Emma's Mom

2011-12-30T11:30:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

We waited in line for what Cory thought was an eternity to get these pictures! It was really hot in the building we were in and I was getting a bit uncomfortable standing the whole time but I'm glad we got them. We almost didn't. I was messing around with the camera and the low battery light came on! I took this first picture and it took the camera forever to charge back up to take the next one, it was almost bad!

Collin got grumpy just a few minutes before we got to Santa so he wouldn't smile for me.

Its been a long time since I have had to use desitin but Collin ate a few too many oranges one day so I had to bust it out. I guess it was too tempting because it got stolen out of the bathroom off the counter and used, not as directed mind you, while I was in the shower.

I thought it was kind of funny that Collin had hand prints on his back! They didn't touch very many things for which I was grateful but our house did smell like desitin for a while!
And his shirt has never recovered.

I did do a little research to see if eating desitin was bad and decided that he was probably going to be okay.

I was in the living room and Emma comes in and says mom you need to help Collin, you need to go get him. I don't remember what I was doing but I said ok in a minute. (next time I think I will come faster!) I think she came in and said that a few more times so I finally got up and this was what I found! I couldn't believe he could climb into that drawer from the rocking chair!

This dresser was my moms so it is more solidly built than some of the others he could have climbed upon. I'm grateful it did not tip over. With the TV on it also that could have been really bad.

I don't know if its all little boys or just my little boy but he does some crazy things! He is sporting a bruise on his cheek where he fell down and hit it on the line where the carpet ends and the linoleum begins.

Trunk or treat!

2011-10-27T14:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween, Almost!
We went to our wards trunk or treat and it was fun! Once he knew what was going on Collin was pretty cute. He would run up to the people and say something that could resemble Trick or Treat, laugh and take his sweet time picking the piece of candy that he wanted! I could tell his bucket was getting heavy but anytime I tried to help him or take it he would cry.

Emma was pretty excited to get her face painted. The kid doing it said that she was the stillest little kid he had done so far!

The day before it was like 80 degrees and that day it was 50 or so. I kept asking "Tinker Bell" if she wanted her coat and she never did until we were almost finished. Poor Collin looks so cold!

I made their costumes but Collins was harder than I thought it would be and I actually ran out of material! All and all I was pretty happy with them.

Emma loves Tinkerbell and looks like her so thats why we picked that for her costume.

These are out of order but we carved a pumpkin and this was taken in the dark! They loved when we put a candle in it.

After we finished the pumpkin we had some yummy cookies!

playing catch up

2011-10-02T15:47:00.000-07:00

This was around March and Emma was going through a Bambi watching phase. It was cute because she called it Bani. I took this picture because she had just fallen down the stairs, head first. I dont know how she did it but I heard a lot of noise and she came in crying and this is how she looked! Poor girl!

Emma was helping me with Collins first birthday cake.

This was his cake. I am not very proud of it honestly. I should have used fondant but thought I could use plain ol frosting instead, note to self those who can use frosting are amazing but I am not one of them.

These where some of his presents. He was afraid of them actually! It was kind of funny he didnt touch any of them for a while!

We decided to take a family trip to Yellowstone and went the first weekend most of the park was open and it also ended up being a free weekend! This was in West Yellowstone at a bear and wolf exhibit.

This was the gift shop of the exhibit and the kiddos really loved this big bear. They almost didnt want to go see the real ones outside!

This is us waiting for Old Faithful. When we first showed up we were all alone and it was cold! We didnt know when it was suppose to go off again but eventually (45 cold minutes later!) a lot of people showed up and then 10 minutes later the geyser when off. It was cool and we got a video of it. On the way home we went through several buffalo herds walking on the road. The snow was pretty deep still so they all just walked everywhere on the roads. It was pretty neat. The kids loved it! Cory and I did too! Emma kept calling them cows and Collin would point out the window and talk. We really wanted to see a bear but never did although we heard some rangers talking about how one section of the park was kind of closed due to a lot of bear activity.

Cory started a summer family tradition where he would get a sleeping bag, the kids and their blankets and they would watch the stars come out. They would do this a couple times a week and had some good times doing it I think!

For Emmas 3rd birthday and kind of as a last get together before we moved to Texas she had a sleepover with her cousins Bradley and Danielle. It was her first sleepover and it went really well. We had dinner and dessert first with both families and then the kids watched Tangled, ate popcorn and had a blast with these little finger lights we had gotten. Everyone got a long really well and they all slept right there where ya see them.

2011-03-26T15:22:00.000-07:00

We made some sugar cookies the other day. Some were regular shaped and some were "mickey" cookies. She got to put the icing and sprinkles on her mickey cookie and thought it was great fun!

I havent taken very many pictures with just c-man so I thought I would take a couple. He is getting soooo big! He army crawls, can stand in his crib and can even walk a little bit with help from this walker toy we have. This first picture is his new face. its pretty cute he makes it and then like hums to himself!

look at those cheeks! He has four teeth two on top and two on bottom.

Hes a pretty sweet little guy.

Thompson Square - Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not (2010 Video & Lyrics)

2011-03-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

Thompson Square - Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not (2010 Video & Lyrics)

More pictures

2011-02-13T10:24:00.000-08:00

Too cute, that's all I will say!

I cant remember if this picture was staged or not. But its cute!

Yep here we are the Derrick kiddos

There are so many more that have been added since then, its kind of amazing how so much can happen in just a few years!

The brothers

Our cake was so pretty!

Cute kids!

new and old

2011-02-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

All the grand kiddos together at last! A good look'n bunch of blonds I'd say! This was over the Thanksgiving holiday at Grandpas and Grandmas house. A good time was had by all.

These are the newest of the new all born within a few months of each other.

SO now on with the old! I have been thinking about Cory and I because this month we will celebrate 4 years of being married! WOW I know! I decided to put up a few pictures of that most wonderful day!

This is a cool picture in more ways than one because the windows behind us are to the sealing room we were sealed in. I've always loved the Manti Temple for many reasons; first because it was where my parents were sealed. Second because it was the very first temple I ever went in, and because it is where I did my first baptisms for the dead and received my endowments. So of course I wanted to be married here!!!

I decided to show some of the "candid" pictures and show some of those who attended.

The proud mommas and papas. Thinking back now on that day and now knowing what was to come I am very happy that both Cory and I were able to have our moms with us that day.

Oh young love!!

Cory was so handsome!

I guess it was cold that day but I couldn't feel it!

snow!!

2010-12-25T22:28:00.000-08:00

Updated photos

2010-12-18T21:12:00.000-08:00

I thought I would update photos. This is Collin being Yoda and Emma dressed up like Paris Hilton. Halloween was pretty fun this year. It gets better each year as the kiddos get bigger!

tis the season!

2010-12-11T15:03:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love this holiday season! I love it all. I love how first it starts out with fun things to do on Halloween like carve pumpkins, decorate with scary decorations and of course pick out a great costume! Then after the ball gets rolling and the imagination juices are flowing comes Thanksgiving. There are table decorations to think up and make and the other ones made with fruit and leaves and stuff that go on a shelf. I love Thanksgiving cuz its usually the one I spend with my side of the family and we eat wonderful food and play games all nite long!! Next comes Christmas my favorite holiday! Its my favorite for many reasons. First and foremost its the time we celebrate the birth of our Savior. I love to sing in the church choir for Christmas because I love the hymns and other music we sing. I can feel the spirit testify through the music and words that we sing that Christ did come, and that he lived and died for us. I love the other classic Christmas music that is played on the radio like dashing through the snow, Rudolf, and Have a holly, jolly Christmas!! The next best thing is all the decorations and lights. I love lights, they are so beautiful, I wish we could have them on all year long! I love getting Christmas presents for my family, Cory is kind of hard cuz hes just hard to buy for but its fun buying for everyone else and seeing how excited they get. I also like the big Christmas Eve dinner and nice Christmas day breakfast. I always like good food! I am sure there are sooo many other things I can think of or important ones I have forgotten but oh well!

2010-08-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

So I guess a little update could be nice so this is it! We moved to Rexburg and are loving it! Of course it still is summer time and we haven't hit the windy, below freezing winter weather yet! Collin is getting bigger and funner everyday. Cory was accepted to the winter, summer semesters at BYU-I but is going to take some night classes during the fall.

These are some pictures of Collin when he was a couple weeks old.

He was so wide eyed.

Here he is with Memema his great grandmother.

This was just about the time he started to smile for the first time.

Cory could really make him smile big!

This was the day we blessed him. His little white suit was so cute.

It has a bow tie and vest. The only problem was the pants had gotten switched at the store so the top was 3-6 month old and the bottom was 6-9 so they were huge! He just slept during the whole blessing and Cory did a good job.

This cousin picture was during Lindzi's baby shower a few weeks ago. Emma loves playing with her cousins!

He is getting so big!

This was on Emmas birthday. She is now two!

We got her a little bike for her birthday but gave it to her a few months ago so she could use it this summer but for her actual birthday she got a princess crown and some play high-heels from her cousins. Its been a few days and I think she has wore those shoes every day, she loves them!

This was her home made birthday cake

And she even blew out her candles by herself!

Collin!!!

2010-05-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

Ok so I have all these pictures in the wrong order! Oh well! I let Emma "color" today and I turned around and this is what she had colored on, herself!!

Mindi and Jason brought a trampoline from there old house and set it up here. Emma was a little scared to jump at first but really liked it after she got used to the idea.

Collin has a very cute smile but I always seem to miss it when I try to take a picture of it!

I had to go to the bathroom and when I came back Emma had pulled out all his diapers and had put them all around and on top of him!

I think it is cute he is hugging one and was sucking of the corner of it!

Isn't it funny that babies can look so different one picture to the next? The top one he looks like he has a skinny face and the next one down, taken one minute later, makes him look super chubby!

Gotta have some hospital pictures! Dad and Collin

Mom, big sister, and Collin

The Collin story. I was not too terribly uncomfortable the last month but I think that I wanted him to come because of what that signified in my mind, which was the beginning of a whole bunch of change. First he would be born, then in a month and a half we would move back to Rexburg, Cory would start school there and then we would live on until he graduated, we would move where he got a job and so on and so on. So I was impatient for him to come and because of that and the fact that he is related to Emma (who was 5 days late), he took his sweet time and had to be induced. I don't think I liked knowing the exact day I would be going through horrible pain but would rather be surprised and excited when I start contracting all on my own!

Well the induction date was on Monday the 12 and all day Sunday I kept thinking about how it was going to be TOMORROW and I would count down the hours, it was suppose to be at 5am. We got home from church at 4, ate and then around 6 Emma had a stinky diaper so I guilted Cory into changing it. She was on the bed and when he bent over to change it he had a sudden stab of pain in his lower back and then couldn't stand back up straight! Well long story short we ended up going to the ER around 9 that night. They checked out his bones and just said it was just a bad muscle strain, gave him 3 different kinds of strong pain killers, a strict order not to do anything strenuous for two weeks and sent us home.

Five hours later we went back to the same hospital to check me in to get induced! Cory was pleasantly drugged up and felt no pain, I on the other hand was experiencing increased pain hourly! Finally around 11 I asked for some kind of pain reliever and they gave me this stuff that they said would make me loopy. Boy were they right! I was dreaming of cartoon characters and felt like I was looking through a kaleidoscope, it was crazy! Well that wore off after a few hours and then the pain was pretty intense so I got an epidural. That numbed me all but one spot and where I could feel it felt like he was pushing on my pubic bone, it was so bad they call the anesthesiologist back in and he "fixed it" for me. Oh I was so grateful! The hospital was very busy with 6 births and 2 C-sections and so even though I was at a 10 around 1 or 2 they didn't get around to me until 3. I didn't mind cuz I was pain free, couldn't move my legs or feel them, but I was pain free! I ended up pushing for an hour and he wouldn't come out. The doctor said he was facing to the left and tried to turn him so he would come out easier but he never turned. He also would almost come out and then would go back inside when I would take a breath, very annoying!

He finally came out, I only tore a little and he was 8.6, which was a lot bigger than I thought he would be because I didn't gain very much weight. An hour later when Emma came she was kind of quiet at first and just stared at him but eventually she wanted to hold him and gave him kisses. She really likes him and when we were still at the hospital and she was home I guess she talked about baby Collin all the time!!

We came home on Weds to a new development with Cory. Because of the medicine he was taking he got a little stopped up. And that made him sick to his stomach and couldn't keep anything down. That in turn made it so he couldn't take any more medicine and so he was in constant pain. The only way he could sleep was in a hot bath. So we were quite the pair. The original plan was that Cory would take care of Emma and I would Collin but that wasn't quite working out. Thank goodness for Mindi and her family! They basically adopted Emmers for a week or so until Cory and I both got on our feet.

Collin is doing great. He is sporting a bump on his head because he was pushing out the wrong way. We don't really think he looks like Emma at all. He has the same nose but he has a small head and very big grey/blue eyes. His feeties are big and he has super long toes!

We think he is pretty wonderful and love him being a part of our little family!

Camping!

2010-03-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

Cory had spring break and we decided that if the weather was nice we should do something! It was going to be so we decided to go to Galveston Island, camp and see the Gulf of Mexico! We left Thursday after my doctors appointment and after hitting Houston's rush hour just perfect, and did the stop and go for over an hour we finally made it to Galveston. We planned on camping every night but just as we crossed the bridge onto the island we were surrounded by a thick fog. We couldn't see anything! We would pass these signs that said caution drop off. No one else was on the road with us. It was like a part of a scary movie! Finally we saw some shops and a McDonald's and tried to get directions but after three different sets of directions we decided to just get a hotel that we saw across the street. When we woke up in the morning it was beautiful, we could see all these cool houses on stilts and the ocean! The signs we saw the night before were these 10-15 foot drop offs from the highway to the beach and ocean. We got a camp site but it was only available for one night, we were upset, the Internet said it was first come first served but that was not the case. We set up camp and then went to the beach! The weather was nice but there was a cold breeze that made it so you couldn't get wet or you would freeze! At first Emma held our hand the whole time but after a while she ventured off on her own. We picked up sea shells and just enjoyed the sand. Later we had lunch, hot dogs yum, took a nap and then Cory tired fishing in this lake by our camp site. The wind had picked up during our nap and didn't let up until about 8 when we built a fire and ate dinner. We were all comfortable in our tent, I slept on an air mattress, and it would have been a nice night but spring break ya know, darn college kids stayed up until 3 or 4. They weren't being loud with music or yelling or anything but their voices carried very well. The next day we went to the beach again and it was a little warmer. Emmers got a little wet but had fun in the water. Sense we couldn't camp there again we decided to just go home a little early. It was probably a good thing we did, I drowned Emmers in sun screen but she was still sun burnt and really tired so it probably wouldn't have been a good night with her anyway. We drove home and actually kind of enjoyed driving thru Houston that time! A good time was had by all and now I can say that I have been to the the Gulf Coast!

Emmers was great help taking down the tent! She found the Cheetos, sat and watched us take it down!

So these two pictures I took in complete darkness in our tent that night.

She had so much fun!!

Some changes

2010-03-03T12:26:00.001-08:00

First and most exciting is that I have only 5 and a half weeks left until Collin is due! Whoo hoo!! I am very proud to announce that I have gained only half the weight I did when I was pregnant with Emma! I am also very excited that Lindzi is also pregnant with a little boy so they will be only six months apart and hopefully be buddies. Steph is due in Sept but they don't know what they are having yet, it would be fun to have three little boys all around the same age! Fun times!

Another thing that is different is that Cory, Emmers and I have moved to the new outback rooms and Mindi, Jason and the kids have moved into the house where we were. It was tough for everyone to move all their things but I hope it will end up being worth it for everyone. So far so good, it has its ups and downs! I am most excited living out here when the baby's born because he and I will be able to nurse and take naps not in the big house where everyone else will be.

About 7 months ago for my birthday Cory got me a massage and pedicure and yesterday I went and had them done. Well actually I had an appointment last week and somehow they forgot that I signed up for both and only gave me the pedicure so to fix it they gave me that one for free and I got my gift card back and could come again whenever I wanted. That was nice of them but I had my mind set on that massage! I could have cried! When ya feel like yer body is falling apart and everything hurts from head to toe and relief is in sight its awful to get it taken away! So I set up the appointment for the next week and they changed the pedicure to a manicure! I had a massage once when I was pregnant with Emma and they had a pillow with a hole in it that I laid on and they massaged me like normal, well this time they did a "special prenatal massage" and I had to lay on my side with a body pillow between my ankles, knees and arms. I have to admit I was kind of looking forward to laying on my stomach, even for just a little while, its funny the things you miss when you cant do them for any extended period of time! It was different but nice and definitely hit the spot! So Thanks Cory Love You!!

Christmas time, better late than never!

2010-01-11T12:43:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! Da was Santa at the ward Christmas party and we got this cute picture of the two of them.

This was Cory waiting in line to see Santa.

Christmas morning Cory was so excited to have everyone open presents that he actually woke Emma up! I got the camera ready and then he walked in with her. She was a little out of it but her reaction to her big present was great!

I actually walked in on her and she was already in this position so I quickly got the camera and took some pictures.

She is such a character, we are very grateful that we get to have her in our family.

So this is me! I am 6 months in these pictures. I feel really good and things are going great! So far I am enjoying this one a lot more than the other one!

I counted a few days ago and I think I am close to having 12 weeks left.

Fun at Grandpa's and Grandma's house

2009-12-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

Cory and I were lucky enough to get to go on vacation this holiday season and we went to visit my dad. We left Thursday morning drove all day and night and arrived Friday morning at around 2:30. Emma is such a great traveler she only cried a total of like 15 minutes and that was because she was hungry and we were looking for a place to stop. Some little car adventures we had was I bought her some glow in the dark bracelets and about 45 minutes later she had bent one and it broke and she got purple glow in the dark goo on her blanket, hands, my blanket and my hands! She didn't eat any of it thankfully! One other problem we had in the car was every time I offered her something to eat she would pull out her binki and drop it or throw it and then I would always have the hardest time finding it again!
Friday Emmers and I helped Grandpa feed cows and it was so funny because Julie has two smaller dogs and for the most part are really great around kids but Emma was scared of them but when we got out around the cows she just walked right up to them, without any fear! She is afraid of a five pound dog but not a 1000 pound cow! She enjoyed feeding the chickens and got to pet one thanks to Grandpa and seemed to like them until the roster started crowing and then she got a little nervous.
Saturday morning another group arrived around 3:00 in the morning. Shawn, Steph, Brad and Danielle and they picked up Lindzi and Loryn along the way. Dad had some manual labor he needed done so poor Shawn, Justin and Cory were rounded up to help while the girls, without kids, got to go into town to a craft show thingy. They had some really great baby things and cute bags. Later that day the boys got to do the one thing they all had been waiting to do, have an air-soft BB gun war! It was pretty cold but they didn't mind one bit! When Kyle got home from work he came out and they played in the dark. The worst injuries that were reported was Shawn got shot on the nose and it kind of bled and Cory ran into the trailer ball on the back of my dads pickup! Shawn healed quickly and Cory didn't even bruise!
Sunday was nice. Church started at 11 so we got to get ready slowly and everyone was on time! It is nice to visit and see lots of people you've known all your life.
Monday night we were all invited to Kyle and Julies for FHE and dinner. It was really good, both FHE and dinner! And then we played some games. The rest of the weeks activities included more work for the boys so Dad could get ready for the other house to get moved over. We ate at Denny's, a funny tradition we have kind of started every time we come to Cortez. We swam at the rec center. The girls even got to go to see the movie New Moon at the theater. Of course there were tons of air-soft gun wars and almost every night we played games! One of the best things we did was Steph brought fun crafts for us to do. We painted and used vinyl and made watch bands with beads, it was great fun!
Finally early Wed morning Jack, Alyssa and Hadlee showed up. The girls had school until Tuesday so the came later. Thanksgiving day was great! We all had something we wanted to make, everything smelled yummy and Kyle and Julie and the boys came out to eat with us. Of course we watched a little football and later played some games.
Friday was when Cory and I decided we would leave so we could have time to recover and I could teach my primary class on Sunday. We got up and packed our car and were getting ready to go into town to Kyles house to eat lunch when my dad decides to start cutting down this old big tree with his chainsaw. He was in the tree about half way up, like 20 feet or so and I was watching from the open window of the bathroom when there was a big crack and a big limb fell off the tree. Just after it landed Shawn who was close by starts shouting up at my Dad, are you alright, are you alright!! Dad didn't say anything, which is a bad sign, but kept on cutting another limb out of the tree. I thought things must be fine because he kept on working but I also know that if my dad gets hurt really bad he doesn't say anything. Eventually he got down and limped inside. Julie had heard something might be wrong so she came over to him and he lifted up his pant leg to show us where the tree limb had cut off then scraped his shin and calf muscle all the way from his knee to his ankle about 4 or 5 inches wide. It was already bruising and he had some scrapes but they weren't bleeding. It looked pretty bad and he said that once he knew that he probably hadn't broken his leg he finished the last limb on the tree. Poor dad! He got bandaged up and still came into to town with us to have lunch at Kyle and Julies.
We left around 3 or so and got back into Waco at around 8:30 on Saturday. Emma slept a good bit of the time and was a good girl the time she was awake. It was so fun to be able to visit. I love to stay up and play fun games and just hang out with my wonderful family! Love you all!!

I can't believe I brought my camera and didn't take a single picture! Oh well maybe next time!

Silly girl!

2009-10-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

I think the first part of this video is hilarious! She comes at you like she is attacking you or something!

She's fun to have around thats for sure!

2009-10-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

This is the month for birthdays! Kaleb my nephew kicked the month off, followed by Hadlee my niece and then Cory. Next came Bradley and Danielle my other niece and nephew. At the end of the month comes the birthday of a very special person Landon, who would be 4, I think. Or is it 5! Oh I am not sure!

We are proud of Cory because he is finally 25 and our car insurance can go down! And he is also doing very well in school. Emma is so cute! Her next big goal is to run! She can walk really fast, go backwards and spin in circles so her next thing will defiantly be running! She can say uh-oh when she drops something and she says hi to complete strangers all the time in the store!! Its cute now but what about later, she wont fear anyone new! She says mommy and daddy and can point to her nose. We are working on eye and ear. She loves to wear shoes and even though you cant see it her hair is growing!! I am feeling a lot better food wise but can still get tired over stupid stuff like sweeping the floor or standing for too long while doing the dishes! I can feel the baby move sometimes and that is also very fun!

2009-08-11T10:04:00.000-07:00

This was Emma's actual birthday and so we went out to celebrate! She loves french fries so we ordered her some of her very own and she loved it!! I'm not sure if its noticeable but she made a pretty good dent in that pile of fries.

This is the cake I made for her. Lindzi told me about fondant and so I tried it and this is how it turned out. Its a lady bug.
At first Emma just poked the cake so I had to peel off some of the fondant so she could see the cake and icing that was underneath.

Then she got the hang of it and ate some. She is not a very messy eater, which is good most of the time but today would have been fun to see her get it all over her self!

She got some books and clothes. And a cute soft bunny from build a bear workshop and a few other toys. Thanks everyone! We had a great time!

2009-08-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

This was our family trip to Luna, minus two, (we missed Steph and Danielle) where we celebrated the 24th of July! In the pictures we have the Helgesens, Jack, Lindzi, Alyssa, Hadlee, and Loryn. The Gropps, Cory, me and Emma. The Derricks, Grandma and Grandpa along with Shawn, Brad and also Justin!

We celebrated some early birthdays, Emma and Justin. Both born on Aug 5th, crazy huh?

They both got a cup cake with a candle and we sang happy birthday!

This is a small look at the nice cabin we all stayed at. It had 3 bed rooms, 2 bath and 2 sort a family rooms with pull out couches and kitchen and laundry room.

This is a picture of us at the rodeo. They announced there was only about 5 thousand people there. We were participating in the egg toss! Cory and Shawn were a team. Then Jack and Loryn. Hadlee and Alyssa and then Lindzi and I. Brad was suppose to be with Jack after he and Loryn broke their egg but he tossed it and broke it before Jack was there to catch it! Oops!

At the Church they had a bar B Q with games for the little kids. Someone brought a dunk tank! Alyssa and Hadlee both did it and Brad was a pro at throwing the ball and dunking people! I never got a picture of him doing it but saw him dunk at least 5 other kids. I did get a picture of Loryn dunking Hadlee! Classic!

We also did Grandpa's favorite thing to do, go rock hunting on Saddle Mountain. All the kids cried on the way up, saying it was too hard and that the bushes were poky. Once we actually got to the top of the mountain and started hunting they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. Julie found the biggest rock, called bitenite and had the biggest spill coming off the mountain! So much for rocks being a firm foundation, hu Julie! These are the happy no cuts or scraps before pictures. We were so out a shape getting back to the car was our biggest goal so there is no after picture.

On Sunday we went to the reunion. We ate some good food and then started the auction. One of the first things to sell was a nice CD player. It only took a couple seconds for Justin to realize it was his CD player and had to fight to buy it back! Grandpa bought a lot of stuff and then it started to rain. It was about this time that a baby doll was being sold. It was Emma's!! She saw it and reached both hands out for it so her daddy kindly bought it back for 4 dollars! Lindzi and Jack bought some stuff, Lindzi was waiting for the pickles I brought that I had canned and she did end up getting them. Its kind of a tradition to sell something of the newest additions to the family's stuff as a kind of welcome to the family joke! It was fun and then Cory and I had to leave so we could drive a few hours and have time to set up our campsite before it got dark.

We went to the Gila National Park a couple hours away and in a light rain and fading light set up our new tent that we didn't know how to set up. You all know how that probably went but we got it up and the inside was not that wet! We spent that whole night listening and seeing the thunder and lightning and hoping that our tent didn't get rained out!

The next day we drove to Carlsbad Caverns and took a 2 1/2 hour hike down the natural cave entrance into the massive 14 football field length cave. It was really cold and wet down there. Cory took some pictures on our phone so someday I might try to get those off but until then just use your imaginations! It was really pretty and fun to make the hike. Emma did pretty good but once she really started crying loud and hard and Cory and I were pretty embarrassed because before we started down the park ranger told us that our voices travel far and so we need whisper when we talked to each other and so I am sure everyone in the caverns heard her when she cried!! But later we did run into a family that had a loud baby too so we felt a little better after that!

After the Caverns we spent the last night of our trip in the Guadalupe National Park. There I decided on a campsite that was about 2 miles from the car (at least Cory thought so) and camped there for the night. It was the best site despite the long travel to get to it because it had soft gravel and dirt on it unlike the rest of the sites that were packed so hard they felt like you were sleeping on one big rock. Before we went to bed Cory noticed 2 deer about 20 yards from the tent and Emma proceeded to talk to them in "baby talk" and tried to get them to come on over for a visit. After a "goodnight sleep", yeah right, we drove rest of the way to Waco.

All in all it was a fun and successful trip. Thanks for reading about our little family trip. Love to all.

2009-07-21T12:54:00.000-07:00

Its pretty funny, all the adults have a chair and now Emma is big enough to sit in the little red chair and can rock just like us! She loves it!

This is her birthday present from Cory and I. I know its a couple weeks early but its suppose to help her walk and she is ready to learn now, so we busted it open! She doesnt care if its not on her birthday anyway! She loves it and is so proud of her self when she walks!

2009-06-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

When I went to Salt Lake last month I took a couple of random pictures. And here are some of them. Cory was really sweet when I got home, at 3 in the morning, I found those balloons, card and candy on the floor in our room! He missed me! We missed him too. When he would call I would put the phone on speaker phone and he would talk to Emma. When she heard his voice she would grin so big and then start to talk back to him, it was cute!

This is what the out back looked like before......

And this is a little bit later..

its suppose to be done in a few more weeks.

She is getting so big! Looks like she will be walking by her first birthday! Its so weird how fast they grow up. Its hard to remember to live in the moment but its worth it to try. It doesn't seem that long ago when we were so excited that her grin was real and not just gas and then how amazed we were when she first rolled over and now she can stand!

Look out MORE trouble here she comes!

2009-05-26T15:14:00.000-07:00

This is just a quick up date on how the garden looks now!

We got some peas, peppers, and some cucumbers.

We also have some pumpkins, corn, lettuce and carrots.

And this is Emmers at full speed!

2009-05-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

This was Easter morning and her first Easter dress courtesy of Aunt Nae. The Easter bunny just left her some toys in her basket.

I am so thankful for my Savior and the gift of the Resurrection, and a chance for the world to celebrate it.

We went to the zoo again and it was a little overcast, humid and cold. But great fun was had by all and she fell asleep the last 15 minutes of the trip. I don't know how she keep her head right there and still slept but she did!

This was our trip to Cortez and here are some pictures of her and grandpa. She had a love, hate relationship with that dog. She would be scared when the dog came around too close and fast but she always wanted to see it and touch it, well touch it sometimes!

She's a goofy girl! But we love her, and she's a keeper!

She is about to crawl long distances. She has been able to go backwards for a month or more but just this week has done more than just go forward, lay on her stomach and stretch for things but has stayed on her knees and moved them forward! Oh boy things are about to change!

Being Mom

2009-04-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

Since being in college and in the "real world" I have occasionally written or called my parents, especially my mom to thank them for putting up with me while I was growing up, not giving up on me, and loving me no matter what.
I was thinking last night before I went to bed of all the things mothers go through, or at least what I have experienced so far and it goes a little something like this........

First you get pregnant and that could have been a fun time...... or not! The next couple of months go by and you start to wake up at like 5:30 in the morning because you stomach feels hollow, it rumbles and you feel like you are going to throw up. This experience then continues throughout the day and you soon find out it is much better to eat something all the time even though your previous life experience has told you not to eat anything when you feel that way! You bring crackers and granola bars to church and feel sort of mean when you bust them out on fast Sunday but that is only after the wave of nausea subsides. Next you notice your pants feel a little snug, ha know like after Thanksgiving dinner and all you really need is to just unbutton the top button! It’s about this time that you sort of want those around you to know that you are pregnant so YOU don’t think that they think you are putting on a little extra weight.
Time rolls on and the 5:30 snack time is replace with going to the restroom. This seems better for a while because you feel better and haven't spent anytime with your head hanging over the toilet seat and having to blow your nose and brush your teeth several times a day and all the while your husband is in the background either asking you if you are ok, which is silly cus, come on look at you, or he is pacing back and forth breathing deeply and making rumbly noises saying "your making ME want to throw up!"
Gradually there is no mistaking the fact that you are prego, because you are wearing shirts shaped like tents and pants that you constantly have to hike up because they keep sliding down from where you want them to be, but put to much pressure on your belly if they sit higher up. The once and a while nightly trudge to the bathroom now becomes a predictable almost hourly occurrence and you no longer turn the light on because you know the lonely march by heart. While you were dating or maybe even newly married your sweetheart told you how much he loved you and how when you were carrying his child he would be so willing to rub your back or feet as often as you would like, and you believed him!! Ha ha! Now when you want to hold him to it, because after walking for a less than 15 minutes both ach and you have to sit down and take a breather just from walking from the parking lot into the store, he suddenly thinks feet are gross and magically, because he used to be good, only rubs in the same spot either too hard or not hard enough!! Then once you make into the store and walking around you walk by a perfume stand or in my case it was Christmas time and cinnamon was in the air and that throwing up problem that has gone away rears its ugly head and you can’t go back to that area of the store, ever!
Those doctors visits that used to be tolerable, because you have finally gotten used to the fact that multiple people are going to be looking and touching that part of your body that you have tried so hard to hide all your life, your belly, and in my case my happy trail went from being a trail to a four lane interstate, now they move lower and once and a while use cold metal spreader things!! But after all the trauma, which you endured all by yourself, you walk away having heard your baby’s heart beat and during the really bad ones might even be holding a picture of a blob they told you had eyes and legs and arms and stuff.
Then comes the puffiness. It ranges from your feet, even your little toe doubles in size, to your face, and all the while your husband, who should say this and friends, loved ones and strangers all smile and say you are glowing, and that you look good. It’s about this time that your belly starts to look like a little sun, with sunrays (stretch marks) radiating brightly out and around your bellybutton! About this time you realize you need to get things prepared and as you start to buy a stroller and car seat or re-arrange furniture and you are sweating and panting and trying not to over exert yourself you think, why did I wait this long!

As the time draws near soon all your other mother friends start walking with you, all the time, so you can jumpstart your labor. You might even get desperate and when you are a week over due you might take caser oil, remind your husband that he will have to wait at least 6 weeks for…… anything he might be thinking of now, or let him talk you, like mine did, into jumping on a trampoline! Which worked!
Then it starts. Lightly at first, then gets worse, the pain. First you’re excited because it has started, this experience you have been thinking about for at least 7 months and then after a while it gets annoying and then you start to worry about things like, when was I suppose to go to the hospital? How far apart are they suppose to be? Finally you go to the hospital. For some it goes by quickly, for some much slower but it all ends the same. Pressure, pain and then a little pink, wrinkled old man, even if it’s a little girl, because all babies look like old men without any teeth, and they put them on your chest and then its really here, and yours.
Now you have this little thing that looks so breakable. And they make noise, lots of noise, but luckily it’s not very loud, yet! Once you get home it’s hard to get up and move around but an amazing thing happens and you can hold your pee for hours again, and you want to because of all that goes along with all that! Because of the hourly bathroom runs you are getting about the same amount of rest as before but now you have someone who is awake with you. I think it’s in the middle of the night when you truly fall in love with your brand new baby. Even though you are tired, sore and maybe a bit overwhelmed at the moment there is nothing else you would rather be doing than taking care of your beautiful, helpless, tiny baby.
At times it feels like it has flown by and other times its like time is standing still but they get bigger, everyday. The sleepless nights get better as they grow and the gas bubble smiles soon turn into true smiles and those times when you leave the room and then re-enter and they wiggle and giggle and are so excited because its you makes your heart melt.
When they get sick or hurt you are in pain with them, wishing you could do anything to make them feel better. This is what mothers do. I want to tell my mom how much I love, respect and miss her. And that I am still growing up and learning just how blessed I have been to grow up in the family that I did. I am finally feeling the unconditional love that a mother feels for her child.
To all you mothers who might read this, the road may be tough and long but someday your little rug-rats will truly appreciate all that you have done for them!! And for all you soon to be mothers, it’s all worth it!!

2009-04-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

SO I thought I would up date our blog cuz the last one is a little sad.

Cory has begged and begged for me to let him get a X box 360 and when we got our taxes back and after a lot of promises, I let him get one. He promised that if I said he had been playing it too much then he would stop and spend some time hanging out with us and he promised that if was ever too big a problem and taking too much of his time we would sell it! So this is happy Cory playing his basketball game. So far he hasn't gone overboard with it like I thought he would. I imagined him playing it until 2 or 3 in the morning!

I realized after a while that all the pictures I took usually had only Emma and Cory in them so I decided to take some of the two of us every once and a while, poof that I was around while she was growing up!

We met up with Doug, Lynnae and their family and spend the weekend doing a little fishing. When we were driving we saw some of these bluebonnets and Lynnae and I tried to take some pictures. When I set her down she looked around her, got scared and just cried!

The flowers went up to her shoulders. It was too sad to be that funny but it still kind of was!

She really does have her own personality. She likes to smile at the people that are on the TV! I wonder if it will ever hurt her feelings that they wont smile back or anything.

This is the new way Emma talks. It used to me daddada but now its more of a song.

2009-03-26T11:30:00.000-07:00

Crazy how time flies. It was just a year ago today that I was sitting on our bed, 6 months pregnant doing my homework, Cory was cooking something in the kitchen and there was a knock on the door. Bradley ran in and said hey An-nrea and then proceeded to run in to every room to see what he could get into. Then Shawn came in looking a little stiff and red faced with Cory right behind him. We had been home for almost two whole days from our trip to Cortez to visit my parents and celebrate my dads retirement. I smiled up at him and said hey whats up? Then he said, I got a call from home and Mom passed away. Its kind of hard to describe what it feels like when you hear something like that. It doesn't seem real. I do however have a lot of things to be grateful for.
When my dad decided to retire some wonderful ladies he worked with wanted to throw a party for him and so they asked my parents when would be a good time that would fit into all our schedules to have it. I really didn't have a good time because of school and finals was about a month away so I needed to keep up with all that I had been learning but I said anytime they picked if I had some warning I could probably make work. So they told us later the date they picked and it just so happened that it was on a weekend when on Thursday my group was presenting and then on Friday the other groups were presenting and we weren't required to go to class on the day we weren't presenting. I was excited because that meant that we could leave Thursday right after I got out of school and everything would work out great! Well the Monday of that week at that class our teacher started talking about some people wanting to change the presentation order because of course everyone in class wanted the three day weekend. I got nervous because it would change all our plans if I had to present on Friday instead. And I started thinking that if it was going to be so hard we might just stay home and not go. After class I talked to my teacher and told him the plans that were made and how it was because of the original schedule and he said he would try to help me out. On Tuesday there was a big discussion and some students were a little upset and even in my group we had some disagreements because another one of our members' wife had just been scheduled for a C-section on Thursday. Well the teacher kept his word to me and helped out my group member who was having the baby, so Cory and I left as planned.
I am really grateful that a way was made for me to go home that weekend because it was like I said earlier just a few days later that my mom died. We could have easily not have gone. And it was also strange that every spouse was also able to go. Just another blessing we see now looking back. While we were there was when my mom let it slip to someone that she was having surgery on Monday. She had been having problems with her knee for a couple years and was always in pain. Lindzi talked to Jack and she was able to stay and help out for a while after the surgery. It was a blessing for her to be there to help my mom and then my dad and make it so he wasn't alone. Jack was also a huge help with all the financial, insurance crazy paper work stuff.
It was and is still hard. I can see a lot of good that has come from it though. She isn't in pain any more, my dad has found a special lady that he is extremely happy with and a 16 year old step-son to play with and teach all the things he knows!
I know that I will get to see my mom again and I get to feel Gods love through the comfort he sends me whenever I might start to feel sad. I want to publicly thank everyone who has helped me this past year through this and with little Emma, answering all my questions and giving me advice. I have the best family and friends, love you all!!

Green or Brown?

2009-03-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

So this is the Beginning of the garden story. This is how the garden spot looked when the neighbor prepared the soil.

This is what it looked like a few weeks ago. I need to update my pictures! I have planted 5 watermelons in those mounds but they dont seem to like me very much and they are not doing so good :(

Those rows are corn!

And here I planted some strawberries and one is already about a inch long! And next to the strawberries are some cantalope.

It has been difficult at times because of fire ants but now they are more under control so I feel safe to sit on the ground and pull weeds! Emma has been a trooper and will have to continue to be. She sits in her stroller and watches everything that is going on around her. I give her a toy and she is usually just fine unless she gets cold or drops that toy or if she can't see me!

It came!

2009-03-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

It came! I was scared that it wouldn't but it came! Let me back up, first I got something in the mail from BYU-I that said I was deficient in one of three ways; grades, credits, or I took the wrong class! I could have cried. Here I thought I would get away with just getting my certificate in the mail and that would be it and any problems they might have found they would just keep to themselves. I guess I wasn't that lucky. So I got on the phone and called the number they said I should call should I have any questions and I sure did have some questions!! Especially since its the business management secretary's job to sign us up for classes and my deficiency happened my last semester. I called and after getting transferred to a few different people the lady asked me the reason I was calling and I said "well I thought I graduated!!" She looked up my transcript and said "oh yes, this happens all the time sorry about the scare." We get to choose from 12 different classes which 6 will be our emphasis and the computer thinks there are only 2 sets of 6 classes so if you mix and match it doesn't get it so it shows and error. I just had to call them and tell them it was happening and they fixed it for me right then and there and then yesterday......It came!!! My diploma, a bachelor of science in business management, signed by Pres. Monson! (well stamped with his name anyways!) So I am happy to say that they gave it to me, I have it and I wont give it back, no matter what else they may say or what else may go wrong!!!

2009-03-05T19:19:00.000-08:00

Today was a great day! I have a sense of accomplishment. I finished rearranging Emma's room to see if I could make it feel more open and even thought it is filled with baby things more roommie. I had fun putting these cute painted wood pieces on the wall. They are flowers and bugs! Ladybugs and butterflies or as my dad would say flutterbys. I am not done with the room but have to be patient because Cory has only had his job for a week and a half so I don't have any funds yet! I appreciate Cory and all that he does for our family. He is a great dad. He plays with Emma all the time, if only I could get him to change her pooie diapers!!
Da has made it possible for me to grow a garden in the back yard and I am really excited! I read on the Internet all about growing gardens in Central Texas and I knew where I was going to plant every plant and what kind and then just before I was going to go and buy some stuff it froze one night! So I think I am suppose to wait a week or something and then see if it wont do it again. I must admit I have plenty of experience starting a garden, I can even rotertill and I know a lot about planting and spacing but have very minimal experience actually eating the fruit of my labor. Why you ask, well my dad decided when we were little that he wanted to buy some goats to keep the weeds down and just have around the farm. It never failed, no matter how careful we were to keep the fence maintained and all they would always get in the very second anything got ripe! I don't think I will have any problems with goats here but I think the squirrels might give me a run for my money! We shall see how it all goes!

Emma Laughing Really Hard!!!!

2009-02-28T17:54:00.000-08:00

We were on the bed and kept hitting her with her own shoe and she thought that was hilarious! (Such a Weird BABY)

By Cory

2009-02-08T17:16:00.000-08:00

Going to the zoo

This little guy was seriously the size of a house cat!
This little guy was used to visitors, he just got up on that little mound and posed for his audience!

Tamone

This was by the buffalo corral. We took everyones picture.

We checked out the Teepee's.

I think Emmas favorite part of the whole zoo was the aquarium. She loves any kind of water and I now think she likes fish.

We found Nemo!

This turtle was huge! And he stood really still until slowly he went to the top to breath.

There is his nose poking up out of the water if you can see it.

And finally this dude, he has to be the cousin of Flotsam and Jetsam off of the Little Mermaid!

So we found out Emma is a sensitive little girl! Cory was just playing around and started to pretend to cry and this is what she did. She is a sweet girl.

This video is actually a little less than a month old but it shows so many things she does. One obvious thing is she can now roll over. Another is what I call her turtle face, she does it when she wants you to laugh and last she shows off her big toothless grin!

2009-02-04T12:30:00.000-08:00

We went to Glen Rose and saw the dinosaur foot prints! It was really neat. They were all in a river bed and covered with some water.

It was Mindy and Jason's idea to go and there they are with their little girls Jessica and Cailyn.

Da was there too and this was one place where we had to walk across some rocks to get to the other side to see some more tracks. Cory started out carrying her. She was all decked out with her sun hat so her little white noggin wouldn't get sun burned.

I ended up carrying her most of the way and only after about 30 minutes she fell asleep! The trail was fun and the scenery was beautiful!

Cory and Emma

2009-01-28T13:28:00.000-08:00

SO this is Cory when he thought he was alone! He was suppose to be cleaning the kitchen and when I went to check on him I caught him dancing and singing to Emma! I realized this was a great opportunity so I ran back to our room and got our camera and taped him. This is not as good as he was doing he must have gotten tired or something but this is still pretty funny!

2009-01-22T11:52:00.000-08:00

This was her first time swimming! Hanging out with the two best looking dudes in the place!

Swimming with mom

I graduated! This was when they announced Andrea Grope, silly teacher, he knew my name was Gropp he must have been nervous or something!

This was Christmas morning and that was her present.
She looks pretty excited about it all doesnt she!

2009-01-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

Well this is my first attempt at blogging, we shall see how it goes! I have FINALLY graduated from BYU-I or at least I hope so. I haven't actually gotten the paper in the mail that has my name all officially on it and such so I am saving all my partying until it comes!
Cory and I have been slowly making our way to Waco, Texas. First we visited Cory's Grandma who lives in Boise. We spent time with her and Shane and Brittany while we were there. It was a pretty short visit and so we didn't really do a whole lot and the weather was getting bad and we needed to get down to Utah.
Then we stayed with Jim and Candice and their two cute kitty's, one of which every time Cory petted he would always say "oh Taloose, your sooo soft!" I think he would have keep it if we had a place to keep it and this is strange coming from him because he has professed to be only a dog lover.
Next we visited Lindzi and Jack. Lindzi got a guitar hero for Christmas and she busted it out early so we could all play it together. We rocked out on it until 1 or 2 in the morning a couple of times! It is really fun! Cory was pretty fun one night as well. He had a headache and Lindzi said she had some pain killers that she had left over from having her baby and told him where they were. He didn't pay any attention to how many he took or the dosage and about an hour later he was completely out of it!! He ran into a couple walls and tripped up the stairs! He talked all slow and had some pretty amazing insights, ........ NOT! He asked Jack the same questions a couple times about a trip he just came back from and really wanted to play a video game and be the Dallas Cowboys and repeatedly told Jack he couldn't be them! It was all pretty funny until he tried to pick Emma up and practically fell on her, twice, before I could talk him out of it. Later when he did get a hold of her he almost tried to throw her up in the air and catch her!! He got pretty mad at me when I kept telling him no and took her away. About 20 minutes later he went outside, 12:30 at night in his pj's and shoes and stood on the side walk! When I asked him what he was doing out there he said "I'm just enjoying the weather" and then asked me why I was treating him like a little child! I told him he was acting like one and said he had to come back inside in ten minutes!! He came back inside a few minutes later by then Lindzi found the bottle and pills he took and we decided that he had taken about 5 sleeping pills instead of pain killers!!! Well needless to say at that point I got scared for him to fall asleep any time soon. I was all set to keep awake and watch him sleep that night but he ended up throwing up and he survived! He only remembered throwing up and playing guitar hero a little bit. That was a crazy night!
Next we went down to Cortez. We only had about 30-45 minutes of bad roads and weather the whole trip down. It was amazing!! We hung out with Dad, Julie and Justin and played games just about every night and watched some movies the other. We all spent Christmas Eve at Kyles house. We had dinner and played games with them. Chris, aka Da, was also there. It worked out great because we all had a game partner and it was just a whole lot of fun!! We left for Texas on Monday morning at 7:00 am. I heard Cory say we were leaving at that time but I didn't believe that we would actually be on time. We arrived at Kyles to pick Da up at 6:45! We had to re-pack the car or we would have left on time at 7 but we didn't end up leaving until 7:20. We got into Texas at around 1 in the morning the next day. Emma was a trooper! She only cried when she was hungry and one time for no apparent reason for about 15 minutes.
We are now waiting for our next adventures to start here in Texas!
Love to all!