Been a LOOOONG while!

Wow, where to even begin. {I must warn you, TONS of pictures! I have you get you caught up right!?} Yes, we are still alive and thriving! Just been WAY too busy for our own good. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years.. all were great! Here is a re-cap of what has been going on:

Thanksgiving was awesome! We spent the "feast" with my parents this year. {We rotate every year to make it fair.} Christmas.. wow, what a blast!! Maddy got her Barbie House and Barbies that she wanted for Christmas. When you would ask her what she wanted she would say "Ummmmm I want a Barbie House..... ummmm some Barbies, mmm some ponies, annnnnnd a pony house. And that's it!" As you can imagine she had that look of deep thinking, it was adorable!




A group of my Highschool friends have decided to do a get-together once a month. We just recently decided on the name... Sophisticated Mama's! How might we have come up with the name you might ask? Have you ever seen The Wedding Singer? There is a part when Jimmie Moore is performing "Ladies Night" in it it goes "Romantic Lady , single baby, Mm sophisticated mama, Come on you disco lady yeah." Lindsay was actually the one to come up with it.. it was so funny when she "re-inacted it" We thought, even though we definitely aren't single, all of us happily married... we are definitely Sophisticated Mama's! I have pictures from November & December's Ladies Nights. {December was Ugly Sweater Night}

{Warning, some of these pictures were taken late at night..}




New Year came and 2010 got off to a pretty good start for us! Spent lots of time getting our house back into order. We took a "break" during the Holiday's in having it up on the market. Needless to say it helped! we have already had more people look in the past few weeks than we have had in Months! We have had an offer on it, and I am sad to say that we had to decline it. I hate it!! I wish someone would just come upright and buy it. The people wanted us to do a lease option to buy. It really sounded like a good plan, and we were about ready to accept it, but then realized the $4,000 grant to build a new house, was no longer available. We were counting on that so that it could help with a down payment. We realized there was no way we could come up with $7K in 3 months while the house was being built. If the grant would have been available, we could have easily saved up the $3,000. After lots of prayers, and days making myself sick about it.. we both know it was a good decision. Right now we are focusing on getting more a down payment saved up so we can be ready for the next offer! I figure now, I figure we are just going to make the house the way we want it. I wasn't wanting to put TOO much work into it if we were just going to sell it, but it looks like we will be here for a while longer-so this is some of the things we have done!





Maddy has been in preschool and loving every minute of it. We just got her "mid-year" report card, check-plus on everything! {which is the highest you can get.} She is only 3 1/2 but going on 17. She is complete girl through and through. Her personality is surely showing through: Drama, Princess, goofiness, you name it! She has grown up so fast, and I can't believe she will be 4 in June!! Where did all this time go?? Here are some pics of her throughout last year:




Sam, still working for Utah County Health Department {Hence the reason for wanting to move!!} He is doing well! We both have started weight watchers first part of January. He has lost 9 lbs so far! I'm proud of you Honey!

Me, well I am alive and here! I am still working for Intermountain Healthcare's Recruitment part of HR. I have decided that I need to make time this year to keep up my blog up. They say it is a form of journaling. Since I suck at keeping a personal journal this will have to do! I started weight watchers with Sam, and have done pretty well. I weighed in this morning and I lost another 1.6 lbs. Making that a total of 11. something lbs! Slowly but surely it is coming off.. hooray!
We actually got back from Las Vegas this past Monday. Can I just say I honestly do NOT remember it being that dirty of a city. I mean dirty as in people basically handing you pornography as you are walking down the street! We walked {about 12 miles mind you!} down the strip, and they have these people that slap cards and then try to hand them to you. Well if take a look at what they are trying to hand you, {I highly suggest you DON'T!!} It is of women. This guy tried to slip on to Sam as we were walking past, and Sam was like "DUDE, I am with my family, NO!" The air is just gross from all the smoke. Here I am trying to be a good mom and shield my child from all this crap! Mind you there are some fun things to do there. The Mandalay Bay has a Shark Aquarium.. absolutely SOO COOL! My pictures didn't turn out so well because you walk through a few tunnels that are surrounded by water. I highly recommend it! The Mirage has a really cool Seigfried & Roy's Secret Garden. A Tiger & Dolphin Refuge. That was awesome! Maddy LOVES Dolphins as it is, so she really enjoyed it. Another thing Maddy enjoyed was Circus Circus's Trapeze Artists! We actually stayed at Circus Circus and let me tell you.. DO NOT stay in the Skyrise Towers. Umm let's just say we got in about Midnight, got our keys, the room was NOT cleaned. Beds weren't made, beer bottles, porn, and drug paraphernalia on the night stand. It was utterly disgusting! Obviously we complained and got upgraded to an amazing Room! They had recently remodeled their West Tower, and that is where they sent us free of charge. Knowing what I know about the other room.. I am SO glad it wasn't cleaned!! I don't think I will stay there again!! Anyway, here are some pictures from our trip!



Whew! I think that is all.. more to come as more events unravel!