No Idea

She has no idea that she is growing up way too fast.

She has no idea that you aren't supposed to walk down the stairs when you are 16 months old and weigh 18 lbs.

She has no idea that every time she tries this on the stairs I get incredibly sick to my stomach.

She has no idea that it might drive me to drinking or to the doctor to get medicated.

She really has no idea that she is not the same age as Krissy.

I had no idea how quickly she would become so independent or how much I would love to be her mother.

Scentsy!

A few months ago I bought my first Scentsy. I absolutely LOVE what I got. I have tried several different scents and they all smell great! I just found out my sis-in-law is going to sell them...(to addicted groupies like me)! You know how I am with home fragrance...just a bit obsessed...so I am very excited to have quick and easy access! I quickly volunteered to host her first party!

all by myself (well, almost!)

I spent some of today making this sign-up sheet for our upcoming ward party...in order to practice some of my new Adobe Illustrator skills. Saturday I took an all-day class and I ended up with a headache & a few new skills that definitely need practicing. So here it is...my first Illustrator project. Of course I had some great help (thanks Laura!), but I can claim it as my own. That's a first...I usually spend my time telling other people what I want and then they do it for me (right Laura?) It is time I figure it out for myself!   I am hoping someday when I look at it it looks a bit old-school and beginner"ish", but for today I am feeling pretty proud of myself.  Here's to continuing education...and Excedrin!!

Date night

Last night we went from Provo to Springville on the road MUCH less traveled. I chose not to take my camera on the trail out fear of dust and too much bouncing. The whole way I regretted it as I saw perfect picture after perfect picture go by without being captured. We live in a truly beautiful world. We are so lucky to have such beautiful country right in our own backyard. We love to get out on the 4-wheelers to see the incredible scenery, smell the fresh air & spend time with those we love.

rock the block

Last night, we attended what has to be the most incredible 24th of July party ever!! Here is how it went down...

The night started with a princesses and superheros children's parade, opening prayer and some brief comments about the pioneers and their tremendous sacrifice for us. Next it was time to party all night long...free food, cotton candy, face painting, bouncy slide, dunk tank, DJ, hula hoop contest (which Maddie won!!)

My biggest regret was that I put away my camera too soon...we headed to the park for fireworks...I was imagining the out-of-the-plastic-wrapper kind from the grocery store...WRONG! This was more like something put on by Orem City or the Stadium of Fire...really. Legal...I am not so sure, but they were so incredible! We even had a guest appearance from RocketChick! She straps fireworks onto her back and head and rides around on her bike. I sooo wish I had taken some pictures of that. I will be more prepared next year.

I found myself grateful for many things...fun friends and family to spend time with, incredibly generous people who are willing to share their time, talents and resources with others & our pioneer ancestors who sacrificed so much in order to obtain the blessings of the gospel that have been passed down to me and my family. Happy 24th of July!

Baby vampire...

Is this not the funniest thing??? Do you think she looks a bit like Edward & Bella's future child?? I guess this is why you shouldn't talk with a mouth full of food.

He's baaaack...

...and we are DELIGHTED!!!! I took these pictures shortly after he came through the door...can you see how much they missed their daddy? Welcome home honey...it is not the same when you are away.
XOXO

those goony Goodwins!

On Sunday we had a chance to get together with my aunts, uncles & cousins on my mom's side. As you can see these Goodwins LOVE to have their pictures taken. It is definitely genetic (thank you Grandma)! It was fun to see everyone and spend some time catching up. (We missed those of you who couldn't make it...it is never the same without you!) It is always a party when this bunch gets together! We don't do it often enough for me!

for all you bread groupies...

So I heard the bread lady will be teaching a class about wheat Tuesday night (thanks for the scoop Mom!) I decided to call her and see if I could get a few of us invited. Turns out she is teaching it for her ward and invited the rest of her stake. She said anyone is welcome to come. It is tomorrow night at a church in the PG/AF area at 7:00. I don't have an address so call me for directions if you are interested. I am going & I can't wait!!

last minute surprise!

Today we were up bright & early with no plans...what to do??? We decided to go see Mike & Hollie & the boys. We had the best time running all over Logan & just hanging out. Thanks for taking good care of us today. We ALWAYS have a great time with you guys. We love you!

Happy Birthday Papa Don!

A quick birthday wish to my AMAZING father-in-law!! Last night we celebrated (with a very small portion of the family) at TGIFriday's. In addition to being the father of his family of 26 (I hope that is right??), he is on his Stake High Council and is the President & CEO of Bear River Mutual Insurance. He is one busy guy. We feel blessed to have him as our Dad & Grandpa. We love you Papa Don!

sweet love

If ever I am craving a sweet treat (which does happen often...) I beg Kyle to take me to Smart Cookie. They make lots of different cookies, but these are my favorite. Today they happened to be a gift, I think they might taste even better. Four cookies all to myself...I promise to eat them with skim milk if that helps.

almond

cinnamon sugar

lemon drop

sugar

Simple things

Ever find yourself delighted with the most simple of things?

Thought I might share the things that are making my heart happy today...

-these gifts wrapped in paper from this fun, local company...the shower is not until Sunday...I guess I am excited!...

-these fresh plants & pots from Ikea...

-these yummy sprinkles, that showed up at my door yesterday...

-this bottle, full of medical waste from the last 2 1/2 months (we have filled 2 bottles now)...

-these mini kitchen toys that Krissy earned by filling the bottle...

-this hard-to-find car that popped up at Walmart when I was least expecting it!

Scrapblog!

I have been wanting to mess with this for a while because it combines a few of my favorite things...blogging, photography & scrapbooking! The good news is...it is fun, easy & free! Link here if you want to try.

4-wheeling with the fam

At Tibblefork enjoying some fresh mountain air!

p.s. Thank you to those who shared memories on my last post...I am glad to know that, heaven forbid I should die tomorrow, 5 of you have memories of me!! :)

Tagged again!

This might be one of the easiest tags (at least for me to do) yet...Here are the directions: 1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember! 2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

Side Note: Your memory could even be a favorite blog post.

I can't wait to see what you have to say!

Report card

Yesterday we went for Krissy's diabetes check-up. It was our first time to check her A1C, which is a measure of her blood sugar for the last 3 months. Since she has no control over this at this point, it is a reflection on me & Kyle and the care that we give to her. I spent the morning nervous worrying about it. Thankfully when we got the results back she was within the target range. I was so relieved. I know that there are things we can do to improve, but I was thrilled that we are well within the range of "healthy"!
After we finished at the doctor's office we headed over to the Hogle Zoo! This is a fun tradition that helps Krissy look forward to these doctor appointments. It was fun, but it got really hot, really fast! Hot day + stinky animals... How fun can that really be?

Can't wait to try these!

My friend Laura has a fun new blog, Lucy*isms, that I find myself checking very often. She shared these today & I can't wait to try them! Thanks for the fun find Laura!

Maybe the best $250 I ever spent!

I mentioned before we had been to a great dentist. I am totally impressed by Provo Dental Care, where my future-sister-in-law Hayli works. Today was the day to have the work done. I have long been dreading this because:

1. Who likes to go to the dentist in the first place? Especially to subject my little princess to a pulpotomy, the child-equivalent of a root canal.
2. The diabetes complicates everything.
3. It is so stinkin' expensive and even though we have dental insurance, it is not worth much.

We decided to have her sedated. She got a shot in the arm and within a minute she was out. She slept through the whole thing...painless. It was a bit freaky when she was trying to wake up and her eyeballs were pointed in opposite directions, but the anesthetist reassured me it was normal & she was fine.

As soon as she came to, we went for a visit to Cam & Shane's (Kyle's bros) insurance agency, GMI Insurance, which is located downstairs from the dentist office. (BTW-They do a fantastic job, you should call them for a quote 226-8770. Guys, you can pay me later.) She left with a pack of cookies and a smile on her face. She thought it was so funny that her tongue was tickling. As we walked out the door I asked her, "Was that fun today?" To my surprise she said, "Yes!". She is also pretty pleased with her new, silver tooth! So, yes, I do believe it was well worth the $250 to have her sedated & I will do it again in a heartbeat. Maybe she won't grow up hating the dentist like me. Thanks, Hayli, for taking extra good care of us today!

It's back...and he is in heaven!!

This is the fourth year we have watched the Tour together. Originally I was drawn in to see if I could get a look at Sheryl Crow & Lance Armstrong..but that is so four years ago now! Now he watches for the cycling and I mostly watch for the scenery! We have put it on our "list"...someday go to France to watch the Tour...can't wait for that one. Can you imagine that dream come true for a photographer??? (I hope Oprah is reading today!) So for now it is on morning and night, with a little Disney Channel in between. Yesterday we watched Stage 2 three different times. Heaven help us.
In honor of the Tour Kyle is riding his bike to and from work everyday for the next 3 weeks. Wish us all luck! I will keep you posted.

She's got it mastered...

the art of sleeping in the highchair. I try to provide her with a clean, cozy bed, but for some crazy reason she is preferring this lately.

Fun on the Fourth

I love traditions. The Fourth of July is as full of traditions for us as Christmas...for that reason it is one of our favorites! We started the day with a trip to the after-hours pediatricians office, the second time we have done that with Krissy on this holiday. This year it was good news & just a over-worried mother (but again, that is nothing new).

Then, it was off to Kyle's parents for our annual Adams family + in-laws BBQ. We ate great food and swam in their pool. Once again we all had a great time together & once again I find myself grateful for an extended family that blends perfectly with my immediate family. It makes holidays much less complicated & oh, so enjoyable!

Next we went to the Stadium of Fire. Krissy has been looking forward to it for MONTHS...literally asking every week for 3 months "When do we get to see Miley on stage?" Once again the Stadium of Fire did not disappoint. I love it for the annual dose of patriotism it provides. I love that our nation's flag and our brave servicemen & women are the real stars of the show. Once again I found myself with tears in my eyes, thankful for this great land that we live in and for the sacrifices of so many who have provided this for us. Once again I found that I was not the only one on our bench with tears in my eyes...(Mikey...really just another reason I love ya!) Once again, for the fourth year in a row I did not see the entire show, but I figure another 4 or 5 years from now I just might.

Thank you to my parents for teaching me the importance of this special holiday and giving us traditions to make it special to us. I am so happy to share these with my kids now. Happy Birthday America!!

Once again here I am, behind the camera...

Girls gone wild...

...or at least out on the town for the night! These are my good friends that I get to go out with every so often...but never often enough. We have the best time together laughing, chatting & getting all caught up. We all use to live in the same ward & now everyone has moved on but me. Let me introduce you...


Traci, Farrah & Angie


Farrah, Me & Angie

I worked with Angie at BBW (by far one of my best hires of all time!) and then we ended up in the same ward. Traci is Angie's sister who also moved into our ward. Farrah has a little boy that had his baby blessing on the same day as Krissy. I guess you could say that we are bonded for life. We really have a great time when we all get together. I always laugh, and laugh and laugh... I think Angie has something to do with that.

Angie, Traci & Farrah, thanks for being such great friends! Let's do it again REALLY SOON!