Ryan's New Toys...

Ryan love, love, LOVES her Daddy! She loves anything that has to do with him: the basketball, the volleyball, pulling out all his clothes, his food, shoes, etc. She follows him around everywhere he goes, which makes Billy one happy guy. Billy was asked to be a Priesthood Leader at girl's camp this year and he's been gone since Wednesday. I'm getting all the love and enjoying every moment because I know once he gets home, she's going to be pretty attached to him.

These are just a few of Ryan's new favorite toys. Others include: toilet paper, file cabinet, kitchen cupboards, Mommy and Daddy's closet, Daddy's drawers, Ryan's laundry basket, diapers, etc. She definitely keeps us going and is our little explorer. She's 1 so what can I say? At church I'm one of the leaders over the activity day girls. Billy took these pictures of Ryan with the vacuum when I was at activity days. This was the first time (once she figured this out she does it just about everyday now) she opened the closet door, pulled out the vacuum, and pushed it onto the carpet. I have a Kirby Vacuum and as you can see, they're pretty big. Billy and I were laughing. I hope this means she's going to love doing chores when she's older! :)

Finally...The Finished Product

So the Easter Bunny made all these hair bows for Ryan way back in April. I wanted to make her a bow hanger to clip them all onto so they wouldn't get smashed, but just my luck, the alligator clips I needed were on back order at every Sally Beauty Supply in AZ until June. I finally had my dad buy me some in CA and mail them to me so I could finally finish them. Besides, I wanted them off my dresser and I wanted Ryan to wear them. There is also a hook on the bottom of the white flower that I hang her headbands on. I'm not very crafty, but I think it turned out pretty cute. I love Hobby Lobby.

Another Success...

Total Out of Pocket: $8.15. I have to give all the credit to the other blogging sites I frequent and their amazing finds. $8.15...I could get used to this.

Mother's Day 2010

I had a wonderful Mother's Day despite it being the first Mother's Day without my mom. Billy made me lunch, let me take a nap, helped with dinner, and did the dishes. He's a great guy. Ryan made my day wonderful by being the sweet and lovable daughter that she is. This was my second Mother's Day since becoming a mom. I truly love motherhood. It's such a great blessing and responsibility that has been placed on me. I'm so grateful that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with the opportunity to be the mother of Ryan. As I think about the immense love that I have for Ryan I can only try to comprehend the love that our Lord and Savior have for us. I'm so grateful that I have an eternal family.
I am grateful for the mothers in my life. I'm grateful for a mom who is an example to me of someone who loved the Lord with all her heart. I am grateful for my mother-in-law who loves me as her own daughter. I know she would do anything for me and my family. These women are women of faith. They are wonderful mothers. I am grateful for all of the other women who are an influence in my life. Thank you for all you do. We love you! Happy Mother's Day!

Ryan and I!


A couple of years ago my mom framed a copy of this quote by President Spencer W. Kimball. She then gave one to each of her daughters. This is a constant reminder to me of the trust the Lord has in us:

"To be a righteous woman is a glorious thing in any age. To be a righteous woman during the winding up scenes on this earth, before the second coming of our Savior, is an especially noble calling. The righteous woman’s strength and influence today can be tenfold what it might be in more tranquil times."
Privileges and Responsibilities of Sisters
by President Spencer W. Kimball

You Say It's Your Birthday!

On Wednesday (5/5) Billy celebrated another birthday! This one was a big one...30! While he had a few moments of feeling older, he also concluded that despite turning 30, it wasn't that bad and he had a lot of great things that would happen in the years ahead. Ryan and I tried to make Billy's day special and put a Happy Birthday Daddy sign on Billy's office door. We also took advantage of all the free food you get on your birthday. We went to Joe's Farm Grill for dinner and it was delicious. It's featured on Food Network and we couldn't believe that with it only a few miles from our house we had never been. I was going to make Billy pumpkin pie for his birthday, but decided that a dozen free donuts at Krispy Kreme sounded pretty good...so for the first time in 6 years I didn't cook or bake Billy anything on his birthday. We had a great day!

I'm so grateful for such an amazing husband and father. He works hard, is tons of fun to be around, and takes his role as husband, father, and Priesthood holder seriously. I love his sense of humor and how supportive he is in all that I do. Ryan and I love you so much!

I Love to See the Temple...

I'm going there someday!

One of These Days....

You win a giveaway, contest, etc. For me, it's been never. I'll do the surveys with low optimism that I'll ever win (Let me clarify: I do the surveys at the bottom of the receipts for Walmart or Home Depot, etc. I don't go online entering random giveaways. You probably thought I was crazy for a minute). I told Billy that one of these days I'm finally going to win something. Well, one of these days finally came. Billy and I took Ryan to the play place at the mall last Friday night with my sister and 2 of her kids. Ryan loved playing. We then took her to the pet shop to see the animals. As we were walking over I looked down and there was $20 bucks on the ground. We couldn't believe it. Who would have thought? I finally found/won something. We had a great night spending time together as a family! That $20 bucks was mine and we walked out of there in ah and smiling!