Our Famdango

Thaya turns 5

2010-07-19T16:41:00.005-06:00

Tim Burton's alice in wonderland. Derrick was a great daddy for being to Mad Hatter!!! We had fun. Here are some pics

Our sweet girls.....

2010-06-24T13:04:00.005-06:00

I took some photos of the girls.....

Clara

2010-05-23T12:46:00.003-06:00

Clara has been home for a week now, still on oxygen and an apnea monitor. We are hoping that she will be off of them this week. I wanted to post the picture that the hospital photographer took of her without the oxygen and IVs. Thanks for all your prayers.

Clara Ann

2010-05-08T09:54:00.003-06:00

Details will be short sorry, we had Clara on Wed May 5th via C-section. She was ok at first but then her stats dropped, blood sugar, body temp, breathing. She is okay on everything now but her breathing. They are saying its like sleep apnea for babies. It will go away eventually but for now she is in the special care nursery being monitored. We don't know when she will come home. I am ok, healing from surgery. C-sections suck by the way. I am staying in the hospital until Sunday. Sorry for not contacting everyone after she was born, we have been in and out of the nursery as often as we can and been very worried about our new little one. My friend tried to send mass texts to everyone for me but didn't know who received it because her phone cut out on the sending of the texts. Sorry, we tried. Keep Clara in your prayers!!!

Wednesday...

2010-05-02T15:36:00.003-06:00

So my baby is breech and has the cord around her neck. They scheduled me for a C-Section on wednesday. They said they are going to get me all prepped and ready for the section, once in the operating room, they will see if it is safe to try and turn her. If they are successful, they will go ahead and induce labor, if not I have to have a C-section.

I would prefer to labor,

so if we can get all your prayers and any extra favors you may have with Heavenly Father, would be greatly appreciated!!! We will let you all know how Wednesday goes!!!

I am a slacker...

2010-03-24T19:40:00.004-06:00

These are my 6 month pregnancy photos taken in February by my dear friend Shama of Shamalea Photography. We had fun when she came to visit!! Lately I have been on bed rest, going to 3 appointments a week and hoping for a healthy outcome for my sweet baby Clara!! Isn't it funny that drs put you on bed rest but have many appointments every week for you?!!? Clara looks great now, last week she was estimated to be about 3 1/2 pounds, hopefully she keeps going and if she comes early (before 37 weeks) will be a good weight! I am 31 and 1/2 weeks now and we are going ok for now, my mother in law is here to help me. Hope you all are doing well!!

Thaya Photo shoot

2010-02-20T16:39:00.002-07:00

I did a practice photo shoot with Thaya and I thought they came out pretty good. I practiced editing in my Adobe CS4 and had fun with my daughter!!! Things are going well here, getting excited for the arrival of our new little model:) She will be here in May!!! Love to you all!

more pics of baby Clara..

2010-01-27T19:51:00.002-07:00

For those of you have have "the toe" in my family, looks like Clara has it too!!!

Looks like we are going to have monthly ultrasounds til she is born. They think there might be stress on my heart that is effecting my cardiac output. I am having a cardiac echo on friday, we will know more then. Clara is doing great!!! She is perfect and growing great!!

Baby Clara

2009-12-22T16:54:00.001-07:00

That's right!! another girl!!! We are so happy!!

Sweet innocence of a child...

2009-12-12T11:20:00.003-07:00

My daughter has written her own letter to Santa this year!! Thaya told me what she wanted and I wrote it down on my paper. Thaya then copied my paper to her own. It's amazing to me that is just started preschool and is writing letters. She is always asking how to spell different words!! The translation of her letter is

Santa,
1. Pool for our new baby
2. Barbie Carriage/hot air balloon
3. Red dinosaur
4. Play tent
5. New shoes
6. Uno Flash Game
7. Easy Bake Oven
8. Pink Dress
Love, Thaya

I love it, it makes me so happy to see her learn and grow. She is so smart and we are so proud of her!!! We hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season!!

Gall Bladder Surgery

2009-11-28T17:36:00.003-07:00

So I ended up having my Gall Bladder out on the Thursday before Thanksgiving, baby is ok. They did another ultrasound and saw the heart beat. Then we did another ultrasound just on Monday, baby was moving around like crazy. Now that I know baby is ok, I am glad we did the surgery, it is nice to be able to eat again and not be in pain. We have an ultrasound date on the 22nd of Dec to tell us what we are having:) I would love to hear everyone's guess and bets on what gender the baby is!! Start guessing guys, and feel free to ask questions to help determine your guess!!! Love to all, hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Guess who saw baby today?!!!!??!!!

2009-11-10T21:17:00.003-07:00

I was so happy to see our baby today. I went in to the Dr. to get an ultrasound of my gall bladder, bu I also got one of baby. Our little one would not stop moving pushing him or herself all over my uterus. So fun, the ultrasound tech and I were just laughing watching this little swimmer. Baby Jack has a very strong heart beat, which makes me very happy. Good day today!!! I know some of you are going to see nothing but blur, and some will see a little baby!!!
P.s. no word yet on the gall bladder, hopefully tomorrow we will know something!!!

Halloween

2009-11-06T11:07:00.003-07:00

We had so much fun, we took the kids to This is the Place Heritage Village and they trick or treated at all the pioneer houses. They did crafts and rode horses!! Then we came home and trick or treated around our neighborhood!!!

Photo Shoot!!!

2009-10-24T12:30:00.004-06:00

I did an engagement photo shoot and i wanted to post some of our favorites online!! I am so excited!

The engineer!!!!

2009-10-19T23:51:00.005-06:00

Dilbert - The Knack - Watch more amazing videos here

Make sure you also check out the cartoon strip at the bottom of our page!!!! Hilarious!!!

Ooops....made a mistake!!!!

2009-10-14T11:05:00.004-06:00

The doctor said yesterday that I am not 7 weeks pregnant.........I am 8 weeks pregnant!! I am due May 25th one day after my birthday!!!! I am so excited!!!

Thaya's First School picture!!!

2009-10-09T11:06:00.003-06:00

She promised that she smiled!!! I love it, I think it is a perfect first school picture!

Amazing....

2009-10-04T21:28:00.004-06:00

So Derrick and I had decided to wait but it just doesn't seem to be working when we keep telling people, I am 6 weeks pregnant!!! We can't believe it, the Lord has really blessed us. Thaya is very excited, she told me that there are 2 babies and a T-rex in my tummy:) We have already had an ultrasound and baby looks good. I go in on the 13th to know more!!! We had to tell, when you go 4 years for each pregnancy it's hard to keep it a secret, keep us in your prayers. Love you all!!!

Thaya's first day of school!

2009-09-28T15:56:00.004-06:00

On September 1st, Thaya had her first day of school!! She was so happy to go walking with the big girls next door to school and then we got to the school, her face went white and she wasn't so sure. She did great though and she loves it, she askes everyday of it is preschool day. Her and her friend fight over who gets to be Miss Mari (their teacher) when they play pretend. I am so proud of my little girl. I can't believe she is so big!!!

I do this alot, but here is an update ....

2009-09-09T11:28:00.011-06:00

So we went on our trip starting with the Grand Canyon. On our way there, Derrick hit a jack rabbit going about 80 miles per hour. Thaya loved to Grand Canyon, she didn't want to even go to the bathroom for fear we wouldn't go back to see it. Then we were on to Mesa to visit Derrick's cousins, Flint and Jan. Thanks guys for an awesome stay!!! We always love spending time with you. Flint also took amazing pictures of our family. Thank you again Flint, no one takes better pictures!!! Then off to Tucson to spend sometime with my parents and grandparents! As an added bonus, Chase and Archer (my cousins) were there. Plus, our friend Stacey flew down there to spend a weekend at my parents place. We had an awesome time. We ate great food, went to the movies, went to an activity fun center, (thanks grandma!!)a tea party for the girls and many more fun things. Our dog Ruby did lick a Colorado river toad, which are poisonous, and got really sick. My dad and Derrick basically water boarded her and saved her life. The vet said that was the best thing they could have done, it is basically like having an acid trip and dogs have a hard time regulating their heart rate. She is fine now. We then made the long drive from Tucson, across New Mexico stopping in Roswell to see aliens, which is definitely a scary place, to Lubbock, Texas. We stayed in Texas for 2 nights with Will Broun and family. We saw some windmills and some saddles:) There was not much to do in Lubbock:) I did play Rock Band with Will and his daughter Alicia and I actually sang karaoke!!! Crazy I know!!! At least i was better than Will;) Then we traveled home trough Colorado stopping in Alamosa and Monte Vista. in Monte Vista we found Derrick's grandparents unmarked grave, thanks to the cemetery caretaker!!! Then home. We were very exhausted. We started painting the exterior of the house and are still working on that. We went camping with Katie, Ben and baby Sophie the weekend after we got back. Oh, but before we went camping I threw my friend Amy a bridal shower with our friend Kathy. It went well I think, I hope Amy enjoyed it!!
Grand Canyon..

Thaya at the Grand Canyon..

Derrick's Jack Rabbit...

Thaya camping at the Jacob's lake campground..

Flint pics
Thaya Jumping. I love this pic..

I love my parents, right Thaya??!!!

Black and white of Thaya

Me and Derrick...

Family love..

Thaya on Bench..

Tucson at night..

Archer

Mom and Derrick doing geneology, oh, the spirit of Elijah!!

Tea Party with Grandma and Great Grandma

Grandpa Ampa and Thaya pool buddies..

Even Ruby wanted in the pool...

Stacey in the pool..

Thaya swimming..

Broun family in Texas..

Pictures with Grandpa Bender

Rockband!!

Will taking a pic

Thaya, Alicia and Molly at the prairie dog park in TX

Thaya and Daddy at treasure falls in Colorado

Amy's bridal shower

Don't worry, Amy still lovesw me!!!

Ben and Sophie catching fish..

Thaya's first catch

Thaya and her first fish..

Katie and Sophie camping..

Alright, here we go....

2009-08-07T15:11:00.007-06:00

New posting people, things have been crazy hectic!!! Let's see, We went to Colorado for the 4th of July, Then the next weekend, Lynn, Andy and Grandpa Bender came up for the weekend!! Which was so much fun, we celebrated Thaya's 4th bday early with them. Then my parents came up the next weekend for Thaya's real bday!!! I can't believe my baby is 4!!!! While they were hear we also went to the George Freakin' Strait concert!!! Then after they left, Derrick and i went to the Lady Antabellum, Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney concert which was good until Kenny Chesney came on. Sugarland was supposed to sing too but Jennifer Nettles was sick, lame!!!! Then we went to the Jack family reunion this past weekend in Colorado which was awesome, loved seeing everyone!!! In between all of this, our niece Keri stayed with us for 2 weeks, went on a roadtrip to Rexburg with my buddy Amy taking Keri home. Then, next week we are going on a road trip first to Mesa, AZ then to Tucson, AZ then to Lubbock, TX then home by way of colorado!!! Crazy summer but we needed it!! Derrick has been swamped with school and needs a few breaks. Derrick will be graduating April 22nd 2010!!!!!! YEAH!!! Can't wait!!! Anyways, hope all are doing well, just a little shout out to our two dear friends Katie and Shama who each had a baby this past week. Two beautiful little girls, congrats guys!!! Katie has Sophie Jane on Friday July 30th and Shama had Danali Jean on Tuesday August 4th!!! Here are some pics from the past month!!!
At the George Strait Concert!! Isn't he beautiful!!!

Thaya at the concert!!!

Us at the concert!!!

Thaya loving Amy the horse.

Thaya, Grandpa Jack and Daddy!!

Fred and Derrick at the Jack Family Carnival

Mama and Thaya swimming in the Creek, Yes I am in my clothes, Thaya was scared!!! Mom of the Year people!!!

Thaya and Uncle Darcy!!

Thaya at her birthday in the Jungle!!

Thaya is a Chef in Training thanks to Aunt Donna!!

Thaya at her Strawberry Shortcake swim party!

Washington DC....

2009-06-16T21:44:00.007-06:00

Thaya and i had the opportunity to go to Washington DC with my parents. It was so neat to be there at our nation's capital and see so much history. Absolutely horribly humid, but fun!! Thaya loved seeing where they filmed the second "Night at the Museum" movie. She had so much fun and she remembers so much! We went to the Museum of Natural History, The Museum of American history, the Museum of flight, the Smithsonian Castle, did a old town trolley tour, and many other things. We wanted to go to the holocaust museum but they closed it down because of the shooting. I can't wait to go back and see all that I missed and take my husband since he had to stay home due to school:( Thanks for the awesome trip Mom and Dad, it was so fun!!!

Thaya and I at the White house...

the Washington Monument...

Thaya and Grandpa Ampa at the Easter Island head...

Thaya and I at the Lincoln Memorial...

Thaya and Grandma seeing the Amelia Earhart case in the Museum of flight....

The Capital building...

At the 3-D movie "UP"...

We went to the American History Museum...

We went to the National Zoo!!.....

I turned 28!!!

2009-05-24T23:54:00.005-06:00

Today was my birthday!! It was nice to celebrate with friends and family. We had an all day party yesterday with baby animal day at This is the Place monument, lunch at Tucanos, mini golfing and a late night movie, Night at the Museum 2. It was nice to be among loved ones. Thaya has been calling me "birthday girl". It's hilarious. Today my mom made me red chili, guacamole , and raspberry danish dessert. We had our neighbors, the Brown's and the Weakly's over for the celebration of my birth!!! For my birthday, I bought myself a gym membership and have been going at least every other day if not more. In 10 days, I have lost 2 inches off my waist, 2 inches off my hips and 5 lbs!!! My friend Leslie and I are going together, we are having our own biggest loser challenge. I will keep posting pictures as the weight melts off!!!! Happy Birthday to me. Thank you to all of you that remembered and sent their birthday wishes. Thanks for making it a special day!!!

I have gotten behind!!!!

2009-04-30T18:32:00.006-06:00

I am very behind on my blogging!!! Things have been crazy here for the last few weeks. Thaya's grandparents came up to visit over Easter, then we had a 2 day break and our friends, The Bartlett's came to visit for a week from WA. We had so much fun with Jon and Shama, going to all the sites around and just hanging out at the house!! Come back!!!!! Then we had a 3 day break and Derrick's dad came to visit. CRAZY!!! We had so much fun with everyone. Thank you all for coming. Derrick has started his spring semester. He did great on his classes last semester, 3 A's and 2 B's!!! He is doing so well!!!! Next year we will be done, and we can't wait to see where we end up!!!!

Here are some pics from the last few weeks!!!
Thaya and her grandpa Jack...

Thaya posing...

Thaya and her car from her Grandpa Ampa and Grand Mama

Shama and I....

Shama and I in the nest at the Discovery Gateway...

Thaya and Ella...

Celebrating Grandma's Birthday... PS the waitress was a bad photographer..

Thaya and Grandpa in the tunnel at the Dino museum...

Thaya in her Easter dress..

Thaya doing her "hole in one" dance at the mini golf place...

Amy and I working on Easter dinner...

Thaya off to church on Easter..

Quick Update...

2009-03-31T13:14:00.001-06:00

Willie and Leann are not taking over the reunion, it is in the hands of Lynn and Eleanor. They are hoping to get everyones help.

Quick Update...

2009-03-26T11:42:00.006-06:00

Things have been crazy here lately. Derrick's mom was here for a month, which was fun. Thaya had a blast having her grandma here. Eleanor made it possible for me to attend classes at BYU with Derrick. That was so much fun! Thaya got to cover Eleanor's face with make up and I dyed her hair. All in all a fun month!!! Two days after she left, Derrick was laid off from his job. They gave him no notice, he walked in for work and they handed him a final check and said you are laid off as of now due to cut backs!!! We have been struggling. Derrick is going to go to school year round so we can get financial aid and he is going to work part time at BYU in their machine shop, it is $9 an hour less but at least its something. I am still babysitting everyday so that helps. We are sad that we will be stuck here all summer and not going to visit anyone. We won't be able to make it for the Jack family reunion:( We were supposed to be in charge this year but we handed it over to the Ted Jack family. If anyone else is willing to help, Please call LeAnn!!! Other than all that, things are going well. Derrick is getting ready for finals, Thaya is a joy everyday and we are looking forward to getting school done and moving on with the rest of our lives!!! Hope all of you are doing well! Love to you!

Eleanor before...

during...

after...

Big Mama on Campus!!!!

Eleanor after Thaya got a hold of her!!! And Thaya after Eleanor got her revenge!

Ruby after Thaya got a hold of her...

And as promised, Derrick with his glasses!!!

I am now old!!!!

2009-02-08T18:10:00.002-07:00

I am now officially old. At the Age of 27 I have had to get glasses! I didn't even know I needed them, I thought all things were naturally fuzzy:) I am now living in a HD world, I see detail I didn't know was there!!! Derrick had to get reading glasses, {Pics will be added later:)} What do you'll think? No one says anything, they all just stare, I think maybe nobody knows its me:)

Trip to Warmth!!!

2009-02-03T14:34:00.005-07:00

My Aunt Donna, Cousin Amy, Thaya and I made a girls trip down to visit our Grandma Hicks in Arizona. While we were there the weather was a wonderful 75 to 85 degrees. It was absolutley wonderful to open the car door and be blasted with heat, I know I will not be saying this in the summer, but when you go from 12 degrees to 80 degrees, you enjoy every bit. We went swimming, took Thaya to the Tucson Desert Museum and ate a ton of food, ( yes literally a ton!!!). We had so much fun and soaked up the sun. Thaya keeps saying she wants to go back! Thaya and I also visited my parents, they have a beautiful home and seem to be doing well in the warmth. Yes, It was a good trip! It always makes me happy to see Thaya spending time with her Great Grandma and Grandpa Hicks, I hope she will have wonderful memories to last a life time! Thanks to Everyone who made the trip enjoyable, and to all the animals that we comsumed, thank you for your sacrifice to make delicious meals!!!

Our new addition!!!

2009-01-11T21:50:00.004-07:00

This is our new baby!! She is 8 weeks old and pure bred Jack Russell Terrier! We love her! We named her Ruby!!! We are so happy to have her, she fills a great need that we have had!

Christmas and New Year's!!!

2009-01-06T21:27:00.010-07:00

Ok, I have been lectured enough, I will finally put up a new post! We went to Colorado for Christmas and had a blast, until I came down with strep throat. I was sick over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The day after Christmas I finally went to the ER because I felt like I couldn't breathe. They gave me a steroid shot in the hip to reduce the swelling in my throat. They also put me on drugs and antibiotics! While Derrick took me to the hospital, Grandma and Grandpa Broun took Thaya sledding, she loved it!!! By the time I was feeling better, it was time to go home!!!
We rang in the New Year with my aunt, uncle, cousins and Stacey too!! It was fun with games, food and fireworks!!! Always fun at the Kelly household!!!
Hope all of you are doing well!!!

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK!!!!

2008-12-08T10:47:00.004-07:00

David Archuletta was there!!!

Isn't Jordan so Cute!!!??!!!

Ruth, Amy, Me and Kathy!!

I finally have the pictures from the New kids concert i went to in November!!! It was the best concert ever, although I had ringing in my ears for 3 days after the concert due to all the SCREAMING women!!! (including myself) I have been wanting to go since I was 9 years old so it was a dream come true. At one point the New Kids were in the center of the arena and we were just a few feet away, I joke that we could smell their sweat, it was more like all the SCREAMING women!!!

1 Dancing Princess

2008-11-08T00:07:00.002-07:00

Thaya started dance lessons, she will be learning tap, ballet and expression. She will also be in a dance recital in May!!! I am so excited. She wears her tap shoes every day!!

O' Hallo's Eve!!!

2008-11-03T15:11:00.004-07:00

We had a ward Trunk or Treat party the Wednesday before Halloween that was so much fun!! Thaya had an absolute blast!!! We then took her up to Aunt Donna's and did some trick or treating. Then went and saw Thaya's little boyfriend, Estebaun. She got large candy bars from him. We spent the rest of the night hanging with friends and eating spaghetti and artichokes that I cooked all day long, yumm....!!! It was a fun Halloween, but they aren't like our Halloweens in Washington having parties with our friends. We miss you all!!!

Beautiful pictures!!!

2008-09-06T22:04:00.003-06:00

My daughter is a knock out!!!

I took Thaya and the neighbor kids over to an empty lot with wild sunflowers and took their photos. They came out awesome. I wish I had a really nice 10 or 12 pixel nikon or cannon camera to really take some awesome pics.

Running the Steam Engine and Hiking the Y...

2008-08-27T22:55:00.006-06:00

So we went to the incredibly large town of Mona, UT. We were the highlight of the town (that tells you how big it is) with Derrick's steam engine. Ryan, our friend from Derrick's work, helped Derrick get it all tuned up and running really great!!!

Ryan and Thaya on ryan's redneck swing! The kids loved it!

Thaya in Ryan's Hat, she thinks she is hilarious!

Derrick riding a crazy bike that Ryan built for Burning Man.

look how short it makes Derrick!

We also hiked to the Y above BYU with our neightbors, the Weakly's. We had 5 kids all together, Thaya (3), Andrew (4), Laura (2) and Hilary and Heather (5 month old twins)! We had a lot of fun and would do it again in a heart beat! Thaya had so much fun racing us all to the top! I can't believe what a big girl she is!!!

Thaya and Laura couldn't wait to go!

The Whole group ready to go! I ran in just in time for the timer to go off!!

Thaya loves Dora the Explorer and has to wear a backpack with a map in it!

AAAWWW how fun!

We made it!!

the kids loved the view!

Thaya had Derrick carry her princess from Aunt Emmy!

Jack Family Reunion!!!!

2008-08-13T18:08:00.008-06:00

Sammy and baby Will!

This one is for you, Sam and all the photo wars:) Sorry Sarah!!!

Harley/ Earl making a run for it during water games!

Jenny running for the winning team!!!

Luna wars!!

Derrick running as fast as a Jack can run!!! :)

Thaya and her cousin, Cooper

Thaya and her cousin, Keri, riding horses!

Thaya loves horse riding with her Papa!!!

There are no words to explain this:) "Jose` Jalapeno`"

We went to the Jack Family Reunion in Durango, Co the first weekend in August and had a blast swimming, riding horses, playing games and hanging with cousins. We brought our 12 year old niece, Keri home with us for 2 weeks, that has been fun. We love all our cousins and can't wait to see you next year, also to the Roger's see you all at Thanksgiving!!!

This is the Place!!

2008-07-25T23:58:00.004-06:00

We got a free train ride around the park.

Thaya learned how to wash clothes by hand, water gardens and pick rocks out of a field.

Thaya rode a horse and i was so proud of her!!

Thaya made friends with a goat and got upset when anyone tried to pet "her goat"!

She also made friends with a baby cow!!

She found a wondering goat and wanted to ride him around the park. She got upset when he left quickly after Derrick put Thaya on his back.

My little artist, she found a painting station and painted a beautiful picture of cows and goats!!

It is hanging on my fridge!!!

We took the Broun's and our friend, Stacey to This is the place park and it turned out to be free day. Everything was free, they even fed us pizza, ice cream and had free bottles of water all over the park!! kit was awesome, it really was the place to be!!!

Thaya turns 3!!!!

2008-07-23T19:27:00.007-06:00

WOW, what a week!! We had Lynn and Andy Broun come stay with us for Thaya's birthday. They brought our nieces, Alicia and Molly, which was so much fun for Thaya!! Thaya loved having her Grandma and Grandpa Broun here and to have her cousins sleep in her room. Thaya is getting so big!! We had her hair cut for her birthday and we had a her party a"tea party" theme. We made little finger foods(Thanks Donna, Amy and Lynn) and made garden hats for the girls!! It was all very fun except that I think it was the hottest day of the year!! I have to say that the after party was probably better than the actual party. A few people stayed behind and we pulled out the tarp to slip and slide, (because our cousin, Brian Anderson and I broke the real slip and slide, who doesn't want to race on a slip and slide???!!!) We even added kitchen soap so the kids slid all over!! So much fun, Thaya had a great party, Thanks to all those who made it great!!

I think Thaya and Maddie are starting a scooter gang!!

Thaya recieved a scooter for her birthday!! She is on it everyday!!!

Thanks to Great Grandma and Grandpa Hicks for their gifts, as you can see Thaya loves her baby!!

Anderson Clan visit!!!!!

2008-07-13T13:35:00.005-06:00

Our cousins the Anderson's came to visit us from Washington! We had so much fun and we miss them dearly!!! Thaya had an absolute blast with Aunt Monica and Uncle Brian and all her cousins!!!! We love the Anderson's!!!! We went to BYU and checked out the campus, went to the Provo Temple, played at home and at the neighbors and went to This is the Place and Temple Square!!! The Anderson kids are so loving and wonderful, it was fun for Thaya to have them here. Move to Utah Anderson Clan!!!

ok, so...

2008-07-03T00:53:00.006-06:00

Thaya and Mommy in the grass!!

Thaya and Daddy rolling on the primer for the living room!

Thaya sitting in Donna's rocking chair from her childhood! Thaya loves that chair!

Thaya painting away, one of her favorite crafts!

Thaya, Daddy and Brian at the dino museum playing in the water/ sand pit!

Thaya standing by Uncle Jay's turtle they have on display at the dino museum!

Thaya in her new pool! Way too cute!!!!
Splash!!!!

It has been a while since I last blogged, we have been so busy with our remodelling, visitors and my obsession with reading lately that I just have not found the time. The living room will be done this weekend, thank goodness!!! I finished the Harry Potter series and now I am reading Stephenie Meyers books. Twilight was awesome, I couldn't put it down!! I read 500 pages in 48 hours!! I am just throwing in some pics of us lately, sorry, very random!!!

Springville Art City Days!!!!

2008-06-19T16:04:00.006-06:00

Our town had a festival this past weekend and we had so much fun. There was a carnival, a parade, free concerts, booths and a firework show. It was so cool. I love this town. Thaya loved anyone who looked like they could be a princess and she had so much fun with her friends.

For Father's Day we went up to the Kelly's and saw JP's Family. We ate ice cream, had a BBQ and then we celebrated the Father's. We got Jim a hilarious card about Indiana Jones and how he is a father that does his own stunts. When I saw that I thought of Jim jumping off the large rock at Koberg Beach, OR. Thaya got Derrick a card about Finding Nemo and how he is a great dad outside the water or inside. I tried to get her to pick another one but that was the one she wanted for her daddy.
We also celebrated Donna's Birthday!!! I decided that I am going to treat Donna to a night of scrapbooking. That is something we love to do together and I told her that the real present is the gift of my company:)
It was a great time. Our family enjoys spending time with the Kelly's. Thaya and Matt got to play chess and we all love to see them play together. Thanks Kelly Clan for all the good times!!!

So I was tagged by Jan....

2008-06-05T23:07:00.015-06:00

There are so many reasons why I love Thaya but I will list only 10 but know that there are a million more. {I know it said 7 but I am expanding:) }

1. I love all the cute faces my child makes..

2. I love how teeny she was when she was a baby.

3. I love how she loves to do things with me, my little best friend.

4. I love the relationship she has with her daddy.

5. I love that she loves animals.

6. I love her sweet little phrases like, "Oh dear!" and her cute questions she always askes like, "mom, you have green eyes?" and "why" when you give her your answer.

7. I love how adorable she is!

8. I love her variety of interests.

and many more...

9. I love when she is asleep in her Princess Bed!!!

10. And I love that my husband and I got so incredibly lucky with such an incredible daughter. We can only pray that our other children will be just as incredible as she is.

I tag Mariah, Donna, JP and Carol. What ten things do you love about your kids?

My Birthday Extravaganza and Our Family Roadtrip!!!

2008-06-03T18:51:00.007-06:00

So, I am now 27 years old!!! My family and friends threw a big party for me at the Kelly's Party house. It was fun with a BBQ and cake, plus presents, what more do you need?!!? Then my husband took me on a road trip to eastern Washington to camp with my friends, the Bartlett's, Ballard's and Tragoutt's!! That was so much fun. We went into Leavenworth and had a blast! And how can I go that far without seeing friends and family on the other side of the state. We saw our cousins, the Anderson's, my sister Emily and her wonderful husband Jason, and my baby bro Adam. We also saw the Kilner's, with their new baby and then drove to Canada to visit my grandparents there! It was fun to see my grandparents and have Thaya have many of the same memories with them that I do! So much fun and an incredible birthday! I am glad to be 27!! Thank you to all that made it great!!

Best friends

2008-05-20T23:13:00.003-06:00

We dressed the girls up in the same outfit and took way cute pics!!! Thaya is growing up to be an adorable little girl!!! I love my daughter!

Mother's day!!!

2008-05-20T22:56:00.002-06:00

We had a great mother's day! We had a picnic with friends at a reservoire and then went home and played in the water! Derrick made a roast and veggies! It was so much fun. I also got the new Dolly Parton Cd and the new Taylor Swift CD!!! I love3 my husband and daughter!

Slip and slide....

2008-05-16T00:48:00.004-06:00

We have a Slip and Slide that is the fun of the neighborhood!!! We all go on it and our goal is to get the best splash!!! Ben has a good one but I think that Julie is the clear winner!!!! (she is the one in the middle)

Vegas Baby!!!

2008-05-08T22:20:00.003-06:00

Derrick and I went to Vegas with our dear friends, The Bartletts. We had so much fun seeing the magic shows and the Tournament of Kings, lounging by the pool and playing games in the condo. Derrick and I enjoyed going to Boulder City to antique shop as well as see the Hoover Dam!! Thaya had a lot of fun spending time with her Grandma Jack. They painted and played in the sandbox. Donna and Amy came to visit them while we were away and it was much appreciated.
Derrick and I feel refreshed and are ready to get going on some house projects that have been set aside due to school. By the end of the summer, our house is going to look so awesome!!!

Feeding the Ducks!!!

2008-04-07T13:47:00.005-06:00

No need to feed the birds when we can feed ourselves!

The girls had to wear their dresses over their pants, oh and they are very huggy!

Near our house there are a few ponds where lots of ducks, Seagulls and geese live! Everyone enjoys going down to feed them, so conference weekend, we decided to try it out. Thaya had a blast, and so did our friends! We will definitely be doing this again!

Thaya's first friend trip!!!!

2008-04-07T13:31:00.002-06:00

This was quite the experience for mommy! I took Thaya to the Dino museum, her favorite place in the world, and she wanted to take her friend Maddie. Thinking that some friends would be joining us, I agreed to take Maddie (who is 2 years old). Well imagine me, Thaya and her 2 year old friend waiting for our other friends to show. After 30 minutes of waiting, I realized that I was on my own. I proceeded to take the girls through the dino exhibits. Quite difficult when neither of the girls wanted to ride in the stroller, so I pushed the stroller and tried to keep the girls corraled. This was fun, let me assure you! Overall, Thaya had a great time and it was all worth it for her enjoyment!!!

So Close Jon Mclaughlin

2008-03-31T13:28:00.001-06:00

I absolutely love this song from "Enchanted"!!

Our Easter...

2008-03-26T11:03:00.004-06:00

Our Easter was probably the best easter we've ever had!! We woke up and Thaya was so excited that the Easter Bunny had brought her presents. She tore through them fast and loved every one! Then we had breakfast and off to church. Thaya hated nursery but other than that we had a good church experience. When we came home I put the lamb roast in the oven and at 3:30 our neighbors and friends from Sandy came down. The kids watched "He is risen" while the Daddy's hid the eggs. The kids ran like maniacs finding all the eggs and then at 4:30 we ate. After the food, we sat and chatted while the kids played. Then when the weather turned a little chilly we went inside and played games. I was surprised that everyone stayed so late, everyone left at 9:15pm. Which was a blast but we missed out on going to have dessert with our family, the Kelly's. We felt horrible that we not able to make it.
It has been along time since we had a dinner and games party at our house with friends and was a lot of fun. all our friends brought food and soda, and it makes it so easy that we all live on the same street because if anyone forgot something or needed something we just walked over to their houses to get it. We are really enjoying Utah and we are finally getting some great friendships made.

The Kitchen is almost done!!!

2008-03-16T16:47:00.004-06:00

I had to throw in a picture of Thaya wearing my boots!! Too funny:)
Since quite a few of you have never seen our remodel I thought that I would show the almost done pics, please ignore the stenciling on the wall, that will be gone very soon!!! When school is finished, we are going to do the finishing touches on the kitchen and then start on the living room!!! I can not wait!! All should come and visit!

I swear, No more ER visits!!!!

2008-02-25T16:35:00.007-07:00

I couldn't take a picture of her in the hospital bed, too sad!! Its hard to see the slice in her lip after the stitches but trust me it is not pretty!

It was too hard to take photos when it first happened so these are a few days later. And the swelling in both her cheek and lip has gone down significantly!
We got her a piggy bank painting kit to make her feel better when we were at border's, she is definitely a tough kid!!

Thaya fell at Border's books and hit her face on a plastic shelf!! We thought she was okay until the blood came out. She cut her cheek and split her lip on the outside and on the inside. She started to cheer up when the cafe inside gave her a cookie and ice cream. When we got home, an hour later, she was still bleeding. I didn't feel right not having a doctor look at it, so off we went to the ER. They said that since she split her lip on the lip line that she should get stitches to limit a scar. When they informed me that she had to be put to sleep to get it done I almost grabbed her and ran. Derrick asked the doctor what he would do if it was his kid, he said he would have it stitched. After many assurances that Thaya would be fine, they put her to sleep with a shot in her leg. They sewed her up and it took her an hour to wake up. It was very hard for Derrick and i to watch her that way but we know that it will be better than hoping it would heal well without stitches. I don't ever want that to happen again. I hated seeing my daughter lying there not moving. Needless to say Thaya is no longer allowed to move and if she does move, she must move slowly!!! Donna informed me (after watching her jump on and off the couch last night at the weekly Kelly family dinner) that this would not be the last of Thaya's visits to the ER! I wish that I could put my kid in a bubble!

Disneyland.....

2008-02-19T12:42:00.013-07:00

Too many good pics, I had to put them!!!

Crazy Amy!

Katie is gonna kill me!

Naughty Donna!!!

Cielito Lindo

Matt and the girls!

Our family and the Seals

Sofie liked Tigger!

The Family at Disneyland!

Thaya and Matt playing Puppy!!!

Thaya and Matt!

Grandma, Papa and Charlie at the beach!

We went to Disneyland over the President's Day holiday and it was awesome!! Thanks to the Kelly family for doing everything to make the trip possible, to JP and Kristina for providing the place to stay (quite beautiful) and for Grandma and Papa Hicks for coming to have fun with all of us! The Kelly/Jack Clan went to San Diego on our way in so Katie could look at University of San Diego Law School and the rest of us went to Old town San Diego. It was so cute and had good mexican food! Then we went to La Jolla beach, saw seals and played by the water! Then off to the Hicks' home just outside L.A.!! We got up early and went to the Minnie Mouse and friend's breakfast. We enjoyed the rest of the day going on a lot of great rides and eating food! We wished we could have gone on more rides, there was so much we didn't see! Guess we will have to go again! on Sunday we went to a Beach in Santa Monica, CA and enjoyed a few hours of sun. Back to JP's and had a BBQ! We then begrudgingly woke up early and drove the 12 hours back to cold Springville/ Provo! At least the sun is out here too, it's just not 75 degrees! Thanks again to all those who made this a fun and very memorable trip!

Potty time!!!

2008-02-17T20:15:00.004-07:00

My child has been potty trained now for almost 2 weeks. We have been off and on potty trained for 5 months but finally she is only interested in going in the big potty. She has gone all over Disneyland with no accidents and told us whenever she had to go. The whole drive to California, no accidents! This is a great thing! We have been praying for this stage for so long and we are there. I am also grateful that when we are at home she totally goes potty by herself, I don't have to ask her, she just goes on her own! This is the life! I will post about our trip to Disneyland when we get home! I have just been so proud of her this trip on her potty training that I had to post! Thaya has been so great! I love that she loves to go potty in the potty!!!!

This is for JP..

2008-02-03T23:40:00.000-07:00

Here is your Hill Billy twin!!

1875?????

2008-02-03T23:25:00.000-07:00

We found out that our house was not built in 1892, it was actually built in 1875!!
Crazy to think that Brigham Young was still alive when our house was built. This house has "seen" all the church prophets but 1! We lifted some photos from the city's historical website to see the house in the 30's(we are guessing that time frame). Plus we threw in a hilarious pic of Derrick's mom driving a tractor in 3 feet of snow, thought all you Rogers fam would get a kick out of that.

Gordon B. Hinckley Tribute

2008-02-03T00:16:00.001-07:00

Wonderful video tribute to President Hinckley!!!!

Our little princess...

2008-02-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

Thaya loves to dress up in princess outfits, infact she will dress up in any dress. She spends most of her time playing dress up. She also very much enjoys spending time with her daddy. Their favorite game now is for Thaya to stand on Derrick's hands, she loves it and begs for more, daddy's arms get very tired!!! She is getting so big!!!!

Thaya's first haircut!

2008-01-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

So we decided to get her hair shaped and bangs cut! She cried but didn't move around for the stylist and she talks now about her haircut! She looks so cute with bangs!

Kristy Palizzi

2008-01-14T12:44:00.001-07:00

We want to express our saddness for the Palizzi family and their loved ones for the loss of Kristy. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you. Our hearts pour out to Kristy's two young boys. May God be with you at this time.

The Bartlett's Adventure...

2008-01-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

It was so much fun having our friends from Washington come to visit. We went to Cabella's, the Dinosaur Muesum and played. We went to many restaurants including Cracker Barrel, the Brick Oven, Tucanos Brazillian grill and a night with just adults ( thanks to Chris and Amy who watched all three children) Magelby's Oyster bar and grill. The kids had fun playing and torturing each other. I miss my Shama and I hope to see them soon. We are going to Vegas, without the children at the end of April/ beginning of May and that will be a blast. We look forward to another Bartlett Adventure soon. Love you Shama and Jon!!!!

FOTO'S BY FLINT, EDITED BY JAN!!!!

2007-12-31T15:24:00.000-07:00

Flint and Jan freakin' rule!! Flint and Jan took amazing photo's of us! We love them and they are already displayed in our home!!! We loved AZ and I am trying to convince Derrick that we need to move to Mesa!!! Have a happy new year!! 2008 is going to rock!!!

Christmas time in Mesa!!!

2007-12-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

Our Roger's Family

Jenny and Isaac

Flint and Jan

Me and Derrick, John and Lucielle after poppers.

Sam and Sarah

Decorating the tree!

Joy, Callie, Jan and Cooper chillin'!!!

Sarah's FHE, which rocked!!! The kids loved it!

Derrick and Thaya in their Carharts, Gavin in his awesome jacket!

We had the best Christmas ever with our cousins, the Rogers. We stayed with Flint and Jan, then went to Jan's family cabin in the mountains. We went 4-wheeling, which was a blast and Thaya loved it. She loved it so much she fell asleep on the way home from riding the trails. We played games and ate a ton of food. We ate delicious Mexican food in Mesa and we went to the Mesa temple with our cousins, the Anderson's from WA!!! So much fun!!!! We hope you all had a great Christmas!

Visit with Santa..

2007-12-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

Well, Thaya loved looking at Santa but seeing all the kids screaming when they sat on his lap made her very nervous and scared. She decided Santa was not a good idea, when they took this picture she was balling, they just took it so fast she looks just scared. Now she talks as though it was fun and she got a candy cane. Children are so wierd!!!! Maybe next year will be better. Derrick I think was looking at a large elk or deer! (Santa was at Cabella's, our favorite store) We hope all have a very Merry Christmas!! We will be in sunny, Mesa Arizona!!!! Love to all!

Tag your it...

2007-12-17T01:11:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by Jan... so here it is:
A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago:
For Alexys For Derrick
1. I was legally able to date!! 1. Just leaving the Navy!
2. Sophmore in high school 2. mission call to Iowa
3. Driver's license 3. living in camper in CO
4. Stake Dances whoo hoo! 4. bee farming
5. just being a teen and hanging with friends. 5. last full family picture

5 Things on my to-do list today:
for Alexys: For Derrick:
1. finish my Christmas cards 1. finish engineering project
2. wrap presents 2. finish 6,000 word english paper
3. finish shopping 3. dinner with family
4. dinner with family 4. get to bed on time
5. laundry and packing for Mesa 5. clean my office

5 Snacks I enjoy:
For Alexys: For Derrrick:
1. Cabella's pretzels 1. moon pie
2. grapes 2. grapes
3. anything chocolate (no nuts) 3. baby carrots
4. homemade choc. chip cookies 4. almond joy
5. byu creamery ice cream 5. dark chocolate anything

5 Things I would do if I were a Billionaire:
For Alexys: For Derrick:
1. pay off debts and house 1. get into real estate
2. go to greece and many other places 2. open a go cart race track
3. lipo suction and tummy tucks 3. buy a fatty ranch
4. buy a yorkie cause they are cute 4. big helicopter with pilot
5. pay for rennovations on my house 5. build city on ranch for allfamily

3 of my bad habits:
for Alexys: for Derrick:
1. eating 1. leave socks laying around
2. don't do laundry often enough 2.suppose I have them but am unaware
3. let my child bring all her toys out
after i clean

5 places I have lived:
For Alexys: For Derrick:
1. Milton, WA 1. Bayfield, CO
2. Fox Island, WA 2. Chicago, IL
3. Orem, Ut 3. Bremerton, WA
4. Bellingham, WA 4. Iowa
5. Bremerton, WA 5. On ship in the Persian Gulf

5 Jobs I’ve had:
For Alexys: For Derrick:
1. Safeway courtesy clerk 1. Sheep herder
2. Nanny 2. Boiler technician
3. Daycare assistant 3. honey farmer
4. waitress 4. tow truck driver
5. floral shop slave 5. Machinist

5 Things people probably don’t know about me:
For Alexys: For Derrick:
1. I'm doing weight watchers... 1. i was picked on in HS
so far lost 13.5 lbs!!!
2. I get self concious around new people 2. barely graduated HS
3. I am madly in love with my husband 3. almost went to juvie once
and daughter
4. i was thin at one point, will be again 4. 3.8 gpa at byu
5. addicted to myspace and blogging 5. i made parts on almost every ship in
the pacific coast

I tag: the Kelly's, JP, Carol, Kate, Neil

Another snow day!!!

2007-12-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

This day was so much fun, we took Thaya for her first sled ride and she didn't want to get off. Then we built a huge snowman and Thaya couldn't believe how big he was. By the end of the day he started to lean but it was so much fun building it together. Then Thaya decided she would wash herself in the washer, good thing she can't turn it on!!

One of Thaya's favorite places...

2007-12-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

This one was taken just for Uncle Jay!!!

We went to visit the Dinosaur museum with our friends, The Kilpack's. Derrick has been friends/family with them since he was in the Navy. Thaya loves the dino museum, it is always so much fun to see her run around looking at everything. She always seems suprised to see all the animals. It is always a fun activity.

Derrick is 33...

2007-12-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

33 year olds can still have fun!!!

I did not feel very good!

Thaya liked the blue frosting...and she is wearing a dress because she won't wear anything else since she saw "Enchanted"! She wakes up strips her jammies off and picks a dress.

Derrick had his birthday on Wed. We celebrated at Romano's Macaroni Grill with some friends and family. On monday we will be celebrating with our family, The Kelly's. That should be a blast. We are really looking forward to visiting our cousins in Mesa for Christmas in 2 weeks. We can't believe this time is already here.

Ps. I still have the stone, Derrick did not get it as a birthday present like we had hoped :)

The first real snow...

2007-12-05T11:01:00.000-07:00

This is such a gorgeous picture of Thaya, I love it!!!

It finally really snowed this year. We had one small snow fall in late Sept. and it has been freezing but the snow came!!! Thaya, Derrick and I went out at 7:30 am that morning to play in the snow! Thaya didn't know what to think. She kept saying, "snowman, snowman" but Derrick had a study group coming over so a snowman will have to be next time. About 4 hours later I was rushed to ER with kidney stones...again and I still have not passed them. I have been on oxycodone for 5 days, uuggghh. Today is Derrick's 33rd birthday and I am hoping to give him a kidney stone as a gift, hehehehe!! We also put up our christmas pinion tree, well Derrick and Thaya did it all because I am out of commission. Love to all!

our new car...

2007-11-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

Okay so I settled and let Derrick get a PT Cruiser. I know I have always said that they are ugly but they drive great, the warranty is incredible and their safety is great also. So we got one for a second car. At least it will make going to Mesa for Christmas a cheaper trip:) All is well here, Derrick is getting excellent grades in his classes and we are fixing up the kitchen to be beautiful. My sister and her husband are flying in today for Thanksgiving, we are very excited. We love all of you and hope all is well with you.

Just a little updating...

2007-10-30T11:42:00.000-06:00

Seattle/Canada trip was awesome!! Thaya and I had so much fun. Thaya especially had fun with her Aunt Emi and Uncle Jay. It was also fun for her to see her cousins, Courtney, Ashlyn and Baylee. It was fun for me to see my friends and also to see my grandparents. Derrick put in a gas stove in our living room and it is heating us out of house and home :) It looks beautiful though (I'll add photos next time). We hope all is well with everyone.

Pumpkin carving..

2007-10-16T17:30:00.000-06:00

Thaya after we searched for pumpkins!!

Carving with friends!

This weekend we took Thaya to the pumpkin patch and picked pumpkins. What a blast, then we carved them at our friends house. Thaya at first wouldn't touch the pumpkin insides because it was "eeewwww dirty, mama!!" Then she realized how fun it was!!! This week Thaya and i have the opportunity to fly to Canada to see my grandma and we are so excited, Derrick is sure he is going to starve to death while we are gone but I am sure he'll survive. Love to all.

The weekend...

2007-10-13T09:52:00.001-06:00

So far Derrick is at school and Thaya and I are at home. Thaya has a new obsession with Dinosuars and she makes us watch Disney's Dinosaur all the time!!! I guess I should be happy it's not Barney the stupid purple dinosaur. Dale and Amanda Rogers visited yesterday and it was fun seeing them. I think that Thaya and Joy had the most fun though. They ran through the house screaming and giggling, very fun for a mother to see!! We are slowly remodeling our 1892 adobe house and things are looking way better than they were. The kitchen is needing the finalizing trims and paint and my double oven needs to be hooked up, hopefully before Thanksgiving. Miss all of you!!

Our springville experience

2007-10-12T21:02:00.000-06:00

Things are crazy here with Derrick going to school and remodeling a house, CRAZY!!! We are so looking forward to christmas time with the Rogers. It's going to be loads of fun. I will enjoy have some time with my husband as well, hopefully Tommy and DeAnn will come too!!! Hope all is well with everyone!!!

P.S. Some photos are fixing the house, one of Thaya looking at the goats at the fair and others of us!!! Love to all!!