A Trip to Remember

We made it to Utah and what a great trip we had! Trevor could only get 1 week off and I wanted more time there with the kids so we left a week earlier and Trev met up with us. It was great to see so many family members and good friends.

Here is a pic of my two dear friends Tiffany and Angie. So fun to sit down with them and visit and our kids were thrilled to play together! As an added bonus I finally talked Tiffany (still working on Angie) to starting her family blog so now I can keep up with her cute family better. YAY

I feel so blessed to have such amazing women in my life.

We enjoyed a yummy lunch at the Olive Garden with a few aunts and a cousin which was fun and I also got to spend a morning at the park for West Bountiful 10th ward's "storytime" and catch up with some great friends and neighbors. So fun to see them and all the sweet new babies. Love you guys!

There are just too many things to write about...

We were so blessed to be able to attend my families annual trip to Bear Lake. It was the first time in many years (if ever) that all of us were there. We had a blast swimming, wave running, playing the wii, golfing, hot tubing, eating, and playing card/board games late into the night. Hallie and Megan were in heaven with so many cousins to play with.

I just love these people!

Melissa and Jeff (aka. Howie) planned a fun surprise for all of the kids and each grandchild got to play "Deal or No Deal" with the chance to win up to $20.00!!! Makenna was the grand prize winner with $20 but Hallie and Megan (and the rest of the kids) didn't come out empty handed. Hallie won $8 and Megan $8.50. It was a lot of fun. Thanks Melissa and Jeff, hope we didn't put too big of a dent in your wallet. ;)



Lot's of fun in the sun at Bear Lake then we were off to Trev's parents home. Trev took the girls up to Causey for the "Cousins Campout" (sorry, he forgot to take pics) and we enjoyed visiting with family and attending a new nephew's baby blessing.

Kaye made a fun little hideout for the kids in the old hot tub and even Julie climbed in and read stories to the girls. They love their aunt Julie, she is the best storyteller around. We also got to attend our old ward... so many good people.

My favorite part about the trip was just the little moments of visiting and enjoying being close to people we have missed.

Unfortunately we spent the last 2 days with the stomach flu so we didn't get to spend time with some of our dear friends which totally stunk but there is always our next trip.

I just want to thank everyone who housed us and fed us and spent time talking to us and letting us be a part of your lives even though we live way out in Kentucky. It was a memorable trip and we are just so thankful.

Utah, here we come... Get the hand sanitizer ready.

Well, I'm heading out (just me and the kids) at 5:30am tomorrow for the airport. We've been so excited for this trip to Utah...

Too bad that today all 3 of my kids were put on antibiotics for strep throat... this should be fun.

Wish me luck!

Happy Father's Day Dad

We've had a crazy Father's Day with sick kids and chaos as I'm trying to get ready for our trip to Utah but I have to take a minute and just thank my dad for being so great. I feel so blessed to have him in my life and so grateful that my kids get to enjoy my dad as their loving "grandpa".

We love you dad and can't wait to spend some time with you in a few days!

Kentucky... seriously?

March 15th 2007- I'll be honest, tears were shed that "match day". Louisville, Kentucky was not my first choice in a residency. "Do people really live in Kentucky?" I wondered.

I wasn't thrilled about living in a huge city full of strangers while my husband worked at a crazy ER downtown with metal detectors and gang violence (talk about education). Honestly, I was terrified but I put on a happy face and stepped forward because I felt the Spirit assure me that the Lord's hand was in it all.

This week marks a year since we moved to Louisville and as I write this post my eyes are clouding with tears... I wouldn't trade this year for anything.

Leaving the comforts of home, family, and friends was (and still is) often so hard to bear. Feeling alone and vulnerable... it has caused some painful but much needed growth.

The experiences we have had here as a family are invaluable. Who knew that residency would be so tough?! I am in awe at my husband's strength, even in the darkest hours.

We've had to lean on each other more and that has united us as a family.

The opportunities we've had to share our testimonies have been so sweet and caused me to look at the Gospel differently. It really is "Good News" and we are so blessed to have it.

The friendships I have gained here... honestly, this is where I see the Lord's hand in my life the most right now. It's like he knew I needed these women in my life and that's why he brought me all the way out to Kentucky. I'm so very grateful.

And so, I've learned in this last year that people DO live in Kentucky... some of the best people I know, and my life will be forever changed because we have this time here.

Moving in -June 2007. Our kids have grown and changed so much in 1 year (and I think Trev might have a few more gray hairs thanks to residency). ;)

Room with a view

When Trevor sets his mind on something- he gets it done.
This particular day he decided he wanted to put in the window for the new room (after working a graveyard and then sleeping about 4 hours... I was nervous) so after measuring and taping then going back to Lowes and buying a different window, measuring and taping and measuring again (this time using string!) Trevor got his saw out and started cutting (at 8:00pm!). Minutes later our neighbor came out to tell us that there was a big storm coming with a tornado warning. Perfect.
Luckily our neighbor volunteered to help us get the window in. Just imagine Trevor climbing a ladder about 15 ft up balancing a huge (it's bigger than it looks, 3ftx5ft) window with one hand and his forehead. It was sooooo scary. I was in the room ready to catch the window and praying my head off.
Long story short, at 2AM the window was done and look how great it looks! We are going to add black shutters to match the rest of the house and a black planter box underneath.
The best part... look at the view we have of the neighbors . Now we can really keep up with all of their comings and goings. heehee

trip to Tennessee

Last week we got to go on a leisurely vacation at Fairfield Glade Resort in Tennessee. We got a great price on a condo through the military vacation club (thanks dad!) and spent a whole week just playing with the kids!

Pony rides, days on the beach, paddle boating, swimming in the pool, bike rides, and hunting for turtles and frogs in the pond were a few of the favorite activities.

My favorite part... Trevor did all the cooking and cleaning up so I could actually have a vacation too!

Good times.

Major Progress on the New Room

Okay, so here are some before shots we took in April I think. This is the hole in the wall we climbed through to work on the new room and pictures of the attic before we put in the floor etc.

Yes, that is sweat. I know, gross, but he has worked soooo hard on this.
This picture was taken in the garage of the new floor we put in for the room. This was a huge step for us... a lot of work!
This picture was taken yesterday. Doesn't it look awesome!!!! It is finally looking like a room and it is so exciting for us.

Here is the new wall Trevor built. It was a little scary cutting down all of the support beams but the new walls seem to support the roof well. The room is about 15ft x 12ft and it will be about 9ft tall at the peak with the drywall up.

Finally a door instead of a hole in the wall. Now it actually feels like it is a part of our house.
Doesn't that door look like it's been there all along! I just look at it and smile.
Last night we were trying to come up with some names for our new room... because every room needs a name right?!
Here were some of the suggestions:
-Living Room 2
-The Coolest Room Ever
- The Room that Daddy Built
-If You Give A Dad a Toolbox

*Can I just say I married such a talented man! He amazes me with is ability to figure things out and to work so hard! Honestly, he has a crazy work schedule then he comes home and plays with the kids and works on the house. I feel so thankful to have such a great husband. He blesses all of our lives in so many ways, this room is just another one of those ways.
Thanks Trev!

Keeping it in a safe place

I was getting some crushed ice out of our refrigerator when all of the sudden there were brown chunks of stuff coming out with the ice... gross!

I didn't know what it was so I emptied the cup and filled it up again but this time there was a big brown square... and then instantly I remembered where I hid my chocolate bar from the kids.

Need a reason to smile? You can borrow mine.

Happy Mother's Day Mom

This is my mom... Okay, one sentence and I'm already teary-eyed.


Of course I didn't realize it as a kid but now as an adult, and especially as mother, I look back on my childhood and I am so grateful for my mothers wisdom.


Just a few of the lessons I am most grateful for:


- My mom often would share "spiritual experiences" or prompting she would receive with us when we were just kids. I remember many times growing up my mom would tell me about how she was at the store, or in the car, or cleaning the house, and the spirit prompted her about something. I remember thinking that my mom must have been really special for the Lord to talk to her so much. As I've grown I've found that it is easier for me to recognize the Lord's hand in my life because of my mothers example. I learned from her at a very young age that He is very much a part of our everyday life. What peace and purpose that brings to me today.

- I remember as a teenager I would hear adults talking about how hard it was to talk to their teenagers and how they were always fighting with them and I just didn't understand it. My mom and I got along great during my teenage years. I felt like I could talk to her and I was excited to tell her about my dates and other "teenager stuff". I think about that now and wonder how she did that!
I just hope my kids feel the same way with me when they at are going through their pivotal teenage years.

- My mom taught me by example about humility. I can't tell you how many times I would walk past my mother's room and find her on her knees in prayer. It also wasn't uncommon when we had a disagreement to find my mother a few minutes later sitting on the end of my bed and apologizing for what she had said. It was good for me to see that she wasn't perfect- and just like me- made mistakes but was trying to do better.

- My mom made our home a safe haven from the world. There was peace and love in our home and as a teenager my friends were drawn to our home. It's like they felt it too. I hope that I can create that kind of a home with my children where they will long for the comfort and the peace of home.

Trevor has mentioned several times since we've moved away how he misses being in my parents home. That good feeling is still there.

I could go on and on...


I wish I could be there with you today mom but since I can't I just want you to know how much I love you and how grateful I am for the woman you are. I just hope and pray that I can be the kind of mother to my kids that you were and still are to me. I'm so blessed to call you my mother.


HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Natural Bridge State Park 2008

We spent a few days at Natural Bridge State Park. The hike was the best part. The kids loved it. Meg biffed it on the way back...so we all cried the whole time back. For some reason the tics loved Megan. We pulled 3 off of her head. I had three but not all were attached, Kathryn had 2 crawling on her (she did not like this), and Tink had 6 suckers on her. I am not sure if Hallie or Cam had any. It was a lot like a cross between Southern Utah (my favorite place) and a jungle. It was really cool. Anyway...her are some pictures of our trip. Oh, the black food is our dinner. Hallie's face said it all. Finally, quote from the trip "Mommy says she knows everything...how could she know everything?" dad says "I know everything." Megan says "No you don't." It is true I don't...I was just testing them. They passed. I guess.

Side Note by Kathryn
More like Lyme Disease State Park! I don't love bugs but I draw the line at bugs that can give you a fatal disease! Oh, and the blackened dinner- I looked up several web sites before the trip to find out how to make yummy tinfoil dinners, obviously they didn't know what they were talking about (either that or we cooked it too long ;0 whoops). But Trevor is right about the hike to the natural bridge, it was AMAZING! It almost made up for the plague of ticks.

A letter from Heaven

We got this letter in the mail on Sunday.

Surprised? So were we!!! (okay, not about the letter, I'll be honest, the letter wasn't actually from heaven).

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After thinking I was coming down with the stomach flu for 4+ days it finally occurred to me that I could be pregnant and sure enough I was like 7 weeks along! I'm about 10 weeks now and due in November.

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I'm still adjusting to the idea but I feel this is the Lord's timing and I believe He knows best so ready or not!

-

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The coolest part is my sister is pregnant with her first and due the day after me! How fun to go through pregnancy together and have cousins so close in age.

Just Clowning Around

The girls got these noses at a recent birthday party and had lot's of fun being clowns... that is until Campbell grabbed them and tore them into pieces... baby brothers are so fun!

Tornadoes and Earthquakes- Welcome to Kentucky!

It was 5:30am when I found myself waking from a very deep sleep and sitting straight up in bed. It took me a second to realize that my bed... my whole house was shaking! I was totally disoriented so I looked out the window wondering if it was really windy or if we were experiencing more tornadoes but it was calm outside. The shaking stopped and I waited for my house to quit squeaking and everything to stop swaying back and forth and then decided to go back to sleep (well, first I just laid in bed and thought about all of the things I'm missing in my food storage, moments like these are good motivators). I found out this morning we had experienced a 5.2 magnitude earthquake! Crazy! We had tornadoes in February and now an earthquake- where the heck do we live?

P.S. Trevor called after the earthquake to make sure the flat screen was okay.

"Yes dear, the TV is fine ... and so am I and your 3 children."

Camping...Priceless

I had a chance to take the girls camping last week. It was a short trip, but it was such a great experience. I do not know if it was just being able to spend time with the kids or the memories of being together camping as a kid, but it was very meaningful to me. It was so fun and was a beautiful area.

When we found this turtle, Miss Shelly Sandy Tortoise Grubbs, Hallie said it was a blessing that my bike tire popped or we would not have seen the turtle.

I hope we don't kill this little turtle, but it has already been a blessing to us. It has been so much fun to have a new pet.

We don't even have to let it out at night.

Camping with Dad- Surprise for Mom

Trevor found out yesterday that he got today off so he took the girls camping last night. They had a great trip and came home with a new friend.

Oh HAPPY Day!!!

Campbell was about 2 weeks old when we knew something was really wrong. He was so fussy and appeared to be in pain a lot. He would grunt and groan and cry most the day and night. Then one day I was changing a dirty diaper and noticed blood. That's when we realized he had a dairy protein allergy and I (I was nursing him) had to go off of ALL dairy. If I so much as ate one chocolate chip Campbell would get sick. It was hard and I never believed I could do it but I nursed him dairy-free for 8 months.

Sometimes kids outgrow this allergy but every time we tried to give him a little dairy (we only tried 1-2 times because it hurt him so much) he would have a reaction. Well, I gave Cam some cheese a few days ago and nothing happened, I tried again the next day and still nothing... dare I hope?!? It's been 5 days with a little bit of dairy everyday and still no reaction!!!!!! I'm so happy. No more soy milk and dairy-free butter (yes, there is such a thing). No more making a separate dinner for Campbell every night. No more reading the hundreds of labels on food to make sure they are safe for him. And best of all Campbell finally gets to enjoy cheese, milk, chocolate, ice cream, yogurt etc.

Oh Happy Day!!!!

Hallie's interview on her school's "Newscast"

Yea, she's pretty much famous.

Construction begins on our new room!

We've been working really hard on our new room... okay mostly Trevor's been working really hard (he calls me Vanna White because I stand there and hand him things) but make no mistake, those huge beams didn't get up there by themselves (my shoulders have the bruises to prove it!)

This has been quite the process and we want to document the progress on our blog so we will have it to look back on (plus I know my fam loves this kind of stuff- hi fam!).

Anyway, this idea to build a room over our garage started months ago because we only
have 3 bedrooms and a large garage with a big empty attic.

First thing we cut a hole in our wall (where the door will go to the new room) big enough to crawl through but small enough to patch if we decided it was not worth it. Once we did all of the measuring we fount that in order to make it tall enough we had to build the floor lower than the attic was so the next step was to tear out all of the drywall (I know- crazy!) in the garage and start building our floor with 24 ft long I-beams.
This is a picture looking up from the garage after we took out the dry wall.


Here we are now, we have half of the floor in and it is getting exciting since getting the floor in has been quite the challenge! We still have a lot to do so we will keep posting updates but we hope to be finished by this fall and then we will need some volunteers to come try out our new guest bedroom. Any volunteers?