Rencher Love!

A New Year, A New Me...

2011-12-28T17:14:00.001-08:00

I will be making some goals for 2012. I need to get my act together, get organized, stop spending money, and finish about 213 projects around the house.

It is a little overwhelming, but it must be done. At night I lay in bed, completely exhausted but unable to sleep because my never ending to-do list looms over me. But no more! 2012 will be different.

I promise to share any progress I make. Because I am sure you are all dying to know:)

One of my goals is to make my home more Christ centered. I want to make the scriptures come alive for my children, even at a young age. I am not sure yet how to accomplish this goal so if you have any ideas or tips please share!!!

Some quotes to keep me motivated-

"Breath in inspiration and trust yourself. The answer is YES YOU CAN!" ~unknown

"When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place" ~President Ezra Taft Benson

"Whatever you are, be a good one."

~Abraham Lincoln

Christmas Cookies...

2011-12-21T18:53:00.000-08:00

Cam and I made yummy sugar cookies today. I love that you can see just how many sprinkles are on those babies. They were delicious:).

Other than making cookies we didn't do much of anything. I had zero motivation and patience to do anything of importance. So we ate cookies and watched tv. Then my tired 3 year old turned into a monster and went to timeout over and over again. Luckily Nate came home and saved the day for all of us.

I realize I blog about Cam and her tantrums all too often. To be honest she is a really good girl and I should give her some credit. I guess I just enjoy her over dramatic ways of dealing with life. Today while getting ready she was whining that I was pulling her hair to hard. When I told her she was being dramatic she asked what that meant. I told her it meant that you make a big deal out of something little. She then broke down into tears and told me she didn't want to be dramatic:)

Just a side note, I want this skirt from LuluLemon. I got a gift card today and I am pretty sure it will be put toward this fancy little thing.

Here is a little sneak peak into what we usually look like...

I always have the girls dolled up but somehow they always manage to have their hair pulled out by the end of the day. One of them is usually running around half naked too.

and this is what I usually look like...

Nasty hair and sweats. Yep that about sums it up.

Mary and Baby Jesus...

2011-12-18T16:59:00.000-08:00

Tonight Cambri dressed up as Mary and rocked her Baby Jesus. She was so gentle with her baby. She was so proud. On occasion she let me hold her baby, but only for a second. It was really precious. It is nice to know that the real meaning of Christmas can stand out despite all the hype about Santa. Although we are very excited about him too.

The bear who was used as Baby Jesus is Cambri's new pride and joy-Emily Rainbow. She worked for a couple months to earn this bear from Build-a-Bear. She earned a marble every time she was nice to her sister. Once she filled the jar up with marbles she was able to go pick out a bear of her choice. She knew exactly which one she wanted. She even knew exactly what she was going to name her bear. Watching her at the store was priceless.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2011-12-12T18:52:00.000-08:00

These sweet angels have made Christmas time very fun this year. Cam is very anxious for Santa, and Sadie bug has already helped unwrap a few of the presents under the tree. No doubt I have loved being able to use the "naughty list" as motivation to be good.

This is the first year we won't be going home (Utah/Idaho) for Christmas. I am sure it will be a little lonely but we are looking forward to making our own family traditions. Plus it will be nice to not be traveling.

These are the pictures I took for our Christmas card. The one above was the only one where both girls were smiling. These ones are more realistic though...:)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Manis and Pedis

2011-12-01T18:06:00.000-08:00

Despite the fact that I am told daily that I am a mean mom or that she wishes she had a new mom, this little girl is a ton of fun (when she isn't being a pill). Yesterday we gave each other manis and pedis. Cam chose the colors...rainbow:).

My fingernails look just as pretty.

After snapping some pictures of our fingers and toes Cam thought it hilarious to take a picture like this...

Oh how she laughed, and laughed, and laughed....and laughed.

Those kind of belly laughs make it hard not to feed her silliness.

SO yes I took as many pictures of her cute bum as she asked for and then I listened to her sincere laugh and loved every minute of it.

I have to relish these moments to make up for all the times she tells me I am mean and that she hates me...I truly dislike the person who taught her to use the word hate.

My favorite moment so far is the night we didn't read books because she was being so unbelievably mean. She cried and yelled and let me know that she would never be happy again.

Right now I am just trying to figure out why it is 9:28pm and the whole family is awake. I already put the girls to bed once. Sadie was screaming so Nate went and got her. Cambri could hear us all so she ran downstairs and asked if we were having a party. Sadie has emptied the shoe basket, pulled the camera off the counter, fallen into a box...the pen she is carrying around in her hand makes me a little nervous. Cambri is requesting food even though she just ate dinner. Everyday I have big plans of going to bed by 10, getting up by 6, checking everything off my to-do list....maybe tomorrow:)

Good thing we are getting a babysitter tomorrow night. She can deal with the overly tired kids who didn't get enough sleep the night before:).

An Update for Nate...

2011-11-23T18:40:00.000-08:00

Nate told me I needed to update our blog. When I asked him what he wanted me to blog about he said pictures of the girls. So here you go...

I want to squeeze this girl! Once again I want to squeeze her! This girl loves to brush her teeth and try to be just like her big sis. Those buns are to die for!

After a day of fun at school we ran to get some groceries. Cam was out cold! Made for an easy shopping trip:)

Can anyone say future cheerleader!

Mommy's little helper. We made some yummy desserts for Thanksgiving!

Finally ending gymnastics class with a smile! (I will have to blog this later.)

Jello Anyone?...

2011-11-16T19:27:00.000-08:00

Today we had a potluck lunch at the hospital with Nate. It was for all the interns, students and their families. I made a whole bunch of jello salad and then showed up late for the party. Everyone had already dished up which means we are going to be eating a lot of jello salad this week...

Anyone want some:)

Halloween Rocks!!!

2011-10-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

We have had a blast celebrating Halloween this year. It has been not stop partying for the last week. Yesterday we hosted a party for all of Nate's fellow interns. It was great fun to dress up and meet everyone. As you can see we all looked amazing:) I don't know about you but I think we look pretty darn powerful:)
Nothing says sexy like a pair of blue tights.
We enjoyed lots of yummy food, played some dancing games on the KINECT, and enjoyed some friendly competition while playing some Minute to Win It games.

Today was Trick-or-Treating around our neighborhood. The weather was amazing. We have been so lucky this Fall to enjoy some beautiful weather.

Our cute little CareBear and Snow White ready to get some candy!

Hanging out in our front yard passing out candy. P.S. we have huge trees in our front yard. Nate cleaned the leaves up just yesterday.

The partying has been fun but we are pooped and ready for some sleep!

Rainy Days and Cookies...

2011-10-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

It rained all day, and not just a little bit. Weather man even reported that we have reached a new rainfall record this year. Our lawn has never been so lush and green. I had no motivation to pack me and the girls out in the rain so we stayed home all day after hitting up the gym this morning. It was kind of nice. For entertainment the Cam Bam and I made cookies while Sadie was napping. Rainy days and cookies are the perfect combo don't you think?

This girl sure thought it was a great idea...

We were going to make Halloween sugar cookies but I was out of sour cream so we opted for the good old fashion chocolate chip cookie. I tried a new recipe that was supposed to be the best ever cookie in the world. They were good...not the best ever. I will be sticking with my old recipes although the dough for this cookie was delightful.

I think this picture says it all...

Oh how I wish I could enjoy such simple pleasures like this girl does.

I was scooping the dough out onto the cookie sheet while Cambri was devouring the dough.
With dough covering every inch of her face she said, "Mommy this is my favorite part!"

I then asked her if her belly was getting sick from eating too much cookie dough. Her sweet response, "No my belly is loving this!"

Love, LOVE, L-O-V-E this girl!

Goose Egg!

2011-10-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

Our poor little Sadie got her first goose egg. She is pretty fearless so I figured it was bound to happen sooner or later. Since she is one tough cookie it wasn't too traumatic (had this happened to her older sis the story would have been much more dramatic:). Luckily it wasn't too deep of a split so we decided stitches weren't necessary. I am sure this won't be the last goose egg this girl gets.

Rencher family: Does she not look so much like Nate's baby pics in this photo?

Sadie First Birthday!

2011-10-07T19:28:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast the last year has gone by. It has been fun to reminisce about the day Sadie was born. It makes me miss holding my sweet new baby. Yet at the same time I absolutely love my crazy cute one year old. She is as loveable as they come. Absolutely full of personality and very much my little social butterfly.

We had a few friends over tonight for cake and ice cream. It was fun and totally chaotic at the same time. But you only get to celebrate your first birthday once right?

Here is the lady bug and her sister ready to party!...

The pinata was the highlight of the night...

My cute family watching the other kids hit the pinata...

(fyi- the weather today was amazing. It did not feel like October. More like August but without the humidity. Perfect day to celebrate a birthday)

And the cake...

Thanks to my friend Cassie Hegorhorst the cake turned out super cute. I copied the cake she made for you little girl. Thanks Cassie!

We don't have many pictures with our whole family. Even if we aren't all looking and smiling I still love when we have the whole gang in a picture.

Sadie needed a little encouragement to dig in...

But obviously got the hang of it...

A little milk to wash it all down...

Happy Birthday to my sweet little Sadie Bug!!!

Temder Moments..

2011-10-01T20:53:00.001-07:00

When dropping Cambri off for school last Tuesday she said to me out of the blue, "Mom, we are a forever family. You, me, Sadie and daddy."

Talk about melting my heart!

Oh how grateful I am for tender moments that make all the hard times worth it.

I am indeed one lucky momma.

Ready to head out the door. They were just too cute to not stop and take a picture. As always Cambri is packing a million toys to the car with her. I can't believe how big Sadie looks in this picture.

Sweet and Silly for sure. Cambri was very proud of this picture and laughed about it for a very long time.

Just wanted to note that Sadie has enough hair to put it in a little elastic and add a cute bow. This is big in our house. Pretty sure Cambri was almost 2 before there was any sort of hair to comb. I didn't do a lot of bows or head bands with Sadie so when I do try it is usually ripped out within a few minutes. Also notice the binky...this girl hated binkies until about a month ago. Now they are her best friend. I know I shouldn't have let her have one so late in the game, but I adore the magic of the binky. Sleeping has improved tremendously in our house ever since she took to the bink. And she doesn't put nearly as much junk in her mouth as she use to.

It is 12:12am and I am staring at the computer screen trying to think of more to say. Pretty sure I just need to go to bed.

I am proud to report...

2011-09-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

...we finally broke down and got internet and cable installed this last weekend. Nate and I both have smart phones so we thought we would cut back on expenses and do without wireless and tv. We survived 3 months before deciding that we "needed" both of them:). I am excited because blogging on my phone was a pain in the rear. I also keep a personal blog that is my journal and it has been neglected even more than this blog. I am looking forward to getting both blogs up and running again.

Other exciting news-

1. The house is finally getting some major attention and many projects are soon going to be finished!!! The goal is to have the major stuff done within the next two weeks. I can't wait. It stresses me out to have so many projects hanging over my head. Here are 2 sneak peaks at what the house looks like currently, but won't look like in the near future...

I actually have all the trim on these windows painted already. It brightens up the room so much. Painting trim is about as fun as hitting your head against the wall. But the outcome is oh so worth it. I am even more excited about getting some cute roman shades on these babies.

Here you see our lovely family room complete with blue carpet. Oh how this blue carpet has been such a creative block for me. I don't love the color of the fireplace either so it has been challenging for me to figure a way to design around both of these things. The sofa table that you can see is currently being sanded and painted. It is going to look awesome. There is also an end table that you can't see that is being painted the same color as the sofa table. I took the lamps back and have gone a different direction. Marshall's probably hates me because I buy and return things almost daily. I have big plans for the the big wall above the couch. I finally figured out what I want to put there. Stay tuned for the final reveal in a couple weeks.

2. This girl...

...is cute. She is still loving school and I am loving the few hours I have to clean and run errands with just one baby. She also says the best prayers. At least one Disney princess gets lots of requests for blessings each night. It is usually Snow White. Sometimes Minnie Mouse and Lightning McQueen get blessed too.

3. And Sadie...

...has turned into a monster child. I absolutely adore this baby but we have officially entered the stage of tantrums. When she wants something she is tenatious and she will find a way to get it. Luckily she has also learned how to give the best hugs and knows how to melt her momma's heart.

Time for me to go to bed.

PRESCHOOL!!!

2011-09-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

Cam and I have been talking about preschool for a long time now and Tuesday was finally her first day. This sweet girl was so excited. She even picked out her outfit and requested to wear bows in her hair. Her first day was a complete success. When I picked her up she was smiling from ear to ear. The first words out of her mouth were, "mommy, Mr. Kurt was so nice to me! And I didn't get mad when people called me Cambri (this is a big deal since she usually requires to be called her pretend name be it Snow White, Jasmine, Lightning McQueen etc), and I was really nice to the kids!". She then gave Sadie and me the biggest hugs and kisses. The memory will be a favorite of mine forever.

A Day at the Beach...

2011-08-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

We have been lucky to have Nate around for the last few weekends. Saturdays are so much better when I am not flying solo. For one thing I was super productive...taught kickboxing at the YMCA, mowed the lawn, ran to Walmart, Lowe's, and the grocery store, painted Sadie's room, played volleyball and had a bbq with some of Nate's buddies from work, played at the beach, and kind of cleaned the house (just enough to make it look like a bomb didn't go off in the middle of the kitchen). I went to bed exhausted but it felt good to check so many things off my list (if only I wouldn't have received a wake up call every hour or two from the teething babe I would have slept like a rock).

The beach was probably the highlight of the day. Cambri doesn't usually enjoy the beach much...doesn't like to get sand on her hands and feet. We bought a pair of swim shoes from Walmart on the way to the beach and they worked some magic. This girl of mine was loving the sand and water. Best $5 spent...ever! I just wish our summer days weren't coming to an end so we could enjoy more days like this.

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It is rare that I can get Cambri to smile and look at the camera at the same time. But she will make a silly face for you with no complaints. I will take what I can get.

bubble trouble

2011-08-23T19:48:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when an overly tired momma tries to multi-task...

I started filling up the sink and got side tracked with the vacuum. The water probably ran for a good 10 minutes. Luckily it just flowed into the other side of the sink so the water mess stayed pretty contained. Needless to say, I need some sleep before I do any major damage around the house.

10 months

2011-08-21T12:24:00.001-07:00

Our Sadie Bug is growing up on super speed. She is such a fun baby. She will be our social butterfly for sure. She has already figured out how to walk, climbs on everything, and is one tough cookie. My girls are starting to interact with each other more and more each day. Watching them play is so fun. I do wonder if they will be best buddies though cause they are completely different creatures with personalities all their own. I do love this sadie monster!

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haircut...

2011-08-19T08:43:00.001-07:00

It's true, this monkey got a hair cut. In fact I chopped it off. Twice cause the first time I didn't do a very good job. Which is why it is as short as it is. But I love it short. Her hair is still pretty thin so it looks stringy when it gets long. I do miss being able to do pig tails but now her hair doesn't always have to be pulled up to look cute. We are all about quick and easy around here. I am getting the itch to cut mine. I never do my hair and its always pulled back. Just the thought of taking a blow dryer to my hair in this humidity makes me sweat. But I am not as cute as this girl when I have short hair. Oh well, I can doll her up and no one cares what I look like.

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mommy daughter date!

2011-08-12T18:31:00.001-07:00

I love this crazy girl. Tonight she and I got to enjoy a little one on one time. We laughed lots. I love being mommy to my crazy monkey.

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Enter to Win!

2011-08-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a blog I read often and she is doing a drawing for a free online room design. I know I could use the help. Check it out if you want a chance to win too!

http://danielleoakeyinteriors.blogspot.com/2011/08/online-room-design-giveaway.html

2011-07-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

Today Cambri told me she doesn't like our new house and that she wants to live in Hawaii instead. For once my 3 year old and I totally agree on something:) I am curious as to what Hawaii looks like and means to her since she has never been there.

Cam also repeatedly told our friends that had stopped by for a few minutes that she wanted them to go home. We are still working on our manners around here.

It is 10pm and I should be getting ready for bed but this is my prime time for getting stuff done around the house so I am off to work on some DIY projects!

My new hobby...

2011-07-20T18:56:00.000-07:00

I have a new obsession. I am in love with Pinterest. If you haven't heard of it you must check it out. But beward cause it is addicting. Along with this new found love I also am addicted to interior design blogs. Here are some of my favorites...

http://danielleoakeyinteriors.blogspot.com/
http://caitlinwilsondesign.blogspot.com/
http://6thstreetdesignschool.blogspot.com/
http://isabellaandmaxrooms.blogspot.com/
http://emilyaclark.blogspot.com/
http://sadieandstella.blogspot.com/
http://honeywerehome.blogspot.com/

There are more but I can't think of them right now. I am doing my best to figure out a way to make my home look pretty...even on a very tight budget. I will not be showing any pictures right now because my home does not look pretty...yet. I have a billion DIY projects on my list so progress is slow moving to say the least. Right now I am painting a bed for Cambri and painting all the oak trim in our house. I want it to be white and so far it is looking fantastic, but it will take me F-O-R-E-V-E-R to complete.

Do you have any fun blogs you want to share?

Family Pictures 2011

2011-07-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

We got our pictures taken by Melissa Burnett Photography in Utah right before moving to Ohio. I am really happy with the way they turned out. Taking pictures of my girls is really challenging because Sadie doesn't sit still and Cambri doesn't like to have her picture taken. Considering this these pictures are way better than I could have ever expected.

If you compare this to our engagement photo 5 1/2 years ago we have changed a lot! We are getting old.

My Babes are Growing up too Fast!

2011-07-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

I am way behind on this post. But that is pretty much the story of my life right now....boxes to unpack, pictures to hang, walls to paint, yard to manage. Welcome to home ownership right? Life has been great. Just busy.

June 4th was Cam Bam's 3rd b-day. Nate and I were actually in Hawaii on her real bday so we celebrated just a few days late. It was all about Little Einsteins this year. Cam was set on getting a little rocket ship toy and cake. One problem. Two problems actually. How in the world was I suppose to make a rocket ship cake and even bigger problem...the rocket ship she wanted is no longer sold in stores. You can find it on ebay new for $300. Really??!!! Who pays $300 for a toy? Not this momma. Lucky for us our good friends the Pluids had one they were willing to give us for free. Pluids you are amazing. You saved our little one from a broken heart. And her heart would have been broken had she not gotten her rocket ship.

And for the cake, I found an online tutorial to make the rocket ship. I love that there are so many talented people willing to share all their crafty skills on the web.

The celebrations were actually pretty low key. Cam opened presents, ate cake and played with her new toys. She was in heaven.

How would I describe my little 3 year old...

-Fireball

-Stubborn

-Sassy

-Cuddle Bug

-Shy

-A little bit naughty...okay a lot bit naughty but I still love her

-Cute

-Funny

Cam loves to read books, have her back tickled before going to bed, tease Sadie, play make believe all day (usually its Dora or Belle), eat a bowl of cereal before going to bed every night, walk on her toes, and ask every "why" question she possibly can. I am trying my best to figure out the way her little brain works. She is so like me in so many ways. I think this is what drives me most crazy. We have entered a stage that is soooooooooo hard for me but I love my sweet baby girl.

And this little monkey...

...is a little doll face. She just turned 9 months this last week. She is probably one of the easiest babies ever. I know all moms say that about their kids, but truly she is super easy going. She has been standing on her own for about a month now but isn't quite ready to take steps. She will destroy anything in her path and is always full of smiles. She has 2 teeth, loves to clap and just figured out how to wave (which she is very proud of). She likes to get into everything which pretty much gives Cambri an anxiety attack anytime Sadie is within 20 feet of her toys. Life is fun with these two around!

I love my baby girls so much!!!

Life is good...

2011-06-24T19:47:00.000-07:00

I will blog with pictures later when I get a minute to actually take some but for now I will just report that we are homeowners!!! The process was long and drawn out but we survived...and it is good. I feel like we have a project list that will keep us busy for the 5 years we plan to be here, but at least it is ours and we can do with it as we want. First on my to-do list-

1. Keep unpacking (will this ever end?)
2. Clean, Clean and Clean some more. Although the house wasn't too dirty I still feel like I need to scrub from head to toe.
3. Paint. The plan is to paint Cambri's room a light pink, Sadie's will be turquoise and I am still trying to decided what color the master bedroom will be. Luckily the rest of the house is a neutral color so I can hold off on painting the whole house for awhile.
4. Buy a lawn mower. Our yard is awesome but it will require a lot of upkeep. Too bad my dad who loves that kind of stuff lives super far away.

What I love most about our house-

1. Space! I love the extra storage.
2. The neighborhood. I have gone running a couple times through the neighborhood and I love everything about it. It is quiet, clean and pretty.
3. The bathrooms. They have been updated nicely and the girls now have their own bathtub. The master bath won't have to be taken over by toys anymore!

My biggest design dilema-

We have blue carpet in our family room. How does one decorate around blue carpet?

Moving with kids has been challenging. I want to bust through the unpacking but can't so we just take it in stride one day at a time. It will probably be months before we feel settled. Life is good!

A much needed break...

2011-06-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

I knew I needed a vacation, but I didn't realize just how much until I was on the airplane headed for Hawaii. Never have I enjoyed 5 1/2 hours on the plane like I did this time. I think I fell asleep before we even took off. After a nice nap I read People magazine from cover to cover. It was dreamy.

Our condo we stayed in was amazing. This was our view from the back door-

While in Hawaii I found my own personal sanctuary...This was our pool. I could spend hours relaxing and reading a book here.

These chair things were so cool. I would lay on them with my book and just plop my foot into the water when I got hot. Seriously the coolest thing ever.
Hawaiian sunsets just might be one of my favorite things...
And these girls are a few of my favorite people...

This might be one of my other favorite things-

Obviously Hawaii provided lots of favorite things. Pretty sure I could handle working out here every day of my life. It provided the perfect breeze with the perfect view of the ocean.

Poor Nate got attacked by a sea urchin when we were snorkeling. Kind of creepy looking right? It beat him up pretty good.

Nate enjoying some body surfing. This picture doesn't do the waves justice. They were huge. I was too scared to get in the water but Nate felt like a giddy little school boy riding the waves.

I don't have pictures of my favorite adventure. We kayaked across the bay to Captain Cook's monument. The view was amazing. And we saw dolphins!!! Seriously cool. Nate got in the water and swam with them. Once again I was too scared so I just enjoyed the view from our kayak.

Hawaii I miss you.

I am already dreaming up our next vacation.

Introducing Dr. Rencher!...

2011-05-29T07:16:00.003-07:00

I feel it necessary to take a moment to brag about my amazing husband. After 4 crazy years of adventures full of many highs and a few lows Nate is officially a doctor! I am so proud of him. He worked hard to get to this point and endured a lot of stress I know I wouldn't have been able to handle. I am one proud wifey. Doesn't he look so important in this pic?!

We have been in Des Moines since Wednesday evening. We have been going non-stop and the week was chaotic to say the least. It has been amazing to see all our friends we haven't seen for awhile. No doubt we have been blessed to have wonderful friends through this journey. I am sad to say good-bye. It makes me feel homesick. I am getting teary-eyed as I type. The last 4 years have been good to us.

Our week in review...

On our way to Des Moines-

The girls did great. Traveling with Nate made flying with children seem like a breeze. I think I need to send Nate on an airplane ride with the kids all by himself so he knows it isn't always this easy:).

Friday night we had a banquet that was lots of fun. Yummy food too. Here are some of my favorite people. Not all our friends are in this picture but these are definitely a few of the girls I am so grateful to have in my life.
(Kelly Pluid, Erin Pitcher, Jenni Racker, Nikki Hook, Me, Annie Pinegar)

And here are the doctor husbands:)-

(Caleb Pinegar, Jacob Pluid, Nick Racker, Matt Pitcher, Nate aka my sexy husband:)

One of my most favorite people in the whole entire world. The rest of the Rencher clan is pretty fond of her too...

The beautiful Nikki Hook. Doesn't she have amazing hair? I seriously adore her. Sadly she is going to be staying in Iowa although I am trying my best to convince her to move to Ohio. I am not sure I have persuaded her yet but I will keep trying.

Now I am full on crying. I love this girl. We had to say goodbye to her already when we moved to Ohio the 1st time and I am not looking forward to saying goodbye again. Lucky for me she is coming to Hawaii with us so I don't have to say goodbye for a bit.

This is how you keep kids entertained and quiet during a 3 hour graduation...

Cam played with my phone the whole time. It is amazing that she already knows how to use it.
FYI- get a babysitter for these kinds of events. Even though the kids were good it made it impossible to just enjoy the day. I will remember that for the next 3 hour graduation I plan to attend:).

And the rest of the crew-

This picture is deceiving with all the empty chairs. There were millions of people there, we just chose to sit where the kids had a little more room to run around. Cam's cool headband is to help keep the earphones in her ears. I wish I could take credit for the idea but it was all Nate on that one.

Dr. Rencher and Dr. Pinegar feeling pretty special. These 2 boys decided they would attempt to run to the school to take pics in their gowns. It resulted in them being the only 2 people to NOT pick up their diplomas because by the time they got back the diploma people were gone. So although they are officially doctors they have nothing to prove it yet. Typical of these 2 monkeys.

The Rencher and Pinegar clan...

We tried to get pictures with more people but it was mass chaos going on. Trying to find someone was like trying to find a needle in the haystack. It was actually kind of sad cause we were hoping to say goodbye to some of our friends that we may never see again. Oh how I hate goodbyes.

One proud wife!...

And our VERY cute family...

Crazy to think we started this journey sans kids.

Unfortunately Nate's parents weren't able to make it to graduation. Their flight was delayed which made it so they would miss their connecting flight and there were no other flights going to Des Moines or anywhere near it that would get them to Des Moines in time for graduation. They were going to hop in the car and start driving but even that wouldn't get them there in time. We missed them and were sad they weren't there but luckily Janelle (Nate's Sis) was there to represent. She drove all the way from Kentucky (10 hours!!!) with an almost 2 year old and a very pregnant belly to be with us. I am so glad she came. She was a life saver. Thanks Nell, Spenc and baby sis! We love you!

Next-

Fly back to Utah, drop the kids off with babysitters, fly to Hawaii for one glorious week, pack up for Ohio and start the next 5 years of our lives!!!!!

A Little Bit of Everything...

2011-05-22T18:05:00.000-07:00

This picture says it all...

(taken the night Nate got home)

Daddy is home and this little girl couldn't be happier. She was so excited to pick him up from the airport. Nate didn't get in until 11pm so Cam took a late nap in preparation for a late night. Getting ready to leave for the airport Cambri has never been so cooperative. Once she saw her daddy she just smiled with perma-grin. No words really came out but the smile wouldn't go away. Once the initial shock wore off she gabbered like crazy. She told him everything that has ever happened in her life. For a couple days she wouldn't leave his side. It was the cutest thing ever. We are so glad to have Daddy home!

Cam is obsessed with Tangled. I saw a tutorial on-line to make long hair and knew Cam would love it. She was dancing around singing all the songs from Tangled. I just love this little girl.

And here are pictures from my first attempt to play photographer. I give myself a C- and my girls a C+. I am still learning how to use the camera so I don't really know what I am doing but my girls were so not helpful. My little Sadie bug that smiles at everyone and everything would not crack a smile. And Cam although very cute is not that photogenic. The poor girl makes the funniest faces. If she is smiling it is a cheesy one. She won't look at the camera until I pretty much threaten her. And most of the time her eyes are closed. I even tried to bribe her with ice cream...didn't work. We were both mad at eachother by the time we were done with this photo session and Sadie was just as mad.

I didn't even attempt to edit the pics cause they weren't cute enough. I will have to try again when I am not by myself.

(This was one of the better ones:))

(now you can see why Sadie wasn't a happy camper)

(getting closer)

I tried so many different flowers in her head and I couldn't get one to look cute. Good thing the baby is cute anyway.

Fake smile but at least she is looking at the camera.

Here is my little Diva...

The only picture she let me take willingly...

I told her she could take a silly one. She was all over that. How does a 2 year old have so much sass?

The pics might not be too fancy but they are cute and show their personality.

Our Home Sweet Home...I hope:)

2011-05-07T18:49:00.000-07:00

We have yet to get all the paperwork done but we are under contract for this home. It is the one I posted a picture about earlier. Here are a few of the pictures I pulled off the internet. I don't have any pictures myself cause I used my mother-in-laws i-phone when I was in Ohio and all the pics are on that. Anyway here it is... Obviously the kitchen. I love how open it is to the family room. And it has new appliances. I can see my little girls eating breakfast sitting at the bar already. For some reason this house just felt like home to me.

This is right next to the kitchen and the family room is just to the right.

This room doesn't look that fancy now but once I get some pain on the walls and my piano in there it will look fabulous! I am so excited about this room:)

Backyard. It does come with the hottub but I think we will sell it eventually. I would rather spend my money on new clothes or a family trip. I do love that we will have a fenced yard with big trees.

I couldn't get a picture of the whole bedroom but this is taken from the bed looking back to the bathroom. I really like the master bedroom.

If all goes well we will close on June 15th. So soon yet so far away. We have a busy schedule up to that point so I am sure time will fly-

May 15th- Nate gets home

May 17th- leave for a Vegas vacation for 4 days

May 25th- Leave for Des Moines

May 28th- Graduation!!!

May 29th- Fly back to Utah

May 31st- Leave for Hawaii!!!!!!!!!!

June 8th- Fly back to Utah

June 10thish- start driving to Ohio

I will be excited to get our life started but I am going to be so sad to leave my family. I have loved living close to them. I have used and abused my babysitting privileges. We are lucky to have so many people helping us out right now.

P.S. Today Sadie is 7 months old and to celebrate she slept through the night. Meaning- 11 hours without waking up once!!!! It felt amazing to wake up feeling rested. Lets hope for another good night.

A few pictures...

2011-05-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

I have tons of pictures now that I have a cord to get them off my camera but I am sooooooo tired and will have to wait until tomorrow to post most of them.

Here are a few for you...My beautiful girls. This was taken Easter Sunday and both of them still have their sleepy eyes. I am in love!

I love that such a simple thing as a chocolate bunny can make someone so happy.

This little rascal has grown up so fast in the last 3 weeks. Since Nate has been gone she has rolled over (I know she should have done this forever ago but neither of my girls rolled early. They both sat up before rolling), pulled herself to standing, started babbling ba ba ba, learned to pick up cheerios and eat them by herself, and started scooting backwards.

More to come.

I am happy to report...

2011-05-02T21:47:00.000-07:00

1. I will no longer be posting picture-less posts as of this Wednesday because I ordered a cord for my camera and will be able to transfer my pictures to the computer.

2. My little Sadie Bug is sleeping on average 12 hours at night and only waking up once to eat.

3. I will have my husband back in 2 weeks. I am more than excited. I did the single mommy thing a lot this summer but I only had one rascal to watch. Doing it with 2 has been hard. Especially when it comes to getting us all ready for church on time. Last Sunday I left the baby monitor upstairs so my parents heard all my struggles. My Dad came down and saved me by taking Cambri and playing blocks with her until I was ready. If it wasn't for that I probably would have had a breakdown and crawled back in bed:)

4. We are under contract for a home and SLOWLY making progress on the loan application. Word of advice...Don't try to buy a home when your husband is in South Africa. Especially when you aren't smart enough to get power of attorney to sign for him. Lesson learned.

5. We leave for Hawaii in 29 days!!!! Oh how I am ready for the break.

6. I ate way too many chocolate chip cookies today. I am not happy to report that, but as I type I am feeling sick and thought I should confess my sin. I am proud to say that I didn't cave to the temptation to grab a diet cherry pepsi today.

7. And last, I have been able to talk to Nate more than I thought I would which has calmed my anxiety. Technology is wonderful and I am grateful I haven't had to go the whole month without hearing from him.

Lots of pictures to come soon!!!

Fun Giveaway...hurry it ends today!

2011-04-28T06:32:00.000-07:00

You have to love anything for free...especially when it is this cute. Check it out quick cause it ends today 4/28!

click here

It is to make one of those cute alphabet books for church. You can personalize it with your kids pics.

I hope I win though!

The Latest...

2011-04-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

Since we got our new camera I now have no way of downloading pics onto the computer because our laptop is too old to read the memory card so I need to get a cord that will do the trick. With no pics I don't like to blog, but I will do a quick update on life anyway....if you care:).

First...Nate left for South Africa last Saturday. He is doing a rotation out there for a month. It was hard to say goodbye again for such a long time. I really hope one day we don't live such a crazy life. He is there with 3 friends and I know they will have a blast so I am excited for him to have this opportunity. We don't get to communicate too much but today we were able to facebook and talk on the phone (in 2 minute increments cause the phone kept cutting out). It was really nice to hear his voice. I have been somewhat anxious having him gone and I needed to hear from him. Trying to buy a house with him across the world has been stressful to say the least.

Speaking of house buying...I think we have it narrowed down to one house. It is my favorite one, the one I blogged about. We have been negotiating on it forever. I am sure the sellers are sick of us. We have yet to sign papers and make it official but Nate gave me the go ahead (I think he wanted me to pick the other house cause it was less expensive, but he loves me and said I could pick the one that would make me most happy:)...Thanks hubby! I will post pictures of it when it really is the real deal. I love the house because it has a formal living room that will be perfect for my piano and the family room has sunlights so it feels really open. The kitchen is small but it is open and the appliances are new. And the masterbedroom has vaulted ceilings. We have a 4 poster bed and it will look fabulous in it. It also has a formal dining room that I want to give some wainscoating (not sure that's how you spell it). Needless to say I am excited.

We are leaving for our Hawaii trip in a month and little Sadie still doesn't sleep for more than 3-4 hours at a time at night. I can't feel good about having someone else watch her if she is getting up so much. That is a lot to ask of someone. So I am engaging in sleep bootcamp this month. I am turning into the mean mom that makes her cry herself to sleep when she wakes up at 12:45am on the dot every night. I have yet to get good sleep but I am hoping after a few weeks of this we can at least get her going 6 hour stretches. 6 hours of sleep sounds dreamy...pathetic since my baby is 6 1/2 months old. Good thing she is such a good baby otherwise.

That is probably enough rambling without pictures. I will check in again soon.

Down to the Final 5...

2011-04-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

(This is one of my favs. Even comes with a hot tub...not sure if thats good or bad. I have never had to take care of one. But the idea sounds nice right?)

This last month I have been consumed with house hunting. It was mostly online but since Wednesday I have been in Ohio looking at homes....all day long...all by myself. I chose to do it this way, but it has been harder than I thoguht it would be. My body and mind are spent. It is a little overwhelming to be in charge of such a big decision. I don't want Nate to think I am crazy for picking a certain house. I have taken a ton of pics and video (thanks to my fantastic mil who let me borrow her i-phone) so I have at least been able to keep Nate included that way. P.S. I want an i-phone.:) Luckily I have found 5 homes that I think we could be happy in. The problem now is trying to figure out which one I like most. Of course you have to weigh the pros and cons since at our price range we won't be getting our dream home. I can't complain though because for a first home I think we are getting something fantastic. I think I have my #1 but I am scared to go for it full throttle because the other houses have things I like that this one doesn't. Of the 5 houses I like I have been through all of them 3 times. Each one has things I love, and things I don't so much love. But non of them have things I hate. I think I am also scared to get to attached to a house in the case that it doesn't work out. The other hard decision is trying to figure out what area I want to be in. All the houses are in fantastic locations, just different.

Decisions, Decisions!!!

I am hoping by Tuesday I will be able to blog about being a home-owner. Wish us luck!!!

2011-03-21T22:48:00.000-07:00

Tonight Nate and I made the most delicious quesadillas and guacamole. Nate then cleaned up the kitchen and did the dishes. After enjoying a quick family night activity I purchased myself this little beauty...

It was basically the perfect night:)

Sisters

2011-03-14T23:06:00.000-07:00

I think they definitely still look like sisters but each have their own unique look as well. What do you think?

All Smiles!

2011-03-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

This little love only made me get up once last night. That is huge progress for us! Lets hope for another great night.

Isn't she the most beautiful thing ever! I am seriously in love.

Cambri Photoshoot

2011-03-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I asked Cambri if I could take some pictures of her and she kindly said, "No". I came back with a marshmallow bribe and this is what I got-

Today she told me I could take more pictures of her if she could get more marshmallows. Smart girl:) Cute too!

Unveiling of the birthday cake!

2011-03-06T20:05:00.000-08:00

Nate made a cake this year to represent the new home we hope to be buying in the next few months. He had very limited time to put it together so I was very impressed with the outcome. I do need to thank my sis-in-law cause she did a lot of the work too. On a side note- House hunting btw is soooooooo stressful, especially when you don't know the area at all. We have been to Massillon before but for a very short time and we only saw a tiny bit of it. But somewhere out there our first home is waiting for us and I can't wait to find it!

My Bday was last Monday. Thank you everyone for the bday wishes. I felt very loved and was spoiled all day. I have now entered the last year of my 20s. It doesn't really bother me it just doesn't seem real. This last week was the basketball state championship game for Morgan High where I went to school. It was televised so we watched part of it and I totally felt old because the boys playing were the youngest kids of the families I babysat for when I was in middle and high school. Where did the years go?

I also feel old because I can no longer use the computer without my glasses or my eyes get irritated and blurry, my skin gets those nasty age spots when I am in the sun, not to mention the signs of wrinkles around my eyes. Can I just say I am not against botox and just may have to give it a try in the future.

The issue I do have with being 29 is not knowing what department I should shop for clothes. I feel like I should still be in the junior section, yet some outfits I know are too young for me. But the misses department doesn't have a lot that I love, and some of it feels old, nor does it fit me right. I remember making a promise to my dear friend Marinda in high school that we wouldn't be one of those people who can't seem to let go of their younger years. Sometimes I wonder if I am living up to that promise:).

The wonderful thing about being 29 is I am very happy with my life and where it has taken me. I don't know if I would have guessed back in high school that this is where I would be right now, but that is probably for the best. I am in a much better place than I thought possible. School has been long and hard and we still have a long road ahead of us, but I love my little family, and the adventures we have been able to experience together have been priceless.

V-Day just a little late...

2011-03-02T20:26:00.001-08:00

We didn't celebrate late, I am just slow in getting the blog post done. Anyway, it was a fabulous V-day. I am not the biggest V-day person. We usually just do a little family thing and call it good. That is what I thought we were doing this year too. That is until Nate let me know the night before that we would be going out to eat and to see a movie and then he had a special surprise that I was going to love. We still did all our family stuff during the day. Cams ate her weight in chocolate and thought it was the best day ever.

And my special surprise...If you watch the Bachelor you will know what I am talking about cause that is where Nate got the inspiration. Yes Nate watches Bachelor with me:). When the girls were in Vegas one of them got to go on a shopping spree. Well, that is what I got to do too! Maybe not quite to the extent that Bachelor did but I still got spoiled. I know Nate hates shopping so it meant a lot that he would spend the night watching me try on endless amounts of clothes. Shopping is frustrating these days cause I don't love the way my body looks in them so I tried on a ton of clothes.

We saw the movie Just Go With It. I loved it. Nate loved it. You should see it.

Here are the pics from our family celebrations-

Cambri got to put the toppings on the pizza all by herself. I think the pepperoni was a couple inches thick. Suprisingly the cucumbers tasted pretty good:).

Sadie's contributions to the night-

Cutest Valentine Ever!

Forgot to add this to the last post...

2011-02-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

It actually has nothing to do with the last post but I wanted to mention that if you are looking for a cute frilly easter or Christmas dress (they are on clearance) for your little girl(s) you should check out http://www.byspecialoccasion.com/ and if you do get one make sure to use this code for a 15% discount FMLY15. I ordered some stuff and the computer had a glich so they cancelled my order and asked me to reorder and gave me the code to use and share with everyone. Oh how I love girly things!

Beware of the sizing. I had to buy a 12 month dress for Sadie to wear when he will be 6 months.

Fancy Date Night...

2011-02-25T21:20:00.000-08:00

Last night Nate and I got to attend the opening night of the Bodies Exhibit at the Idaho Falls Museum thanks to my fabulous inlaws who not only gave us the tickets but also babysat for us. We sure are going to miss the free babysitting when we move to Ohio. Cam is going to miss her grandparents like crazy. The night was a huge production which started out with hors d'oeuvres and drinks while checking out the exhibits and ended with a buffet style dinner accompanied by a live band. Dinner was delicious especially the fantastic chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream frosting. I am pretty sure the cupcake was the highlight of my night:) Actually the exhibit was really cool. Nate and I had been wanting to go for a long time but couldn't justify spending the money so we were really excited about not only getting to go but to be wined and dined as well. The exhibit did not dissapoint and if you haven't been you should definitely do it if you have the chance.

I dyed my hair again. Pretty sure my hair is a different color in every picture I have. It turned out lighter and more red than I was expecting but I think I like it.

In other news I just thought you would enjoy a picture of this cute little critter...

Our Sadie bug is growing up too fast. She is almost sitting up on her own. This bug loves to laugh and it makes my heart melt.

And lastly, I am soooooooo ready for winter to be over. I turn into a grinch every time I go outside. I am falling asleep as I type. I guess that means it is time to go to bed.

What is high in the middle and round on both ends?....

2011-02-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

OHIO!

I know that is totally cheesy, but it is what I think of every time I hear the word Ohio. I think I learned it back in grade school. Anyway, it is official that we will be moving to Massillon Ohio in June for Nate to start a residency program in orthopedic surgery. Getting into an ortho program isn't easy so I am very proud of Nate for working so hard and enduring through the process. At times it seemed like med school was so long and I couldn't wait for it to be over. Now I can't believe graduation is just around the corner and we will be moving onto our next adventure.

I don't really know much about where we are moving other than it is about 2 hours from where we use to live and they bread huge football players. This is the high school football stadium-
We will head out to Ohio the week before graduation to house hunt. I am more than excited to finally be buying our first home. At least I hope it works out that way. I am already designing what I want the girls' rooms to look like and I can't wait to be able to paint the walls. No more sterile white walls!!!

I am a little nervous about the whole idea of moving to a new place where I won't know anyone. We will be there for 5 years so I hope we can find our place and feel comfortable calling it home.

I am excited that we will live within 6-8 hours of a lot of cool places- Chicago, D.C., New York, Boston, etc. Since we will have 5 years we best be exploring a lot!

This is what he have been up to lately...

2011-02-13T21:21:00.000-08:00

1. Ice Skating- Cam was very uncertain about this whole ice thing from the beginning. After convincing her she was having fun she decided she loved it and didn't ever want to rest. Nate got a good workout that day hauling her around the ice.
My ice skating skills aren't that great so I slowly skated around the rink with Sadie strapped to my chest.2. Pony Parties in the Bathtub- This has become a nightly event.
I asked Cambri to give me a normal smile and this is what I got...

I blame it on her daddy:)

3. Turning 4 months old- This little one is getting chunkier by the day and I am loving every last fat roll she has. She got her 4month shots the other day and you would have thought she was going to die. This girl has a set of lungs on her. I warned the nurses before they gave her shots that she would be a screamer. But apparently I didn't prepare them enough. They were wide eyed and astonished. Yes we have a drama queen on our hands.

4. Eating some big girl food- I think this one is going to be a good eater. She loves her some cereal. The picture doesn't really do the mess justice.

And me, I am back on one of those sugar free kicks...kind of...I am off sugar except for Wed I can have a small treat and Sunday I can indulge a little more. I can't go cold turkey. I have to admit I think about what treat I am going to eat all week. Pathetic I know. If you want the chocolate chip recipe I tried click here. Its a keeper. I am also trying to cook some vegetarian meals a couple times a week. I was a fan of the soup I made. Nate, not so much. He says he isn't into rabbit food. But I promise it was yummy and if you want that recipe its here.

Speaking of Nate, he is currently doing an ER rotation here in Idaho Falls. It has been pretty chill because the docs didn't give him a schedule and they don't really expect him to come in that much. He is loving it and we are loving having him around more often.

Life has been pretty good to us these days. If only the little one would learn to sleep through the night. Yes I still get up with her every 2-3 hrs. Which means I am mucho jealous of those of you who have blogged about your babes (younger than mine) who sleep 10 hrs at a time.

Wishing and Wanting...

2011-02-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have those days when you just feel picked on? I probably have them too often. Like every time I pretend shop on-line for cute clothes. I call it pretend shopping because I know I will never buy any of the clothes I put in the shopping bag. Or should I say can't afford any of the clothes. I know poor me right?:) Anyway, I know I am super blessed and I don't want to overlook any of those blessings, but a girl can dream right? Lately it seems my want list has grown exponentially (I hate that I just had to google that word to see how it is spelled). My want list does include some more important things in life but here are a few of the worldly things I desire...

This outfit from BR. I actually have gift cards to buy it, but want to wait until I am the size I want to be. I am holding out with the hopes that my p90x adventure will help me in my endeavors.

I really want this PB bedding for Sadie's nursery. I love everything about it. I have a beautiful brown rocker that would go perfect with it. And I have an obsession with blue walls.

And here is the bedroom I want for Cam. I love the tulle bedskirt. And I really adore the wrought iron bed. If I could paint I would even paint the tree on the wall.

I have been wanting one of these for a long time so I can take beautiful pictures of my children...

I suppose I would have to learn how to use it first.

I want to own a business like this www.Kosama.com. It is basically my dream job.

I really really really want this bed from Restoration Hardware. I find it to be absolutely beautiful. I bet I would get the best sleep ever in a bed like this. I probaby need a beautiful bedroom to go with it too. And I will take a matress that doesn't hurt my back...

How about a little something to cover up the smell of spit up or the fact that I haven't showered for a couple days...

My latest obsession...

Nude heels.

I will take one of each please.

I will now stop dreaming and appreciate what I do have. That is a long list too. For starters I need to love on my baby who is asleep on my lap. There is nothing more magical than a sleeping baby.

Cross Country Skiing

2011-02-06T13:47:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday Nate was able to take a day off from work so we headed up to Herriman State Park to Xcountry ski and then spend the night at the cabin in Island Park. I have to admit I was a little skeptical about taking our kiddos skiing. Good thing Nate had vision because it worked out perfectly. Cams loved riding in her sled and seeing the swans that were out on the river. But most of all she loved her yummy hot chocolate we drank when we stopped to watch the swans. If you ask her is she had fun she says yes and then proceeds to tell the story of how mommy crashed. I guess it is already time to get use to harrassment from my children. I carried Sadie in a chest carrier and she slept the whole time. If we get another sunny day we just might do it again. Nate pulling Cam. We just used a normal sled and made a make shift harness and it worked wonderful.
Yummy hot chocolate!

Sadie bug and I dressed in our pink snow outfits.

I am not always the biggest fan of snow activities. I don't enjoy being cold so I usually put up a stink about going to play in the snow. I am glad I have a husband that pushes it or I would probably be a hermit all winter. And in the end I always enjoy myself. Guess I need to stop being such a wuss and get out more often. If it weren't for Nate I would never have gone xcountry skiing or snowboarding. Turns out I love both of them. Thanks hubby. Maybe one day I can convince him that shopping is fun:).

check this blog out please!

2011-02-01T22:26:00.000-08:00

click here to find the cutest lunch ideas for kids. I cant wait to try them out on Cam!

In need of your help!...

2011-02-01T16:07:00.000-08:00

I have tried a million different mascaras. I can't find one that I like. I don't do water-proof. I am too cheap to buy the expensive kind. Have you had any luck finding one you love? Would love your opinion please!

Makes a Momma Proud...

2011-01-27T19:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Cambri grabbed my hand and told me I had to go to the bathroom. She pulled me into the bathroom and watched me go potty to make sure I did it. After we finished business she said, "I have to go exercise on the big tv". (This is what I always say to her when I am putting her to bed). We then went into the theater room where the big tv is and she did a good 5 minutes of p90x. I was told to sit and watch her. It was too funny to watch her try to mimic the moves. I am glad she thinks exercise is something you do for fun.

Its funny to hear Cams repeat the things Nate and I say to her regularly. She really enjoys putting us in timeouts. She is so stern when she tells us "to go to timeout and stay right there". I guess we must sound really mean when we say it to her.

This little one sure keeps us entertained on a daily basis.

Yummy Recipes

2011-01-26T10:51:00.000-08:00

Just in case you are looking for some yummy new recipes I thought I would share a few. I know I love it when others share successful dinner ideas.

Curry Chicken and Rice

1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 Med Onion (cut any way you like to eat them. I diced mine)
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp Curry Powder
1 can (12-14oz) unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup diced tomatoes (I used fresh but I suppose you could use canned)
2 TBSP tomato paste
1 lb chicken, 1 inch cubes
3 cups fresh baby spinach (I chopped it up)

1. Heat oil and add onions and salt, cook til soft. add curry powder, cook and stir 1 min.

2. Stir in Coconut milk, tomatoes, and paste. Cook 5 minutes

3. Add chicken and cook til chicken is done, stir in spinach and cook 3 min.

Salt and Pepper to taste
Serve over rice

Yummy!

Lettuce Wraps

1 lb ground turkey
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 tsp garlic
2 tsp ginger

Brown the meat and season with the rest of the ingredients

Saute whatever veggies you want. I used-

Shredded carrots
radishes
peas
onions
broccoli
edemame

Dipping sauce-

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup water
3 TBSP Lemon Juice
2 TBSP garlic
1 TBSP ginger
1 tsp sugar

Serve it all in a lettuce wrap. This one was a huge hit. I served it with this recipe from my friend's blog. Thanks Sara!

Updates

2011-01-19T17:59:00.000-08:00

Come May 31st we will be enjoying this beautiful view! Instead of a cruise we opted to try out the Big Island of Hawaii. And I am soooooo excited! If any of you have ever been to the Big Island and have any fun ideas as to what we should do please share.

As for the p90x workout...

Enough people wanted to know what I thought so here is a quick run down-

I just officially started this last Monday but I did a few of the dvds last week too. In my opinion if I do the workouts to my best ability and try to eat healthy I should see some good results. The workouts are tough and no nonsense. It is definitely not geared toward the beginner although you can modify the workout to fit any fitness level. I am a fan thus far. It is a nice/sad reminder of how weak my muscles have become. The Chest and Back workout consists of a million push-ups and pull-ups. I for sure have to opt for the modification on the pull-ups. I have never been good at those things even when I was in shape.

I am only using exercise bands instead of weights. They work great. I haven't done the leg workout yet so I don't know if you have to have weights for that. I would probably prefer weights but they don't pack well and our car was already to capacity on our way here. And I am pretty sure we have doubled what we brought in toys alone from Chistmas.

The Plyometrics workout is a killer. And so is the ab workout. I don't love the Kenpo dvd. Its kickboxing stuff. It is a good workout but it very repetitious and I get bored with that stuff. I have some turbokick dvds from when I was teaching that I will substitute on those days. Today I will be doing the yoga workout and I am excited to try it out.

I would recommend this workout routine to anyone. I don't think its the one and only perfect way to get in shape but I think its a good way to do it. I would suggest doing it with someone. That way you have someone to push you and compete with. I can't talk Nate into doing it with me so I am going alone.

This is more than you probably cared to know. But I like to ramble:). Now it is time to go take a shower before the day is half over.

My quest to get back in shape...

2011-01-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

Yes I am one of the millions of people who made the New Year's resolution to get in shape. Because once upon a time I had arms that looked like this...

And a belly that looked like this...

And now my arms look like this...

...and there is no need to share what my belly looks like. Trust me, it looks nothing like the picture above. Yes I could use the excuse that I just had a baby 3 months ago. But I know many people that have had many more babies than I have and they have rockin' bodies. I want to be like them. So I begin my journey doing p90x. I have also heard Insanity is pretty amazing so I will probably give that a try.

Working out as a mommy is definitely more challenging than pre-baby days. Especially since I am not teaching any group x classes. Trying to find time to exercise can be challenging, but I have always believed that my health is worth the time I must invest to be in shape. No, I don't need a rockin' body...that is just motivation to get my butt moving. But I do want to be a healthy mom who sets a good example for my girls.

I know one of the hardest parts about getting in shape is the results don't show up over night. Working out is hard and not always fun, and the scale doesn't always show the numbers we want to see. I am trying my best not to have the number on the scale be my goal. I truly just want to feel good.

I haven't worked out yet today so I guess I better stop talking and get moving...and put the chocolate down:).

We love our Sadie Bug...

2011-01-09T22:13:00.000-08:00

Our little Sadie Bug is 3 months old. It is so fun to watch her little personality develop, yet I hate how fast time flies. She is turning into a little chunk and I love her round chubby cheeks.

Although she looks like a deer in headlights in this picture, Sadie is always smiling and I can't get enough of it. She loves to talk and she and I have lots of great "conversations". And her little laugh is the best.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to hold Sadie's Baby Blessing at my parent's house. It was a wonderful experience and the blessing Nate gave was great. It is always a special experience to hear Nate give our girls a blessing. Sadie was a bit of a stink and screamed through it until I stuck a bottle in her mouth. But after that she was happy as can be. We used the same dress that Cambri wore for her blessing so I am excited to compare the two girls and see if they still look alike.

I love the few pictures we have of our little family. People often comment on how my babies look asian because of their eyes. After seeing this picture you can definitely see why.

I will always love how small Sadie looks when compared to her daddy.

I love our little Sadie more than words can say.

Christmas Highlights 2010

2011-01-06T11:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was a party. Almost all of Nate's family was here at one point which meant lots of cousins for Cambri to play with. In the past she hasn't done well with the stranger anxiety, but she finally decided it was fun to have friends and she very much enjoyed running around with her cousins.

We are lucky to have so much family to enjoy during the holidays. We don't know if life will allow us to come home next year so we really cherished the celebrations.

Our pretty princess on Christmas Day.

Cam spends the majority of her day dressed up in either her tinkerbell or strawberry shortcake outfits.

Everyone needs a picture with spaghetti all over their face.

We made gingerbread houses (grahm crackers houses I should say.). Cams and I made a pink one. Of course.

Cams and Nate made this one-

And this would be what Cambri does when I ask to take a picture of her-

Or we get the goofy smile. She was proud of her Dora Back Pack.

Our little bunnies in their matching jammies-

Sadie was the youngest of the group so she got to play baby Jesus-

We had a ton of fun. Too much fun. Now it is time to get back to life and normal schedules before Cams gets use to going to bed at midnight. And this is the year for New Year's Resolutions. I made a ton of them. Nothing like seeting yourself up for failure right?:).

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Merry Christmas...

2010-12-21T20:59:00.000-08:00

I didn't do Christmas cards this year so this post is my slacker back-up plan. I do hope that this time of year finds you all well. We sure have had a very eventful year and as it comes to an end we are very grateful for the many blessings we have enjoyed.

We are excited to start a new year and see what new adventures await us. On the agenda so far-

First and foremost Nate graduates med school!!!!!!!!

We will be going on a celebration vacation (hopefully a cruise). But I will take anything relaxing and in a warm location.

Nate will start his residency in Orthopedics.

We hopefully will be buying our first house.

I am grateful for this time of year and the opportunity I have had to reflect upon the life of Christ. This last year definitely provided many faith testing experiences, but through it all I have learned much about prayer and my relationship with my Savior has become much closer. I am very grateful for His love and patience he has shown me. I have needed him and know that he is ALWAYS there for me when I am willing to turn to him. Again I just have to say that my little family has truly been blessed and we have lots to be grateful for this holiday season.

Here is my little family that I love so much...

We went to the lights at Temple Square last weekend. We thought Cambri was going to love it since she gets excited about any kind of Christmas light. But instead Cambri decided to be her crazy 2 year old self and showed zero emotion the whole time we were there. The girl keeps me guessing and has proved that I have yet to figure out the mind of a two year old.

Christmas has been very fun this year. Cambri isn't a huge fan of the big man in the red suit but she likes the idea that he will be bringing her presents. Everyday she comes up with a new toy she wants and says, "Santa bring me strawberry shortcake/dora/thomas the train, etc. Is that a good idea?" Nate and I had a blast buying presents for her and had to hold back from buying every toy in the store. I think we might be more excited about Christmas morning than she is.

Last night after putting Cambri in bed Nate and I left the kiddos with Grandma and Grandpa Rencher and headed to the gym to play a little game of Horse (which I beat him 3-0) and sit in the hot tub. When we came home we found Cambri sitting by the Christmas tree playing with the presents. She had climbed out of bed and made her way downstairs without being heard. Luckily she only opened the present she is giving to Sadie and was playing with a Sponge Bob box that wasn't wrapped. She had also peed on the floor. The poor girl had the guiltiest look on her face when Nate found her. She just looked at him with wide eyes and waved. It is hard to get mad when she is just so darn cute.

Here is Cambri opening her present from Grandma Tucker and Papa. She was VERY excited to get dress up clothes. She is as girly as they come and I love it! We played dress up the rest of the night.

Even baby Sadie got to be a part of it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all and to all a good night!

A few of my favorite things...

2010-12-13T20:43:00.000-08:00

This blog post is pretty much me just wasting time...:)

I swear by this stuff. It has saved so many items of clothing at our house. I truly could be the next spokes person.

Nate and I joined the Apple here in Idaho Falls. It has been so much fun working out together. We are taking it rather slow since both of us are out of shape. And both of us walked around looking funny since we were so sore after the first day. As part of the introductory to the gym we received 2 free pilates classes on the reformer. It was new for both of us so we just laughed at eachother as we tried to do the exercises. I have to say I loved the class and wish it didn't cost an extra $99/month. I am loving the gym, but even more I am loving the hour each day Nate and I have to spend together.

I am addicted to this stuff. The strawberry dragonfruit is my favorite.

Truly the only lotion that has even done anything for my dry skin. I love it. My hands have been so dry they snag on everything. Gross I know. This stuff makes them soft and silky. You have to try it.

What's not to love about this little bundle of joy.

And how can you not love this!

And this!

And this! Can you tell she did NOT want to go play in the snow.

I love my girls. Even if both of them end up in bed with us on a regular basis:).

Home Sweet Home...

2010-12-08T12:44:00.001-08:00

I just ordered Sadie's birth announcements so I hope to be getting them to fam and friends soon. She is so much bigger than this pic now. Wish they didn't grow up so fast! She is now about 10 1/2 pounds. I guess I should just be grateful she didn't come out this big. I do love that she is putting on some chunk. This little girl really is a great baby. She has her grumpy moments before going to bed but is perfect all day. I am a lucky momma!

We finally made it home to Idaho. We did the drive in 4 days so that we never had to drive more than 9 hours, but those 9 hour days were long. I hope we don't have to get in the car for awhile. But I can't complain too much cause it is so great to be with family. Cams is loving all the extra space to run around, and she loves the toy room right outside our bedroom. And little Sadie loves that there is someone to always hold her. She is a little cuddle bug.

Life really is perfect right now. Nate has 4 weeks of vacation so we get to play play play. On the agenda for today is...buy snow clothes for Cam and make Christmas cookies, oh and exercise. Nate and I are on a mission to get back in shape. With babysitters all around we have no excuses. And I don't fit into any of my pants and I don't want to buy a bunch of clothes that I hope I don't fit into for very long. I could ramble about this forever but I won't bore you with my sob story. Of course the to-do list should consist of stuff like unpacking and cleaning, but that can wait for another day right?

The Latest...

2010-11-28T12:21:00.000-08:00

I am not very good at this blogging thing anymore. I use to be able to blame it on Nate having the computer but he has been home for the last 3 weeks and I am just barely getting a post done. I will try to be better but life is going to get crazy again for the next month, so I make no promises.

Our newest adventure will begin this Friday when we pack our stuff in a storage unit and make our trek across the country to move in with Nate's parents in Idaho Falls for a few months. For the last bit of Nate's schooling he has the freedom to do his rotations wherever he wants so we chose to spend some time closer to home where we can enjoy family and friends. Since we will most likely end up in Ohio for residency for the next 5 years it will be nice to live close to family for a short time.

Since we will be in the Idaho/Utah area til the end of May I hope to be seeing many long lost friends:) I am looking forward to some possible GNOs. I need to build up some girl time before we move to a far away place where I have no friends.

Just so this isn't a pictureless post, here are some recent photos of the girls-

Our little Sadie is quite possibly the smiliest baby in the world. This picture makes me happy.

Just enjoying some sister time.

This is Cam's first time holding Sadie unassisted. A little scary since most pictures looked like this one below-When she pulls this face you never know what to expect from her.

Hope to be seeing many of you soon!!!

Identity Crisis...

2010-11-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

Our little bunny is almost a month old. Crazy how time flies when you are not pregnant:). Since she is almost a month old we decided the appropriate way to celebrate was to change her name of course. We have been calling her Hadley but it just hasn't felt right to me. I found myself hesitant to call her by her name and it didn't sound right when others said it. I brought it up to Nate and he too wasn't sold on the name Hadley. It isn't that we don't like it, more that it just didn't fit our little baby. Pretty much the little one has been referred to as baby sister or bunny, but now she has a name that I hope is the real deal...

Here is our little Sadie baby- I wanted to use this name when we were figuring out Cambri's name, but Nate didn't like it. Luckily he likes it this time around cause I still love it. It will take awhile to get use to her new name, but I think it fits her perfectly.

Here are a few more pictures of what has been going on around here.

Cam loves being a big sis. She especially loves to give Sadie lots of love. She is such a great helper with the bink which is what she is doing in this picture. She does sometimes find it entertaining to either pull the bink out or stick her finger in as far as possible. Luckily Sadie is usually a good sport.

Halloween this year was fun. I think we went trick-or-treating 4 different times. Cams loved it! I love that she calls it pick-or-treat.

And yes, I should have known better than to give her the whole bag of pretzel goldfish. And I should have known better than to try to take a picture. She hates getting her picture taken so when she saw the camera she started throwing the fish everywhere.

Nate will be home for good this weekend. We are so so so excited!!! We survived our long 4 month separation. I hope to never ever do anything like it again.

Baby Hadley

2010-10-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

We are loving having this baby girl in our home.

She has a Name!...

2010-10-08T18:12:00.000-07:00

We have had a hard time making up our minds about naming this precious baby, but I think we have finally come to a decision.

Meet our little Hadley Caprice-

She looks so small when being held by her daddy.

I love her little lips.

So do they look like sisters?

Hadley

Cambri

I think they look like twins. At least in these pictures they do.

Our Newest Addition!!!

2010-10-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

This is rather lengthy. For those who don't care about the details you can skip down to the pictures.

Our precious baby girl made her debut at 9:04am today. She weighed in at 7 lbs 1 oz. and is 20 inches long. She is healthy as can be and has a great set of lungs on her. She also came with a nice head of dark hair!!! Lets hope it doesn't all fall out. She truly is perfect and we are so happy she is here.

Timing couldn't have been more perfect. Nate is still in the middle of doing all his crazy orthopedic rotations. He has been in Cleveland just an hour and 15 minutes away for the last month, but starts a new one in Columbus (2 hours) away on Monday. Even though he is only an hour away he still isn't able to come home at night so we only see him on the weekends when he isn't on call. I wanted so badly to have this baby in time to take her home for the weekend so we could spend some family time together. To add some stress to the situation Nate's car broke down Sunday morning on his way to work. I had to go pick him up and take him the rest of the way to the hospital and wait for him to round on his patients before we called AAA to come tow our car back to Sandusky. Since Nate has to have a car for work I was left without transportation for 4 days. Since we are 30 minutes from the hospital this was a cause for concern in the case I went into labor and Nate couldn't make it back in time to get me. Because of this I had decided maybe it was best to be induced Monday the 4th so that we could have a little control over the situation. After my appointment that morning I was scheduled to go in to the hospital that night at 8:30pm. I had a slight breakdown as the reality hit me that I was having a baby that day and my days of one-on-one time with Cambri would be coming to an end. Once I had my moment of tears I decided I was ready and okay with my decision. That was until my induction was canceled due to an understaffed hospital. I was then rescheduled for the following evening...that fell through and I was pushed til Friday morning at 7am. Honestly I didn't want to be induced at all but it was more important to me to have this baby in time to have her home for the weekend. With Nate being away from us for the last 3 months I just wanted some family time. So the thought of waiting until Friday morning sent me into another breakdown. If this was the case we wouldn't get to go home until Sunday morning at the earliest.

Long story short...prayers were answered and baby came all on her own when my water broke at 2:30am today (Thursday, just one day past my due date. Better than the 4 days I went over with Cam).

I called Nate so he could start making the trek back from Cleveland to pick me up so we could make the trip to the hospital together. Contractions hadn't started yet so I took a shower and cleaned up a few dirty dishes while I waited for him.

We got to the hospital around 4 or 4:30am. At this point the contractions were getting more painful but I was still okay. My labor with Cams was 17 hours from the time my water broke so I was expecting a long day. Fortunately things couldn't have gone smoother or more perfectly. By 6:15am I was ready for the drugs. I had a few contractions that pretty much made me lose control and I knew at that point I wasn't going to go natural. I am not tough enough and honestly I am okay with that. I love me some good drugs that is for sure. It also didn't help that I was barfing like crazy. Nate was amazing at coaching me but I know he was glad I chose to get the drugs.

I got the epidural around 7:15am and baby was here by 9:04am. I couldn't believe how fast things were going. When the doc came in and said it was time to push Nate and I were shocked. I pushed about 4 times and she was here. I can't complain about a 6 1/2 hour labor from start to finish.

I love everything about the way this labor and delivery went.

I can't believe I am so lucky to be the mom of two very beautiful and amazing little girls.

I am very overwhelmed with gratitude for the many blessings that my family has been given over the last few months. It has been challenging indeed to have Nate so far away, but we have been watched over and taken care of. Even though my faith has wavered often, I know that my Heavenly Father has listened to and answered many of my prayers.

Enjoy the pics. I hope to get some more up soon.

Here is my belly in all its glory. (Chels this is for you). This was taken just 3 days before I went into labor.

My precious babies. Lets hope Nate can handle all these girls!

I don't know why this picture is turned sideways but check out that hair!!! At first I didn't think she looked much like Cam but now I see a lot of resemblance.

Cam runs from cameras so this is the best we could do.

Our little family

So far Cambri has done well with the baby. I think it helps that baby sister had a present waiting for her at the hospital when she and Grandma Rencher arrived.

More pictures to come...

Patiently Waiting...

2010-09-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

I have been without a computer for the last month so I am out of touch with the blogging world. I am also too lazy to post anything too exciting so I will just give you a quick update. Hopefully the next update comes complete with new baby pics.

I am finally down to the last few days of this pregnancy. For the most part I really do feel good, although if I don't take a nap when Cambri does I usually turn into an emotional mess and a lazy lump on a log. I think the guilt I feel for being a lazy momma is the hardest part to deal with. Being a single momma through this process has been a challenge as well. I truly have a greater appreciation for everything Nate does to help me out at home. Even if it is just for a few hours a day, having a dad and husband in the home makes the biggest difference. Both Cambri and I are anxious to have him home for good the first part of November.

Thankfully family will arrive this Saturday. Nate's mom will be here Saturday and staying for 2 weeks. And then my parents will come for a week. We are so very excited to see all of them. As much as I want to have this baby any moment (please) we hope she stays put until this weekend. After that I will be doing anything and everything to coax her out.

I have officially been told I look like I am ready to pop at any moment so I will not be posting any pics. I do know that I am huge but I still don't understand why perfect strangers feel the need to say such things. One day I will be tough enough to return those comments with a sassy remark.

We shall keep in touch!

Perfect Weekend

2010-09-04T12:24:00.000-07:00

It really has been the perfect weekend. Nate had the weekend plus Labor Day off so he was able to drive home to see us. We have played hard and rested even more. We even had some fun playing a round of golf. Turns out I am not a good golfer with our without a big pregnant belly.

I have truly enjoyed having Nate home. It is amazing how much better life is when he is around. Both Cambri and I need him. It is nice to be able to play off of his energy since mine is almost non-exsistent lately. (I am turning into a big blob who has to pee all of the time.) The single mom life is one I hope I never have to experience for real. It does make me nervous to face the next few years. From the sounds of it, this year is just a taste of what is to come during the first few years of residency.

Life might be kind of crazy right now, but we are very blessed in so many ways. This summer has been proof that the Lord is aware of each of us and will provide strength beyond our own.

Speaking of blessings...

I love my little girl. She has turned into a full blown 2 year old and daily we experience many highs and lows. It keeps us both on our toes, but it also keeps me very entertained. The other day I was having a conversation with nate over the phone. I was crying and Cam kept giving me hugs and kisses telling me "its okay momma, Cambri make you so happy".

Anytime Cam wants a treat she will say, "Treat momma, it make my belly so happy!" And yesterday after telling her she couldn't get her baby stroller out she looked at me and said, "take baby on a walk and make her so happy!" It is hard to say no to these kinds of requests.

Sometimes I wish I had her life.

I have definitely had some nesting instincts kick in. If I actually accomplish any of my projects I will show a post of what I have been doing to keep me busy when the Cam Bam is sleeping.

Lots of Updates and Pictures...

2010-08-21T02:40:00.000-07:00

First things first, we survived our LONG 5 weeks away from eachother!!! We still have many more lonely weeks but at least our little family gets to spend the weekend together. Yesterday Cambri and I drove to York, PA (a little 6 hour drive from Sandusky) to see Nate. Cams was so excited to see her daddy and has been loving every minute. I of course am loving my time with him too. Our time away has definitely renewed my appreciation and love for him. Luckily in 3 more weeks he will be moving to a rotation site that is only an hour away from us.

Last week my cousin took some pictures for me to document this pregnancy and get a few shots of Cams. She did a fantastic job and I couldn't be happier with the way they turned out. Thanks Misha! If you want her contact info let me know.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Now for our summer update in no particular order:

(basically it is a tribute to Cambri who has been my permanent shadow for the last month)

Nate's Bday was last month. We didn't really get to do much celebrating since it was the day he took step 2 of his Boards and then drove 10 hours thru the night by himself back to Ohio. The poor kid forgot it was his birthday so when he checked his phone on his lunch break during the test and saw that everyone in his family had called he thought for sure something bad had happened. We hope to make up for this lame bday when he is done with his cray schedule. I did get a chance to make him a cake. I think it turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself:)-

It has no meaning behind it. It just looked like a fun cake to make. Happy late Birthday to Nate!

I have been on a sewing kick lately and was able to sneak in making a cute skirt for Cams while at home. Here is a nice rear view for you since she runs from cameras evertime I pull one out.

My little thief trying to sneak a sucker from the gas station. We were picking up Subway for lunch and while we were waiting I found her inching ever so slowly to the candy isle. She kept telling me to stay put and that she would be "right back momma". Little devil:). She loves treats way more than she should.

The day finally came to give Cambri her first real haircut.

I was sad to see her curls go (especially since it took so long to grow them) but she was growing a mullet and I promised myself I wouldn't do that to her long before she had hair. It took lots of Dora fruit snack and cartoons to hold still. She can be such a little stink bug:)

Once I made the first few snips I realized how cute it was going to be and I was happy to see the mullet go.

Here are my attempts at trying...

(I snuck this one right before she closed the pantry door on me)
and trying...

and trying...

and trying.....

to get a decent front view of the new 'do'.

Here is a picture taken of Cams back in September of last year.

She may not have been blessed with a full head of hair but she sure has come a long way in the last year.

This one is for my sis-in-law. Her little guy Spencer is probably one of the best babies I have ever known. He put up with lots of love/torture from Cambri. He smiles at you every time you look at him and it makes you want to attack him with hugs and kisses.

I just thought this one was cute. After creating her artwork she was more than happy to pose for this picture.

Just another attempt to take a picture of the little stink. This was before the haircut. You can kind of see the mullet.

Both Grandmas fed this little girl's new found Dora obbession. Dora dolls, bags, books, treats, movies....Dora is her new best friend.

Cambri has a new phrase that she uses ALL the the time, "no, Cambri do it". Here she is washing her own dishes. And yes we hang out in our underwear a lot at our house:)

How could I resist this cute little lady bug. I am super excited about dressing up for Halloween this year.

Obviously this little one has been the star of the show for the last 2 years. I sure hope she is ready to share the spot light. Ready or not the time is nearing. We are down to the last 7 weeks...CRAZY! I am getting anxious but at the same time loving the time I have had one on one with my Cam. I have my days when I feel sad that those days are numbered, but I know baby sister will be a blessing and I can't wait to meet her.

One last picture...

This is one of the things I miss most about Iowa (besides all my fantastic friends). I don't think these exsist in Utah because they would apply to 90% of the population. And unfortunately I haven't see them in Ohio either. But I took advantage of them during our week in Des Moines.

The blogging will be scarce over the next few months since Nate has our only computer with him, but I promise to keep you updated when baby #2 makes her appearance.

If you made it to the end of this long entry you are a good friend:).

Checking In...

2010-08-12T07:23:00.000-07:00

Time to play a little catch up. I haven't had the ability to download any pics onto the computer and I don't really like blogging with them so instead I just chose not to blog at all. I still don't have most of my pictures but here are a few that Nate's brother and his wife snapped of Cambri. They don't really have a lot to do with anything I am blogging about, but they make the post so much cuter:)

Cambri will never look at the Camera when I am taking the picture so I was happy to get these few shots of her being cute.

I love my brown-eyed beauty.

It has now been almost 4 weeks since we have seen Nate. Up to this point we had never done more than a week apart so this has been challenging. Especially because we only get to talk on the phone for about 5 minutes a day. Poor Nate has been slaving away working from 4:30am-8 or 9:00pm, and then usually has to study for a bit. Not sure what next month will bring but I hope it isn't this intense. I don't really understand the point of making the students work that long, with such a little sleep, but I guess when you are the grunt you do what you are told.

I feel guilty that he has to work so hard. After all of this I really think he/we:) deserve a graduation celebration next Spring.

I have lots of things to blog about like Nate's really cool birthday cake and Cambri's new haircut but I want to wait for pictures to do that so I will have to hold off for another week or so.

Wishing...

2010-07-09T18:48:00.000-07:00

...we were here-

That is really all I have to say. Mostly because I am too tired to think of anything else but laying on the beach under an umbrella, sipping a tasty drink and catching up on some much needed rest.

Instead I will pack up our apartment and prepare to make the 10 hour drive to Des Moines on Sunday, followed by our 27 hour (yes 27 hour!) train ride to Utah/Idaho a week later where we will spend the next 5 weeks.

I am excited to see all my family and friends that I haven't seen for awhile, and Cams needs some Grandma and Grandpa time (on both sides), but this is the start of a long summer for us. Unfortunately Nate doesn't get to continue the journey to Utah/Idaho with us. Instead he will be heading back to Pennsylvania where he will spend the next 2 months slaving away, trying to impress the Orthopedic Residency Programs. We won't see eachother through this process and it breaks my heart that Cams won't get to play with her daddy for such a long time.

But I know many of you reading this have either been there, done that (or are currently going through worse) so I won't complain too much.

The hope is, come May of 2011, we can celebrate this journey in some tropical place. I think we both deserve it!:).

Fun in Philadelphia!

2010-06-27T18:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Nate having to take an 8 hour test in Philadelphia we were able to enjoy a fun weekend sightseeing (at least once the test was over).

We saw all the historical sights (in turbo speed since that is the way you sight see historical things with a 2 year old). And then we enjoyed us some yummy cheese steaks. They did not disappoint! Even Cambri, who hasn't been the best meat eater these days, loved every bite.

After we saw the sights we decided to take a little trip to the Jersey Shore. We LOVED everything about it. It was a much needed trip to the ocean, and we hope to be able to visit again.

The drive to Philly was about 7 hours and I was so nervous about how Cambri would be in the car. She has never been a very good passenger. Our last long trip was our move to Ohio and it wasn't very fun for either of us...lots of tears. But that was a year ago. Now that Cambri is into movies she was amazing!!! Thank heaven for portable dvd players. She watched movies, took a nap, and then played with her toys and never once complained. Lets hope we don't push our luck when we make the 10 hour drive to Des Moines in a few weeks.

Our little family in front of Liberty Bell. I think it will be years before we get a family picture of all of us looking and smiling at the camera at the same time.
Loving her cheese steak...
...and loving it some more.

Of course we made a stop at the art museum where Rocky did the famous run up the stairs. We had a little race and unfortunately I lost (barely). No need to mention that Nate was carrying Cambri, although I say we were equal since I am carrying around a few extra pounds myself.

Having fun at Penn's Landing.

This was probably her favorite part of the whole trip.

Checking out Independence Hall. Once again it is impossible to get Cambri to look and smile (normal) at the camera. You have to love her funny faces anyway.
Hanging out at the beach.

A few more random pics...

(these are mostly for my indulgence:))

These are from our camping adventure a few weeks ago-

I love my little family.

And here is one of Cam being silly...

Did I mention that I LOVE this little girl!

Niagra Falls

2010-06-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

We have had the chance to do some exploring this last month. Nate finished up his ER rotation on Wednesday, leaving us with a free weekend! (That hasn't happened in years it seems like). We decided to head north and check out Niagra Falls. It really was beautiful and worth the 4 hour trip.

Not the best picture, but it was one of the only family pictures we got while on the trip. It is basically impossible to get Cambri to look at the camera, and even more impossible to get a stranger to take a decent picture that doesn't have more rock than scenery in it:). We went on the Maid of the Mist boat ride. It was fun and we got soaked. Cams hated it. She had a minor breakdown and would not let go. She clung to my neck the whole time and begged to go inside. Unfortunately there was no inside. The poor thing was so worked up she ended up peeing her pants. Luckily I had the poncho on or I would have been soaked. Only my foot felt the trickle as the pee ran down the poncho.

This was taken just minutes after the we got off the boat. I guess it didn't scar her for life.

Here is a belly shot for you inquiring minds.

Nate and Cam at the Rainforest Cafe where we ate dinner.

We are in vacation mode now and soon will be checking out Philidelphia. Nate has to take an 8 hour test while we are there but other than that we will get a chance to play and explore.

Birthday Girl!

2010-06-04T18:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this little princess is 2 years old today. There is no doubt that she makes life so much fun. We are loving watching her grow up and learn new things everyday.

Cams has been practicing blowing out her candles all week. At random moments she would take a deep breat and blow out and say "blowing out candles". All the practice paid off cause she blew out her real candle in one try.

She loved having everyone sing to her and would pipe in on the words "Happy Birthday to You!" It always amazes me just how much she understands and remembers.

This would be "Toodles". If you have ever seen Mickey Mouse Clubhouse you know what it is. If not, it might look a little like a radioactive device.

Cambri is obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. When asked who she wanted to have come to her birthday party she would reply, "Daisy, Donald, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and Goofy".

I enjoy making the fun birthday cakes but I sure hope one day they are appreciated because they take forever! I thought this one would be quick and easy...not the case. The shape was easy to achieve but frosting it took way longer than I thought it would. But Cams loved her Toodles cake and was super excited to dig into it...at least the frosting. She licked all the frosting off the cake and then put her piece back on the pan and asked for another one. Even if she doesn't realize the effort that goes into her cakes, it is worth it to see her so happy.

Opening presents was lots of fun since she got so excited about each one. I know it is hard to see, but Cams finally has enough hair that I was able to do some fun stuff with it today. I know most kids can do this on their first birthday, but we will just appreciate that her hair is finally growing.

Little George helped us celebrate. The two of them loved all the new toys.

We really are so blessed to have this little girl in our lives.

A few fun things about Cambri at 2 years old-

Is a momma's girl.

But is way more wild and playful with her daddy. As soon as he walks through the door at the end of the day she turns into a crazy child.

Loves to "hide" under the piano. Sometimes we eat our breakfast while "hiding" under the piano. And then we read books under the piano. And play with toys. She would spend all day under the piano if mommy would stay there with her.

Eats ketchup by the spoonful.

Is a great eater, but would live on yogurt, tortillas and cheese if allowed.

Has been potty trained for about a month and loves to wear multiple pairs of underwear at the same time, or run around naked.

Takes after her dad and loves to sleep. It will be a sad day when her 3 hour afternoon nap goes away.

No is definitely her favorite word.

Throws a fit when I try to take a picture of her.

LOVES pink.

LOVES makeup.

LOVES jewelry.

LOVES having her toenails painted.

Hates when her hands are dirty.

Obviously is a girly girl, and I LOVE it!

Does not like to share.

Loves to swing at the park, and is dealthy afraid of going down the slide unless mom and dad go with her.

We love everything about her be it naughty or nice:).

30-Day Fitness Challenge--Join Me!

2010-05-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

I am working on putting together a fitness challenge that will begin on June 1st. I will explain the details later on my fitness blog. I hope you will grab your friends and join me!!! Please leave your email address of where you would like the invite for the challenge to be sent.

Thanks!

Jack and Jill Hat

2010-05-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

In reference to my previous post here is the pattern I used to make the hat. I wish I could say that I made the hat without a pattern and just with my own creativity, but that wasn't the case. You can check out the blog link below to see all the adorable patterns. I want to try out the sun hat pattern that just came out. I know the pattern isn't super cheap but you can make any size from newborn to adult so if you make more than one or two I think it is worth the money. It really wasn't that hard to make. It did take me a while to figure it out because I have never made anything like it before, but now that I have done it once it won't be as time consuming.

http://izzynivydesigns.blogspot.com/

Newest Sewing Frenzy...

2010-05-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

Isn't this hat so cute!?

This is the first and only one I have made, but so far I love it and plan to make more. If you leave the flower and ruffle off it makes an adorable boy hat as well.

Unfortunately Cambri will only wear it if I make her. I have to tell her she looks so cute. That will buy about 5 minutes before she rips it off.

I am back on a sewing kick so hopefully I will have some fun new projects to share.

The verdict...

2010-05-12T18:06:00.000-07:00

It is a good thing this one is so darn CUTE...

(Enjoying a delicious yummy shake with daddy)

"helping" mommy make blueberry muffins:)

( "helping" daddy fix the headlight on the car)

(Who needs a shirt when you have cute pink shoes that go with EVERY outfit)

(hanging out watching tv)

Cause we are having another little girl!!!

It is crazy to think we will be a house full of girls. Both Nate and I thought we were having a boy so it did come as a bit of a shock, but we are so excited. I am looking forward to dressing my little girls in cute matching outfits. And I hope they are the best of friends.

I didn't get a sis until I was in 6th grade when my parents got married. I love everything about having a sister. Even though we didn't share a room (we were both way too messy to share a small space) we often slept in the same room. Usually because one of us was too scared to sleep alone. And I loved hanging out with Az and all her friends. I learned many of life's important lessons from them:). Life is truly better with a sister!

Proof!

2010-04-26T15:23:00.000-07:00

For all of you who have been asking for belly pics here you go...

Here is the belly at 16 weeks. If I suck in I can make it smaller, but I have decided to fully embrace the belly and just let it hang out.

I am never sure how to pose for these pictures. And please excuse the lame background. I have big plans for this wall but the picture I want cost almost $200 which doesn't exactly fit in the budget right now. It was also raining cats and dogs this day so we weren't able to take pictures outside which would have looked much prettier.

I did just recently go blonde again. I am still trying to decide if I can pull it off or if I look like I am trying to be 16 again.

Here is a not so great picture (but the only one I could find) of me when I was about 19 weeks pregnant with Cambri. Pretty sure I am much bigger already at only 16 weeks which scares me.

We will find out May 11th what this little rascal is going to be. For the most part the votes from family are leaning towards boy. I have a feeling it is going to be a boy as well, but am not sure by any means. We will be thrilled either way and are just excited to find out.

There you have it, proof that this belly of mine is growing at a rapid pace and will soon be taking over my body. Truth is I love actually looking pregnant not just flabby around the middle. We are almost half way done!

2010-04-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

You will need sound or the video won't make sense...

It is true, I finally talked Nate into having another baby!
I think I have been begging him since Cambri was 9 months old.

Baby will be sometime in October. I am avoiding giving myself an actual due date because last time I became so fixed on having baby by the due date that I became very discouraged when the date came and went and I was still hugely pregnant. So as long as baby enters this world sometime in October (preferably the first half) I will be happy.

October is a busy month for us above and beyond having a baby so things will be kind of crazy around here. For those outside the med school world this might not make sense, but I will try... This summer Nate will be doing his rotations for med school at different residency programs. It will be kind of like a working interview, with the hopes of getting a spot in the program. We thought he would be done with all of the rotations by October. But it looks like he will be gone through November. Luckily his Oct. and Nov. rotations will be in Ohio so he will at least be within driving distance, but we are hoping the docs he is working with at the time will be kind enough to let him have a day off work so he can make it to the delivery of his child. And then we hope he can make it in time to the hospital. Since these rotations are Nate's chance to prove himself worthy of a spot in the program we really are at the mercy of the doctors. We are grateful for family that will be coming out to help both before and after baby comes.

We will see how many belly pictures I post this time. I am already much bigger than I was at this point in the pregnancy with Cambri. I am afraid of what is to come! I have had enough people tell me they were curious if I was pregnant or not so I know I am already showing. It looks more like a beer belly to me.

We are very excited to welcome a new baby into our family. Cambri LOVES (that is an understatement) babies. Both real and pretend. She is always wrapping her dolls in blankets and giving them kisses all day. She will be a wonderful big sister.

When the Sun Comes Out to Play...

2010-04-03T19:59:00.000-07:00

This last week I have rediscovered a much happier side of me.

I like the new me so much more!

Nate also got a day off from work so we were able to enjoy some family time together.

It couldn't have come soon enough!!!

The zoo is a place we visit often, but it is becoming so much more fun now that Cambri gets super excited about it. The whole way there she tells us what animals she wants to see. Per her request I think we visited the elephants and lion a million times.

We also had some fun at an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday. It was great fun. The place we went had 100,000 eggs for about 6,000 kids! They even dropped a ton of those eggs from a helicopter which was very exciting for all the little ones.

Once she figured out each egg held a yummy treat...

She was one happy girl!

We also did a little egg hung with a few of our friends here in Sandusky. This picture is totally for me because I love seeing Cams and her Daddy walk hand in hand.

We need to figure out a new way to make her smile. She says "cheese" but you end up getting a funny looking smile and she never says it while looking at the camera. But I still think this little Bunny of ours is just too cute.

Once again the crazy smile. Here we are playing with all of Cambri's friends. She lined everyone up, made sure the dinosaur's head was lifted so you could see his face, sat down and said cheese. She must be understanding what the camera is all about.

Indeed we are a much happier household now that the sun has been shining. I know many of you back home in Utah and Idaho are still dealing with snow so I will count my blessings and quit complaining.

We are looking forward to many more days of FUN in the SUN!

Advice???

2010-03-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

This week I thought I would see if I could get Cambri to sit on the toilet and at least get her use to it. She won't sit on the big potty so we have a little one for her. The first few tries she kept saying no over and over again and had a hard time relaxing. She has only sat on the toilet 4 times and twice she actually did pee. When I tell her to go potty I can see that she is trying to push something out. And she already seems to be more relaxed. She has yet to actually ask to go potty. I just put her on it a few times a day.

I basically feel clueless as to what I am doing. If she is not asking to go potty am I starting too early? Or is it best to keep trying everyday? And once I start this whole process should I be putting her in panties or is it okay to keep her in diapers for awhile?

I am okay if she is not ready to potty train. I just want to make sure I am not the one holding her back because I have no idea what I am doing.

Oh and one more thing...twice a week I teach an exercise class for senior citizens. Cambri comes with me and just plays in the room while I teach. Without fail she poops halfway through the class. I have been teaching since the middle of January and it has happened every single time. The room must give her some kind of urge or something. Knowing this do I just try to get her to go before we leave the house? I can't just stop midway through the class and take her potty. Or is it okay to keep a diaper on her during class?

I would love to be done with diapers but this potty training thing is out of my league! Help!

A Few Things I Never Want to Forget...

2010-03-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

Every day Nate and I talk about how much we love this little girl, and how blessed we are to have her as our very own. Many of Nate's friends from school will make comments about how they would never want to have children during med school. And some don't know if they ever want them. My favorite thing is to hear Nate tell me how sad he is for people that feel that way because he LOVES being daddy to Cambri. She is a breath of fresh air from all the other crazy stuff we have to deal with.

She is growing up too fast so I want to make note of a few fun things I hope to never forget.

Her precious smile when I tell her to say "cheese" to the camera. You have to be quick to catch this smile cause it doesn't last long. And most of the time she isn't looking at the camera when she is saying it.

Cam has an obsession with hats and beads. Even if the hat is just a tupperware bowl. She will put on her hat and beads and ask for music to be turned on so she can dance. We dance a lot around our house!

I know I already posted a picture about Cam's fantastic beadhead but this one is probably her best yet. Oh and the first request out of her mouth most mornings is "gogurt?"

We watched a little bit of the Mickey Mouse Club House and ever since Cams has been loving "Gucks".

Anything and everything that has to do with the potty is referred to as "poo poo". And for some reason Cam has chosen this bear to always be the lucky one to get it bottom wiped. Occasionally she will ask for a wet wipe to do the job. I found her in the bathroom doing a good job of cleaning the bear's bottom the other day.

Just a few more things...

If she finds you trying to catch a few moments of shut eye she will come up and knock her little fist right in the middle of your forehead. When you open your eyes she is right in your face to say "Hi!".

I love the way she adds and "a" to the end of many of her words such as "booka" Fooda" and "Moona"

I love that she LOVES babies. Baby Roman is usually the recipient of all of this love. She doesn't like anyone to hold him but rather she wants him to lay on the floor so she can "play with him". She will pull out any toy or book she can find and give it too him, but gets a little frustrated when he doesn't seem interested in them.

If you are lucky she will share her kisses with you but usually she just leans forward so you can give her a kiss on the forehead. Although there are many times she will grab your face and give you no option but to recieve a big wet kiss right on the lips.

The way she says mouse- "Fouse"

Spoon- "Boose"

The list could go on an on.

Birthday Fun...

2010-03-07T11:06:00.001-08:00

I am still having a hard time believing that I really turned 28 years old this last week. That is way too close to 30 for my liking. But since there is no way to avoid getting older then we might as well celebrate right?...

Yesterday Nate threw a little bday party for me and showcased his infamous cake decorating skills. This year the design was a grand piano complete with white chocolate piano keys. I am impressed with his designs he comes up with every year and this one did not disappoint!

This many candles may just pose a fire hazard. I will have you know that I was able to blow out every single candle on that cake with one breath....barely, but I did it!
Apparently Cambri didn't think the icecream was being scooped out fast enough. She found the scooper and helped herself. No doubt this girl has a sweet tooth.

And this picture is what I found as I was downloading the pics to put on the blog...

I was at the gym teaching in the morning so Nate and Cams made the cake. Looks like Cambri definitely contributed her part. What we don't have is a picture of the scene I came home to...Cams in her high chair eating cake and blueberries. No wonder she doesn't miss me when daddy is home.

Being one that doesn't have a ton of hair, this little one wakes up with the best bed head!

Thank you to my little family and friends for making my birthday fun.

Fashion Sense...

2010-02-18T19:28:00.000-08:00

I think it is only time before Cam decides she can pick out her own outfits and my days of dressing her are over. Right now her obsession is shoes. She will line up every shoe and then pick out the ones she want to wear. It doesn't matter if it is the wrong foot, I have to put on the one she wants. Oh, and she will not leave her socks on ever. In the car she always has her shoes and socks off by the time we get to where we are going. And she is so proud of herself when she does it.
In this picture we were on our way to teach a class at the gym. She found these goggles in the coat closet and insisted on wearing them. And yes she wore them everywhere we went that day. My favorite part was how cute she thought she was.

Just another pic of her shoe obsession. She loves wearing hats too. When she plays with her friend George she often insists that he has a hat on too.

There is no doubt that this little girl has quite the personality. And I am loving everything about it!

Never a Dull Moment...

2010-02-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

We are very grateful for the continuous entertainment that little Cams provides us everyday. Here are a few fun moments we have been enjoying...

Cam started gymnastics about a month ago. (It is probably one of the only times in her life she is going to be able to do gymnastics since she seems to have giant genes from her dad.) Pretty much the class time consists of all the little kids running around and doing whatever they want. But once Cami saw all the big girls doing their tricks she has wanted to try them all. Here she is in all her glory-

(Nate was able to join us this day so I captured some action pictures)

We are struggling with finding a timeout spot that works. Cam seems to think timeout is fun. I sit her in the corner and she looks at me like- what do we do now? If I leave her there she just sits quietly until I come to get her. The last few times she got put in timeout because she kept throwing food and hitting her cup out of my hand so her drink spilled. I explained to her that we don't spill our juice and put her in timeout. Now everytime we eat she says, "Juice, Sorry". She then asks to get down and she runs to her timeout spot. It is hard not to laugh at the cute little thing.

(Excuse the trail of shoes and clothes)

A few more fun things...

Lots of tantrums:)!!!

Power Struggles!!!

Pooping in the bathtub!!!

Yes, never a dull moment.

Luckily she gives the best hugs and kisses.

30 Degrees has Never Felt so Good!

2010-02-02T11:58:00.001-08:00

Today when we left to run errands the 30 degree weather felt so good. For once the wind didn't take our breath away and the cold didn't cut through to the bone. There is HOPE!!!

Cams has been begging to go outside lately. She will gather up shoes and coats until one of us caves and takes her. I guess it is a sign that we have been stuck indoors far too long.

Please Spring come soon! We miss you! We miss playing at the lake and going on walks through the woods. We miss family bike rides. We miss sandals and short sleeves.

Everyday Life...

2010-01-18T19:42:00.000-08:00

I have spent so much time putting together my new fitness blog that I have neglected keeping this one updated. Here are just a few fun pictures from this last week. Cams loves putting everything to bed. She goes around covering everything with blankets as she says "nie nie". In this picture we put all her puzzle pieces to bed plus a few other friends.
I had to use lots of gel to make this hairdo work, but this is documentation of Cams first braids. As long as I let her watch cartoons while we do her hair she will sit perfectly still for me.

Cambri was starting to get scared of water, or so I thought, so I signed her up for swimming lessons. Turns out she loves the water. She wants nothing to do with the activities we do in class though. She has her own agenda. If we even mention the word swimming she says "wa wa" and then insists that she put her swimming suit on. Last week she had it on by 9am even though lessons aren't until 5pm.

Everyday life here is good. We are just trying to stay busy and eagerly awaiting warmer temps so we can venture outside again.

Introducing PERSONAL CHALLENGE FITNESS!

2010-01-15T19:47:00.000-08:00

I have started a new blog. It is a blog about fitness and nutrition. I am using it as a resource for my personal training clients, but I also want to open it up to anyone who wants a resource for exercise, nutrition and anything fitness related. Eventually I will be offering online personal training options and workout dvds. Once that is up and running I will explain more about it.

I am really excited about this new blog. I have people asking me all the time about fitness stuff and I think this will be a great way to share that information. I will be posting often, but please feel free to email me or comment on the blog if you have specific things you would like me to address.

Spread the word to friends and family and let us all join the journey to better health!

www.personalchallengefitness.blogspot.com

~Megan

Makes a Momma Proud...

2010-01-12T09:20:00.000-08:00

Our little Cams has been so much fun lately. Truly she is our entetainment. I am always amazed at how much love a mom can have for her baby. I will enjoy the days that she loves me back and thinks I am the best thing ever.

I can't get the format to work with me so the explanations for the pics come first and then the pics are at the bottom...in no particular order.

Cams has turned into a little copycat. I had to take her to one of my group exercise classes the other day because the daycare girl didn't show up. She had a blast lifting weights with us. Now anytime she sees weights she wants to 'exercise'.

She also always has to wear sunglasses when mommy wears them. The best part is she knows she is cute. She will laugh when she puts them on until you pay attention to her.

She used to run from cameras. Now she knows exactly what to do. Yell cheese as loud as you can over and over again until someone takes her picture. I love her smile!!!

Cams has also become our little puzzle master. Her Grandma Tucker worked with her on her puzzles when we were home for Christmas and now she is the champ at putting them together. We even mix up all the pieces of different puzzles and she still figures them out. Like I said...makes a momma proud.

I love that she is finally getting some hair! In most of the pictures she has pigtails. They are still very small, but so cute. The only thing I don't like is that it makes her look more grown up. Her little bald head kept her looking like my baby.

Why Must We Live So Far From Home...

2009-12-25T22:19:00.000-08:00

Being home for the holidays has been fantastic. We have had busy days and lazy days, and we have loved every minute of it! When we are in Ohio I miss my family, but I have enough to keep me busy that I don't get too homesick. It isn't until I come home to see everyone that I realize just how much I am missing. It makes me the most sad that Cambri doesn't know her grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins so we spend the full two weeks just getting her use to everyone. Nate and I both have GIGANTIC families and I miss being able to spend time with them. I love that we are all grown up now and to the point where family is the most important thing. We still have about 7 years until we will have the chance to move where we want to. I sure hope at that point we are able to move closer to home. I am grateful that we are blessed in abundance with lots and lots and lots of family!

December 19th was my youngest brother Alan's wedding. Still can't believe he is old enough to be married!!! His wife Shana is WONDERFUL so I am very happy for them. The celebrations were great and the marriage ceremony was amazing. It was a great reminder of the importance of creating eternal families. It was also a great reminder of my responsibility and role in my own marriage.

Alan is in the front and Daren (another little brother) and his wife Shay are the ones behind him. So Cute!!!

The happy couple and me.
The LIFE SAVER!!! The little ones were able to stay entertained with a little Whiney the Pooh and the Hefalump Adventure during the reception. I don't think I can even count how many time we have watched this dvd while traveling. We will have to do a major tv detox when we get home.

Christmas morning was lots of fun with a little one. She gave the best reactions when she opened her presents.... or any present for that matter. If I can figure out how to download the video I will share it with you. Cams is a very animated and loud child. This might make for rough times during our church meetings, but it sure makes it fun for moments like this...

This picture is from our church party. We had to come dressed up in biblical clothing. Nate's Roman Soldier costume was hand crafted from tin foil, and shiny fabric off the clearance rack at the fabric store....quality!!! It was awesome. And check out those legs! My costume was thrown together last minute because I spent all my time putting together Nate's and Cam's costumes.

It has been a fun Christmas season. We are sad that it is over. Sunday we head back to Ohio and get thrown back into life. As we finish up another year I can't help but look back at the memories created throughout 2009. It has been a good year full of many wonderful times. I will have to look back at my 2009 New Year's Resolutions to see how I did:). I am excited for the New Year ahead and the chance to accomplish new goals. I have many in the making but will save that for a different blog entry.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all. Thanks for the love and friendship.

Sending my Love...

2009-12-15T11:38:00.000-08:00

...To my husband who is far far away. Cambri and I headed to Utah yesterday for A) my little brother's wedding B) and flying any closer to the holidays makes airfare sky rocket, but Nate can't join us until next Monday. We left the poor guy to suffer through his call week all by himself.

This week is also our anniversary...4 years! It is sad we won't be together to celebrate, but let's be honest, with Nate on call we wouldn't have been able to do anything cool anyway. So we will just have to celebrate next week when we have lots of willing babysitters:).

In the mean time I just wanted to do a little tribute to us, and let Nate know that I miss him and am excited to have a week of vacation when he gets here.

4 years of fun!...

Hiking In Provo before we were married.

Our first Christmas tree. We tied it onto the top of our green Ford Contour and drove it home from Idaho. It was totally a Charly Brown tree.

First Christmas as a married couple.

Nate and I graduated from high school the same year which means that I should have finished college before him due to his 2 year hiatus for a church mission. Instead I was nice enough to drag out my college career so we could enjoy this glorious moment together:).

Family vacation in Hawaii right before we moved to Iowa. (I will never be that tan again because I have since become paranoid about wrinkles and now plaster on the sunscreen).
Becoming True Iowans by attending the Iowa State Fair. Tried our first deep fried oreos...they were delicious btw.

No I am not pregnant in this picture. This would be our Halloween party a few years back.New Year's Eve 2007

Anxiously awaiting our baby girl. I know I look about the same size as the non-pregnant picture noted before...huge.

Nate I love you!!! Please come to Utah soon! Cams and I miss you.

18 months and so grown up...

2009-12-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

My baby is not much of a baby anymore. It is hard to believe it has already been 18 months since this little girl made me a momma. Just wish she would stop growing up so fast on me.

Everyday she becomes a little more girly. She loves ribbons, necklaces and things that sparkle. She also has herself a very girly scream that she uses anytime she doesn't get what she wants.

Here are some pictures I took of her today that I think make her look so grown up...
This one especially makes her look like a big girl. I know being her mom I have to think she is cute and perfect, but I think this picture is just precious. Not sure how Nate and I created something so beautiful.

My studious little girl.

I do love being her mom.

Sporting the Skinny Jeans...

2009-11-29T16:55:00.000-08:00

I am not brave enough to sport skinny jeans myself, but I do find this little girl to look rather adorable in them. Thanks to our Aunt Nikki for keeping Cam in style!

I do love dressing this little girl up. I always look dumpy but it's okay if she looks so cute!:)

We are definitely looking forward to Christmas. Only 2 more weeks until we get to go home to see family.

Finding Strength in Others...

2009-11-23T19:11:00.000-08:00

If you don't want to read my whole blog entry that is fine. But take the time to check out this blog- http://journeytoheal.blogspot.com/.

Last night I lay in bed unable to fall asleep. I gave it a good 45 minutes before I decided to get up and do something more productive. There was a blog that a friend of mine had shared with me that I had been wanting to read. I figured while the apartment was quiet that this would be a good time to sit down and look it over. I had no idea it would be such an amazing experience. It was a tear filled night, but also very comforting, cleansing and uplifting. I want to share a few of my thoughts and I hope that you will take the time to read some of the entries from this blog. I promise it is well worth your time.

The last few months I feel that I have found myself wanting more from my life. Truly my life is fabulous so I am not in need of anything in particular. I am sure we are all familiar with that feeling I am talking about. In truth I should say that I have needed more spirituality. I can not doubt that this is what has left me wanting. My spirituality goes in spurts. At times I am sure I have been over the top...almost selfrighteous. And other times I have been lazy..almost defiant. One day I hope to be able to figure out how to stay consistent, continually moving forward.

The BIGGEST problem from all of this is I have found myself being overcome with fear. It has consumed me at moments. Left me feeling empty and scared. Most of my fear has been completely unfounded. Yet I find it taking over my thoughts and dragging me down. It is true that fear and faith can not coexsist. And that is scary to think that I have let fear overcome me...where is my faith?

Last night as I read from this blog A Healing Journey I found exactly what I needed to humble me to my knees. Up to this point I know that I have been falling into the trap of thinking I know what is best for me. And if God won't give me what I need how can I ever be happy? Funny how we think we are so strong all on our own. Luckily he gives us gently reminders to help us stay the course.

Last night as I read I felt so strongly that God is aware of me. And if I will just turn my will over to him all will be well. Not easy...but well. That has been proven to me TIME and TIME again. I just keep forgeting. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who doesn't give up on me.

Anyway, I highly recommend that you take some time to read from this blog. It is a girl that I know from BYU-Hawaii. I always thought she was a wonderful person. I just didn't realize how wonderul. The blog does better at explaining the whole situation so I won't go into detail.

These are a few of the entries that really touched my heart-

http://journeytoheal.blogspot.com/2009/06/overcoming-fear.html

http://journeytoheal.blogspot.com/2009/04/humbled.html

No Place Like Home...

2009-11-22T18:01:00.000-08:00

Ever since I graduated from high school I haven't lived in one city for more than 2 years. Most of my moves have taken me to a different state. I can now claim to have resided in Utah, Idaho, Hawaii, New York, Connecticut, Iowa and Ohio. This is pretty big for a small town girl who grew up in the same town, same house her whole life. In a year and a half my little family will pack up and move again. That place is yet to be decided. Out of all the places I imagined living I never would have thought that I would consider Des Moines, Iowa one of my homes. The saying is true "Home is were your heart is".

Cambri and I took a quick trip back to Des Moines to visit friends last week. I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it was to see friends. I know it has only been just over 4 months since we moved from there, but the friends I have there are near and dear to my heart. And I needed to see them and enjoy a little girl time.

We traveled by train. Honestly being on the train wasn't bad, just long. We left Sandusky at 4:55am and got into Des Moines around 9pm. I was definitely done with the train ride by the time we made our way back to Ohio.

I was able to teach some exercise classes at the gym I use to work at while in Des Moines to pay for my travels. I think I might have even made a little extra. Or maybe I already spent those extra dollars on some cute clothes for Cambri:). It was fun to be back in my old stomping grounds.

I already miss everyone.

If I could have a super hero power I would choose to be able to teleport so that I could be anywhere I wanted. And with this power I would teleport all my friends and family to a nice warm,beautiful island. And next we would make a stop in Italy. Until that happens my travels will continue to take me to Des Moines, Iowa.

Thanks Friends, I love you!

Fun Pictures...

2009-11-03T18:53:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago my friend Annie took some pictures for me. I wanted some pics of Cam and me while it was pretty outside. It was a cold day but it didn't seem to bother Cams. I wanted her to wear her little hat because she loves it. When I take it off she gets mad. Today she wore it when she went down for her nap. Thanks Annie for being our personal photographer. We love the pictures.

The famous Cheese face. She has been doing this a lot lately.

I love my baby girl.

2009-10-31T18:01:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Having a little one makes all the holidays so much more fun!

Our pumpkins had to be happy ones this year, otherwise Cambri was afraid of them.

Don't mess with this girls pumpkin bucket...she will release a blood curdling scream. I don't think she completely understood the trick or treat thing, but she had a fun time doing it.

Getting the party started with a little root beer:)

Weekend Fun (and other updates)...

2009-10-24T19:36:00.001-07:00

We have been a bit sick in our home this last week and finally we seem to be on the mend. Nate is pretty sure he had the swine flu. He was never diagnosed but his symptoms matched up and right now he is on his pediatric rotation so he spent all day everyday around little kiddos with the flu. I am so glad he doesn't want to be a pediatrician because I don't think I could handle him bringing home all the germs.

Now that we all seem to be feeling better I will try to catch up on a few things...

Little Cambri has become quite the 'cheeser'. It is still quite the challenge to get her smile on camera but occasionally she holds still long enough for me to get the perfect picture. I think we caught her giggling in this picture. Her laugh makes everything better.

Here is our pink princess. Most of the time she pulls her headband off and takes her shoes off but here she wanted them on. Even though we were closing up shop and going to bed. This is also her favorite place to watch tv...two inces away from the screen.

I know I am biased, but pretty sure she was the cutest kid at the Halloween party. She kicks and screams when I put this costume on her, but once we get it on she embraces it. (We seem to be encountering a lot of those power struggles these days.) Cam really got into the trick or treating. She loved putting all the candy in her pumpkin and she made sure to say "thank you" to everyone who gave her candy.

She won't ride in her big girl stroller to save my life, but she wanted to be pushed around in her baby stroller with ALL her "babies" all day long.

And finally our weekend update...We went to a pumpkin patch with some friends. We didn't exactly pick the best day to go. In fact the weather was miserable...cold, wet and windy. And we got lost on the way there thanks to faulty mapquest directions (it had nothing to do with navigator error:). We are definitely getting a GPS for Christmas). Somehow it didn't phase this little one. She loved everything about it. She especially love the horse drawn hayride and petting zoo. I feel like she is growing up so fast but pictures like this one remind me how small she still is. At least compared to her daddy.

A little action shot for you. She got a little muddy from this fall. Notice how dad is just standing there watching.

It was a cold day but we still shared a pumpkin ice cream cone. It was delicious. (I truly have an obsession with pumpkin right now. I crave it constantly. I have a new cookie recipe with pumpkin that I will share later. You have to try it.)

Ok so this was pretty much a chance for me to journal a few Cambri updates. Thanks for indulging me. Here is to a healthier week!

Today I Am Grateful...

2009-10-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

On Monday my dad had to go in for a biopsy on his prostate after having some questionable bloodwork results. I know it is only Thursday but the last few days have felt like an eternity as we have awaited the phone call from the doctor. Everydy that passed I wondered if it was good or bad that we hadn't heard back yet, or if it meant anything at all. Of course the night time was always when the worries started flooding in. My mind was full of so many "what ifs". Honestly I felt numb anytime I started to think that my dad could have cancer...I have to even say the word. I hate cancer. My dad means the world to me. Plus Cams needs her Grandpa.

But everything is going to be okay. And that is why I am grateful today. Because the biopsy came back negative. What a relief. I can breathe a little easier. All my fears can be calmed. At least for right now. I know tomorrow may pose its own struggles and trials, but today...today is a good day.

And tonight...tonight my prayers will be a little more sincere. My heart will be a little softer. And my desires a little more pure. So that tomorrow I can try to live with no regretts. Because you never know what tomorrow will bring.

Time for Pumpkin Recipes...so YUMMY!

2009-10-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

I gave this little dish a try the other night and it was a total success. Nate was in love and raved about it all night. Other than the fact that I had to chop onions which makes me cry without fail every time I do, the recipe was really easy. I just used extra chicken stock in place of the wine. I did use the heavy cream but I am sure you could just use milk instead to cut a few calories. It went perfect over whole wheat noodles. You have to try it!!!

I borrowed the picture from the http://MakeitandLoveit.blogspot.com site which you should also check out. Tons of fun crafts.

Here is the recipe link-
http://www.rachaelray.com/recipe.php?recipe_id=397&r=397,334,605,836,804,55,717,858,959,546,843

Bon Appetit!

Cam's Curls

2009-09-29T18:28:00.000-07:00

From my last post there were a few people who commented about Cambri's hair. It is true she finally has some! It may not be thick and luscious, but it is cute. And yes it is curly. I love it. She even has a pretty red tint. I tried to get a picture of her smiling...virtually impossible. She knows what a camera is and she won't smile for it. So here is what I have to show her curls... She is pretty good at looking innocent.
Reading books...her very favorite pasttime.

This girl is ALL GIRL! We play house with her Little People and with her babies all day.

Love you!

She's a biter!...

2009-09-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

It all starts innocent...

The two little ones begin playing and chasing eachother. They giggle and it is super cute. They even seem to share for a moment. And then...

Cambri decides to try and dance with George. It may sound like fun, but George doesn't like it much. I wonder why.

And then she takes his favorite truck away. George's truck is his best friend...you don't mess. But since Cami is bigger she takes it anyway.

And then they start to wrestle. Again it starts out innocent...but soon Cami is smashing George.

...And trying to attack him.

It would all be in the name of fun except before you can stop her she chomps her teeth into George's back. These battle wounds are minor compared to some in the past. She got a hold of his leg once and left a bruise in the form of her little chompers for days.

They really are best buddies and they get so excited to see eachother but the fun always ends with George in tears because Cams bit him.

Any advice? Does a 16 month old understand any form of discipline? I know she understands when I say no...but that usually isn't enough. It may be a stage that she will soon outgrow, but if there is anything I can do in the meantime I am so ready to try.

Way out of my league...

2009-09-13T13:46:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I was asked to serve as the organist for our ward. Only problem is I have NEVER played the organ before. The Bishop was aware of this so he gave me the challenge to learn and said I could play the piano in the mean time if I needed to. Nothing like being stretched beyond your abilities. I was actually very excited about the challenge because I have always wanted to learn to play the organ. I just never thought I would be learning by self teaching.

Things have gone well so far... except for today. While playing a hymn that I am sure most people were not that familiar with, I somehow tapped a button with one of my fingers and all sound was turned off. I was horrified! I couldn't figure out what was wrong. The power was still on so I had a moment of panic. Everyone in the congregation continued to sing, a little unsure how to proceed. Luckily I only had a brain fart for a second and realized I needed to press a button on the front of the organ to reset everything. There really are too many buttons on the organ and I know how to use about 2 of them. After the congregation sang acapella for about one line of the song (can you imagine how awkward that was for everyone) I came in right on que to finish out the verse. I wanted to start laughing and if I would have looked at anyone I probably would have. I am so out of my league!!! Oh well, it can only go up from here. Or at least I hope so:)

Just look at all those buttons...so intimidating!