The Comerford Clan

JORI LYNN...COMING IN JULY!!!

2011-04-06T00:24:00.001-07:00

So I decided I better get on here and officially write about the fact that we are expecting our second little girl in July!! She's gonna see this blog one day and think we didn't love her! But we do! After another long two years of trying, I was shocked to find out I was pregnant back in October. And I'll admit, before finding out she was a girl, I was sorta hoping to have a boy so we'd have one of each. But now I am sooo happy she's a girl!!! I love that Haylee will have a sister! We can't wait to meet the little munchkin!

HALLOWEEN!!

2010-11-12T16:04:00.001-08:00

This is our Relief Society presidency minus Rachelle, our beautiful secretary at our ward Trunk-or-Treat! Everyone seemed a bit confused when they saw our booth, but quickly relaxed when they realized we were giving out Hershey's Kisses!:)
My parents were in town so they joined us at the Trunk-or-Treat.
Haylee wasn't too sure of the whole "face paint" idea, but we told her it was funny and then she liked it. Every time she saw a witch anywhere she'd say,"It has a green face like Mommy!"
Halloween was so much more fun this year with Haylee. She understood and recognized Halloween stuff everywhere we went! We did Halloween crafts all month to get in the spirit! It's so fun having a 3 year old for the holidays!

TRIATHLONS!!!

2010-11-12T11:56:00.001-08:00

I am so dang behind on this blog, it's not even funny! Yes, we are still alive and well!:) And now I can officially say I have completed FOUR triathlons!! This top picture is from the Tri in the Pines in Show Low, AZ. We did this one in August. It was HORRIBLE!! It's amazing what a difference the altitude creates! I almost got hit by a car on the bike course and after being grateful that I wasn't, I immediately wished I had been hit so that I would have been put out of my misery! But hey, I did it!
This is after finishing the Las Palomas Tri in Rocky Point, Mexico. We did this one in April. It was a blast! It was open water swim in the ocean and the waves were bad this year, but it was still so fun! I actually enjoyed this tri!

Cameron and I went to St. George in September and completed the Kokopelli Tri at Sand Hollow. There are no pictures because we went by ourselves and were too busy setting up and getting ready to take pictures! I loved the swim in the reservoir (I always love the swim--it's my favorite event) but hated the rest of the dang tri! They have this hill on the bike course that is UNREAL!!! It almost killed me! I'm so happy Cameron and I have this hobby together. We can't wait until Haylee is old enough to participate!

EASTER 2010!!!

2010-04-04T23:09:00.000-07:00

See? This is what happens when you don't blog very often...you forget which order to upload your pictures!! So....going backwards here...we came to Snowflake for Easter weekend. This is Haylee after finding all the eggs the "Easter Bunny" had hid for her! It was so fun that she understood the idea a little better this year.:) She was pretty proud of herself! And if you're thinkin' there's candy in each of those eggs, you are wrong. Fruit snacks! She LOOOVES fruit snacks these days!:)
This was definitely one of those occasions I had been dreaming of before Haylee blessed our home. I dreamed of hiding the eggs, surprising her with an Easter basket, etc. It's all the little things you can't wait for! And Haylee doesn't disappoint! She is so animated about EVERYTHING these days! She literally got excited about EVERY SINGLE EGG she found!:)
On the drive to Snowflake on Saturday morning, we stopped by the family picnic in Show Low with Cameron's side of the family. It was so fun (even though the wind was SUPER annoying...have I ever mentioned how much I hate wind? It's pointless!) to see everyone and to have Haylee participated in the Easter egg hunt!
She needed a little help from Dad to get to the eggs before the older kids got to 'em! Hey, those short little legs can only go so fast...I KNOW!!!
Anywhere there's a playground, Haylee is in heaven! Luckily, we have an awesome park right by our house! There were other things we didn't get pics of this weekend (we were having too much fun to stop and take pics!)--while Cameron, my dad and his dad went to the Priesthood session of General Conference, Penny (Cam's mom) came over to my parents' house and colored Easter eggs with Haylee, then we had dinner when the boys got home. On Sunday afternoon, we drove over to Winslow to have dinner at my Aunt Rozella and Uncle Leo's home. It was so much fun to see all the cousins (minus little Eme, who needs to remain as "germ-free" as possible!) again! The food was AMAZING, as usual at that house! And my cousin Amanda put together ANOTHER egg hunt, including baskets for all the kiddos! Love her!!:) So yes, Haylee had THREE egg hunts in two days! Score!! Overall, it really was a great weekend!

TRIPLE THE FUN!!!

2010-02-28T18:42:00.000-08:00

Through the technology of in vitro fertilization, our great friends Jose and Christy are expecting TRIPLETS at the end of May/beginning of June!!! Two girls and one boy! As you can imagine, NOBODY is ever ready for triplets! I'd like to ease their burden just a little by collecting whatever "baby items" I can for them. This is where all of you come in! Do you have any baby/ kid clothes, toys, books, blankets, shoes, bouncers, movies, Boppies, etc. that you are done with and could donate to them? I will come get it from you at your convenience! You can either leave a comment here, email me at bethanycomerford@yahoo.com, or call or text me! Thank you so much!!!

HERE WE GO AGAIN...

2010-02-21T18:22:00.000-08:00

I've always been a pretty open person. With me, pretty much what you see is what you get. I really don't mind talking openly about issues that others may tend to keep private. A lot of that stems from the belief that I have that we are all here to learn from each other. Anyone who really knows me, knows that it took us four years to get pregnant with Haylee. Then we conceived her all on our own after 4 failed artificial inseminations and the first half of in vitro treatment. In that time, I had three surgeries (2 laparoscopies to laser out endometriosis and 1 uterine polypectomy) that I feel helped our odds (especially the polyp removal). Today the realization hit me that we may be re-entering that grueling world of infertility. This time the name has changed. It's called "secondary infertility". It means we were able to have one child, but have not yet been able to conceive another. We are at the very beginning of the road, having tried for a year with no luck.

I LOVE talking about infertility with anyone who will listen. I feel that it's not just those people going through it that need advice or support. Many times, the families and friends of those dealing with infertility have no idea how to navigate through conversation or support of their loved ones. I know of two great websites that help both the infertile and their friends and family. If you are going through infertility or know someone who is (that's all of you), please take a minute and check these sites out. And please let me know if I can offer any support-this is my new passion...:)

www.2ofus4now.org

ldsinfertility.blogspot.com (this one is put together by an LDS woman dealing with infertility)

ACHIEVING A GOAL...

2010-02-16T16:00:00.001-08:00

So you might be wondering why I'm posting an old picture of Cameron in a wetsuit...well, the next time you see a picture like this, we BOTH will be wearing wetsuits! Sexy, I know!! Two years ago this coming May, I set a goal to do the Las Palomas Triathlon in Rocky Point, Mexico. Last year, Cameron did it for the first time. On April 24th, 2010 I will achieve that goal I set! It will be my second triathlon and my first open-water swim triathlon! It seems so crazy for me to say that! A friend of ours will be doing the run portion of the triathlon for me since I have done something to my shoulder (it hurts when I run, but is just fine when I swim...weird) and I hate running. Still, I will be participating in that triathlon! I am so excited! Guess I better start training, huh???

WHAT A DECADE!!!!

2010-01-02T17:56:00.000-08:00

I'm stealing this post idea from a great friend/former mission companion! This past decade, 2000-2010 has been an amazing one for me. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that it will probably be the most eventful one of my life. Who else can say THAT???

On May 3rd, 2000 I entered the Missionary Training Center for 2 months, then flew to the Dominican Republic (on the 4th of July, ironically). I was there for the next 16 months where I became fluent in "Dominican spanish" ( a whole lot different than regular spanish you learn in school!), learned to love merengue, platanos fritos, la bandera, and Dominicans. During that time, Cameron and I got to know each other a lot better through letters. I've said before that about halfway through our missions, we knew we were going to end up together, although we never discussed it during the missions.

I returned home in November of 2001, waited for Cameron's return in March of 2002, and we were sealed in the Mesa Temple July 6, 2002. I really did marry my very best friend that day. We got to travel back to my mission and to other great places to visit friends and family before Haylee came along. In December of the year we were married, we began trying to have a child. That struggle would challenge us for the next four years. We went through fertility treatment, considered adopting, and eventually almost went through with in vitro. In January of 2007 we learned that I was pregnant! I will never forget that day. It was a Sunday. I had taken 2 pregnancy tests in the weeks prior to that day that both came back negative. That Sunday I took the last one and decided that whatever it said must be true and I would accept it and move on. When it said "pregnant", I about lost it! I ran to Cameron, who was still sleeping and said, "Look!!!", holding the test in front of him. In that moment, all the cute, clever ways of telling our families that we were expecting went right out the window! We called everyone right then, at like 8am! Sitting in church that day was the best day ever. We had the happiest secret EVER and we were on cloud 9!!

September 28, 2007 will be one of the happiest days of my life. At 8:48am, not only was I done with a 24 hour long labor experience ending in c-section, but I was given the most beautiful, perfect little girl in the whole world, Haylee Brynn. I was finally a mom. My dream had come true. There are definitely challenging moments in the life of a mom, but I wouldn't trade ANY of the ones that I've had in the past 2 years. I adore Haylee and love learning about the world all over again through her little eyes. I love her personality--independent, funny, intelligent, etc. I love watching the joy and happiness that she brings into the lives of our friends and family. She is definitely a charmer, just like her dad.

This HAS been quite the decade for me. It definitely hasn't all been roses, but it sure has been eventful! I even did a triathalon!! I remember just after we were married, a friend of mine did a triathalon and I thought she was crazy. I wondered how that was humanly possible! Then I learned: you just keep training. I feel so blessed to have the husband I have, the little girl I have and all the other blessings I have in my life. I am so blessed...:) Who knows what the next decade has in store....

Bethany's first triathlon!

2009-11-24T06:13:00.000-08:00

Cameron here. I had to post about what a bad@$$ my wife is. She completed her first sprint triathlon in Casa Grande a few weeks ago. I'm so proud of her! She has worked so hard and about three weeks before the race, got really sick and had to take two weeks off. And since you don't want to work too hard the week before the race, she hardly got in any training the few weeks before. I would have drowned on the first lap in the pool if I had to take that time off! She did great and kicked my butt in the pool as usual. Our friend Kristin also did her first one with us and did a great job as well. Here are some pics from the day-

Up early, ready to roll

Just before the start

In transition-

Great job honey! I'm so proud of you!

Even Haylee got in on the fun-

SCHNEPF FARMS!!

2009-11-02T19:01:00.001-08:00

Last Friday night we took Haylee out to Schnepf Farms. She LOVES pumpkins right now and we knew she'd be thrilled to see all the pumpkins out there! It was such a fun night with her--she really is at such a fun age right now.

They have a little area you can feed goats and she LOVED it! I honestly think she thought they were just a bunch of dogs like Buster. There was no fear whatsoever!

This was the funniest part of the evening!! Haylee and I got in line to ride the Bumble Bee ride and I could tell she was gettin' a bit nervous about what we were about to do. Before it even started she was clinging to me and wouldn't let go of my hand! As it started I decided to sing Happy Birthday to her (her current favorite song) and she sang along. Then I told her how great she was doing and I said, "Go Haylee!", so she started saying, "Go Haylee!" Even though she was very ready to get off when the ride was over, she was a trooper and was so brave!:) I just LOVE her face in this picture!

Cameron and I were talking about how big Haylee looks in this picture--she looks so much older! The best part of this picture is that posing on the pumpkin was her idea! When Cameron told her to smile, she was standing behind the pumpkins. She quickly ran around in front of them, sat down and smiled for the camera! She makes us laugh every single day.:)

SO PROUD...

2009-11-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

I just had to take a second and brag a little about my little girl.:) Sacrament meeting can always be a challenge for parents of little children. I mean, really, who wants to sit there for over an hour trying to be quiet while being confined in between two benches that are taller than you?? Not any two year olds that I know of! Cameron is the Young Men's pres in our ward so he always has to help bless the sacrament, which means it's me and Haylee for the first part of sacrament meeting. Yesterday as soon as the opening hymn began, she opened the hymn book (to the wrong page--but hey, she's 2), sat it on her lap right next to me and tried so hard to sing along for the WHOLE song! As soon as the song ended, she closed her book, handed it to me to put away, and folded her arms and bowed her head. I had to peek during the prayer to catch this special moment that made me soooo happy to be her mom. She kept her arms folded and head bowed during the ENTIRE prayer and when it was over she said, "Amen." Does it get any better than that??? I just wanted to jump up (totally irreverent) and burst out how proud I was of Haylee!! This girl never ceases to amaze me.:) I feel so blessed...

And yes, I know that by posting this, I am gauranteeing myself a total hellion in our next child!!!

"Tick o teet!!!"

2009-10-29T09:27:00.001-07:00

Last night was our ward Trunk-or-Treat! It was Haylee's first experience with trick-or-treating and she did awesome! She was dressed as a Punk Rock Princess and her costume was a hit! She did great while I got her all dressed up, but when she saw herself in the mirror I think it really caught her off-guard!:)

So you wouldn't think that lookin' at pics of this little misfit would make me emotional, but I gotta say, last night was a special night for me. Halloween is such a "kid" holiday, and when we couldn't have kids for those four long years, it was another sore spot that made me wonder if I'd ever have a kid to take trick-or-treating and to dress up. As I walked around the parking lot with Haylee last night, I was just on cloud nine! Finally, my own little girl to dress up and take trick-or-treating! I'm grateful for the experience the infertility has given me--especially thankful that I don't take these special times for granted...:)

Happy 29th Birthday, Cameron!!!

2009-10-11T12:21:00.001-07:00

Yeah, he's probably gonna hate me for posting this picture, again.:) While lookin' for a picture to post for his birthday, I decided to go with one that sums Cameron up pretty well. No, he doesn't wear tight clothing daily. But this picture shows one of my favorite traits about Cameron--his sense of humor: one of the MAIN reasons I married him. My mom always told me to marry someone who makes me laugh. Cameron has been makin' me laugh since the night I met him. If you missed the Rocky Point triathlon post, this was the shirt they gave him by mistake--they thought Cameron was a girl's name in this case. Luckily, before he exchanged this shirt for the men's shirt, he let me take a picture! I will forever be grateful!!:)

Cameron really is the best husband out there. He'll do ANYTHING for me!! I could brag that I have done an exceptional job in training him, but honestly, he came this way. He is a giver. He is a peacemaker, which, trust me, he needs to be in order to be married to me! He is so quick to forgive my faults and annoying habits. He compliments me DAILY on everything from how I look to how hard I worked out at the gym. He is always encouraging me in my goals and cheering me on in my endeavors. Right now, he is my triathlon coach and I couldn't ask for a better one. Cameron is just one of those people that makes you feel better about yourself just by being around him. When it comes to being a father....wow. He's a pro. And he's been a pro since day one--changing the really gross first diapers while I was out cold after my c-section. Haylee adores her daddy and gets soooo excited to see him every time he comes out of his office (in our house!). She will always know how beautiful and special she is because her daddy tells her every day. He really is the best daddy. Cameron has been an awesome provider for our family, too. I remember last year when his business was almost non-existent. He IMMEDIATELY went out and got two paper routes to make sure we had SOME type of income. I know I will NEVER have to worry about our financial situation as long as Cameron is here. Basically, I just really love this guy. He's the best...and he's my best friend.:) Happy birthday, sweetie.:)

If you would, leave a memory you have of Cameron as a comment!! We would love to read them! Thank you!!!:)

Am I really gonna do this???

2009-10-05T11:39:00.000-07:00

Well, it sure seems that way! As the little blinky thing to the right implies, I AM training for my first triathlon! Cameron has now done four, so I figured I ought to do one at least! I'm going to do the Casa Grande Triathlon on November 7th. In all fairness, it is a shorter one, so I thought it would be perfect for me to start with.

Most people would consider the swimming to be the hardest part of a triathlon, but not me. I LOVE swimming! I remember when I first began learning to REALLY swim laps (the right way!) I thought, "There is NO way I'm ever gonna be able to be a swimmer!" But now? I could swim laps all day! The part that worries me the most? The running. Yup, I said it. My knee has been crappy for a couple years now. I did physical therapy for it, lost some weight, got a sweet knee brace and it has gotten better. But I have not run a long distance for a LONG time cuz I didn't want my knee to flare up. So now I am back into building up my endurance and hoping I'm ready by November 7th. I do have a backup plan though--her name is Brittney and she is wiling to do the last leg of the triathlon for me (the run). How awesome it that??:) Thank you, Brittney! But hopefully I won't even need ya!

As far as the biking goes...our good friend Molly let me borrow her bike for this triathlon (thanks Molly!) and I'll be honest, last Saturday was my first time on a road bike! Whoa! It was waaay different from any other bike I've been on! I almost fell over trying to switch gears! But once I got the hang of it, I LOVED it!:) Now Cam is lookin' for a bike for me!:) I really wish we would have gotten into triathlons BEFORE Haylee came along! I was in way better shape and we wouldn't have had to get a sitter every time we wanted to go riding together! Oh well, at least we'll be teaching her good habits about exercise! In Show Low they have a kids version of a triathlon that one day Haylee can be a part of! How cute is that??:)

Well, wish me luck! And pray I don't pass out and die!!!:)

The Dora Birthday Party!!

2009-09-30T13:07:00.001-07:00

Here sits the birthday girl herself! Haylee LOVES Dora (or as she says "Dooora") right now! So we decided to go with that idea for the birthday. A couple weeks ago, I found a lady on Craigslist selling her daughter's Dora stuff for super cheap, so I got it all! This chair is one of the items I got (along with another pink plastic chair) and she LOVES them! She moves them all around the house now and for some reason she has to have them side-by-side ALL THE TIME (um...OCD???)!

We decided to mix the joy of cake and ice cream and went with the Baskin Robbins ice cream cake! Once again, Dora themed!I'm sure Halyee was wonderin', "What kind of toy is that??" when she saw the cake! She loved it!
Haylee did so good opening her presents! She would open it, study it for a second, then put it aside to open another gift. We're not sure what was up with the tongue hangin' out of her mouth...probably too much quality time spent with Buster...

My parents got her this birthday card that plays "Itsy Bitsy Spider" when you open it. Yeah, they really could have saved the money they spent on her gifts and she'd have been just as happy with that card!
One gift Haylee got was a lifesize Dora doll! We've decided we don't need to have any more kids cuz now Haylee has a friend! She spends all day putting Dora in the chair next to her and talking to her! Today I caught her putting her toy phone up to Dora's ear (which, by the way, Dora doesn't even have!) and telling Dora to say something into the phone! Hilarious!

This is happiness.:) Haylee did wonderfully during her party! There were no tears, no meltdowns, no tantrums! It was a success! She made sure to thank all her guests before they left and I'm pretty sure each of them got a "big hug".:) Man, I love this girl so much!:)

Haylee's Two Years Old!!!

2009-09-29T14:40:00.000-07:00

It's true, two years ago yesterday, Haylee finally made me what I had always dreamed of being: a mom.:) It's hard to put into words how complete I feel finally having her. I finally feel like I am doing what I was born to do. It was a long, hard road we went down until we had Haylee, but every single step, every heartache, every let-down was soooo worth it. She is an AMAZING little girl.:) If it's not in the cards for us to have anymore children, I will forever feel blessed by being given such a perfect little daughter. I love having this blog so I can record all these little things about Haylee.

At this point in her life, Haylee is VERY independent. I have already accepted the fact that she and I will butt heads A LOT while she is growing up. But I love that sense of confidence she has. I love that when we leave her ANYWHERE (gym daycare, nursery, with a babysitter, etc.) she waves to us and says, "See ya later guys!" I love that we can communicate with her now and have little conversations. The other night she was eating dinner in her high chair and she was telling Cameron that she wanted down so she could play with her new toys. He told her that she had to eat her food first and then she could get down. She said, "Okay" and finished eating. Easy as that.:) I feel very blessed that I can take her to run any errand I may have and know that there will be no tantrums or crying. Haylee just really isn't into that. She knows what she wants, and will express that, but if we say no, she may try to cry, but she just seems to know it's not worth her time or energy (probably cuz it never changes the outcome anyway!). I love that Haylee talks so much. She really is my little "parrot", repeating whatever I say. I know everyone thinks their kid is brilliant and I'm not claiming that Haylee is advanced, but she just seems to grasp things so quickly and so well. She counts to 15 now and has for about 4 months. She says her ABC's, she says prayers every night, and she has lots of songs memorized already. I am just so entertained by her every day. She is hilarious and loves to make people laugh. She invented her own little "goofy walk" a while ago that I need to add to the blog. It is so funny!! I am so blessed to have this special little person in my life.:) I love you, Haylee Brynn.:)

4TH OF JULY WEEKEND!

2009-07-16T09:17:00.001-07:00

Okay, these pics are backward...again and I don't really feel like rearranging them, so just go with me on this one! For the 4th of July weekend we went up to Snowflake/Show Low. Small towns are the best for the 4th! My mom set up a little play pool in her backyard that Haylee LOVED!!! But she kinda looks like Thing 1 or Thing 2 in this pic...scary!
On Monday Cameron went golfing with my nephews Austin (in red) and Weston (in blue). They're both way talented when it comes to sports--it was so fun to have them here for a couple weeks--they're hilarious!! I'm sad they don't live closer...:(

"Ms. Independent"--goofiest pic ever!:) Haylee had like four 4th of July outfits! So we had to wear them the whole weekend--this was her Sunday dress.:)

Chillin' at the parade in Show Low!

Daddy and Haylee at the parade. Lots of things made loud noise during the parade, so Haylee chose to stay close to Daddy to be safe. Smart girl!

RANDOM CUTENESS...

2009-07-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

We've been takin' Haylee to the Tempe Town Lake splash park this summer and it was fun the first time. Notice in this pic that you can't see the splash park...that's because Haylee loves running up and down the hill NEXT to the splash park instead of playing in the water...but she is one hot chic in that suit!!!:)

Isn't this what we all do while waiting for the doctor to come in? Haylee had a little bout of the flu for a couple days and it took me back to her newborn phase with all the projectile vomiting. Sure don't miss those days!

Cam took these two pics at our gym daycare--so funny! They have this big thing for kids to climb in and she was lovin' it! My favorite is the smashed nose!!!

Haylee and her shades...she loves wearing them!

BITTERSWEET...

2009-06-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well, for those of you who don't do Facebook (and maybe those who don't keep up on it very often), the past few days have been rough. My oldest sister, Shannan, was put on life support and then passed away Thursday night. She struggled for many years with bipolar disorder and depression, along with a drug addiction that eventually proved fatal. The title of this post is "Bittersweet" because although death is always hard, it was a sweet relief and end to a real struggle that Shannan dealt with. We are headed to Utah next week for the funeral.

Instead of dwelling on the negative, I wanted to use this post to remember the good times with my sister. She was way older than me and sort of became my second mom. I remember her taking me to swimming lessons, working at the preschool I went to, teaching me how to shave and other "woman stuff", etc. She was an amazingly giving person. Very sensitive to people's needs. She taught me to love Raisinets, the movie What About Bob?, and Louie Anderson (the comedian). I remember lots of trips to get frozen yogurt and staying in her apartment in the summers in Utah. Whatever car she had became my new favorite. I loved Honda CRX's for a long time because she had one! When she would come home to visit I remember her leaving little surprises for my brother Russ and I when she had to leave before we woke up. Froot Loops cereal will always remind me of Shannan--she loved them and taught me the right way to eat them (who knew there was a system??)! One time she took me to lunch at a restaurant that shall remain nameless and she stole a menu for me so that I would always remember that lunch.:) She was a nanny for a few different families who adored her and she was so good to those kids--I was there to witness it firsthand a few times.:) She had twin boys and was a wonderful mother to them for the first couple years (before her struggles began). A lot of the tactics I use with Haylee are tricks I learned from Shannan. One especially memorable moment I have is being in St. George with her. We drove up to the hill with the airport on it and parked at night (probably right along with a bunch of teenage couples!). She pointed out how the St. George temple was breathtaking from that view and looked like it had been "dropped from heaven" (her exact words).

I can't express how excited I am to see Shannan after this life. I know she will finally be the Shannan I remember from my childhood.:) I am sad that she is gone, but I know she is in a much better place and free from the pain she endured here on earth. I can't imagine how I would get through this without the knowledge of the gospel. I feel so blessed to know why we are here on earth and where we go after we die. I love you, Shannan.:)

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!!

2009-05-30T23:18:00.001-07:00

For Memorial Day weekend, we drove to Temecula, California to visit these awesome people--Jared and Bethanie and their little boy, Mason! Jared and Cameron were mission companions and we are all great friends! The first night we were there they took us out to dinner at a WONDERFUL restaurant that had a duck pond right behind it! So we took the kiddos down to feed the ducks.

I'm gonna hafta say that Haylee wasn't showing any signs of becoming a star pitcher anytime soon--her bread BARELY made it to the water! But look at those adorable pigtails! Finally! No more mullet!:)

The next day we went to the beach!!! My favorite part! It was Haylee's first time to the beach and she LOVED the sand! She did not love the water though! I think it kinda freaked her out how it came and went and didn't stay still! She was one hot little mama in her suit!:)

And look at these two studs! Jared took Cameron out to try and teach him how to surf. What a great friend!

Told ya she loved the sand! She was in heaven being a mess!

On Sunday we of course went to church. We tried real hard to get a good pic of the group before church, but obviously Haylee didn't wanna cooperate! We thought it was funny that Cameron and I were matching with our orange and Jared and Bethanie had the green thing goin' on--we decided it was so people could keep the right Bethany (ie) with the right hubby! I am so happy to have the daughter we have! She had no problem goin' to nursery in a new ward! The nursery worker said they loved her and that they wanted to keep her.:) Love that girl!:)

On Monday, Memorial Day, we went back to the beach! Here are Bethanie and Mason in their matching orange! That kid is sooo funny!:)

Here's Jared and Mason! It is so fun to watch Jared as a daddy--he is so great with his little boy!
Okay, for some reason, Haylee was really clingy with me that day. She actually spent a lot of that day in this position--on me. She is not a clingy kid at all, so I kinda took advantage of it and enjoyed the moment.:)

I just love this girl. She did so awesome on the whole trip! She was well-behaved, she slept well, etc. We are hoping next year she will be ready for Sea World! Pretty sure it would have freaked her out to see a giant whale jumping out of the water this year!

The evening of Memorial Day, we had a barbecue with Bethanie's family! It was so much fun! This was Haylee's first attempt at a trampoline--she loved it! We had great food, wonderful dessert and an intense game of volleyball!

We had such a great time last weekend! Thank you Jared and Bethanie for having us and making it such an awesome trip! It's your turn now!:)

SURPRISE!!!

2009-04-28T14:29:00.001-07:00

Well, Cameron did it! He actually surprised me with a party for my 30th birthday this past Friday! All along, he told me we were having a party on Saturday night. Nope. The party was held at our friend's house--the Binghams--who also set me up by saying we should go to dinner Friday night. We went and picked them up and got around the corner and they said we needed to turn around cuz Jay had forgotten to fax something that needed to be faxed by 7pm. I can honestly say I had NO IDEA this was a lie. I wish I had a picture of my face when I walked in cuz it had to be a classic! Total shock!

Sad to say I didn't blow all the candles out on the first try--I guess I am getting old...:(

Cameron did so good planning this! On Friday, he told me he was heading out to do inspections--nope, just headin' over to the Bingham's house to make crepes HIMSELF and set up! I was so oblivious! My parents and Cameron's parents came down for the party and we had so many great friends there--some who we haven't seen in a loooong time!
Here's Kamarah (due in June with a little boy!) and Frank and Heather Monk chillin' outside. Frank is Cameron's best friend from when they were like 5 years old! And Heather is also a friend from Show Low--and one of Cameron's prom dates!
Here's Cammie Bjarnson (due in September with a boy!) and the Horrocks---both good friends from our ward.

Brad and Jess Olsen--also from the ward--have become such good friends of ours! I'm so glad they moved into the ward! They had to leave early to get get their new Beagle puppy so I convinced them to bring the puppy back to the party so we could meet him! I am so glad they did--oh, he is ADORABLE! Only 6 weeks old!

Here's Rick and Becky Lewis--I used to work with Becky at Gilbert Family Eyecare and we have been good friends for years now. And for all you with backgrounds from Cutest Blog on the Block--she's one of the creators!

I love these people! This is Cameron's cousin Brennon and his wife Danica! Brennon's brother Evan has already moved to Seattle, but his wife and my great friend Cara (holding Diesel, the dog) is still here for another week! She is pregnant with twins!!!

Here's Heather again with her hubby, Matt. They made a trip from Show Low to the valley--I am so happy they were able to be there!

I'm thinkin' Cameron shouldn't look so happy in this shot...but I'm just prayin' it's cuz he had no idea what Matt was doin'!

And I hafta say, what made the party absolutely PERFECT was that our friends Eric and Kami Luthy came from Las Vegas!!!! I can't even express how much I miss them! It's really just not right that they had to move away.:( Kami helped Cameron with some of the party planning and was apparently in charge of the music trivia game we played. If you know me, you know I LOVE music and music trivia. Well, so does my dad. And he was there. And our teams were tied at the end, until our team won! Woo hoo! The funniest part was Christy--on my team--who kept answering with "the Pips" when we didn't know the answer! Love that girl (who, by the way, is also moving!!) What the crap???

Brad may not know it, but one of his greatest contributions to the party was his dance to the song "The Devil Went Down To Georgia"! Funniest thing I've seen in a long time! Thank you, Brad!

And the final shot of the evening, with the pink leopard birthday hat! Thank you everyone, especially you, Honey, for planning this wonderful party for me! It was PERFECT and made me feel so loved.:) I feel so blessed to have the best husband, parents, in-laws and friends a girl could ask for! You all are the best!:) Hey, let's do it again next year!!!

ROCKY POINT, MEXICO!!

2009-04-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me assure everyone that none of us are showing symptoms of the swine flu!!! We had a wonderful time in Rocky Point this year! One of our favorite parts of the trips to Rocky Point are the tacos and quesadillas! And this place here is the BEST!! Whenever we wanted tacos, this is the place we came to!

This is my mom and dad, who came with us. It was so fun to have them there this year--actually, just to have them home in general! This was taken on our balcony--look at that blue water!

The first day we got there, my dad and Cameron were sitting on the balcony and saw dolphins out in the ocean jumpin' around! So cool!

My dad's favorite part: the tortillas! I hafta agree--they are AMAZING!! We bought some as we crossed the border, but those didn't last long! So we drove around Rocky Point looking for a tortillaria and bought some more!

My favorite part??? Yup, the Coke! Man, that stuff is just way too good! And by the following picture, you can see I'm not the only Coke fan!

On Sunday we went to church in Rocky Point. It was nice for me to flashback to the mission where everything is in spanish. Sometimes I forget that the group I'm with doesn't understand spanish, as was the case here. I remembered though, when I noticed my dad playing with his palm pilot, my mom reading her english scriptures and Cameron thumbing through the hymnal!

Las Palomas is my new favorite place in Rocky Point. This resort is beautiful! And because the triathalon was held here, it was so nice to just be able to walk downstairs to watch! No driving needed! They have two phases of condos here and each phase has its own set of pools and jacuzzis and restaurants! So nice!

Is this the picture of love or what??? This was taken in front of the churro stand (another favorite spot in Rocky Point) where they make THE BEST churros ever! My dad was teasing my mom about her spanish and you can tell it went over well...:)

It was a wonderful trip to Mexico, and obviously I'm glad we went when we did! Who knows when we'll get to go back again!

LAS PALOMAS TRIATHALON!!!

2009-04-24T09:11:00.000-07:00

FUNNIEST PICTURE EVER!!!! The night before the triathalon, Cameron went and picked up his packet for the race. The packet always includes a shirt, swimcap, your race number and helpful things for the triathalon. Cameron pulled this XL shirt out of his bag and put it on and we quickly decided this must be a woman's shirt! Luckily, he was able to exchange it for a man's shirt (which looked TONS better!), but we sure enjoyed the fun we had with this one! I love the v-neck! I never get tired of lookin' at this!!!:) Love you, Honey!

The cheering section! My mom and I hung out by Cameron's transition spot so we could talk to him as he got ready for his next event. I was so grateful to have my parents there and it was so fun to see how impressed and proud of Cameron they were. I love my parents!:)

So we went to Rocky Point, Mexico last weekend for Cameron's THIRD triathalon! We went with my parents and left Haylee with Cameron's family in Show Low (thanks guys!). I'll do a Mexico post later! Cameron did AMAZING in this triathalon! He cut about TEN minutes off his swim time and stayed with the pack the whole time!

It's so inspiring and exciting to watch triathalons--I highly recommend it! Nobody got stung by a jellyfish this year! That's always good news! Because Cam was with the crowd of swimmers he got knocked a few times by flailing arms and legs--just part of the experience!

Here he is comin' back from the loooong bike course (16 miles)! My dad did a great job of being the photographer so that my mom and I could hang by Cam's transition spot so we could talk to him when he came in. Thanks, Dad!

Off to the run course! This course is pretty up and down which made it kinda tough. The worst part is the very end--running on the beach! Not down by the water where the sand is flat, no, up at the top in the soft sand! Cam said it was a killer!

The funniest part was at the end--they had an inflatable slip n slide you could jump on as you finished! It was pretty funny to watch people jump on that! I can't even tell you how amazed and proud of Cameron I am! He has trained so hard to do these triathalons and always has such a good attitude while doing them. Hopefully next year I will be doing the triathalon with him!

MY NEW BLOG!!!

2009-04-21T23:55:00.000-07:00

Don't worry, our family blog will still be here!!! I have just created a weight loss blog for myself! Check it out at http://wwwchunkydunker.blogspot.com (note that there is no period after www)! I promise I will soon be posting pics from Rocky Point!!!

EASTER TIME!!!

2009-04-21T23:19:00.001-07:00

Not sure why the pics are set up this way, but whatever! How could you not love this little girl??? We went to Snowflake for Conference weekend before Easter and my folks gave Haylee a little Easter basket with these little ears in them. Haylee LOVED them!!! She learned how to put them on herself and wore them all the time!

We colored eggs, which Haylee really didn't understand. But it was fun anyway just to see it through her eyes. I love the age she is at--everything is so exciting and she is learning so much! She is quite the little talker and I love to hear her little voice!

THUNDER IN THE DESERT!!!

2009-03-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, so these pictures are now out of order so whatever! Yesterday we went to the air show at Luke Air Force Base with our friends Jose and Christy. It was awesome! And you know if I liked it, Cameron was in heaven! Alrighty, the pic above is Cameron's favorite aerobatic pilot, Kirby Chamblis. He's five time world champion and he flies an Edge 540 (like I know what that means!). It was amazing how low these planes flew!

This guy is amazing! First of all, he's only 28 years old--Cameron's age! He is the only guy IN THE WORLD that flies acrobatic in a Beech 18--this plane is not meant for acrobatics! It's huge! He was amazing! He started flying at age 15 with his dad. Sadly, his dad died in 2005...in a car accident. Ironic huh?

These were Stearmans and it's just amazing how close together they fly. Unreal...

Okay, to make this make sense, look at the plane below. It's an A-10 Warthog. It flew over and shot live ammo and dropped a bomb and all! AWESOME!!!

Poor Haylee...She was such a trooper! Haylee is outgoing, easily entertained, just an all around easy kid. But her problem is she HATES loud noises...and we were at the air show! Whenever a really loud one would fly by, she'd reach for her daddy and as soon as he took her, she'd lay her head on his shoulder and be happy again. Safe with daddy.:) This is her patting Cameron.:)
This was a Geico Extra 300 S--the tricks this guy did were soooo crazy! I've never been afraid to fly and usually have fallen asleep flying with Cameron in his plane. It's actually kinda boring to me (Cameron would call that blasphemous!). But get me in one of these planes with these pilots and I'd be in HEAVEN!!!! I would LOVE for Cameron to get into aerobatic training! That would be soo much fun!
Thanks to Jose and Christy, Haylee had her own little chair! She didn't stay in it for long once the planes started flying overhead though! But she LOVED it until then! It was perfect for her! And look Grandma Penny, not only did we lather her up in sunscreen, but we even had sunglasses for her!!!
Here's me, Haylee, Jose and Christy checkin' out the planes before they flew. We love this couple and are so happy they moved into our ward and that we've gotten to know them better. They are so fun and such a great couple!

HILARIOUS!!!

2009-03-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

BE SURE TO TURN OFF THE MUSIC AT THE BOTTOM BEFORE PUSHING PLAY!!!

TOLD YA!!!

2009-03-18T20:03:00.000-07:00

Does this remind anyone of the old school cell phones??? I told ya everything is a phone to her!

VIVA LAS VEGAS!!!

2009-03-17T16:05:00.001-07:00

Well, a few weeks ago our friends Eric and Kami moved to Vegas. Eric got a huge promotion as a general manager and we are sooooo proud of him and excited for their new endeavors in Vegas. That's not to say that we are not TOTALLY ticked off that had to move!!!:( Luckily, I was able to go with them for a few days when they moved. Thank you to my parents and Cameron's parents for watching Haylee while I was gone!! I owe you big time!

It was nice to be able to help Kami get settled and accustomed to the new surroundings. We got locked out of her condo only a few times! You know you're good friends when you get locked out and instead of crying or being upset, you just laugh hysterically! We had so many "adventures" there in Vegas that will not soon be forgotten! This little kitty is my friend Nermal. Although she happened to lunge at me and managed to scare the crap outta me in the process, I still love her--as you can see by the fact that I am letting her lounge on my luggage!

It was so sad to hafta leave and come home. I was the girl at the airport crying that you know you stare at and wonder what her story is! Kami, I miss you sooooooo much and can't wait to come to Vegas again so we can add to our "adventure" list!!! Try and kiss Nermal for me!!!

OUR LITTLE LADY...

2009-03-17T15:45:00.000-07:00

Each of these pictures tell a story! The above picture is showing that Haylee is now a bit more self-sufficient! Yup--she's feeding herself with utensils! Good times! Obviously, her aim leaves a bit to be desired, but hey, she's just startin' out!

One of the reasons I LOVE this girl and feel so blessed that she's my kid, is that she is TOTALLY able to entertain herself! You can see that in the above pic and the below pic. When it's a bit too quiet, I don't hafta worry. She seems to know the boundaries and ironically, she doesn't push the boundaries unless I AM watchin' her. She kinda has that backwards.:) By the way, this little box she's chillin' in happens to be Buster's toy box! She sorta got stuck!

These days, EVERYTHING is a phone to Haylee! She puts everything up to her ear and just jabbers! I love it! She also LOVES to dance! If any music starts (even church hymns...), she starts dancin'! She loves to sing the ABC's--well actually she just chimes in on Q, T, and Y.:) She also counts to 5--well actually she just says 2 and 5. We're workin' on it! I just think she's a master delegator! We do most of the work and she just adds her little parts! Other things she says are "I love you", "See ya", "Bye bye", "Night-Night", Buster, "Uh-oh", etc! She's a blast and loves to crack herself up---it's not hard to do apparently!:)

HOW TO SHOP SMARTER!!!

2009-03-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, I've gotten a few comments wondering how this works. Here's the instructions: go to www.thegrocerygame.com and sign up. I believe it costs $10 a month for one store of your choice and $5 for each additional store. I use Albertson's and Fry's. You need to subscribe to your local Sunday paper for the coupons. Every Sunday I cut out my coupons and file them. Then I go to the website and it tells me what's on sale and how much I'll save using a coupon. They color code the items: black=stuff you buy only if you hafta have it that week; blue=stuff you wanna stock up on; green=free stuff! You check the box of each item you want to buy and print out your list! Then you collect those coupons you'll be using from your file and off you go! You gotta shop on Monday or Tuesday for the sales. I usually go early Monday mornings before Haylee's awake while Cameron is still workin' home. Keep in mind that it will take a month or so to get into the routine. WARNING: it's addictive!!! I am totally addicted and if we are outta town on a Sunday I get a little twitchy since I'm not home to cut out my coupons!:) Good luck!!!

SAVINGS!!!!

2009-03-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

I joined the Grocery Game last summer and have not regretted it one bit! Today was an AWESOME day grocery shopping! At Fry's I spent $64.17 and I saved $88.43!!!! Then I went to Albertsons and spent $36.20 and saved $52.72!!! So I ended up with all this NAME BRAND stuff (except for a couple things I had to have this week) for $100!!! The cereal alone should have cost me around $50! Oh and I forgot to add the 12 pack of Cottonelle toilet paper! For those who don't know, I quit the job at the preschool. It just wasn't worth it for us right now. I will never again take for granted the blessing I have of being a stay-at-home-mom. I feel like doin' this grocery system is my way of making/saving us money. Every little bit helps!:)

MY HUBBY--THE GENIUS!!!

2009-02-04T16:18:00.000-08:00

I just had to get on here and tell everyone how proud and amazed I am by my hubby, Cameron. As I said before in another post, he is taking an EMT course right now and last night he had his first test. He was pretty worried about it cuz he hasn't been in school for a while so I helped him study a bit. His score? A 92!!! It was a 90, then there was a grading error that bumped him up to a 92. Even better is that there was one question on the test that nobody got right...except for him! I am soooo proud of him! He is so smart and picks things up really quick, it amazes me. I was never really nervous about his test--I knew he'd do just fine. Way to go, Honey! Keep it up and you may even get a gold star!!!:)

25 RANDOM FACTS...LET'S SEE...

2009-01-31T16:34:00.000-08:00

I'm jumpin' on the bandwagon--get ready to know me better! Here we go!!!

1. When I was pregnant, I LOVED smelling the bag of Cascade dishwasher gel pacs--and still do! Cameron was always worried I'd start eating them! Never did, thank you very much!
2. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people read over my shoulder--drives me crazy!
3. I LOVE music trivia--any genre, any decade, LOVE IT! Thanks for that, Dad!
4. I actually really enjoy public speaking. Crazy, I know!
5. The way my home smells is a HUGE priority to me. Thank you, Scentsy!
6. I hide my treats from Cameron. Not that he always eats them--it's just my own weirdness. Thank you for that, Mom!
7. I hate odd numbers--thank you Haylee for being born at 8:48am on the 28th!
8. I don't handle stress well at all. I get extremely grouchy to the closest people to me--sorry, Honey.
8. I have two slightly different colored eyes--check 'em out sometime!
9. I LOOOOOOVE history. Especially war history--for some reason, the grossest, craziest stuff is the most intriguing to me.
10. I am proud to say that I throw a pretty sweet spiral with a football.:)
11. I am completely against baby talk. You'll never hear it from me. I'll do the high voice, but no baby talk.
12. The weirdest thing I've ever eaten was a cow's hoof on the mission. It's more of a "chew" forever thing, rather than "eating". Kinda like chewin' the fat...literally.
13. I love to be surprised--like in a good way. Like gifts, parties, etc.
14. I DO NOT like haunted houses, although I will go to them. But I hafta be in the middle of the group and I usually walk through with my face presses against Cameron's back. Total waste of money.
15. My favorite color to wear is olive green.
16. I've been to a topless beach...twice. Gotta love the Dominican Republic.
17. I LOVE to country swing! In my single days, I used to go almost every weekend! I was the girl being thrown and flipped--LOVED IT!!!
18. The only car accidents I've caused were with stationary objects. I've hit three poles!
19. I have a hard time delegating. I'd rather just do stuff myself so I know it gets done right--especially cleaning!
20. I am soooooo not touchy. Not even with Cameron. Sure, I was when we were dating--hello, I am human! But now, not so much.
21. I won't watch movies about animals. Free Willy did me in! I am way to emotional for that!
22. Speakin' of Free Willy, my dream as a kid was to be the person diving off Shamu's nose at Sea World. The closest I've gotten to that is swimming with dolphins. Thanks Mom and Dad!
23. I have the best husband in the world (sorry ladies, yes, I do!). He is always happy, always funny, always helpful, etc. An amazingly hard worker, too! Love you honey!
24. I have the best child in the world (sorry moms and dads, yes, I do!) She is so easygoing and completely self-entertained. Plus, she's incredibly cute!
25. My dream would be to spend at least a day in every single country. There's so much I hafta see!

Well, there ya have it. This was a lot harder than I thought. I hope everyone who reads this will also do it so I can read it!

NEW YEAR=NEW ENDEAVORS...

2009-01-17T09:40:00.000-08:00

Well, 2009 is already proving to be a year for change for Cameron and I. For starters, I am now working! I began teaching the 3 and 4 year olds at a new preschool in Mesa on Thursday this week. It really is an ideal situation for me. I get to work part-time (from 8am-1pm Monday through Friday) and I get to bring Haylee with me! Since it is a new preschool, I only have a handful of children right now, so I am able to train them and get them set up and work on the new children as they trickle in. I love the director of the preschool as well as the other teachers.

The changes just keep on comin'! This coming week, Cameron will begin taking an EMT course. He wants to have something a little more stable to fall back on just in case, since we never know what the future holds for us...

Another big change? I will be turning the big 3-0 this year! Yup, April 18th I will leave my 20's behind. The fun part is we will be in Rocky Point, Mexico to celebrate! Cameron is going to do the triathlon in Rocky Point that day! I'm so lookin' forward to that trip!

Well, there ya have it! Oh yeah, and Haylee will go to nursery the first week in April! Woo hoo!

LOVE THIS GIRL!!!

2009-01-05T08:48:00.000-08:00

Haylee is seriously one of the easiest kids ever! She is very good at finding ways to entertain herself. At church yesterday, we found her sunglasses in the diaper bag and let her play with them. She'd let us put them on her, she'd smile real big (as shown above), and then she'd take them off and want us to put them on again. Such a diva!

And who knew a shoebox could be so entertaining??? I call this picture, "Fat girl in a little box." She was honestly entertained sitting in this box for about 45 minutes to an hour! It was hilarious!

Lately we've started letting Haylee play in our room while we get ready or clean in there--you'd think it was a playground the way she gets so excited! This picture was taken in our closet as she dug all of Cameron's clothes out and surrounded herself in them. Such a dork. One thing we've noticed about Haylee lately is what a ham she is. She LOVES to make people laugh and be goofy. We have no idea where she gets this. When I was a kid, if I even thought you were laughing at me, I'd cry. She definitely has her own personality. And we LOVE it!:)

CLEARING THINGS UP...

2008-12-28T17:52:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to make sure everyone who was curious knew that NO, I am NOT pregnant! Apparently, my last post including the pregnancy pillow gave a few people the idea that I had that pillow out for a specific reason. Nope. My sis-in-law, Julie, just returned it to me, along with a ton of maternity clothes (some were mine I had loaned her for her last pregnancy) since she will not be needing them anymore. So let's review...am I pregnant? NOOOOOOOO!!!! Thank you.:)

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO US!!!

2008-12-25T20:34:00.000-08:00

I already know my mom will not be thrilled with this picture. Sorry Mom! It's so great to have a picture of my parents with Haylee (and Buster)! This was taken this morning (Christmas) before any stockings were unloaded or presents open.

Haylee has totally bonded with my dad. It's so cute! And once again, when he pulled out his guitar today and started playing, she just stared and smiled at him! Maybe she'll get his music gene! After all the presents had been opened and put away, my brother and his family came over for a big lunch of ham, potatoes, green bean casserole, fruit salad and the best part: a cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory (yeah, we do it up right around here!). It was so fun to have everyone here today.:)
And this is Haylee after all the chaos had ended. Cameron took this picture when I was napping and said that she climbed all over my big pregnancy pillow and loved it! I told him that maybe she remembered it from when I used to lay my big 'ol belly on it with her inside! She was a nonstop kicker when I was pregnant and loved to kick that pillow all night long! Haylee is still too young to understand Christmas, so we sorta milked that for another year by not going crazy with gifts for her. Next year will be more fun I think! I sure miss being a kid at Christmas and having it all done for me--decorating, gifts, Santa, great food, etc. I even miss the snow at Christmas (no Sean and Penny, that does not mean we will be moving up there so we can have white Christmases-sorry!). Overall though, this was a wonderful Christmas and I was just happy to have my parents here to celebrate it with us! Hope you all had a great Christmas, too! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!!!

THEY'RE HOME!!! WOO HOO!!!

2008-12-23T21:47:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, this post will not have a picture. But I just wanted everyone to know that my folks got home safely last night around 11:20pm. We picked them up at the airport (thank you soooo much, Cammie, for staying here with sleeping Haylee!) and it was so great to see them again! This morning they got to meet Haylee, who went right to Grandpa! She is very fond of him.:) After my mom played peek a boo with her and chased her around the kitchen, she had a new friend! When my dad pulled his guitar out and started playing, she was in awe! We spent the day at my brother and sister-in-law's house where they got to meet little Addison, my adorable new niece and see Celeste, Clayton and Jonathon again. Then we all went to the Chandler mall so my brother's kids could see Santa. We ordered take-out chinese food and ate dinner at my brother's house and just enjoyed each other. Tonight they took my niece Celeste to see Twilight (they heard all the hype even in the Philippines about Twilight!). I hafta say, it feels so good to have them here to bond with Haylee now. And it feels good to have them see me being a mom--something I thought they may never see. I can't express how happy I am to have them here for Christmas! It's gonna be a great one!

OH, WE ARE NOT AMUSED...

2008-12-18T20:49:00.001-08:00

So, anyone who knows Haylee and the happy little baby girl she is, will probably consider this act of sitting on Santa's lap some sort of horrible child abuse and you probably have your phone in your hand just ready to call CPS on me. Haylee really has no "stranger anxiety"...until Santa, that is. Can ya blame her? Big freaky guy with a huge beard??? All I have to say is like mother, like daughter. My mom asked if she'll hate clowns like her mom too. Most likely...
Pretty sure Santa is saying, "Get this kid off my lap right now!" Hey Santa, five words: it comes with the job! Get used to it! Haylee was so freaked out that after I took her back and she calmed down, if I stepped anywhere near Santa, she started climbing right over my shoulder to get away from him! I'm sorry Haylee, that we subjected you to this type of cruelty. Unfortunately, we'll probably do it every year till you're 10 or so!:)

OUR NEW ADDICTION...

2008-12-14T20:28:00.000-08:00

Cameron and I have a new addiction---the TV show "House". If you have seen this show, I'm sure you understand our addiction. If you have not, you are soooo missing out! We were flippin' through channels one night and it was on, so we watched it. Now we can't get enough! If you are even remotely amused by sarcasm, you will love Dr. House! If not, then I don't know if I know how to talk to you...I LOVE sarcasm! He basically says everything we WANT to say, but hold back for fear of coming off rude or inconsiderate. Plus, it's got all that medical stuff that is so intriguing. So I feel lame that I've been in the dark about this wonderful show---what other shows am I missing out on???

KEEPIN' IT REAL...

2008-11-29T23:25:00.000-08:00

This here is Scott Russo. He is the lead singer of a band called Unwritten Law, who Cameron and I LOVE! And who we got to see tonight (yes, it's 12:30am and I should be in bed!) with our friends Eric and Kami! Unwritten Law is special to Cam and I cuz they are the first band we saw together after Cam got home from his mission. They ALWAYS put on a great show and we've seen them 6 times now! So worth it every time! And what made tonight special??? At the risk of sounding like a 13 year old...I GOT SCOTT'S GUITAR PICK!!!! Woo hoo!!! It really was a great time and we got introduced to another good band who played before them called This Daily Summer (I hope that's right!). Check them out! I am so happy that Cameron and I still go to these concerts--it keeps us young and is something we love doing together (unlike golf...--sorry honey, never gonna happen!).

ONE MONTH TO GO!!!

2008-11-23T21:40:00.000-08:00

I just had to let everyone know how excited I am that one month from yesterday, on December 22nd, this wonderful couple (on the right--although I'm sure the other couple is wonderful, too!) will be home!!! Woo hoo! That's right, my folks will be home just in time for Christmas! How perfect is that??? I just want them to know how proud I am of them for serving. They left at a really hard time, for many reasons, one of them being that I was about 7 months pregnant with Haylee. Of course, every girl wants her mom there when she has her first baby, but I knew that going on their mission was way more important than staying home for me and those other reasons. I have learned over the past few years that TIMING IS EVERYTHING. And not OUR timing, but the Lord's timing. Things have to happen in a particular order and we need to be at the right place at the right time for those things to happen. I am so happy that I was able to let them be where Heavenly Father needed them most. I can't even explain how excited I am to see them and for them to meet Haylee! I am sooooo grateful that Haylee is such a social butterfly and will not hafta warm up to them at all--she goes to complete strangers! I probably shouldn't be totally happy about that fact, but in this case, it's a good thing.:) I am grateful for parents who taught me the importance of the gospel and sacrifice. They are the best examples to me. I love you Mom and Dad and can't wait to see you!!!:) And yes, Mom, a bubble bath will be waiting for you!:)

PHOTO TAG!!!

2008-11-23T21:31:00.001-08:00

Oh wow. Memories...Okay, I was tagged and told to go to the fourth picture file I have and then go to the fourth picture in that file and post it. Here it is! This was some of the vinyl lettering that we had in Haylee's bedroom in our old house. This quote was perfect and the story behind it is hilarious! This actually took a few times to get on the wall right! When you have small letters in vinyl lettering, it can take some time to get it all stuck on the wall. I had Cameron helping me and halfway through the project he said, "I believe this is how they decorate in hell. You show up and they just give you a bunch of small words in vinyl and send you to a wall to stick it up." It made me laugh so hard! The other great story is that my friend Kami and I became great friends while trying to get this on the wall! Buster actually jumped on it at one point when we had it laid out. We laughed so hard and have been super close since then! I still hafta get Haylee's room painted in this house so I can get some vinyl on the wall! Slowly but surely...I know Cameron is dying to help me with the vinyl!!! Right honey???:)

I now tag...Julie, April, Kami, Lani, Annie, both Beckys, and Ashley!

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL???

2008-11-21T12:10:00.001-08:00

Yes, we are still blogging the Ohio trip! This was one of my favorite parts--The Pro Football Hall of Fame! It was so neat to see! We got some great pics of some great memorabilia.

Gotta pay tribute to Dan Marino. I grew up a Dolphins fan because of my brother. I really had no choice.:)

Being from AZ, I thought this was soooo neat. This is Pat Tillman's jersey. He left the NFL to serve in Iraq where he was killed. How can you not honor a guy like that? Every year they have a Pat Tillman Run that ends in the stadium--pretty neat.:)

And of course, we had to show our Denver pride. Which leads to the next picture...

Mr. Spencer Larsen---NFL's Rookie of the Week!!!!! In the game on Sunday against the Falcons, Spencer started at linebacker AND fullback AND special teams!!! He's the first guy on the Broncos ever to do that and the first in the NFL since 2003! And on top of all that, he had an AWESOME game!!! We were so proud to watch him---such an awesome game to watch!

And yes, Annie and Spencer, if we ever get up there for a game, this IS what I will be wearing--I don't care how cold it is!:) Beauty is pain!:)

NEW FAMILY PICS!!!

2008-11-21T11:10:00.001-08:00

We were very lucky to have Cameron's sister, April, come to the valley and take family pics for us! She is soooo talented and sooo fun and patient! Great qualities for a photographer! It was so much fun!

Yes, I was tickling Haylee in this shot! Whatever got her to smile!:)

I absolutely LOOOOOVE this picture! Haylee adores her daddy and she definitely has him wrapped around her finger! I think that's why she's pointing to her finger--she knows she runs the show!

This picture is my favorite. At the risk of sounding corny or mushy or whatever, I gotta say, my hubby looks freakin' hot in this pic!

This is our little blessing, Haylee! She loves to walk when you hold her hand, hence the happy face in this shot! She is just so dang cute and makes us soooo happy.:)

And here's the classic family shot! Thank you, April!!!

IT'S PARTY TIME!!!!

2008-11-05T14:28:00.001-08:00

Okay everyone, are you ready??? I have two big parties comin' up where you can come and get some Christmas shopping done! The first will be a vinyl lettering party! My friend Kami is amazing with this stuff and has soooo many new and different ideas! I put a few pics below just in case you hear the words "vinyl lettering" and say, "What the heck is that???" Vinyl can go on boards, tiles, walls, anything! It adds sooo much to a home and makes wonderful personalized gifts.

This party will be Saturday, November 15th beginning at 11am and going till whenever and it will be at my house! Kami will have her computer here so you can work with her to customize whatever you'd like! If possible, come prepared with measurements of where you'd like your vinyl lettering--whether it be on a wall, board, etc. Lemme know if you can come!

I love this idea! It's just vinyl on the glass of a picture frame! That way it takes the guesswork out of choosing a color to match your wall or the wall of a friend or family member's home!

Vinyl can be placed right on the wall and it peels right off when you want to remove it! It is perfect for personalizing an apartment or home!

The next party is a Scentsy party! I've already mentioned on my blog how much I LOOOOVE Scentsy burners! They are safer than other candle warmers because the wax only warms, so if it happens to fall on skin, it does not burn! There are so many different style of burners so anyone can find one they love! And the scents??? Oh my goodness! I am burning lots of fall scents these days and it adds so much to my excitement for the season! And as a little sidenote: almost all the trick-or-treaters commented on how good my house smelled this year! These scents really fill up your whole home! I've never met someone who doesn't love their Scentsy burner!
The coolest new product is their mini burners that plug right into the wall! Perfect for a bathroom or anywhere you don't wanna deal with the cord hanging! Please visit www.scentsy.com/sarah to look at their online catalog!

The Scentsy party will be on Thursday, November 20th from 10am-12pm and then again that evening from 6-8pm. The greatest part is that there will be burners and scent bars here that you can buy and take home with you! Come as early as you can so that you can have first dibs on what we have here! Please feel free to bring friends and family with you! Anyone is welcome!

OHIO TRIP--MY FAVORITE PART:)

2008-10-18T22:22:00.001-07:00

This is Dan and Roni and their adorable little boy, Ian. Cameron is actually the first missionary that Dan ever met. Cameron and Elder Miller taught Dan the discussions, along with lots of other missionaries!:) Dan didn't get baptized until after Cameron and I were married! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this family! We got to meet up with them at Texas Roadhouse (is there any better place??) and chat! It also just so happened to be Cameron's birthday so we got to celebrate by shouting "Yeehaw!!!" to him! If that doesn't say "Happy Birthday", then I don't know what does!
A good pic of Dan and Cameron. Dan now serves in the bishopric in the Kirtland ward. He is just amazing. I didn't hafta be around him for very long to realize that.:) We went to their ward and during the last hour I was sitting in the foyer with a sleeping Haylee and he came in with a tired Ian. As the kids slept, he and got to chat. And now I'm just a bit grouchy that we live so far apart from them!
After church, they invited us over for an awesome dinner. And the dessert??? Holy crap! AMAZING! That beautiful young lady between Roni and Dan is their daughter Whitley. She is such a great girl--always helping, loves to help out with Ian, etc. I can only hope and pray that Haylee turns out HALF as good as Whitley! Thank you Regovich family for everything! I am so bummed that we don't live right by you.:(

OHIO TRIP--JOHN JOHNSON FARM

2008-10-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

We got to go down to the John Johnson Farm, which was amazing and I think it was all of our favorite place. First of all--it was beautiful! We were able to take lots of great pics there after the tour.

Here's little Haylee after the tour. Just chillin' on the front steps. So dang cute.:)
When Joseph Smith was dragged from his home and tarred and feathered, this was the home he was taken from. The mob said that he wouldn't be preaching the next morning after what they had done to him. These steps are the steps he gave his sermon from the next day.:) There were many who were baptized because of that incident--including some of the mob who attacked him. And Haylee couldn't focus for the picture because she was too busy playing with my curly hair! Gotta love the attention span of a one year old!
This is another room that some amazing spiritual events took place. Joseph Smith translated a lot in this room. The spirit was amazing even to this day as we sat in there after the tour.
This room is a very special room. Joseph and Emma slept in this room with their adopted twin babies. One night, the twins were very sick with the measles, so Emma slept in the big bed with the girl and Joseph slept in the small bed with the boy, trying to comfort them. That was the night that the mob broke in and pulled Joseph from his bed and tarred and feathered him. The little boy twin died five days later due to the exposure of the cold air that was let in when the mob broke in. It was an unreal experience to be in that room and to relive in my mind that story. I hadn't thought too much about that experience since I've had Haylee. But it hit me that much more now that I have a little one to care for who is my whole world. I am completely in awe when I think of what Joseph and especially Emma, as the prophet's wife had to endure. I imagine that night she must have thought they were going to kill her husband and she may never see him alive again. They truly were amazing people who endured so much for the gospel. I doubt I would have the strength or courage or perseverence they had... I should explain a little about the choice of colors in this home. The main colors in those days were red and gray. This guy was obviously more wealthy because he could afford different colors. He did not paint this way to show off, but just had the money to do it, so he did. This was a home that many saints came to so they could meet the prophet, Joseph Smith. They had lots of guest beds for those who traveled to see him. They completely opened their home to Joseph and his family and anyone who needed a place to stay.
Get ready ladies---this room right here is the "birthing room". Guess where it's located??? Right off the great room! Isn't that great?? Wouldn't it be wonderful to be in labor (without an epidural) just a few feet away from the family room?? Ugh! How these women did it, I will never know!

This is the beginning of all the great pics we were able to take with such a beautiful background. I am so happy that April brought her fancy camera!

Still amazed that both kids looked up at the same time!
How beautiful is that background?? I can't even express how beautiful the leaves were while we were there--it definitely felt like fall!
This little guy became my little buddy on the trip! We bonded and it made me feel so good! He is so funny!

Such a cute family pic...:)
Being in Cameron's mission was such a neat experience and gave me so much more respect and love for him. I had heard so many stories through letters during his mission and it was awesome to be able to see things in person finally. I was amazed at all the knowledge of church history that he has. He really IS a smart guy! Who knew! Just teasin', honey!:)
Our little family!
I am so in love with this little gal! She was truly amazing on the trip! I had to laugh as we boarded the plane and I got those looks from other passengers that clearly said, "Oh great. There's the kid that will be screaming for the next three hours. I hope they aren't sitting near me." I know cuz I used to give those looks! But nope, not little Haylee. She was totally content to look out the window as we took off and landed and sit with Grandma Penny and look at books the rest of the flight. We definitely got a good one!:) And I am thankful every day for her!
I can already tell that these two are gonna be close.:)

OHIO TRIP: KIRTLAND--PART TWO

2008-10-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

This was a very common sight on the trip! Haylee was totally in love with Grandma Penny and usually wanted nothin' to do with Cameron or I if she was in sight! Luckily, Grandma Penny feels the same way about Haylee!
Here's all of us in front of the Newell K. Whitney Store. Newell K. Whitney was an amazing man--he was pretty wealthy and was more than willing to help anyone out who needed it. On the mission, this is where Cameron would pick up his mail (including his weekly letter from me!). The home he lived in is right behind the store.
And here's the princess bonding with Grandpa Sean.:) We are all very lucky Haylee is so light cuz we all passed her around during the tours! The funniest part is that Haylee LOVES her voice and LOVES to tell "stories". She jibber-jabbers NONSTOP! We eventually had to give the tour guides a heads up that they would have a little competition while talking.:)
This room is upstairs in the Newell K. Whitney store. It's the School of the Prophets and some really amazing things happened here. I would never be able to describe the spirit felt throughout these sites--especially this room. I am amazed at the things Joseph Smith not only had to endure, but also had the blessings of seeing. I am so grateful for all he did to restore the gospel. I know I take it for granted many days that I have the gospel in my life, but I really don't know where I'd be or what kind of person I would be without the gospel.
This was the actual store part. These are the types of things that were sold here. Basically a little of everything! One thing the tour guide said in this tour really made an impact on me. Many people made the trek to Kirtland and upon arrival, had little or nothing and had to start over. The tour guide explained that the saints that were already there in Kirtland were more than willing to share everything they had with the newcomers. It made me realize how I have been given so much and therefore should have no problem sharing all I have with others. That is my new goal.:) I'm gonna try and keep this in mind daily.

OHIO TRIP--KIRTLAND: PART ONE

2008-10-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

We just got back from an amazing trip to Ohio to see Cameron's mission and also to see some Church history sights there. These people (above) are the ones that made it all possible! Cam's parents, Sean and Penny took us along with Cameron's sister and brother-in-law, April and Kendall and their little boy Tyce.
Here's our little fam!

Do you know how hard it is to get two toddlers to sit in the same spot at the same time??? This is the only pic April could get of them sitting still! She had to move quick!
Look at all that love! Haylee loves her Grandpa Sean and Grandma Penny!

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY, HAYLEE!!!

2008-10-15T09:46:00.000-07:00

This picture is titled, "It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To!!!" We had set the cupcake on her tray and then, like horrible parents, took it away to put the candle on it! Heaven forbid! Once we gave it back she was just fine! I didn't mean to do a whole purple theme here--that shirt is the one my parents sent for her birthday. And the bib says I Was Worth the Wait--yes, she was!
Every kid loves sugar! Haylee loved the cupcake!
Afterwards, we opened presents! This gift was from Grandma Emmy and Grandpa Pinky in Texas. It was a Halloween book that she LOVES!!! It has a button you push to play scary Halloween music--she learned real quick how to push that button!
This is Haylee's first baby doll! It was a gift from Hilary Bingham--she's the daughter of my good friend Kim--they actually came up to see me while I was in labor with Haylee. Hilary has a close bond with Haylee and just loves her!
And this was Haylee's big gift from her Mom and Dad. It's supposed to help her learn to work. PROBLEM: Haylee is Ms. Independant and won't let us stand her up behind it! She'll learn to use it one day. I just can't believe Haylee is already a year old! She is so fun to be around and lately has begun telling LOTS of stories! She jibber-jabbers all day long! We love our little Haylee girl! Happy birthday, Sweetie!

DOES IT GET ANY MORE WHITE TRASH???

2008-10-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, our awesome friends, Eric and Kami (shown above in all their white trash glory!) had a White Trash Halloween Party. It was awesome! It was so cool to see how everyone really got into it!
These are our friends Jose and Christi. I dressed as the lady you always see on Cops chasing the "hoodlums" outta her yard with a bat! And that's Kami's sister Kris standing next to me. She is so great--she has become Buster's babysitter when we have gone outta town lately! He LOVES her! For food, we had microwave everything--corn dogs, burritos, pizza rolls, etc. And sadly, those are OUR tv trays that we use ALL THE TIME! Half of the party was in their apartment and the rest was in their garage. Upstairs they had Joe Dirt playing.:)
In the garage we attempted to have a little dance party, but nearly everyone was too shy! Including me! Leave it to Cameron though, to attempt breakdancing! I was rollin'!
At one point, Eric's gun was brought out and everyone took a turn shooting it (in the garage). One of their friends brought candy cigarettes as part of his costume--we thought this was an awesome pic opportunity! Eric and Kami's neighbor across the way was on his balcony and apparently found us very entertaining! He just sat there and watched us!
Later, we went upstairs for karaoke--what did Cameron sing? Since You've Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson! The kid loves to sing that song! It's hilarious! Other songs sung were Jenny-867-5309, Lady in Red, and a few others, including a duet by Kami and I. We performed Makin' Love Out of Nothing At All by Air Supply (a favorite song of ours). After that we all went downstairs and beat the crap out of a pumpkin pinata that Kami made herself! It was such a fun evening and a great idea for a party! Thanks Eric and Kami for keepin' us entertained!:)

BEAUTIFUL HAYLEE...

2008-09-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

Oh how I love this girl...Her sweet aunt April took these adorable pics of her for her first birthday! Aren't they great??? I figured these sweet pics were a great setting to write the sentimental post about how grateful I am for little Haylee. She honestly is EVERYTHING I wanted in a child (so far!). She is just a genuinely happy baby and loves everyone! She is very social and outgoing. We honestly have never had her cry when we leave her with someone. The girls at the gym daycare love her and get so excited when she shows up! The one trait she has that I love, but also know I will struggle with the most, is her strong independent streak. This girl knows what she wants and when she wants it! And I know exactly where she got that trait! I love the little quirky things she does like turning her right ankle in a circle when her feet are dangling from her high chair, car seat or Bumbo. Or the way she holds her little fingers together while she drinks her bottle. I love how she squeels with joy when one of us walks in the door if we've been gone. I LOVE her little kisses that she gives now! I love that she loves dogs--especially Buster! I love her little adorable birthmark on the lower right side of her back. I love how little and petite she is. I love that she has her Daddy's tan skin. I can already tell she will be a little daredevil and I LOVE that about her! She is not afraid of anything! And I love how so many people just love her and always want to hold her and babysit her. She truly is our little miracle girl and I couldn't be more grateful for her. People always ask how we got so lucky to have such a good kid--I always reply with, "If you wait long enough, you get a good one!" Happy first birthday, Haylee girl! We love you so much and couldn't be more grateful to have you in our little family.:)

***Thank you again, April for taking those wonderful pictures of Haylee! We so appreciate it--you are awesome!:)

ST. GEORGE TRIP...PART TWO--GOOD FRIENDS

2008-09-22T12:07:00.001-07:00

While we were in St. George, we were able to get together with our good friends Brekk, T.J. and their awesome little guy, Cohen! They made the drive down from Orem. T.J. and I served on the mission together. After the triathlon on Saturday, we went over to Brekk's grandparents BEAUTIFUL home to watch BYU KILL Wyoming! We had a great time eating goodies and just catching up! We found out that our babies (Cohen is 8 months old) are a lot alike. Real happy babies who love everyone and love to play! In the pic above, T.J. is sitting in a chair that swivels so Haylee crawled over to him and they swiveled together, which she thought was just wonderful, as you can see! He'd put her down, but she'd eventually crawl back to him and they'd swivel together some more!
Is this a happy face or what??!! I wish we'd have gotten pic of their whole family, but it was one of those times where you're havin' too much fun to stop and take pics! Thanks for everything guys!

ST. GEORGE TRIP...PART ONE--TRIATHLON

2008-09-22T11:45:00.001-07:00

We just got back from a trip to St. George for Cameron's second triathlon! It was convenient since I have family in St. George. This triathlon was a lot different than the Show Low triathlon--much harder, too! This was Cameron's first open water swim (in a lake) and the bike course included a huge hill and the run was pretty much on clay the entire course--he said it felt like running on the beach! That being said, Cameron only finished six minutes later than the Show Low triathlon! I am sooooo proud of him! He did amazing and had such a great attitude the whole time!
This was the only transition pic I was able to get since I was there alone and had Haylee with me. This was right after the swim as he was getting ready for the bike course. I asked if he got roughed up in the water by other swimmers (common in open water swims cuz they swim in a pack for a while). He said yes and that he vaguely recalls swimming over the top of someone! Good times! Cameron also said that the hill on the bike course was so major that some bikers actually got off and walked their bikes up the rest of the hill. Not Cameron! He stuck with it!
Here we are after the race! You can't see her, but I am holding a sleeping Haylee in my arms! She did so amazing out there! She was happy the entire time! So entertained just watching everyone--some people brought dogs, which made her REALLY happy! DISCLAIMER: There is a reason I currently look and will continue to look like crap in these triathlon pics! They schedule these things waaaaay too early in the morning! I ain't gonna take the time to get all gussied up to go sit in the sun for two hours that early in the morning!
And here is our happy Haylee on the way home from the race! You can't see it but she's wearing her shirt that says, "My dad is the man!" It makes us laugh that when she holds her books, it actually looks like she is reading them like an adult! And yes, she can read upside down as a matter of fact!:) She loves her new big girl carseat! It's probably a bit early to have her in it, but a seven hour car ride didn't sound too fun lookin' out the back window the whole way!

All in all, it was a great time at the race! Cameron did better than he thought he would and he felt great about it and more motivated to get better. I'm just so impressed with him and his devotion to this new adventure! He makes me so proud! One day we will do these things together!

WELCOME LITTLE ADDISON!

2008-09-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

This little sweetie was born to my brother Russ and his wife Julie yesterday afternoon! They now have four children (two girls and two boys) and all their little ones were BEAUTIFUL babies! It's so nice when you go to see their babies for the first time and you don't have to worry about that awkward moment of it being a "not so cute" baby! And little Addison didn't disappoint! She is just gorgeous and perfect in every way. She has tons of black hair and perfect skin. Just beautiful...Congratulations Russ and Julie!

SEPTEMBER 11TH...MEMORIES

2008-09-11T22:14:00.000-07:00

I honestly never thought I'd say the phrase, "I remember where I was when such and such happened..." in my lifetime. That always made me think of when people say they remember where they were when JFK was shot. But here I am saying it--I remember where I was on September 11, 2001. I had the crazy experience of being out of the country when it happened. I was serving my mission in the Dominican Republic. Cameron was also on his mission in Ohio. I remember walkin' around knockin' doors that morning with my companion Hermana Kami Morgan. We were in a tiny little alleyway when this OLD lady saw us and asked if we were Americans. We said yes and she replied with,"Your towers are falling!" Yeah, that made a whole lotta sense to us! It was only two months before I was to go home and I was thinkin',"Am I really not understanding spanish???" Anyway, we just smiled at her and kept walkin' until we passed a little home with the door open (very common there) and the tv on. We saw the towers burning so we stood there for a moment until the sweet family invited us in to watch. We just sat there shocked. When we went home for lunch, our wonderful neighbors came to invite us to watch the news on their tv in English. They were Dominican but had lived in the United States for a long time. It was the weirdest feeling ever watching that happen in your country when you weren't even there. It also affected many Dominicans in a big way because almost every Dominican you talk to has family or friends who live in New York. From what I heard that day, pretty much all phone lines were tied up from communication between New York and the Dominican Republic as people were trying to contact those they knew and loved in New York. When I finished my mission, my parents came down to the Dominican Republic to get me and to travel around the country. When we flew home, into Miami first, my parents had told me, "Just wait--there are American flags EVERYWHERE." Sure enough, as we landed, I saw a humungous American flag hanging, spread open, on the airport wall. I was so proud to be an American. I always have been, but maybe I took it a bit for granted. After living in a third world country, I was grateful just to come home to warm water and consistant electricity. But that day, I had a whole new appreciation for our country.

The other really neat thing I like to remember from that time is the first letter I received from Cameron after 9/11. I could tell from his words that it had really shaken his world. We always told each other we loved each other at the end of each letter, even from the beginning of the mission, just as friends. But around the middle of our missions, that phrase became much more true for both of us, although we never discussed our feelings for each other--respecting our callings as missionaries. But at the end of that letter, he wrote, "I love you Bethany." He'd never included my name in the phrase and it added so much more emotion after the rest of the letter. It was probably my favorite letter he ever sent. I love that I am able to remember those moments. Anyway, thanks for reading. Gotta love memories...God Bless America.:)

OH, WHAT A NIGHT!!!

2008-08-30T16:19:00.001-07:00

First of all, I owe our friend Joe a HUUUUUGE thank you for inviting Cameron and especially me, to the Cardinals vs. Broncos game last night! It was supposed to be more of a "Guys Night Out" kinda thing, but since he knows of my love of football, he allowed me to tag along with him and his friend. And I am soooo grateful he did! Right there in the above picture--#46 Spencer Larsen--is the reason it was so exciting! To actually watch a friend of yours play in the NFL is truly amazing! We are so happy for him! It was a great game anyway, but he just couldn't leave it at that. In the 4th quarter he intercepted the ball and ran it back to the Arizona 17 yard line!!! Yeah, I have a sore throat thanks to that play! It was awesome!!!
We had AWESOME seats, too!
This is the team heading to the locker room after the game. I'm so happy our seats were right there, otherwise we most likely wouldn't have gotten to say hi to Spencer.
Luckily, a group of us was able to get Spencer's attention and he came over and said hi. I'm so happy we were able to be there to show our support last night!
And here's Cameron and I after the game, along with our huge grins after a great night of football! Go Broncos!!! And even better--GO SPENCER!!!!

WHO WANTS OUTBACK???

2008-08-29T11:50:00.001-07:00

Okay, here's the deal--a boy in our ward, Clinton, is trying to raise money with his high school band to go to the Holiday Bowl in California. In order to do so, they are holding a fundraiser by selling tickets to enjoy Outback food (cooked and served on site by Outback) and listening to the jazz band play while eating. Here are the details:

When: Thursday, October 23rd, dinner at 6pm

Where: Red Mountain High School (East of Power on Brown)

How much: $20 for general admission, $15 for students with ID card, $10 for kids

Menu: Outback's Famous Chopped Blue Cheese Salad

Veggies

6 oz. steak or 5 oz. BBQ chicken (grilled right there)

Bread/Butter

Chicken Fingers with Aussie Fries (Child's Meal)

Cheesecake

Beverages

I, personally, am just excited about the cheesecake!!! Anyway, please help us support our friend, Clinton! Cameron and I will be there, so um, that alone should be enough incentive to come!!! Lemme know if you want tickets! Thanks!

"TRI IN THE PINES"--CAMERON'S 1ST TRIATHLON!!

2008-08-19T18:47:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Cameron did his very first triathlon up in Show Low! He's been training for it for about 3 months now. Our friends Eric and Kami went up with us and Eric did the triathlon, too! It was his third! His first was in Rocky Point, Mexico and we were there to watch. That's where the inspiration came for Cameron to train for one! They really are so inspiring to watch--all types of people participate--it's so neat! This is Cameron and Eric before the "fun" started! They had to swim 12 full laps in the pool (24 down and back), then bike 13 miles and finish with a 3 and a half mile run. Doesn't that sound like a blasty-blast???
Swim: check. Here is Cameron at the transition area, getting all ready for the bike ride. He was very happy to be done with the swim. He knew it would be the toughest part for him, but he felt very confident for the bike and run.
Bike: check. He said he passed a few people on the bike course that had beat him in the pool, so he felt really good about that.
Run: check. The coolest part about triathlons is that it's not necessarily a race--it's all about just finishing. I was so impressed with Cameron on Saturday! A few years ago, neither of us thought he would be running a triathlon! He's trained so hard and set such high goals for himself--it's so neat to see him achieve them. I am still training to do one myself--not sure when the first one will be for me. And at this triathlon they had a group of kids that did their own little triathlon! It was awesome! I sure hope our little Haylee is one of those kids in a few years! I'm hopin' after she watches her parents, she'll wanna do it, too! She's already got the energy!
Here are the boys after it was all over! In the middle is our friend Rick--this was his first triathlon, too. They all did so good! I personally think they just do it so they can wear the sleeveless shirts and tight shorts...:)

PRETTY PLEEEEAAASSSEEE?????

2008-07-29T19:59:00.001-07:00

I think my parents will enjoy this post more than anyone because they can totally relate! When I was growing up we had a dog named Pepper that looked just like Buster. And apparently they act alike also! When Pepper wanted to go on a walk, she would position herself by the front door and wait for you to notice her. Once she got your attention, she'd immediately glance at the door then back at you, like, "C'mon, let's go out!" Well, I was baking cookies today and that's exactly what Buster did as they were cooling. I'm happy I was able to get pics of it! He looked back and forth between me and the cookies about a million times! Such patience!
"You see me lookin' at those cookies right there...I'm sitting sooooo nicely and obediently...gimme a cookie!"
"Are you not gettin' it??? What's the hold up here??"
"It's about dang time! Thank you!"

We post lots about Haylee, but we sure do love our hairy firstborn, Buster!:)

OUR LITTLE SUN BABY!!!

2008-07-27T20:01:00.001-07:00

I was cleaning Haylee's room the other day (unloading more boxes) and I found these cute sunglasses! We've had them since before she was born and I was so worried they would be too small! Yeah right! Is ANYTHING too small for this girl! I don't think so!
Now that we don't have our REAL pool in the backyard, we've had to improvise. This is our little "backyard oasis"! I'm pretty sure Haylee wonders why we're takin' baths in the backyard now with our swimsuits on! She loves it though! She just sits and watches the trees and watches Buster run around the yard. The last time we went out there, she scooted herself to the side and reached out and started pulling grass into the pool. I moved her back into the center and she was a little ticked off at me for that so she'd threaten to take her hat off! This girl has way too much attitude! Wonder where she gets it...
Look Grandma Penny! Lood at how my hat shades my ENTIRE body (almost)!!! How cool is that??? This was taken on the 4th of July at our friend's apartment pool. Haylee was lovin' the water so we decided to try dunkin' her under--she did awesome! We did it like three times and she did great! No crying! We are so happy Haylee was born with her dad's olive skin--this girl will probably always be tan! And she LOVES the water! It's so much fun! She fits right in with her mom and dad--the other sun-babies!:)

TRUST ME--YOU WANT THIS!!!

2008-07-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

If you have ever walked into my house and said or thought,"Mmm, it smells good in here!", then keep readin', my friend! For the past year, I have been using Scentsy candles. They are awesome! They consist of a way cute burner (they have about 45 different cute burners) and scented wax. I love them cuz they smell up your ENTIRE house with just a little bit of wax! And they are safer than regular burners because the burner uses a 25 watt bulb, so the wax doesn't get hot enough to burn a child or animal if it spills. My friend Kami is having a party to sell these candles next Thursday evening from 6:30-9pm. If you want to learn more about them you can go to www.scentsy.com/sarah . I am actually personal friends with Sarah (the Scentsy consultant that will be there) cuz she did a party at my house--she is awesome! She's so funny and personable! You'll love her! Let me know if you are interested in going!!!

WHO WANTS TO COME WITH ME???

2008-07-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

D&C 88:119 “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God”“Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their year’s supply of food … and were debt-free. Today we find that many have followed this counsel in reverse: they have at least a year’s supply of debt and are food-free.” -President Thomas S. Monson

Those of you that know me well know that I am incredibly passionate about emergency preparedness. It is always on my mind and I try to do something every day to work on my family’s food storage. I have been blessed to learn techniques and tactics from people who have taken the time to teach me and now I want to pay it forward. I am absolutely excited to share some resources that make emergency preparedness & food storage easy and fun so, I’m hosting a FOOD STORAGE/EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS WORKSHOP. __________________________________________________What: Emergency Preparedness / Food Storage Workshop

When: Saturday, August 9thTime: 9am - Noon (Presentations start at 9:15- come and go/stay after that)Where: The DeWitt’s home 11320 E Starkey Avenue Mesa, AZ 85212 (Email for directions if needed tawnijean@hotmail.com)

___________________________________________________The beginning will be packed with presentations and information – after that it’s all about questions and answers, and trust me there will be answers!

Presentations will begin at 9:15 on the following topics:
Ø Everything Under the Sun Is food storage overwhelming to you? Come and learn how to get started, how to select what and how much to store, and how to rotate and cook it when the time comes. This was the most motivating presentation I have been to and is what got me started!

Ø Shelf-stable dairy products (milk, butter, and whipping cream) The shelf-stable milk is 'real' milk that is processed at a higher temperature to kill all of the bacteria. It has the same nutritional value and taste (very important) as milk that you purchase in your favorite grocery store. <click here>

Ø Mountain House Freeze-dried Food Storage Just add water! And better yet 30+ year shelf life! Come and taste for yourself then order at distributor prices! If you can’t make it to the workshop and still want to order at these low prices… let me know and we can place it for you, EVEN if you live out of state!!!<click here>

Ø Canning How To & Bucketing for Long-Term, Space Saving Storage Learn the basics of home canning so you can store meats, beans, vegetables and fruits long term. I am even more excited about learning how to properly bucket your grains for long term storage.

Ø Square Foot Gardening Tricks of the trade by Master Gardner and Southwest gardening expert, John Chapman. Here is one of John's favorite quotes... President Kimball said:We encourage you to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property. Berry bushes, grapevines, fruit trees—plant them if your climate is right for their growth. Grow vegetables and eat them from your own yard. Some argue that they can buy their potatoes and other food cheaper than they can grow them, but that is not the point is it? There will come a time when food will not be available at any price then what will they do? (CR Apr, 1976)

Ø Food Processors, Wheat Grinders, Water Barrels and more hard goods. You won’t want to miss out on this opportunity to learn and prepare! I have booked presenters that have been at previous food storage workshops as well as new presenters so, if you have attended before come check out what’s new. Please forward this on to those you love and want to be prepared! I hope to see you there!!!

**************** ****************
This is my friend Tawni that is doin' this little workshop in her home! I am soooo excited about it cuz I am completely overwhelmed when it comes to food storage and all that stuff--I got lots to learn! Who wants to come with me????

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!!!

2008-07-06T08:24:00.001-07:00

Yup, that's right, today is our six year anniversary! It's amazing to look back over the past six years and see all that we have been through. I hafta say, and I think Cameron would agree, this year has been the best so far. Each anniversary before was another reminder that there were still no children in our home and another moment to wonder if there ever would be children in our home. Haylee has added a whole new dimension to our marriage. We've seen new sides to each other through taking care of her. Looking back, I truly am grateful for the time Cameron and I had to ourselves to travel and just enjoy life without the responsibility that children bring. We got to do and see so many things and we don't feel like we missed out on anything by having kids too quick.
On more than one occasion, we have been told that we remind people of Doug and Carrie on King of Queens. If you don't agree, then you have not spent enough time with us! Poor Cameron has to put up with a very quick-tempered wife! I added a video clip to the sidebar of our blog that couldn't be more dead on as an insight to our marriage! Enjoy that!

I really am grateful to be married to such a wonderful hubby. He ALWAYS treats me like a queen, no matter what mood I'm in. I'm so grateful that we were able to become best friends long before we dated. Cameron is such a hard worker and provider for our family. And he has the best sense of humor! We still have so much in common and he is still my very best friend. Thank you honey, for a wonderful six years! I love you!

HAYLEE'S FIRST TRIP TO THE MOVIES!!!

2008-07-05T21:21:00.001-07:00

Our friends Jared and Bethanie (yup, that's really her name--but spelled with an "ie"!) came to visit us for a couple days (more pics to come), and we wanted to go do something fun today, instead of sitting around staring at each other. Living in the sauna that is Mesa, the only thing we could come up with was the mall and a movie. So we decided on Arizona Mills Mall (I literally only go there once every 2-3 yrs cuz of my frustration with how crowded it gets) and the new movie Wall-E. I was completely prepared to spend most of the movie in the lobby with Haylee, but much to our surprise, Haylee did wonderfully!!! She sat on my lap while I rocked back and forth in the comfy chairs and eventually fell asleep. She woke up towards the end, but just played with an empty water bottle while watching the movie (and gabbing just a bit!). We feel so blessed to have such a good baby! And by the way, I HIGHLY recommend this movie! It was soooo cute!

FINALLY---SOME TEETH!!!

2008-06-21T11:44:00.000-07:00

First of all, no this is not a picture of Haylee (obviously)! She would never show me those two front teeth she just started cutting! She's been a different child this week--a little fussier, wakin' up once each night, a little more attitude, etc. I knew this was not MY child, so today the thought came to me to check her gums (brilliant idea!!!), and two little sharp teeth poked my finger on the bottom! I'm so excited for her! She will be nine months old a week from today and is FINALLY getting teeth! I will post pictures in a little while of her new venture--getting on her hands and knees and rockin' back and forth! She's gonna be mobile in no time and then the house rearranging will begin!

Happy Father's Day!!!

2008-06-13T12:35:00.000-07:00

"Any man can be a father; it takes someone special to be a dad." I've always loved and believed this quote. And it's how I feel about all three of these guys in this post. Starting with my dad, he has always been such an example of honesty, service, unconditional love and hard work, among many other things. It is from him that I gained my love for music and music trivia. I have tons of memories of riding in the car with my dad, listening to the radio and he could always tell me who was singing the song that was playing, why they wrote the song, who produced the song first, etc! He is an amazing musician--he plays mostly by ear. He can hear a song and play it on the guitar soon after without ever seeing the written music. My dad also has a great sense of humor! I remember lots of funny things he used to say to us, such as, "Nobody rattled your cage." when we butted into a conversation that didn't involve us. Or if we said we wanted something, he'd say,"Well, want in one hand and spit in the other and see which one fills up the fastest." Or "Hubba hubba chop chop" to get us to hurry (no clue where that came from...Dad?) I love and admire my dad for so many reasons. He didn't come from the easiest background at all, but he is an amazing man and dad despite that. Something he taught me when I was learning to drive has stayed with me throughout the years, and I bet he doesn't even know it. I was always so concerned with the drivers behind me getting mad if I was going too slow (I was learning to drive a stick shift--it was not pretty!). He noticed this and told me,"Dont ever worry about what's behind you--they don't affect you at all." It has taught me not to worry about the past cuz I can't change it anyway. I love you, Dad. I can't wait for you to get home and meet little Haylee.:)
Onto our next father...this is Sean, Cameron's dad. It is to him that I owe so much of what I love about Cameron. He taught Cameron all about hard work and having a sense of humor. Cameron told me that when Sean was a leader in the Priest Quorum, he was talking to the guys about Prom and asking who they were taking. At one point in this conversation, Sean taught them that "life is too short to take an ugly girl to the Prom!" I remember going over to Cameron's house in Show Low before he got home from his mission. Sean didn't know it at the time, but since I had a hunch I'd be marrying his son, I was going over to not only talk to him and Penny, but to WATCH him WITH Penny. My mom always taught me that you can learn a lot about a guy by watching his dad. This doesn't ALWAYS hold true, but in this case, it sure did. I don't remember a moment that he didn't have his hand on her knee or his arm around her shoulders. And he was so sweet to her. If you ever watch Cameron with me, you'll see a very similar scene. Sean rebuilt a truck with Cameron that became Cameron's truck in high school and those are memories that Cameron treasures. He wants to do the same with his kids. Sean is a big people person--loves to have a good time and has lots of friends. Cameron is the exact same way. I'll never forget at our wedding reception in Show Low, it came time for Sean and I to dance and instead of a slow ballad, a Bob Marley song began playing. Sean didn't miss a beat, just started dancin'! Thank you Sean for being such a great dad to Cameron and for teaching him so many things that have made him the wonderful man I married.:) Love you!
And happy FIRST Father's day to you, Honey.:) The four years that we weren't able to get pregnant were made that much more difficult because I knew what an awesome dad Cameron would be. He was amazing from day one. Since I had a c-section, I was pretty much outta commission in the hospital for a day or two. As most of you know, the first diaper is often the worst. Cameron didn't hesitate to change little Haylee when it was time. He could've waited for his mom to come, knowing she would willingly do the dirty deed, but he knew that as the daddy, it was his job. I'm almost happy I had to have the c-section cuz it gave Cameron and Haylee some really good daddy/daughter bonding time. Cameron is still such a great, involved dad with Haylee. He takes the Saturday and Sunday morning shifts while I get to sleep in and since he works from home, he often helps me out with Haylee when I need it. I remember a time not too long ago that after I'd put Haylee to bed, she was crying. He was concerned so I said he could go in and COMFORT her, but he was NOT to pick her up. A few moments later, here comes Cameron HOLDING Haylee out of her bedroom! Apparently, she'd been crying harder than he'd ever heard (not uncommon) her cry and was worried. It was so sweet to see how concerned he got about his little girl. You're a wonderful daddy, Honey, and I'm so happy I married you.:)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL THE DADS OUT THERE!!!

BUSTER'S COMIN' AROUND!!!

2008-06-10T15:16:00.001-07:00

We had Buster for two and a half years before Haylee was born, so yes, he was our firstborn and the only child before Haylee. And EXTREMELY spoiled! So when Haylee came along he was very stand-offish with her, not too sure what she was all about. When we were able to let her play on the floor, he started out by just watching her from his chair. Slowly, he has gradually gotten closer and closer to her. And now? Well, I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves!
This was on a Sunday before church. Haylee was having quality time with Daddy while Mommy was getting ready and she just couldn't keep those little eyes open one more second. So Buster had to come see what she was doin'!
Buster has learned that Haylee will not pull on his fur, tail or ears when he gets close to her, so now he is just as lovey with her as he is with EVERYONE else that comes over! I wish I would've gotten a pic of when Haylee was reading her book and Buster kept pokin'his wet nose into it--she was actually gettin' a bit irritated with him!
Buster is even willing to share HIS toys with Haylee! The day she can throw his toys for him to go fetch will be a wonderful day!
This last pic has nothin' to do with Buster. This is ALL Haylee! She has done soooo good wearing headbands for eight and a half months now, but her new trick is pullin' it down onto her face when I'm not lookin'! She never cries when it covers her eyes and she can't see, she just tries to look around and usually smiles! This pic was taken while we were shoppin' in Wal-mart. I love how she even tried to keep playin' with her toy even though she couldn't see! I love this girl!

GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE...SOLD!!!

2008-05-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

That's right, folks, we FINALLY sold our house!!! We will be moving this week! My one stipulation when we were lookin' for a house to rent was that we could find one within our ward boundaries. And we did! We were so blessed that a family in our ward (who will be building) wanted us to rent their house. As you all know, the market has been horrible, and to my real-estate appraiser husband, it's been tough. We recently decided that our house, as much as we have loved it, is just too big for us. It's interesting how when things get tough, you quickly realize what you can do without, and we can definitely do without this big house! When we bought it, we had dreams of having lots of kids and growing into it. Well, since it took so long to get little miss Haylee, who knows how many more we may have, if any at all. In the meantime, I am soooo excited to not have stairs anymore!
Okay, another reason I am soooo grateful to the people renting us their house? They are gonna let us paint the inside!!! We'll just be doing neutral colors, since it is a rental, but it will warm it up quite a bit! So that's our other task this week! And just to throw this out there--ANYONE who wants to help us paint, C'MON OVER!!! I could use all the help I can get! And if anyone out there has paint supplies (tape, rollers, roller pads, etc), we could sure use 'em! THANK YOU!!! (And by the way, as the picture shows, yes, this IS how Cameron and I enjoy painting!)

RANDOM CUTENESS FOR THE GRANDPARENTS!!!

2008-05-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

So Haylee LOVES mirrors these days! We catch her frequently checkin' herself out in this little mirror (thank you April and Kendall!) and laughing! It is soooo funny! One day she rolled onto her back holding it and just talked to herself for a few minutes. Sometimes you just need someone to listen to you, I guess!
Oops! Got caught checkin' myself out! How embarrassing!!! This is one of the big benefits of having Cameron work from home--she gets to hang out with Daddy while Mommy takes a shower! Or a quick power nap! Whichever is needed most!
This is by far our favorite recent picture! Buster is such a good dog and has always been great with kids, whether they're bangin' on his head or pullin' his tail....or flickin' his toenails! Haylee is ALWAYS using her little pointer finger to touch everything (sooo dainty!) and this time she happened to find Buster's toenails! Poor Buster is obviously giving Cameron this look that says,"Um, could you do something about this? I know I hafta be nice to her, but I am NOT comfortable with this!" They'll be best friends soon enough! Especially when Haylee starts throwing her food!:)

WE'LL MISS YOU, LARSENS!!!

2008-05-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

Last night we had a "Farewell/Congratulations" party for our friends Spencer, Annie and Tyton (and little baby to come)! Spencer was drafted by the Denver Broncos last month and they will be moving to Denver soon. We are really gonna miss them! We've been doin' our monthly dinner parties with them and our friends Rick, Becky, Ashley, Joe and kiddos and they will definitely be missed! But, of course, we are soooo excited for them! I'm sure our monthly dinners will happen to fall on Monday nights when the Broncos are playin'! We'll be rootin' for ya, Spencer!
Here's a close-up of the cake I baked for the occasion! I had sooo much fun with this party--it definitley had a "Football theme"! We had football plates, cups, napkins--even blue and orange M&M's!!! I need a boy, I think!

OUR NEW TRICKS!!!!

2008-05-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

Forget a relaxing swing ride!! Our little thrill-seeker loves to reach and reach until she gets a hold of one of the legs of the swing and stops herself! We can always tell when she does it cuz the swing gets really loud all of a sudden! It's soooo funny to watch her tiny little hands grip that pole and hang on for dear life! Everything is a new challenge to this little crazy girl!:)
And Buster is ALMOST human!!! He's soooo close! I love this little guy--he's always had way too much personality from day one! His new thing (that we haven't captured on film yet) is trying to play with Haylee! The other day she was rollin' around on the floor and he brought his football over and dropped it on her head and waited for her to throw it! I can already tell they are gonna be good buddies!

A SHOUT OUT TO THE MOMS! HOLLA!!!

2008-05-11T07:56:00.001-07:00

With today being Mother's Day, I found it necessary to do a post about our moms. Lots of people say they have the BEST MOM, and while I believe that to the fullest about my own mom, I'd like to say it a little differently--I have the BEST MOM FOR ME. I admire my mom so much. She has always been the person I can go to who will be COMPLETELY honest with me about anything. She has taught me to be independent which has made a huge impact on my life as I've gotten older. She has always let me make my own decisions (some that kept her on the edge of her seat, I'm sure!) without butting in or trying to take over and make those decisions for me. One extremely important thing she drilled into my head from a young age was to be VERY picky about who I married. And I know that we are both very happy with who I chose!:) My mom has always been very close to the Spirit and has made many decisions based upon those little promptings we all get and that has taught me soooo much. I truly believe Haylee was a blessing from her decision that it was time to serve a mission with my dad. When I found out two weeks later that I was pregnant I know she wondered if maybe she should postpone the mission so she could be her for Haylee's birth, but she raised me to be strong and faithful enough to say that she should go serve now. I love my mom so much and can't wait for her to come home to see me being a mom to my own little girl, using all the tricks and lessons she taught me! (By the way, she's the taller one on the right!)
Words can't express how grateful I am for my mother-in-law. Not only am I grateful for the wonderful job she did in raising my sweet husband, but I am so amazed at her level of patience and forgiveness and her sweet temperment (something we all know I don't have!). She is an incredibly selfless person--willing to put her life on hold to help others almost daily. I have been so lucky to have her in my life, especially with my own mom so far away right now. When I was in labor and after I had Haylee, she was right there the entire time putting wet washcloths on my forehead, calming me when things got tense, teaching me "Mom things" I could never have known, giving me a much needed break to take a nap, and all the while assuring me that I was doing a wonderful job.:) When Cameron got the flu a month or so ago, she hopped in the car and came and stayed with us to help me with Haylee. Then when we went to Rocky Point, she was thrilled to come spend her weekend taking care of Haylee and Buster! There have been many times since we have been married that Penny has been able to be emotional right along with me as I went throug tough times, whether it be the struggle with infertility or having my mom gone. I have definitely been blessed to have such a great couple of women as moms to me who both teach me how to be a better person in so many different ways. We love you both! Happy Mother's Day!!!

ROCKY POINT AND A NEW GOAL!!!

2008-05-05T20:28:00.000-07:00

So last weekend, this fine group you see here went to Rocky Point, Mexico!! From L to R: Kris, Kami, Eric, Bethany and Cameron. By the way, I have my arms inside my shirt so that they wouldn't burn any more than they already had! We went for the Las Palomas Triathlon they had on Saturday. Eric did the Olympic Triathlon (amazing!) and Cameron and Kris ran the 5k. It was such an amazing, motivating day to see all those people participating in the events. There were some special people that were recognized like a SEVEN MONTH PREGNANT WOMAN (I'm not joking!) who did the triathlon!! Also, there was a 73 yr old man and a man who had recently lost over 200 pounds! It was just such a neat day! So....my goal is to train this year to participate in the sprint triathlon next year! If any of you wanna do it, you totally should! It's soooo awesome!
This is me, Kami and Kris at the Las Palomas resort, which is BEAUTIFUL, I must say! These girls are soooo sweet and fun! We had a great time in Mexico! We even found churros (eventually!)--soooo yummy!!!
And this here is a great shot of our "ghetto-fied" motel room! Words will not do it justice...sleeping on the box spring, people outside our room being as loud as humanly possible at 3 am, the shower wall falling apart, etc! It was so great--I had lots of mission flashbacks while in Mexico and also realized my spanish is HORRIBLE!! I need to practice more!

***No, we obviously did not take Haylee with us to Mexico--she got to have her Grandma Penny come take care of her and Buster while we were gone! Thank you soooo much, Penny! We appreciate it a ton!!!

WHAT A LOSER!!!

2008-04-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am a lazy bum! I have completely slacked with the blog! We've been doin' lots of stuff lately, I just haven't posted any of it! That's not to say that I won't--just gimme a little more time! We have been up to Flagstaff for a wedding reception (see Kaydi's blog and Kym's blog for pics) and we did the Cystic Fibrosis walk on Saturday (see Frank and Kamarah's blog for pics)! My sister and brother-in-law were in town for the weekend and we are headed to Rocky Point this weekend! Woo hoo! Good times! Little Haylee is now 7 months old and still loving rice cereal! Her new thing: she DESPISES the car seat! She's got quite the little temper and loves to "buck" and arch her back to let you know she's REALLY mad! Wonder who she got that from...???:) I'm still in the middle of the whole kidney testing thing--just waiting for results! Thanks for being patient--I promise pictures are on the way!

New Goals!!!

2008-04-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

After a wonderful visit/pep talk with my wonderful friend, Kami, today, I am INCREDIBLY motivated to work SMARTER toward losing weight and being healthier. I'm so motivated that I thought some of the things we talked about might help some of you with your fitness goals! She gave me this goal sheet to fill out--here are the questions on it:

MAP OF SUCCESS

My goal is:

I will measure my goals in the 3 following ways:

My action plan is as follows:

What are you going to do:

When (time of day):

How much:

How often:

What is your planned total time to reach your goal?

How realistic is your plan?

What is your confidence level on a scale from 1-10? (If it's less than a 7 then you need to change your goal).

My weaknesses aren't in the amount of food I eat, but the sweets! They kill me! So, when I have a craving, I will text Kami, who will tell me to stay strong and remind me of my goals. Then I will wait 2o minutes and drink lots of water before indulging in the craving (if I even need to after that). My "sweet" choices will be different now, too. And I will be writing down every piece of food that enters my mouth. Here's a funny little trick I've started--whenever I need a spoon to eat something, I use one of Haylee's! They're tiny and make me feel like I'm eating more! Along with all these "food changes", I will also continue going to the gym daily and trying to go on walks each morning with Haylee and in the evening with Buster. I am soooooo excited!!! Wish me luck!

A Great Visit from Great Friends!

2008-04-11T10:11:00.001-07:00

This is Mike and Brittney (and Haylee)! They are our good friends from Utah. We first met Brittney in California YEARS ago when Cam's mission companion Jared married Brittney's best friend, Bethanie (with an "ie" on the end, not "y" like me!). Then Brittney moved to Utah and began dating a guy named Mike. Through myspace.com, we discovered that Mike and I have the same cousins!!! Are you ready for this? My mom's brother married Mike's mom's sister! Did you get that? What a small world! So when they got married last May, I got to see MY aunt and uncle and cousins at their wedding! Crazy! Anyway, they FINALLY came all the way down to Mesa to see us (oh, and go to a wedding, too, but we think it was more to see us!) and stay for a night. We LOVE both Mike and Brittney and they are such a great match for each other. Now we are just bummed we live so far apart! How come some of our best friends hafta live sooooo far away????
As you can tell by this picture, Haylee was just a little in love with Mike! We have accepted the fact that Haylee is a HUGE flirt--she LOVES guys! Not sure what this will bring in the future...should we be concerned? Thank you, Mike and Brittney for coming to see us!:) We already miss you!

Welcome to the REAL WORLD, Haylee!!!

2008-04-06T17:03:00.001-07:00

The REAL WORLD of REAL FOOD, that is!! Haylee turned 6 months old on March 28th, and since that day we have been "eating" rice cereal! Our pediatrician recommended waiting till the 6 month mark to start her on rice cereal, so we did. And it couldn't have come soon enough! We could tell the bottle alone was not cutting it anymore! She has loved the rice cereal from day one, but just didn't know how to maneuver her tongue to get it in! She'd take a bite and then push it out with her tongue, even though she loved it and would lean forward for another bite. Today, she finally got it! Now she kinda slurps it off of the spoon! Hey, whatever works, right???

Goodbye Grandma Sam...

2008-04-04T20:11:00.000-07:00

My Grandma Sam (Selma Bergeron) passed away on March 27th, 2008. We went to her viewing and funeral this past Monday, the 31st, in Winslow, AZ. The graveside service was perfect. My cousins Kathy and Amanda did a great job telling about her life, even down to the little details like my Grandma's dog, Tara, that she loved, but we all hated cuz all that dog did was bark and bark and bark! For my whole life, I remember getting birthday cards from my Grandma with $10 bills in them. She wrote to me a lot while I was on my mission, too. She was a very funny lade, VERY opinionated! I remember she collected owls and I have never and will never look at an owl without thinking of her.:) The last time I saw her was the day after Thanksgiving this past year, on her birthday, November 23rd. My aunt had brought birthday cards for her and we about died laughing when she started lookin' for a knife that she had "lifted", as she put it, from her food tray! She said, "I don't know what they think I'm gonna do with it, but I'm not supposed to have it." I love this lady! This picture of her with Haylee isn't the best (for either of them!), but it is definitely a keepsake...
This is my uncle Leo holding Haylee. We had to take a picture of them cuz every time he held her, she immediately cuddled up to him! He reminded me that he had held a few babies in his lifetime!:)
While we were in Winslow, we found and took a picture of my little brother's headstone. I LOVE the quote on the top: THE CROWN WITHOUT THE CONFLICT. As you can see, his little life was cut short. His heart wasn't fully developed when he was born. I was four years old when he was born and I remember going to the hospital to meet him and seeing him.:) He was such a cute baby. If Haylee had been a boy, we had chosen Wesley for the name. Maybe the next baby...

Haylee's First Easter!!!

2008-03-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

I love this little girl! Give her a plastic egg and she is set for the day!! No, we did not do an Easter basket for her because, well, she's only 6 months old people!! The girl uses her little tongue like it's goin' outta style! She licks everything and tries to put whatever she can into her little mouth!
I'm kinda starting to think Haylee is gonna fit in her Bumbo till she is about two years old! Look at those little legs and feet!
Cameron's mom, dad, sister, bro-in-law and nephew came down to our house for Easter this year! This is Haylee and her cousin Tyce right before church! And no, we did not buy her an Easter dress because, once again, she's only 6 months old! She has four very cute spring dresses so Penny (Cam's mom) and April (Cam's sis) voted and chose this one for Easter Sunday! You can't really see them, but she even has little green earrings in to match! Yes, we are all about the accessories!!
And this is our little family (minus Buster) on Easter! Haylee pulled this little forced smile outta nowhere cuz she had just about had it with picture time!!!

SO I HAVE THIS KIDNEY...

2008-03-18T07:26:00.000-07:00

Here's an update sure to shock everyone!!! I was blog-surfing one day, and from Mike and Erin's blog, they had a post about a friend of a friend needing a kidney donor. So I clicked on the link, which took me to Tim and Cassie's blog (now added to my "Fellow Bloggers" list). I read about what they, especially Tim, are going through. I saw that we are the same blood type (A+), and can't really explain it, but I had an overwhelming urge to help. I am now waiting for my kit that I'll take to the lab to have bloodwork done. That blood will be sent up to them (in Utah) and if it's a good match, I will go through further testing. If all goes well, I will be a great match and will eventually be able to donate one of my kidneys to Tim. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted! That being said, I now urge everyone who is reading this to click on "Tim and Cassie" and read about them! See what you can do to help. If you don't wanna do bloodwork/surgery, just pass on the word. Who knows? Maybe someone you know would be willing to try and help! Thanks!

"God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another

mortal that he meets our needs."

--Spencer W. Kimball--

NINE THINGS ABOUT CAMERON!!!

2008-03-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

Cameron worked at Virgin Megastore in the AZ Mills Mall before his mission. If you know Cam, this WAS a very fitting job for him then. He's very into music and gets along well with all types of people. What's funny is that through most of his mission, he planned on returning to work there after his mission. Once he got home and realized he was getting hitched soon, he realized this wouldn't be the best job to support a family! THANK GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!
Cameron got his private pilot's license about a year and a half ago (July 2006). He is one of the best pilots ever--seriously. He is very cautious, checks EVERYTHING, and doesn't fly if he doesn't feel good about it. I've always felt safe with him.

Cameron suffers from what is knows as "Achoo Syndrome" (no, I'm not making this up!). Once he walks outside into the sun, he begins to sneeze and can hardly open his eyes. You will rarely see him outside without his shades. We actually think Haylee suffers from this same syndrome!
Cameron was on the golf team in high school all four years and was on the varsity team his sophomore through senior years. He LOVES to golf and is very good at it. Funny story: at one of his matches, his mom and grandpa were there to watch him. He was struggling so they thought maybe they were making him nervous. They decided to leave and told him goodbye, but they didn't really leave. His next shot was NOT good and a few "choice" words slipped from his mouth (words he DEFINITELY would not have said had he known they were there still). It was not a happy day!
Cameron was in the marching band in high school. Those of you who have seen the movie The Other Sister are surely chuckling to yourselves right now.:) He played the baritone mostly. I have been assured by Cameron and his family that the band was a popular and cool thing at Show Low High School.:) Let's hope so....

Cameron's weight is now at the lowest it's been since he was a sophomore in high school! He got to his biggest (about 310 lbs) and we decided something needed to be done cuz he was not able to lose it on his own with diet and exercise. We chose the Lap Band surgery and went to Tijuana to have it done (I know what you're thinking!). The doctor who performed the surgery has actually taught American surgeons how to do it. The hospital there was gorgeous--more beautiful than any hospital I've seen here in the states. He had the surgery on a Friday and was back at work Monday morning. The Lap Band restricts your amount of food intake, but it takes a lot of hard work and exercise to really lose a lot of weight. He now weighs 220 lbs.
Cameron can be a very stubborn boy. His mom can attest to this! He doesn't necessarily like to be "told" what to do (although he plays along very nicely with me!). He isn't bratty, by any means. Just likes to do things on his own!

Cameron is hairy. No other way to say it! The kid's even got hair on his feet! I remember seeing this the day after he got home from his mission and wondered how I'd never noticed it before! He has such a thick beard that there are many days around, oh say, 4ish that I ask him if he shaved that morning (which he usually did). In high school if he had a date that night, he would not only shave that morning, but also right before the date! Not many juniors in high school with that problem!

Cameron is extremely easygoing. Not much that will get this kid riled up. And even if something does, you probably wouldn't know it. I've noticed that when he does get upset it is usually with himself and not anybody or anything else. This is probably one of the main reasons I married him. We only need one crazy person in this house and I claimed that spot a long time ago!

This is a fun tag cuz the hubbies don't usually post very much on the blogs. This is their time to shine! Thanks Erin! I'm not necessarily gonna "tag" anyone, but here are some of my friends I think should do it about their hubbies: Kym, Becca, both Brittneys, Tawni, Kindy, Becky, Julie and Molly!

More giggles!!!

2008-03-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

I love this kid!!! Please ignore the annoying sound that is actually making her giggle (me). But I know you other parents understand the willingness to do backbends if that's what it would take to get your little one to laugh! Enjoy!

I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY!!!

2008-03-09T18:54:00.000-07:00

So this video won't be super exciting to most of you, but it is more for the grandparents (especially those in the Philippines!) than anyone! Haylee has been extremely fond of her voice lately, and has been "talking" nonstop pretty much since we came home from church today (thankfully she behaved DURING church!). It's a bit shaky in the beginning and the lighting isn't so good, but hey, there's a million pics of her on this blog--you know what she looks like! My favorite parts are when she looks to the left (her right) at me laughing at her like she is NOT AMUSED! Love it!:) Enjoy!

Five Months Old!!!

2008-03-02T07:22:00.000-08:00

That's right, our little Haylee Brynn turned 5 months old this week! In a way, it seems to have gone by so fast, and at the same time, it feels as if she's been with us forever! Here are some of the things Haylee does or enjoys at this time in her little life:

* She LOVES bath time!
* She "talks" all the time--whether someone is listening or not...
* She does crunches--seriously! This girl is gonna have abs of steel in no time!
* She plays with toys--especially loves her colored rings!
* She smiles all the time--she really only gets fussy if she's hungry or tired.
* She sits up in her Bumbo and stays up if she's propped up.
* She sleeps all the way through the night, which we as her parents are VERY grateful for!
* She sticks out her little chest at night when you put lotion on her! Not sure what that's about...
* She can follow us with her eyes everywhere! Even all the way up the stairs!
* She is wearing SOME 3-6 month clothes, but still fits into her 0-3 month clothes.
* She only takes power naps (10-30 min at a time). I'll take it if she sleeps throught the night!
* She is getting better at "tummy time", but is still not the biggest fan...
* She is PERFECT!!!!

We are so grateful to have been blessed with this little angel.:) Apparently, if you wait long enough, you get blessed with a cute, well-behaved child!:) She makes us smile every day--especially when we get her out of her crib in the morning. I feel totally complete now that she's here.:)

The First Giggle!!!!

2008-02-29T20:34:00.000-08:00

Tonight we were at our good friends' house--Frank and Kamarah--and Cameron got Haylee to giggle! It was soooo cute and I'm so glad we had the camera! Enjoy! Especially you, Grandma and Grandpa Kimberlin!:)

HAYLEE'S FIRST DATE!!!

2008-02-27T08:30:00.001-08:00

Last night we met our friends DeWy and Tawni and their kids Broc and Britton at Mesa Frozen Yogurt. We have loved this new tradition! This is Britton--he's about three weeks YOUNGER than Haylee and about FIVE pounds heavier!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE that first pic--they look so excited to see each other! Especially Britton! He must be all about the ladies...:)
Gotta love the drool-covered shirts--we think they are both starting the teething process...yuck.:(
Isn't this JUST like a man??? She's totally mad and he has NO idea why or what he's done!!
And we are all happy again! We said we wouldn't let her date till she's 16, but hey, when the opportunity arises...:) We think they both handled themselves very well! It will be so fun to watch these two grow up together...who knows what the future may hold...:)

**Thank you, Tawni, for taking such great pics and sending them to me! Tawni is a super-blogger and apparently always has the camera ready! I need to be more like that! Thanks! Can't wait to do it again!

A NORMAL DAY FOR ME...

2008-02-25T11:12:00.001-08:00

Just in case anyone is worried about Buster being neglected since Haylee arrived...This proves that there is no favoritism here in the Comerford home.:)

A LITTLE ABOUT ME...

2008-02-20T17:37:00.000-08:00

Currently reading (and highly recommend it--these people are amazing examples)...

Favorite band (Taking Back Sunday)...

Favorite daily escape...

Favorite movie...

Favorite flower (ya wanna make me smile? Send me these!!!)...

Favorite (new) pastime (**Not helping with the weight loss goal, but so therapeutic!)...

Favorite TV show (ALWAYS makes me laugh out loud!)...

And finally, my two favorite people...my best friend and my little girl...

And now it's your turn--ALL OF YOU!!! Tell me a little about you!:)

Raw Fish Anyone????

2008-02-20T09:09:00.000-08:00

Last night, our wonderful friends and neighbors, Tim and Tina, introduced us to a new sushi place! I have wanted to like sushi for a while, but just haven't been hooked yet...UNTIL LAST NIGHT!!! They took us to a place called Sakana (Power and Baseline for those of you local folks) and helped us order the good stuff! I am still happy from dinner and sooooo looking forward to going again!! Anyone interested in coming with us???

Our Little Model!!!

2008-02-17T02:32:00.000-08:00

The BEST pic of Haylee! She's actaully starting the teething process (yes, we're thrilled.:( ), so her hands are ALWAYS in her mouth these days. Look at that little grin!! Ugh--she's so dang cute!:) She's even got that little sparkle in her eye!
I love this little girl--and I love those little pink Vans!!
Believe it or not, she is actually talking in this pic! She hums this way! Kinda funny! It's a new thing!
These are what we call her "Dr. Evil Hands"--it's like she's plotting something--should we be concerned???
This is her cousin Tyce giving her a kiss--he loves to kiss her! We'll stop that "cousin-kissing" thing before they get too old, don't worry!

Last week we had pics taken of Haylee and her cousin Tyce at Target and they turned out great! When I saw our photographer (a teenage boy), I got a bit worried, I hafta admit. But he was wonderful! He was so nice and the pics turned out great!:)

Happy Belated Birthday, Buster!!!

2008-02-15T09:39:00.000-08:00

I'm a loser of a mom--Buster turned 3 last Saturday and I'm just now posting about him. I know some of you may be thinking, "He's just a dog!" Oh no no, my friends. You are mistaken. Buster Brown is our hairy firstborn! Get comfy and I'll tell you a bit about him! When we couldn't have kids for a while, Cameron bought me little Buster for my birthday. We affectionately call him our "Million Dollar Baby". Here's why: three days after getting Buster, he was diagnosed with parvo (a gastrointestinal disease that basically sheds the inner lining of a dog's stomach). Most puppies don't live through it. We were shocked and ended up spending quite a few dollars to keep our little guy alive. He stayed at the vet for a week and received two blood transfusions ("Chumba Juice") from a Great Dane named Chumba. He was sooooo skinny and sad looking. It made me cry every time I went to visit him. But he pulled though! And here he is today--three years old! That first pic is Buster in "his" chair. This is the only piece of furniture he is allowed on and he loves it!
I took this in Snowflake. We were in my mom's car and while she ran into a nursery to grab some plants, Buster took over the driver's seat. I love it cuz it looks like he's driving!
This has to be one of my favorite pics! This is how Buster plays with Haylee! We put her on the bed and he pops his two front paws up and he nudges her all over with his nose! She usually laughs and laughs (of course, not for the pic though!) and loves it.:) Her laughing just eggs him on to do it more--it's a great form of cheap entertainment!

Here's a little more info about our little guy...

Phrases he understands: Go look out the window, do you want something to work on? (a treat), let's go take a bath (really I'm the one taking the bath, he just comes and lays on the rug next to me), where's your leash, Grandma and Grandpa, help Dad take out the trash (he goes crazy for this one!!), and the ultimate--Where's your laser?? Buster has a little laser pointer that is his beloved toy! We only get it out when company comes over so that he will not end up in said company's lap! He chases that little red light everywhere and doesn't stop until you say, "Let's put it away." and you put it back in the drawer.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BUSTER!! WE LOVE YOU!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2008-02-14T16:17:00.000-08:00

Just a little "LOVE" survey for Valentine's Day...

WHAT FIRST ATTRACTED YOU TO YOUR SPOUSE:
Definitely his humor! I remember the first night I met him in Show Low--he was the driver and we all ended up at Burger King where he cracked me up!

WHERE DID YOU GO ON YOUR FIRST DATE:
We went on a first date long before our missions, when we were just friends. He took me to Macayos and then to a movie. Here's the crazy part: after our date that night I wrote in my journal, "Went on a date with Cameron Comerford tonight. He is so funny. It became very apparent to me tonight how important it will be to marry someone who makes me laugh." (And yes, I still have the journal to prove it!!!)

WHERE WAS YOUR FIRST KISS:
Our first kiss was the night after he got home from his mission. We were at his house with a bunch of other people watching Pearl Harbor. It's a long movie so most everyone left before it ended, except for my trusty friend Kym!! She pretended to be asleep! He gave me a hug and then we kissed.:) It was by far the best kiss ever!

WHEN DID YOU KNOW THEY WERE "THE ONE":
I actually knew when I was still on the mission. We had been writing weekly and around my last month or two, one day it just hit me, "I'm gonna marry this guy!" I knew it as sure as I knew there was a nose on my face! He had all the qualities I was looking for and he had become my best friend.:)

HOW DID HE PROPOSE:
We had been looking at rings and I showed him some that I liked (I didn't want to pick out my exact ring--I just wanted him to know the style I liked). I knew he had picked one, but he told me he had to wait till the following week to pick it up after having it sized. Little did I know, he had it the whole time (he even had it the weekend before he proposed when we went to Flagstaff so he could ask my dad)! On a Monday, I had a really bad day at work and he called to ask if he could take me out that night, which was kinda weird cuz we were together ALL THE TIME!! He took me to "our spot" under the bridge at Tempe Town Lake and had cooked me dinner. Then we went back to my apartment where there were candles lit in the front room, but nobody home. Stupid me, immediately gets mad at roommates who would leave candles unattended! So dumb! He somehow gets me to go into my room, where more candles are lit and my bed is covered in roses! He got down on one knee and "proposed". I put that last word in quotes cuz I still claim to this day that he didn't say the full phrase "Will you marry me?" He said, "Will you...?" He argues that one still! Of course I said yes! I'm not stupid!:)

WHAT IMPRESSES YOU MOST ABOUT YOUR SPOUSE:
What doesn't impress me?? Actually, the first thing that comes to mind is that EVERYONE loves him! I have yet to meet someone who doesn't like the kid! He is always so happy and funny. He is extremely patient with me: his very impatient wife.:) He's such a hard worker and a great provider for me and Haylee and Buster. He knows all about politics, which impresses me cuz I have no clue about that stuff most of the time. He is musically talented--I've always loved listening to him play the guitar (one of the other first attractions). He is the amazing daddy I knew he'd be with Haylee. She sure has him wrapped around her little miniature finger!

Happy Valentine's Day, sweetie! You're the best hubby ever.:) I love you!

I've been tagged! (Thanks Becca!)

2008-02-12T05:56:00.001-08:00

Alrighty, you all ready for this???

1. 10 years ago...
I was living in St. George, Utah, attempting to go to college at Dixie. I use the word "attempting" cuz I really hated school and I usually would choose one class a day to ditch. It was pretty bad! I had the best roommates and we had bonfires out in the desert all the time! I was working at Malibu Dry Cleaners with a few mexicans that didn't speak english--but we had a great time goofing off together!

2. 5 Things On My To-Do List:
1. Shower
2. Pick up Jonathon (my nephew) from preschool
3. Go to lunch with my sis-in-law
4. Call a few people
5. MAYBE go to the grocery store ( I really need to, but don't know if I'll have the energy!)

3. Things I Would Do If I Became A Millionaire:
*Scream with joy!!!
*Pay off any debt and the house and the car payment
*Do some serious traveling!
*Build a new home
*Cameron and I would go to Cali so he could golf at Pebble Beach, then I'd send him on a
"Guys Trip" to Scotland with his golfing buddies. Yea, I'm pretty much the best wife ever!

4. 3 Bad Habits I Have:
1. Nailbiting
2. Road rage
3. Light swearing (not the really bad words, just the little ones!)

5. 5 Places I've Lived:
1. Winslow, AZ (so glad that didn't last--no offense anyone!)
2. Flagstaff, AZ
3. St. George, UT
4. Dominican Republic
5. Mesa, AZ

6. 5 Jobs I've Had:
1. Baskin Robbins in Flagstaff
2. Montessori School in Flagstaff
3. Malibu Dry Cleaners in St. George, UT
4. Montessori Schools in Mesa
5. Gilbert Family Eyecare (shout out to Annie, Becky and Ashley--HOLLA!!!)

7. Some Things Most People Don't Know About Me...let's see here...
*I always dreamed of marrying my best friend, whoever that was, and I did!
*I speak fluent spanish (although I'm losing it slowly from not using it that often...)
*I could take on anyone in Music Trivia, whether it's naming the song, the group or singer,
who recorded the song first, etc. Just try me...
*I get the chills when I'm driving and someone passes me or I pass someone too closely. NO
clue what THAT'S about!!!
* My first three (yes, three) car "accidents" all involved a non-moving pole!:( That's sad...
* I love history and love seeing historical places. My favorites have been the Sixth Floor
Museum in Dallas, TX, right by the Grassy Knoll (where John Kennedy was shot), and
Alcatraz. I still wanna go to Germany and now the Philippines after all my parents have been
able to see.
* I have the best love story with my hubby about how we met and fell in love.:) AND the best
hubby--but most of you know that already.:)

Well, there ya go!!! I now tag April, Heather Frazier, Kamarah and Amy! Have fun!

Quality Time With Grandpa...

2008-02-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

Last week, Cameron's Aunt Cheryl and Great Grandpa Harold came over for a visit. That would make him Haylee's Great Great Grandpa! I feel so lucky to have these pics captured for memories.:) I LOVE this man! When you think of sweet ole Grampa, this is the man you are picturing. He is in his mid-nineties and still goin' strong! He's a tough old Irish man! He just had a pacemaker put in and has shocked his physical therapists with his quick recovery! Haylee loved feeling his face and his flat-top hair!
The thing that amazes me about Grandpa Harold is his memory--he remembers dates and birthdays and names like nobody's business! He only has peripheral vision at this point, so it's kinda funny when he talks to you, he looks at you out the side of his eyes, so he never looks directly at you. He's so great!:) Haylee obviously had a lot to tell him about!

Our Little "Cold War"...

2008-01-27T11:00:00.001-08:00

Enemy #1--Bulb Syringe--AKA: "Nose Sucker"
Enemy #2--Albuterol Syrup--AKA "Nasty Medicine"
The Allies--Toy Rings and Cuddly Butterfly--AKA: The Friends That Don't Hurt Me

So poor little Haylee has been so sick this week. It started Sunday night with a runny nose and a little cough. We thought,"Oh, we can handle this! No problem!" Then on Wednesday, her breathing started to get really strained and we got worried, so we took her to the doctor, who prescribed Enemy #2. It's basically the same as an asthma inhaler (I speak from experience on that one!). They warned that the medicine would actually make her cough more and that she might even throw up, just to get all that gunk outta her lungs. They were right! Haylee has been through the ringer this week. A friend of mine said she'd rather be on her deathbed than have her baby be sick--I now understand and agree. It breaks my heart to see her so miserable. The saddest part has got to be the loss of her little voice. I said in an earlier post that Haylee LOVES to talk and tell stories in her own language--now she can't cuz she doesn't have a voice! Her little silent, then raspy cry is so pitiful. I've told people that she sounds like a dog that has had it's voice box removed, but still tries to bark. So sad...We think the worst is over and she is getting better slowly. I sure hope so!

No Messin' Around Now!

2008-01-27T10:54:00.000-08:00

We figured Haylee had outgrown the nettting in her bathtub--and we were right! Look at our big girl lovin' her bigger tub! If that isn't the picture of happiness, I don't know what is! She comes from a long line of bath-lovers, so it's nice to see she's following suit.:) The only downside to this new arrangement is it's quite a bit messier! It's kinda like sittin' in the front row at the Shamu show at Sea World! Haylee can get a little crazy with the water!:)

Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful...

2008-01-19T07:40:00.001-08:00

Cam snapped this cute shot of Haylee the other day. She was propped up, but being that she's only 3 1/2 months, she sorta fell to the side and into this adorable little pose! Seriously, I think we have a model on our hands! She even knows when to smile!

*The Comerford Clan*