this week, unless anyone could use some extra couches...we really aren't pack rats).

The weekend before last, we went to visit my Grandparents in St. George. In the past few years they have become snowbirds and have a 2nd home down there and live in Tremonton in the hot summer. It was fun to just hang out with them and also we went to Zion's National Park, the place where Ty and I went on our honeymoon. Unfortunately it was rainy and cold down there, but we all still had a good time.

Grandma and Grandpa Robbins

A Perfect Horseshoe game...HAHA

Mom & Dad

Pretty even in the rain

Wild Turkeys...aka Thanksgiving dinner

A couple of Tuesdays ago Ty took me to the Weezer concert. I LOVE THEM. And now that I've seen them in concert I LOVE THEM even more. This band was introduced to me by my friend Gina back in 2002ish, and I am a fan! It has always been somewhat of a dream to go to their concert, but they haven't been to Utah for a while. Well, right when we found out that they were coming to Utah was right around my Birthday, so it was a VERY Happy Late Birthday for me!!

This past Friday, we carried out our long-standing tradition (4 years) and carved pumpkins with some of Ty's friends. It was a good time!

And Finally...
I don't have to drive to Farmington anymore!!! LDS Family Services is now located in Layton, Utah. We had the dedication on Wednesday night. Our facility includes us, the distribution center, the DI, the employment office, the bishop storehouse, and the home storage place. It's the first of its kind anywhere and pretty cool, so if any of you would like to see it come and visit me! We all were expecting President Monson, so the place was packed, but at the last minute Bishop H. David Burton came. I was touched by his comments and was so glad that I went to this special meeting.

Can't Wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-10-10T17:41:00.004-06:00

This comes out on the same day that my sister is getting MARRIED!!!!!, so I will be seeing it on the day after (the 22nd)...more on Kari's engagement later :)

(push pause on the music player...and yes,...go ahead and watch it over and over again.)

If this picture offends you II

2008-10-09T11:45:00.007-06:00

I posted a funny picture a while back of a guy in a Walmart bag. This one is cuter and perfect for this time of year:

And...........

One of my professors read us this article this morning. It's kind of interesting that this article was written almost exactly 9 years ago. I bolded the parts that I thought were interesting...

Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending

By
STEVEN A. HOLMES
Published: September 30, 1999 - New York Times

In a move that could help increase home ownership rates among minorities
and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation is easing the credit
requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders.

The action, which will begin as a pilot program involving 24 banks in 15 markets -- including the New York metropolitan region -- will encourage those banks to extend home mortgages to individuals whose credit is generally not good enough to qualify for conventional loans. Fannie Mae officials say they hope to make it a nationwide program by next spring.

Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people and felt pressure from stock holders to maintain its phenomenal growth in profits.

In addition, banks, thrift institutions and mortgage companies have been pressing Fannie Mae to help them make more loans to so-called subprime borrowers. These borrowers whose incomes, credit ratings and savings are not good enough to qualify for conventional loans, can only get loans from finance companies that charge much higher interest rates -- anywhere from three to four percentage points higher than
conventional loans.

''Fannie Mae has expanded home ownership for millions of families in the 1990's by reducing down payment requirements,'' said Franklin D. Raines, Fannie Mae's chairman and chief executive officer. ''Yet there remain too many borrowers whose credit is just a notch below what our underwriting has required who have been relegated to paying significantly higher mortgage rates in the so-called subprime market.''

Demographic information on these borrowers is sketchy. But at least one study indicates that 18 percent of the loans in the subprime market went to black borrowers, compared to 5 per cent of loans in the conventional loan market.

In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of lending, Fannie Mae is taking on
significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980's.

''From the perspective of many people, including me, this is another thrift industry growing up around us,'' said Peter Wallison a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. ''If they fail, the government will have to step up and bail them out the way it stepped up and bailed out the thrift industry.''

Under Fannie Mae's pilot program, consumers who qualify can secure a mortgage with an interest rate one percentage point above that of a conventional, 30-year fixed rate mortgage of less than $240,000 -- a rate that currently averages about 7.76 per cent. If the borrower makes his or her monthly payments on time for two years, the one percentage point premium is dropped.

Fannie Mae, the nation's biggest underwriter of home mortgages, does not lend money directly to consumers. Instead, it purchases loans that banks make on what is called the secondary market. By expanding the type of loans that it will buy, Fannie Mae is hoping to spur banks to make more loans to people with less-than-stellar credit ratings.

Fannie Mae officials stress that the new mortgages will be extended to all potential borrowers who can qualify for a mortgage. But they add that the move is intended in part to increase the number of minority and low income home owners who tend to have worse credit ratings than non-Hispanic whites.

Home ownership has, in fact, exploded among minorities during the economic boom of the 1990's. The number of mortgages extended to Hispanic applicants jumped by 87.2 per cent from 1993 to 1998, according to Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies. During that same period the number of African Americans who got mortgages to buy a home increased by 71.9 per cent and the number of Asian Americans by 46.3 per cent.

Hola Octubre!!

2008-10-05T09:55:00.001-06:00

Not much as been going on these last couple of weeks. Just mostly school and work.

However, we are SO EXCITED for Halloween!!!!...Because we get to carve pumpkins!

And eat Candy Corn

And watch scary movies!

And isn't this just the most adorable baby costume in the world?

I have decided to stop drinking soda pop. I am 4 days into it and feeling fabulous. After chatting with a co-worker, I had forgotten about an article that I had read saying that sugar ages you among other things. A little never hurt anyone, but I probably drink a little much, so I am going to see how long I can go without this scrumptiousness.

And look...Tyler is a domestic diva. Isn't this picture great :) !

Dork!

2008-09-25T11:15:00.003-06:00

You can call me a dork for 2 reasons:
1. I like the show, Dancing with the Stars...and
2. I like the show, Keeping up with the Kardashians

Well, Kim Kardashian is on the new season of Dancing with the Stars. Sadly I don't think I'll have much time to watch, but that's what Youtube is for right?
(Don't forget to pause the music player).

HOT Momma!

2008-09-20T09:13:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to my FABULOUS MOTHER!

Happy Birthday to you.

Today is my Mom's Birthday. I won't tell you how old she is turning in fear that she might kill me. But she is old! jk... My Mom has had somewhat of a hard past year health wise. In and out of chemo and in and out of the ER is no way to spend life. We are all hoping that this year is 100% better for her so that she can enjoy life. Her main love (after me of course) is on her blog:

http://sunshineyellow-stitches.blogspot.com/

Isn't she amazing?? She has tried to pass this love of sewing down to me, but so far I have not taken to it....well, this year to my Mom, I promise to make an effort to get some of the many projects done that I've started...with your help of course.

Mom, Happy Birthday!! I love you! You are an amazing women and Mom! I hope that this year is wonderful!! Thank you for always believing in me and loving me unconditionally. LOVE Sara.

The Real Rusty Roo (Roofus) Hodson

2008-09-16T11:53:00.003-06:00

Roofus the cat

Roo (aka Kanga's baby)

The Real Rusty Roo

Old Friends and a New Church Calling

2008-09-15T00:30:00.000-06:00

**WARNING - this is kind of a long post because I can't sleep so I'm just blabbin'...so feel free to scroll down and just look at the pictures...especially if you have ADHD**

This weekend consisted of seeing old friends. It's kinda funny how it all ended up on the same weekend. I had a lot of fun and it made me miss those that I used to hang out with on a regular basis, but also grateful that we can at least still get together once in a while and catch up and have it be like we've only been away for a few days.

On Thursday night I got together with the girls from Academy Music to attend Katie's reception. It was so lovely and I am so excited for this girl to start her new adventures with her new husband. Their reception was actually the night before they got married, which I thought was a little strange at first, but now I think that it is the best idea ever! Seriously, no waiting around after getting married and being so exhausted by the end of the night. After their luncheon and what not they could be on their way boarding a plane to relaxation and love. Katie is an awesome person and friend and I wish her the best in her new endeavors.

On Friday afternoon Brindy, Anna, Alex and I were off to Time Out for Women in Logan. These girls I spent pretty much every waking moment with for 2 years down at Snow College. They are like sisters and I miss that daily interaction with them. We all live kind of spread out and are all so busy so we can only get together a few times a year. Anyways we have been planning this little get away since around Juneish and it ended up being so fun!!! We went to eat at Coppermill and then bought loads of junk food and had fun chatting the night away, hot tubbing and watching movies. The next day we went to TOFW which was such a good experience. It's one of those things that leave you uplifted and make you want to go out and change the world for the better. Some of the speakers included: Kenneth Cope, Mary Ellen Edmunds, Amanda Dickson, and Camille Fronk Olsen. I enjoyed every speaker I heard. One minute we were laughing our heads off and the next we were tearing up over a touching story of service...to me that says a lot about the speaker when they can bring in the spirit, make you laugh, make you cry, and most of all touch your heart....ps Amanda we missed you and can't wait for you to move back to Utah.

Saturday night was fun as well. Tyler and I met up with Val and Dan at the State fair. Ok, so Val and her husband moved to Salt Lake about 4 months ago because Dan is attending Law School at the U and I haven't seen her for at least that long. It's kinda sad that we only live a 1/2 hour away, but somehow its so hard to get together. So, I was really excited to hang out. I LOVE the fair and activities like it. One of the main reason that I like to go is for all of the interesting and expressive people. It can be very entertaining sitting around on a park bench watching different kinds of people take a stroll past. You can see anything from mullets, to mohawks, to foo-man choos. Something about this "fair" environment that makes me excited. I love bright lights, vendors, and walking around aimlessly and suddenly running into something interesting to look at. Oh, and another reason that I can't stay away from the fair is of course the food. Thanks Tyler for pretending like you are excited for the fair.

Ok, to end the weekend................today I was released from my calling as the YW's 2nd counselor. Talk about heartbreaking, for all of the right reasons. It has been such a great 4 years and 3 months being in with the Young Women. I have watched beehives become young women, and testimonies grow. The girls that I have worked with have inspired me to be a better person, and to love the gospel even more. For me it was sad mostly because I love the interaction with the girls and they have seriously become some of my good friends. I will also miss the presidency(s) that I have worked with. To me it kinda seems like a chapter of my life coming to an end. I know that's kind of a wierd way to put it, but I have had this calling since we first got married and for example, every Tuesday night for the last 4 years I have had somewhere to go after work. Now, it will be kind of wierd to actually go home instead of to the church. I LOVE the Yw's and hope that at some point in my life I will have another opportunity to work with them. So my new calling is the Nursery Leader. Talk about intimidating. I have never been in the primary or nursery and am a bit overwhelmed by the idea. I'm mostly afraid that I'll get there next Sunday and all of the kids will freak out because of this new person, who they definitley do not know. I have already had 2 mom's apologize in advance for their children, which I think is hilarious. All in all though, I am completley excited to be working with these young children who are so innocent and sweet. I'm really excited to teach the gospel in a fun simple way to kid's who's testimonies are just starting out.

K, so I need to go to bed now. Hope everyone has a great week...aren't you just loving this perfect weather? Love, Sara

Justin

2008-09-15T00:01:00.016-06:00

This past weekend marks one year since Justin passed away. We still think of him and all of the good memories we had and he will always be in our hearts. My thoughts and prayers are mostly with Ashley and Justin's family while they have been working through this trial this past year.

Here's a memory of mine that was shared at his funeral. It will give you an idea of the type of person Justin was:

"One of my favorite memories of Justin was this past summer when we all
went camping in the mountains with Gramps and Grandma. We decided to take
a hike up to Alligator lake to do some fishing and take a float in Justin and
Ashley’s “Big Yellow Raft”. After a long day of fishing and hiking we were
on our way back and all very tired and ready to get back to the
campground. Even the puppies, Rambo and Roo were tired. Justin being
the dog lover he was, hated to see them so tired and so he proceeded to carry
both of them all the way down the mountain, even though he was carrying pretty
much everybody else’s stuff, including the raft and fishing poles. This
story reminds me of how tenderhearted and caring Justin was…even to the
pups. Justin was a big part of our family and we will miss him a lot, but
we know that he is in good hands."

Whenever I think about death and the passing of loved ones, I can't help to be grateful for the plan of salvation and my knowledge that those passing on are just fine and happy with other loved ones on the other side. Here is a quote by President Hinckley that I love...enjoy:

"Faith in something greater than ourselves enables us to do what we have said we'll do, to press forward when we are tired or hurt or afraid, to keep going when the challenge seems overwhelming and the course is entirely uncertain."

Webbity

2008-09-10T23:28:00.008-06:00

1. This is a great pass time if you are bored at work:

**LINE RIDER**

2. This is a blog that one of the therapists at my work showed me:

**Seriously SO Blessed**

This should make you laugh pretty hard...it's basically an anonimous blogger who's an LDS newlywed that is "living the dream" in Utah. She takes a satirical approach on her blog and is somewhat making fun of us bloggers. It's funny because as outrageous as it seems you will most likely see yourself or someone else you know potrayed in this blog....Oh, the even greater part for the writer of this blog, she makes a few thousand dollars a month from sponsors advertising on it.

3. And this is Rusty Roo's celebrity look-alikes (I did this a while ago and it had President Bush as one of the faces, but it didn't show up this time):

Kari turns the big 2-4

2008-09-04T13:40:00.000-06:00

My one and only sister, Kari Scott, is 24 years old today! I love her so much and hope that her birthday is a wonderful day. Our parents are out of town at the moment, so we'll be celebrating it sometime this weekend. Kari is very special to me being my only sister and only sibling. We are very close and the only time we have ever fought is over clothes in high school....Here are some interesting things everyone should know about her:

She is very social. We figured out one month that on average (for that particular month) she get's or recieves a text every 5 minutes of the 24 hour day... (waking or sleeping). She always is surrounded by lots of friends which I think shows what kind of person she is and how much everyone likes to be around her.

She has a six-pack stomach that some girls would kill for.

She is a wonderful 2nd grade teacher. She puts so much of her own time and money into teaching and I can tell that she cares a lot for her students. I wish I had a 2nd grader in her class sometimes.

I have always known her to be a very spiritual person. She loves the gospel and lives it. Anyone who has heard her testimony or seen it in the way she lives knows this and is inspired by it, whether or not they're LDS.

She is working on her Master's degree....Yes, she's done with her bachelor's before me, but that's just the way it works. She's always done a lot of things before me i.e. first kiss, first boyfriend, etc...But that's why I can say that I look up to my little sister in many ways.

She is very adventurous. More recently she has taken up mountain biking and also has taken up throwing herself off a cliff aka rock climbing. To me this shows that she lives and loves life and doesn't let opportunities pass her by.

If given the chance she will sleep untill about 3 pm in the afternoon. I'm not quite sure what this says about her. I just think it's funny....oh, something else that's funny is her endless appetite. She is a skinny girl, but can keep eating. Kari's friend Rob tells a story of taking her out to a steak house and on the way home she wanted to stop by Wendy's for a jr. bacon cheesburger.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KARI! Love Sara...(your favorite sister!)

Isn't He Amazing?!?!

2008-09-03T20:42:00.004-06:00

Tyler's Day Today=

5:30 am - Wake up
6:00-9:00 am - Work
9:00-10:00 am - Supply Chain Class
10:00-12:00 pm - Work
12:00-1:00 pm - Lunch
1:00-5:30 pm - Work
5:30-8:30 pm - Business Statistics Class
8:30-9:30 pm - Meeting at the Church
9:30 pm - Home at Last

That is literally a non stop 16 hour day...Crazy!

K so usually he doesn't work that long, but on Wednesday's he makes up for leaving Monday's, Wednesday's, and Friday's for class.

I absolutley can't wait for school to be finished for Tyler. He sometimes works himself to the end of the rope, but somehow stays the great husband I love. I admire him also for always going to his church meetings all day Sunday, Tuesday nights, and sometimes on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Sometimes I wonder if I were him if I'd just be like..."ya know what, I just don't think I'll be able to make it because I'm TIRED!" He sacrifices his time with out complaining and to me that is someone that loves the Lord and the gospel.

I don't write this to brag because I know that most of you and/or most of your husband's work just as hard...and are as proud as I am...I just write this because Tyler Lynn is AWESOME!

Casserole SUPRISE...yum

2008-08-31T06:57:00.011-06:00

Rusty's new t-shirt. Suprisingly he didn't mind this outfit as much

I went to the Farmer's Market on 25th street with my Mom and Dad. These are a few of my steals. Notice the yummy peaches. Those were seriously some of the best peaches I have ever eaten.

This is a little bit of the progress on Ty's hotrod. For those who don't know Ty is rebuilding/turning into a hot rod, a 1949 GMC.

Heiner Reunion

This is my $180 book that I got for $50 (Brand new)!!!

Rusty's new friend Riley. The Hancock's brought him over for a play date.

Happy Wedding Michelle & Aaron Godwin.
(in the pic: Casey (Ty's Brother), Annette (Ty's Mom), Michelle, Aaron, Tyler)

Images from our last summer fling.

2008-08-22T01:03:00.003-06:00

Isn't the Yellowstone/Teton Valley beautiful? These are what I captured on my non-proffessional camera...

Tyler and I had an amazing time on our last get away for the summer. It was hard to come home. It was way fun while it lasted though...We spent 4 nights in this beautiful valley and saw lots of things and had lots of fun!

We actually planned this trip back in May and had decided on renting a condo at the Targhee Resort with some good friends. We spent a day in Yellowstone and a couple of days in Jackson...Unfortunatley as far as wild life goes all we saw was a bunch of Bison...which is still cool in my book, but I was really looking forward to seeing a bear or at least some elk. We visited some hot pots in Yellowstone and I had forgotten how beautiful and fascinating these were...hmmm...what else...well, I guess a picture is worth a thousand words:

Two luvas...all giddy and what not

Me and Bigfoot

The view going up to the top of the Alpine slide.

The only bear I saw

The only elk Ty saw

Self explanatory

Tyler being ferocious

Ripley's

For Ty's Gramps

Sweet Nora indulging.

Closeup of the Bison's eye

Three piglets restraunt = Great mexican food...not so great waitress

The side Ty didn't want you to see...too bad I'm the one that posts on this blog :)

And then again I should have taken many more pictures. A few things that my trusty camera didn't catch were: the fun times we had playing games (or should I say the girl's forcing their husbands to play games), a group picture of everyone, my b-day celebration at Bubba's (we don't recommend this place by the way), more cute pictures of some of the cutest kids, and of course the long car rides with Ty driving like a bat out of heaven.

To those we went with...we had sooo much fun with ya'll. We'll have to do it again SOON! And anyone else is welcome to join us for our ventures. Love,

Sara

Tyler

Sometimes we get bored...

2008-08-12T23:33:00.007-06:00

Rusty is very tolerable of our antics.

Here, we are going for the posh look of being able to carry your pooch around in your handbag...

And then there was this...

I've got a pocket, got a pocket full of sunshine...

2008-08-07T20:52:00.010-06:00

I've been working for the last 11 hours (It is about 9pm right now) and I still have another hour or so left until I can go home. I usually don't work this long, but I worked at Academy this morning and then usually go straight to LDS Family Services just for 4 hours, but today I'm working for someone who usually covers the night. All I can say is that I'm ready to tear my eyes out with boredom!! So, what else to do when you're bored, but blog..haha. I enjoy blogging, but haven't really had anything exciting to blog about lately, so here are some random things that have been going on and random thoughts to pass my time here:

* Today, no joke, a lady brought her ice cream cartons that she had just bought from Albertson's into the music store so they wouldn't melt, and she left her kids in the car...twisted huh?

*Tyler and I went to see Dark Knight last night for the 2nd time with Ty's family. I LOVE this movie!!!!!!!!

*I'm so excited for Yellowstone next week. It'll be the first time I've been there since I was probably 8ish.

*Ty had a job interview this week...It would be a great experience because he would (get to/have to) travel to Japan once a month...Wasabi anyone?

*Sunday we celebrated Ty's Grandpa's 68th B-day. Happy Birthday to a great man!

*Saturday we went wakeboarding with Ty's cousins and I've almost mastered a front flip.....NOT! Several people throughout my life have tried to get me out of the water with a wakeboard firmly on feet and have all failed. I'm a waterskiier naturally.

*Hellboy II, the movie, is dumb!

*I haven't weeded my flowers in over a month...oops.

*Wendy's Chicken BLT salad is awesome!!!!!!!!

*The YW in the Riverdale 3rd ward are awesome!!!!!!!!

*Twilight (the book) is awesome!!!!!!! (yah I'm a little behind)

*My friend Marilinda's kids are so cute! They stopped by the other day and we had fun watching them chase Roo. Usually it's the other way around when Rusty's around kids.

*We need TIVO. I miss Oprah girl.

*Our house is still for sale :( Any takers?

*Rusty twitches when he's sleeping.

*My last semester starts in a little over 2 weeks...after that I'm an accountant - Blah!

*The other day I found a small spider vein behind my knee...such is life.

*Both Ty's mom and my mom's names are Annette. My Dad's name is Craig and the guy my sister is dating...his Dad's name is Craig too.

*Why is it always only after you eat a fatty hamburger from Carl's Jr. that you resolve to never eat one again. Good thing I've never tried crack!

*Doesn't this picture make you happy?:

I almost lost everything...

2008-07-31T00:17:00.010-06:00

One brief note: MAKE SURE AND BACK UP YOUR FILES ON YOUR COMPUTER'S!! A couple of mornings ago I turned on the computer and the error message read something like this (in my lingo):

"This computer either has a virus or everything has disappeared magically...You can try to put in the installation disk, but most likely that will not work either...so basically you are screwed. Sorry, it's been real."

This made my heart sink because we have 4 years worth of pictures stored on our computer some which have been developed, but most have not. The worst part is that I had the thought cross my mind the exact night before to back up the files on the computer, but ignored the prompting...Well, this story has a happy ending. Tyler magically got it back and running again with all of our files in tact. Some things are not the same, but I am definitley not complaining!

And then....camping...

Since I've been married to dear old Tyler we have went camping with his family up to the Uintahs. It's a sweet little campground where the majority of the campers are getting ready to make the journey to King's Peak. Being the short-hike type of people we are, we have yet to make this journey. Maybe that will be one of my mid-life crisis things. Anyways we really don't do anything too eventful up there, but we do accomplish several of my favorite things which are relaxing, eating, chatting, playing cards...this year we hiked up to Alligator and fished a bit. I love this camping tradition and hope it continues FOREVER. Although I did hear Ty's brother Casey talking about wanting to do Florida instead next year. Here's a few pictures...Oh, and thanks to Ty's family for making this such a fun time.! We had a blast!!

(Rusty Roo made it all the way to the lake and back. Considering he takes about 4 steps for our 1, this ended up being about a 20 mile hike for our favorite dachshund...He then slept for the next 2 days because he was so worn out.)

(Closeup of Tyler Lynn)

(Here I am with Ash (my sister n' law). I posted this one also because I wanted you all to see how clear my skin is. I've been trying to wear less makeup and my skin looks so much better. Not that it was bad before, but it doesn't seem to have the blochiness which is the reason I wear base to begin with. And of course Ash looks so cute no matter what!)

(Tyler and Casey are great brothers...can't you feel the love from this pic?)

Forever Friendship!

2008-07-28T14:24:00.003-06:00

My mom emailed me this video. I'm sure some of you have seen it, but I absolutely loved it!(Make sure to push pause on my music player.)

Hope everyone's holiday was great. I'll post pics from our camping adventure when I get a few minutes. ~Sara~

July 24th

2008-07-23T23:03:00.008-06:00

Happy 24th to all of you Utahn's out there and to all who are honoring our pioneer heritage. May we all have such a conviction in ourselves as the pioneers did to stand up for and sacrifice for something...whether it be our families, our values, another in need, our religion, or any other worthwhile cause.

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Yesterday I filled up my car. I've had this car for exactly a year this month. I LOVE everything about it, except for its mileage which is usually around 24ish mi./gal. Well, it got a whopping 26.39 mi./gal. I was EXCITED!!! Now, this is nothing compared to what the little Geo gets (aka our beater car)...32ish miles/gallon, but I was still pretty excited...(and this is why Tyler will usually be seen in the Geo, commuting back and forth to work as opposed to his beloved Dodge deisel which is only sporting about 18ish miles/gallon.)

After I got gas yesterday I had to of course tell my coworkers and they said that by driving about 55-60 mph on the freeway you can gain about 2 mi./gal. Thus for this tank of gas me, the speed demon, am vowing to try this out. I will now be seen for the next week or so not wooshing down the freeway at about 80, but going more at my Dad's pace which is roughly 60 mph. We will see how many frustrated honks I get and also see if I can get my mileage to around 28. I'll let you know how it goes!

A New Fav!

2008-07-21T23:52:00.002-06:00

I am a lover of Vitamin Water. I have only tried a few, but I especially like the Formula 50-Grape and I also quite enjoy the Defense-Raspberry/Apple. One that I have tried and thought was sick was the Dragon Fruit one...probably because I have no idea what the flip a dragonfruit is, and so to me it tasted like soap. I like these especially with some yummy wheat thins fresh out of the box or even...ok I think I'm getting tired. Ga' night Ya'll....with no further adieu, au revoir!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

at 2.5 servings per bottle there are:
calories 50, total fat 0g, sodium 0mg, total carbohydrate 13g, sugar 13g, protein 0g, vitamin C 20%; vitamin E 20%; vitamin B3 20%; vitamin B6 20%; folic acid 20%; vitamin B12 20%, vitamin B5 20% PER SERVING

at 2.5 servings per bottle there are:

calories 50; total fat 0g; sodium 0mg; total carbohydrate 13g; total sugar 13g; protein 0g; vitamin C 60%; vitamin B3 10%; vitamin B6 10%; vitamin B12 10%; vitamin B5 10%, zinc 10% PER SERVING

Ty's 1st time at Girl's Camp

2008-07-21T23:25:00.001-06:00

This year's girls camp was just peachy! It was so nice to get away from it all and enjoy nature and spend some time with the YW, who I so dearly love. We went to Moon Lake in the Uintah's. I was so looking forward to staying in cabins this year, but at the last minute we did some shuffling and it ended up being Ty and I and the YW pres and her husband staying in tents. It was probably for the best though so that I could protect Ty from the bears and the rabid chipmunks.

Anyways our cabins/campsites were right up off of the shore of Moon lake and we had such a great view. The weather was perfect, the girl's and leaders were awesome, and it turned out being overall a great girls camp. Another reason why it was so great was because it was only 2 nights. Don't get me wrong...I love camping, but anymore then 2 nights you start to get very gnarly...as in smelly and sweaty.

All Clean

Compliments to the Chef

We Rock!

One of the Beehives and Me

Tyler saved the day!

"gone fishin"

Yeah!...a fish

Wilderness Pageant

Wilderness Queen

Moon Lake 2008

Ty had some fun of his own in scaring the beehives by scratching on their cabin door like a giant bear. Little did we know it really did scare them more then we thought. Someone even suggested that it was Tyler and they all insisted that Tyler would never do such a thing...apparently Tyler has a very innocent demeanor. This year at camp we also enjoyed fishing, hiking, unga bunga, paddle boating, eating, and our theme focused on building our testimonies.

I have always enjoyed girls camp and hope that opportunities will always arise for me to join the YW of the ward for some camping. I absolutley love my calling and am thankful for it. The young women of this ward have definitley strengthened my testimony and I hope I have in some way strengthened their's. As I have blogged about before I LOVE serving in the YW's!

Here's a little something from memory lane...a picture of my last year as a Laurel at girl's camp:

Scotty Reunion

2008-07-21T22:50:00.000-06:00

We have a tradition started in my family that started 2 summers ago and hopefully it will be a tradition that goes on and on and gets bigger and bigger. So, my parents have a condo in SL...yes, I know SL is just a 1/2 hour away, but to make a long story short it was purchased when my Mom was way into genealogy and this particular condo is pretty much right across the street from Temple Square.

Well, we always go down for at least 3 days or so and hang out together. We will usually play games (this year Boggle and Guitar Hero were the focus), watch movies, eat & eat, go shopping, & our favorite is Raging Waters. Next year a suggestion made by Rob was to start making a temple session or something of that sort part of the festivities as well. This year was great because we made it to IKEA too...Finally :) The pic is one of my MANY finds. It's a heart shaped ice cube maker. Soooo cute and only $1

I LOVE my family and am so glad that we have this weekend just focused on relaxing and hanging out with one another. Thanks Mom and Dad for putting up with us. WE LOVE YOU!

Below is a short clip of Ty and Rob going on the best slides in the park. The first slide I will not even attempt anymore because apparently I don't have enough weight behind me to make it back up the second hill. But the boys are great at it and have been "lectured" several times on not catching air...if you have been to Raging Waters then you know the whole point is to try and catch air!!

Remember??

2008-07-17T09:33:00.003-06:00

This was on Ashley's blog and I thought it would be fun:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I (or you and Tyler) had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Fourth of July Weekend...One Week Later

2008-07-13T23:51:00.001-06:00

So I was going to post this a week ago, but didn't have my camera and then I forgot about it, so this might seem a little lame.

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Our Holiday weekend was fantastic. It was so fun and relaxing hanging out with Tyler. I live to be able to have fun in July...oh, and Christmas time is something else I live for. I'm also VERY grateful that I am not at GWCU like I was last summer. Last summer was H-E-Double Hockey Sticks trying to get time off to have a little fun and go on some trips. Basically last summer was one of the worst summers for that reason, because in their heads it was basically a too bad kind of deal. But, I'm so grateful now to have the jobs I do so I can enjoy life before it passes me by....("Life comes at you fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it! -Ferris Bueller). Anyways here's some pictures from our Fourth of July:

First we saved this dog:

We almost hit her on the way to see "Hancock" and so we picked her up, knocked on a few doors, took her home and cleaned her up, thought about keeping her if the owner didn't claim her, fortunately for Rusty-Roo, the owner called us, and so we gave her to her rightful owner...I hear "Hancock" was dumb anyways. It was good to see how soft of a heart Tyler has when it comes to our little fury friends.

We almost died from these "illegal" fireworks:

I have never seen my life flash before my eyes until this weekend. One malfunctioned and came shooting straight at the bystanders...us. Lesson learned? Not so much, we kept going.

Rusty was terrified from the noise of the fireworks. Here he is in good company watching Nemo.

Then we baked in the sun at the cruise-in. Ty was in hog heaven. We saw this $1.2 Million dollar vehicle, aka a Duesenberg:

I especially liked the one seater in the back and the color!

and we saw this Beverly Hillbilies replica of a car, aka a Nash:

and Tyler admired this lovely little thing, aka his next project after his 49 GMC is finished in 50 or so years :) :

I am learning more and more about cars and trucks everyday that I spend with Tyler...whether I like it or not. I must admit it is fun to learn about something that Tyler finds so much enjoyment out of and gets so excited about. Maybe one of these days you'll find both of us all greased up and working on an engine...just not anytime in the near future.

Then we hung out with my old roomie Polly:

(sorry no pics)

I now know what she does all day...chases an adorable 2 year old and cares for a newborn sweetheart.

Tyler recieved this lovely little card from a kid in our ward:

And that's our weekend in a nutshell.

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I am now off to girl's camp for a couple of days (It will be Tyler's first girl's camp) and then hanging out with my fam at the condo after that, so adios for a week or so. Luv, the Hodsons.

If you mess with us: Roundhouse kick...POW!

2008-07-10T10:37:00.005-06:00

So, I just got back from the most amazing Turbo-Kick class at Lady Fitness...Anyone care to join me? Today is great because I have had a finance class for the last couple of months from 9:30 to 12 and then work, but class ended last week, so now I have a month or so of nothing in that time slot. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!! I am getting to know my new scrapbooking program. Did you see the new banner above? I also figured out you can do this with your pictures:WOH! I think I need to take a class or something to learn all about it because it's kinda overwhelming me. Ok, one more thing. I found this picture on MSN's week in pictures. This is a traffic jam in China:

Crazy huh? Yah, pretty much I need to stop complaining about Utah's construction zones, because it could be much worse.

Woh!...Fanny!!

2008-07-08T23:56:00.001-06:00

So, I was going to post pictures of what we've been up to for the last week or so, but Tyler accidentally left the camera at work. Weird huh,...heavens knows what he needs a camera at work for? Just in case I guess.

So, I will post those later, but for now I thought it would be fun to talk about my puppy's bum. "Roo has a big but and he can not lie...all you other doggies can not deny".

K I'm kinda a dork, but my dog really can BACK IT UP! This has happened numerous times, but most recently on the way to Target.

If you don't already know, Riverdale has crazy construction going on this summer. So, we were on our way to Target and waiting to turn left when I hear "bbbbeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!!!" I looked to my right and see a minivan very close to our car, because the lanes are so close together, and so I assumed they were honking at us. I thought to myself.."How Rude"...then I looked to my left and Tyler was laughing and pushing Roo's BIG buns out of the way. IT WAS ROO!

When Roo turns around, quickly and awkwardly, while sitting on the driver's lap in the car, he usually inadvertently honks the horn with his big bum making a loud BBBEEEEEEEEEEEEEP and making us look like big fat impatient jerks for randomly honking at the people in front of us at the Stop light. Roo really does know how to "shake what his mama gave him", but sometimes just at the wrong time.

This picture was when he was only about a year old and so therefore imagine his bum much more massive now.

Our Extended Weekend...

2008-06-30T23:13:00.017-06:00

As I have blogged about before...I absolutely LOVE summer, especially JULY!!!!!! Saturday night fufilled 4 out of 5 of my top reasons to love summer (Fireworks, swimming, Free Time, and BBQ's). We had some friends over to Ty's Mom's for a swim and bbq, and then enjoyed the West Haven fireworks. I must say for West Haven, and for only being like the 2nd or 3rd time to have a show they were awesome. You know it's a good show when you keep asking yourself and the person next to you if that was the finale or not. And this week is Old Glory Days in Riverdale. I am luvin' everything about this July month and it hasn't even started yet. Thanks to Ty's Mom for always being so willing to let us play at her house.

So, Ty and I have been planning our date day for the last couple of weeks to be today. He was so sweet to take the day off work to come and hang out with his most favorite person...me of course. We had it all planned to go to IKEA first because I've been dying to go for the last year since they moved in to "this is the place" Utah, but we've never seemed to make it down there or when we are down there we haven't had the time to stop. We were also planning to go to Lunch, and then the Zoo, and then to Eaglewood Golf Course. We had a full day planned for us.....WELP, it didn't so much turn out the way we had planned. First of all, it just so happens that I had a test that was due today that I had to study for and take before we could head out. So that set us a few hours back...IKEA was the first to be crossed off the list =( much to my displeasment............ So, okay now we were off...we first went to one of our favorite restraunts in SL, the Macaroni Grill, and then to the Zoo. Well that ended up being the last stop because I got horibly sick, which never happens. I am usually the one with the most energy. I think that the heat must've gotten the best of me because I had that feeling where your stomach feels all bloated and then continues and feels like it is about to come up your throat...yah, that's the way I felt. So, we ended up staying for just a little bit at the Zoo, and much to Ty's displeasment ended up crossing Eaglewood off the list=( Let's just say that the day didn't exactly turn out the way we had planned, but there isn't another person I would have rather spent it with.

A rare White Alligator...Oooh...Aaah!

Tyler's not mad, he just scrunches his forehead in the sun.

Fake smile...I felt like poo.

Happy Feet!

REEEAAACHH!!

Live Like You Were Dying!

2008-06-30T21:58:00.008-06:00

So at the last minute (meaning the day before the concert) a few of my coworkers from LDS Family Services and I decided to go to the Tim Mcgraw concert on Friday night! I have never really been to a "good" country concert so I was really excited. We ended up paying a little more for our tickets then I had planned, but as you will see from my pictures it was WELL worth the moolah. He seriously sang all of my favorite songs, well come to think of it, there isn't too much of Tim Mcgraw that I don't enjoy especially where there are so many that he could sing. A few of the selections were: Where the Green Grass Grows, I Like it I Love it, Indian Outlaw, Live Like You Were Dying, Back When...etc etc. I really had a good time with my friends from work and considering how many people were drinking, we were lucky enough to not have any of those crazy annoying drunk people around us...oh, but there was this one buggin' couple who would not stop touching each other, but such is life. The only down fall is that Ty was not there to enjoy the music...and here's a few pictures:

Jason Aldeen Opened..Rockin'

The concert fanatics: Steph, Me, Kelly, Marie
(So sorry my smile is so cheezy)

Yup...That's Tim

Backside... Frontside...

And again... Are these pictures monotonous?...

Signing Autographs...

Kung Fu Meets Marley the Dog

2008-06-26T22:43:00.004-06:00

So, this is my unofficial book and movie review for "Kung Fu Panda" and "Marley and Me".

There are not many books that I read that I thoroughly enjoy from start to finish. (Actually I have never been much of a novel reader) Well, Marley and Me was one of these books that I loved. It could be that I am a dog lover and owner and so can relate to a lot of the situations in the book. Or it could be the genius of the author in being able to write in a way that you completley see the whole scenario clearly in your head from the way he writes. Either way I am not alone in my thinking. This book, a true story, is a #1 New York Times Bestseller and they are currently making a movie starring Jen Aniston and Owen Wilson because of the love for this book. Marley is a rambunctious and free-spirited dog that the Author and his wife buy as newlyweds. This dog goes through all of life's ventures with this couple from happy times to sad times from new children to new jobs and creates a lot of adventures of his own for the Grogan's. I literally laughed out loud for 3/4 of the book and had to share some parts out loud to Tyler. I loved this book....so read it. It took me only a few hours over the course of a few days and was very fast and light reading.

Last Friday we went with Tyler's newest engaged friend Aaron and his fiance to one of the cutest movies I've seen lately. Kung Fu Panda was not like some children movies where your attention wanders and you start looking at your watch. This movie was awesome! I loved it and the guys loved it as well. Tyler and I were giggling our little heads off through the whole movie. Another thing that I liked about this movie is the fact that they used "big names" to do the voices of the characters. You could totally see the character of the actor being portrayed through the animated character. This one was definitley a thumbs up in my book and I'd recommend it to anyone with or without children who just wants an entertaining/funny/and lighthearted film.

Why are you swimming awaaaaay???

2008-06-22T21:15:00.005-06:00

Don't you think Rusty looks like a long torpedo?

I love fashion, but don't consider myself fashionable...

2008-06-21T01:14:00.007-06:00

I 'heart' purses!

A new one might soothe my jittery craving...but not according to Ty. Lucky for him I go for the bargain (yet still stylish and cute) purse. These are a few that fancy my liking:

All from Target or Aero and CHEAP!

House: For Sale!

2008-06-16T23:08:00.002-06:00

Many of you know that our house is for sale. It was put on the market on May 30th.

I know I'll cry when we sale it and I know I'll cry through the entire 3 hour block of our church, but at the same time it will be fun and exciting for new adventures up and coming.

Here's some pictures of our lovely house:

And for the specs on it you can go to most any Utah Real Estate website and enter this MLS #: 804099. If there is anyone who knows of someone who might be interested please let me know...or if you have any tips on selling a house we are totally open for suggestions. Wish us luck!