Biker Babe...

Little Miss has been wanting a bike forever! Every time she goes to the park and sees all the kids on their bikes she wants to ride them or just stand by them even! So my friend Laurel told me about these balance bikes that don't have any pedals or training wheels and they are supposed to be awesome for teaching balance. So in October Jeff and I finally ordered one and it was an awesome purchase! She LOVES her bike! She is already starting to be able to pick up her feet and balance on two wheels. It is so fun to watch her grow up and learn new things! And luckily, Laurel lives in a house in a super quiet neighborhood and there is a perfect little route around their block that they can ride their bikes and wear themselves out. Little Miss loves Hank and Charlie, so it makes for a perfect day...especially because she goes to bed so easy on those nights:)

Halloween 2011

So Halloween was not the ideal holiday for us this year, but we still had a great time! Little Miss was starting to get sick but we were able to make it to our ward trunk-or-treat on Saturday night and we had so much fun! We have such awesome friends up here and the kids have so much fun together! She was supposed to be a ballerina, but my friend had this super warm butterfly outfit that she let us borrow and I was so glad she did...I didn't have to worry about her freezing all night. So we decided she would be a ballerina on Monday for all the indoor Halloween activities we had planned...little did we know. On Monday, Jeff came home from school to play with Little Miss and I headed to a doctors appt. When I got home we were all so excited and dressed her up in her pink ballerina outfit and headed to the Halloween carnival. After the carnival we were going to go to the mall to trick-or-treat and then to a few houses, however, right as we pulled up to the carnival, she threw up all over herself, her car seat and our car. We didn't even get to park. We just kept driving and headed back home. She was such a good sport and asked if we could go home and clean her up and then go back to the carnival...she said she felt better:( It was so sad and I kept telling her how bad I felt and that I was sorry. She just kept saying, "its ok mommy, I'm ok". I love this little girl so much. So hopefully next year will be our year for Halloween...right?!

To The Rescue!!

This past weekend we went to a 'Super Hero' party for one of Caitlin's best friends up here and she had a blast! There was a mini photo shoot of all the kids in their super hero attire, and this is hers...she is pretty much dressed as herself with extra powerful lady bug boots. She had to wear them. I love this girl. If I was ever in mortal danger she is exactly what I would want to see!

Time...

I feel like I need to take a minute to write down some thoughts I have been having over the last few days and I am trying to follow promptings I receive, so I better get writing.

A couple weeks ago my mom had me listening to a collection of talks by Pres. Henry B. Eyring and there was one talk specifically that has really come to mean a lot to me in the last week or so. I will not be able to convey his message near as eloquently or accurately as he does but I hope the feelings I am having will come across as I mean them. The talk was about how the real gift that our Heavenly Father has given us is the gift of time and the ability to use that time the way we want to. We don't know how much time we will be given but we do know that the use of that time will have eternal consequences and we know that our Heavenly Father's mercy is so great that he will give us as many opportunities as he possibly can to turn to him and redirect our paths. I know now why one of the mottos the Church has is "It's about time..." because that is what it is all about. We only have a small amount of time on this earth to learn to love deeply, serve unselfishly, comfort unceasingly and judge righteously. We only have a small amount of time to learn to bear one anothers burdens, repent of our sins, forgive others their mistakes and weaknesses and to become more like our Savior.

I have recognized the teachings of the spirit more in the last 12 days than I have in my entire life combined and more than anything I have been taught of the unconditional, undying love that our Savior has for each one of us. It truly is his work and his glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. He loves us, he wants us to return to him, and he is willing to do everything in his power, aside from take away our agency, to help us to return to him. I know these things are true. I know He hears and answers our prayers. I know He will send peace and comfort even in the most hopeless of times if we will but ask, and the peace and reassurance He will send is unlike anything the world has to offer. As we turn our lives over to Jesus Christ he will make more of us than we could ever hope to make of ourselves. There are so many people that are lost and have forgotten who they are and what they can become, and it is our responsibility to seek them out and help them to feel the love of our Savior through our service and example.

I know Jesus Christ lives and I love him with all of my heart. I know he atoned for our sins and I know that families can be forever. I know that the time we have been given here is so precious and that we need to use that time each and every day to grow closer to Him and to bring others with us. Let us use this time to judge less, forgive freely, serve with all our hearts, and love others as He loves us. Let us repent of our sins and turn away from those things that will draw us away from His light and His love.

Let's try to remember each moment we live that it is about time. Don't wait to tell the people you love that you love them. Don't wait to forgive someone who has wronged you. Don't wait for tomorrow to listen to the promptings of the spirit. Now is the time and my prayer is for the strength to act on and remember this each day for the rest of my life.

One Year Down and Updates...

So, first things first...Jeff finished his first year of Vet School!! I cannot tell you how proud and grateful I am of him and his dedication to our family. He spent so many hours studying and for about the last month of school we were lucky to see him 1-2 hours a day, if at all. I know how hard it was on him and I am so grateful that he is willing to work so hard so we will be taken care of. He is amazing and we are lucky to have him. Second, we moved to Utah for the summer since Jeff has the opportunity to work at South Valley Large Animal Clinic, and let me tell you, he is so glad to just be working and not studying for a second! It is really nice to be so close to our families (we are living with mine) and get to spend so much time with them, they are such a blessing in our lives and I would have to say we have the best families! And even though we love being here we are seriously missing our friends up in Pullman. When you live so far from home your friends really do become like your family and we happened to make some of the most amazing friends. Its good we've got 3 more years with them and hopefully the rest of our lives:) So here are a few updates...

Grammy came to visit Pullman earlier this year and we loved having her! Little Miss loves her so much and would run into her room every morning the minute she wakes up! We ate yummy food and my house is amazingly organized and clean by the time she leaves...it is absolutely great! She also brought a ton of new books for Little Miss and that is what she wants to do all the time...read:)

Little Miss and I got to come home for awhile during the semester and we were lucky to get to celebrate Steve's birthday while we were here. We went to Red Robin and it was awesome. Little Miss loves her Uncle Steve, they are pretty inseparable. Also during this trip Little Miss had to get her first set of stitches. She opened a drawer in the kitchen and forgot to close it and while running away from me, her face ran right in to it. I felt awful! She cut her lip open and my mom, Steve and I took her to Primary Children's to get her all fixed up and she completely amazed me! She did not cry even once at the hospital. She just kept saying "the goctor needs to fix my lip" and she let them do everything they needed to. They wanted to sedate her for the actual stitching since it was on her lip and so they had to do an iv...yep, no crying. She held totally still and just looked at it after. I even cry for iv's. She is one tough cookie! She is now healed up and back to normal, the whole experience was way more tramatic on me for sure!

This is another one of Little Miss's favorite people...Grampy! There must be something about Grandpa's because between her Grampy and her Pa, she could be content forever!

Just practicing her golf swing with Steve...pretty much perfect form...

Our Easter celebrations were really fun and Little Miss loved having her dad around and ridiculous amounts of candy, what kid doesn't like that?? But if you ask me, I have always thought the Easter Bunny was a little disturbing...abnormally huge rabbit sneaking into your house...come on. I think we will definitely focus more on the real meaning of Easter:)

And I love this picture because it represents our life as of this moment...lots of time with dad, swimming pools, trips to Loa, family and fun. We LOVE having daddy around and we might even let him work a little this summer:)

One Amazing Woman!!!

I just wanted to write a note to let everyone know how great Marie is. She is my best friend and so supportive of all the many things I am involved in. I love coming home to her smiling face at the end of a hard day. She is so loving and is always there for me, to boost me up and be by my side. She is a great mother and little miss is privelaged to have such an amazing woman to raise her and teach her. Marie is always willing to serve and goes above and beyond the call of duty, especially for little miss and I. I am so grateful to have met and married Marie, she has changed my life and has given me everything a man could ask for. I love you Marie, you are the best wife and mother in the world!!!

The Best 2 Years...

Dear Little Miss,

Two years ago we welcomed you into our little family and it has been the best two years of our life. Your little spirit brings more joy into our home and family than I ever thought possible and I am so grateful you chose us. We loved you from the minute we saw you and that love grows more and more each day. We have a lot of adventures with you and you always keep us on our toes, but that is what makes life exciting!

At 2 years old...

*You love to workout! You will put on my running shoes and hang my ipod from your little arm and "go for a run" around the house. When you are finished you will tell me you are all sweaty and need a shower:)

*When you aren't running, you have to play my Turbo Jam workout video multiple times a day...you inform me you need to stretch to your "moomie"(movie).

*You will eat anything! Vegetables and all. You especially like pizza(no idea why), ice cream(again, no idea how that happened), meat, oatmeal, apples, yogurt and cheese. You love trying new things and you even like to eat leaves of spinach...please don't ever change! You may just be the healthiest kid ever with habits like these(not the pizza and ice cream, but the other stuff:)...

*Your dad is your best friend. You love your dad so much! You get SO excited when you hear that door unlock at the end of the day and you squeal and run to see him. You call him daddo, daddy, papa louie, and most recently, Jeffrey(he doesn't love that so much but I think it is adorable)...

*You love to do your hair and makeup everyday! The minute I turn the blow dryer on in the morning, you will drop what you are doing and run to the bathroom so you can blow dry my hair and your own. The blow dryer probably weighs more than you so it is especially cute to watch you handle it. Then you have to put your contacts in, put mascara on, apply deodorant, and straighten your hair...and it begins...

*You love to talk and sing! You are talking in complete sentences all the time and you love to sing primary songs, but your favorite song to sing is Happy Birthday. We have to sing it with a different name all day long and you know every word. You will change the person you want to sing it to and we will sing it over and over again. Your favorite primary songs are I love to see the Temple, The Chapel Doors and I am a child of God.

*You love your friends! You probably have more friends right now than I do:) You love to spend time with them and you are surprisingly good at sharing(most the time) and you don't like confrontations.

*Your favorite animal is a horse. If we are ever drawing or coloring you have me draw one for you and I love that you think it is the best horse ever:)

*You love your grandparents, uncles and aunts and cousins so much! If I am on the phone you always know who I am talking to and you always have to talk to them. You ask about them all the time and love seeing pictures of them.

*You love to play chase! This consists of me or daddy going and hiding and you come looking for us. When you find us you run as fast as your little legs will carry you, laughing the whole way...grampy McOmie taught you this and it has stuck!

*You love to read! You would sit and let me read to you all day. I even find you in your room looking at books on your own and taking care of you babies. You will be the best mommy some day!

*You got a backpack for your birthday and you wear it all the time. You always have to go to school like daddy and study "anamy"(anatomy). You will blow me a kiss and say "bye mom, going to study anamy!"

*You love to clean! This is definitely a trait you got from your grammy! You are always wiping something down or wanting to dust and vacuum...

*You love to shop! This is definitely a trait you got from grandma Oyler...you always look forward to our Wal-mart trips.

*You know most your colors and you love to draw.

*You love bath time and water. I could put you up to any sink, turn on the water and give you a cup, and you would play for hours...seriously.

*You love people and they love you. No matter where you go people are always smiling at you and commenting on how cute you are. You always say thank you and excuse me when you sneeze:) And bless you when I sneeze...

*You know who Jesus is and you love to see his picture. I know you know that he loves you because you always smile when you see him and say his name.

You are loved so much! I hope you always know how special you are and that you have great things to do in this life. Happy Birthday Little Miss!

Love, Mom and Dad