The Egbert Update

Parks, Crafting, and Twirling

2012-01-21T18:08:00.000-08:00

Check out this crazy snake we saw at the zoo the other day!

Cami and I had some fun at the park this past week. Since we were by ourselves because it was a tad cold out, I snapped a few pictures. Cami loves the park and is pretty good about going down even big slides by herself as long as there isn't a lip at the top.

I love this one. Cami is such a happy smiley baby. I am pretty sure her favorite activity is being tickled and rough housing.

I saw an idea on pinterest for a DIY carmera bag so I found this scrapbooker bag at Hobby Lobby for half off and bought some foam and used some fabric scraps to make...

This!

I like it because it is easier to tote then my previous bulky camera bag and it has room to put an extra lens (when I have one someday) and flash (also when I have one someday :) and it has pockets for my keys and phone and wallet!

We have enjoyed wonderful spurts of warm weather that we took advantage of by going to the zoo. I am loving having days we can play outside in January. As much as I miss our family I DO NOT miss the cold winters.

Checking out the alligator.

Cami loves listening to music and she was excited to wear her tutu and do some twirling to Pandora- Disney music on my ipod!

Lettuce!

2012-01-17T10:49:00.000-08:00

I had a post earlier about failed gardening, I checked out some books from the library and I think I diagnosed my problem and am prepared to do better. Against all odds however, over Christmas break, one of the lettuce plants I had planted and then since it hadn't come up, consequently ignored, sprouted. Since it was doing so well on it's own, I left it to grow by it's self and here is a picture of it. JD is busy with school, but we found time this past weekend to go on a little bike ride by Hewitt park. We have had some beautiful weather off and on, the only thing that is tricky is how unpredictable the weather is, one day it is 72 and one day it is in the 40's. I try to take advantage of the warmer days and hit up the zoo or the park since Cami is such a little ball of energy. She is learning new words all the time and yesterday said "bye bye dadda" clear as a bell. It was so funny and caught JD and I both off guard.

18 Months!

2012-01-12T11:35:00.000-08:00

Cami is now 18 months which means nursery!!!! It was wonderful on Sunday to take her to nursery and get to pay attention again to church. I am so grateful for the wonderful nursery leaders in our ward. Cami seemed like she liked it so I am very happy! Cami is now 21 lbs 9 oz and is 31 in long! She is always so full of energy and it seems like she is learning new words everyday and is "talking" so much. I can't understand a good portion of what she says but she seems to and it has more purpose then her previous babble. She is getting better about waving and saying bye bye and she is still into whatever she can get into. She really loves Elmo at present and claps and jumps and says "mo" which is her word for Elmo, when we let her watch Sesame Street. It is a fun stage because she is learning things so quickly and is so interested in everything around her. At the same time it is also frustrating at times when she throws fits, but lately she has been a little better and quite frankly I think it is partly because I changed my attitude and decided to ignore her when she throws fits instead of giving her positive feedback. Besides that JD is getting ready for finals in a couple weeks and I just work and hang out with the little pea.

Cami let me paint her toes and I love it! She was so fascinated by the color!

JD and I made Cami this chair. We got the plans here.

These are Cami's 18 month pictures I took. I think they turned out well considering she did not take a nap that day.

I just love her sweet smile!

I do get her to wear her tutu occasionally. She loves to twirl and twirl. It is so cute!

Yay for bubbles...it was too windy to actually get pictures of the bubbles and I was a tad disappointed, I will have to figure it out someday.

This was after the peek-a-boo game. She loves this game and frequently brings blankets to me to play with her.

Christmas with the Egberts

2011-12-31T14:19:00.000-08:00

We decided to have a cake decorating activity and these are the final results... I know we are pros, but keep in mind that this is the first time we worked with fondant and it is homemade!

Nicole's

Mine

Nana Egbert's

Jackson helping in the kitchen.

Cami on "Christmas" with the Egberts! Santa came early for us this year!

Katie with her sock.

Jenna and Jackson and Bailey is the dog.

Cami with her sock.

JD with his favorite present, I am sure. I have never seen anyone go through as much chapstick as he does...not that I am to blame at all with that...

Katie trying her hand at unwrapping.

Cami loved unwrapping so much she wanted to help everyone else.

I think the Elmo from Nana and Grandpa was her very favorite!

JD got a book and it was a bit of a struggle to pull him away.

I know this is blurry, but I loved it anyway! This is the Christmas Eve party with the Shively family. We had some snacks and played volleyball and just caught up with family!

Christmas with the Redd's

2011-12-31T14:16:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning and Cami got to sleep in!

I love JD's face in this one.

After church Cami got to see her presents and look in her sock. She loves pulling stuff out of her sock.

I made some of the presents we gave this year and it was lots of work, but helped me get in the Spirit of Christmas and save some money too.

We had a nice dinner with the Burtons on Christmas.

Anna got some balloons for Christmas and Cami loved the flowers she made.

Christmas part 3

2011-12-31T14:06:00.000-08:00

Cami thought she was going to head home with the Boyle's... not sure what the attraction is to infant seats.

Nicole Steve and Jackson! It was great to see you guys!

Cami loved opening presents, it made Christmas much more fun this year!

Cami got two cute tutu's for Christmas. Initially she was scared of them, but a lot of persuasion later and here you go. Ainsley loved them. Our friends the Hickenloopers came up to Idaho Falls for JD's Birthday.

I thought Steve would appreciate this picture even though she is loading it the wrong way. She thought they were pretty awesome.

JD's birthday, yes there is a funny story behind this book, JD just really like this movie even though is is a very silly movie so his mom got him the book for his birthday!

Cami helping blow out the candles

Cami waiting in Denver for the last flight to Austin. She was wonderful on the way home. I am so grateful!

Christmas Vacation part 2

2011-12-31T13:48:00.000-08:00

Cami loved the balloons from the sign Jenna made us!

Playing with the cousins!

This is how Cami gave Katie loves.

Santa! Except he is a statue...we found him at the museum in Idaho Falls. They had a nativity and gingerbread exhibit.

My favorite ginger bread house at the exhibit.

Some of my favorite nativities from the exhibit.

After seeing the exhibit, we decided to make our own gingerbread houses! Steve's was my favorite, he had a sweet porch and chimney!

Jackson with his sweet house that Jenna helped him make.

The line up!

Steve's and mine in the back left

JD's and Nicole's

Cami ready for her first adventure in the snow... Ok I think she probably saw snow last year, but she was too little to play in it. And she didn't really play in it much this year because she had a cold, but we at least made a better introduction!

Delivering treats with Nana Egbert to the neighbors!

Chirstmas Vacation!

2011-12-31T13:34:00.000-08:00

I took tons of pictures and I just want to share so enjoy! We had a wonderful vacation in Idaho and made it home this morning around 2 am so we are all tired and partied out, but it was so worth it! Thank you to all our wonderful family! We will see you in the summer!

Getting ready for Christmas! Cami loves to "help" wrap presents.... you should have seen the mess she made of our room with the wrapping paper box while I wrapped about 4 presents. She can make a mess faster than anyone I know.

Cami wearing her boots I crocheted for her. I am very proud of them. They have soles (courtesy of a pair of flip flops) and are lined with fleece.

Our flight to Idaho was pretty horrendous to say the least, but we made it and Jenna and Jen had a sweet sign for us! Thanks Jenna!

My parents had a wonderful extra large "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree that I just loved!

We got to sneak in some time with our good friends the Hickenloopers while we were in town! It was so nice!

So cute! I can't believe how fast these little ones grow up!

The Redd extended family Christmas party. We had a wonderful dinner then read Christmas stories and sang carols and songs and Grandpa read the Christmas story from Luke.

Farley Photos

2011-12-06T10:43:00.000-08:00

A good friend let me practice my photo skills on her beautiful little family. I am realizing lots of things about how difficult kid photography is. I love it, but it is not always easy to take pictures of little ones. Here are a few of my favorites. I am getting better at the basics of photo editing, but I will have to branch out and try some things, there are so many fun things you can do, but it is so nice to be able to blur a background, sharpen an image, and change the color balance. It really makes a difference. I also get a little covetous however, of many products like lenses and flashes, that unfortunately just do not fit in our budget and won't for the next three years. I love a saying my sister-in-law Nicole is fond of saying " Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." In all honesty I am very lucky to have a nice camera and a computer that works so I have no room to want more, but I suppose I am only human.

So cute and fun! Thanks Shanna!

If I could live in a gingerbread house...

2011-12-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

I have always loved playing with food so gingerbread houses are such a fun thing for me. JD and I did it for our "date" activity so Cami was not invited... and we used a recipe for the frosting with egg whites so I didn't want her eating it. It worked well, but what do you use for your "glue" on gingerbread houses?

Mine is the top and JD's is the bottom. I am not sure if they are a reflection of our personalities or not, probably because I try to do too much and JD has a much more simple straight forward way of approaching life.

We had a rough week last week since JD had strep and Cami had a cold. It was not super fun, but we made it through and we are all on the mend. We enjoyed the Christmas Devotional on Sunday and look forward to more Christmas activities. I am looking for Christmas stories so if anyone has any good suggestions that would be great.

Thanksgiving!

2011-11-29T11:52:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for many things! First of all I am thankful for a sweet invitation from the Gunnells to join them for Thanksgiving! It was wonderful to be with family and relax!

I am thankful for music, even music that the twins said "rocked the house"

I am thankful for food, and Alan's sweet apron... sorry I couldn't resist!

I am thankful for hugs!

I am thankful for family and time to have fun and relax together.

I am thankful for my cute smiley Cami!

I am thankful for comfy homes and so many other miscellaneous conveniences we enjoy!

I am thankful for hygiene and toothbrushes!

I am thankful for "shos" and Cami is too!

Lastly I am very thankful for Christmas season and look forward to getting to go home for the holidays!

I should not close this post without expressing my thankfulness for the gospel and the good news it is. I truly am thankful for my Savior and this time to reflect on how blessed we are. I am thankful for the power of the Atonement and the marvelous and ultimate gift of Jesus Christ.

"It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas!"

2011-11-22T19:54:00.000-08:00

Not really around here though! No snow yet here, just some rain...jacket weather. Yes, all you people in Idaho and Utah, be jealous! But we are decorated for Christmas regardless! Our tree has actually been up for over a week, I have just been busy and haven't been able to post. JD started his 2nd of 9 quarters, (Baylor Law does 9 week quarters) and he is recovered from his first set of finals. Cami is keeping us busy and laughing. She has such a funny little personality. She is also very stubborn and determined which I am sure someday I will appreciate and admire. Anyway here are some tree decorating pictures. Enjoy!

I also got the opportunity to take family pictures for a friend in the ward. They have such a cute little family. I hope they don't mind me putting up a couple of my favorites! I have discovered I love taking pictures, I just need lots of practice, so if you ever want some free pictures and don't mind me practicing, give me a call!

My Thanksgiving thoughts!

I read a neat article my Aunt Jane sent me the other day about gratitude. The author talked about how expressing our gratitude for good things isn't really living the law of gratitude found in D&C 59:7 " Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things." Really living the law means more than that. It means being grateful even for the tough times, because it allows us to recognize the purpose of suffering and trials in our life. It allows us to accept more fully God's will in our life, because we come to terms with the realization "that all things things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good." D&C 122:7

I am grateful for my life. I really have been richly blessed with good things, but we all have our tough times. I am grateful for those times, because looking back I have always been able to see something I learned, even if I may not always understand the why. I am coming to recognize that God loves me especially in those moments because He is taking the time to teach me something.

Dancing and craftiness

2011-11-08T18:51:00.000-08:00

Here is a fun video of Cami dancing we took last week! She loves music and often will dance with me and if I get tired she "twirls" and dances. She is definitely a girl!

Some craft things I did lately... The above picture is some wall art I did for the bathroom :)

Below is the nativity I made for Cami to play with this holiday so that she will hopefully be distracted from the rest of the decorations!

Family Pictures!

2011-11-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

Sunday we took some family pictures in preparation for sending out Christmas cards!!!! I am so excited for Christmas already!!! This is my first attempt at some real photo editing beyond just cropping and fixing red eye. Enjoy!

I wanted to take some fun ones but first of all we were taking our own pictures with a tripod, and second of all Cami was a little grumpy and impatient so we are lucky we got these!

Failed gardening...

2011-10-31T11:34:00.000-07:00

For all who are interested in knowing, my first attempt at gardening was a bit of a failure, but I am by no means defeated. I have every intention of trying again and learning from my mistakes, one of which was over watering and not having a pot that drains properly. If anyone happens to possess a map that has dates of when you can plant things in Texas that would be great.

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-31T11:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday night JD and I carved pumpkins...and no we did not invite Cami because it was her bed time and I don't think she would allow just us to have the knives. Lets see if you can guess which pumpkin is JD's and which is mine???

Some with the lights off :)

Picking Pumpkins and a Makeover

2011-10-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

We went pumpkin shopping this Thursday, but Cami was a bit tired and it was a little cold, so we got some grumpy faces when we tried to photoshoot.

My project of last week was to makeover Cami's room, unfortunately the "before" picture is after the "after" picture so you are just going to have to bear with me!

I am proud I kept with my budget and I am pleased with the result. Cami seems to enjoy the decorations and points to them every time we go in her room. When I was putting up the tissue paper flowers she kept pointing and saying wow! It was fun.

Here is the before picture!

Just some fun pictures from the other day. We were getting ready and Cami wanted to head out the door and she came into our room all ready to go with her purse and of course something to stick in her mouth and play with!

Halloween!!!

2011-10-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

Ok so this is not a Halloween picture but it is a project I just finished for Cami. It was a remodel of a previous very funky looking blanket I had made for her that was not only not very attractive, but also not very functional since I had tried to remedy a sewing mishap with a large knit flower that was right in the middle of the blanket... glad we could fix that mess and here is how it turned out! I rather like it, and Cami loves to snuggle with it!

Here are the Halloween snapshots... I want to get some cuter ones, but we will see how ambitious I get...

We had our ward Halloween party on Saturday which was fun to see everyone dress up and fun to have a trunk or treat!

"We're the Flintstones"

Our trunk!

Cami running away... as usual!

I decided to invest in a pizza stone and I love it already! It bakes so evenly and I am a fan... I just hope going cheap doesn't come back to bite me later.

Cami and I went to story time today and after a phenomenal time wrestling with her a father comes up to me after and says" I think you won the wrangling parent award today!" I should say so! Granted she was tired because she woke up a bunch last night and when she is tired she is a bit wild, but still, she is one super energetic and curious child. I am excited we will get to go home for Christmas, but needless to say, I am a little fearful of the flight with that wiggly little sweetheart~!

Lucky Me

2011-10-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

I came home on Tuesday morning after work and this is the sweet sight that greeted me!

I am so grateful for my little family.

JD has been so sweet and patient with me starting back to work and has been so helpful. He is working hard at the moment getting ready for finals which start a week from Monday. It is a little nerve racking since he doesn't know what to expect from law school finals and pretty much your whole grade depends on your final. So to help out I didn't really work this week except Monday night and I don't work till next Friday so I can hangout at home and not be grumpy from lack of sleep. I feel pretty spoiled!

Cami and I have been having lots of fun and I was able to do a couple things I wanted like get some muffins in the freezer for quick breakfasts and made some pizza crusts from a recipe I found here. It was yummy crust and if you make smaller crusts and half bake them and then freeze them, you can have personal pan pizzas for a quick dinner. I loved the idea that a friend of mine had for this so I thought I would share.
I have come the the realization that I need to get better at budgeting. With JD being in law school and me just working PRN (or as needed) with no guaranteed hours, we will have a lot less income then we are used to and to avoid extra loans, I have decided that I need to be more frugal and better at budgeting. I am learning slowly, but if you have any good tips or ideas that you have found it would be helpful, or any good books on the subject...
Besides that I decided to try a free photo editing program that perhaps you have heard of called GIMP. I am doing this in a effort to expand my skills in photography without paying for Photoshop, which in all reality we can't afford at the moment. It has a bit of a learning curve to it, so if you are familiar with it, any help in that area would be helpful as well.

Play Dough and other such fun

2011-10-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

This past week has been a little busy as well here are some highlights:

1. Went to the temple... which is wonderful but makes for a long trip as we go with a few couples and part go to one then switch and babysit kids while the other set goes through a session.

2. Cami learned to say "shos" which she says when she wants to go outside and then runs in her room and points at the drawer where her shoes are.

3. Cami learned how to climb on the table and couches and in general make lots of havoc, but is a cute and fun as ever.

4. I worked a couple shifts and it was much better than last week because my wonderful sweet husband was here to let me sleep for a bit each day.

5. JD is getting ready for finals and has bunches and bunches of studying to do!

6. I made some peanut butter playdough... the recipe is off the make and takes blog I got the finger paint idea from- I discovered that Cami just wanted to eat it and didn't know how to play with it very well...once again I am a bit early with that one, but it is a good idea to save for later I made all the shapes in case you are wondering.

At the playground while the Farley's did the second session. We are here with the Ellsworth's.

Eli.. he just kept giving me that sweet smile and so I had to snap a picture

Cami is discovering the joy of climbing on the table and found the bowl of cheese that we put there to go with our fajitas for dinner and she helped herself... mama's girl!!

Well I guess thats all for this week! Hope you are enjoying October!

In the which I start work and get very busy...

2011-10-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy week at our home, I started working on the unit on Saturday and Sunday, so I missed conference, but have been catching up on it this week, when I can find the time. I love being able to work with the tiny babies again. They have such sweet innocent spirits and I just love being able to help them. It is stressful to feel like I know nothing again, and a little intimidating to see how differently they do things. I can't imagine how overwhelmed I would be if I ended up in a different unit entirely. It will take a bit to get used to how they do things, but I am liking the people I work with already, they are helpful and open and kind, so I really couldn't ask for more.

I will just give you some highlights of our week we went to the zoo, museum, park, and library, plus played with lots of friends. Cami probably believes that she needs to go somewhere everyday, and frequently when she is bored, goes up to the front door and starts knocking and wanting to go somewhere. I feel bad, but pretty much most of her naps start on the way home from somewhere and she falls asleep in the car. I did my first night shift without a babysitter, and it was very hard. I am not sure if my brilliant plan is going to work out. Since I don't get home till 7:30 Cami is already awake for the day so I don't get any sleep till her nap, which is erratic at best for length and time. On Thursday she slept for only a little over an hour, which was not ok since I had had no sleep for 2 days minus the 2 hour nap I got in on Wednesday before work. Well I guess we will just have to see how the next night shift goes and if not we will have to see what we can do. I feel badly, because I am not the only one who suffers, Cami gets the short end of the stick on that one too.

Today we went to the park with some ladies from the ward and here was the photo shoot I did before most of them got there.

I love this one because you can see the cute curls she has in the back, now just for some more hair on the top! She is really such a happy sweet baby. She started saying yes and can now climb on our piano, side table, fireplace, and couch! She is starting to be a little monkey and has no fear whatsoever. It scares me a lot but I knew she would learn sooner or later. Another piece of good news is that I was able to get her to take a sippy cup with juice, now just to get her to take it with milk so I can get rid of the bottles which she is learning to empty by banging on the floor and getting milk everywhere!

Finger painting and the experiment

2011-09-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

This week has been pretty nice, I just had orientation on Monday and then we have had the week to play, we went to the zoo with our play group on Wednesday and played at the park today. Cami is so much fun, she laughs so much and has such a little personality. We have had some grumpy moments when Cami discovered that milk comes out of her bottle when she bangs it upside down on the floor and she loves throwing her food on the floor! AHHHH! I was really hoping we could not learn that trick. She has had some more picky moments and has been a stinker about eating lately. Good things she learned recently include saying bye and waving. She is learning to hold her own bottle, I decided that is the first step to getting to the sippy cup. She is getting better with the naps and we are figuring out a loose schedule, although we just kinda roll with the punches and nap when she is grumpy, or more often falls asleep on our way home from an activity in the morning.

I found a sweet idea for edible finger paint on a blog called Make and Takes here is the link: http://www.makeandtakes.com/your-toddler-will-love-this-edible-finger-paint

Cami loved it, but really liked eating it more than painting with it. I used vanilla instead of plain, which was a mistake if you want them to paint instead of just eat it.

We definitely needed a bath after that!

Cami let me paint her little toes! It was fun, but I had to be fast so don't look too close!

Here is the only thing in my garden that is growing. I think it was too hot and I didn't take long enough transitioning my plants. JD was making fun of my "hardening off" process and said I should just plant them in the dirt outside and see what happens. Well since they all died off anyway, I thought I might just try his idea and see if "the experiment" works any better. The control is radically off since it is quite a bit cooler now then it was when I tried getting them to grow so even if it does work, it doesn't mean his idea is more sound. I just thought I would give it a try.

So here is the starting picture and we will see if anything besides squash survives my first attempt at gardening.

The Zoo and Shoes

2011-09-26T17:55:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday JD had some free time in the afternoon and since he hadn't been to the zoo yet we went as a family. It was fun, and JD took lots of pictures of the animals so I thought I would collage them and share our wonderful zoo with you! For a smaller town, I think it is a pretty decent zoo, definitely better than the Pocatello Zoo, :) That is not hard to do I know.

This crocodile was pretty creepy right up next to the glass, Cami just thinks her mother is crazy, and I am pretty sure that perception won't change as she gets older!

Cami discovered my shoes... She had them on her feet first, but refused to stand up with them and put them on her hands instead and was clapping with them. She was very cooperative with "cheesing" for the camera.

Also on Saturday was the General Relief Society Broadcast, which was wonderful. I am so grateful for modern day leaders who receive revelation for our time. I am grateful for messages that give me hope for my family and help me be motivated to do better and reach out to others.

Another important note is that I just want to express my gratitude for some wonderful people who helped us with watching Cami while I was in orientation. I feel so incredibly grateful for people who helped and one sweet sister called me to see if I needed help, right when I was feeling overwhelmed and stressed. I am not sure if she had felt prompted to do that or if she was just being nice, but it was exactly what I needed.

Oriented Times Three

2011-09-24T11:19:00.000-07:00

The title is a joke for all you nurses :) This week was busy because I started orientation for my new job. I will be working in the NICU! I am so glad because I was super worried to work any where else. If you know what you like, why change it? Other than necessity of course.

Other Highlights of the week:

1. Cami went to babysitters everyday this week and was pretty good, other than not really taking naps...

2. BYU won their game last night...not going to lie, I fell asleep and missed all of the good parts...namely the 4th quarter.

3. JD was a super sweetheart this week and started out my week of orientation with some lovely flowers and some chocolate!!! YAY!

4. Lucky for me I got out of orientation early some of the days which was nice. They had told us to plan for 8-5 Tuesday through Friday!

5. I got to feel like I was back in school for parts of orientation since I have not done several of the "adult" related skills since nursing school.

6. Cami is "talking" like crazy this week and learned a new word.. Daddy! She is also starting to repeat or mimic the words I am saying. It is so fun!

So pretty much my week revolved around orientation and so I was busy and I stress unnecessarily about everything so I was a tad overwhelmed. I am glad every week is not like this week. I am excited to have just one more day of hospital orientation then I get to start on my unit next Saturday! I am excited to get to work with babies again!

Thanks again sweetheart! You made my week!

Cami on Friday, she doesn't seem like she missed me very much and loved playing so much with her new friends!

Temple Trips and Play time

2011-09-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

This past week was a little busy and this week will be too. Highlights of the past week are...
1. Going to the zoo and seeing a tiger growl... no I didn't get a picture.
2. Watching BYU lose miserably to Utah, but enjoying being with some law school buddies and made some fun "Y" sugar cookies
3. Going to the temple!!!!!! It was wonderful!
4. Going to storytime at the library and trying to keep other children from trampling Cami
5. Cami learning how to say "no" and saying it multiple times!!
6. Trying to get Cami to take a sippy cup, and it is not working.. Any ideas would be helpful!
7. Watching my garden die... too hot, the only thing that is surviving is the squash. I think I might try replanting this week.
8. Finishing Cami's quiet book, and discovering that she is not old enough for it yet
9. Introduced Cami to crayons, which she really just eats rather than colors with
10. Yesterday enjoyed a well deserved relaxed Sabbath in which Cami took 2 naps and we got a 1 1/2 hour nap as well!

The best toys really aren't toys ... including cardboard boxes.

Pages from Cami's quiet book

This was the BYU game the week before against Texas, which we also watched with some friends. JD is happy since we don't have cable and he was so worried about finding a way to watch the game.

Lately as soon as she gets bored with eating she rubs whatever it is all over her hair, we now have daily baths as a result.

Oh how she mocks us! That thing she is playing with is a edge guard that belongs on the fireplace. We put it there to protect her and she thinks it is funny to rip it off, virtually any time she notices it is back in its rightful place.

The last few pages of Cami's book.

Here is the outside cover of her quiet book.

Cami loves to smile for the camera. I was taking a picture of the sugar cookies and she gave me this big grin when I came in the room with the camera so I had to snap a picture. Previous to this picture I was frosting the sugar cookies and choosing to ignore her digging around in the cans in the cupboard when she pulled out a can of pears and brought it to the middle of the floor and stood over it clapping and giving her little laugh/whine that means I want this! It was so funny!

The "Y" cookies!

At the zoo.

On the way to the Temple!

Playing outside the temple. We went with some friends and switched babysitting while the other group went in to a session.

Yes she got filthy but I guess that is part of the joy of being a toddler!

One of our little friends Michael.

The Dallas Temple

Hearty Penne Bake

2011-09-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe from a Taste of Home and I love it! Just tried it last night!
1 3/4 cup uncooked penne noodles
1 lbs ground beef
1 tsp garlic
1 can (15oz) tomato puree- I just used tomato sauce
1 can beef broth (16 oz) I just used two cubes in 2 cups of water
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt, Pepper
2 cup chopped fresh spinach
2 cup mozzarella cheese
Cook the noodles like normal, brown the hamburger and add garlic, cook one minute then add tomato, broth, seasonings Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes then add spinach cook for 2 minutes then add drained noodles stir then top with cheese and cover for 3-4 minutes or until cheese melts! That's it!

September here we come!

2011-09-09T14:32:00.000-07:00

JD would tell you that his favorite part of September is the start of college football. Here is a little video of Cami celebrating BYU's win over Ole Miss. JD just about had a heart attack because the game was so stressful. I don't know if I am ready for college football again!

I decided to try gardening, Texas has two growing seasons and yes I am a little late, but I hope it will be ok. Here is the starting of the week.

Cami and I have been lucky to find some friends to play with. They have been so fun and I am so grateful for a string of tender mercies that led us together. This week we went to the park and lucky for us it has been cooling down this week!

Cami is discovering crayons, mostly she just likes to eat them, but she does color a little.

Here is the garden at the end of the week! We are making head way!

Cami and I went to chill at the museum for a couple hours today, we pretty much had the place to ourselves and it was pretty fun!

Our little cowgirl!

Our trek to the mail box! Cami gets so distracted, eventually I just have to carry her but I let her run around a bit!

Just an Update

2011-09-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry there aren't any pictures with this post. I will be better next time. Just thought I would give a little update. We have had a a busy week. I wasn't feeling so good over the weekend and had a bad couple of days getting better Monday and Tuesday, but am much better now. Cami and I discovered the much bigger library of Waco, in fact there are 4 of them which is sweet! We are excited for the story time starting next week! Today we had a fun trip to the zoo, which is actually pretty sweet! I liked it and I am 99% sure Cami loved it! I got a membership there too so we will have lots to entertain us between the museum, libraries, and zoo! Also today I got a job! I am excited, except it doesn't have benefits, so we are going to have to find health insurance... any tips on half way decent plans since there aren't any decent ones? Wish me luck with my new job!

First Week of School!

2011-08-27T18:12:00.000-07:00

We Made It! Through the first week of school that is. It was a crazy week for me to be alone with Cami all day, which hasn't really happened since April and she is quite a bit more active than she was then. I have had to get used to the routine and I am starting to figure out how to accomplish everything when she is awake and I can't pass her off to JD. It is good for me I am sure :) I have managed to finish and then start on a few projects so stayed tuned for more in later weeks. Cami transitioned to one nap, which I will admit is a bit of a hard thing for me... what parent isn't glad when their child takes a nap.

Here is project one before I started... I wanted a piano stool for cheap and this is what I found.

This project I have been wanting to do forever and took like 5 minutes... I wanted to make a grocery bag holder. I just used a cotton hand towel I found for cheap so I didn't have to do any hemming.

Here is the finished piano stool... I might spray paint the metal bronze sometime if I get ambitious.

Cami discovered that rolling her weeble people around in the bottom of the bookshelf makes a lot of noise, so she loves it!

To celebrate JD's first week we went to the Mayborn Museum. It is an awesome place for kids! I got a membership so that Cami and I can go often, it is a discovery center with lots of hands on stuff for kids and is free for Baylor students so JD was free and Cami is free till December. So here are some fun pictures from the museum.

Cami loved the big piano!

Lately Cami has been snuggling a lot with us and saying "oh". It is so cute! I love it! She misses her daddy since he is gone so much so she loves to run over to JD and give him snuggles.

couple fun videos from the museum.

I am glad we made it through the first week. I was able to get an interview and I am pretty sure I got the job, just not sure when they will get me started, so things are getting together. I am reading the Old Testament and was reading Gen 46 where Jacob and his family are traveling to join Joseph in Egypt. He was worried about going to Egypt and the Lord comes to him in a dream and tells him not to be afraid to go. As I read it I was thinking...wait, don't they get forced to be slaves for the Egyptians later? I realized that even when we are where we should be it does not guarantee that we won't suffer hard things. In fact the longer I think about it I recognize that being alive is a guarantee that hard things will happen. They are meant to, how else are we to learn. The point then is that we must learn to do as it says at the top of the blog, and learn to dance in the rain.

Attitude of Gratitude

2011-08-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

Cami is starting to love stories. I say "go get a story and mom will read it to you," and she heads to the shelf and gets a book! Usually one of three that are her current favorites which are the "Jolly Barnyard" (Thanks Hickenloopers!) and Bears on Wheels, or Sung House Bug House. Those are the only ones she sits all the way through. She likes all books just wont necessarily sit through the book unless you are super animated and throw lots of noises into the story.

Texans around here have been very welcoming and we have had dinner a few times with new friends and ward members. It is nice when you are new to get invites to dinner so you can have time to figure stuff out. I am so grateful for all the friendship and help we have received already. Such sweet tender mercies and I am so grateful! I will definitely need friends to help Cami and I through the loneliness I am sure we are going to experience with JD in law school. Even for the first day he had hours and hours of reading to prepare.

This is a fun quick recipe I found on Taste of Home website. It is called an ABC Melt

Ingredients: English Muffin sliced toasted

mustard

Canadian bacon

Swiss cheese

apples thinly sliced

Put mustard then layer Canadian Bacon apple slices then Swiss Cheese, bake at 350 for 3-5 minutes till cheese is melted and you are done. It is a tangy fun little recipe.

I was trying to make dinner last night and Cami was demanding attention by pulling on my dress, in the process of which she pulled off my slip and decided to wear it and play with it. so there she is.
I just wanted to put a quick note in here about how I am learning that gratitude makes it easier to deal with all that we face. When I offer prayers of gratitude I am able to see more abundantly how much the Lord truly does love and bless our little family. I feel so grateful to be where we are because I know this is where we are supposed to be. I know the next three years will be difficult, but I know the Lord will help us every step of the way. So I take it one day at a time and treasure the sweet tender mercies I see every day.

The Day we've been waiting for

2011-08-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

Before I begin I have a little polling question. JD thinks this swim suit is hideous. I think it is a little old fashioned, perhaps something I would have worn, but I like it... so if you feel so inclined you can voice your opinion.

For FHE this week we went to the splash pad. Cami took 15 minutes before she would willingly touch the water, which is a little tragic, since she loved it last week, perhaps it was the lack of other children and the fact that mommy wanted her to play in it.

She did eventually get excited about it.

Today was the big day. JD started orientation! It has been a while in coming. I am sure JD was thinking this summer was lasting forever. He has been anxious to get going with school and this summer he didn't have a lot to do, just babysitting Cami while I worked and playing lots of video/computer games. I am glad he will be busy productive, but I am really going to miss him being around so much. It was so much easier to get things done, and to pass Cami off when I was getting impatient. It was also nice to be able to hang out and not have homework, and just be able to be us. JD is so good with Cami and she was sad after he left this morning. Wish JD luck with our new adventure of law school!

13 Months!

2011-08-11T11:19:00.003-07:00

Cami is 13 months today! Ok I just really wanted to put up this picture. We found a way to stay cool in Texas. The splash pads! Cami had fun and got super wet so it was a good thing. We will be hitting those spots up more!

What we have been up to...

2011-08-10T19:47:00.000-07:00

Thought I would give a little update as to what we have been up to here in Texas.

We are adjusting well. Cami has slept through the night twice now without waking up and crying and hasn't thrown up for 3 days! Yay! She seems to be adjusting well. We have spent lots of time exploring our new place. I will admit that we have made so many trips to Walmart that I have lost count. I am glad to say that they have wonderful checkouts when compared to Utah, nice cashiers and quick short lines! Beautiful! Just so you know we enjoyed day number 42 in a row of temps above 100 degrees Fahrenheit here in Texas, somehow I don't feel like I missed out on the 35 days of blistering hot before we got here. Somethings I am learning already, you don't really need to turn on the hot water, the water out of the "cold" side is pretty lukewarm and takes forever to get cool but not really cold. The hot gets really hot! There is supposedly a cold season, but it only lasts 4 weeks or so. Sweet! That is my kind of winter! Also they have two growing seasons! I better get some planter boxes to make a mini garden on our patio!

Cami is learning so fast and keeps us giggling and is so cute and fun!

We have put together two more pieces of our lovely plyboard furniture. I am not ashamed to admit that pretty much all of our furniture minus our couches and bed are put-together yourself plyboard furniture. It is cheap and actually has held together ok for us so far. Pretty sure thats how it is when you are at our stage of life. I sure am grateful for cheap alternatives.

Finished products!

Moving!

2011-08-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

We Made It! Yep we are currently enjoying the lovely heat of Texas! It has been a crazy last week and I am so grateful for the Sabbath today to relax and just enjoy our new home. We are liking it here already, but I am looking forward to a bit cooler temperatures in the winter months. It was 111 degrees the day we moved in and our AC wasn't working so it was super hot! I am so grateful it got fixed and now I have a very deep appreciation for the genius that invented air conditioning!

Cami is adjusting to the heat and a new home. It has been a little difficult and we have had some grumpy clingy moments along with some fit throwing that lead to throwing up because she didn't want to go to bed. But we are starting to see more of our happy curious sweet baby again so things are going better.

Before we left we were able to spend some time with my family. We met at the Hogle Zoo and spent the afternoon enjoying all the animals! It is a fun zoo, especially the elephants.

I am sure Cami will enjoy the zoo more when she is older, but she still had lots of fun.

Packing up. Packing is so messy and I am usually such a clean freak so I was a little irritable during all the process of packing and unpacking till I could see some order. We were so lucky that Scott and Wendy came to help us have a break in which JD and Scott went golfing while we shopped and then we went swimming and just hung out and had fun! Last Saturday JD's parents came and helped us! Thank goodness, they were so much help. We were able to get our truck early and move out some of these boxes so that we could move around on Sunday.

Saying Goodbye... is hard to do. These were our buddies the Philbricks

We will sure miss being able to see family as easily as it has been these past 3 years.

Goodbye our cute home!

We drove 7 hours the first day and stopped at 4 corners to stretch. Cami did better than I expected, but it was still a little difficult. She didn't sleep well in her car seat and threw up all over the second day, in which we drove 10 hours. The last day we drove 5 hours and moved in in the heat. We are so grateful that JD's mom and my dad came with us. They were lifesavers to help with the drive and Cami. We would never have made it with our sanity without them.

She is happy here because she is up way past her bedtime.

Entering Texas, our new home.

Unpacking Cami's room, you better believe that setting up the crib is a priority.

More goodbyes... we sure love and appreciate you guys!

So here we are decorating. Things are starting to come together and we have another week to get settled before JD starts school!

One Year Stats

2011-07-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

Cami had here one year appointment today, which sadly means shots, but also means I get to know how big she is getting in numbers!

She now weighs 18 lbs 9 oz. She is 28 1/4th inches tall! And her OFC or head circumference is 17 3/4 inches around. Her pediatrician said she is growing just fine and just keep up what we are doing! That makes me feel good because I know she is a little pea, but with her genetics, what can you expect.

Here are just a few shots to show you what a curious little mess maker we have. She is so fun, but so smart and busy! She definitely keeps us on our toes.

A little about Cami, she is running now, and she is starting to try to climb on things! Yikes! She can "say" a few things like mama and hi and oh yeah and wow. Not that I am sure she totally understands they are just more intelligible babbles than before. She likes to read books, but only if she gets to turn the pages and you read really fast. She loves peekaboo and will go behind our backs and pat us on the shoulder till we turn around and play. She loves music and does her little wiggle dance whenever she hears it. She is very giggly and happy and has liked snuggling much more than she used to. She loves to open and close things and pull everything out.

This week will be crazy busy with packing and cleaning in preparation for moving. We will move in just a week! I can hardly believe it! It will be such a fun adventure, and no I am not naive to the fact that it will be difficult, but I am excited and ready for the next stage!

Idaho Trip in July #2

2011-07-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

We got to go to Idaho a second time in July, for JD's family reunion, and really to see everyone one more time before we move to Texas.

We went bowling one night with my family. I should just be honest with everyone and just say that I am athletically challenged. I am not naturally gifted with sports talent, but you know, you can still have fun even if you aren't any good, just don't quit your day job :) we had lots of fun!

We went frisbee golfing earlier that afternoon. It was super hot, but it was fun to play with the kids and my mom and dad. It was so nice to see Sarah and her kiddos. They are such sweet kids and are so good to play with Cami.

Cami got more presents from my family. Thank you guys!

This is how Cami and Benjamin enjoyed bowling, which is to say not extremely well, but they tolerated it.

One of Cami's very favorite activities is pushing strollers. She wanted to push little Benjamin around. She is one strong, and stubborn little cookie.

The Hickenloopers let us stop by for a bit to say hello! They are such great friends and we have missed them being three hours away and now we will be super far away! Thank heaven there are things such as skype and cell phones for keeping in touch with family and friends.

JD's family reunion in Heise. It was fun to take Cami on her first camping trip. She did so much better with the grass then she has before and she loved running around.

An unfortunate event at the gate... Sorry Mike, I couldn't resist.

Swimsuit models....just kidding. They have a nice hotsprings at Heise and Cami loved the warm pool!

JD worn out from driving to and from Boise Friday for Dusty's wedding, which he didn't get back from till 1:30 AM and then golfing all morning and swimming with me and Cami.

Cami was worn out from swimming and skipping her second nap, so she fell asleep during dinner and sweet little Brinley tried to feed her.

The family tree that Nicole and Susan worked so hard on! It looks great guys!

We had a bunch of fun competion games.

Mummy wrap, I love the real smiles in this picture.

Jackson grabbed a bag and just settled right down to eat it. It was so funny.

We had so much fun, we have just partied our summer away and I can hardly believe how quickly it has flown by. We will be moving a week from Monday and making a super long drive with a one year old. So pretty much if you have any suggestions on how to keep her and us sane we would greatly appreciate it!

Idaho Trip July #1

2011-07-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

I am catching up on blogging :) At the beginning of July we went to Idaho Falls for a few days to spend time with JD's family. It was so exciting to see little Katie, who is the newest member of the family. She is such a cute peaceful little one. I am sorry that these pictures are all out of order, but at least they are here for you to see.

On our way home we were able to go to Dusty's (JD's former roommate) sealing, well JD did anyway, Cami and I waited outside the Bountiful Temple and had a photo shoot... and the pictures are mixed throughout the post.

We went to the junior golf course in IF with JD's dad, Steve, Nicole, Jackson, Katie, and Isaiah

Cami was the very best of course.

JD is a good teacher, I am just not very coordinated. We had fun, I am just not ever telling my score.

More Bountiful Temple pictures

Cami's photo shoot at the temple, there were so many cute ones, here is just a couple

Here is cute little Katie!

Watching the fireworks! Cami actually liked them, but was pretty tired so she was super wiggly. Jackson was all worn out of Cami's "loves" by the end of it.

Katie and Cami... matching... and not even on purpose.

This is at the 4th of July BBQ at JD's parents. I had to make a crazy face of course and show where Cami got her big mouth.

You have to love those big blue eyes!

Happy Birthday Cami

2011-07-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

Cami turned one today! I can hardly believe it! We celebrated her birthday with JD's family last week when we were in Idaho. Cami sure loved the toys but was too tired to love the cake. Here are some videos and pictures for your viewing pleasure. I will have to give stats and more of a Cami update when she has her pediatrician visit later this month!

You've got to be kidding...

2011-07-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

To say that Cami is an incredibly active child whose greatest pleasure is making messes would be an understatement. Not only is it her greatest joy in life but she is very good at it. We had childproofed all of her favorite things to tear apart but she decided that wasn't going to stop her from having her fun.

So where do we go from here? Any suggestions?

The Path is Set

2011-06-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

Its been a long 6 months waiting to find out where we were going to be for the next 3 years of our lives and for the most intense part of my schooling. We had heard back from all of the schools we had applied to months ago but we had ended up getting wait listed at BYU. We have been planning on heading to Baylor for a month or two now but there was always the potential of getting into BYU. Well, today we got an email from BYU saying they are all filled up. Its a blessing to finally know where we are headed. We would have loved to stay around here but we are really excited to head out on an adventure as well. Baylor is in Waco, Texas (Yep, know for this guy, but that really happened 30 miles outside of Waco). One of Liz's cousins went there for grad school and they loved it so we are excited. We are both looking forward to not freezing to death during the winter as well. We will be moving out on August 1st and taking 3 days to drive the 21 hours to Waco (if anyone has any experience or advice on how to handle a one year old on that long of a drive it would be MUCH appreciated). We have loved our time in Provo and will miss it a ton. It will also be a new experience not being 3 hours away from both our families but we are blessed to live in a time of Skype and cell phones. Waco looks like a beautiful place, as well as the law school since it sits right on a river. Here are a few pictures:

We'll be sure to let everyone know what our address is when we get everything finalized. We know we are going to be living in a place called Royalton Village but we don't know which specific unit yet. Wish us luck!

The Grotto

2011-06-28T09:25:00.000-07:00

We went on a sweet little hike the other day down by Payson called the Grotto. It was short and easy and very pretty! So in other words perfect for our little family!

Idaho Trip...

2011-06-28T08:31:00.001-07:00

I know it is a lot of pictures, I am a little camera happy and I just have such a hard time picking. We had a great trip to Idaho last weekend over Father's Day and It was so good to be with family!

We went on a bike ride on the greenbelt with JD's parents and these are some of the sweet pictures we took.

We had to take a break and feed Cami, she was getting grumpy. She gets super distracted when she eats so sometimes it is tricky to feed her. She certainly did not inherit my love for food.

I am so grateful that Families Can Be Together Forever!

Yep we took this... I love it!

Playing golf in the backyard. So much fun...only I really stink at that game.

Cami watching the game. She really hates the grass. She wouldn't even move....grass has to be the best containment for Cami.

We had lots of wars with these bazooka foam ball guns...Cami wanted to play too. She wasn't so sure she could see the fascination with the gun part, but she sure loved the balls!

We had a Redd family reunion on Saturday and we had dinner and some fun games at the church in the evening and had fun in Lava earlier in the day. Here are some pictures of the games. We were glad Andrew was there as he had taken a nasty fall off the high dive at Lava, thank goodness he was ok and feeling sore but better by the evening.

Magic Carpet Race

Hanky Panky

Stacking Ding Dongs

At Lava with the great-grandkids

Benjamin-Sarah and Spencer's little guy that is a month younger than Cami.

Cami looking cool!

More pictures at Lava, just taking a walk. We went to a little museum and saw some things from their first hospital. They even had an old baby incubator, boy am I glad they have come a long way in medicine from then, those things looked scary!

Playing at Grandma and Grandpa Redd's

Packing for the trip, we certainly cannot forget the binkies can we Cami? She wants plenty!

And if Dad is packing I certainly need to be making a mess huh.

Cami learned high five on our trip!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

I know this is late but I just wanted to wish all the father's in my life a Happy Father's Day! I am so grateful for my father for his dedication to the gospel, his example of hard work, a love for learning, and a love for laughing and having fun. I am grateful for JD for being an amazing father for Cami. He is patient with her when I am at the end of my rope, and he is so cute and fun with her. I am grateful for my grandfathers that raised my parents. I am grateful for my father-in-law who raised a wonderful son and is so good to us! I am so lucky!

Eleven Months and Other Stuff

2011-06-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

Cami is now 11 months! Almost a year! She is walking a bunch now although she can't stand up without using something to get up and is still pretty unsteady...probably why it is called toddling! She is eating more and starting to get more of a personality. The other day JD and I were playing with her having us walk between us and she would laugh and try to walk the other direction. I think she is going to be a tease. She learned how to climb up stairs today...probably shouldn't have encouraged that one :) She is standing up usually when we get her out of bed but she will lay down quick and pretend like she was just waking up when you go get her. She is cutting more teeth...not sure how many, for sure at least one. We sure love her happy fun personality. She is such a good baby, just super energetic and curious!

JD got his Father's Day present early. Happy almost Father's Day JD! WE sure love you.

At the beginning of the month we went for a bike ride to Bridal Veil Falls. It was tough since I was still recovering from working 3 nights in a row...and lets face it, I am just out of shape. It was perfect weather and just beautiful outside.

Cami touching the water

Other than that we are just hanging out. Still working on selling our condo, finding me a job, and finding us a place to live in Texas. We have some busy big changes looming on the horizon, but we are grateful for the time we have these next several weeks to just relax and spend time together and with family.

Walking and other trouble making

2011-05-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

Cami is getting to be so much fun, but also lots of work to clean up! Here was a trial of babyfood spaghetti, she liked it ok, but got tired and yeah it was everywhere, even all over her head and hair!

This was when we figured out we needed to put locks on her drawers.

She is happy about all the messes she is making.

Living Planet Aquarium

2011-05-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

For our Anniversary we went to the living planet aquarium in Sandy. It was really fun. We came at just the right time for feedings... we got to see them feed the sting rays, the penguins, and the octopus. Cami did very well in her stroller and we had fun seeing all the neat aquatic life. Enjoy the pictures! They don't let you use a flash so some are pretty blurry but still cool.

Bike Rides

2011-05-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

Saturday was one of the few nice days we have had in a while and so we took advantage and drove up to the mouth of the canyon and rode our bikes to a park and had a picnic. It was beautiful and way fun to get out and be in the sun! We are missing it again today since it is raining.

Cami is wanting to walk. She will take a couple steps on her own but mostly she grabs your hands and holds on for dear life and takes off.

Here is JD's bike and the trailer, both graduation gifts! I love it! And Cami likes it as long as it is moving.

Happy 3 Year Anniversary!

2011-05-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

Three whole years! I know to many of you that is still newlyweds :) I am so excited! I love being married to this sweet fun wonderful man! I feel so lucky. He helps so much with everything, laundry, cleaning, making dinner when I work, watching Cami, and taking turns with her in the night! Thank you so much Sweetheart! I look forward to everyday with you!

10 Months!

2011-05-17T10:04:00.002-07:00

I can hardly believe it has been a month since I last posted! So just a quick update on Cami. she now has 2 teeth on the bottom. She has taken a couple shaky steps and walks all along the furniture. She loves to get into everything. She is starting to figure out how to open drawers and cupboards. She loves electronics...must get that from her dad...more likely it is just that she knows she shouldn't play with them so therefore they are more fun than any toy she has. She is such a giggly baby. She loves peek-a-boo and us singing songs like itsy bitsy spider and wheels on the bus. She also really loves the animal sounds game. She laughs so much. When I put her down at night I sing songs to her and she loves to reach up and put her fingers on my mouth and giggle.. she has such a contagious laugh and we both end up giggling...which is not always the best way to wind her down to go to bed. Cami is such a happy sweet baby and I am so grateful everyday for her!

Busy Busy!

2011-05-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

It is true, we have been a little remiss in our blogging this past couple weeks. We have been busy busy. After Easter and JD's graduation we were able to go home for a little bit to see my family and Matt before he gets sent on a mew... I think that is how you spell it... it is a ship that goes to lots of places like Japan, Australia, Afghanistan, and maybe Iraq to help out where needed... Matt is a Marine. It was good to spend time with them. We squeezed in a little birthday party for me! I am a big 23! JD and Cami and I had a nice little birthday before we left and I got super spoiled and got a Kindle!!! Yay! I totally love it and have read 2 books on it already. After we got back we were able to have a few days just relaxing and trying out our new bike trailer, which sadly I have not remembered to take pictures of, but I will later. Also of note we put our condo up for sale which has involved a lot of cleaning and packing extra stuff into storage to make our little place look more spacious. I won't put our blog address for the condo on here but if you know anyone interested in buying a place in Provo you can let us know :)

Mother's day was a good day, JD got me some pretty roses and a cover for my kindle and let me get a couple books so I got spoiled again.

I think that is pretty much what we have been up to so here are some pictures to enjoy!

we skyped with JD's parents when I opened my gift since they and Nicole and Steve all pitched in! Thanks guys!

Cami loved playing with Grandma Redd on our trip.

We went to Anna's track meet where she won her race -the 1600. She was awesome and way ahead of the other girls! Way to go Anna!

Fun at the track meet! The weather was beautiful!

my birthday party

JD wants to start Cami young on golf... he says I take care of the music and he will handle the sports.

we saw this sweet rainbow on our way home.. there was a double but you can't tell in the picture very well.

We got to spend some time with the Hickenloopers. It was so fun to see them! JD and Scott went golfing and us girls made flowers and went frisbee golfing. It was lots of fun! We sure miss you guys!

Cami is getting better and better at making messes! She is so cute but man she can make a mess in a hurry!

Here is Cami's little dance she does to music or virtually anytime she gets excited! I love it!

Happy Easter

2011-04-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

We had a fun Easter dying eggs and just enjoying being with family. JD's parents were able to stay for the weekend and chill with us.

Cami wanted to help too... mostly she just watched.

Easter morning

Had to get some family pictures in our Easter best.

Story behind this picture is that Cami has been super feisty about diaper changes and getting dressed so this is after we had to tag team putting her pants on.

Saturday we went for a walk in the new nature walk area at BYU. It was a little chilly but it sure was pretty... it will be better in the summer when it is greener.

It had so many pretty waterfalls

Cami was super tired so it was hard to get a smile out of her. It was a perfect day for pictures though.

Happy Graduation JD

2011-04-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

Congratulations JD! You made it! When we got married almost three years ago I was pretty sure it would take forever for you to finish school, but look you are half way done now! Yay! I am so proud of you! You work hard and have done well. Now it is on to the second half!

Cami really enjoyed the graduation as I am sure you can imagine... we had fun in the hallway for the last hour, since she was sure she could not be contained for one minute more.

We were lucky to have my Dad and JD's parents come celebrate with us. Thanks guys

Nine Months!!!!

2011-04-15T12:28:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe she is nine months! It is crazy so here is the update. She had here appointment and she now weighs 15 1/2 lbs... little I know but at least she gained from her last one! Length is 26 1/4 in. She crawls really fast and pulls herself up next to everything. She stood up without anything the other day for a tiny bit! She has started spitting when we feed her solids sometimes which is not good... but funny and I have to remind myself not to laugh when she is naughty. She loves baths and has just started to feed herself those little puffs that dissolve quick. She also likes to bite/chew on everything, my nose, chin, leg, keys whatever she can fit in her mouth. She is a very happy baby and smiles often and laughs easily, as long as she is not hungry or cold.

She likes stuff in the mail too! That is pretty much the Cami update. Work is going well for me, and drum roll please...... JD is graduating next week! Yay! Of course we still have 3 years of law school ahead, but you have to celebrate the huge milestone of finishing your undergrad! I am so proud of JD he has worked hard to do well in school and did well on the LSAT, so that we could get some scholarships that cover a lot of the tuition so that law school won't be a huge debt. Way to go JD! I love you!!!!

Visitors

2011-04-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

We have been lucky to have lots of visitors! We love visitors!!!!! JD's parents stopped here on General Conference weekend on their way home from Cali! JD's mom saved us from ripping out our hair Saturday night, Cami wasn't feeling well and I had worked Saturday and worked Sunday and I was tired and trying to get sleep and Cami was up pretty much most of the night. She had had a fever and just didn't feel well. It must have been a short bug though since she was feeling better on Sunday. But JD's mom was definitely a lifesaver that night!

My family got to come the weekend before to see us and go to Evan's homecoming, my cousin who recently returned from a mission to Germany! It was so fun to get to spend all this time with family!

Emma and Cami

Anna with Cami

Earlier that week the Hickenloopers came to visit during their spring break! It was so fun to see them and for Cami and Ainsley to play together... they were so funny to watch!

Watching the BYU game... too bad we lost, but we had lots of fun! Thanks for coming guys!

Practice makes... better!

2011-04-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

I hope Scott and Wendy don't mind me putting up these pictures! They let me practice my photography skills when they came to visit us in March! It was so fun to see our buddies and play some games.

It is fun to take pictures... I need lots more practice to get better, so thanks Scott and Wendy for letting me practice on your cute family!

April Showers bring May Flowers...hopefully!

2011-04-10T13:21:00.000-07:00

March was a hectic month... pretty sure I don't want to go to the insta care for a long time! Besides that we have been doing very well, we are all recovering. Cami's sleeping habits took a dive for the worst when she got her bad cold that lasted for 2 weeks. After that I think she started teething and so has had some trouble sleeping and is probably going through a growth spurt so needless to say we have been struggling to get sleep and just figure out life... who isn't right? After I got over my cold and another infection I came down with at the first of march, I broke out in the worst case of hives I've ever experienced and had to get put on some steroids to get rid of it. I decided I was done nursing when the doctor told me I couldn't breastfeed on the medication and I would be on it for 12 days. I think I would have gone nuts, so for my own sanity I quit, I made it 9 months right? Cami is a busy smiley little one and is so much fun and I just can't get over how cute she is, although I am completely biased! JD is almost done with school, three more days of classes and then just finals! I can't believe he graduates next week! On that note, we are leaning more toward Baylor and so might be selling our condo... so if you know anyone wanting to buy a cute place... ours might be for sale soon!

Cami's first trip to the library... no I did not get any books for her because she will just eat them, they were all for me!

My two favorite people!

I love this girl!

First time on the swing, she is not so sure about it, and she was a little grumpy that day :(

Cami really didn't like her first time sitting in the grass

Cami loves to play in her carseat, not really sure why...

She also loves my scarf!

The next few are projects I have been working on... this is a blanket I made... I totally ruined it and it looks terrible if you look close or look at the back, but it is soft and I love the fabric, and Cami just likes the flower in the middle.

A new recipe I tried, bacon glazed meatloaf! so yummy

I have been trying to make crocheted shoes... this is after 4 tries!

Try number 2 the first is too bad to show! these are cute, just too small for Cami's fat feet.

Try number 3 ... we gave these away, also cute but too small!

Another new recipe... French Bread. Turned out yummy and not too hard to make!

8 Month Pictures

2011-03-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

I know that you are all waiting so I did some pictures today, Cami wan't very smiley or attentive since she is still recovering and I was not as patient as I should be since I am still recovering, I think it really helped me value good health. We are hardly ever sick, and it is definitely not fun, so I have much to be grateful for that we are on the mend and we are not usually sick! I know you are all wondering when we will tell you what we are doing in the fall, but I don't have any news yet. We will hopefully know for sure by April 15th. In the mean time we are seriously looking at Baylor, which is in Waco, Tx.

I am sad that one of the few smiles I got today was blurry, but I liked it anyway so here it is.

She always has to have something in her mouth so it is tricky to get smiles :)

I don't think she has ever touched the grass before so here was the introduction.

grass again...

What was that? this was right after touching the grass...

Little feet :)

Hi mom!

8 Months!

2011-03-16T14:10:00.000-07:00

I know I say this pretty much every month, but I can't believe she is another month older. I meant to do pictures but Cami got sick on her 8 month birthday so they will have to wait till she, and I feel better. These are just some that we have that are most recent. She is crawling everywhere now and trying to climb up on everything! She sits up really well and rolls so much it makes changing her diaper a crazy adventure. She is such a little one and I am always trying to see if she will eat more, but my mom reminds me that with JD and I for parents we could't really expect a big baby. I am sure that a big part of it is that she is so busy all the time, she just does not sit still. It makes church a little tricky, she is so good, not fussy just very active! The only time she is still is when she is very tired. JD and I are lucky to have such a mild good baby. She is very sweet and smiley and loves to be the center of attention. Stay tuned for pictures, but it may be a few days before she feels well enough to smile for me and not have a runny nose for the picture :)

Here is my cute baby!!! She is trying to climb up on Daddy.

Little blurry since she is aways moving, but a good picture of her sitting up.

This is her serious face, we had just got our new camera, and I think she was trying to decide what she thought about it.

So until later, hope all is well with you and yours!

Baby Proofing

2011-03-09T15:17:00.000-08:00

Recently Cami has become increasingly more mobile... So JD got creative with wood and stain and some hardware and created a cabinet to cover the computer next to the TV and hide the cords. So far it has helped. Doesn't it look great?

Here is JD hard at work!

These are just some pictures of us messing around with our camera. It is fun to experiment with it and the different settings!

This is just a funny eating picture that I really liked! Cami is such a funny baby!

She is so curious and so cute!

Idaho!!!

2011-03-09T14:37:00.001-08:00

This past week we were able to go to Idaho! It was so fun to spend a few days with family, we did some shopping, watched some movies, played some games and just relaxed! It was so nice! Cami especially enjoyed all the attention!

These pictures are unfortunately out of order and I am not patient enough to fix it... :) This was a meal at the Redds

We got to spend a little time with our buddies the Hickenloopers! I cannot believe how big Ainsley is! She is so cute!!!! Cami had a little hair envy for Ainsley....unfortunately for Ainsley.

Kisses for everyone...pretty sure she just wants to eat their faces, but we will pretend they are kisses.

In the zone....too many pictures I am sure... I think the rising generation may have some issues with vanity.

playing with Aunt Leonora... we got to celebrate her birthday!

Ready for church with Anna

We went to Idaho so that JD could go to a law conference hosted by a firm in IF for admitted students to U of I. It was a good experience and I am glad we went.

Hangin at the Egberts

Shopping with Grandma Egbert- I took this with my phone :)

Ice Castles

2011-02-24T09:38:00.000-08:00

Watch out I put a lot of pictures on this post. On Presidents Day, JD and I both had the day off. So to celebrate we went to Midway to see the Ice Castles! It was a lot of fun and they are very neat. It was fun to experiment with our new camera... hopefully our picture quality will improve but I am already seeing better results with this new camera, it is so fun, I have lots to learn so any tips are nice... :) It has definitely increased the quantity of our pictures :) I hope you enjoy these... it was fun!

As a note, these ice castles don't have any supporting structures underneath! Cool huh!

They had fun tunnels in some of them... believe me I have more pictures, I think we took roughly 100 pictures... I just didn't think it would be good to put them all on here!

Cami started to get a little cold...her poor red nose!

Another funny story... we fed Cami right before we left and then she fell asleep in the car...winding canyon road and a full tummy do not agree, as we drove into Midway she threw up...plums no less, so lots of purple all over herself...and the car seat.Thank heaven we hadn't put her in her bunting yet and that we had an extra onsie in the diaper bag! Things I didn't think of. She was happy enough though after we got her cleaned up!

Stuffed French Toast

2011-02-19T11:11:00.000-08:00

Several people have asked that I share the recipe for the stuffed french toast.

One loaf of French Bread cut very thick slices with a slit in the side like a pita pocket flap.. so make a cut all the way through...like you are slicing bread, then the next cut not all the way through then one all the way through so you end up with a thick (3/4 in to 1 in) slice with a slit in the side.

1 pkg cream cheese

powdered sugar

milk

almond flavoring

eggs

Topping ideas: sliced strawberries with sugar and whipped topping then sprinkle powdered sugar and slivered almonds. Pie filling is really yummy as well.

Mix cream cheese with powdered sugar and almond flavoring and milk till creamy... I just guesstimate the amounts :) Spread in the slit in the French bread. Mix eggs with a tad of milk and coat bread in eggs like you are making French toast and fry on a skillet on med heat till brown and egg is cooked. Very easy.. I got this recipe from my mom who got it from a lady who runs a bed an breakfast. It is yummy but simple and looks fancy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-16T09:39:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a very happy Valentines. We had a great day at the Egbert house! It started out with Cami waking up early, but she ate and went back down which worked out nicely because then I could make this wonderful breakfast of stuffed french toast for my sweetheart.

Rather than fight the crowds for a restaurant we made our own steak dinner... it turned out pretty well even if I do say so myself. Flowers were compliments of JD! Thanks Love! I love flowers and he always gets such nice pretty ones!

Cami wanted to join our feast so JD was going to let her try our sparkling apple/grape juice :) He wouldn't really let her try it, just a lick of the lid to see what she would do :)

After dinner Cami needed a bath so she got to be the star before going to bed-she is just discovering rolling over in the tub...fun but not when she tries to put her face in the water!

Yes it is probably not sanitary to give her her binky in the tub, but it is the only way to keep her from drinking the water and eating the wash cloths- she always seems to need something in her mouth.

Seven Months!!!

2011-02-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

Seven Months! I can hardly believe it has been a whole month already or will be in 2 days! I know I posted recently and regaled you with all of her darling achievements so I will just let you enjoy these pictures that I took today to celebrate! She has learned when I am taking pictures by the sound of the camera and knows that it flashes frequently (red eye flash) and so she blinks a lot and starts to holler with excitement. So it was a little more difficult to take these. You will also notice that she does not enjoy the flower and by the end had ripped it apart. She had to have toys traded out to get her to sit there so I could take the pictures and several are unfortunately blurry since she has a really hard time sitting still!

I'm Coming Momma!

2011-02-07T15:03:00.000-08:00

It is so crazy that she can do this! She will be crawling soon I bet! She is so much fun! I love her sweet happy personality! It is frustrating but amazing how curious they are and how the best toys are not toys at all, like socks and momma's necklace and dad's computer and receipts that you have to dig out of their mouth when they are too quick for you.

So it begins!

2011-01-26T15:52:00.000-08:00

Cami is rolling all over the place, and this is her next to her favorite attraction... JD's computer. Her favorite toy is the cable on the receiver for the wireless mouse and keyboard. She rolls that way pretty much every time I set her down.

Yes I left her alone with this toy for 5 minutes and this is how it ended up.

Helping with the laundry! Those big blue eyes get me every time!!!

She is starting to get into things... no more putting her on the floor and thinking she will stay there. I really need to get serious about baby proofing! The other day she rolled/scooted backwards all the way across the living room and into her bedroom.

"I like star wars too Dad!"

2011-01-11T12:18:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that Cami is 6 months! She is getting to be so much fun. We are going to have to get serious about our baby proofing since she can roll all over the house now. She is eating solids pretty well and today at her 6 month appointment we found out that she is a little small... 13lbs 15 oz which I am not really surprised with how much she moves. I have trouble getting terribly concerned when she has little rolls on her arms and legs though. :) she did grow 1 inch so she is now 25 1/4th in. She laughs so much and is really an easy sweet baby. I feel so blessed to have this beautiful baby girl!

PS- notice how we started with shoes and ended with none... well I tried anyway!

Family Pictures

2011-01-05T19:36:00.000-08:00

I hope Joni doesn't mind me putting these pictures on my blog, I just want everyone to see what a cute family I have. I can't believe how big our family is now!

Christmas Time...

2011-01-04T15:43:00.000-08:00

I will be honest... there are tons of pictures in this post and they are all out of order and I am too impatient to fix it.. maybe I should make that my new years resolution. I just wanted to send you all an update of how we are doing. December was a super busy month as I am sure it was for all of you. We loved seeing so much of our families and we were truly blessed to have good road the 4 times we drove the route to/from Idaho in 2 weeks! It was a blessing for sure! As for what we are up to now, I am just working... like always, but enjoying it. Cami is so smiley and giggly and make being a parent so much fun! She is rolling all over the place and can almost sit up. She is so good natured and we feel so blessed to have her in our home. JD is starting his last semester of undergrad. We have heard back from lots of schools and just waiting to hear back from a few more... BYU and such! So that is us... Hope you all had a merry Christmas and Happy New Years... and a happy year to come!

We had a girls night the last night of our vacation. It was lots of fun! Thanks Mom and Leonora!

JD's birthday... at the Redds

Wow these are out of order... this is the Christmas Eve party... held on the 21st for the Redd extended family.

JD surprised me for Christmas...and spoiled me. When I opened it I just thought it was a text book and I was very curious as to why JD would give me that... then he said, "why don't you flip through the pages?" and look what I found!

JD's birthday at the Egbert's

I told you not to play with guns in the house :)

See this is what happens!

If you can't tell that is a dart on her head ;)

Cami getting to know her cousin Benjamin. They are 3 weeks apart... Maybe Cami needs to eat more huh?

but not his head!

We had a date night with the adult siblings... unfortunately we didn't get to all sit at the same table :(

FHE with all of us! That hasn't happened in years!!!

Picture time! I will post more of the family pictures later... or I bet Joni will since she is the one who took them :)

Game time!

Benjamin and Emma

Cami looks a little dazed, but she spent her entire vacation being held and loved! She was in heaven!

Yes she is eating and getting a little better but we are not pushing it too much.

Christmas dinner with the Egberts... on the 23rd.... we had to do everything on weird dates since I worked Christmas and Christmas eve. Everybody was so nice to accommodate us Thank you guys!

Christmas morning (on the 23rd) at the Egberts

Dad Egbert got an inversion table and we all gave it a try :)

Boys and their guns :)

Go BYU basketball!

Cami liked the paper more than the present I think :)

Meeting Joni and cousin Eli for the first time!

Another pic from the Christmas Eve party on the 21st

Christmas morning (23rd)

Well there you have it! Wishing you and yours a wonderful new year! We miss family and friends already!

The True Self Help

2010-12-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (also referred to as LDS or Mormons) one of the doctrines that forms the basis of our church and stands out from many Christian faiths today is that we believe in modern day prophets and apostles. Throughout the Bible God had messengers on the earth called prophets who taught the people the will of God. When Christ came to the earth he called apostles to help spread the gospel. We believe that God loves all of his children on the earth today just as much as he loved any of his other children and therefore had prophets and apostles on the earth today. One of those apostles is Elder Richard G. Scott. He recently shared a message about building faith in God through strengthening our character. If you have any doubt that God exists, loves you, and cares for you, or you want to come to know Him, please listen to this talk. The spirit of God will testify to you of all of these things.

I loved this talk because things can be difficult in life. Our faith can be tested and we sometimes wonder if God really loves us if he allows difficult things to happen. He explains that we can strengthen our faith by strengthening our character. What little moral compass existed in the world is quickly fading, so this message helped me see how I can not only gain faith, but improve myself. There are so many so called self-help books out there. Elder Scott explains that obedience to God's commandments is the true self-help. Here are a few of the quotes I really enjoyed from the talk:

"We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want tobecome each day."

"Such character is not developed in moments of great challenge or temptation. That is when it is intended to be used. Your exercise of faith in true principles builds character; fortified character expands your capacity to exercise more faith. As a result, your capacity and confidence to conquer the trials of life is enhanced."

"As you walk to the boundary of your understanding into the twilight of uncertainty, exercising faith, you will be led to find solutions you would not obtain otherwise. "

"With even your strongest faith, God will not always reward you immediately according to your desires. Rather, God will respond with what in His eternal plan is best for you, when it will yield the greatest advantage. Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time before that answer comes. That causes your faith to increase and your character to grow."

Hopefully you found something in this message that touched your heart through the Spirit of God. God does live, and he knows you personally. Life can be tough, but it is for our good. As we make righteous choices we can come to know him better. If you want to know if God exists, follow his commandments, see how you feel. You will feel a light come into your life you have never experienced before. If you want to know more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints go to www.mormon.org where you can get a free copy of the Bible or Book of Mormon. You can also request missionaries to come visit you and share more. May God bless you during this holiday season and remember to rely on the One who made change possible as you make New Year's resolutions.

Five Months!

2010-12-09T10:33:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe it but Cami will be five months old in just 2 days... this is early again because I am working the next 2 days so I just wanted to do our photo shoot when I was awake. :) Cami was pretty tired though so they didn't turn out as great as I was hoping. I think I am getting better though. Maybe someday I will get a nice camera and photo shop and take a class so I can get better.

I love this face... she is so cute and is starting to get a personality. She is so much more interactive and curious about everything! She is also getting very grabby...which is a little hard on my hair.

Almost a smile....

Normally she loves soft things...once again I think she was tired.

I may be biased, but I really think she is one of the cutest girls ever!

There is my smile!!! I love this cute happy girl. She is such a good baby! We feel so blessed to have her in our home!

She is getting close to sitting up... just needs support to keep her balance. For those of you wondering how cereal is going, she does ok, we don't push it... she really likes the cereal with pears in it. Really more ends up on her bib then in her mouth and she tries to grab the spoon, but it is fun and she does swallow some.

I had to get a picture of our tree. We had to rearrange our living room to make space for it, but I like it there and kinda opens up our living room/kitchen area. Below is a video of Cami giggling. I had been trying to get one and finally did. She is very smiley and giggly as long as she isn't too tired. She really is such a happy baby. As for JD and I , JD is almost done with this semester, just finals after his last class today. Work is still very busy and at times people get tired and are at the end of their ropes, which makes for harder days, I am learning about not judging, being kind and forgiving. I really do appreciate and love so many of the people I work with. I am so grateful for a good job in these crazy times and grateful for a patient loving husband who lets me cry on his shoulder and helps so much with things at home when I work.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-29T11:08:00.000-08:00

Lucky for us we headed up to Idaho for Thanksgiving! It was so wonderful to be with family and we left late enough that we avoided most of the traffic and the storm had hit on Tuesday and we left Wednesday so we had pretty good roads heading up... back was a bit of a different story, but all in all we were safe and had a wonderful time!

Having fun with the four-wheeler!

JD was practicing his skiing :)

Sledding! This is one of the best ways to go sledding since you don't have to pull the sled up any hills :)

Cami reading the paper with Nana and learning how to tell time with her watch!

Heading home from Terreton after Thanksgiving Dinner... it sure was cold!

I am sure Cami was in seventh heaven all week since she got so much love and attention! Cami and Aunt Leonora!

What would a trip home be without games?

The boys watching the BYU game... which was a pretty unfortunate game :(

Emma got worn out from shopping Friday morning.

Who doesn't love a sleeping baby!

Ian and Cami... I didn't even set this up :) how cute!

goofing around :)

Emma gets to go to a Jane Austen dance... she sure is a pretty lady!

Family Picture

I am so thankful for family, grateful for a safe trip, grateful for a helpful, supportive, and patient husband and a beautiful, fun, happy, baby girl! There is so much to be grateful for and I so often take things for granted. I have truly been so very blessed and I need only look around me to see that I have been given so much more than I will ever deserve.

2010-11-17T18:23:00.000-08:00

Cami tried her first rice cereal! She is not sure what to think of it... I think that is pretty common. I don't think we will push the issue just let her try it :) slow and easy! It was super funny to watch her try, though so we thought we would share!

Other than laughing with Cami we have just been busy with work and school and decorating for Christmas!!! Yes I know it is not even Thanksgiving, but we have our tree and nativity and lights up already! JD just loves Christmas and he is ready for the holiday season!