Terril Family

Guaranteed or Your Money Back...

2012-02-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

Would you like a sure fire way to make sure that you get to hold your baby all day long... and also spend several hours during the night with them? All you have to do is...

Blog about what a good baby he is!

In your blog post be sure to use phrases like, "Smiles and Laughs all day long" "Wakes up once or twice a night" as these phrases are sure to generate immediate results in a change in your baby!

I should have known this by #3, but I still forget from time to time! Your children will do everything they can to prove you wrong!

What I'm hoping is the real culprit!

Six Months!

2012-01-30T14:00:00.000-08:00

I have always struggled with nap time from the day Macy was born. My choices are unlimited and it's always a toss up as to what's the most important to do for the hour that all 3 of my children are asleep during the day. Sometimes I require a brief rest myself, other days dinner needs to be prepped early, other days cleaning is required, but today blogging is at the top of my list. For I have babies that are growing much faster than I would prefer and memories need to be recorded.

First of all I can't believe my little Tyson turned 6 months this past week! Really? Weren't you just born like last month? Seriously! But I have to say that this little dude has brought more happiness into our home than we ever could have imagined. Our Ty-Man (as we like to call him) is one of the happiest babies I know. He smiles and laughs all day long. And he puts up very well with two overly-"loving" sisters.

Tyson at 6 months:

Got his first tooth January 17 and is his second one will come through any day now I'm guessing
Weighs approx. 20 lbs. (This has been so crazy since my girls didn't even weigh 20 lbs. by their first birthday!) and wears size 9-12 month clothes!
Rolls from stomach to back
sits up unassisted
loves his jumparoo
sleeps 13 hours a night, waking up once or twice
Has been experimenting with solids... green beans and bananas appear to be favorites. He also thinks he needs to eat any time he sees anyone else eating.
Makes everyone around him smile

We sure love our little man and we are so glad that he's part of our family! Now if only I could make him stop growing so fast!!!

Bath Time Fun!

2011-11-21T21:47:00.000-08:00

Oh what a month!

2011-11-19T22:01:00.000-08:00

Oh what a month it has been!

First our kids got sick... not your ordinary sick. They got hand foot and mouth from playing at the park. Oh my goodness. I had heard of that before, but until we experienced it, I never knew how bad it was. They cried for days and days. They couldn't eat because the sores in their mouths were so painful. And they cried when they walked cause they had blisters all over their feet. To top it off Brielle had thrush too. Needless to say, it was a looooong week.

On top of the sickness, we were in the process of moving. Last month we found a darling little house just down the street from us for rent. We were so excited, as the duplex we are currently in is so hard with kids. So we packed up everything and starting moving in, but as we were moving, we realized the house had some issues, so we hauled everything back to our duplex and unpacked again. True story.

After all that moving, we were ready for a vacation. We couldn't wait to go home for Nicoles wedding. So the kids and I left a week early, while Mike stayed in Rexburg to go to school. But after a few days of us being gone, and some freezing temperatures, Mike couldn't take it anymore and he jumped on a plane and came and met us sooner that he had originally planned. The wedding could not have been more beautiful (Nicole was such a gorgeous bride... and we kinda like Jared too:) ). We were also thrilled to meet our first nephew, Max, while we were down there. Cutest baby ever! We had so much fun and our week in Nevada was exactly what we needed.

Tyson and Max

Rodney & Tyson

Nicole

And now we are home. Trying to get back into the swing of things. I am totally looking forward to the Holidays. Mike's parents are coming to our place for Thanksgiving this year and we cant wait to see them again. And we are looking forward to school getting out in December and heading south for Christmas, where it is hopefully a little warmer.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

Little Chicken

The Sheep

(unfortunately this is the best picture I got of his costume)

Pink Poodle

Teaching her sister how to be a chicken

Carving Pumpkins

The Finished Product

(Mike outdid us all with his leaf pumpkin)

We had fun taking the girls trick or treating. One of us would drive with Tyson in the heated car while the other ran from door to door with the girls in the freezing cold. We took turns. I would have to say that Macy's costume was the biggest hit (although they all looked cute).

When we got home, Brielle was beyond tired and happily went to bed. Macy on the other hand was a bit wired from all the sugar and was begging everyone to "stay up all night long and have a picnic with the halloween candy!" She had a hard time finding any takers. She made it till 11 pm.

We had a great Halloween.

Now we are off to Nevada for Nicole's wedding!!!

So Cute...It's Scary!

2011-10-31T13:27:00.000-07:00

That's Weird

2011-10-20T07:01:00.000-07:00

This morning I had to run to the store early to get some milk before the kids woke up. In the 15 minutes that I was gone all 3 kids woke up, and I received a call while checking out at the store to "hurry".

When I got home I was greeted by everyone with Mike giving me the run-down of the past 15 minutes:
"He cried...she cried...she cried...he threw up..."
My reply: "hmmm.... that's weird. They NEVER do any of that when I am home with them all day :)"

I just have to tease Mike. Really he is a great dad and I dont know how I would ever survive without him.

Peek-A-Boo

2011-10-13T07:48:00.000-07:00

Poor little Dude! This is what happens when you have 2 older sisters! They put you in the dress-up box to play peek-a-boo. The only good news is they didn't try to put the dress-ups on him (yet)!

Bad mama

2011-10-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

Oh how I pray that my girls get a lesson in safe parenting before they become moms!

(Although after glancing at my previous post, maybe I need one too)

One of Those days

2011-10-04T21:34:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days. You know the kind I am talking about. The kind where your dryer breaks while every undergarment you own is in the washer. The kind where your 18 month old decides she no longer wants to wear diapers, however cant seem to find the toilet. The kind where your baby refuses any and all attempts to put him to sleep. It was one of those days...and I was exhausted and on edge.

And then things changed in an instant. I was playing with the girls, holding them under their arms and swinging them between my legs. After several times of doing this I said I was done. But Brielle begged for one more turn. While I was swinging her, she kicked her legs up and pushed herself out of my arms... landing directly on the top of her head. I picked her up. She breathed in to scream and then her eyes rolled back and her little body went limp. I screamed at her to wake up, to cry, anything. No response. I called 911 and then raced outside with her, hoping for some help or something. The wind was blowing outside and after about 15 seconds, she finally came to and let out a small cry. How thankful I was for that cry. I stayed on the phone with the 911 operator for a minute until I was sure she was okay and told them not to send the ambulance. This sounds crazy, but there was a brief moment (which felt like an eternity) that I considered the possibility that she could die. I thought she had possibly broken her neck (judged by he way she fell). It sounds so crazy in writing, but the feelings at a moment like that are really hard to express. However, after she came to, she was back to her sweet, bouncing, bubbly self in no time. But I was, and am, forever changed.

It's moments like this that make you step back and reevaluate what really matters. Everything else about my day was suddenly so petty. I just wanted to hold and play with my babies for the rest of the day. I can't hardly think about the thought of ever losing a child without tears coming to my eyes. But today I stopped and thought to myself, what kind of things I would cherish and what things I would regret if today were the last day I had with any of my children. Needless to say, priorities have changed. There will be a lot more snuggles and stories and tea parties and dress-ups. Because in the end... those memories are what I will cherish the most.

Fuuny Girl

2011-10-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

The other night as I was rocking Tyson in my bedroom tyring to get him to sleep, he was fussing.

Macy: "I think he's having a hard time in here"
Me: "Yeah, maybe. Where do you think we should put him?"
Macy: "Back in your tummy."

Maybe she's a little more jealous than she lets on to.

Peace

2011-09-20T00:03:00.000-07:00

As a young child, my mom used to read my siblings and I this book

I remember thinking that it was a cute, fun story as a child. It has taken on a whole new meaning 20 years later. If you haven't read this, you have to. It is a cute story of a mom just trying to get 5 minutes peace, only to have it interrupted several times by all her children. I was feeling this way this morning as I tried to sneak off to the shower, only to be followed in by the girls and tyson crying from the other room.

On another note, I worry about my current state of mind after spending all day with 3 kids under 3. Last night I had a dream that I was asked to speak in church. In my dream I woke up late and scrambled to get ready and arrived at church with no talk prepared. But I knew that I could wing it, no problem. So my talk went a little something like this...

"Today I would like to relate to a show that we all know and love... Dora the Explorer. It appears as though a simple show, but if we look deeper we can see how it relates to the gospel and our every day lives. You see, who do we ask when we don't know which way to go? The map, the map! of course, the map is really the scriptures leading us in the right direction..." and I go on and on relating things like swiper the fox to the adversary (but he can be overcome by doing the right things) and so on...

Oh my, check me into the mental hospital ASAP.

I may be losing my sanity, but at least we are having fun in the meantime. 3 kids is awesome and we wouldn't have it any other way (as for right now).

Excuses

2011-09-17T09:31:00.000-07:00

I have been spending all my time lately loving this sweet boy (and his sisters too).

Is that a good enough excuse for not blogging???

Our new Life

2011-08-13T21:34:00.000-07:00

Our life has been shaken up... turned around... and will never be the same... in a good way :)

All I have to say is 3 kids feels like a million kids some days. I'm sure those of you with more than 3 kids are reading this and laughing at me, but seriously... it's a lot of work! But I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Tyson is the easy one. Sleeps all day... eats every 4 hours... and poops like 10 times a day... and that's about it. Easy breezy newborn baby. Although I really shouldn't put that in writing. Mike says he hasn't been around long enough for a rating yet. We think all newborns are pretty easy since they sleep so much.

Macy is loving being a big sister once again. All day long I hear... "Oooohhh, he's so cute" or "Ooooohhh, he's so tiny!". And it's true, he is so cute (at least we think so) but he's not so tiny (at his 2 week check up he already weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz.). Macy has really been a big helper with Tyson.

And our sweet Brielle loves her brother too. She loves to hold him and give him kisses. She is however, PARANOID that we are going to leave her again. (I had to leave the girls at a friends house for 8 hours when I went into labor. That was her first time being left with anyone but family and she about had a heart attack. I think she cried pretty much the entire time we were gone). So if any visitors come over, she clings to me tightly. She has also become quite the daddy's girl since Tyson was born which has been so sweet for Mike. He is loving his time with her.

As for Mike and I, we are adjusting slowly. Mike has been such a huge help these past couple weeks. I really never would've survived them without him. He has been so much help with the girls (and he even cleaned my bathroom this week :)). Some evenings we just look around at our house all scattered with toys, our wild children running around, and at each other with bags under our eyes, and we just smile. Because even though things aren't picture perfect and in order in our home right now, we still know that we have it pretty good. We have three beautiful, happy, healthy babies and who could ask for more?!

my new found motto

2011-08-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

* updates and pictures of our new life as a family of 5 coming soon (as soon as I find 10 extra minutes in my day)

Introducing...

2011-08-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

Tyson Robert Terril

July 26, 2011

7 lbs. 15 oz. 19 in.

Ready or Not, Here I Come

2011-07-16T21:22:00.000-07:00

I think it FINALLY hit me this week... I am having a BABY... and SOON!

Since, I haven't written too much about this pregnancy, I decided I better record my thoughts before its too late...

38 weeks on Monday... Seriously??? I said something to Mike the other day, such as "Oh well, towards the end of pregnancy..." and I think it both hit us at the same time. It really is the END. This baby will be here in approx. 2 week, but if he follows the pattern of my girls who were both born at 39 weeks, we only have a little more than a week left!
I am feeling about every emotion a woman can feel right now. Gratitude for the opportunity to bring another sweet baby into this world, excitement for his arrival, scared to death for the thought of having 3 kids (ages 2 and under), nervous about how to raise a boy, and the list goes on.
I am curious to see how my girls respond. Macy talks about the "boy baby" all day long, every day. She finds little presents for him around the house and tells me how excited she is. She was the same way when I was prego with Brielle. She cannot wait for his arrival. Brielle, on the other hand, is the one I am nervous about. The other day I decided to get out some baby dolls to get her used to the idea. Well, to make a long story short, she ripped the doll out of my arms, pounded on it with a baby bottle a few times, before she put the bottle in her mouth and climbed up on my lap (and that was just a doll)! Should I be nervous???
I finally started to get the nursery ready. And by ready, just meaning I got out the essentials. I am planning on decorating it in a safari theme. I think its going to be so cute. My sis-in-law, MC made the cutest quilt ever that I think will match perfectly. Next week I am hoping to get the rest of the crib bedding and curtains sewn. And on my wish list for the nursery is this darling giraffe. I was totally bummed out cause I found one on craigslist for an awesome price and made arrangements to purchase it. Then the lady never showed up. She totally stood me up. I guess it will just have to wait (needs before wants...Oh, the lovely life of being in college).
No name as of yet. Have a few that we are throwing around. Macy really really really wants to name him "Snash". Yes, you read that right. We have no idea where the name came from, but she tells us every day, "I think we should call your boy baby Snash". And I can almost assure you that that will be his nickname no matter what we name him (at least from Macy).
This delivery will be different than my others. All of my kids so far will be born in a different state. Macy (NV), Brielle (UT), boy baby (ID). But I am looking forward to the fact the the hospital is about 3 minutes from my house instead of an hour. And I am also looking forward to having my mom and mother in law each come stay for a week or so. I have never had that since we have always lived so close to family and haven't really had the need. So it will be nice to have some visitors in a couple weeks (the girls are beyond excited at the thought of their grandmas coming to visit as well). And I am in heaven because Mike's finals are next week and then he has 7 weeks off for SUMMER. Yay for help!!! Timing couldn't have been better in that regard.

A couple other random pregnancy thoughts:

I love meeting other pregnant ladies who are due after me. Is that terrible? It's just nice to know you are ahead of someone (kind of like being at the DMV).
Every week when I go to the doctor they ask how I am feeling. Is that question really necessary at 38 weeks?

Well there you have it... And shortly there will be a picture of a baby up here on the old blog. But no belly pics. Sorry, I'm just not that kind of a girl. Too bad, so sad.

Finally complete!

2011-06-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

Let me first begin by saying that I am not a huge fan of denim quilts. They are ideal for picnics and sitting outside, but other than that, I have just never really wanted one. But what do you do when your husband has worked construction for several years and you have a pile of holey jeans that looks like this:

You aren't really left with a lot of other options than to make a denim quilt.
And thus was born our circle denim quilt:

This quilt has been way too long in the making. But this week with Macy gone and Mike preparing for finals, I have had a little extra time on my hands to wrap up some odds and ends that I haven't gotten around to for a while. So today I bound and finally completed this quilt. Yay!

Now it's off to the park for a picnic with Brielle to test it out.

To-Do

2011-06-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a glimpse at what today's to-do list looked like:

1. Sort through baby clothes to decide what we need for our upcoming arrival
2. Put away baby girl clothes that are too small
3. Put away camping stuff from Mike's geology field trip last weekend
4. Sweep/mop kitchen floor
5. Wash sink full of dirty dishes that I ignored last night

But then I got a little distracted this morning and watched this video (Thanks Lauren):

And suddenly my to-do List changed. It turned into the following:

1. Drag every toy out of the cupboard and make sure that we get a chance to play with every one
2. Take Brielle to the Splash Park and run through the water with her
3. Take Brielle to the carousel and let her ride as many times as she wants
4. Read lots and lots of stories
5. Rock my sweet baby for a long long time before laying her in bed tonight

(I have been able to spend lots of time spoiling sweet Brielle this last week since Macy is visiting her grandparents in Nevada for two whole weeks! I am loving my time with Brielle, but missing my Macy like CRAZY!)

Summer Days

2011-06-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

It's finally starting to warm up here in Rexburg! Saturday was 75 degrees, gorgeous and sunny! So the girls and I headed to the carousel and water park just down the street. It really was the perfect summer day!

Shopping!

2011-06-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

What??? YOU want to pay ME to purchase your products? Okay!

Ever since we came back to rexburg, I have started couponing. Let me just tell you...this is crazy!!! I'm sure that you all do this already and I am the last to jump on board. But I am now addicted!

This morning I bought $70.24 worth of products at Walgreens for free!

(plus I had $6.00 extra in register rewards that I can use on my next purchase)

I decided I am officially a crazy coupon lady. We are running out of storage space for all the FREE toothpaste, toothbrushes, body wash, deoderant, shampoo etc. we are getting!

But what really worries me? I had a dream last night that there was a crime committed. And instead of the police giving out a cash reward for information regarding the crime, they were giving away COUPONS for anyone who had any info! I think I have officially lost it!

Do you coupon too? Are you completely addicted?

Big Walker!

2011-06-01T23:02:00.000-07:00

We knew it was coming! All I can say is, we're in trouble now! Sure love this little cutie and we're so proud of her!

P.S. Notice in the video, someone was slightly jealous that her sister was getting so much attention and had to show us that yes indeed, she could walk too :)

And I thought my college days were over...

2011-05-11T20:57:00.000-07:00

Why Having a Toddler is Like Being at a Frat Party

10. There are half-full, brightly-colored plastic cups on the floor in every room. Three are in the bathtub.
9. There’s always that one girl, bawling her eyes out in a corner.
8. It’s best not to assume that the person closest to you has any control over their digestive function.
7. You sneak off to the bathroom knowing that as soon as you sit down, someone’s going to start banging on the door.
6. Probably 80% of the stains on the furniture contain DNA.
5. You’ve got someone in your face at 3 a.m. looking for a drink.
4. There’s definitely going to be a fight.
3. You’re not sure whether anything you’re doing is right, you just hope it won’t get you arrested.
2. There are crumpled-up underpants everywhere.
1. You wake up wondering exactly how and when the person in bed with you got there.

Back to Life... Back to Reality

2011-05-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

We finally ventured back up to Idaho a few weeks ago just in time for Spring semester to begin at BYU-I. In some ways I was so sad to leave. Sad to leave all the family and friends (and sunshine). But once we were here it felt so good to be home.

I swear it took me two weeks to get my laundry all caught up and get everything organized again, but it feels like we are finally getting back to real life (and it feels good). Well at least I like it. The kids seem to think that life at grandparents houses were a lot funner. Macy tells me everyday that she wants to go live with her grandmas (sometimes I wish I could do that too :) All of our grandparents are pretty awesome!

However, we aren't completely on our own. Mike's cousin, Brianna Marshall, came back to Rexburg with us and is staying at our house for a while. I decided that I have been a little too spoiled lately having so much help with my kids. It will be hard to survive when she leaves (I'm hoping she stays at least a while after the baby is born :) It's been so nice to have a shower all by myself, or being able to just run a quick errand here and there without the kids. We're even thinking about making a quick getaway for our anniversary this weekend. Spoiled? I know.

And when I went to upload my pics from the past few months I had well over 600 pictures! So instead of boring you with a play of play of our lives the past few months, I just chose a few of my faves. Mostly ones that brought back my favorite memories of the time we had to spend with all of our loves ones.

We enjoyed a camping trip with our family out to Gold Butte

My dad was put in as bishop in his ward while we were down there. That made is so 3 of the girls grandpas were all bishops. (Alan was released a couple weeks after my dad was put in).

So glad we got to spend some time with Melissa when she came for a visit from Hawaii. Now her little baby Max will be here in just a couple weeks, and we are hoping to get out to visit her before to long. (Hoping is the key word here).

Celebrated cute little Brielle's first birthday

Saying goodbyes as we were getting ready to come back to Idaho was really hard :(

So grateful for the time we had to spend with grandparents

The girls couldn't get enough of Grandpa Sommers dog, Sophie.


Papa Rob teaching Macy some primary songs (or was it the other way around?)

Happy Birthday (a few days late)

2011-03-30T07:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Brielle!

You are very loved!

Silly Girls

2011-03-23T08:54:00.000-07:00

My girls have grown leaps and bounds since being in Nevada. Something about the mixture of the warm Nevada sunshine, and having grandparents all around, does wonderful things for my babies.

When we arrived in Nevada in late December, Brielle was not even crawling yet. Actually, I take that back. She was army crawling but couldn't seem to get that belly off the ground. But shortly after our arrival, she got up on all fours and started cruising around like she was a trained professional. And now, she is so close to walking. In fact, Macy yelled to me the other day that Brielle was walking, but if she was, I missed it cause she was down by the time I looked over. But I wouldnt doubt Macy if she said she saw it. I should be trying to stop this behavior I know, but with the new baby coming in a few months, I need Brielle to be walking steadily (it's too hard to carry two). Brielle also now waves bye bye, blows kisses, plays patty-cake, and repeats all days long, her new favorite word: Mom! (Trust me I love it most of the time). Although her main form of communication is still growling. Anyone who has been around Brielle knows what I am talking about. She never really cooed or made those sweet baby noises. She more just grunts and growls and somehow, as her mother, I seem to know what each different growl means.

But more than her physical growths, have been that of her personality. Let me tell you something about this girl: I read her all wrong from the beginning. Easy pregnancy. Calm, mild, sweet infant. I thought this girls would be my calm, quiet, mellow child. And I couldn't have been more wrong. This is a wild child! I wouldnt be surprised if she is my silliest child of all. She and Macy get into these laughing fits together and neither one of them can stop. Its like girls at a slumber party when they get overtired and everything is hilarious. . Also she is quite the show off. The other day, Macy was showing off her somersaults and everyone was quite impressed and clapping for Macy. Well Brielle could hardly stand to not have the attention on her, so she goes into the middle of the room and layed down on her back and rolled over (thinking she was doing the same thing as Macy) and then sat up looked around and clapped for herself until everyone else clapped too. She also can throw a tantrum like a two year old. She throws herself back, and flails her arms and legs and screams and the whole bit. Its a little bit funny (I might have to bust out the video camera to show you all). Overall, she is generally a really happy silly girl and she makes me really happy.

And miss Macy. Oh where to even begin? She is actually the reason for this blog update. Everytime I open my blog she says, "Mom, isn't that our boy baby?" when she sees the ultrasound pic. After hearing that everyday, I decided it was time for something new. I have also been amazed at the changes in my sweet Macy over the past few months. Her talking is wonderful lately. And it never ends. Her morning starts each days as soon as her eyes open by saying, "I waked up. I need a little bit of milk." then there is silence for about 5 minutes while she drinks her milk, and once she is done, its non-stop chatter all day long. This girl is definitely her mothers daughter. She can talk and talk and talk. (Actually, looking at the length of this post, I realize just how accurate I am). And the things she is coming up with lately are making me laugh. I need to just keep a daily tablet with me to write down the things she says, cause I forget them too soon. The other day she was in the shower with me and asked if she could shave her legs. I told her no, that she was too little. And she replied, "When I get married can I shave my legs" me: "Yes dear, that would be a really good time to start shaving your legs, lets wait till then. Who are you going to marry?" Macy: "I'm going to marry Santa Clause. Then he brings me presents." me: "That sounds like a really good plan!" hehe :) Also the other day we were making some decorations for Brielle's birthday party. Macy asked what we were doing and I replied that we were making tissue balls (have you seen the tissue paper poms from martha stewart- cute). Anyway, when Miked walked in a few minutes later and asked what we were doing Macy replied that we were making toilet balls for Brielle's birthday :) I guess tissue made her think of toilet. So now we just refer to them as the toilet balls for the party.

Macy has also become slightly less shy being down here, and quite friendly too. She used to really despise other kids her age. But she has discovered that they're really not that bad, and usually a lot of fun. Its so fun to watch her try to make new friends at the park and such. Although, it breaks my heart when someone says no they don't want to play with her. It's hard not to interfere and just let her go about her business of learning friendship skills. But she is learning to play pretty well with other kids. The other day she made friends with a boy at the baseball game and when it was time to go, she begged me to leave her there with the boy for just two more minutes! Oh man, she's already wanting to stay at the park unattended with boys. I have a feeling I am going to have my hands full during the teenage years:) But she makes me smile everyday and for that I am grateful.

And although Mike and I enjoy the warm Nevada sunshine we haven't changed much. Maybe just a little happier. Mike spends his days in the shop working on his beloved race-ford. And I spend my days crafting and taking care of babies. We love each other and we love our babies. Overall, we all just love being here in Nevada and are trying to savor our last few weeks here.

Unchartered Territory

2011-02-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

Word spreads fast in large families and small towns. And so I'm sure most of you have heard by now that we are expecting baby #3 August 3, 2011. We are thrilled and nervous and anxious and excited all at the same time. The thought of having three kids...wowzers!

Well, last Thursday we found ourselves in the ultrasound room to find out the gender of our little one. As soon as we walked in with our two little girls the lady just laughed and said, "I'm guessing we're voting for a boy?" We just laughed. We love our girls and would be perfectly happy with another little princess in the family. So about a few minutes into the ultrasound the tech laughed and then said a few things that left Mike and I feeling suspensful. Then the following image showed up on the screen:

That's right! A BOY!!! We couldn't be happier. I think Mike and I were both envisioning another baby coming home from the hospital swaddled in a little pink blanket, so this was a surprise for both of us. We couldn't be happier.

I am a little nervous to be entering this uncharted territory. I do girls. I make hair bows. I only know the color pink in my home. But I'm sure excited to experiment with BLUE! Anyone with boy advice, please pass it on...we're gonna need it.

P.S. I'm sure my son is gonna hate me one day for posting this lovely ultrasound pic on the internet for the whole world to see. But hey, he sure wasn't shy about it, so I'm not gonna be either.

Where we've been...

2011-02-06T15:06:00.000-08:00

December 17, 2010 the semester at BYU-I ended, so Mike and I packed up the jeep with a few essentials and the kids and headed down to sunny Nevada to spend the holidays with our families. We had a lovely Christmas and enjoyed spending time with family. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we had a hard time leaving. So... we didn't. We are still here in Nevada. Because of the weird track system at BYU-I, Mike cant go to school winter semester (Jan-Mar.) so we decided to spend a little extra time soaking up our family and the vitamin D around here. In fact, I think the following picture explains our reasoning for being here better than any words could...

So once, we can get to some above freezing temperatures in Idaho, we will head back and start school again and get back to real life, but as for here and now, we are loving our extended vacation.

P.S. I have a million pics to post, but I cant figure out how to upload my pics onto my moms computer for some weird reason, but once I do, I'll be sure to fill you all in on all the other fun stuff we've been up to... stay tuned :)

2010-12-14T12:52:00.000-08:00

Shortly after potty training Macy in September, I discovered her fascination with public restrooms. Those first few trips out of the house after potty training are scary for a mother. You just pray that your child doesn't pee their pants in the middle of walmart. So when she first told me she needed to go, we raced as fast as we could to the nearest restroom. I quickly learned that with 2 kids this wasn't a simple task. Park your cart of groceries outside the bathroom. Then while holding Brielle with one hand, I would line the seat with as many layers of toilet paper as I thought would be possible without clogging the toilet upon flushing. Meanwhile while I am trying to save my daughters bum from getting infectious bacteria on it, she is touching everything in the toilet stall. So still holding Brielle, I lift Macy onto the seat where she is completely convinced she is going to fall in. Wiping, flushing, all of it is a lot harder task when you have another baby in your arms. Needless to say, it wasn't too fun. So after she finished up her business, I was relieved knowing I could finish my shopping trip in peace. That is until... she had to go again ten minutes later. And so we did it all again. And this continued on for several weeks, until I decided that maybe she didn't need to go just as badly as she claimed she did. So we experimented and I would tell her that there was no potty at that store and she would have to wait until she got home, and then suddenly when we would get home and I rushed her into the bathroom, her urge suddenly disappeared. Sometimes, I get looks from other moms when they hear me tell my daughter that there is no public restroom, and one time another mother was even kind enough to correct me that yes, indeed there was one, and it was right around the corner... Thank you!

So that leads me to my latest shopping trip. Five minutes into the store, Macy exclaims that she has to go. Sorry, no bathroom. She continued to tell me over and over, and I continued to ignore her over and over. I continued my shopping, while getting some looks from other shoppers. I assumed they could overhear my conversation with Macy. Until a kind woman stopped me about 30 minutes into my shopping trip, "Excuse me mam, but your daughter has pulled her pants down" And as I look over Brielle's carseat to see Macy, sure enough, my daughter was streaking through Albertsons. I immediately pulled her pants back up and asked her what she was thinking, she told me, "I said I need to go potty!" I guess she was making her statement. I decided that just this once, maybe she really was telling the truth, and when I finally took her in the restroom, she peed like a horse, for like 10 minutes! Worst mother of the year award right here please!

Have you ever ignored your child, only come to find out they were telling the truth?

Baby Belle

2010-12-10T09:08:00.000-08:00

Oh little Belle Belle. Where do I even begin? I realize that I have not updated on what Miss Brielle has been up to lately as much as I did with Macy when she was a baby. I promise, its not that I favor my eldest, its just that I seem to be a little busier with two than I was with just one.

Well let' see... Brielle is quickly nearing 9 months. She is getting big! She weighs 16 lbs. 9 ounces and has that cutest leg rolls I have ever seen! I seriously just squeeze them all day and frankly, I dont think she minds :) And let me tell you, this kid can eat! After Thanksgiving she pretty much said good-bye to baby food for good. She has been eating real people food since about 7 months and loves loves loves it. No teeth yet, but she surprisingly can devour pretty much any item we give her.

And she moves! She has this awesome army crawl going on right now that cracks us up every time we watch her do it. She is fast and she has it down to perfection. She just cant seem to get that belly off the ground... soon enough.

Brielle has such a happy personality. I think by nature she is a really content baby. However, since we moved to Idaho she has suffered recurrent ear infections. Seriously I have taken her to the doctor every 2-3 weeks since we have been here and nearly every time she has an infection. So we took her to a specialist who said that she definately qualifies for tube surgery but maybe we should wait it out a couple months and it she gets one more infection then we'll do the surgery, but if she can go without another infection for a while, she may just outgrow it. So that's the plan. And she actually has seemed okay these past couple weeks, so we're keeping our fingers crossed (and praying lots) that she can overcome this on her own.

And I've pretty much given up any hope that she will ever sleep through the night. I think her ear infections are partially responsible for this. I dont know. I cant let her cry it out knowing that she might be in pain and also living in a duplex slightly inhibits the crying it out method. So she sleeps in our bed. Right in between mommy and daddy and curled up right next to Macy. Mind you we only have a queen size bed. I keep telling Mike we cant have any more babies until we get a bigger bed :)

All in all, Brielle has a been a delightful baby. She makes us laugh daily and we are so glad she's ours!

It Couldn't Have Been Any Better

2010-11-29T20:36:00.000-08:00

We returned late last night from a lovely weekend back home in Nevada, and I am already homesick. An entire week soaking up some desert sunshine was exactly what our family needed.

The food was fabulous, but the company was even better. We thouroughly enjoyed spending so much time with family. It was hard to tell who was happier, my girls or their grandparents, but all I can say is that it was a happy reunion for all of them. I guess the one good thing about living so far away is how much more you appreciate everything and everyone when you return home. This Thanksgiving my heart overflowed with gratitude for my family.

Macy enjoyed "cutting up" her mashed potatoes more than eating them. I think she ate about 2 bites all together. I even tried to force pumpkin pie down her, but she wouldnt even taste it. She said it was "too yucky!"

Pretty Sure Brielle out-ate all of us combined!

We also visited "Roos and More" Zoo while we were in Moapa. If you havent been there, check it out. It was awesome. Here Macy is hugging a kangaroo!

Belle Belle and her kindred spirit. Brielle and Nicole were good buddies this trip!

Macy and her cute cousin Jessica had fun together, minus a slight bit of jealousy regarding the cute puppy in the picure. It was Jessica's but Macy just couldn't grasp that concept.

And this is what we got to come home to. We drove in Blizzard, Icy conditions the entire way home. We saw some really sad accidents on the way home. I pray for those families who have to face that heartache this holiday season. And I thank my Heavenly Father for blessing and protecting my family.

We couldn't have asked for more this Thanksgiving weekend and we cant wait to come home for Christmas in just a few short weeks!

She's Not a Baby Anymore

2010-11-16T20:26:00.000-08:00

The more I look at Macy these days, the more she makes me laugh and the more she makes me cry. She makes me laugh with all of the hilarious things she comes up with and she makes me cry cause she is just growing up so darn fast!

A few weeks ago, Miss Macy got her first hair cut. Can I tell you how absolutely petrified I was? I thought for sure she would be scared of the scissors going to her head and/or be bouncing all around so that she was sure to get a big chunk of hair taken out where it wasnt supposed to be. But to my surprise, she was a complete angel. A friend actually came to my house to cut Macy's hair so that she would be more comfortable, and then Macy sat on my lap as still as a rock while she got her hair cut. I on the other hand, was a blubbering mess. I may have been slightly emotional due to the time of month, but then again it may have just been cause I'm not sure if I want her to be all grown up and lose those sweet baby curls on the bottom :( But in the end I was happy and so was my big girl!

Macy is also the proud owner of a big girl bed! And I say owner and not user because half of the time she ends up like this:

And the other ~~half~~ 98% of the time she ends up like this (and I'm okay with it :)

Macy is such a wild monkey! Last week I kept threatening to send her to the zoo to live with the monkeys... She's been begging me ever since, telling me she's all ready to go. Apparantly the monkeys at the zoo life a much better life than our family here in Rexburg. Sunday morning she was insistent that I take her to the zoo. I compromised and told her she could wear her cheetah dress to church and go to nursery and it would be just like she was at the zoo!

So here's to my two year old... hopefully she'll be my baby for maybe just a wee bit longer.

P.S. I started to include potty training in this post but as I started to write, I decided it needed a whole post of its own... coming soon (don't get too excited).

Shutterfly

2010-11-16T18:44:00.000-08:00

So I'm sure you have all heard of Shutterfly. Totally awesome photo products and such. But have you ever ordered from Shutterfly? I have made a few purchases through them and couldn't be happier.
I was first introduced when I ordered Macy's birth announcements a couple years ago. Totally impressed by the quality, fast service, and low cost. They have some awesome coupon codes you can use to get free shipping and discounts on your order. Oh and I also ordered my grandma a mug with her favorite great-grand-daughters picture on it last Christmas. Cheesy? Totally! But she absolutely loved it!

So in the spirit of the holidays once again (wow, it came way too fast this year), I decided to once again check out Shutterfly's awesome products, and I found some super cute stuff.

Check out these super cute holiday cards:
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

And these awesome calendars:
http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars

and if your child has a birthday coming up, how can you live without these:
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/birthday-cards-stationery

Needless to say, I'm in love with their website. Super cute stuff, great prices. What more could you ask for? Check it out here:
http://www.shutterfly.com/

A little More Halloween

2010-11-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween

2010-11-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

Terril Family Halloween 2010

Daddy took Macy for a little Trick or Treating

Our Fairy

Our little Kitty

Sorting through the "Loot"

Daddy says suckers are okay for babies

Mommy says they are not

Chic Baby Shop

2010-11-01T09:38:00.000-07:00

Click HERE to visit my new online baby boutique!

We have lots of cute things for baby and children. We have darling items that would make a perfect baby shower gift, or great gifts for the upcoming holidays.

New things will be added frequently, so please check back often or add us to your google reader so you can see when we update and add new things.

Also, we are happy to do custom orders, so if you dont see what you are looking for, simply send us an email and we would be happy to create something just for your little one!

Thanks for visiting!

Coming Soon

2010-10-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

Coming just in time for the Holidays...

November 1, 2010

will be the grand opening of my online baby boutique.

Details coming soon

My Mind's randomness

2010-10-21T22:36:00.000-07:00

So I have been in a bit of a blogging slump. I am getting tired of looking at my daughters goose-egg every time I sign into the computer and feeling the guilt wash over me all over again. Yet, I am at such a loss for something creative for you all to read. Bragging about the kids? Ummm, ya that gets old pretty quick for anyone but grandparents to read. Fun vacations? Let's see... well we did go to Utah for conference but that's about it in the vacation department. My life at home? Mopping floors and changing diapers... ya, that's fun. So instead I will share the random things that I can't stop thinking about right now and maybe you can all shed some light on a few things for me.

First, Photography. I am pretty obsessed with looking at photography blogs and websites right now. I am thinking that this is something that I really want to get into. Not really professionally, more just for my own personal use. You know, like the 200 million pictures that I have of my kids... wouldn't it be great if they looked nice? So I plan to take a photography class (or two or three) at BYU-I while we are up here. But I know once I do that I will want a nice camera. I mean really, you can only get so far with the point and shoot that I currently have (although it is nice, and I am grateful for it). Only one dilemma...$$$. I know there are so many nice cameras out there. Any suggestions on a fairly reasonably priced, nice camera?

Along those same lines, we are finally going to have some family pictures done! You have no idea how excited I am. I have been wanting to do this forever and for one reason or another it keeps getting put off. But we are scheduled for next week, and I cant wait. I have our clothes laid out already and everything. P.S. You would think with all the clothes my girls have it would be easy to find something appropriate for pictures. It's hard to coordinate four people! But we did it (kind of) and I will be posting pictures soon :)

My baby is currently crying from her new bedroom (a.k.a. the storage closet). It was finally time to sleep train Brielle. As I wrote before, she was a great sleeper until we moved here and she quickly learned that living in a duplex we would run to her at the slightest whimper. So in our bed she slept, with an all you can eat buffet all night long (if you know what I mean). But that got old pretty quick. So after my much complaining about her onery nature from not getting adequite sleep, Mike finally agreed to letting her cry it out. One problem, we didnt want to disturb the people upstairs. So we made her a nice little bedroom on the opposite side of the house where they wouldnt be able to hear her... in the storage closet. Poor baby. I know, cause my bedroom was in a closet as a baby too for a while. But it's quiet and dark and her little crib fits in there just perfectly, and she's doing pretty well. Already we have seen a happier baby (and a happier mom :)

As I was folding laundry tonight, I folded some dishcloths that I recieved at my bridal shower. I remember the friend that gave them to me told me "These will be your favorite dishcloths". And as I folded I thought, are they? No. I find them no different than any other cloths in my drawer. And then I thought of what my favorite cleaning products were as I have seen many people write about the household products they cannot live without. And I seriously couldnt think of ANY! Absolutely no part of my household cleaning routine warrants the word "favorite". Maybe I just havent found "the product" or maybe I really just despise cleaning. What's your favorite household product?

And last on my mind, the weather. So boring to write about the weather I know. But it really has been so perfect. Everyone keeps commenting on what a beautiful October we have had here in Idaho. The cool (but not cold) crisp air. Perfect for a light sweater, but no need for a coat yet. And just as I was thinking how much I love it here, Mike looks up the weather to find S.N.O.W. in the forcast for next week. Great. I knew it was too good to be true. Maybe some of my friends out there who live in snow country can tell me what you do with your kids in the winter time. Right now we are living at the park, soaking up every last ray of sunshine we can. But what do you do when the snow falls and the park playgound can't even be found under all the snow? I am so nervous for the winter here!

Okay, I know that was all so random, but it was all I could think to throw out there. To let you know that I didnt fall off the face of the earth and that we are surviving here in Rexburg, just ignoring the blog. I'll be back again soon, hopefully with pictures next post :)

Parenting Lessons

2010-10-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

I've learned this week that being a parent requires learning a lot of things. And unfortunately for my children, I had to learn a couple of these lessons the hard way this week.

Lesson #1:

Apparantly those signs on the seats of the grocery cart are there for a reason. Your child really can fall and suffer a serious head injury from riding in the basket!

It's hard to tell in the picture (since Macy refused to let me take a picture of her bruise) but she's got a pretty decent goose-egg on her head. The other night at walmart, Macy was riding in the basket of the cart and then all of a sudden I heard this smack as my daughters head hit the concrete floor of the store. She had fallen out of the cart. I picked her up just as her eyes rolled back into her head, she stopped breathing and her body went limp. It was probably only a matter of 5-10 seconds before she came to and was crying, but it felt like an eternity. We watched for signs of a concussion that entire night, but she actually seemed to be just fine other than a pretty bad headache. We think she got knocked out. So lesson learned, they really mean it when they say to follow the guidelines they put on those carts!

Lesson #2:

Anyone who has ever tried to potty train a toddler can probably just stop reading right now, as you have probably already learned that potty training is not a fun or simple task. But for anyone who is yet to reach that stage in parenting, let me just say this: Good luck!

The above book says that the average child is completely toilet trained in about 4 hours. Well, my child must be really above average because it took us 4 days!

The lesson? Dont feel like a failure if your child doesnt conform to "the books". They will all come around in their own way in their own due time!

Now, if anyone has any lessons they have learned the hard way that they want to share to save me any future tragedies, I'm all ears!

We've Arrived

2010-09-09T06:53:00.000-07:00

We safely made it to Rexburg last Saturday. We left behind a lot of friends and lots of sad grandparents, but we are happy to be here and we are excited for Mike to go back to school.

We are living in a duplex which is nice but takes a little getting used to. The girls have had a hard time adjusting with the move, so neither one of them is sleeping at night. Brielle has been waking up every 30 minutes exactly. Before the move she was sleeping 14 hours at night and waking up once, sometimes twice to eat. But now I am at a loss as to what to do with them. My initial response would be to make them cry it out and it would only take a couple days to get us back to normal, but I am so worried about waking the people upstairs that I run to them the first sound they make. So I am in need of a sleep solution if anyone has suggestions.

Oh and something funny... we were talking with the people in the other half of our duplex while we were moving in and come to find out the girl is Mike's cousin. Well distant cousin. They both have the same great-great-grandpa. This wouldnt be unusual in the valley, but we have rarely met Marshall relatives so far away. She's from Arkansas. What a small world.

And we are loving the weather here. I think the high yesterday was about 75. We are looking forward to a beautiful fall here. There is nothing better than crisp autumn days. But dont get too jealous, you can all rub it in my face when we are up to our necks in snow here in a few short months.

Overall we are doing well and starting to adjust. But we cant wait to come home and visit soon.

The princess turns TWO

2010-09-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

Amidst all the hussle and bussle of the move, Macy turned two! Her actual birthday was Monday but we celebrated a few days early with Family in Logandale before the move and then just had a little family celebration on her actual birthday. And oh what a birthday it was. This girl was spoiled beyond belief, mostly by grandparents. She got more toys than any little girl could possibly dream of, and has been playing with them non-stop this past week. She woke up the morning after her birthday and said "more presents please". Can we say S.P.O.I.L.E.D?

No words could better explain my Macy right now than those of Charles Dickens, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." At two years old Macy is such a delight and such a little troublemaker at the same time.

Some of her favorite things at two years old are:

1. Her daddy. Since she was 9 months old she has said that daddy is her best friend, and it's still true. She is definately a daddy's girl. Especially since Brielle was born, Macy has been Mike's little pal.

2. Milk. You would probably underestimate me when I say that my child is addicted to Milk, unless you have ever witnessed it for yourself. This child would drink an entire gallon of milk in a day if I would let her. She would do anything I asked her to, just for a cup of Milk. And sometimes she will awake from a dead sleep and sit up screaming for Milk. I have never seen such a thing in all my days.

3. To Swing. Macy's favorite activity right now is swinging at the park. She loves loves loves it. And when I wont take her outside to swing, she just climbs into Brielle's baby swing and seems to enjoy it just as much as she did when she was an infant.

4. Barbies. Okay, I didnt see this one coming. But Macy started playing barbies when she was about 18 months old, and has been in love with them ever since. When we asked her what she wanted for her birthday, all she would tell us was barbies (and milk). So thats what she got and she has had a hay-day with them ever since. She was also so excited that I made her a barbie cake. Pretty easy to please.

5. Animals. Macy has such a special place in her heart for all animals. She isn't afraid of any animals. And her favorite by far is kitties. She was lucky to be able to go to the San Diego zoo with her grandparents last week. And she is still talking about all the animals she saw there.

6. Her grandparents. Macy has such a special relationship with all of her grandparents and talks about them frequently. She is one lucky girl to have so many grandparents who love her.

As far as dislikes at age two, she doesnt really have a lot. She doesn't really enjoy playing with kids her age. I think its kind of a jealousy issue. She really doesnt like nursery, which we're going to have to work on in our new ward. But other than those few things, she is pretty easy going, other than the typical two year old behaviors. Which by the way, I thought didnt start until age 2, but I'm pretty sure we've been going through the terrible twos for about, oh, 5 months now. Temper tantrums, fits, you name it and we've got it.

But all in all, Macy is such a good girl. We feel so blessed to have her in our family. She makes us laugh constantly with the funny things she says and does. Our lives would never be the same without her.

Happy birthday Miss Macy.

Prayers

2010-08-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

Macy saying her prayers last night:

"Heavenly Father, Thank you for Daddy and Belle Belle. Please help mommy be so nice. Amen"

Whats that all about??? Oh yeah, maybe it was because I got mad at her 10 minutes prior for dumping a brand new box of crackers all over my bathroom floor.

Thoughts on Moving

2010-08-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

Good news: We got our house in Bunkerville rented to a wonderful family in our ward. I'm thinking it will be a nice long term solution while we are at school. And I'm really happy that we get to hold onto it instead of having to sell. The first time I heard Mike talking to an interested buyer about our home, my eyes started welling up with tears. I guess I didnt realize how sad it would make me to sell. But now we dont have to. Yay!

Other good news: We are heading up to Idaho to find a place to live today. We're totally going to do the cheap student/married housing! Sweeeeeeet!
Our cost of living will be apporox. 1/3 of our current cost. Gotta love Idaho!

Bad news: Packing Stinks! I swear, the more I pack, the more that resurfaces. Where does all this junk come from? It doesnt help that everything I place in a box, Macy pulls out saying, "Macy's! Give Back!!!" And I hate to say it, but I think she gets that from Mike. He watches me pack and put stuff into piles for a yard sale, and he says, "You're not getting rid of that, are you? Thats a good quality item. We may need that one day." Right! So pretty much that plan is that everything is going into storage and we are taking minimal amounts of stuff with us to Idaho.

And as I am counting down the days I have left with family and friends, it makes me want to cry. Especially because I would love to spend every last minute I have spending time with them, but in reality I have so much I need to get done. At this rate, we're never gonna be outta here on time. Actually, what will happen is that I will stay up for three consecutive nights in a row on the 29, 30, 31st trying to get everything ready for moving day. Thats how it always goes. I wish I weren't such a procrastinator. I wish I could be like my insanely organized mother, who has OCD about cleanliness and organization. My sister says she has CDO, a condition like OCD, but all the letters are in alphabetical order as they should be :) Aaahhh, one day i will be like her. But until then, I will continue to pack all my boxes, meanwhile trying to hide everything from the two packrats in my house.

He's Back!

2010-08-03T11:53:00.001-07:00

Mike spent the entire last week hiking 61 miles in the Uinta Mountains, carrying everything he needed to survive on his back. All I can say is that when he came home he was sore and tired, but he says it was so worth it! That was the scouts high adventure trip this summer and I think Mike probably enjoyed it more than any of the boys. Every ward that we have been in since we got married he has been in young mens- he is so good with the youth. He had a great time on his trip.

And us girls survived here at home. We had originally planned to spend the week at my moms, but then decided there was too much to get done. So we braved it home alone, and we were sure grateful when Mike walked through the door late last Friday night.

And since he's been home he's been so wonderful helping me with the girls and cleaning and getting our house ready to rent.

P.S. Have you read the Hunger Games? While Mike was getting ready for his trip, I stayed up with him half the night reading the first one. That night I had the craziest dreams about him in the wilderness killing off his scouts one by one, stealing their food and water purifiers and other survival supplies. It was weird, but read the book and you'll understand.

The point of this post? We are SO glad to have him home!!!

No Boys Allowed

2010-07-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

It's girls only at the Terril household this week. Mike is off to the Uintas on a 50 mile hike this week, and so its just us girls. Im not gonna lie, we've been missing Mike. But we have also been having a little fun too. We have been playing and swimming and P.A.C.K.I.N.G. Sigh... I dislike packing. Not really because its that hard physically, but emotionally it drains me. The thought of leaving all of our dear family and friends here in NV breaks my heart. And it feels as though with each box I tape closed, we are getting one step closer to that. Thankfully the girls keep me in good spirits and we are happy and looking forward to Mike finally coming home tomorrow.

I realized I havent written too much about the girls and what they are up to these past few months. So we'll start with Brielle.

Our little Belle Belle is four months now. Macy gave Brielle the nickname of Belle Belle right after she was born. We had planned to call her Brie for short but for some reason it just didnt stick. Macy was having a hard time saying Brielle at first so she just started calling her Belle Belle. We all fell in love with it and that's what we call her most of the time. I still try to call her Brielle because I love her name though. All in all this is one happy kid. I didn't know that having a baby could be so easy. We went through a rough spell of a couple months until we discovered that we were dealing with acid reflux. But once she got on medication for that, she transformed magically before our eyes. Also I think the fact that she started sucking her thumb helped too. Mike was adamant that our children would not be thumb suckers, but once he saw how happy it made her, he was all for it. Now she just smiles and laughs all the time. And when she's tired she just goes to sleep so easily. She has chubby little thighs that I just adore. And I just want to eat her up! Loving having another girl, although I have relaxed quite a bit with this one. Macy never left the house without a hairbow as a baby, and Brielle's pretty lucky if she gets one. Brielle is not perfect though. She definately has her moments. Especially in the car. For some reason she is not a good traveler at all. Macy plugs her ears a lot in the car so she doesn't have to listen to Brielle scream. Its pretty comical actually.

And then there's Macy. I don't even know where to begin telling you about this child. She is hilarious is all I can say. She loves to have fun and be silly! She is a good big sister and for the most part is pretty sweet with Brielle. She always wants to play with her and give her high-fives, but occasionally when she gets bored or is lacking attention, she'll give Brielle a little pinch. Drives me crazy! Macy is a talker! We are always amused by the funny phrases she says. Lately everything has been accompanied by "I promise", it's pretty cute. Macy also loves to sing. I would guess she can sing about 15 different songs with nearly all the words. She likes to show off by spelling her name for people. Its not that hard, its only 4 letters. But the funny thing is if you ask her how to spell Brielle or mom or dad its all the same, M.A.C.Y. But she thinks she's pretty hot stuff and we do too. Hard to believe our little monkey will be two in just over a month.

Even with all the girls only fun this week, we sure are anxious to have Mike home with us. He is done working in Vegas now so he will have some time to help us get packed up and moved these next few weeks. Wish us luck, we're gonna need it.

At the end of the day

2010-06-24T21:59:00.000-07:00

The day is done. The sun has long since set, and my babies are off to dreamland. The night is quiet and still. Now it is my time. My time to relax and ponder, without all the distractions that so frequently interrupt my thoughts throughout the day. So I step into a steaming hot shower to help unwind. The hot water hurts my hands and as I look at them, I realize they are blistered. It must have been from the yard work and the chores that today brought. I immediately thought back to my grandmother and great-grandmother. I'm sure their hands did not blister from one day of hard work. I think that they must have worked hard every day and had callused hands to show for it.

So many days, all I do it rock babies and play dress-ups and read stories and I feel purely exhausted by the end of the day. And I wonder how my female ancestors did it. They did not have the modern conveniences that I have as a mother. They could not simply put a cartoon on for a crying child while they were making lunch. They couldn't just pop in a frozen meal and call it good it 10 minutes. They did not have an automatic baby swing that would go for hours and hours on batteries. No, these women would grow their own food, and spend hours cooking each day. They heated their own water and did their laundry with a washbucket and wringer. Maybe they even made their own laundry detergent (heck, I cant even find time to get to Costco to buy some more). The fact of the matter is that these women knew how to work hard, and I pray to follow their examples.

Its hard to admit, but on the days where I accomplish a lot, I long for gratitude and appreciation from my family. And although its rarely spoken aloud (especially from the small ones), I know they are grateful. Mothering is a selfless job. It is a hard job. But there's no other job on earth I would rather have.

These words from Eliza R Snow, quoted by Julie B Beck, in the last general conference have repeated themselves over and over in my head several times when I am feeling overwhelmed.

"Women should be women and not
babies that need petting and correction
all the time. I know we like to be
appreciated but if we do not get all the
appreciation which we think is our
due, what matters? We know the Lord
has laid high responsibility upon us,
and there is not a wish or desire that
the Lord has implanted in our hearts
in righteousness but will be realized,
and the greatest good we can do to
ourselves and each other is to refine
and cultivate ourselves in everything
that is good and ennobling to qualify
us for those responsibilities.”

I love this! And I am grateful that the Lord has entrusted me with so much responsibility. Womanhood and motherhood, as hard as it may be sometimes, is the greatest blessing on earth and I wouldn't trade it for a thing.

A Very Special Woman

2010-06-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

Grandma Amy and Macy feeding the birds

Oh how we love Grandma Amy. She is an amazing woman and our family adores her, but most of all Macy. Every day Macy asks me if we can go to "Nama Amy's". And I dont blame her. When we go to grandma's house, all the attention is focused on Macy. Amy will stop anything she is doing once Macy comes over and she gives her 100% undivided attention. She follows Macy around for hours showing her things and teaching her about flowers and animals. Mike said it reminds him of when he was a child. He also had a special relationship with his grandma and so its fun for him to see Macy have the same. I think both of them would just move right in if they could. Actually I dont think I would mind it either. She spoils all of us rotten and we love her to death!

Its these kind of special women that I look up to and want to pattern my life after. We love you Grandma Amy.

Weight Loss Challenge

2010-06-14T13:09:00.000-07:00

A short while back "the guys" did a weight loss challenge. As I was talking to my sister-in-law, Melissa, the other day, we decided that the ladies need to do one too. So here is an open invitation to anyone who is interested in participating. Each participant will pay in $25.00. Weight lost will be calculated by the percentage of weight you lose instead of total pounds. Whoever has lost the most by the deadline, takes all the cash! I don't know about you, but thats enough to motivate me. We will have a blog designated just to the challenge where we can motivate and encourage each other and report our progress throughout the challenge. If your interested, please leave a comment. Details will follow soon.

For Sale

2010-06-14T12:42:00.001-07:00

(These pictures were taken before we moved in. The yard is in a lot better shape now)

2304 SF

4 Bedrooms

2 Baths

Large detached shop/ garage

Lots of storage space, including basement and old rock building

$159,900

We are so sad to be leaving and selling our house, but it is necessary for us to move on and go to school this fall. So if you know of anyone interested, please let us know.

Where We've Been

2010-06-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

Where we've been and what we've been up to this last month:

May 23, my dad celebrated his 50th Birthday! My mom threw him a surprise party and all the family came down from Utah to celebrate with us. We spent the weekend swimming, boating, eating and visiting. It was so fun to see all my aunts and uncles and cousins that I have missed ever since we moved to Nevada.

We also blessed our sweet Brielle that day. It was so special to have all of our family there with us, although I think between all the people we had there we doubled the size of the Bunkerville congregation. Mike gave her the most beautiful blessing. She cried all through the first half of it until Mike stuck his finger in her mouth to suck on. Who knows what happened to the binky I sent up there with him, but hey, whatever works, right? Cant figure out how to get these pics off my camera since they are stored on the internal camera memory and I cant find the cord. So pictures will follow soon once I figure out a solution.

The following weekend, we ventured up to Idaho. We took my sister, Hannah, who will also be attending BYU-I in the fall, with us. I told Mike I dont think that we will ever take that drive without her. She was so great to keep the girls entertained in the car the whole time. So the first day we were up there we went and checked out the town of Rexburg and met with counselors at the school to get everything figured out there. Then on Saturday we drove all through Yellowstone and down through Jackson hole. It was such a nice drive and so pretty. It was pretty cool to check things out up there, but reality hit once we were there. I am starting to get nervous about the move, but I am also excited for something new. We will be moving the end of August.

On Monday, Memorial day, we spent the day with all my family in Ogden, UT. Every year we all meet in Ogden at the cemetary and then have a big party at my uncle Randy's house after. Because it had been several years since I have attended this annual family event, I couldnt quite remember how to get to the cemetary. No problem, I just typed it into our GPS. Yeah, we ended up at the wrong cemetary and pretty much missed the whole party by the time we got to the right place- bummer! We even got to spend some time with Mike's sister, Nicole while we were up North, and it was fun to see her too.

Last week I celebrated my 25th birthday. Pretty much all of our family was at girls camp, so my mom and I took the girls to Vegas and went shopping all day. Then she babysat for us that evening and Mike and I went on a date. It was such a nice day!

Other than that, we have just been spending a lot of time in Logandale with family. We sure love it here and are really going to miss everyone when we move.

The Bitter Truth

2010-05-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

So as I browsing through blogs of family and friends last night, I came upon the following article that my sister in law had referenced on her blog. I loved it so much that I thought I would refer to it here as well. The article is as follows:

What you don't see By Tiffany Gee Lewis
What you don't see, when we all march into church on Sunday morning, is the chaos of the morning that happened just 10 minutes earlier. What you don't see, when you look at my four little boys in their suits, is that the 7-year-old is wearing Dad's socks because we couldn't find his. And they go all the way up to his knees. What you don't see, when I pull out the lovely quiet book I made a few years back, is that below it, in my church bag, are five baggies of smashed raisins because I haven't cleaned out the bag for months. When you enter my house, with its shining entryway, you don't see the three loads of laundry dumped on my bed. Or the dirty pots I stashed in the oven. And you will never see the interior of my minivan, not until I find the time to vacuum it out. When you admire the hand-sewn pajamas I made for all the kids, we don't talk about the three nights I got no sleep to make those. If you look on my blog, you will see pictures of homemade chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles. You won't see my confession to popping in a frozen pizza THREE times last week for dinner. Or the night we ate Cheerios for dinner, dry, because we were out of milk. There is a zoom on my camera for a reason. There is a delete button for a reason. I don't think we're all playing a part. We naturally want to put our best selves forward, so that is what other people see. They don't see what's going on behind the scenes. I like to think that good parenting is like a duck on the water. What you see is the gentle, almost effortless gliding, not the furious paddling that happens underneath. I keep a mental list of about ten people I want to stalk by camera, from morning to night, to see how they do it all. Are they up at 4 a.m.? Can they survive on three hours of sleep? Do they have a housekeeper? Because I drop balls just as fast as I can grab them. My intentions are of pure gold, but they come out as tinkling brass, at best. I started a blog last fall. I dragged my feet into it for many reasons. One of the main reasons I hesitated was I didn't want to be another contributor to the cyberspace guiltosphere out there. Especially where mothers are concerned, do we need one more reason to feel guilty? Because from the looks of things, other families are happier, their houses are cleaner, their marriages are better, their clothes are more stylish and their craftiness is even more crafty. Their lives are perfectly lovely, while my kids are running around screaming in their diapers. My worst fears were confirmed last week when I got an e-mail from a friend who asked, "How do you do it all? Your column, your blog, all the things you do with your children? You're amazing!" I looked around at my house, at the six bins of winter clothes waiting to be transported to the garage, at the sewing projects stacked against the wall, at the state of the toothpaste crusted to the sink ... I let things go, a lot of things. A spanking-clean house is not a high priority for me. I'm a big believer in mud and its importance in a child's life. The time I take to write is time away from scrubbing that bathroom sink. I would rather read with my kids than shop at the mall, so I am certainly not up-to-date on the latest styles. I've been listening to the same music for 20 years because I can't seem to keep up with the latest music scene. And I require a lot of sleep. We all have priorities. For some, it is keeping a spotless house, and they are good at it. For others, it is writing, or exercising, or serving others. And yes, there are some who seem to do it all, the Benjamin Franklins of the world. I tell myself I don't have to be them. And also, Benjamin Franklin was not much of a family man. Even he let things go. What we don't see, when we look at each other on Sunday, or on blogs, or in our shiny kitchens, is that we all have different talents and unique situations. I tell my kids all the time: Life is not a race. The only person you are competing against is yourself. What we forget to see, when admiring others, is our own personal finish line.

After reading this I thought of several blogs I read where I feel like they portray the picture perfect life, and then I thought of my own blog. I never try to portray that we have that kind of life, but I guess sometimes I am too nervous to post what some days are really like. So here's a glance at our lives this past week or so. And you should also note, that while I am writing this, Macy is watching a movie and eating cereal for breakfast out of a cup, and I am holding Brielle to keep her happy.

For starters last week, the girls have been sick. And I mean, really sick. High fevers, puking the entire week and the whole bit. I'll spare you all the details. But I will say that while everybody was enjoying a relaxing mothers day on Sunday, Mike and I were working together to clean throw up out of the back of our jeep (which we're pretty sure is never going to be the same again). And still, afer countless nights of no sleep taking care of sick kids, and a visit to the doctor, I still have no idea what's wrong with either of them.

I only cleaned my house once last week and I'm pretty sure its just cause we were having company for dinner. I had really good intentions of keeping it spotless, but after a week it looks pretty close to what it did before my grand cleaning day.

This is a little something of what my daughter looks like when she first wakes up in the morning before I torture her with cute little piggytails in her hair and get her all dolled up.

and this is what we looked like at 2:00 in the afternoon yesterday when my mom snapped an unexpected photo of us. Yup, 2:00 in the afternoon and I am still in my pajamas and I have no clue what happened to Macy's clothes by this point in the day. And on the days that I do get dressed, I choose between 1 of 2 outfits, because thats all I have that fits right now. This baby weight just isnt magically melting off as I had hoped that it would.

I will admit that I havent exercised all week either. Telling myself that its because the girls have been sick, but in all reality I think its just because I am purely exhausted and feeling too lazy too get my bum back in gear.

And my perfect baby who never cried, now needs to be held 22 out of 24 hours in a day. In order to remain happy, she cant be more than 5 feet away from me or she has a panic attack. So my baby sling has become my only means of accomplishing anything and I think Mike and I are both missing sleeping alone, without a baby in our bed. Actually with both girls being sick, several nights this week we have had all 4 of us in a queen size bed- it's tight.

So there is a little glimpse into my real week. And it only took me 2 hours to write because while writing this I had to change a few diapers, nurse a baby, clean up spilled milk, and lay a cranky toddler down for an early nap.

I'm sure there's a lot more I could write about my week, like how Macy's teethmarks ended up on Brielle's forehead or how Macy fed our dog an entire box of rice crispies, but I must get back to my babies. So tomorrow I will post the beautiful pictures of my girls in their matching outfits and tell you how beautiful the flowers in the yard are and how lovely my life is, but for one day you get to see us as we are. Enjoy!

Sisterly Love

2010-04-19T06:44:00.000-07:00

I am so glad the my girls seem to be friends already. Actually its more that Macy cannot get enough of Brielle, and Brielle just tolerates it really well. While I was pregnant, I was really nervous about how Macy would respond once the baby actually arrived. Macy has been in the spotlight since day 1. She is the first grandbaby on both sides and she recieves constant attention from parents, grandparents and aunts and uncles. So I wasnt sure how she would react once she had to share the spotlight. So as you can imagine, I was very much relieved when she immediately fell in love with Brielle. And these pictures perfectly depict our every day at home. Macy just loves on Brielle 24/7. She shares baby dolls and toys. And cannot give her enough hugs and kisses. She even tried to pick her up the other day when she was crying (I have to keep a constant eye on those two). When Brielle cries, Macy gets really concerned and makes sure that I help Brielle right away. Ahhh, sisterly love... If only I knew it would stay this way forever.

Miss Brielle

2010-04-06T06:45:00.000-07:00

I cant believe its almost been two weeks since Brielle joined our family. I decided I better post some details.

On Wednesday March 24, I was at my moms all day washing baby clothes. Later that evening, while driving home, I started having some contractions which were pretty far apart. I wasnt really concerned, but I decided I better call my family and come up with a game plan for when I really did go into labor.

Well a couple hours later that game plan went into action as my contractions were coming really fast and hard. we decided we better get to the hospital. So my family came and picked Macy up at about 11:00 that night and Mike and I headed to St. George.

When I got to the hospital and they checked me, I was dialted to a 7+ with contractions every 2 minutes. The nurses said they were grateful to have someone who was actually in labor since there had been so many false alarms that night.

They admitted me to labor and delivery and asked me what my goals were while I was there. Seriously, what kind of a question is that while you are in labor??? I responded an epidural and a healthy baby. So I recieved my epidural right away and then relaxed for a short period and then once I was fully dialated, they called Dr. Astle around 3:30 a.m. Thursday morning. He was there in about 10 minutes. Once he got there I pushed 3 times and she was out! Easy Breezy...I was at the hospital for a total of 3 hours before she was born. I was so grateful for an easy delivery.

And when they layed her on my chest, I cried. She was perfect. Everything we had hoped for and more.

Some fun facts about Brielle:

She has blonde hair! I was so surprised when I saw her. She looked nothing like Macy who had very dark features from birth. We think she looks like Mike's sister, Nicole with her fair skin and blonde hair.
She is so calm! We have only heard her cry a handful of times since she was born. She is so relaxed all the time and just goes along with the flow... maybe its just a second child thing. But I have been so amazed at what a good baby she is.
She has a sister who absolutely adores her. Macy has to hold Brielle at least 5 times a day! and when she's not holding her, she is hugging and kissing her. I actually had to hide Brielle in the walk in closet one day because Macy would not leave her alone long enough to get any sleep. Brielle sure is lucky to have a sister who loves her so much. I hope they always stay this way.

Everyone is happy and healthy. We are doing great and enjoying this beautiful sweet girl.

Thank you to all the family and friends who have come to visit, help with Macy and brought gifts for the girls.

Easter 2010

2010-04-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

Brielle loves Grandpa Sommers

Macy hunting Eggs with Great Grandpa Terril

Coloring Eggs

Proudly Showing off her finished product

Macy was so excited that the Easter Bunny brought her bubbles!

Someone loves her baby sister!

Had to get a pic of her cute Easter dress

Playing Barbies during general conference on Saturday

2010-03-29T20:47:00.001-07:00

Brielle Sommer Terril

Thursday, March 25, 2010

3:44 am

7 lbs. 10 oz.

19 inches

Lovely!

Big Changes Coming Our Way

2010-03-16T10:25:00.000-07:00

We are MOVING!

I am so proud of Mike. He has made the decision to furthur his education, and therefore applied to BYU Idaho. And just last week we got his acceptance letter. Yay!

We are so excited to be making this move and I am really proud of Mike for his decision to go back to school. We will find out next week what track we are on and will have a better idea of when we will be moving (we are hoping for fall).

"This is a competitive world. You need all the education you can get. The Lord wants you to educate your mind and your heart. It does not matter what field you choose, but become a workman of integrity, prepared to contribute to the world"

-President Hinkley

Library Day

2010-03-11T07:05:00.000-08:00

One thing we love about Bunkerville is the close proximity of the library. Macy and I love to grab the stroller and head on over to the library each week for some new books. But being that our library is very small, the selection is usually quite slim as far as books go. Macy isn't too picky and can always find ones she wants. I, on the other hand, will generally take a list of books I would like to request. So Monday I created my list and off we went. As soon as we got to the library I realized that I had put the wrong shoes on Macy. She has some shoes that squeak with each step she takes, which normally I love, but they definately arent library shoes. So off she goes running and squeaking her way over to the kids section. And before I can even catch up with her (I dont move as fast being 9 months pregnant), she has pulled about 10 books off the shelf. As I am struggling to put them back she has managed to grab another 15 or so. Dang, this kid is fast! So I grab her and decide to try to contain her and replace the books once I get her in control, but then the temper tantrum began. It was a full on, fall backwards, arms and legs and the whole bit. Once I scoop the screaming child into my arms, she starts to pinch me. "owww, owww, owww" she says. By this point I was ready just to call it quits and walk home, but I decided that I might as well just give the librarian my list since we were there. So we walk to the front and hand over our requests. And the librarian just began to laugh. Because the list was the following:

The Happiest Toddler on the Block
Christlike Parenting
The Color Code for Kids
Everyday Parents raising great Kids
The Birth Order Book

Cant wait for my books to arrive!

Any one have any other great recommendations that have helped with your children?

You know you're getting old when...

2010-03-04T15:00:00.001-08:00

The thought of going clothes shopping sounds like more of a chore than fun...

But you cant wait to try out my new kitchen mop you purchased last night!

Oh the joys of adulthood

Irony

2010-02-26T10:20:00.000-08:00

I am feeling a little guilty now. The other day as I was expressing to my mom my concerns about not having anything ready for the new baby, she pointed out the irony of the whole situation to me...

The facts are that I have compained to my mother my whole life that I got the shaft being the Middle Child.

There are not nearly as many baby pictures of me as there are of my siblings, my baby book is by no means complete, and all the other things that mothers dont have time for when chasing older siblings around the house.

And here I am already doing the same things to my daughter, who will most likely be a midddle child too... and she isnt even born yet.

With Macy I followed my pregnancy so close. When people asked me how far along I was, I would reply "34 weeks and 3 days." And the reason I have the pregnancy ticker on my blog with this baby is because I rarely remember what week or even what month of pregnancy I am in. With Macy I read all the books, and now instead of reading pregnancy and baby books, I am focusing on my older daughter and reading books on how to raise toddlers. And we cant forget the ultrasounds. With Macy we went in and had the 3D and 4D ultrasounds and have a video and the whole bit. Nope, not with this one. We have the one ultrasound from the Dr. and thats it. I had the thought that I could just burn a copy of the DVD from my ultrasound with Macy and put the new baby's name on it. I swear they would never be able to tell (at least they are both girls).

Here is a picture of my siblings and I. Nate was the oldest, the child who could do no wrong. And then there was Hannah, the baby, who could do everything wrong and get away with it. But as any of you middle children know, that not how things go in the middle.

Did any of you suffer from middle child syndrome? Did it affect your life? Please tell me that you survived it and have no resentment towards your mother for it...

So today, as the guilt became deeper and deeper, I called my sister and asked her to come help me get some things ready. It's time to start sorting through the hundreds and I literally mean hundreds of baby girl clothes.

Wish me luck :)

And also, thank you for your name suggestions. They were really cute. But now, you cant get mad at me if we use one and it was a name you were going to use one day :)

Life...

2010-02-23T04:59:00.000-08:00

Life seems to be coming at us faster and faster these days. Its hard to believe that it has been a year since we moved into our house. We are really growing to love Bunkerville and the people here. We have a wonderful ward and we are both really enjoying our callings. Mike is currently serving in the young mens presidency and I am in the primary presidency. And Macy is loving nursery each Sunday (and we love her going too:))

I'm not sure that Bunkerville is where we will be forever, but for now its where we are, and we like it. But Mike and I both agree that the feeling we get when we drive into Moapa Valley is different. That valley is home to us. And in case you were wondering, we still sit on the pirates side at the rivalry games (even when we lose). We even hung a pirates flag off our balcony last Fall after a victorious football game. However, some punk kids came and stole it and burned it. We are enjoying our last little bit of time as a family of three and looking forward to becoming four. However, where has the time gone??? This pregnancy has seemed to fly by so fast. It has been an extremely easy pregnancy compared to Macy and I have felt great for the most part. Macy seems to be excited by the thought of a new baby and she frequently walks around saying "baby" and "baby sister", but I wonder how she'll actually respond once the baby arrives. The Queen has no idea she about to be de-throned.

However, Macy is not the only one who may not be prepared for this. I am getting a little nervous myself. I am not prepared yet. By this time in my pregnancy with Macy we had everything ready. All the clothes were washed and pressed and neatly hung in her closet. The coordinated nursery was all put together. We had a name picked out and everything. But as for this poor baby... the clothes are in a plastic storage bin labeled girls clothes 0-3 months, sitting in my storage room. And the only nursery set up is Macy's. I'm thinking the bassinet in my room will suffice for the new baby until I figure out a bed situation for my girls. And there is no name picked out. Its not even a matter of we have a couple names we are tossing around. There is really no name yet! There are names we like, but nothing that we love or that is sticking. Any suggestions?

All in all, we are happy and doing well.

I have a goal to start updating several times per week. I would like to start turning my blog into more of a journal type as so many of you do. I would like to document the everyday things my family does. So if my blog starts to change, dont be surprised by short daily posts. And if it doesnt change, just know that I am busy chasing my little monkey around the house.

In Case You Haven't Heard...

2010-01-18T06:15:00.001-08:00

It's a Girl!

I have oficially learned never to trust my gut, other than for choosing ice cream flavors. I was sure Macy was a boy. And I was completely convinced that this baby was a boy. And "boy" was I wrong!

It took me a few days to adjust to the fact that we were having another girl. I was by no means dissappointed, just that I had not even thought for a second that it could be another girl. So when they confirmed that it was indeed a girl, I had to change every vision that I had been having for the last several months.

Mike's first response was that he now had to start saving for 2 weddings, and my first response was "Mike, we are slowly turning into Tyson and Annie." (but I'm okay with that, because their family is super cute).

We are indeed grateful and look forward to having 2 little princesses in the house. We couldnt be happier!

Our Life as of Late

2010-01-17T08:15:00.001-08:00

Wow. It feels like we are starting to return to somewhat of a normal life and routine. After we spent nearly 2 months in Provo with Mike working up there, and then the holidays, it felt as if we had been going non-stop forever. I wondered if my life would ever return to normal, and it has. But as for right now, we want to share some of the fun we've had as of late.

We really enjoyed our time in Provo, spending time with family. Macy loved the snow, and Mike hated it. I was neutral. But I think we were all glad to come home to some warmer weather.

Macy enjoying the snow

The temper tantrum she threw when I made her finally come inside.

We enjoyed spending Thanksgiving with Mike's family, and missed spending the holiday with my family, as they ventured up north to Provo. We had fun cutting down our Christmas tree Thanksgiving weekend as well.

The Terril clan on Cedar Mountain

Then came Christmas. I was so excited for Macy to meet Santa Claus this year. And much to our surprise, when we went to the ward Christmas party, my uncle Brian Rebman was filling the part of Santa. However, I was a little dissapointed. No boots? No gloves? No pillows stuffed into his suit to make "a little round belly,That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly". But I was grateful that it was my uncle, because I wasnt concerned about sitting on his lap too, and Macy was not about to do it alone! As long as I was there too, she thought Santa was okay.

Santa, Danielle and Macy

But then on Christmas morning, Macy decided that Santa was a lot better than she originally thought. Macy was spoiled this Christmas. However, we made the mistake of trying to fit it way too much family stuff which starting by waking her up at 5:00 am, no nap all day, and resulted in a very tired baby by the end of the day. Here's a few pics from Christmas day:

Macy loved the presents this year!

She really loved the handmade doll from aunt MC

And I dont know what Santa (we) was thinking when he brought her, her very own kitty :) Macy adores kitties and we were very excited to give it to her. And she was pretty excited when she saw it! Unfortunately, the kitty died in an accident on Christmas night. We were just grateful that she hadnt grown too attached yet.

And Macy's grandparents spoiled her beyond belief! Are you surprised? Me neither.

All in all, we had a wonderful holiday season, spent with family and friends and what matters most. But now we are back to reality. Mike has gone back to work and Macy and I miss spending so much time with him. But we are enjoying normal life again.

Well, almost normal :)

Greetings from Utah

2009-12-07T13:14:00.000-08:00

I know I promised results from the ultrasound several weeks ago, however, due to a change in circumstances we havent had our ultrasound yet.

Our family has spent the last few weeks freezing up North in Utah. Mike had to come up here to work for a while, and Macy and I, not wanting to be alone, decided to come along too. So here we are... all of us freezing our petuties off because we are used to our warm Nevada weather.

We went back to Nevada for Thanksgiving last week and spent it with Mike's family. We all ate way too much and loved every minute of spending time with family. We also went up to Cedar mountain and cut down our Christmas tree as we do each year. This year there was a huge blizzard, and despite some complaining, we still managed to make it up the mountain and find a beautiful tree. Macy got a little carsick on the way up, and that was by no means fun washing her carseat after, but overall, it was fun and we made some great memories.

We enjoyed a few days of beautiful NV weather before venturing back up here, and now we are in a winter wonderland, or so Macy thinks. All she wants to do is play outside. She just stands at the door and cries, "out, out, out". And I try to explain how miserable it is, but she just cant see it. Maybe one day this week I'll get brave and take her sledding or to make a snowman or something.

But as for now, we are cuddled up in blankets, keeping cozy at grandma Sommers house. Enjoying spending time with grandma and Nate and MC who are also living here for the time being.

Happy winter all!

Vote

2009-11-13T06:01:00.000-08:00

This pregnancy has been a lot different than my pregnancy with Macy. I am thrilled to be pregnant and be having another baby this spring. But for some reason, I havent been following my pregnancy as closely as I did last time. Maybe it's because I am so busy this go around, or maybe its just that I have been through it before so I know what to expect, but a lot of days I even forget I'm even pregnant. Is that weird?

Well last night, I had a little pregnancy scare and I was pretty nervous, so Mike took me to the hospital just to get checked out and make sure that all was well. And it was. But the part that got be thinking was, they did an ultrasound on the baby. And up until this point I was by no means anxious to find out the gender. Maybe because my instincts were already telling me that it was one way, and I had no reason to think otherwise.

Well, Mike and I were pretty excited that they were going to do an ultrasound since he would be out of town for my scheduled appointment next week. But as the ultrasound tech came in she explained: "This is a limited ultrasound. We are looking for ____, ____, and ____. We will not be looking for any anatomy, ____, or ____." I cant remember everthing they were looking for or not looking for, but I do remember that they were not looking to see if I was having a boy or a girl.

But now I wonder, and I am curious and I want to know. And I will find out next week. But I would like to get your opinion. And so I have placed a poll on my sidebar.

Are we going to have to fork out a little dough, and finally make a few "BLUE" purchases, or will Macy finally have someone to share all that "PINK". Please vote as I would love your feedback, and I will be posting the real response in about a week.

14 Months

2009-11-06T05:39:00.000-08:00

Note: this picture was actually taken at 13 months, but I thought it was too sweet not to share.

Where does the time go? It seems as though the months are flying by faster and faster, and my little lady is growing so much!

Macy is now 14 months old, and we are loving her more and more every day. I am loving this age where she is learning so much each day.

At 14 months, Macy is very close to walking. In fact, she has taken several steps on her own when we bribe her. But if there is no reward waiting at the end, she is pretty stubborn about walking.

However, she definately makes up for that with her social and verbal skills. She is quite the talker. She has quite a vocabulary and many times can tell us what she wants by speaking. She is also starting to put words together. I love listening to her talk to mike on the phone. She repeats "hi dad" over and over. It is precious. She is also very curious and is always asking us, "What's that?". She also likes to tell the dog, "Out Ralph!" (a phrase she hears me say way too much when our dog tries to sneak in the house).

One of her favorite things to do is read. We read all day, I would guess an average of 15-20 books each day. She cant seem to get enough of it (and I dont mind snuggling down with my baby and a good book either).

She also loves animals, but especially kitties. My parents have a cat, and that is one way we can get her to walk, is promise her a trip to see the kitty. She also loves our dog, but he is not very interested in her (gee I wonder why? tail pulling, ear grabbing, poking his eyes out...cant seem to figure out his problem with her:)

I love seeing her imagination starting to grow and develop. She likes to pretend like she is a monkey and flails her arms about while making monkey noises. She also likes to pretend like everything is a phone and she tips her head to the side and talks away on her pretend phone.

She is silly and sweet and smart and a absolute delight to her family.

We love you Macy!

Our Little "Lady" (Bug)

2009-11-06T05:13:00.001-08:00

Macy loved Halloween this year!

Well to be honest, she wasn't too fond of the costume I made her. When I finished making it, I handed it to her and asked her if she liked it. She took the tutu, blew her nose in it, and handed it back to me. Ha...Guess she told me!

Anyway, once we finally got it on her and took her to the community trunk or treat, she thought life was pretty grand. All she had to do was smile and look cute and people gave her candy! What a life!

All in all, Halloween this year was a success!

Call Me Crazy...

2009-10-29T06:18:00.000-07:00

but I am thinking about making one of these for Macy for Christmas...

For those of you who havent seen this before, its a tent that you make to go over a card table and it makes a cute little fort/house for a small child.

I saw the idea last night on a few different craft blogs. I layed awake all night thinking about my own ideas for it. Oh man, it seems like a lot of work, but oh so cute!

I shouldnt even mention it on my blog, or else I start to feel obligated once I have told everyone. So in case I decide not to make it, dont hold it against me.

On a sad note, my water heater has been out for two days. I have been boiling water for dishes and baths. It stinks! Mike spent several hours on it yesterday and its still not working. I think the whole thing needs to be replaced. BUMMER!!!

Must be the Hormones

2009-10-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

Has this ever happened to you?

Last night Macy woke up in the night, something she has not done in a very long time. I decided to go check on her. As I peeked in, she was fine, but then she looked up at me and saw me, right as I was closing the door. Most days, I would just close the door and go back to bed. But I couldnt resist those beautiful brown eyes staring at me. I gently picked her up and went to the rocking chair. And I rocked that baby for I cant even tell you how long. And as I rocked her I cried (and as I type this, I am crying again), as I realized how short lived these days are. Very soon, she will not be my little baby anymore.

I dont know if I'm ready for that.

There was a day (actually very many days) where I wished she would just grow up enough to sleep through the night. And now, I want her to be little forever and stop growing at all, even if it meant waking up a hundred times in the night with her.

I am so excited and grateful to be pregnant again. But going from one to two kids is a little scary. I am trying to cherish every moment with just Macy as my baby. In a way I feel bad that beacuse I am having my kids so close together, that Macy will never remeber a time where it was just her and she was my only one. Did you feel that way when you were having two kids? I cant really explain it.

Well, maybe this hormonal, tired from being up all night, crazy mother, should go get some housework done. Because if I dont, I will continue rambling on about craziness forever.

My hubby

2009-09-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

So, my super cool Sister-in-Law, Melissa, did this awesome tribute to her husband (see post here), and challenged others to do the same. I was excited at this opportunity to brag about my wonderful husband. So I present to you Mike Terril..

Mike is my wonderful husband of over 3 years. Some things I love about Mike are:

1. He is tough and strong and manly. He is not a wuss by any means.
2. He is tender and sweet when it comes to Macy and I.

3. He is patient with me and my weaknesses and shortcomings.

4. He is a strong patriarch in our home, leading and teaching in the gospel.

5. He works so hard so I can stay home with Macy.

6. He is so dang good looking!

7. He can fix anything, including our cars and home repairs.

8. He is a wonderful father.

9. He excels at everything he does.

10. He loves me and I love him!

Even Macy agrees that Mike is the best:

Everytime we ask Macy who her best friend is she exclaims "dad!" Of course, it's never the same for the camera, but never the less, she still says it's dad!
We both think Mike is the greatest. I am so grateful that he is my husband and partner for all time! I know you all love your hubbies too, so now it's your turn. Write a post to let the blogging world know why you love your man.

Wacky Laws

2009-09-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

I came across this crazy article this morning and some of them had me laughing pretty hard. Hope you enjoy them too. Happy Friday!

Happy Birthday Miss Macy

2009-09-08T09:59:00.000-07:00

Our little lady turned ONE this weekend! Can you believe it? I sure cant. One year ago this beautiful baby came into my life and has changed me forever. I am a better person because of her. She makes me smile and laugh daily. She makes me happy. She makes our family complete (for now). We love our little princess.

2009-08-24T10:15:00.001-07:00

Rumor: You CANT get pregant while breastfeeding

Fact: You CAN get pregnant while breastfeeding

That's right folks! For those of you who have not already heard, we are expecting once again! We are expecting our little bundle of joy near the end of March '10 (that seems so far away). We are very excited! We were hoping to have our children close together. Macy and our new baby will be 18 months apart. We are full of gratitude for the blessings that we have been given. There is nothing greater, in our opinion, than the sweetness and innocence of a child. We are overcome with joy.

2009-08-17T09:35:00.001-07:00

This morning I realized I am completely lost without this sweet little face to stare at each day. Macy went and had a sleep over with her grandparents last night, and I was beside myself. I was so happy to have her spend time with them, but I just didnt know what to do with myself. I paced back and forth for quite some time before I dragged Mike along for a ride in the truck. This girl is my life! (P.S. Dont you love the ponytail?)

Dissapointed

2009-08-06T20:47:00.001-07:00

I am extremely sad tonight. I have been dreaming of buying a nice glider rocking chair for Macy's room since before she was born. I want a chair that I can snuggle and nurse my babies in. That will always be special to us.

I have dreamed and saved for this... (only in dark brown to match my nursery furniture)

And guess what? I finally saved enough to get it!

However, when I went online to purchase it tonight, I found out I cant do the "free shipping to the store for pick up" option. WHY??? I am so dissapointed. Now with shipping and tax its almost $200 more than I had originally anticipated.

And I dont want to pay it. And if I dont pay it, I dont get my chair. Sad.

I am now looking for a lovely chair that looks similar, is reasonably priced and preferably a store that offers free (or cheaper) shipping.

Where did you buy your nursery furniture? Are you happy with it?

My New Calling

2009-08-04T12:56:00.001-07:00

I just got called to be a SunBeams teacher last month and I am loving my new calling. The kids in my class are darling and I cant wait to hear what they have to say each week.

Here's my fave from this last Sunday:

Me: Who wants to say the Prayer?

Girl: I do!

Me: Okay, thank you. Do you need help?

Girl: Yes

Me: Dear Heavenly Father

Girl: That's not my dads name

Me: Okay, just say, 'Dear Heavenly Father'

Girl: But his name is Larry

Me: Okay, please just say it

Girl: I'm not gonna say that cause my dads name is LARRY!!!

(This conversation actually took place for several minutes before I gave in and said the prayer myself)

Guilty

2009-07-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

My baby and husband are asleep.

I'm supposed to be working.

However, I find myself browsing blogs and searching online baby boutiques dreaming of things I would love to buy for my daughter.

Now if I would actually get to work...maybe I could afford those things.

Does anyone else ever get distracted so?

This story made me cry!

2009-07-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

click on the following link to read a touching story of a mothers love for her family.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1199800/A-dying-mothers-masterclass-Cancer-stricken-mum-spends-final-weeks-teaching-husband-raise-toddlers-alone.html

When Daddy Takes Over

2009-07-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

Tonight I layed Macy down for bed and she usually cries for just a minute and then goes right to sleep. Well this evening her crying went a little longer than usual, and Mike asked if he could go get her and rock her to sleep. So in he goes with a bottle to get his baby.

After quite some time I was starting to wonder what was taking him so long. I grabbed my camera thinking I might catch a really cute photo of him rocking his little girl to sleep and I got just that when I opened the door and snapped a shot before he saw me...

Daddy's not allowed to do bedtime anymore because Macy just associates him with playtime and rightfully so. Does anyone else have this problem?

Storytime

2009-07-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

I need some help. Yesterday I went to Barnes and Noble to pick out a birthday present for Macy's friend who's turning 1 this week. I also decided that I would like to get some more books to read to Macy. However, their selection was slightly overwhelming. We didnt have alot of time to sit and read through all the books, so we read through a few and found a darling one for her friend. But now I'm still on the hunt for Macy's books. I want to ask my fellow bloggers, what are your favorite childrens books? I am looking for simple text (for a very young child), beautiful images, and a cute story. Also, where do you buy your books? They can be so expensive at the bookstore!

A Memorable Night

2009-07-12T22:32:00.001-07:00

So last night Mike and I went on a date. That's right, I said DATE. No baby, just the two of us. It's a rare occasion these days so we decided to make it good. We went to a fancy restaurant in Mesquite called Katherine's and enjoyed a delicious dinner. After we ate the waiter brought our bill and we gave him our debit card. He came back a few minutes later telling us the card had declined. So embarrased, I called the bank (automated system because it was a weekend and after hours) and confirmed that there was indeed $ in our account. I told him to try it again and again he came back with the same response. Mike then left me at the table and went to get cash from the ATM, which also turned out to be unsuccesful... and then my mind flashed back to earlier in the day...

I had sent my little sister to the grocery store for me to pick up a few things. However when she went to pay at the self checkout, she couldn't remember my pin number for my debit card. She tried several times until the cashier came over to assist her. She made up this crazy story that her (pretend) husband (keep in mind she is only 16) had just lost his job and that they had closed all her accounts and cards. She left without her items and she was so embarrassed.

Back to us...So great, the bank must have been suspicious since she tried the pin number so many times and really put a hold on our account. So here we are at the restaurant with a decent size bill and no way to pay it! We asked if we could go home and get some cash and they were kind enough to let us. Thankfully once we got in the car, we realized that we had some stashed cash in there. But completely humiliating. It was pretty memorable though and a fun night together with my hubby.

And then another bad thing happened. When we got home, I had to finish up a little bit of real estate work. So I am sitting at the computer and this little tiny bug crawled across my arm. I brushed it off and then a few minutes later I felt something on my leg. I thought I was just being itchy from thinking about the bug on my arm. But then I felt it again. I took my jeans off and there was nothing there. But then I shook out my jeans just for good measure and lo and behold...

A SCORPION!

Those things completely freak me out!!! I raced into the bedroom where Mike was sleeping and woke him up and made him go on a scorpion hunt with a black light (they glow under a black light) and bug spray!

What a romantic evening, right?

What we've been up to lately...

2009-07-09T14:41:00.000-07:00

I enjoy reading everybody else's blogs so much, that sometimes I forget to update my own...

Here's what we've been up to lately:

I celebrated by 24th birthday last month. Mike got me a Wii Nintendo System and we have been having so much fun with it! I also went on a little shopping spree to Tai Pan with my mom and got some fun things for decorating our home!

I have been trying to decorate my house lately. I wish I could spend a million $ at Tai Pan. I love that store! Macy's room is about as far as I have gotten on the decor. My problem is I paint, and I dont like it, so I have to repaint! I have done that one too many times in this house already. My dad always used to tease my mom that each room was getting a little smaller because of all the layers of paint! I think I'm the same way. Currently my office is half painted because I'm not crazy about my color choice and havent decided what to change it for. Mike wont let me start any new projects until I finish my current ones. That could be a lifetime!

The only way we have been able to keep cool the last month or so is swimming. So we bought a season pass to the Mesquite Recreation center and we live in the pool! We go with friends everyday and we love it. Macy is pretty convinced that she can swim and has no fear of the water! She scares me! But we sure are having fun there! This is her and her friend Grace.

We enjoyed some cooler weather up in Bicknell, UT for the 4th of July weekend. We had a Terril Family Reunion up there and it was so nice to spend time with family and escape the heat, even just for a few days.

Sew Day Tueday. We've been slacking the last couple weeks, but each Tuesday, my sister-in Laws and I have a sew day. We'll I'm not as great of a seamstress as my fellow sewers so I had hot glue gun Tuesday and made this cute wipes case. It was so simple and I get so many compliments on it. I think I may attempt a matching diaper bag. I love trying to be crafty!

And just for fun, here are a couple cute pics of Miss Macy this last month:

9 Months

2009-06-10T06:25:00.000-07:00

Our little Macy is 9 months now! The last few weeks have been so fun with her! She is learning so much! Her lastest things she can do are* say "ba ba"* clap her hands* wave "bye bye"*pull herself up to standing* SHE IS NOW CRAWLING!

(Please excuse my voice in this video as I have a cold, I am so embarrased to even post it.)

2009-06-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

Hannah: "Can I borrow your cell phone?"
Danielle: "Sure, if you can find it..."
Hannah: "Any idea where it is?"
Danielle: "I think it may be on my bed."

After searching for several minutes...

Danielle: "I hope it's not in the washing machine with my sheets I just put in the wash, haha."
Hannah: after going through the washer "Is this it?"

It wouldnt be so bad if it wasnt my 3rd phone this month! The first completely destroyed by too much baby spit up and drool that it finally gave out on me. The second, fell in the bath tub with Macy! And the third fell into the doom of the washing machine. Do you think they'll cancel my insurance? Good thing I am almost due for my upgrade. If I can manage to keep this one for another month or so I'll be good.

So anyone trying to get a hold of me, try me Tuesday when my new phone arrives in the mail.

Feeling Thrifty?

2009-06-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

I just discovered through a friend of a friend, a few ways to make a few extra $$$ at home, by not really doing anything extra. I cant keep a secret to myself and thought that maybe a few of you out there may be interested as well. It's by no means a lot, but a few $$$ here and a few $$$ definately add up!

First visit SWAGBUCKS, by clicking on the link that says "search and win" on the right side of my blog page. This is for searching the internet. Instead of using google, use swagbucks, a search powered by google. You randomly earn swagbucks while searching and can cash them in for prizes. I am now earning things, such a gift cards, for doing what I was already doing, just browsing the web.

Next, is www.youdata.com. This is a website that pays you to look at their advertisements. It takes less than 2 minutes each time you log in. I just log in once per week, check out the ads, and then each Friday, money is automatically deposited into my paypal account.

The nice thing about both of these websites, is they are on your own terms. You search when you want to. They dont pester you with crazy emails 20 times each day! In fact, they only email you to let you know when your $$$ is being deposited into your account.

Hope you enjoy! Happy earning!!!

A Weekend Getaway

2009-05-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful weekend we had, just the two of us.

Mike and I had originally planned to go to California for our anniversary weekend. However, we had a change of plans at the last minute. Mike had found an engine for his truck in Pheonix, AZ. And I was not wanting to leave Macy for more than one night. So at the last minute, we made an impulse decision. We dropped the babe off at my parents Friday morning and hit the road for Arizona.

I had no idea that Arizona was so pretty. I really liked it there. I could actually see myself living there one day. We had a really nice couple of days, which consisted of shopping, eating well and sleeping in (something I havent done in the last 8.5 months!). And how nice it was to just be with my husband. Seriously I think we have gone on 2 dates since Macy was born. Sure, I missed her like crazy, but leaving her made it a relaxing vacation for me.

We had the opportunity to do sealings at the Mesa Temple

We ate the best sushi I have ever had in my life at a super nice restaurant.

We stopped in a really funny little town called Wickenberg on the way there and had super yummy homemade white chocolate pistachio ice cream. This jail tree was next the the ice cream parlor. We just thought it was funny.

The desert in all its beauty!

3 Years Ago...

2009-05-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

3 years ago on this day...

I woke up at 4 am to get ready for our big day.

I prayed and prayed for beautiful weather so we could enjoy our garden reception that evening.

I stood in a reception line for what seemed like an eternity.

I married the love of my life.

Today...

I woke up at 4 am to feed a starving baby

I prayed for beautiful weather for our trip to Cali this weekend.

I stood in a line (at the verizon store to get a new phone) for what seemed like an eternity.

I am still married to, and even more in love with, the love of my life.

Happy Anniversary Baby!

Feeling Crafty

2009-05-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

So I've been feeling a little CRAFTY lately, so I went to Joanns and a few hours later we had this cute tutu and headband. I couldnt resist a photo shoot after my crafting efforts, so I had to share.

Congrats Grad!

2009-05-03T15:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend Macy and I took another road trip without Mike :( to go to my brother's graduation. He graduated in Business from UVSC. I am so proud of him...now I am inspired to go back and finish my schooling. Congratulations Nate!

And Guess who spoke at the graduation...

that's right...President Monson.

Girls Vacation!

2009-05-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Macy and I went to California with my mom and sister. Unfortunately Mike and my dad had to work and so they couldnt join us :( We went to Disneyland and Sea World and had a blast. Macy did great and seemed to really enjoy our trip.

Disneyland:

Sea World:

Our hotel was right across the street from the San Diego Temple...Beautiful!

Man's Best Friend

2009-04-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

When I was a young girl, I was at the grocery store with my parents one time when someone was giving away free puppies. I HAD to have one of these dogs! I begged and pleaded and made every promise in the world that I would take care of the dog. I was so excited when they finally hesitantly agreed.

However, shortly after we brought it home, my parents quickly started to grow frustrated with this puppy who never seemed to obey and seemed impossible to train.

A couple weeks later I was sittting in front of the same grocery store trying to give this puppy away. When people would ask why I was giving it away, I would respond with the following answer: "My mom and dad are making me because it jumps up on people, and bites us, and chews up shoes, and digs in my moms flower gardens". Suprisingly nobody wanted a dog! Can you imagine? A short while later my dad came over and heard me telling someone why I had to give the dog away. He told me I probably shouldn't tell everyone too much about our puppy and he gave me a new script. I cant remember what I said, but I do remember that the first person I tried the new dialogue on, took our puppy!

I've learned a few things about giving animals away in the years since then...

Mike and I have a relative who has this darling, sweet, adorable puppy. However, due to an unfortunate circumstance, could no longer care for this dog. Because Mike and I now have a large fenced yard, the dog was brought over to our house to live. Unfortunately, Mike and I cannot care for this darling, sweet, adorable basset hound either. We already have one basset hound, and feel that we can't have 2 animals at this time. So, she is FREE to a good home. She is a 1 year old, tri-colored, basset hound named Grace. Loving, sweet puppy. If anyone wants her, or know of anyone, please let me know.

(This is not her, but she looks very similar to this. I couldnt find my camera this morning)

One Reason I love Summer

2009-04-20T23:31:00.001-07:00

I love hanging my clothes out to dry vs. using the dryer. I am grateful for the beautiful SUNSHINE today!

Little Snacker

2009-04-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

We have recently discovered that Macy is much like her mom and loves to snack! Gerber Puffs have become a staple item in our household. Although at this rate, we may have to buy them at Costco! Do any of you moms have any other snack suggestions for a 7 month old?

I'm in Trouble

2009-04-14T22:51:00.000-07:00

Well if I'm not in trouble yet, I'm going to be really soon. I just discovered digital scrapping tonight. I have been thinking I wanted to look into this for a while now, but never really went any furthur. Then tonight I discovered, on a friends blog, a link for a digi scrap site. I checked it out and 15 minutes later had this nice little number created!

I realize there's so much more that can be done. I didnt even download the whole kit. This was just a test trial run to see if it was worth it, and I believe it is.

Here's what I'm thinking... It Macy's first 7 months of life, I'm sure I have well over 1000 pics of her. Yes, crazy obsessive mother who thinks her daughter is the cutest thing ever! Anyway, at this rate, Macy will never have a complete scrapbook unless I do something different such as digital! I can put a zillion pics on a page. However, I do love the feel of paper and the layers and dimensions of a real scrapbook. I also can't get enough of my cricut. I was thinking maybe I would just print my favorite pics for a paper album?

What are your thoughts? Any tips from your digital scrapbookers out there? Where do you print your pages for a reasonable cost? Also, what program do you use to put your pages together. I just used publisher for this trial run, but really I know there is something better out there. Photoshop?

Family Home Evening

2009-04-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

Last night for FHE, Chase and Melissa came over for dinner and then we went for a Jeep ride up Bunkerville Mountain. On the way up the guys found a couple baby chipmunks and caught them. It was really cute until Chase tried to eat one and it peed on Mike, tried to bite him and then ran away! Our ride was really fun. The desert was beautiful as everything was in bloom from all the rain this past weekend! It took me a while living in Nevada before I could see the beauty of the desert. I remember as a child driving through Nevada and my dad saying, look at how GREEN the desert is and all I saw was BROWN! Now after living here for about 7 years, I am starting to see it and LOVE it. There's nowhere else I'd rather be.

Easter Weekend

2009-04-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

We had a really nice Easter Weekend. Saturday afternoon we braved the rain to go to the fair. After several hours, we had had our FAIR-SHARE of the clark county fair. It never changes and we love it all the same. We ate our hearts out with the classics... curly fries, funnel cakes and don't forget the texas twister. And also tried a new one, which may be a new favorite...fried artichoke hearts! In the evening the rain cleared up and it actually turned out to be a nice night for the rodeo. Poor macy had not gotten a single nap on Saturday and so by rodeo time she was not a happy camper...crying uncontrollably! I gave her a bottle and she crashed! Slept right through the screaming and yelling and blaring speakers of the rodeo. Didn't wake up when we put her in her carseat to go home, didn't wake up during diaper change or changing into PJ's and slept for 10 hours straight in her crib that night. Poor thing was exhausted. But thankfully she got all rested up for easter morning.

The easter bunny brought Macy a cute basket with all sorts of cute things in it, but she loved the grass the most (I should have learned from christmas when she played with the wrapping paper more than her toys). I got her a darling easter dress at Bealls on clearance for $9.00! Score! And she looked adorable in it.

It was so fun to see all our family this weekend. Nate and MC came down from Provo. And Mike's aunts and uncles on the Terril side all came down for Easter too.

All in all, we had a great weekend!

Happy Easter

2009-04-09T21:09:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone has a nice Easter weekend. We are looking forward to a nice weekend at home (Logandale), going to the Clark County Fair, and spending time with family and friends!

2009-04-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

What really convinced me that I wanted to buy this home, was the actual house itself. I though it was darling and I love old houses. However, what convinced Mike to buy was this...

However, you can't have a shop without a project right? So he had to get this...

and one day, that is going to look like this...

2009-02-07T07:15:00.000-08:00

Someone's got a SERIOUS case of the giggles!

Last night we were at my mom and dads, and my little sister, Hannah, was playing peek-a-boo with Macy. Macy thought it was hilarious! She went on laughing like this for nearly 10 minutes and we all got such a kick out of her that I had to share. The video is terrible because it was just taken with my cell phone. She's one funny girl!

Newsroom - LDS Church

2009-01-13T18:52:00.001-08:00

Newsroom - LDS Churchgreat free widgetsWidgetbox

2009-01-11T07:24:00.000-08:00

Family Updates:

It seems as though between being a mom, a wife, a real estate agent and all the other things I am trying to stay on top of, blogging just gets pushed to the side. However, I really want to do better! I think it is such a fun way to stay in touch with family and friends. Although I rarely find time to update, I do read everyone's blogs on a regular basis (thank goodness for internet on my blackberry when I am feeding Macy during the night). As for now, I will give you a quick update on what's been going on in our family over the past several weeks.

Christmas 2008
Ever since I was about 17, it seems as though Christmas had not been as magical as it had in the past. I didn't look forward to it with the same excitement that I did as a child. Of course, I loved the holiday, but it seemed to just come and pass every year. I convinced myself that once I was married it would be magical again, and I'll admit I do love spending the holidays with my wonderful husband. He proposed to me Christmas eve 4 years ago and so Christmas has always been a special time for us. But it still just wasn't the same. I then convinced myself that when I had children the excitement would return and boy was I right! I looked forward to Christmas so much this year. Although Macy is only 4 months old, it was magical again. Something about the innocence of a child Christmas morning. Maybe I reflected more on the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, having just given birth to my own child not too long ago. Or maybe it was holding Macy and watching her in awe at the beautiful lights on our tree each evening. Possibly I was just as excited as she was with each present "she" opened (we had to help some). Whatever it was, this was my favorite Christmas I have had in a long time. These pictures are of our sweet baby this Christmas.

New Years Eve...
All I remember about New Years Eve, is laying on the couch with Macy fighting to keep my eyes open...looking at the clock...9:45 pm...fighting with my eyelids...looking at the clock...10:30 pm...can I really make it?...yes...looking at the clock...11:15 pm...okay, Maybe I'll just close my eyes for a minute...Mike coming back inside after watching the fireworks, giving me a kiss and telling me Happy New Years...looking at the clock...12:07 am, how could I have missed it?...There's always next year!

Macy is 4 months old!
I wish she would stop growing so fast! I know that phrase comes out with every post about Macy, but it's the truth! Macy has been so much fun this last month. It seems as though she is just laughing and smiling at everything lately. She loved Christmas and has really enjoyed playing with all her new toys. First grandchild on both sides= SPOILED beyond belief! We are just loving her more and more every day! At her 4 month checkup, Doctor said she is a healthy baby. Macy weighed 12 lbs. and was 25.5 inches. 10% for weight and 75% for her height. As you can see, she is built like her dad, thank goodness. The Sommers side of the family was so excited when I married Mike, hoping that is would bring height for future generations, and it has.
Macy also had to get shots in both legs at her 4-month check-up, that is such a hard thing for moms! She was just smiling and cooing at the nurse, and then she stuck her with the needle and Macy's face turned bright red and then the most terrifying scream escaped her tiny body. I wanted to cry right there with her...sad! Overall, Macy is a very content baby, happy most of the time. Very squirmy, not super snuggly unless she is sick. She finds her baths very relaxing (see pictures below). For about a week, she would fall asleep every time I put her in the tub). She is always doing funny things that make us laugh. Mike and I absolutely adore everything about our sweet girl!

Real Estate:
I am so thankful to have a career that allows me to stay home with my daughter. I can't imagine having to drop her off at a dare care each day. Lately I have been feeling slightly overwhelmed by my real estate transactions though. My first deal has turned into such chaos(more to come on that later. I will not write about it until it actually closes, for fear that I will jinx myself). Although, I am grateful to be working with such a good agent on the other end though. Lori Waters has been phenomenal to work with...Thanks Lori! And I have 2 new listings (both foreclosures) in Mesquite...yay! Anyone looking to move to Mesquite? Below is a picture of one of my new listings...beautiful custom home. I am thankful for this opportunity to be selling real estate.