Grateful...

As it is Thanksgiving, I have been thinking a lot about the things I am grateful for and felt like I needed to write some of them down and also why I am grateful for them. I have so many blessings in my life and it really helps me to recognize them when I actually list them. So here they are...

1. The knowledge I have of my Heavenly Father, My Savior, Jesus Christ, and his gospel...Without them I am nothing, with them nothing is impossible.

2. The Temple...The greatest gifts I have ever been given are the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the ability He has given me to be with my family forever.

3. My Husband...He is my best friend, my safe place and someone I can always rely on. I love him with all my heart.

4. My Little Miss...I had no idea of the joy and fulfillment having a child would bring. She is my life and I love her so much!

5. My Parents and Jeff's Parents...Words cannot express the gratitude I have for these people! They have blessed our lives so much and the greatest gifts they gave us were raising us in the Gospel and teaching us of the love that our Savior has for us.

6. My 3 Brothers...I always thought I wanted a sister, but now that I am a little older I realize I have the best brothers anyone could ask for and they each bring so much to my life.

7. My In-Laws...Some of these people have become some of my greatest friends and I am so grateful to have each of them as a part of my family.

8. My Niece and Nephews...These kids are so adorable and I have so much fun with them. They are going to grow up to be pretty amazing people.

9. Carter...The experiences we have had throughout his little life have strengthened my testimony so much and have taught me that life is so precious and families are forever. You can learn so much from a little child and their ability to love life, no matter their circumstances.

10. True Friends...The ones you can laugh with, cry with, or just fold laundry with and still have a great time:) The ones who don't judge you and who love you inspite of your weaknesses.

11. A Modern Day Prophet...President Monson is called of God and I know if we will follow the things he teaches, we will make it home safely.

12. Our Health and Strength...We have been so blessed with amazing health, with strong bodies and healthy minds.

13. Our Freedom...Most of the things I am grateful for are possible because of the freedoms we enjoy.

14. Soldiers who defend our freedoms...

15. Comforts I Enjoy...We are never cold, our home is always heated; we are never hungry, our pantry is always full; we have clean water to drink and heated water to shower with.

16. My home...No matter where we live, it has felt like home because is keeps us safe and sheltered and we have each other, plus an apartment is plenty big enough when it's time to clean:)

17. My Car...It runs perfectly and has been so reliable.

18. Running...And all my other goals yet to be accomplished.

19. Tender Mercies...For all the little things that happen that remind you that God is there and he loves you, like when your little girl is running around the house crazy and stops just long enough to hug your leg and say, "hi mommy" or "hi daddo", or when she walks around the house singing, "I love to see the temple".

20. Service...Both the opportunities to serve and be served. It never fails to brighten your day when you serve someone else or receive service from others, because to serve is to be like Christ.

21. My Trials...They allow me to find strength I didn't know I had and give me the ability to maybe understand someone else and their struggles a little better.

22. Humor...Once in a while you just need a really good laugh!

23. Nature...There are some amazing sights in this world and Heavenly Father truly did create them for us to enjoy and to remind us that this world really is a pretty great place.

24. And for Pullman and WSU...We are so blessed that Jeff has the opportunity to be furthering his education and I know this is exactly where we are supposed to be at this time in our lives.

25. Relief Society...I have met so many great girls in this ward and these girls are the reason that activities like walking group and project night exist, which i am very grateful for:)

Special Visitors...

This past weekend Jeff's parents, Grandma and Pa, made the long trek up here from Utah just to see us...well, let's be honest, mostly to see Little Miss, but we like to think they wanted to see us too...and we are so glad they came! We had so much fun and Little Miss absolutely adores them! She wouldn't let me do anything for her while they were here, it had to be grandma...and she had to know where her Pa was at all times. And if he wasn't around, she had to look out the window and make sure she could see his big red truck...I think she may like that truck even more than Jeff does! :)

While they were here we went to see the bears(of course), watched the movie cars about 10 times(they were such good sports about it), shopping, to dinner and we took them to our ward on Sunday. Then on Sunday afternoon, we played a game called the Farming Game for just over 5 hours straight, and yes, I couldn't feel my legs when I stood up, but we had so much fun! Jeff also got the opportunity to take his dad to school with him on Monday and let him attend a few of his lectures, while Grandma and I made some awesome jalapeno jelly! It was such a great weekend and we are so grateful they came to spend some time with us.

I don't think it will ever be possible to pay them back for all they have done for us, and all they continue to do. They are constantly showing their love and support in SO many ways and even though they may not always know, they have been an answer to our prayers more times than I can count. It is such a blessing to have such amazing parents, to have people that love us so much, and the only way I can even think to repay them is to give that same unconditional love, support, and guidance to our own children as they try to make their way through this life. We love them so much and are so grateful to be a part of such amazing families!

Halloween 2010...

I just have to say that Halloween, with Little Miss around, is sooo much fun! I always call her my little bug, so her being a lady bug seemed appropriate (thanks to Mandy and Av for the costume idea:) Cutest little bug ever!! We had a party for our playgroup on Friday and the girls always do such a fabulous job with the kids, it was so much fun and the kids were absolutely adorable! There was lots of good food, games, crafts and of course...plenty of candy! Then our ward had a party on Saturday night...again, lots of good food, games, costumes and tons of candy from the trick or treating! Jeff decided to be a Kearns High student and represent...he would totally pass as a highschooler...right?!

So...I'm a runner

So, as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a runner. Yet, anytime I would ever even attempt running, I would be winded after about 30 feet and slow to a walk...and stay at a walk. I think this is why I wanted to be able to run so bad, because I knew it was hard, and if I was ever able to do it, it would be a HUGE accomplishment for me. Well, about 6 weeks ago I happened to be talking to one of my friends at our daily playgroup and started joking about how I would love to be able to run, but that I just wasn't a runner and probably never would be...that is when I met Becky, my trainer:) She just overheard me talking and said she would love to start running with me in the mornings. Now, Becky is a runner, and I was pretty sure that once she realized how "beginner" I really was, the running would die off, but I decided I would give it a try, just for fun. We went that next morning at 6am and I barely made it about a half a mile and had to walk the rest of the way. Honestly it was farther than I expected to make it and I was thrilled with myself, but better than that, Becky was so excited for me too! She continued (and still does with a couple of my other great friends) to get up with me 5 mornings a week to go running, rain or shine. She is so positive and encouraging and really makes me want to do my best, because she knows I can. She knew how important it was to me to be able to run and she totally stepped in and has supported me all the way! So, a group of us girls signed up for a 4.5 mile race and a couple for the 2 mile walk, and we all headed down to Lewiston, ID this past Saturday. And I did it! I ran the whole thing without walking...it was awesome! Jeff surprised me by showing up at the finish line with Little Miss (I didn't think he was coming) and it made my finish that much better! I love my little family so much!! The girls I have met here are all so great and I am so lucky to have them as my friends! We had a blast!

So, on to my next goal...

Enough said...

To Be Continued...

Grizzly Bears and Fire Engines...

So fall has definitely arrived here in Pullman and as much as I hate to say it, winter can't be far behind. I have never loved winter, and considering that the daily activities we have been doing since we got here are all outdoors, I was a little worried that all the indoor time might drive us both (Little Miss and me) a little crazy...however, the girls here have it all under control. We have moved our walking group into the Coliseum at the University, so even though it isn't near as good of a workout as going up all the lovely Pullman hills, it definitely gives us both the social time we need. After we finish our laps, we just sit and visit while all the kids run around like crazy and burn as much energy as possible. It's wonderful:) Little Miss absolutely loves her walks and play time with all her buddies. I definitely have a social bug on my hands! She loves to say "Hi!" whenever someone walks in and when anyone leaves, she has to make sure to yell "bye!" and blow a kiss. I love it!

One of Little Miss's favorite things to do here in Pullman is to go and see the bears at WSU's grizzly bear research facility. You can actually get pretty close to them as there are only two chain link fences separating you and the bears, so its pretty much as close as I ever want to be to a grizzly bear! But Little Miss thinks they are great. I did too until I went with my friend Charlene to see them one day and two of the older females had actually just killed one of the younger bears and were eating it...not pleasant, and also very awkward as I kept saying to Little Miss, "...look at the bears, they are eating their dinner, how cute!" right in front of one of the workers, who had just seen them kill the younger bear. I, however, did not realize this (Charlene kept saying that she thought they were eating another bear, I laughed this off and told her I was sure they were eating something else...joke was on me apparently...) and the worker made no effort to explain the situation. The next day the whole story was in the paper and Charlene was right on...poor little bear! But Little Miss thinks they are awesome and she can always count on her dad to take her there...he does pretty much anything she asks him to:) He is definitely her hero and she is definitely his little princess!

Every Friday we go to a play group with a bunch of moms and recently one of the moms scheduled a visit to the Pullman Fire Station. It was so much fun and Little Miss loved it! She kept repeating "TRUCKS!" over and over again and couldn't get enough of it. The fire fighters were so cute with the kids (and thats saying a lot, because there were a ton of kids!), dressing up in all their gear and showing us all the trucks and a lot of the stuff on them. We had such a great time and Little miss would have sat in that truck all day if they would have let her...

Our Family Pictures!

So, it has been exactly two months since we moved to Pullman and let me tell you, time sure does fly when you're having fun (me) and working crazy hard (Jeff)!! Jeff's school work definitely keeps him busy, but he always makes sure to make some time to play "chase" with his biggest fan, little miss:) She is growing so fast and I can't believe how much she has changed, even since we left Utah! All I can say is thank goodness for pictures! So, Laurel is a really good friend of mine that I have met during our time here and she is so great! Not only is she an awesome friend, but happens to be an amazing photographer as well! We had the privilege of having her take some pictures of our little family and they turned out so great! And for anyone who knows our little miss at all, you will know it is not easy to get her to smile for a picture, which is another reason I love these pictures so much, she is totally cheesing it! So thanks again to Laurel, because pictures of our little ones and families really are priceless...thanks for capturing these moments for me.

We are doing so great here in Pullman and really are adjusting so well. There is so much to update on, and I will, but for now I just want to say how grateful I am for the blessings in my life and for the knowledge I have of the restored gospel. I am so grateful for my eternal family and I wouldn't trade them for anything!

Going Private...

So, I just wanted to let you all know that the Oyler Family Blog will be going private within the next week. This means that any of you who want to keep up on us need to leave me a comment with your e-mail address so I can get you on "the list":) So until I post again, know that we are doing great and I will update soon!

Life as we know it...

Well, now is as good as any time to start a blog and not only to keep everyone we love up to date on our lives, but to keep ourselves up to date as well! We have had quite the eventful year and instead of going in to detail about each step we took to get here, let's just start with where we are. Jeff graduated from Southern Utah University with his Bachelors degree in agriculture and Jeff, myself and our little miss are now living in Pullman, WA while Jeff attends the Veterinary Medicine program at Washington State University. His days consist of anatomy, cell physiology, embriology(?), histology, etc. and while he is busy having all the fun of becoming a doctor, I am hard at work being a mom:) Really though, Pullman is a great place and has definitely been a blessing in our lives. Little miss and I have made more friends in this past month than I could have imagined! We walk three miles a day and then play at the park (like I said, I definitely work the hardest:) ). By the time we get home it is lunch and nap time and then the day is half over. Jeff and I already have a really great group of friends and our time here is already flying by! One month down, lots more to go...

Little miss had so much fun with her great grandma M while we lived there the first half of the summer (SO appreciated!) and I always enjoy being with my family. And little miss LOVES her grammy and grampy (as you can see in the picture above), and I do too because I don't know what we would have done without them this summer. Jeff worked for SVLAC this summer and they housed us, fed us, put up with us and they take amazing care of their grandkids, couldn't ask for better! Thanks again mom and dad! So, Jeff moved up here in mid August and little miss and I stayed with my family for a week in Salt Lake. Steve and John were such good sports and kept her (and me) entertained and taken care of. We went out to eat, went shopping, hitting golf balls (Steve hit, I attempted), and just hung out. Then we went to my McOmie family reunion in Hyrum, Utah and I always end up laughing so hard when I am around all of them, they are great! Then came the time to say goodbye, that was rough... but I have the greatest in-laws in the world and they made the transition so much easier on me!

Jeff's parents are so amazing! They came and got little miss and me and moved us up to Washington. They knew how hard it was on me and they were so great the whole trip and made us so comfortable. We stayed in a hotel halfway through the trip and went swimming and ate great food! Little miss loves being with her grandma and pa and was an awesome traveler and we only had one little issue the entire way. They hauled all of our stuff up to Pullman and when we got there, there were already 3 guys there with Jeff to help us unload and we were finished in 30 minutes! (Thanks to Billy, Phil and Matthew!) Grandma and Pa helped us set up our whole apartment and made sure we had everything we needed to survive without them...at least until Christmas that is:) They stayed with us for a couple days and attended Jeff's white coat ceremony. We were so glad they were there to celebrate such an achievement with us. It was such a neat experience to see Jeff get his white coat and I was so proud of him and how hard he has worked. This has not been an easy road for him, but when he sets a goal, he achieves it, thats all there is to it. It's that work ethic of a small town boy, and I couldn't ask for a better husband and father. When I look back at this experience, to this point, I am so overwhelmed with gratitude for the amazing support Jeff and I have. We wouldn't be here without the constant support and encouragement of our families and parents and I will never be able to thank them enough. This isn't going to be an easy adventure, but it will be an adventure for sure! I know the Lord has a plan for each of us and that he will see us through any trial that may come our way, and with him all things are possible. So, in short, this is our life as we know it...more to come soon:)