Natalie and Josh Fowler

2009-11-29T18:19:00.000-08:00

This was from our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. Even though it snowed a few weeks earlier we were able to go and pick our pumpkins and go through the corn maze.

Preston's first time eating baby food. I love the bib!
Happy Birthday Marina!!!

So it has been a really long time since I last posted. I really want to keep this up, but I wonder if I really will. Anyways, the rest of the summer was great, we went to a week long family reunion with Josh's family in July. Then we went camping for a weekend with my family. Then we went to Yellowstone for a week. It was a lot of fun and one crazy summer. At the end of August school started and the kids love school. Alexis and Camryn are both doing really well and I am glad they both enjoy reading. Marina turned three in September. I can't believe she is already three!!
In October was Halloween, of course. Alexis was a "goth" fairy, Camryn was a vampire, Marina a princess, and Preston was a little Yoda. It was a great Halloween. It was even nice weather. The first week of November we went on a little family vacation down to see dental school friends in Fort Collins and Denver. We had a blast. Also the first week of November we celebrated our tenth anniversary. Okay so we really didn't do anything to celebrate it, it was on a Wed and Josh had scouts. But we are celebrating it in June with a trip to Paris, I am so excited! Thanksgiving was great. We went to Josh's parents house, which meant no traveling.
So I guess I should mention that I turned 30 in Sept. It really isn't that big of a deal to me. I don't feel any different. I look back at my twenties and I had a lot of fun and a lot of great things happened. We traveled to California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Tennessee, Mississippi, Florida, Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina, Washington D.C., New York, Kentucky (obviously), Pennsylvania, Wyoming, and Colorado. Josh finished dental school. I earned my Bachelors and my Masters. I had four beautiful kids. I look back and I had a great, but definitely not always easy and at times even difficult, ten years. I am looking forward to what my thirties will bring.

2009-07-19T21:00:00.001-07:00

We have had quite the crazy summer so far. I think it will take me a couple of posts to catch up on everything. So first of all on June 28th Alexis got baptized and Preston was blessed!! It was an exciting, crazy, and wonderful day. We decided to do both on the same day so more family could come. Alexis really wanted to be baptized on her birthday and we were lucky that it happened to fall on a Sunday. Most of my family came up to see the events, including my Grandma. I was thrilled that she decided to come up. Most of Josh's family came too. So it was fun to have everyone there. And I was also impressed that Josh's brother Matt and his wife Crystal seriously thought of driving from Boise, they ended up not being able to come, but we appreciate the thought. Anyways, the day went smoothly. We started with sacrament and Preston's blessing in the morning, then a barbecue/birthday party for Alexis in the afternoon and then the baptism that night. It is kinda weird to have a child baptized. It came a lot faster then I thought it would. Here's some pictures, enjoy!

2009-05-31T15:36:00.001-07:00

Camryn turned 6 this year, she talked about this birthday for a solid year! And they say kids don't have an attention span!
This is Marina in her Easter dress. She's dang cute and 100% girlie.
Here are the girls in their Easter outfits. Why is it impossible to get 4 kids to look at the same place at the same time?
Here's our cute little guy. I guess I have a thing for dressing up... He's about 7 weeks old in this picture.
This picture was when he was about 2 weeks old.

Well things have been pretty crazy here lately, which is why I have not blogged for a long time. Preston is already two months old and it has been fun and challenging having a baby again. I am really trying to enjoy it as much as I can, because this is our last little baby. Four kids is good for us. Preston is a good baby and the girls love him. Marina always gets right in his face and says "HIIIIII" I tell her to back and and say hi, but two year olds sometimes don't listen very well (can you believe that?!) The girls have ended yet another school year. Alexis finished second grade and Camryn finished Kindergarten. In April the older girls did soccer, which here is just crazy. We had soccer Mon thru Thurs at 5:45 for four weeks straight. No practices, the girls alternated games every night. Then in May we had our dance recital. It was a lot of fun. Alexis and Camryn love to get all fancied up with their hair and make up done. It is neat to see how their dancing has improved over the year. Josh is doing well in his practice, he has hired a new dentist who will start next month. I am trying to make it through each day being sleep deprived AND tired. I try not to look into the future and to just think about making to the end of each day with each kid still alive, fed, happy and mostly clean. The happy doesn't always happen, Alexis has entered a new phase of life where everything is "No fair!" Camryn is just unhappy if we try to make her do something she hates, like eat. Marina manages to have to go potty every time I am nursing, but I try to just be glad that she wants to go on the potty.

Introducing Preston...

2009-04-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, this is Josh posting in Natalie's place. She's a little incapacitated right now by the Percocet! I think that I've done a pretty good job of sending out emails and posting on Facebook, but here's one more place to show off our little guy. He was born on Tuesday March 31st, at about 8:30am. He weighed in at 7lbs 1oz, and was 19.5 inches long. He's absolutely perfect and doing great. Natalie's mending up well too, she's a real trooper. We've been blessed with wonderful family members that have helped us out a ton. Without them this would never have been possible. We are glad we decided to have him in UT, our doctor (Dr. Marriott) is fantastic and did a great job. So, on to the good stuff... below are some pictures for your enjoyment:

As you can see, the big sisters really love this little guy, and we couldn't be happier. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers, and to all of our family and friends who have been of so much help during our little adventure here!

2009-02-28T21:56:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick post. Our basement is finished!!!! The workers have been working on it since October. Everyday they would come in the backdoor at 8:00 in the morning and work until 5:00. Okay so it wasn't everyday but it sure seemed like it. But now it is done and we can enjoy our basement. I will post some pictures of it later. So what else....Josh had his birthday on Jan. 31. I promised him his next birthday will be better when I am not so sick and tired. Oh and Josh found an associate. We are excited because his dad wants to be done and there is more than enough business for two dentists. My C-section has been scheduled for March 31st. These last few weeks of pregnancy are never fun, hope I make it.

Camryn, my always amusing child, got out of bed the other night and said her legs hurt. So Josh said he would give her some medicine. He got some and gave it to her, then he left the room for a second and she went back to bed. Then he discovered the medicine on the floor. She had dumped it onto the floor. Turns out she was asleep the whole time. She has turned into quite the sleep walker.

Here are some random pictures.

This is Marina and her cousin Peyton, or as she calls him Pey Pey. They are the cutest little friends.

Here are my girlie girls with new pjs from Grandma. Thanks Grandma and thanks to Grandma Butters for helping with the sewing.

This is a sledding accident in action. Camryn is on the orange sled knocking over Alexis holding the yellow sled.

After a series of photos this was the best one. The kids are all looking, but silly Camryn is waving her hands. At least we have the kids together and happy.

2009-01-13T12:50:00.000-08:00

We love Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wonder how a boy will fit in with all the girliness in my house?

Alexis finally lost her two front teeth. One was just barely hanging in and she wanted Josh to pull it out so he brought her to the office and pulled both out. Her adult teeth were right there ready to come in. It is much easier to take her to the office and just pull them out quickly then try to convince her to do it at home.

We had a good Christmas at our house. The girls had a lot of fun, and didn't wake up too early. We spent Christmas Eve at Josh's parents house and didn't get the girls into bed until about 9:00 (too late). I was feeling pretty sick Christmas Eve so I didn't get our Christmas breakfast ready (it was a casserole which has to sit in the fridge overnight) so we ended up having our Christmas breakfast the day after Christmas, which was fine with me. We spent Christmas Day at home, just being lazy, putting together toys, eating, etc. It was great. Then about 4:00 Alexis said she felt sick and proceeded to spend the rest of the night throwing up. Alexis, Josh, and Marina all ended up getting the stomach flu over the holidays. Anyways, we went down to Utah the Sunday after Christmas and spent a week there. New Years Eve was spent playing games with my family. I have more pictures, but Josh got me a new camera for Christmas and so they are on another card. I will put more up later (hopefully not two months later). Well, it was great to see family and relax for a week.

One of our traditions is to make sugar cookies for Christmas. As I am helping my own kids with this I can't help but remember doing this with my own mom. I loved making cookies with her and I never understood why she would sometimes get frustrated with us, but now I do. I find myself saying the same things my mom did: "don't put the cookie cutter right in the middle, save room for more then one cookie," "no you can't eat all the cookie dough" "no, I will roll out the dough" "not too may sprinkles!" But it was a lot of fun and a tradition I will continue with every year.

This is Christmas morning. The pjs they got for the Christmas Eve gift, they have Tinkerbell on them. Tinkerbell is one of Marina's favorite movies.

I went to the dr while we were down in Utah and I just have to complain a little. I was 26 weeks and so I had to do the glucose test, my appt was at 10:30. I didn't eat breakfast, and just drank the nasty stuff and tried not to throw up on the way to the dr. Well, it has to be exactly an hour after you drink it that they take your blood. So my appt with the dr was really really quick (about four min) and then I went and had my blood taken, alright I thought done with the needles. But no I went back into the dr's office to find out I had to get my shot for being O-. Then the head nurse realized that the new nurse had not ordered an antibody test at the same time as they drew blood for the glucose test, so I had to get my blood taken again and then have a shot. I HATE needles!! So not my favorite appt. A couple of people of asked if I am still having palpitations and yes I am. I had it checked out and everything is normal, I am having about 1,000 a day, which really isn't that much. The doctor said they will probably go away when I have the baby.

2008-11-30T20:42:00.000-08:00

So I haven't been blogging much lately because I have to admit I have gotten a sour taste in my mouth for emailing, texting, and blogging. There have been a couple of instances in the past month where things have been taken the wrong way and bad things have happened. In my opinion texting is slowly ruining communication and relationships in the country. People are more willing to text things that they would never say in person. I have seen relationships destroyed over texting because of harsh things which never would have been said otherwise. People need to learn to talk to each other again. Josh had a patient in his office the other day who is a high school English teacher and she said we don't even realize how bad it is. She receives papers from students where the first paragraph is good but then the writing turns into texting lingo. Students will put l8r for later and 2 for to or too, etc. I mean I don't have perfect grammar, but that is disgusting. What are these kids going to do when they enter the workforce and they don't know how to make a complete sentence? My mom said she was behind a couple of boys in line at the store or something and instead of talking to each other they were all texting. What has happened to our society? My sister has friends where in a relationship they say I love you for the first time over texting and they will break up over texting.

On to a happier topic, as was mentioned earlier we went and had our ultrasound on Wed and what the heck!!! I am having a BOY!!!!!!!!!! I was in absolute shock when we saw the ultrasound. I still don't really know what to think, which is one reason I haven't blogged about it until now. I mean I have pink and purple bedrooms, where does a boy fit? Don't get me wrong we are excited, I just never really planned on having a boy so it was quite a surprise. I don't know if I will really believe it until I see my little boy in the hospital.

Doctor's visit

2008-11-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

Well Wednesday was a big day for us, we went and had our ultrasound. We're so excited to know what we're having!

I LOVE HALLOWEEN!!

2008-11-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

As the title states, I love Halloween!!! This year was a lot of fun. As you can tell from the picture, Alexis was Dorothy, Camryn was a Southern Belle (she even used an accent), and Marina was a witch. We went trick-or-treating on Main Street (small town version of mall trick-or-treating) and of course the kids loved it. Then Josh took the kids around our neighborhood. I thought I would get some rest staying home and handing out treats, but alas, I didn't get to sit down for more then two minutes for almost two hours. It was crazy!! We eventually ran out of candy and just had to turn out the porch light. Then later that night we got toilet-papered. Josh is over the teachers in young men and we believe (know) it was his boys that did it. We only have one tiny tree so it really wasn't bad.

Last week I was in a play with a bunch of other moms at the local library. I was originally asked to fill in one day, one part for one of the other moms who could not do the play for two days. So I practiced that part for three weeks and then the day before the play the lady in charge called me and told me that our friend who played one of the other pumpkins had gone into early labor and could not do her part, so could I take her place and do two days instead of one? So I agreed and ended having to memorize a whole new part in one day. It worked out fine, though, and I had a lot of fun. So much fun that I agreed to be in the Christmas play in December. I didn't think a lot of kids would come and see it, but we ended up putting the play on for over 1,000 people in two days. In the picture I am the pumpkin with the Wendy's wig.

We also had a Halloween Party at our house. It was crazy, but fun. I actually dressed up for the first time since I was a kid, I was an Egyptian mummy. Surprise Josh was a mechanic! One more thing, since I have been pregnant I have been having heart palpitations and I really don't like it. My heart will beat really hard once and then normal again, at first it was only once a week or so but lately it has been happening almost everyday. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it common? Should I be worried? Comments would be appreciated.

Quick Update

2008-10-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

Marina on a climbing wall at an indoor kids playplace in Boise. Okay she had a little help from Josh.

You know I always say I will post more often and yet it does not happen. What can I say, life gets busy. Last week we went on a short vacation to visit Josh's brother and his family in Boise. It was a lot of fun. They have four kids so my kids had a blast running around and playing with their kids nonstop for three days. Thanks for letting your kids stay home from school!! We went to the zoo and then a kids Discovery Center, which Alexis loved. I also had a great time, I enjoyed getting to know Josh's brother and his wife better. I think our families are a lot more alike then I ever thought before. So the trip went great and then we started to look at the weather for our drive home on Sat and realized that a massive snowstorm was going to hit Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah, all the places we had to drive through. So in an effort to miss the storm we left late Friday night, instead of Saturday morning, and drove to my parents in Utah. We woke up Saturday morning to the news that South Pass (the road we take home) was closed. So we ended up in Utah until Monday. We did have a nice surprise visit with my family, but what the heck, snow the first week of October?!?!?!?! At least it is all melted now. I'm not saying I don't enjoy the occasional snowfall, I do, at Christmas! While we were in Utah I went to see the doctor and so far the baby is growing and doing good, and I am also starting to feel better.

We went to the pumpkin patch with some friends a couple of weeks ago. The girls had a lot of fun, and we found a lot of great pumpkins. The best part was wandering through the corn maze, which was next to the pumpkin patch. The girls screamed almost the whole time, even though the only ones scaring them were the people with us.Marina at the pumpkin patch. She is too cute for her own good.

Update

2008-09-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

Like I said in a previous post, we went camping a couple of weeks ago with some friends. Personally, I love camping so I had a great time, I was just sad we only stayed one night. I would have liked to stay at least two. Anyways, we had five families and 13 kids. My kids had a blast and slept so well!!! Marina went right to sleep and did not wake up at all the whole night. One thing I did not like was the wind. It started in the middle of the night and a couple of times I thought our tent would fall down or we would be carried off like in the Wizard of Oz. But we survived the night and on Sat. the kids all ran around having a great time and I knew it was only a matter of time before one of them was hurt. The one who got hurt was not the one who I thought would. Brandon James, a 13 year old boy, fell down and broke his arm. It was so sad. Kids had been falling down left and right and he falls once and breaks his arm. Well, his dad took him to the hospital, while everyone else went on a short hike and then took down camp. We ended the trip a couple of hours earlier then planned due to the accident, but sometimes that is what you have to do. Poor Brandon James had to have surgery on his arm the next Tuesday. Hope he is doing okay now. Next year we will go camping again, except we will go in July when it is warmer and we will go for an entire weekend instead of one night.

Marina is 2!!! I can't believe it. The past two years have just flown by. She has such a sweet spirit. She is always so concerned if anybody is sad or hurt, even people on tv. She is such a goofball. She is talking nonstop, especially since the older two girls have gone to school. She calls her cousin Peyton, "Pey, Pey" and the cat "Sammie" she says Grandma and Grandpa, but she will not say Alexis or Camryn. She calls Alexis "SeeSee," and Camryn "SeeSaw" I think she got it from sister, but who really knows. So she had a great birthday, we celebrated last weekend with my family in Utah (it was my sister's birthday on the 8th), and we celebrated with just our family on her actual birthday the 11th, and on Sunday we will have yet another celebration with Josh's family. Marina will think it is her birthday everyday.

Well, I guess I should post that I am pregnant. I am eleven weeks and boy howdy have I been nauseous and tired. I went to the doctor while we were in Utah and everything seems to be okay. Yes I went to the doctor in Utah and I live in Wyoming. I decided to go to the doctor (Dr. Marriott) that delivered Alexis and Camryn for a couple of reasons. First, I have to have a C-section and he is one of the best C-section doctors in Utah and when you are having someone cut you open and stitch you back up you don't want someone with questionable skills. Second, he does an ultrasound at every visit. Obviously, if there is something wrong then he can tell early on. I have often thought that if my doctor in Kentucky did an ultrasound everytime he would have seen that Marina was breech earlier and we could have tried to turn her, and perhaps I would not have had to have a C-section. I remember going to the dr in KY and he would feel my stomach and then just say, so how do you feel? How can he tell if everything is okay if that is all he does???? But alas, that is how it was. Another reason I am going to Utah is because the hospital here is teeny, tiny. One of my friends had a baby here and her room was so small. The rooms at Ogden Regional Hospital are beautiful and very large and there are fold out beds for spouses. I have a friend here that told me, "if you can schedule your baby and have it somewhere else do it." So I am taking her advice. Yes it is a long drive for a doctors appointment, but I know it will be worth it.

The Dreaded Subject: Politics

2008-08-28T20:00:00.001-07:00

I usually make it a policy to not discuss politics with friends, family, or just about anyone but lately the subject seems to come up again and again. We were with some friends last weekend camping (lots of fun, more on that later), when the the presidential election came up. There was a lot of discussing and people trying to figure out how to find out the truth about the candidates and what they say. After we got home, I couldn't help but wonder how do we find the truth? Well, I am reading the biography of President Hinckley, Go Forward With Faith, and I actually recalled a quote by President Hinckley which answered my question. He was on an airplane talking with someone about the church and the man admitted to President Hinckley that he had received all his information about our church from his own church. President Hinckley asked what company the man worked for and he said IBM. So President Hinckley replied, "How would you feel if your customers learned about your products from a Xerox representative?" So I applied that thought to the election. If I want to find out what Obama and McCain really stand for why not hear it from them? I listened to both of their acceptance speeches and have been reading their views and plans for the country on their own websites. Of course, it is hard to trust politicians so I found a non-partisan website called factcheck.org. It is a great website and states the truth about what each politician says. Check it out for yourself. Anyways, I feel it is important to vote, but we should not vote based on the rumors, lies, and slander plastered across the television and email. Our country needs a good, strong president and we need to vote for the person not the R or the D behind the name. That is just my opinion.

2008-08-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

I just had to take a second to let those of you who are following my little sister Staci's love life know the latest news. She went to visit her boyfriend, Blake, a couple weeks ago up in Washington and came back engaged! (Needless to say I was not surprised) They are planning on getting married in Jan in the Bountiful Temple. So congrats to you Staci!!!!!!

School is Here Once Again

2008-08-26T13:26:00.001-07:00

Okay I decided I should probably update my blog. My computer was acting funny last week so I wasn't able to get on, stupid windows vista. Anyway, yesterday was the first day of school. Alexis started second grade and Camryn started full day Kindergarten. Sometimes it is hard to believe I have kids that old. It was kind of weird to only have Marina and me and home, it was also oddly quiet. But at 3:00 we went and picked up the girls and life was crazy and noisy once again. After driving my girls to two separate schools everyday for two straight years, I have to admit it is pretty nice to only have to go to one school. Another benefit this year is that they changed the school starting time from 8:15 to 8:00 so some days Josh can drop the girls off on his way to work. How sweet is that?

Here are some pictures of the first day of school.

I went to my ten year high school reunion a couple of weeks ago. They had a lunch at the park for the families and then a dinner at night. At the lunch I was able to see a couple of good friends so I am glad I went. Then at the dinner I saw my best friend from high school Kelley Walker and her husband Scott. It was great to see her. It was just the same as 10 years ago. She was just as sarcastic and cynical as I remember, unlike me of course. Okay maybe I was a little bit sarcastic and cynical as well. We really need to stay in touch better. I also saw my good friend Jay and his wife Ginger. Jay is still Jay and I was really glad I got to see them.

I have to make a couple of comments on the Olympics. I have always been a fan of watching the Olympics, but this year I struggled with a few sports. The gymnastics were difficult to watch because the judging was so obviously off. More then once did a Chinese girl get way more points then she deserved. Also what is up with the lip-syncing seven year old? The girl who really sang at the opening ceremonies wasn't cute enough so they had a different girl stand in and lip-sync. That really irritated me. And some of the fireworks on the tv were computerized in. So I did enjoy the Olympics, especially Michael Phelps, but come on Chinese government lets not destroy the Olympics, okay?

While we were down in Utah we went to the dinosaur park with my sister, her son, and my parents. It was a lot of fun. For being girlie girls Alexis and Camryn sure love dinosaurs.

2008-08-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

I thought this was pretty picture. It is at Rock Creek.

Josh got to go on the pioneer trek with the youth a couple of weeks ago. I don't think I have written about this yet, but I don't know. It ended up being about 30 miles in two days. Josh had to quit a couple of hours early because he got huge blisters on his feet. The trek ended at Rock Creek where the Willie Company spent the first night after they were "rescued." A lot of people died that night and were buried there. Now there are monuments for the pioneers and the graves are marked.
Josh and Ron together again. They had a blast playing guitar hero. It was so great to see the Ronco's.

The stake put on a short program at Rock Creek when the trekkers came back. The girls are singing some pioneer songs with the Primary. The kids had the option of wearing pioneer clothes, but alas we did not have any, I don't sew, and I did not want to buy clothes for five minutes of singing.

I finally have a picture up of the girls in their dance costumes. They danced at the county fair last Saturday. I have to say they are pretty cute.

Marina is such a ham. She loves to have her picture taken anytime, anywhere.

I have to add a few extra comments to add to my previous post. I do enjoy some fiction. I really liked Harry Potter and I hate to admit that I am addicted to the Twilight series, although I also have to admit that I found myself thinking more then once that the books are rather cheesy. But it makes a quick, fun, easy read in between my heavy history books.

I did a few new things this summer which I had to write about. I tried wakeboarding for the first time. I actually did okay and I really liked it! Josh really liked to hear that, he has been trying to get me to wakeboard since we got married. I also learned to drive a boat. It was kinda scary at first, but I at least I can drive well enough for Josh to wakeboard behind me.

2008-07-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in awhile so I just thought I would take a minute to write down some thoughts. I am kinda tired so this won't be long. I would like to blog more, but by the time the kids get to bed I don't really feel like sitting at the computer. So anyways, the other day I realized once again that I am not like a lot of my friends. I am in certain ways, but definitely not in hobbies. I am the only person I know that does not like to scrapbook. I just don't enjoy it. I started scrapbooking our marriage pictures right after we got married and realized that I really didn't enjoy it that much. My wedding photos are still not finished and I have been married for almost nine years. I just don't have the time and if I did I would rather research, read, or write history. I know I'm crazy. I have realized I miss out on a lot of time my friends spend together because they get together and scrapbook. But what can I say, I don't like it and I can't force myself to do it. I'm not saying scrapbooking is bad, it is just not for me. Another area I differ is in reading material. People always ask me, "so what are you reading?" and recently I have said, a book about Abraham Lincoln. I then get looked at like I am crazy. I have a hard time with fiction. I can read fiction and I enjoy some of it, but reading about real people with real stories far surpasses any made up story. In fact, I have never been able to finish Little Women and I have tried twice. I just can't stand it. I am okay being different, I mean nobody wants to be the same, but sometimes it would be nice to sit and talk with somebody about historical issues.

More pictures

2008-07-06T19:42:00.001-07:00

Here are some more pictures from our vacation. This one is all of us at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. It was slightly different from a zoo. A lot of the animals were all together in a huge area to better simulate what life would be like in Africa. The girls had a great time even though it was hot.
This is Alexis and Camryn at the beach. As you can tell they totally got knocked over by a wave.
Marina is helping Staci by putting sand on her back. When Staci stood up it went straight down her shorts. I had to laugh.
At first Marina hated the beach. She would not let me put her down on the sand. So we put her on a towel and she started sticking her finger in the sand, then her toes, and eventually she was rolling around in it.

This is at the Sea World kids play area.
Also, Sea World. Josh doesn't like the spinning rides so I took all the girls.
This dolphin came right up to the glass to look at Josh. It sat there for about a minute and just looked and him and chirped a couple of times. I love dolphins.
Here are the crazy animals at the Wild Animal Park.

As most of you know, I am an avid fan of history, especially Civil War history. I really love reading about Abraham Lincoln and currently I am reading Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. In it she has a Lincoln quote that I really like so I thought I would share, "No man resolved to make the most of himself, can spare time for personal contention. Still less can he afford to take all the consequences, including the vitiating of his temper, and the loss of self-control. Yield larger things to which you can show no more than equal right; and yield lesser ones, though clearly your own. Better give your path to a dog, than be bitten by him in contesting for the right. Even killing the dog would not cure the bite." It reminds me that sometimes it is best to just let things go then dwell on them and bring myself down.

Disneyland

2008-06-30T19:58:00.000-07:00

Once again it has been a long time since I have posted a blog. But we have been really busy with the end of the school year and then we went on vacation and I did not have reliable internet at the place we stayed. Anyways, at the end of May the girls had their dance recital. It was a lot of fun to finally see the girls dance. They both love it and do pretty good, I will post of pictures later. On June 18th, we left to go to California with my family. Well it was supposed to be with my family. My sister and her husband ended up not being able to go because of work and some other issues. My parents went, but left after just a couple of days because my grandpa was on the verge of death. He did die on June 26th which made the vacation not as fun, but he was ready to go. My grandpa was a great guy and I will miss him, but at least he is in a place where he is no longer sick. Therefore, the family trip ended up being my little family, my little sister Staci and her boyfriend. He also had to leave early for work. But thanks once again to Staci for being there and helping us so much!! You are AWESOME!! Back to the happy stuff. We went to Las Vegas for a couple of days, then on to Disneyland!! The girls loved it, of course. And I have always loved Disneyland. I thought it would be so busy and hot, but it really wasn't too bad. We went on everything we wanted to and then some extra. We also went to Sea World and the San Diego Wild Animal Park. I will post some more pictures over the next week, I just wanted to get a few up. I took a ton of pictures and I will post my favorites. One thing I have learned over the past years is that I love to travel, even with three kids. It is so fun to go new places, or old places, and play and have fun. It is worth the hassle of packing, repacking, unpacking, etc. Just a few more comments. As I mentioned my grandpa (my mother's dad) passed away while we were gone so we came back Sat and on Sun went to the viewing and then the funeral on Monday. It was hard to see someone close to me die, but I was blessed to see him one last time. We had planned to leave for vacation after Josh got off work on Wed the 18th, but I knew my grandpa wasn't doing well and I was prompted again and again to try and leave early. So Josh changed his schedule so we could leave at 1:00 in the afternoon. We drove straight to grandpa's and saw and talked with him. We were able to say goodbye. I am grateful for that.

Here are the girls on the tea cup ride. They loved it!!

More pictures soon!!

2008-05-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

This month has been crazy. We are getting ready for the girls dance recital on Saturday. I am excited to see them dance. They had their dance pictures taken yesterday. The costumes are so cute, I will post some pictures later. Camryn had her end of the year play last Friday. She was Droopy the Bunny and her best friend, Aubrey, was Fluffy the Rabbit. They were quite the pair. The performance was two hours long, I have to admit that it was kinda long, especially for little kids, but they did a really good job. The first half was a singing program and then the second half was the play. My parents were able to come up to see it, I'm glad they are close enough that they can come up for the weekend for things like that. I don't really have much to say (I usually don't) but here are some pictures that I have taken recently.

Here is Alexis at the track at Riverton High School. Her school had an activity day there with lots of different activities for the kids. One neat thing about her school is they really emphasize the importance of physical activity and eating healthy. (which is the opposite of the schools in Kentucky)This is Camryn and Aubrey. They are so alike. If they could they would play together all day, everyday.

Here are a couple of pictures of Camryn at her program. In the first one she is introducing herself. She said, "I'm Camryn Fowler and when I grow up I want to be a paleontologist!" In the second one she is in her bunny outfit. Camryn is so full of happiness, joy, and excitement. She brings a lot of laughter and joy to our family. I can't believe she is going to be in Kindergarten next year.

Weekend Fun

2008-05-01T13:13:00.001-07:00

Josh's parents took the kids Friday night for a sleepover at their house. Of course, the kids were so excited and they had a lot of fun. So while the kids were gone we decided to have a get together at our house with some friends. Well, a couple of days before a lady in our ward called and asked if we would host a couple of the Orem Institute singers that night. So I said yes and we ended up having two college boys with us that night. Then, a neighbor friend (who was also hosting two boys) agreed to feed the boys we were hosting and then after that they all came over to our house. We ended up having about 23 people here. Everybody left at about 12:00 and then we ended staying up until 2:00 a.m. talking to the boys who were staying with us. What made that night kinda interesting was the fact that one of the boys staying at my neighbors was Donny Osmond's son. So he came over and hung out here and played guitar hero with Josh. What is also interesting is when he saw Josh he said, "you look familiar, do I know you?" Josh, who did not even know what Donny Osmond looked like or any of the Osmond songs, said, "I don't think so." Turns out he had served in the same mission as Josh's little brother Ben and Josh and Ben look a lot alike. Small world. So here are some pictures from this past weekend. Enjoy!!

Friends

2008-05-01T13:13:00.000-07:00

You know, I've been thinking lately about my life and how it is not at all how I pictured it would be. And yet I wouldn't change anything. When I got married I pictured Josh and I living in Utah for our entire lives and always being close to my parents. We would go visit them on Sundays and they would be close for all the kids school stuff. Of course that is not at all what happened. When Josh mentioned to me the idea of going to dental school I completely dismissed the idea. I could never live in Kentucky, that's where hillbillies live. I know I have family there!! But we did go to school and it was such a growing experience for me. I met the best people there. We made really good friends and I have to say those friends became my family. When I had Marina my family was across the country. My mom and dad, and my mother-in-law, did come and help for a couple days, but they had to go back home (I don't know why ;) ). Anyways, I had such great friends to help me and I don't know if I ever said thank you. So thank you to all my Kentucky family. Thanks Deanna and Jessica for taking my kids to school and picking them up. Thanks for just being there for me. And now here I am in a small town. For those of you who knew me in Kentucky know I am not a small town person so this has been an adjustment. My family is closer and I do see them a lot more which I am grateful for and Josh's family is here so that is nice. But last summer I found myself bored quite a lot. Then we met a bunch of great people who are now our good friends. And I have to say my friends here have made living in this small town fun. So thank you to my friends here for being my friends and helping us to adjust to life here. Friends are great, they just help in so many ways. So thanks again to all my wonderful friends!!!!
On a different note, I just had to post this, last night we had a guy here installing new fire alarms and he was probably in his 20's and I will admit he wasn't ugly. Anyways, he was talking to me about some paperwork and Camryn came up to me and tried to whisper (she doesn't really understand what it means to whisper) "He is so HANDSOME!!" I couldn't help but laugh and he turned bright red. Then Camryn turns to Alexis and says "I'm going to marry him!" He went even redder and I just laughed. Camryn provides lots of comedy for our home. In fact the other day I was going to exercise and Camryn asked me why so I said because I wanted to stay in shape. She then asked "What shape do you want to be? A triangle or maybe a diamond?" I just laughed. Now every time I exercise or talk about being healthy Camryn says "That's because you don't want to change your shape." So again I just smile.

2008-04-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

So here we are in St. Louis. Not a place I imagined myself at this time of year. But my paper got accepted at a graduate history conference so we had to go so I could present it. My kids stayed with my parents for the weekend. We had a lot of fun, although it was cold the entire time. While we lived in Kentucky we drove through St. Louis many times, but we never stopped because it was either raining or the wrong time of day. That and we had a long drive ahead so we didn't want to prolong it more. Anyways, this time we went and saw the arch and went to the museum underneath. Then we went and saw Ulysses S. Grant's house. Unfortunately, it was closed and we could only look through the fence, but still I had the opportunity to stand on Grant's property, so awesome. For those of you who know me well, know I love Grant. He was one of America's greatest generals. It was a great experience and I'm glad I went, even though I was terrified to present my paper. It went well, and I was reminded once again how much I enjoy history.

2008-04-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have finally taken a moment to blog. So not too much has been going on with us, just the same old stuff of living life.

Guess who came to Riverton???? I know it is hard to see in the picture, but that is former president Bill Clinton. I know all you die hard Republicans are like--what?! I would never go see him!! But I like Bill Clinton and I always have. You have to admit life was pretty good when he was president. Anyways even if you don't like him it's not everyday a former president comes to Riverton, okay it's pretty much never. So I had to take the opportunity to go and see him. He spoke well, like he always does, and I'm glad I went.
Here I am in Utah with my sisters. We went and saw the Blue Man Group at the beginning of Feb and finally got our pictures with our shirts. The concert was a lot of fun. I haven't had matching clothes with my sisters since like 1985.
When we went down to Utah we took the girls to see Disney Princesses on Ice. They loved it. There really wasn't a story line, it was just all the princess stories summarized which was kind of lame. But alas I went because I knew how much my girls would enjoy it and they did. In fact I remember going to Disney on Ice when I was a kid and I always really loved it so I wanted to take my own kids. And I will admit it, I also enjoyed the show.
Here is Easter morning at our house. We hid candy and eggs and the girls found it all. Of course, we had an Easter lesson about what Easter is about and why we celebrate it. When I was a kid we always hunted for candy and eggs and I still knew and understood the real reason behind Easter so we have continued the tradition with our kids.
Pretty girls!! The girls loved their new Easter dresses. Marina picked out her dress. I held up two different ones at the store and she keep pointing to this one saying "oooooh, pretty!" Even though they look like springtime it does not feel like it outside. In fact, yesterday it snowed. I have never been more ready for springtime than I am this year. After living in Kentucky, where by this by of year it was warm and the trees were blooming, this Wyoming winter is killing me!! Everything here is still brown and it has been so cold this past week. Oh well, guess I'll survive.

Motherhood

2008-03-04T19:15:00.000-08:00

I just had to take a second to write down a couple of my thoughts. Last night I was talking with some friends about being a mom and the challenges of having toddlers and babies. I have to admit there have been plenty of times I have been frustrated, upset, worn out, fatigued, etc. but I try to remember that this is just a small part of my life. I mean if I live to like 80 or 90 what is a few years with little kids? Not much. When I am old I want to have lots of family, lots of grandkids around me. I mean how much fun is it to get together with family and go on vacations or just hang out? Obviously the only way to have that is to have kids. The most important thing we have is our family and yes having little kids is difficult but nothing worthwhile has ever been easy. I know as women we want to have time to do our own things, to pursue our own goals, but as it says in the scriptures everything has a season. For me I have always wanted to have a career in history, I want to get a PhD, teach college, research, and write. There will be a time for that. If I have one more child, it will be six, seven years until I can really pursue that career full time, but as I mentioned earlier what a small amount of time compared to a whole lifetime. Also, how much more joy and happiness can my family bring me than any aspect of a career. Marina was just doing wheels on the bus go round and round and that made me smile more than any A on any paper. I'm not saying women shouldn't take time for themselves, in fact I think they should because it makes us better wives and mothers to take care of ourselves first. I'm just suggesting we take a step back and realize how short this time is that we have with our little children and try and treasure that time.

2008-03-01T18:38:00.000-08:00

We went to a dental convention in Denver last week and once again it was great to see everyone there. It is so awesome that we can be apart for months and months and then get together and it's like we never left. We went to the Denver aquarium with the Ronco family and the kids were immediately talking, giggling, and just being best friends. Of course, I always enjoy a trip to the big city. I did some shopping, dining out, and enjoyed the chaos of the city. Our hotel we stayed at was awesome, we stayed in suite so we were able to put the kids to bed in one room and then hang out in another. It is nice to be able to go somewhere and stay where we want and not just where it is cheapest. You past students know what I'm talking about. So we had a great time, I just wish we could have stayed longer.

Here are the little best friends.

At the aquarium there was a bird, I think it was a macaw, it was screeching very loudly and the girls did not like it. Camryn looked at the bird and yelled, "BE QUIET!!" I had to laugh.

Here's all the kids. Jared and Johnny are getting all grown up. I don't know how that has happened since I have not aged at all.

I have to thank my sister, Staci, for coming with us. I wasn't even going to go because honestly two days by myself with three children in a hotel room is not exactly my idea of a dream vacation. But Josh convinced my sister to come with us and so I went and I could not have done it without her. Staci you are awesome!!

Who loves Oreos? ME!!

2008-01-22T19:01:00.000-08:00

Okay so I know I haven't been very good about blogging lately. I just honestly don't like the computer that much, but I am going to try and do better. So our Christmas was a lot of fun. It was the first Christmas we have had at our own house since before dental school. It was nice to not have to pack everything up, but at the same time I really missed my family. Here are some pictures from the past two months.

We have had a lot of snow and the girls love it. At least Alexis and Camryn do. Marina can't hardly walk in her snow boats so she only stays outside for a couple of minutes. But I have to admit it is pretty cute to watch her try and waddle around in the snow. It was nice to have a white Christmas. Although I would have liked it more if the roads were plowed. For some reason they don't believe in plows in this town.

This is Christmas Eve. The girls looked so cute in their Christmas pj's I had to take a picture.

Marina has really learned to ham it up in front of the camera. I just have to get the camera out and she starts smiling and posing.

I have a picture of me when I was a kid with my sister and brother in a box just like this one, so when all three kids got into this box I had to take a picture. And of course, the favorite present is always a box.

I saved the best picture for last. Many of you know that Josh loves to throw the girls around. I finally got the perfect picture of him doing throwing Marina. As you can see he isn't touching her at all. Marina loves every minute of it. I just hope none of our kids get injured!!

So Kentucky!!

2007-12-20T18:24:00.000-08:00

We went to see the Nutcracker a couple of weeks ago. The girls really enjoyed it and I was surprised at how good it was. Well, a couple of little boys, around 8 years old, and their families were sitting in front of us. Both of the boys had mullets, BAD mullets. I couldn't help but think, "that is so Kentucky!" Josh and I joked that if only we had a pair of scissors we could chop off the mullet when the lights went down and then slide the scissors under the chairs in front of us. I'm sure the children would have been grateful, but alas we did not have a pair of scissors. My question is do you think the boys wanted their hair that way or did the parents force it upon them? Poor, poor children.

Six Things

2007-12-04T20:34:00.000-08:00

I got tagged awhile ago, but it has taken me some time to think of six things to write about. So here are the ones I’ve (well with Josh’s help) come up with:

1. I hate talking on the phone. I’ve always hated talking on the phone even when I was a teenager. I don’t call and order pizza, I don’t call movie theaters, I usually don’t call to make doctors appointments. If there is anyway I can just get Josh to call instead of me I do it. That is why Josh is always the one calling and making plans. I think this phone phobia stems from the fact that I hate looking stupid and I’m always afraid of saying something stupid on the phone. I also think this is one reason I have had a hard time making and keeping friends.

2. I like Hillary Clinton. I know many of you out there will be shocked and dismayed, but I think she is a very intelligent, successful women and I am impressed by what she has done in her life. I also think many people out there who hate her know nothing about her. I am currently reading her book and I have to admit she has done a lot of good in her life. I also believe she would be just as successful, if not more so, if she had not married Bill Clinton (whom I also like). Along this same line, I am a registered Democrat.

3. I hate guns. My hatred of guns started when I was a kid and my dad came home from work and told me his boss’s only son was killed when a neighbor kid was playing with a gun and it accidently went off. I don’t want guns in my house and I never want my children to pretend they are playing with guns. Guns are dangerous and too many stupid people have them. To go along with my hatred of guns, is my hatred of hunting. Just one example, I just don’t understand how anyone could kill something as beautiful and graceful as a deer.

4. I am obsessed with the paranormal. I watch Ghost Hunters, a tv show on Sci fi, all the time. My favorite is Steve. It’s funny to me that he can hunt ghosts and yet be terrified of spiders, heights, flying, etc. Before I started watching Ghost Hunters I didn’t really know if I believed in ghosts, but after watching the show for a couple of years I will admit that I believe in the paranormal. My favorite episode is the one where they go to the Stanley Hotel and they hear a little girl say “hello?” and then laugh! Creepy!!

5. When Josh and I were dating we went camping at Flaming Gorge with some of Josh’s cousins. While there I jumped off a forty foot cliff into the water. It was fun, but I don’t think I will do that again.

6. As most people know, I love history. Most people don’t know (because I don’t think anybody really cares and I don’t like to talk about it) that I have one book review published in The Southern Historian and I have an article that I am working on getting published. Also, I am currently researching for a book I want to write about the Mormon experiences in Missouri during the 1830’s.

Well that’s my six things, nothing too exciting or spectacular. I am tagging Michelle Hawkes, Amy, Crystal, and that’s all I can think of.

2007-11-28T12:26:00.000-08:00

Finally, I have a second to write a new post. Life has just been crazy busy the past month. I'll just write a few things that have been going on. About a month ago I was playing Old Maid with Camryn and some other people, and at the end of the game Camryn said to me, "I'm so glad we didn't get the Old Navy!" I had to laugh. Then a few days later, she said to me "Mom, can we play Old Navy?" You can tell where we like to shop. Camryn also said to us, "It's a lot easier to laugh when you are having fun." I can always count on Camryn to say something to make me smile.

Josh and I had our 8th anniversary. On one hand I can't believe we have been married that long but on the other hand I look at everything we have gone through and all the places and people we have met and I realize it has been eight great years. We started in a tiny basement apartment that only had windows that were like ten inches tall. It was quite the dump. For our anniversary we went to California, without the kids. I have to admit it was strange to spend three days with no children. We were walking along a pier and looking in shops and it was odd to not have to say "come back here," "put that down," "be nice," "no you can't have that," etc. It was fun and when the time came, I was ready to get back to my kids. What can I say, I'm a sucker for snuggles from my baby girl.

We had Thanksgiving in Utah with my family. It was the first Thanksgiving with my family since I was pregnant with Camryn, due to our years in Louisville. It was nice to be together again. Unfortunately, my brother-in-law and nephew both had the stomach flu. Thankfully, we didn't get sick.

2007-11-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

Well, we had a successful Halloween. Alexis was Batgirl, Camryn was Supergirl, and Marina was a skunk. I have to admit they were pretty cute. It did not take long for Marina to realize that people were giving her candy and she really got into the whole trick or treat thing. Wed. night she was kind of on a sugar high. She would run around like crazy and occasionally let out a scream. I do love Halloween. A lot of people say Halloween is evil and we shouldn't celebrate it because of the association of Halloween and the devil, but whatever I think Halloween is great. Camryn's preschool teacher made a comment that I agree with. She said that Halloween is America's holiday to celebrate children and to let all children know how much we love them. (although there is a part of me that thinks every holiday is like that)

Back to the issue with Alexis and her friend. Through continued association with girl Alexis has pretty much decided that her friend is really not that great of a friend and the obsession with her is over. They are still friends, but Alexis has told me she doesn't want to go over to her friends house anymore. I think the experience has been good for Alexis because she has discovered what makes a good friend.

On a different note, when we went to Denver in Sept I was introduced to a new drink. Deanna told me about a drink she makes with diet Coke and dr. Pepper and now I am addicted. In our home we have named that drink "the Deanna" so whenever I want one I just tell Josh to go and get me a "Deanna." So thank you Deanna!!

2007-10-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

Now that Alexis is getting older we are being confronted with different issues and it is kind of strange. Most of you know that Alexis is really friendly and outgoing so I wasn't too worried about her making new friends here, but I wasn't ready for her to be friends with someone who I didn't really like. Of course Alexis is only six and so are her friends so it's not like a really big issue, but this friend of hers just causes me a little bit of concern. I guess it's because of the mother. She seems nice, but she dresses like a teenager in really short shorts, tight shirts, etc. It wouldn't be that bad if she had the body for it, but she doesn't. The family just looks like the type of family that doesn't place much emphasis on values, morals, etc. Anyways, Alexis's friends seems to try and dominate Alexis and order her around. Also, she tends to tell lies. Well, maybe not intentional lies, but stories about herself that will make her seem cool. For example, Alexis told her that her Grandma lived in Utah and her friend responded by saying her Grandma had lived in Utah 100 times. Obviously that does not make sense. Anyways, I'm just concerned Alexis will learn bad habits from her friend. For example, her friend likes to hold her fist up to people and threaten to punch them and we have noticed Alexis holding her fist up the same way. I've talked to Alexis I guess now I just have to wait and see. On a different note, I was put into the Primary presidency in our ward. It was kind of a shock because I had been in Young Women for so long. I am nervous and excited at the same time. Josh just got put into the Young Men's presidency so we are going to be busy. To change topics once again, the other day Camryn was playing my little ponies and Marina walked up and took the pony Camryn had. Camryn looked at Marina and in a very dramatic fashion said, "oh, Marina, you disappointed me!" I had to laugh.

Great Weekend

2007-10-03T20:26:00.001-07:00

We had such a fun, quick weekend! We went to Denver to visit some good friends. The kids had a lot of fun playing with each other. Alexis had a hard time leaving. She cried as we pulled away and continued to cry until I promised her she could write a letter to Miranda. Then she started to calm down. It broke my heart. Poor girl, it's so hard to see your kids in pain. I know it is for me at least. I wish I could just take her sadness away and feel it for her. But alas, that is part of being a parent.

On to a happier subject, we went to a natural history museum on Friday. Camryn loved the museum because she loves dinosaurs. She wants to be a paleontologist when she grows up and find dinosaur bones. It's so cute when she says it because she still has a lisp. On Saturday we went down to Colorado Springs and partied. We went and saw the Garden of the Gods, which is amazing. So here's some pictures from the trip, enjoy!

Here is Alexis with her future husband, at least according to her. He's the one in the middle. The one on the right is his older brother.

Here's the kids at the Garden of the Gods. They loved climbing all over the rocks. Thanks to Ron, Deanna, Scott, and Shelly for the great weekend!!

A Few Thoughts

2007-09-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

So here's a new post. I don't really know what to say so I will say whatever comes into my head. Living in a small town is kind of a shock to my system, but at least the people in our ward are great. I went to a Relief Society Book Club a couple of weeks ago and there were a lot of women there and guess what they all read a book except me because I found out about it that day. I have to admit I wasn't used to that. It made me miss the dental school "book club." Anyways, I just felt really young there, not that all the women were older, but most were. It has been difficult for me to get to know people here because I feel so much younger and inexperienced in life. I don't feel I have anything in common with anybody. Especially since I miss the city and most of the people here hate the city. I'll get to know people eventually, it just takes me longer then most people because I have always been shy. I'm actually more comfortable talking in front of a group of people on a subject I have researched then one on one where I have to just come up with conversation. On a different note, I'm so excited for our trip to Denver!! It will be great to see friends and relax for a weekend.

2007-09-17T12:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it but Marina just turned one. This past year certainly flew by. Seems like she was just born. I remember laying in the hospital with Marina next to me in awe at how tiny, and beautiful she was and still is. Well, we had two parties one on Saturday with my family and then one on her birthday, 9/11, with Josh's fam. She got lots of presents and loved her cake and ice cream. She hesitated at first with the cake, because she didn't know what we were giving her, but once she started she just dug right in!

We were outside pulling weeds the other day, and I looked over at Marina and she was walking around the yard so I kept pulling weeds not realizing a lady walked by with two dogs and Marina took off after her. It took Marina about fifteen seconds to make it across the yard and into the street. Josh was mowing the lawn and ran after her. Good thing cuz Marina would have followed that lady and her dogs all the way home. Marina loves dogs and cats. Whenever she hears a dog bark she stops whatever she is doing and looks around saying, "da un, da un!" On a different note, I need some ideas, our anniversary is coming up in November and we want to go somewhere fun, but we can't really think of where. We are thinking a three or four day trip so if anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!

This is Josh trying to make it back over the river at the Sinks in Lander. The Sinks is where the river goes under the mountain and disappears. The river comes back up about half a mile down the road. Where the river goes under the mountain it makes a cave and Josh decided to cross the river and see how far he could see down the cave. Of course, my brother in law, Brandon had to follow him and they both almost fell in. Brandon did slip and his leg got all wet. Boys, will be boys what else can I say?

2007-09-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

1. Where did you meet your husband?

We met on Washington Blvd. in Ogden, Utah. I will admit it, I was cruising the 'vard at 1:00 a.m. on a Saturday night. I pulled up to a stoplight and Josh was sitting there in his eclipse. He asked me to race, and noticed I had a flat tire and asked me if I knew how to change it. I said no, so he changed it for me and then asked for my phone number.

2. What is the first thing you said to your husband?

Josh asked me to race and I said, "Are you serious? My Ford Escort against that?" He was driving a turbo Mitsubishi Eclipse and I was driving a very slow Ford.

3. Where was your first date?

We started our first date at the Pie Pizzeria where I ordered the biggest Coke they had. Josh later told me he was impressed that I wasn't being a typical girl by ordering water and a salad. Then we went to a Weber State hockey game. It was my first hockey game and I was hooked. I have loved watching hockey ever since. Then we went back to my house and watched a movie. I had a lot of fun and I believe Josh did too.

4. Where was your first kiss?

Our first kiss was actually on our first date. It was on a couch at my parents house. I have to take the credit as the one who initiated. I have to say that I think Josh was surprised because it was our first date. Of course, perhaps I should be a little ashamed because it was our first date.

5. Did you have a long or short engagement/courtship?

We started dating in Jan of 1999. We went out about three or four times then quit dating for a couple of months. Then we started hanging out together again in May. We started seriously dating at the beginning of June and we became engaged on Sept. 11. I remember because it was a week before my birthday. A lot of people think our engagement was short but I think it was just right. We were married on Nov. 4. So we were engaged for about a month and a half.

6. Where did you get engaged?

At my parents house. Josh had been telling me for a week he bought me something for our three month anniversary (I had never dated anyone longer than three months so it was kind of major that we were still dating). Anyways, Josh had called my Dad to ask for permission to marry me earlier that day. My parents at the time were at the racetrack and my Dad could hardly hear Josh so after Josh asked him a couple times he understood and although he was dumbfounded he gave his permission. So that night Josh gave me a package and when I opened it it was a pair of old shoes. Then he pulled the ring out of his pocket and asked me to marry him. We have the whole thing on tape, because my family was there. I have to admit I expected the present to be a ring.

7. Where were you married?

We were married at the Bountiful Temple. I went to the Bountiful Temple open house when I was around 11 or 12 and when I walked through the Sealing Rooms I thought they were beautiful and made a goal then to be married there. Josh didn't really care which temple so I got to decide.

8. How did the reception go?

The reception was fine. We had it at a church in Layton, Utah. The reception was long. We didn't get to eat hardly anything and we were both starving. We put chairs behind us in the reception line and had plates of food on them and when there was a break in the line we would grab a bite to eat. The only bad part was that I didn't get to eat any of my wedding cake. We cut the cake and there were more people to see and by the time I had a moment the cake was pretty much gone and so was the time. It was already an hour past our scheduled time and so we just left. But other then that our reception was great! We had a second reception at Josh's parents house in Lander Wyoming the next day.

9. How was the honeymoon?

The honeymoon went great. We went to Thermopolis Wy. We got married on a Thursday, had our reception in Utah that night, and a reception in Lander, Wy on Friday. Since we both were in school at the time we had to be back to Utah on Tuesday so we spent the weekend in Wy. We went to Thermopolis because it has one of the largest natural mineral hot springs in the world and it was close. Our first hotel was terrible. It was old, the remote to the tv had to be picked up at the front desk, there was no bathtub and the shower leaked out into the bathroom. We left after the first night and went to the Holiday Inn, which was much better. We plan on taking a second honeymoon for our 10th anniversary, a longer one.

Okay, I'm done. I'm tagging Michelle and Amy.

2007-09-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

I'm back on the Internet. We moved into our house last week and did not get Internet access until a couple days ago and then we went camping on Friday and just got back today. Therefore, I have not updated my blog for awhile. I have been tagged by Jami and I will answer the questions soon. I want to find a couple of pictures first and that might take a couple of days.

As I mentioned we went camping. We went to a place called the Pinnacles campground. It was really pretty and the girls had a lot of fun. They loved that they could play in the dirt all they wanted. Marina would toddle around and fall down in the dirt and just lay there. Needless to say they were very dirty when we got home. On the way to the mountains Camryn wanted to know how the tent would stay up because mountains all lean. She didn't know how she would be able to stand up. She wanted to make sure we found a mountain with a flat top. Camryn is kind of a goofball. I woke up in the middle of the night Sat and Alexis was standing in the middle of the tent crying because she said her legs hurt and that she was cold. I told her to get back in her sleeping bag, because it was freezing, and she said she couldn't find it. Josh got up and put her back in her sleeping bag with a blanket. Well the next morning she had no recollection of what had happened. I don't know if she was ever really awake. We had a great time and it was nice to go and relax after unpacking (again) for a week.

Here's my little camping baby, who loved to eat dirt, rocks, and sticks!

Oh and here's a picture of my new kitchen. Josh doesn't really think I should post pictures of the outside of the house, for safety reasons. We are still getting the house organized and I think it will be awhile before that happens, but at least we are in.

2007-08-19T19:26:00.000-07:00

Here's Marina proudly sitting in her toy. She emptied all the toys out and then proceeded to climb in all by herself. She thought she was pretty cool. She is getting big too quickly. She has started to walk and she turns one next month. We are doing good. It is time for school to start. Camryn and Alexis need something to keep them busy.

Here we are at Hell's Half Acre. It's 320 acres of crazy rock formations. It's a small canyon with caves, and twisting and colorful rocks. The movie Starship Troopers was filmed here. When you look down into the canyon it does look almost like an alien landscape. It is located between our house and Casper Wyoming. We went to Casper on Sat and went to the mall and did some shopping. We also went to a furniture store and looked around, because we have to furnish our new house! I'm excited to have my own home again. We all had a fun time going to the "city." I've decided there are some things I enjoy about living in a small town. For example, there is no traffic, no wait at the doctors office, and people at places like the bank know you and treat you very nice. But I still don't know if I could live in a small town forever. For now though, it's okay.

2007-08-06T14:10:00.001-07:00

We went down to Utah last week because Josh had a conference in Salt Lake. We took Alexis and Camryn to Lagoon on Saturday. They loved it. Going places like Lagoon are a lot more fun with kids. They just got so excited over every ride and they really loved the water fountain that they could run through. Of course, they got soaking wet. Thanks to my Mom for watching Marina so we could ride the rides with the older girls. Well, here's a picture of Marina discovering flowers at my Mom's. She loved the flowers, but she still hates the grass, notice she is not standing on the grass. She also said kitty on Saturday. So cute! Her extensive vocabulary now exists of ma ma, da da, hi, and kitty. Sometimes I think she is trying to say thank you. Marina has also taken her first step. She will be a year next month. This past year has gone by so quickly, seems like I just barely had her. But I guess that's how it goes. So I try and remember to savor every baby moment, every snuggle, and every slobbery baby kiss.

Here's Alexis's birthday cake. I don't know whose more excited, Alexis or Camryn. Alexis is six years old. Her birthday was in June, I'm just a little behind in the blogging arena. It is hard to believe that I am old enough to have a six year old. I still feel like I did when I was eighteen. Who decided to trust me with children? That's what I'd like to know.

We went to the hot springs waterslide park in Thermopolis, Wyoming for Alexis's birthday. Alexis and Camryn loved the waterslides, especially because they could go down the slides with no help. Marina didn't like the pools very much, because it is a hot spring and the water tastes funny. I also think it hurt her eyes. Anyways, here is a picture of Marina and her cousin, Peyton, after a long day at the waterslides.

Well that's it for now. Hope everyone out there is doing good. We miss everyone!

2007-07-31T22:14:00.000-07:00

So I'm going to really try and blog more. The problem is finding time and my baby girl wants my computer everytime I get it out. I'm back down in Utah, Josh is going to a dental conference this weekend so I used that as an excuse to say hi to family and get some school shopping done for the girls. We found a house!!! We think we will close on it by the end of August. I'm so excited to have our own house and not rent. The house we are in right now has too many problems to even list. Alexis and Camryn are enjoying taking dance. They got to ride on a float for the Riverton parade a couple weeks ago. Camryn said the funniest thing the other day. She sneezed in the car and said, "Mommy, I got blessings all over!" She said that because of course we say "bless you" when somebody sneezes.
So I tried to put some pictures on, but my computer is being stupid and won't let me so I will have to do that later.

2007-07-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

So here's a quick blog. We have been at a family reunion all week so I haven't had a lot of time on the computer, but I have a couple of minutes to mention a few things. Most important Josh finally got his license!!!! Yeah! He had his first real day on Tuesday and loved it. It is still kind of unreal to me that we are really done. Other then that not much happening here. Marina wants to walk, not crawl. Alexis and Camryn are taking dance lessons, which they love and they just finished swimming lessons. I'll take some more time later to write about the family reunion and post some pictures.

2007-06-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

So I haven't blogged in awhile, but I do have an excuse. We went on vacation to a cabin up by Ashton, Idaho and the internet just wasn't available. Our little trip was a lot of fun. I loved being back in the mountains. Anyways, we left last Tuesday and Josh and I went and saw Les Miserables with my family in Salt Lake City. Fabulous show, I recommend it to anyone who wants to see a good musical. Then we went to Idaho on Thursday. The girls had a great time running around being dirty. One night we were sitting by the campfire telling ghost stories with the girls. Josh started telling one and halfway through the story Camryn just got up and fled. It took a lot of convincing to get her to come back. She said it was too scary. We drove back to Utah on Sunday and then back to our house on Monday. I'm about sick of driving. First we drive across the country and then we go on vacation where we have to drive. I think we must be crazy. Well, here's some pictures from our trip.

Marina the camping cutie. She loved being outside. Although she didn't like to sleep in the pack and play and ended up sleeping next to me the entire trip.

Here's the crazy girls at Mesa Falls. They thought the waterfall was beautiful.

If it isn't obvious, this is the whole family. We are at Mesa Falls. You can't see the falls but they are behind us and a long way down.

small town

2007-05-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are in Riverton, Wyoming. We are currently renting, but hopefully we will have our own house soon. Yesterday we decided we needed a break after three days of unpacking, unpacking, and some more unpacking, and decided to go to Dairy Queen. I realized I was living in a small town when I noticed the sign on the door of the DQ. It said that they would be closed the following Sunday due to the high school graduation. I couldn't help but laugh, a restaurant closing for a high school graduation! Some of the employees had kids graduating but still.... I'm living in a small town now. It's kinda crazy to me because I never thought I would. Hopefully, I can adjust and get used to the lack of shopping and restaurants. It is nice that it takes about two minutes to get anywhere, there's always plenty of parking, and traffic pretty much does not exist. I guess there are the goods and the bads for everywhere. Well, we are doing good; the girls like the new house and the fact that they have cousins across the street. I'll post some pictures with my next post. That's all for now!

Goodbye

2007-05-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

Goodbye, Kentucky! Goodbye to all the good and the bad. Goodbye to the humidity and the large insects. Goodbye to the terrible drivers and tiny roads without turn lanes. Goodbye to the smoke filled air and the lack of concern for health. Goodbye to our lives as students. Goodbye to financial aid. Goodbye to Thunder and goodbye to derby. Goodbye to those who started as acquaintances, became friends, and ended as family. Goodbye to the barbecues and "book club." Goodbye to the multitude of birds singing outside my window every morning and bunnies in the yard. Goodbye to the school system who cares nothing for physical activity. Goodbye to the parks on the river and the southern "y'all." Goodbye to our ward, the fourth of July party, the yearly Talent show, and the Derby Party. Goodbye my friends until we meet again. You will be missed. Goodbye.

2007-05-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

Well, we had a great weekend down in North Carolina. The drive, however, was less then enjoyable. We left Thursday around five and didn't make it to our destination, Lake Lure, until 2:00 a.m. It wouldn't have taken so long except for the pouring rain and dense fog, oh and the twisty, turning, winding, curvy roads. Anyways once we were there it was fun to hang out with a bunch of friends and forget packing for the move. Camryn and Alexis had a great time playing with all the kids. I have to say those little girls are all the same as they dance, twirl, and play tea party. On the way home we stopped for dinner and Josh accidentally knocked Camryn's flip flop off and he said sorry. Camryn turned to Josh and replied, "it's okay, Daddy, Jesus still loves you!" It was pretty cute.
Today I spent the day packing, with Josh's help because he is DONE with school! I still can't believe it. When we moved here Alexis was only two years old and Camryn was three months. Now they are five and four, although they think they are 16 and 15. Alexis was standing next to me today and I noticed she went up to my elbow. What the heck?! She is going to be taller then me by the time she is 12, or maybe even younger. I guess that's the price I pay for marrying a tall guy. That's okay though he's pretty great.

2007-05-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

We got the results for boards and Josh passed!!!!! Thank goodness he did or else... So everything is going as planned except Alexis has decided she doesn't want to move because she will be leaving her friends. It's got to be hard on her. Every year we have been here she has had friends move and now its her leaving. But alas we still have to go, sad as it may be.

First Entry

2007-04-29T17:51:00.000-07:00

I finally caved and started a blog. I wanted to stay in touch with people because we are moving soon. So I've joined the blogging craze. I blame Michelle and Heidi. So here it is.