Monday, October 12, 2009

Gardner Village...

Tonight for FHE we walked around Gardner Village near our *future* apartments. It was a lot of fun! We had a list of witches to find and once we found them all we could trade the list in for a cookie! Estin loved running around and dancing to the music. I LOVE autumn!!!
Estin was afraid to sit by the witch... even with daddy...
That would be caramel apple and a chocolate chip cookie all over his face!

Growing up too fast!!!

Eli one month old...
Eli 2 months old...

Helping Dad...

Estin's becoming handy... just like his dad! (Uncle Jordan and Cael pictured also)

Ward Initiation...

Ok... so not really... but Sunday we got out of church to find our van had been egged. We joked that the RS sisters had snuck out and instead of leaving zucchini, they left eggs.... splattered all over our van. We figure since our van still has new tags on it, it was an easy target. Oh well, in case you saw us breaking the Sabbath at the car wash on Sunday, that's why!

Free Time...

I've had a lot of free time after the boys go to bed (now that Justin is a studying man again) so I figured I'd make the most of my time and FINALLY start Estin's (yes...I'm that far behind) scrapbook. It's nothing fancy, but using my creative side relaxes me. So far I've finished 26 pages this week! :) Here's a sample...

Sunday, October 4, 2009

My Boys...

My sweet boys make me smile more every day I'm with them...

Mission Reunion....

Friday night was my MJM (Mississippi Jackson Mission) reunion. I debated on whether or not I should go seeing as it's been over 6 years since I came home! (WOW!) I'm glad I went... I really wanted to show off my adorable family. There weren't a lot of people I knew... but it was nice to catch up with the ones I did...
Coral was one of the YW I served around in Monroe, LA. She was 14 at the time... I can't believe how fast time flies!
Estin entertaining himself
This was my trainer in the field. Her daughter is 5 days younger than Eli (she also has 2 little boys)
President and Sister Sheffield. I love them both!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

A BIG Update...

Did you miss us? We've been MIA for a little while only because I couldn't figure out how to include pictures in each of my posts with the computer I've been using. Below is an update of our lives over the past month...there's quite a few so keep scrolling if you'd like to see what's been happening! Happy to be back, I'll be better at keeping everyone updated.

Our Newest Little Man...

My sweet little man.... 2 months already! Isn't he ADORABLE!!!!

RS Broadcast...

Last night my sister, Staci, sister in laws, Em and Nicole and I rode the Trax to SLC to attend the General RS Broadcast. What a special experience to be in the presence of the Prophet of God and his Apostles and leaders. Imagine a room of 10,000 women chatting away come to a complete silence the moment President Monson enters. It was completely sureal. I am SO grateful for my testimony that God has restored his true church in these latter days.

The Future RN...

Justin on the day of orientation. We're really excited to begin this next chapter in our lives!

The Minivan Saga...

So with a new family of 4 we're starting to outgrow our car and decided it's time to upgrade to a minivan. It's been awhile since Justin and I have bought a car and forgot how time consuming it can be. Needless to say, we test drove A LOT of used vans but couldn't find the complete package. A lot of times the dealer was really great but the van itself was not. More often, however, the van was nice but the dealer was not. :( We met a lot of dishonest people in our journey. However, lucky for us, we finally came across a dealer we liked and a van we felt really comfortable with... not to mention we came in under budget! We're excited to have reliable transportation throughout school!

2000 Ford Windstar, 63K miles, pwr windows/locks, keyless entry, VHS player, not white!

Autumn is Here!

...Isn't it beautiful!

Our Anniversary...

I can hardly believe it's been 4 years! These, I can honestly say, have been the HAPPIEST 4 years of my life! I feel SO grateful to have such a loving and devoted husband. He is my PERFECT match and we have been SO happy together!!! Happy Anniversary Babe!
The Aquarium (as a family), the Temple for Sealings and a wonderful dinner alone....

Our New Ward and Temple Square...

We started attending our new ward in West Jordan to help Estin adjust a bit before moving in. It's a small ward but it has a variety of ages. There are a lot of young families with small children Estin and Eli's age. In fact, there are 2 other baby boys that were born within 2 days of Eli! Everyone is VERY nice! Although we miss the 84th ward A LOT... I think we'll adjust just fine. Last Sunday morning before church we had the opportunity to walk around Temple Square for awhile. It was a great family activity...

Keeping Occupied...

Justin started his CNA training just a week after arriving and has been gone everyday from 7am-7pm. Estin, Eli and I have spent a lot of time finding fun things to do...
Mom and Tot class at The Little Gym
Farm Country-Thanksgiving Point

The Aquarium

Living Arrangements....

Justin's sister, Amy, and brother in law, Clayton, (and their 4 children) have been nice enough to offer their home to us while we're waiting for our apartment to open up. Our space is comfortable but it will be nice to get into our own place! I can only live out of boxes and suitcases for so long. We were SUPPOSED to be moving into our apt. this week, however, the apt. manager decided to retract the eviction notice she had given and let the woman stay...meaning it will be another 4-8 weeks, at least, in this lovely basement. :(

The Big Move...

Wow! What a lot of work! I never realized just how much stuff we had or how hard it would be to load it all up with a 2 year old and a newborn... not to mention they were both sick at the time. Thanks to ALL the help from friends, family and ward members...we NEVER would have gotten everything done without them. The day before we left Rexburg we loaded our stuff on the truck only to find that 1/2 of it didn't fit! (I told you we had a lot of stuff!) Luckily for us, Justin's wonderful brother, Tim, and his wife (Heather) and daughter (Josie) drove up from Utah at a moments notice arriving 5am on moving day with an additional truck and trailer! What a generous thing to do! It was a LOT of work, but we finally made it!

Friday, August 21, 2009

Moving...

2 weeks until the big move! Didn't realize how much time it takes to pack with a newborn and a toddler. I'll keep you posted just as soon as we get settled!!!

Brotherly Love...

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