I did it!!

I graduated!! After nearly 6 years of school(the last 2 yrs were year round) I am finally done. It feels so nice to have my Bachelor's degree and to accomplish this goal I have had! My Bachelor's degree is in University Studies and my minor is Home and Family Studies. When asked what my plans are now? I just want to be at home and raise my kids but we know that doesn't always happen so it's so nice to have a degree. I feel like my specific degree and classes I have taken really will be (and have been) beneficial at home in my family life. I'm so thankful for all the support I have gotten throughout school. Calvin has always been supportive of me and what I want but has encouraged me to keep going. I wanted to quit after I got my associates degree in 2008. I didn't enjoy school and didn't want to finish but I knew it was important. I'm so glad I found my Home and Family classes and Culinary Arts classes shortly after because I enjoyed them and decided to finish. I'm also thankful for supportive parents and siblings who didn't push me but encouraged me to finish. I will never regret getting my degree and feel so accomplished. I have really grown so much in the last 6 yrs as a student. I remember when I started school writing a simple paper was soo hard and I constantly asked Calvin for help with homework but I have gotten where I could crank out a paper or assignment in no time and not needing help with homework. I look forward to the extra time I have and hope to get some sewing projects done and be able to do more projects with Madison.

On Wednesday we had a little party. We went to dinner with Toni, Andi(Calvin's sis), and Evelyn and then came home and played games and had cupcakes. We decided not to go anywhere but it was nice to spend time with family.

Baby Boy

I am 20 weeks and feeling so much better. I still have had a few sick days but it is nothing like before. I've noticed I have been really tired still even though I am well into my second trimester... maybe it has something to do with chasing a toddler around every day and staying up too late!? Anyway I am so excited about our little boy and can't wait to see him during my appt Thurs! My Dr. does ultrasounds at every appt. which I think is awesome! I am so very excited and feel tremendously blessed to be pregnant with this sweet little boy.

Blessed

I have been wanting to write a post about an amazing woman in my life. There are many amazing and great woman(and men) in my life but today I want to focus on my mother in-law Toni. She is one of the most giving and thoughtful people I know. I have been very sick again with this pregnancy and only started to feel better a couple weeks ago and am down to being sick only once or twice a week vs. everyday. Anyway Toni has helped me so much in the last couple of months. I struggled to just get my homework done each day let alone make dinner and take care of my family so Toni came out every night and made dinner, went grocery shopping, did my laundry, helped with Madi and bedtime (all while she was going to school and taking 20 credits!). That is selfless love! Although I felt extremely guilty for having someone doing my responsibilities for me I cannot express enough how grateful I am for her and the help she gave me. That is only one example of how thoughtful she is. Madi stays the night at her house every Friday night and she comes out and gets her and brings her back(45 min one way). They both love it and it's nice for Calvin and I to have a date night each week. She also has done so many projects around the house for me. I am thankful for such a great mother in-law who has always treated me like one of her daughters. I am truly blessed.

Announcement!!

I am excited to announce we are expecting a baby.. BOY Aug 11!!! We are so excited about our little addition. It still feels kind of weird to me to know what we're having already and that it's a boy. Don't get me wrong I'm so happy and excited but didn't expect to be able to find out the sex of the baby today. I am 15 1/2 weeks so I expected to have to wait another month but the Dr. got a good view and says it's 100% a boy. Woohoo! Time to shop and decorate. I'm excited to start making cute little ties and things for our little guy.

So kids love to draw...

Yesterday Madison was watching TV while I took a shower (I was sick with food poisoning so I took a late shower when I was feeling better.) and Calvin was up stairs. She came upstairs and we played together before bed. We put her to bed and went downstairs to watch some TV together. Calvin was hooking my laptop up to the TV when I noticed what looked like CRAYON on the TV. We examined it closer and confirmed that she had written on the TV. We turned off the TV to find it wasn’t CRAYON but Pen INK all over the Plasma TV screen. All I could say was “Oh my gosh.. I can’t believe this.” Calvin was very upset ( of course who wouldn’t be?). I grabbed my comp to hurry and find a way to take it off.. praying there was one!? It turns out baby wipes take pen ink off of plasma TV screens. Whew…

1^st I am thankful it came off.

2^nd I am thankful Madi was sleeping when we found it or her bum may have been red.

3^rd I am thankful Calvin has a good temper and NEVER takes his anger/frustration out on people. He really does so well when he is upset.

So you can guess that today I had a nice talk with Madison about NEVER touching the TV and where we color and draw on things and where we do not! Calvin and I also have decided that it was partly our fault for leaving her downstairs alone where she could get into trouble so we are going to try to be better about checking in on her more often.

A lot of updates..

Doesn't she look so old :)
This is the dress we got for her in Mexico. She loves it.
Playing dress up with "Maga" grandma Toni. She didn't want to take the shirt or baseball cap off. Her shirt is a Diamondbacks baseball shirt and she really likes the "backabacks".
I posted a few updates but still wanted to share these few cute pics of Madi.

Chance come home!!

Chance with all his nieces and nephew
We went to the charcoal kilns and inside of them.
A good pic of my A. Elaine, mom, and Grandma
First ride( A little nervous at first and then couldn't get enough.)
Grandpa led them and I made sure they didn't fall off.

Gabi and Madi: Cute cousins!!
My brother Chauncey came home from his mission Aug 17. Madi and I were able to go down for it. My amazing mother in-law drove me down to St.George and then went on to Idaho. So we got to my brother and Sister in-law's house Tuesday and stayed the night. I got to help Reag get ready for school and watch Hunter the next day. Then my family all met up at the airport to see Chance when he got off. It was so good to see him. He is still himself.. more mature but still so fun to be around! We went back to Nick and Chels's house and had pizza and visited. Then a few of us stayed late to play Ticket to Ride. It was so much fun. I spent the rest of the week in Caliente and it was so nice to be around family. Madison had so much fun playing with her cousins and she even rode a mule for the very first time. (She still talks about it and remembers his name. She also loved helping "Paga" Grandpa get the eggs and see the chickens.) It was such a fun week of being with family!!