Team M.J.

I am lazy!

2012-01-30T07:39:00.001-07:00

We have been extremely lazy at our house

The only time we leave the house is to go exercise of get some food at the grocery store

I think Gray is quite bored with me because I have become a boring mom that just sits around

This baby is taking all the fun out of me!

Oh wait I wasn't fun before!

Last weekend we spent the weekend in Globe with Grandma and Papa

Gray loves there house because she gets to play outside all day

She wouldn't even let me comb her hair while we were there

Just getting clothes on her was a fight!

Have I mentioned she loves to be naked? and she loves to yell it while being naked!

Here are a few pictures from our weekend

I love the views out at Mark's mom's house

This little girl still loves to dance

She always tells me mommy...dancing!

and then dances around

I love it!

We also got to see lots of cousins while we were there

but I never got my camera out

Someday I am going to have some energy again!

I have hopes of getting some stuff done around the house before this baby comes

We will see how it works out!

A short list

2012-01-17T07:02:00.003-07:00

Every year I make a list of New Year's resolutions

and every year it seems like my list is mostly the same

either I am really bad at keeping my resolutions

or each year I just want to improve upon them a little more

I am choosing to believe it is the latter!

This year instead of making a long list of things to accomplish

I decided to shorten it down a little

I read an article in this month's Ensign about looking to the Lord and not around us

So I am going to try and focus on what my Heavenly Father would think of my actions and not the people around me

Not that I don't like the people around me...I just don't care what you think!

Not really!

and I want to be better about how I spend my time

I want to spend as much time as possible with this cute little girl

because in a few months things are definitely going to change around here

and so I am starting now my preparation for this change

and hoping I will survive!

I want to put on weight!

2012-01-14T12:12:00.000-07:00

I decided I wanted to have different resolutions this year

So my number one goal is to gain some weight! haha

Not really but I am not worried about the few extra pounds I might put on in the next months!

Some people may already know but I wanted to document some things so here goes

Just after Thanksgiving we found out that we were expecting baby #2

I was a little in shock because I had convinced myself I wasn't pregnant

So I had to take a couple tests just to make sure

They both came back with the same results!

We were beyond happy...and maybe a little scared

I had been wanting another baby but decided to wait until I ran my half marathon in October

I had been praying that it would happen when it was right for us and our family

I know Heavenly Father knows what is best for me a little better than me!

I told Mark my deciding factor on starting to try again was going to be from what I heard in general conference

And then there was Neil L. Anderson's talk on children

and it was like he was speaking directly to me

I loved all of it and I knew another baby was the right decision for our family

We went to the doctor a couple weeks ago and I told Mark we weren't telling anyone until then

Our doctor got a new portable ultrasound machine and I got to see my baby!

I can't tell you how happy it made me

I always have these secret fears that something might go wrong

and seeing my little baby kicking and heart beating made me so happy!

I couldn't stop thinking about it the rest of the night!

Needless to say,

We are very excited to have another baby the end of July(I really think the beginning of August)

I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for trusting me with another baby

and I can't wait to find out whether it's a boy or a girl!

Bringing in the new year

2012-01-09T06:24:00.001-07:00

I am almost caught up now!

We started off our New Year's Eve by heading up to Alpine

It was a beautiful day and we wanted to take Gray sledding

Mark's dad has the perfect yard for sledding!

Gray loved sledding!

She would just giggle and giggle and went over and over again!

I love seeing her experience new things

and I can't wait to take her sledding again!

Here Gray is with her dad

and her Grandpa

a crash

She loved going all by herself!

(not sure what happened to my picture!)

Gray and mom

I loved sledding too

I thought about hiking way up the hill to go down by myself

but I played it on the safe side

Mark's mom and Gene drove up to spend the evening with us

We got all dressed up and went and ate at Molly Butler's

it was yummy

I only got a picture of Gray

This was after dinner

She loved prime rib and has the juice all over her shirt

and chocolate on her mouth from a treat!

We love having visitors...especially Gray

We had lots of fun with Grandma and Papa and were sad to see them go!

Mark and I went to my family party after dinner for a little bit

mostly so I could eat some of my mom's delicious hot wings

We were in bed by 11 though

and brought the New Year in in our dreams!

My very favorite way!

Holiday Fun

2012-01-05T14:58:00.003-07:00

I am still am in a fight with blogger

and so far it is winning!

I just want to catch up on all the fun stuff we did over the holidays!

Oh wait we didn't do anything very fun!

I got the flu that Gray and Mark had the day after Christmas and was down for a few days

I did get to watch Gray dance to my Zumba game we got for our new Wii!

She loves it!

We also were all finally feeling well enough one day to venture in the backyard to play in the snow

We made snow angels

and a really bad snowman

and Mark and I might have gotten into a snowball fight

Gray thought it was funny!

We are sick of Christmas!

2012-01-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

Finally!

I have been trying to upload my pictures for days and it has not been working

Now I am behind and have to catch up!

We really aren't sick of Christmas

We love Christmas!

We were just sick during Christmas at our house this year

Gray got the flew a few days before Christmas

then Mark came down with it on Christmas eve

We didn't do much but Mark was feeling well enough to go eat dinner with my family

We then read the story of Jesus's birth out of the bible and The Night Before Christmas

Gray was so reverent while my dad was reading!

I think she was copying my mom who had her arms folded!

Then Gray got to sit on Grandpa's lap for The Night Before Christmas

She kept trying to turn the pages early

She likes to read her books fast!

We then came home and layed out our stocking

Gray put her's next to mine!

On Christmas we decided to wait and open presents after church

We hid all of Gray's presents and stocking so she wouldn't see them

Here she is in her Christmas dress eating a waffle

I tried to get a picture of her in her dress

She wasn't being too cooperative

I love the look on her face though!

Little stinker!

Gray loved the animals she got in her stocking!

Mark had been burning himself for weeks with a broken shovel for the fireplace

Santa brought him a new one finally!

The book Go Dog Go is one of Gray's favorite presents

She loves this book and we have to read it a lot

She brings it to me and says, "Dog book..read it"

How can I not?

Santa left Gray a VERY big present

Gray loved opening presents

She unwrapped her's and all of ours!

A 4-wheeler from Santa

We saved the big present for last

Once she got this she didn't care about anything else!

My pictures got all out of order!

At least I finally got them on here!

Gray led the songs we sang at my parent's house Christmas eve

This girl loves to lead!

She also sat on her stocking after placing it out for Santa

How cute is she?

And last a picture of us after church on Sunday

Probably the most dressed up I have ever been on Christmas!

We did love being able to go to church and hear the beautiful music about our Savior!

After church I spent the rest of the day in my nice pajamas I got from Mark's mom

and the last picture is me opening a sweater Mark bought me from American Eagle

He knows me so well!

Just to show I was present while opening presents!

We love Christmas Parties!

2011-12-23T16:46:00.001-07:00

We headed down south for a Christmas party weekend last weekend

After my family Christmas party we went to Mark's mom's house for her Christmas party

The enchiladas were amazing as always and I could not stop eating them

I tried to pick a few pictures from the day but a few turned into a lot!

It was a fun day!

Gray loved opening presents

We have to keep her away from the ones under our Christmas tree now

She is ready to open them!

Gray and Vince played this game for a long time!

Gray just wanted to chew on the stick

A box of cookies all to myself

Never a good thing!

And no that isn't my plate of food next to me!

When I ate I sat right by the food so I could keep getting refills without anyone noticing!

Gray even stole other people's presents if they looked appealing!

Gray got a new sleeping bag

Mark wrote his name on his sister's present

So she made him put her sweater on!

I think it looks good!

Gray got some cool stuff

Randi did not want her picture taken!

I even remembered to take a family picture

So I can actually document I was at the party!

Mark's brother Ron drove down from Colorado and surprised every one

Gray got a dog

She was a little excited about it

Gray definitely likes her dad more than me!

It's okay though...that way I get a break every once in awhile!

The good news is I didn't put on too much weight after all the food that I ate!

I think I came out even which is not too bad!

I literally ate all day Saturday. Never stopped

It was glorious!

We love spending time with family!

Thanks for all the great presents!

The first annual James Brown Christmas Party

2011-12-22T08:16:00.001-07:00

My brother decided we needed to have a family Christmas party

This year it was all about "festivus"

We had lots of fun even though we had to go to the awful valley to attend the party!

We can't wait for next year

The kids did a candy bar exchange

Gray didn't follow the rules

She sat in the middle of the circle and never passed her candy bar

Liam just wanted to play in the middle of the circle too

I'm glad Gray wasn't the only one not obeying!

We ate delicious soups at our party and had lots of yummy desserts

after that was over we had a white elephant gift exchange

and the airing of grievances

Mark had some last minute grievances against me!

Gray played on this little toy all night long.

She fought the other kids multiple times for it!

Shad airing everyone's grievances

I know it's a crappy picture but it's the only one I got

We had lots of fun and did lots of laughing

I might have ended up with the very worst white elephant gift there

Leave it to me to pick it!

Here comes the gingerbread train!

2011-12-15T09:24:00.001-07:00

I love the awesome gingerbread kits you can buy

This year I decided to make a gingerbread train

I was so excited because I just knew Gray would love it

Making these things is a whole new story with a 1 year old

She wanted to eat all the candy!

She was so funny about it

She would act like she was going to put it on then she would eat it

and when one finally did make it on the train her finger would accidentally end up in the frosting

and she would have to lick it off!

Let's just say our finished product wasn't our best yet!

Please ignore my creepy face in this picture!

The finished product!

They look even worse after a few weeks of sitting on the table!

We had fun though and that's all that really matters!

She only likes Santa from a distance!

2011-12-13T06:46:00.000-07:00

Gray loves Santa.

She loves to watch shows with Santa

and she points out all of the Santa ornaments on the tree

she points him out in every store we go to and she says "Ho, ho"

We saw Santa at the mall in Flagstaff but when it was our turn next to go see him she was done

so we left

Santa was at the town hall on Saturday

She saw the toys they were giving out before seeing Santa and she kept saying "Toy"

She did not care to sit on Santa's lap

I tried to stand next to her and it didn't work either

see for yourself...

As soon as we left she started talking about Santa again

She likes him from a distance!

Gray did get a dog flashlight that barks

She loves it

After Santa we headed over to watch the light parade

It was FRIGID!

We were all bundled up and still cold

Before the parade started some guy walked by and said there is only 10 floats this year

We were thinking that is about double what we had last year!

At the end of the parade we were glad it wasn't any longer

You can only take the cold for so long!

They had fun I promise!

They were just that into the parade!

Gray was very calm and just watched the whole thing

I think she was also FREEZING!

Poor thing!

and a few of the floats.

We love all the fun things we get to do at Christmastime

we especially love spending time together as a family!

Free vacation? We'll take it!

2011-12-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

Mark had a class in Flagstaff this last week

Gray and I had nothing else to do..

so we tagged along!

We got to go swimming and eat lots of good food and do some Christmas shopping

we had lots of fun.

We got to see Mark at lunch and after class every day

way better than not seeing him for a week!

I didn't take a lot of pictures because it was FREEZING cold outside!

So here are a few from the hotel...

I had a lot of time on my hands so I straightened Gray's hair one day

and here are the results...

All bundled up and ready to go outside

Every time we went outside Gray would say "cold"

and she talked about her hat and coat a lot!

Just because she is cute

Gray climbed and climbed all over this couch

The other side had a little wider side to put stuff on

and Gray thought it was her personal seat

She ate there every day!

We had lots of fun

but we sure are glad to be home

You can only entertain a 1 year old in a hotel room for so long!

It's a Charlie Brown Christmas tree

2011-12-01T09:34:00.001-07:00

On Friday afternoon we headed out to find the Brady family Christmas tree

We decided to get a pinon pine this year because there isn't a lot of other kinds of trees

We just had to go out of town a little ways

It was a little windy so we didn't walk around a ton with Gray

but we still found the perfect Christmas tree

I spotted it and thought it was perfect but there was one problem

It didn't really come to a point on the top

So we took note of it and kept looking

I started calling it my Charlie Brown tree because every one passed it up because it didn't have a point on top

No other tree was as full and pretty

so we went with the Charlie Brown tree!

Escudilla looked so beautiful all covered in snow I had to take a picture

This is what Gray and I do while mark cuts down the tree

or cuts wood

We just stand back and take pictures!

The tree and Escudilla in the background

I like how my hair is blowing in the wind

I look like a model! haha not really

Now the tree is up in our house all decorated and it is the prettiest tree of all

Just like on Charlie Brown

Too bad I forgot to upload a picture of it

and I am too lazy to find the one I took

So just close your eyes and imagine what is looks like all decorated!

We have lots of sparkly gold and silver ornaments this year!

I think I have to start calling myself a black friday person!

2011-11-30T12:47:00.001-07:00

A few years back my sisters and mom and I decided to hit up Walmart at 5 a.m. on black friday

We had no idea what we were in for

and found the whole thing a bit funny

We have since gone back every year since then but usually we go a couple hours later because we just like to hang out

Well this year the sales started at 10

and they had some good deals

Mark and I had the oldest smallest t.v. ever!

We didn't really care because we only watch movies occasionally but they had t.v. for such a good deal

so I thought what the heck I will try to get one

and I knew Julie was in the market for a Wii and they were a good deal so I told her I would pick them up!

I also saw a couple other things I wanted so we all headed out

We got to Walmart just before 10 and they had already but the 10 o'clock stuff already out

I couldn't find the sheet set I wanted but it was no big deal

We just went for fun mostly

I got in line for the Wii and then left Taylor there to find the t.v. line

We got in the t.v. line and waited since they weren't on sale until 12

I was pretty happy about getting the 2 big things I came for we just had to wait in line

There was also a printer on sale and we desperately needed one so Ashley and I headed to that area

They were not handing out tickets and people were just crowed by the roped off area waiting

I had to leave and when I got back people were glaring at me for finding Ashley!

Well they finally let people go in after a big lecture about no pushing

and the madness started...

I was being pushed around and could not move ANYWHERE

Taylor was holding on to me for dear life

Ashley was getting what she wanted in the madness

She looked at me and saw I couldn't move so she grabbed my printer

People kept yelling at me that I was in their way and I couldn't even do anything

Finally I just yelled "I want out"

I finally found an opening and freed myself

A Walmart employee asked me if I was ok.

We got back to the t.v. line...Ashley shaking...Taylor feeling violated and me wondering what my problem was

Did I really risk my life for a printer?

It wasn't even the big items I wanted!

And now I think I have to consider myself one of those people!

This is what our cart looked like

It did have 3 different people's stuff in it

As we were waiting in the super long check out lines

My mom noticed a pile of discarded items

They had sheets so she went to look...they were queen....and blue to match our bedspread

The first Christmas miracle of the season!

Right after I risked my life

I am still trying to decided if it was worth it!

I ate more than my body weight in food

2011-11-29T08:21:00.001-07:00

I don't know if I really did but it feels like it

I know that is a lot of food

but I can put away an impressive amount!

I am quite proud of it!

We stayed home for Thanksgiving and had dinner with my family

Then on Saturday we went to Alpine and had another Thanksgiving dinner with Mark's family

We had lots of fun eating and dancing and risking our lives

I bought these boots for Gray for Christmas

but they are so cute I decided to just let her wear them

She wouldn't smile for me because she had just woken up from her nap

but here she is in her Thanksgiving outfit!

Does it get any cuter?

Gray played and played with her cousin Liam

They watched movies and giggled and taught each other their tricks!

They love Sydney

She will play with them and loves to get them all riled up!

She put them in the pack n' play in the picture above

Gray is still talking about Sydney!

I didn't take any pictures while in Alpine but we busted out the Just Dance 3 again.

It is the only video game I will play and I can't get enough of it

and we needed to work off some of our food!

We sure do love having family around!

Stay tuned for a Black Friday post soon to come!

It is a good one!

Let's make some tamales!

2011-11-14T13:25:00.001-07:00

Since I am not working this year

I told my mother-in-law I wanted to help her make tamales so I could learn how

So we made a last minute trip to spend the weekend at Grandma's house

Gray loved playing with the cats of course and all the attention she gets

I hardly even saw her all Saturday! She just played and played!

Here is Gray with a rose from her grandma's bush

The tamale making

My mother-in-law makes delicious tamales

I learned they are very simple just take a lot of time

I think instead of making them myself I will just join in with her every year!

Here we are hard at work!

The mastermind!

The meat was so delicious that she made!

I had lots of fun and I got to bring home tamales

Who wouldn't be excited?

Gray and Randi playing

They are too cute together!

Just relaxing eating an apple after a long day

We got to see lots of family and we had lots of fun!

The best part about grandma's house....no cellphone service!

I love it!

Photo Card

2011-11-14T07:53:00.001-07:00

Pine Wreath Monogram Christmas

Create beautiful photo Christmas cards at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

1 & 1/2 years

2011-11-08T12:39:00.003-07:00

I can't believe how big Gray is getting

It makes me sad but it is also lots of fun

Gray went to the doctor for her 18 months check-up finally

She is almost 19 months now!

She weighed 22 lbs

31 1/4 inches tall

27 cm head

The doctor asked me if she said 10 to 20 words...

I said she knows more than that

They were impressed...so am I!

(I thought about writing them all but it's too hard!)

She is a little sponge and copies everything I do and say

She loves to help me clean and cook

She loves her blankie and will cuddle with me while sucking her thumb

She LOVES to dance!

She has got some pretty sweet moves

She bites things when she gets mad

(I am the only person she has bitten...not so fun!)

She laughs at herself

She laughs extra hard if she hurts you

She loves her dad and picks him over me when he is home

She wants me when she gets hurt

She loves to read books about animals

She loves to color and for someone to color with her

She is just lots of fun!

She mows the lawn like her dad

Love this picture!

She is so goofy!

She still melts my heart!

This is Halloween

2011-11-02T13:05:00.001-07:00

We started off our Halloween by going to help my mom do Taylor's lunch group

We worked and worked and worked to make awesome Halloween food

I don't know that they really cared what it looked like but we tried

I made these owl cupcakes for dessert

I saw them in my cupcake book I got in July and have been wanting to make them ever since

I was glad to finally have an excuse to make them

I love them!

I think they are so dang adorable!

Here is all the food

We made mummies(pigs in a blanket)

eyeballs(pizza roll things)

and ghosts(potatoes)

The eyeball pizza things were delicious!

I ate like 5 when the kids left!

Mark got off work early to go trick or treating with us

I was so excited to take Gray all day

I knew she would love it

We weren't sure how the costume would go given the first time we tried to get her to wear it

but she loved it this time!

She was so good the whole time and loved carrying around her bucket like a purse

We went to Bashas and the Stake Center and did the trunk or treating and had some cotton candy!

We ran out of candy so fast at the trunk or treat!

There were a lot of people there

We borrowed Gray's costume from my sister Kristen because we didn't have anything else

it was a hit!

We got so many compliments on how cute she was!

I have to agree!

The only house we went to was my parents

Gray knocked on the door...

I love this picture!

She loves my parents and they love her!

My dad let her pick about 20 candy bars out of their bowl because she was having so much fun

Gray was holding her bucket in the car and when we got home

we found this!

She chewed right through the wrapper!

and she didn't like me taking her picture!

Gray ate maybe 2 pieces of candy and she was wired!

Now I know why I don't let her eat sugar a lot!

I do love having a baby so I have an excuse to join in on all the Halloween fun!

Brady Halloween Party 2011

2011-11-01T11:55:00.002-07:00

We had our annual Halloween/birthday party again for my father-in-law

It is fun to have an excuse to dress up and just have fun!

We are usually very on the ball with our costumes

But we had a lot going on this year and so we threw together some last minute outfits

I think we did an ok job though!

I made a boo-tiful cake that I found on marthastewart.com

It was chocolate cake with a coconut pudding filling and cream cheese frosting

Yummy! and super easy

My little niece Randi as a little Indian girl

So adorable!

Gray was ready to eat

Vyncent as Buzz Lightyear

He was going to infinity and beyond!

I was in the other room doing Mark's make-up and I could hear Gray laughing

I thought she was laughing at her grandpa because she really likes him

I went to check and she was laughing at Randi!

So cute!

They had so much fun playing together all night!

Aaron made it across the border for the party!

Gray wore her costume for about 1 minute

She hated every second of it and wouldn't let me take a picture

Dead Miss America and a zombie

The joker in the window

Creepy!

The joker and Britney Spears

We didn't dress up as a couple this year because we didn't plan ahead!

We were going to be scary but I couldn't think of anything

Nykki just got Just Dance 3 so we knew it was going to be a dance party

So I came ready to dance! Who dances better than Britney?

Everybody!

I was not so hot at Just Dance 3.

I thought I did well...but my scores said something else

It was lots of fun though!

Toni the vampire and Randi

Kash and Ryan as zombies

they were terrifying!

Grandpa the caveman and Buzz

All the girls

Britney (Joelle), Girl version of Richard Simmons(Julie), Zombie(Kash), Miss America(Nykkie), Vampire(Toni)

and Gray in her diaper

That is how she ran around all night

I make black punch this year

it was fruit punch and ginger ale and a little food coloring

I didn't take a picture of it with the dry ice though!

The ghost cake all lit up!

Special piece just for the birthday man!

We love having a party for Mark's dad every year

We danced and danced and danced

and ate yummy steak and treats!

and we had a few good laughs to round off the night!

We can't wait for next year!

I try to be crafty

2011-10-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

I love to look at craft blogs

and see how people fix up old stuff

and in my head I can do all of these things

but not in real life!

I have taught myself how to make flowers for Gray's hair only because I am too cheap to buy them

Some girls invited me over for a craft day

Luckily it was mostly sanding and painting which I can handle

My husband put all the pieces together for me

Then I made some pumpkin jar things at a Relief Society activity

all in one week!

I was feeling super crafty!

I love the sign that is now on my front porch

(don't look at the ugly paint on the porch..just the cute sign!)

I haven't done any crafts since these though

I would much rather read my book and be lazy

Someday I might really be as crafty as I am in my head!

I'm not holding my breath though!

Fall...I love you! Please don't go away!

2011-10-27T15:09:00.001-07:00

I love fall.

With all of my heart.

I love the wonderful days and the cool night

I love the colors of the trees

I love carving pumpkins and Thanksgiving!

We didn't get to take a drive this year to see the colors because we usually go up to Alpine

and well they don't have a lot of color this year!

But there are some awesome colors in town..

These are all from the block I live on!

Gray and I went for a nice walk and snapped a couple pictures

Gray wasn't cooperating with picture taking

And this is the view from the hammock in our backyard

Yes we have a hammock!

Mark got it from a guy who he sometimes hunts with

I said it was the best hunting gift ever!

Winter...please don't come yet!

Pumpkin Carving

2011-10-26T07:34:00.001-07:00

We did our pumpkin carving for FHE this week

My family invited us over for dinner so we did it with them this year

I challenged Taylor to a competition but she was not allowed to get help from my Dad

He was suppose to be the judge

But he helped her so if Taylor's looks better than mine it is because she CHEATED!

We take our pumpkin carving very seriously!

Or at least I do!

Mark helped with the scraping and my nose!

This is what my Dad and Gray did while we carved

I bought a pumpkin for Gray to paint we just haven't yet!

The finished products!

Mine was suppose to be like the phantom without a mask because of the scars on the side

My dad said it looked like Valdimor from Harry Potter.

Either one works for me!

What I am going to do now?

2011-10-25T07:01:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting to run a half-marathon for years

My sister and I have talked about it many times

This year I decided to FINALLY do it and found a race for us

We did the Lincoln Family Downtown YMCA race

It was in South Mountain Park

We woke up bright and early and headed out

I read they start you off with a gun like when they first started the race

(this was the 43rd year)

and they mentioned it before we started to not be scared

next thing I know I am jumping out of my shoes because I was not paying attention

and I definitely was caught off guard!

There were a lot more runners in this race than I am use to and it took us a little while to get over the starting line

We had these handy trackers on our shoes to record our exact times

and we are off...

We ran through this area

It was a good path and had great scenery!

I didn't know the course at all and online it said it had little elevation change

The whole thing was a bunch of hills

I felt good though and could recover from them fast

The first part of the race was nice and shaded

Then we turned around and headed back and the sun was out to get me

It was so hot!

I saw my time at mile 10 and knew I wasn't making my goal of 1:50

I am a little disappointed a ran slower than normal but I am just not use to the heat!

I also got a bad cramp I couldn't get rid of and realized towards the end I wasn't sweating

Bad sign!

I finally made it in at 2 hrs and 5 sec.

They announced my name as I ran across which was cool

The guy even said I was pretty in pink!

Kristen did awesome!

This was her first half-marathon and I think we are both glad it's over!

Here she is waving at her girls who came to watch her!

So happy to be done and have a little water in us!

I drank 2 bottles of water in record time!

I really do love running and enjoyed my run until it got really hot!

I wanted to do a half-marathon and I did 2 so I am pretty proud of myself even if I didn't make my goal!

Now I don't know what to do with all my time!

I think I am going to take a break for awhile!

I really want to live here

2011-10-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

My wonderful sister-in-law got married this last weekend

We love her because she chose to get married at the best place ever!

No we love her for lots of reasons

but we did like being able to go back to Soda Springs Ranch!

We went a few days early so we could hang out

We spent some nice relaxing days with family

playing football

and in the water

and went on a Jurassic Park ride/splash mountain

and eating way more than we should have of course!

The wedding was beautiful

Ryan's sister(Kashley's husband) did all the decorations

I even had my name on a chalkboard because I was in the wedding party

We ate yummy food and danced the night away!

I tried to get a picture with Gray and me

it didn't work out so well

this girl is impossible to get a picture of these days

This is my bridesmaid dress

We did get a family picture taken

Mark asked how many we had to take in a year

I told him this one was for Christmas cards

Plus we were all dressed up so I had to take a picture

Mark wanted a jacket for the wedding

We got this one for a great price at Gap outlet

and he looks pretty handsome if I do say so myself!

Here we are while dancing the night away

Nykki was on of the maids of honor

I love these 2 girls and had lots of fun with them

We really enjoyed spending more time at such a beautiful place

If I go back again...I am never returning!

Drama Drama Drama

2011-10-08T14:20:00.001-07:00

I made cake pops for the first time a couple weeks ago.

When I was reading through my book about them it said to set aside 4 hours

They weren't kidding

One day I made the cake balls then refrigerated them

and the next day I dipped them in the candy coating and decorated them

It took me close to 5 hours to make them when it was all said and done

I thought they turned out cute for my first attempt

and I was excited for everyone to try them

I searched all over town for Styrofoam to stick them in and finally had to purchase some from one of the flower shops in town

Then I arranged them all cute in a basket

I had to drive them to Alpine along with 50 cupcakes

I get everything loaded...

I am driving carefully and I come to a stop sign....

I stop nice and slowly

and my cake pops tipped over!

I was a little angry.

I picked them up and set them where I could hold them

ran into Safeway to grab something then realized I forgot something at my house

so I drove home got out of the truck and I heard the cake pops fall

They went upside down on the floor of the truck

I was devastated to say the least

I starting sobbing..I would like to say just crying but I was almost hysterical

I was already running late and I didn't have time to fix them so I just left for Alpine

As I was decorating cupcakes in Alpine I got a call from Mark

He said he fixed them the best he could and sent them with our neighbors who were headed up to Alpine

I did have the sense to take a picture of the cake pops before I left my house just in case!

Some of my frosting on top got a little messed up but there was still enough for people to enjoy

I love that my husband fixed them for me because he knew how much work I put into them

I can laugh about the whole experience now...but it was touchy for awhile!

Now I know to arrange them after I get to my destination!

The life of an ALMOST 18 month old!

2011-10-03T07:45:00.001-07:00

We do lots of fun stuff at the Brady house!

Not really.

I am a pretty boring mom but Gray is really good at entertaining herself

She cracks me up with what she does

Here are some pictures to show you what I get to see every day

Gray loves this wagon.

She likes to sit in it and build towers at the same time

She also like to be pulled in it but if you start that..

you will be doing it forever!

When I vacuum Gray's room

I put some of the stuff on the floor in her bed so it is out of the way

She has a cozy corner in her room with a bunch of pillows

Almost every day when I go in her room now she has filled her bed up with the pillows and stuffed animals

Some of them are as big as her!

This little girl is TOO much like her father sometimes!

She loves to look at his hunting magazines!

Just sitting in the corner having a snack!

Gray loves to organize

She can move stuff around all day long

One morning she took all the magnets off the fridge and lined them up in the crack on the floor!

(someday soon hopefully it will be covered up with new flooring!)

The only fun thing I do with Gray is take her to story time

She loves it!

Sometimes she just wants to read her own books

but she really loves when they sing songs

and just because she is cute!

Playing on the toys after Nykki's volleyball game!

Gray sure does keep me entertained.

I really do love this girl!

Sometimes it is nice to just relax...

2011-09-28T13:09:00.002-07:00

I know what you all are thinking.

We must have had a great week full of relaxing last week!

Think again!

I spent a good part of the week stressed out because I felt like I had a million things to do

I didn't really and when it all was over I had a lot of fun!

We went to lots of volleyball games...

I baked and baked and baked

Kashley had her bridal shower on Saturday and it was lots of fun

Remember how much Gray loves parades?

She finally got to go to another one.

She was an expert clapper again

and loved picking up candy

after she filled up her bucket a little she was content to just hold it

the parade was during nap time so I think she was a little tired

We had to pry the candy bucket out of her hands and there were a few tears shed

and because I am the best sister in the world!

I did Taylor's hair for her first dance.

I don't think she liked it but she wanted it down

and I went with a simple do!

That is what happens when you sister does your hair

No complaining aloud!

Now we are just trying to relax and recover from our week of fun

but life really hasn't slowed down for us!

Dang it!

Our social butterfly

2011-09-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

Gray got this adorable jean jacket my my sister-in-law Toni for her birthday

It is from American Eagle!

Not saying that is the reason it's so cute but it is part of the reason!

It finally fits Gray so we went out to take a few pictures of her in it

I wanted to get the sunset but we were just a few minutes late

She still looks cute though!

I love how much she loves her dad

She says "dad" to him all the time and wanders around the house yelling "dad" when he is gone

but still no mom!

Only every once in awhile!

I am ok with her being a daddy's girl!

This last one is my favorite!

It definitely shows her goofy personality

She is a little social butterfly lately and LOVES all kids!

She is a little rough though!

She says so much anymore.

She copies almost everything I do and say!

She is so much fun to hang out with every day

WAY better than having a job!

One down...one to go!

2011-09-14T06:37:00.001-07:00

On Saturday the 10th I ran my first half-marathon.

I ran from Nutrioso into town

Let me tell you that it is not fun to run over picnic hill!

I got a few side aches towards the end which slowed me down a little but I still kept running!

I loved it and can't wait for the next one in October!

Mark was out guiding so my parents had Gray

I told them what time to be there but then I ran faster than I ever run

My mom wanted me to pretend I was running through the finish line again

I just stood under it!

I ran it in 1:55:40!

I set a goal for myself and I knew I could do it in 2:05 but I wanted to be safe so I said 2:15

As I was running on Saturday I was moving along and I thought I might do this in less than 2 hours

When I ran into the dome and saw the clock I was pretty excited at my time!

I beat my goal by almost 20 minutes!

There were only about 18 people that ran

I did win first in my age group though!

I loved it!

Call me crazy but I am so excited for the one I am doing in October

I beat my goal already I had set for that race so my new goal is to finish in 1:50!

We will see how I do!

Spinning in circles fast is not fun!

2011-09-13T13:15:00.001-07:00

Have I mentioned Gray loves animals?

Well because of this I decided to take her to the fair this year

Mark has been guiding so I went with my parents

Let me just say Gray was in heaven!

She could have looked at the animals for hours!

She kept trying to stick her fingers in the duck and goose cages..

Not a good idea!

Taylor drove over and met us later so we went on some of the rides

here is Gray on the carousel...

She loved it!

She was so good at waving at my parents and would wait with her hand out until she saw them!

We rode it twice because she liked it so much and she cried when she had to get off the second time

and we rode this ride while we were waiting for the carousel to open

Gray liked it too and just watched everything as we road

Taylor was having a hard time taking pictures!

I told Taylor I would go on a couple rides with her so she didn't have to go by herself

We went on a spinning ride first which Taylor said was lame and slow

I wanted to throw up and had to sit back and take deep breaths!

Then we went on the hammer.

We laughed the whole time and it made me a little sick too but the fun was worth it

Luckily I went on the rides before I ate and the food helped with my upset stomach!

It was lots of fun!

We sure do love having family to hang out with!

2011 family reunion

2011-09-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

Another Brown family reunion has come and gone

It was lots of fun like always

I ate way more food than I am willing to admit

and we just enjoyed not having a ton of stuff on our "to do" list!

Gray wanted to play in the dirt the whole time...

so sometimes I had to maneuver over to the nice grassy areas to give the dirt a break

she just sat down to play with the big girls like she was one of them!

These girls were so cute with her!

This is what Taylor's face looks like when she gets woken up from a nap!

Gray in the tent in the morning!

She loved playing with the flashlights and running around the tent like a mad woman!

See the ipad box behind her?

We stopped and picked one up on the way like it was no big purchase!

Mark has been needing something for school work while on the go

but I am pretty sure Gray thinks we bought it just for her!

Gray loved playing with all of her cousins!

I was awful at taking pictures this year and just wanted to relax and enjoy myself!

I realize now I have no pictures of me!

I swear I was there but with no make-up and icky hair so no pictures is a blessing!

We just love chatting and relaxing with family and we can't wait for next year!

We are boring

2011-08-31T16:19:00.002-07:00

We have been doing nothing lately and it is glorious!

Really we have been doing stuff just nothing exciting..

daily dance parties is the most exciting occurrence at our house!

Gray loves to watch the rain.

So I put her up in the window so she can watch

Don't worry I stand behind her!

A screen door would be nice!

We have really been enjoying the rain

I have been baking more since it has gotten a little cooler

The young women are my guinea pigs!

I am trying out some new things so hopefully I can start selling them soon

Be on the lookout!

I am a good baker if I do say so myself!

Here are a couple of my creations...

Both delicious!

This is why I run people....

because I want to eat cupcakes all day every day!

Tiny Dancer

2011-08-24T16:08:00.002-07:00

Gray has become my little tiny dancer

She loves to dance to her toys and especially Michael Jackson

She even dances when there is no music!

She also loves to get into my necklaces and string them all over the house!

She also loves to play under things...

the desk, my vanity, the counter...

She find some good toys and then sits down for some play time!

This girl is such a character!

She now answers no to everything whether she wants it or not

She also loves to sing and I love that I get to be home with her

I don't know if I would have been able to handle taking her to a babysitter this year

I am sure glad things worked out the way they did!

We spend a lot of time in our comfy clothes and having dance parties!

Does life get any better?

One of the reasons I live here!

2011-08-22T08:34:00.002-07:00

The other evening Mark suggested we go for a little hike

So we hopped in the car and headed out

I was in a hurry to put warmer clothes on Gray so her shirt is a little short

Poor girls needs some new clothes!

I love this time of year

Everything is so green and beautiful

and the evenings are nice and cool

We even got rained on a little as we were walking back to the truck and it was heavenly

Gray loved being able to just wander outside

and explore anything and everything

and I played with my camera...

have I mention how much I love it?

It's been a year since I got it and I still have a crush on it!!

Gray loves to wave at cars!

I decided this would be a great place for family pictures

I love the flowers and how green everything is

It warms my heart!

Wedding weekend

2011-08-16T10:45:00.005-07:00

We headed down to the valley this last weekend

We had a full agenda the whole time!

We didn't even get time to go to Costco!

That is a bummer!

One of my best friends from college was getting married

So we packed up the family and headed out

Friday morning Mark and I went to the sealing

Don't they look so happy?

I love being in the temple and going to sealings..

There is always such a great spirit there

Then Kashley my sister-in-law was going wedding dress shopping on Saturday

So Mark kept Gray on they hung out at our hotel with his mom and swam and did fun stuff

and I went with the girls

I have a secret love for wedding dresses that isn't so secret

so I was super excited to go

It was so fun and Kash found the BEST dress!

This isn't the one she bought

I didn't want to ruin anything!

Then Saturday night we headed over to Jolie's reception

I got to see all of my fun college friends again

I miss these girls

They always make me laugh!

Joelle, Arica, Jolie, Lori, Meggan

Jolie is the third to get married

2 more to go!

Gray danced the night away

(d0n't know what happened to my pictures when I uploaded them)

and she loved playing in our hotel room

Did I mention we got a resort on priceline for $40 a night?!

I love priceline!

Then on Sunday we headed into Globe to go to church then went out to visit Mark's mom and Gene

Gray loves there house!

She can just roam outside and she was in heaven!

Her cousin Randi and aunt Toni came out to visit her

I love these pictures...

They look like they are up to trouble!

and Gray touched the chickens!

She is getting a lot more brave with animals

She use to just watch them but she works up the courage now to touch them

They are still her favorite things in the world!

This morning I had on my shirt with Kelly Clarkson on the front

(it is a picture of her face...it's giant!)

Gray thought it was a dog and she would point to it then bark

Silly girl!

It was a busy trip and we never have time to do anything

not even very much relaxing!

But we still had fun...or at least I did!

Can you please stop growing?

2011-08-10T16:27:00.003-07:00

No not my backside!

Gray!

Gray is 16 months old today

She is so big lately

She doesn't look like a baby anymore she looks like a little girl

and it breaks my heart

She is my little sponge anymore

She can...

She makes lots of animal noises: cat, dog, cow, horse, elephant(my favorite), lion, sheep sometimes
She chants Taylor's name. She still doesn't say mom or dad very often but she walks around saying Taylor all day. That dang Taylor!
She says something that sounds exactly like she is saying Joelle. Not sure what she is trying to say!
She can say juice and shoe and anytime you ask if she wants to go outside she runs and gets her shoes
She folds her arms and bows her head when you ask her if she wants to say a prayer
She yells really loud and then she says "shhhh" and puts her finger up to her mouth
She copies us all the time. We knelt down to prayer the other day and Mark grunted like it was hard and Gray did the same thing. It was hilarious! Now every time she sits on the ground she grunts!
She says hi and bye and blows kisses when she is leaving
She pats you when she gives a hug like a pat on the back!
She just jabbers and uses her hand and looks at me like I should know exactly what she is saying!
She says and signs more when she wants something
She says thank you when you give her things
She gets cuter and cuter by the day!

Here she is blowing a kiss!

I love that I am home with her all the time now

She is so fun and my little buddy!

I couldn't ask for a better way to spend every day!

Cows and sunsets

2011-08-09T07:18:00.005-07:00

After my run on Saturday we decided to hit up the rest of Eagar Daze to see what was happening

Let me just say..it was way better when I was a kid!

They use to have fun games for kids and such..

No more!

So we found the cows and Gray was in heaven!

This little girl is obsessed with animals!

She makes animal noises all day and loves any book with animals in it!

She is serious business

When she plays and does things she likes she is all business

No smiling for her!

I promise she was having fun!

Mark couldn't get her away from the cows!

That night I went out my back door and the sunset was so pretty

You could see the sun rays

So we went for a little drive so we could get a better view

and I played with my camera and Gray played on the hood of the car

fun for everyone!

The sunset definitely reminded me of my Uncle Steven

I sure do miss him!

I'm glad I have something to help me remember him by

Less than an hour!

2011-08-08T06:36:00.002-07:00

On Saturday I ran my first 10k.

I am slowly building up to the half marathon I signed up for in October!

I ran the 10k in 56 min 30sec.

Not super fast

But faster than I normally run!

My goal is just to finish these races...then I don't feel bad about myself!

I placed 3rd in my age division

because there were only 3 people in my age group that ran it!

It's all worth it when you get a sweet kiss at the end!

New Toys

2011-08-04T06:47:00.002-07:00

I didn't get any new toys...

but Gray did!

They are new to her at least!

Her Aunt Nykki's room got cleaned out

and Gray scored some awesome stuff!

She got this awesome table for her room

and her dad even sits with her at it!

and when you're not looking

she climbs on the chairs!

She also got this stroller which she loves

she loves to push things around

but sometimes it gets tiring so she tips it over and has a seat!

She also got a shopping cart that she uses to climb up on the coffee table

even though she doesn't need it

Have I mentioned this girl climbs on everything?

Well she does!

and she is always so proud of herself!

Now if she could just get down by herself it would make things a lot easier!

Girls Camp

2011-08-02T11:42:00.003-07:00

Being that I am in the YW presidency in my ward...

I got to go to girls camp this year.

I left Gray for the first time overnight

(and was more emotional than she was)

and I had a blast!

Let me just say...I love the girls in my ward!

They are funny, smart, gorgeous, and amazing!

There spirits amaze me all the time!

I don't know if I have laughed as hard as I did at camp in awhile!

Here they are in all their shining glory!

As you can see our theme was Princesses..Daughter of a King

We were Beauty and the Beast!

Best princess ever!

Our amazing camp leaders!

They were so fun and did SO much!

While I was there every one kept thinking I was one of the girls

I guess that means I look young....and I'm ok with that after my b-day!

They also kept mixing up Taylor and me!

I tried to get a picture with her...

this is the best we got!

At their Royal dinner!

Everything was decorated so cute!

Gray loves Kortni

I had Gray with me the last day and she would go to Kortni over me!

I think Kortni might need to come live with us!

I have to admit leading up to girls camp was stressful

but once I got there I felt like I was in YW again!

I can't wait until next year!

My last birthday until I feel like getting older again!

2011-07-25T11:27:00.002-07:00

It was my birthday on Saturday.

I turned 24.

I know some of you may say that I am still young

But 24 seems SO much older than 23!

So I am just going to stay this age for awhile!

No birthday for me for at least 5 years!

Mark took the day off work and since he was home

I chose to get up and run my long run for the week

It felt great and made me feel a little better about all I ate throughout the day!

Mark made me pancakes my favorite

Then he worked out in the yard trying to get some grass to grow

We hope it works!

Then we went to Native New Yorker so I could eat wings

The only thing to eat on your birthday!

My parents brought me these delicious cupcakes from a bakery in Tucson

They were pretty delicious!

and my birthday cake

I love rainbow chip cake with the rainbow chip frosting

The ONLY kind of birthday cake!

I even made it for Gray on her b-day!

Mark got me some nice new running clothes that are awesome!

and a gorgeous picture of Christ and a little boy praying together.

Now I just have to find a place to hang it in my house!

It was a great birthday!

(good thing because I am really not celebrating them anymore!)

Family Pictures

2011-07-22T06:25:00.004-07:00

Guess what?

More pictures from our vacation!

We don't get out much so when we do it's a BIG deal!

When we got to the ranch I was in awe of its beauty and so many great places to take pictures

So one morning I had an impromptu photo shoot!

I could have taken pictures the whole time there were so many great places

But I only made Mark suffer through it one morning!

This is Sunday morning before we headed out

Gray was looking cute in her dress and this well in the yard of the house we stayed out was just too cute to pass up!

She looks WAY too big in this one!

She is laughing at her dad

She really does love him

and when she gets really excited

she pulls her clothes up

A habit that might become a little inappropriate in the future!

and our family pictures

I wasn't planning on taking pictures so I didn't have any super cute outfits

we just went more casual but I love them!

This old house out of rock was awesome!

I love my camera and that we can take our own pictures

and it makes me feel like I am a REAL photographer!

Barking basketball

2011-07-21T06:06:00.004-07:00

We headed up to Alpine this last Sunday to see family

Gray loves going outside and playing basketball

So cute!

She would run to the ball and pick it up and get so excited

She thinks she is pretty big stuff

When she got tired she used the basketball for a seat

Good idea!

Gray is obsessed with dogs

She even woke up barking yesterday!

She started barking and crawling toward Girl dog.

She wanted to be a dog too!

and everything else

2011-07-19T05:59:00.003-07:00

Finally a week later I am finishing up my posts about our vacation

I have to blog when Gray is asleep...because she is crazy

and sometimes it just doesn't hit my priority list!

Anyways...here are just the rest of the pictures from the best vacation ever!

This is the house we stayed in.

SUPER nice!

It was very cozy and had concrete floors so it echoed and Gray loved it

She spent a lot of time yelling just to her herself yell!

Just because I love waterfalls.

They get me every time!

This is the best picture I got of the main lodge

It is beautiful and beautiful around it

(sadly no pictures)

There are tons of green meadows

and a cute little pond

and a giant outdoor fireplace and kitchen

Lets just say it was amazing!

and The Playground

They had a playground on the meadow up on the hill

Gray really liked the swings and slides

And it had a little wheel so she could pretend like she was driving!

She makes this face all the time now!

I couldn't figure out what she was looking at then she let out a little whine

and a tarantula walked out of the tire

she didn't care for it and neither did I!

I took a picture but I don't want to see it every time I look at my blog!

Sedona

2011-07-16T12:09:00.002-07:00

The ranch was only 20 minutes away from Sedona and I had never been

So we headed in for lunch one day

I really really want to hike Oak Creek Canyon someday

Not in the summer though...it was hot!

Anyways...back to Sedona

The rocks and the mountains are beautiful but Sedona...

Not our style.

We felt a little out of place there

and everything is SO expensive!

I'm glad I got to see it but I have had my feel of Sedona for awhile!

We even took a pink jeep tour!

Not really.

I am too cheap to pay for something like that

They park a jeep on the sidewalk though so you can take a picture and pretend you went

That is how cheap people take the Pink Jeep Tour!

It was a smokin' deal!

Riding in the Ranger

2011-07-15T07:31:00.004-07:00

At the ranch the roads went through the river so we couldn't drive my car

We walked around the first day and that wasn't bad...

Did I mention the water in the pond and river was amazing?! Perfect temperature!

On day 2 we got this to ride around in...

The Ranger!

Mark let me drive all the time because I secretly love it..

I decided I am just going to sell my car and get one of these!

With the Ranger we were able to explore the ranch a little more

One morning we went for a beautiful drive and found this...

Isn't this tree huge?

Look at how little Gray looks next to it

Mark might be a little scared here of my driving

I didn't drive too crazy because we had a baby with us!

Gray loved riding in the Ranger.

She could sit in the middle with her seatbelt on and when we went over bumps Mark would try and hold her and she did not appreciate that

She is big stuff you know!

We even let her drive with me for a minute and she was in heaven!

Montezuma castle(a ruin) is just on the other side of the ranch

We drove up to see it from afar and avoided the crowds!

Gray loved the Ranger so much she even climbed in it when we weren't driving

She is so proud of herself!

Seriously, I am going back right now!

Anyone want to join me?

The pond

2011-07-13T13:25:00.003-07:00

I have a million pictures from our trip

So I decided to break it down into different activities that we did

Way better than one extremely long post!

They had a fantastic little pond..

we spent A LOT of time there

This picture of Gray is just because...

I think she is the cutest thing ever

Back to the pond

Mark spend hours fishing and was in heaven

We have never gone fishing before

and now I wonder why

Mark was like a little boy...

More fishing definitely on our "to do" list!

I even had fun catching the little fish

I think fish are adorable...call me weird!

Mark set me up a pole that I could just leave until I got a bite

This is what I caught!

I even became brave enough to hold it.

I could feel the teeth and I swear it took forever to get a picture!

I screamed pretty much the entire time!

The next night I reeled in another catfish

(by the way catfish are SO not cute! rather scary)

It was a little bigger but I didn't want to try and hold another one unless it was a MONSTER!

Gray loved touching the fish and pointing to their eyes

This catfish became dinner for Mark the next evening...I stuck with chicken!

Gray loved running around the pond and wanted to be on the dock at all times

She is fast and sometimes almost gives me a heart attack

We bought her a swimsuit with floaties in it and she hated it

She couldn't move

I felt so bad so I just watched her around the water

Gray even got to eat a pushpop and get as messy as she wanted

She loved it!

I spent some time laying in these great hammocks while Mark was fishing

Isn't the view great?

and the best part of all

There is a giant trampoline in the middle of the pond

BEST IDEA EVER!

One time in high school we tried to put a regular trampoline in Becker Lake

not the same my friends!

This is how you play on the water trampoline!

Even birds think it is great!

I am ready to go back!

Family Vacation

2011-07-12T06:44:00.002-07:00

We took a family vacation.

Our first ever

Mark has been working like crazy so he took a few extra days off

Some nice friends of Mark's offered us a place to stay at their ranch

So off we headed!

We got there on Thursday afternoon and fell in love

Gray loved all the green grass to run around it

We went exploring and ended up at the pond

I caught a catfish and held the catfish

(so scary)

We ate dinner then sat on the porch enjoying the beautiful scenery

and we still had 2 more days to go...

4th of July

2011-07-06T13:18:00.004-07:00

The 4th of July has come and gone

I ate way more food than any normal person should in a week

We celebrated this great country we have to live in

and we partied it up!

Mark finds it entertaining that I buy a shirt for the 4th every year

This year I didn't really have any plans to buy one until i found this...

best shirt ever!

I want to wear it every day..

It's cute and funny!

(Thanks Sydney for finding it for me!)

I was so excited because the 4th fell on Mark's day off

then the Wallow fire happened

He was in town though so we did get to see him for a minute before going to the parade

Gray was a parade expert!

She clapped her little heart out and loved every minute of it!

Thatcher (my nephew) was in the parade with his dad

He talked about it for weeks!

Does it get any cuter?

Gray with her candy!

Gray loved the parade so much and I was sad Mark missed out

since we watched it at the beginning we raced to Springerville to watch it with Mark

The second time around she really got the hang of picking up the candy

and then she would clap so people would throw her more candy

I don't think I have ever enjoyed anything as much as Gray watching the parade!

She danced her little heart out to the band at the end of the parade

and then she would make mad dashes for the road!

We did have a few rocks and pieces of trash in the bucket

She picked up whatever was in sight!

Gray also loved the fireworks and would say "OOOOO"

So cute!

Mark has decided he is going to drive down our road honking his horn and throwing candy

That or we are going on a tour of the US watching parades!

I've started my running career

2011-07-02T13:02:00.003-07:00

I love to run.

Not because I am fast or anything

mostly because it helps me not be so stressed

It is my time away from everything

and it helps the hips from feeling my sweets addiction!

So I knew they did 5k and 10k around the 4th and for Eagardaze

I decided it was my goal to run in them.

I was going to do the 10k today

but the route went over graveyard hill

I can only make it up once...let alone twice!

(the 10k was the 5k route twice)

So i went with the 5k.

I ran it in just under 27 minutes.

Like I said I am not fast...

I run because I like it

Call me crazy!

Here I am in all my glory after my run!

Don't judge me...it was brutally hot at 7am!

I am running the 10k in a month and a half-marathon in October

I just finished my family weight loss competition

and I want something else to keep me motivated to stay in shape

Oh and I lost 15 pounds!!

Not too shabby I must say

Unfortunately I did not win....

But my husband let me buy a few new clothes anyways!

Why do things love to bite me?

2011-06-30T07:21:00.002-07:00

Things love to bite me...

It's a fact

Remember the dog about last year this time?

Well last week I woke up with a bite and didn't think much of it

A few days it was looking a little worse so I went to the doctor

I also had a horrible cold at the same time

when I called the doctor to make an appointment

I realized my voice was completely gone

They said they could hear me and I got things taken care of

When I went in later in the afternoon they had me written down as

"no voice girl"

I guess they couldn't understand my name

I don't blame them...it was not a fun time

back to my bite

so everyone thought I was coming in because I couldn't talk

but I went in because of this...

It was just starting to get infected so I went on antibiotics

Now it is all gone..for the most part

I still have no idea what bit me

I think a spider...

I just want to know....

WHY ME?

Gray's secrets

2011-06-28T06:54:00.002-07:00

It's been awhile since I wrote about Gray and all her awesomeness

I know I talk about her all the time...

but this post is just about her and her "Tricks"

Gray is getting more and more fun by the day and she keeps me busy all day long

She no longer walks...she tries to run everywhere and this results in lots of falls

and lots of cut lips and sad tears.

Poor thing inherited her mother's clumsiness

Gray is starting to copy everything I do

The other day I was folding laundry and I get the shirts out and shake out the wrinkles..

So she started doing the same thing!

It was adorable!

Gray loves to back up to things and sit down....

Who knew the fridge could make such a good seat?

She lives to be outside

and she SECRETLY likes to eat dirt

and play with sticks...and poke people with sticks

The other day Gray was walking on this piece of paper

like it was a pair of shoes

It made LOTS of noise and she loved it!

I couldn't stop laughing

Gray is not much of a talker..

She points and grabs your hand to show you what she wants

She gives hugs sometimes now(Its about time she became cuddly!)

and she pats you when she does

Her dad is trying to teach her to growl like a bear

She loves loud noises and all kinds of fruit

She jabbers all day long to me and uses her hands like she knows exactly what she is saying

She is so fun but getting SO BIG and it makes me sad.

I just REALLY love her!

Mandatory relaxation

2011-06-25T10:13:00.003-07:00

Mark has been working a lot with this whole fire

We still get to see him at night and that is WAY better than not seeing him for 14 days

This last week he had 2 days off after working 14 in a row

We were going to go to Show Low and get a room and such..

but I was not feeling to hot and neither was Mark

So we stayed home.

Gray went swimming in her giraffe pool again

Mark and I went on a date and ate at The Pasta House(so good!)

Then we walked around Lowe's because it is one of my very favorite stores!

We let Gray play in the sprinkler for the first time...

and with the hose while I was planting flowers

I might have gotten water down the back a time or two!

I decided to spruce up the flower beds a little

and we got a hanging pot for the only plant I haven't managed to kill!

Gray's grandpa Brown taught her how to smell flowers

and we relaxed!

It sure was nice having Mark for 2 whole days but they did go by way too fast

Now we are counting down the next 14 days until he gets a few more days off!

4 little owls

2011-06-23T07:21:00.003-07:00

Sitting in a tree!

Albert just keeps bringing more friends over to play...

I don't know if they are friends.

I am pretty sure this is how the story goes

First there was Albert

Then his girlfriend Stacy

Then his other girlfriend Delilah

Then Albert's son Peter showed up.

He was a little smaller than the other owls

But we are not sure if Stacy or Delilah is Peter's mom

SO CONFUSING!

I can't believe we had 4 owls in the tree by our house

So cool!

Sadly I have not seen them in awhile

They do usually leave for a little bit then show up again in a couple months

or at least Albert does.....I don't usually see 4 of them

Look for yourselves...

All 4 owls!

Now that they are gone...

what is going to entertain me?

Oh right I do have a daughter!

Trust me she is definitely keeping my hands full!

Water + Dirt= Gray's favorite!

2011-06-17T12:21:00.002-07:00

For Gray's birthday her Grandpa Mark got her a pool

We have just been waiting for it to be warm enough to use it

So yesterday despite not feeling too great I blew it up

Gray loved it!

I knew she would.

She quickly discovered to could reach over the side of the pool and grab dirt

(Maybe this is why we need to plant grass!)

I keep telling Mark we don't need to because Gray always go for the dirt anyways

So she would grab handfuls of dirt and throw it into her pool

Then her swimming suit got muddy

and her hands..

and she could find rocks in the water to eat!

My little girl is not afraid of being dirty...

she lives for it!

We are glad every time we want to go for a swim we can just throw on the suit and head out the back door...

It makes it really feel like summer

With this wind I am pretty sure it is still spring!

Take the hint wind..and leave!

I SECRETLY love my blue house!

2011-06-14T14:49:00.005-07:00

We have been down in the valley for the last week

We decided last Tuesday to head down for a few days

Then town became evacuated so our trip became a little longer than planned

We did pack extra clothes "just in case" and they came in handy

We got back this afternoon.

It feels so good to be home.

Gray was giddy with excitement.

She loves her house...I love her

Our house may be small...

and need LOTS of fixing up

But we still love the blue house

It is ours!

While we were gone we stayed with Ashley and Butch

Thanks so much for putting up with us!

Gray and Liam love each other.

I know I have said this before but when you see them together you will understand

They are the best of friends.

They are definitely going to miss each other this time!

Ash came up here the week before we headed down there

This is my dad's new bench

It looks good!

Gray and Liam played here a lot!

We went swimming

(no pictures of the actual pool..I didn't want the camera to get stolen)

and we just hung out!

It was lots of fun

but we are MORE THAN HAPPY to be home!

Isn't this face adorable?

We are sure going to miss you Liam!

Smoke

2011-06-04T21:18:00.002-07:00

I know you have all heard about the Wallow fire.

Mark has been fighting it all week...

On Thursday he kept calling me to take pictures

He was in the middle of the smoke and I could see the big plume.

We had Mark's dad and Julie and Nykki come stay at our house for a couple days

Luckily there house is fine but they still can't go home

So we partied it up...with tanning lotion and all!

(Just for you Julie!)

It is crazy how fast the plume can change..

The picture on the top right and bottom left were taken a half hour apart

It is the same part of the smoke

We are praying every day for the people fighting the fire

Especially Mark! I always worry about him knowing how crazy this fire has been

He had to help with the fire around his Dad's house...

Good thing he is good at his job!

Makes me miss being a firefighter a little....but mostly not

I am glad I don't have to be in the middle of this.

Where's Albert?

2011-06-02T14:33:00.003-07:00

Have you forgotten about Albert?

Silly people!

Don't ever forget ALBERT again!

He is my pet owl remember?

I first saw him on the telephone pole after hearing him around for months

Now he has moved to the tree in our neighbors yard

Can you find Albert?

How about now?

He decided to spend the evening in our pine tree!

And then the other day...

Stacy came back!

(she is Albert's girlfriend for the forgetful people!)

This morning I drove up to my house and there were 3 owls in this tree.

I didn't have my camera because I was just running home really quickly and I took the camera to the parents to take pictures of the smoke

So I went to grab my old camera Mark has in his truck...

DEAD BATTERIES!

Dang men!

Another Birthday

2011-05-31T06:54:00.002-07:00

Mr. Brady had a birthday almost a week ago!

I bought things to make him a nice dinner..

and a pretty healthy dessert.

And then he got a fire

And he worked until 8 or 9 o'clock.

We finally did get to have his birthday dinner on Friday

(His birthday was on the 25th!)

We did eat some of the cheesecake I made him when he got home though

It is called Skinny cheesecake.....

so tasty and not too bad for you and REALLY easy!

We never even sang Happy Birthday to Mark

He said it was ok because he turned 31!

He thinks he is really old!

We sure do love him though....

he is the best dad in the WORLD to Miss Gray

and FOR THE MOST PART he is a good husband!

Full-time Mommy

2011-05-27T12:59:00.002-07:00

It is official people....

I am a full-time mommy starting TODAY!

and not just for the summer...

FOREVER!

(We will actually see about that)

After a lot of thought and maybe some tears(Mark not me!)

We have made the decision for me to not go back to work.

I fill giddy with excitement.

I love my job!

I love teaching.

I am so glad I was able to work and help provide for my family and do something I love

but I felt so torn this last year

When I was at work I just wanted to be home...

and now I can be!

No more having to be ready to leave the house by 7am!

If I don't want to take a shower every day I don't have too

No more wearing make-up every day

(I hate the stuff!)

No more dress clothes 4 days a week

Here's to sweat pants every day!

Here is to lazy days of just playing

Here's to the park whenever we want!

It is going to be great..

I can feel it!

Who cares if we can't pay our bills?

I get to be home with my baby!

I see a lot of this is the future!

Sweet MOM skills

2011-05-25T13:59:00.002-07:00

I have learned A LOT of things as a mom

and I have acquired some pretty sweet skills

see for yourself...

Who needs the thing to put the blocks on?

I'll just balance them on my head!

Gray thought it was quite funny and kept bringing me more blocks

I have come to realize I will do anything to entertain my child

Good thing she thinks I'm funny!

Family time

2011-05-24T20:13:00.004-07:00

Mark has decided to simplify his life...

So if he doesn't call you back you know why!

(Not really!)

We did decide that we need to spend more time together as a family

So that is just what we did!

We packed a nice picnic lunch that tasted just like Subway!

(Gray had her first Subway sandwich and loved it!)

And we played at the park

Gray went for the gravel and the sand...

She has no interest in the nice green grass!

She did slide down the sand mound on her bum though..

And made a cute little but slide!

There was a hole in the sand so she could have a nice seat

This girl loves to sit on things!

Then we swung together!

I didn't go very high because my stomach isn't the same as when I was a child!

Family time is so much fun!

(That is what Gray is saying!)

Remember my diet?

Well I've lost 10 lbs so far and am almost to my goal weight

Since I still have a while in the competition..

I am moving my goal weight down!

And I am thinking about becoming a model?

The future looks bright!

1 going on BOSS!

2011-05-20T12:07:00.002-07:00

Gray is slowly taking over our house...

Ok she has pretty much been in charge since April 10th, 2010

I always said I was never going to be that parent that always gave into my child..

and now I am one of them! I do put my foot down on some things and thats when she goes to her dad for comfort!

I want to be the good guy all the time!

My mom had to get some things in Show Low this week so we jumped in

Gray found this purse at Wal-mart....

Does it get any cuter?

Gray also plays with our phones all the time

I just can't say no!

She now holds them up to her ear and says "ello"

Cutest thing ever!

She also says "eye" and points to your eye and knows where your nose is too!

This girl is so funny and getting way too big!

Do any of you remember what I did before I had a child?

Obviously nothing!

Temple Pictures

2011-05-19T12:27:00.002-07:00

While the older girls and boys have been doing dance festival I have been having Wednesday night activities with just the beehives.

It has been so much fun!

I have loved getting to know these girls better

I asked them to suggest some ideas for activities...

One girl pointed out we should make pictures of the Temple for our room

because President Monson said we should have one in every room in the house

Then she said she did listen to general conference!

(I love them...that is all)

So last night that is just what we did.

We put a picture of the Temple and Jesus Christ and then they decorated their hearts out

Aren't they so adorable?

I love how creative they are

I am pretty sure they could have added things to them all night if I would have let them

Do you think Mark would mind if I made one for our room?

I am smelling a project coming on soon

In just over a week I will have a lot more time on my hands!

A whole lot of nothing

2011-05-13T12:35:00.001-07:00

I have nothing to say...

We have been doing a whole lot of nothing around here

We play with toys a lot and try to keep the house semi-clean

We go out as little as possible and run all errands on the way back to the house after work

We have a list of things to do that hasn't gotten done because I don't want to leave my house

We are surviving though..

and still having lots of fun with a little baby girl

Her new favorite game is to make piles of anything but especially clothes

She will take the same clothes and move them all over the house for quite some time

If only they ended up in the dirty clothes!

(she usually pulls them out of the dirty clothes to start...and they never make it back!)

Someday we plan to become a more exciting family...

Maybe!

They love each other

2011-05-05T13:45:00.005-07:00

I love being able to live close to my parents and my parents come attached with Taylor. We don't know if we love her but she is always around so she is growing on us..

Not really! We love Taylor and I love being able to see her grow up and be so close to her

Gray also loves Taylor...

and Taylor loves Gray!

Taylor feeds Gray whatever she is eating

and that right there is the way to a Tiny girl's heart

Taylor will tote Gray around even if she has homework to do

or food to eat because Gray doesn't want her to put her down

Gray and Taylor see each other almost every day of the week

When Taylor doesn't see Gray for a couple days she feels lost!

(I don't know if she really does but she misses her!)

The only person Taylor shares her Captain Crunch with is Gray

(It helps that Taylor is eating healthier!)

They love each other and that is a fact!

We are glad Gray gets to spend time with her Aunt Timmy

she is Gray's only friend!

and she is a great babysitter!

We love parties!

2011-05-03T14:13:00.008-07:00

It was a cute little girl's birthday this weekend!

We headed down to Globe to celebrate Randi's 1st birthday on Friday.

Let me just say....Randi is adorable!

I can't wait for her and Gray to get bigger and like playing together.

They are only 3 weeks apart

Mark's mom lives a ways outside of Globe and she doesn't have many neighbors

It is a nice place to get away to!

Gray could just wander outside.

She loved it and so did we!

We had fun seeing Mark's family

and celebrating Randi's special day of course!

Gray shared some of Randi's cake.

She wasn't as timid as Randi

Gray is an experienced cake eater you know!

Mark's mom has chickens and rabbits and a horse

Gray loved them all!

Being at Mark's mom makes me want to have a little land with a few animals someday

Then I remember I can barely take care of my little 1 year old..

My goldfish Jeri died from neglect I am sure

So that means no animals for me!

It is just not my strong suit!

Yes I'm on a diet...and I have no idea why!!

2011-04-28T13:26:00.002-07:00

A couple weeks ago my dear sister Ashley called me to tell me that some of our siblings and such were doing a weight loss competition. She was calling to ask if Mark wanted to participate and said I could if I wanted to. I have been the same weight forever so I thought sure I will join in. So I loaded up with all things that I shouldn't be eating the week before because I needed all the extra pounds I could get. I did good the first week and lost a couple pounds which were probably from my overload the week before!

I just want to say I hate dieting. I haven't really lost that much weight and I decided to not eat sweets which is just pure madness!

I haven't been completely faithful to my no sugar eating but I only have had a couple slips!

I am grouchy because I feel hungry all the time

I am grouchy because I know I am not going to win this stupid thing

And I wonder every day why I signed up for this?

I would be happy if when it was over I looked like this again!

I was so skinny I was glowing!

Or maybe I could fit into these pants again?

Not going to happen!

Having a child does wonders for your body!

Nothing is the same anymore!

I do love working out though and it helps me not be so grouchy on this diet!

It better be worth it or I am going to beat you up Ashley!

Coloring eggs is so funny!

2011-04-26T15:19:00.005-07:00

According to Gray that is. She is such a little ham and the life of every get together we have!

We had big plans of coloring eggs early but Mark had a crazy week at work so we finally got to it on Saturday night. My parents and Taylor came to join in on the fun. I didn't make any spectacular eggs this year because Gray kept our hands full!

I bought a kit with sand in it and it didn't work out so well...the pictures on the box looked way better! Not so easy my friends!

Gray loved her Easter basket and I did too. Mark got me lots of healthy stuff since we are on a diet!(I don't want to talk about it!)

We even let Gray eat some candy for Easter and she loved it!

Sadly no pictures of her in her Easter dress because we were a little rushed to get to church. I did take some of her in it in her 1 year pictures though so I'm not too worried!

It is nice to go to church and celebrate our Savior and remember all he did for us. Church always gives me that extra boost I need to get through my week!

We are excited to say Gray's first Easter was a success!

1 year photo shoot

2011-04-20T13:16:00.005-07:00

I decided to take some pictures of year at 1 year since I am too cheap to pay for someone to take pictures! I have the camera and with more practice I might become halfway decent someday! Until then we get my wannabe photographer pictures!

Words can not do her justice!

If we could we would live outside!

2011-04-19T13:27:00.003-07:00

The only bad thing would be the cold nights! But no house payment? That is my dream come true! Don't be surprised if in my next post we have moved into our luxury tent we purchased last summer!

Gray has grown so fond of the outdoors that she screams every time we have to bring her in or every time the door opens and closes and she is still inside the house!

On Friday the weather was lovely and I forgot to go to the bank like an idiot so I decided to get out the stroller and walk to the bank since it is only a short distance from our house!

Gray loved it!

How cute is she just relaxing in her stroller!

Juice and the outdoors...it is all this girl needs!

Mark constantly gives me a hard time about not doing anything with our flower beds.

In my defense the first summer we were married I worked full time and the next I had a brand new baby! Both of those don't allow much time for the flower beds.

Friday I got out the rake and my hands and went to work on them finally!

They are all cleaned up and I can't wait to pick out more flowers for them when it gets a little warmer!

Gray loves to run away from me.

I do not love it! Well i do except when she has something she isn't suppose to have..

and that is her favorite time to run away!

While we were outside she was trying to eat who knows what and I went to get her...

and you guessed it, she ran!

She took a little spill on the sidewalk....

and received her first fat lip!

So sad!

Luckily it was mostly gone by that night!

Stay tuned for some adorable 1 year pictures of Gray that I took!

It's Gray's party...

2011-04-13T12:16:00.004-07:00

This picture wasn't really at her party. It is on her actual birthday! Gray got this adorable jacket and pants from Mark's sisters and we had to try it on. This jacket it from AE! My favorite store ever...Gray in it is a dream come true! My heart has now melted into one big puddle!

We celebrated Gray's birthday the day before the big day so family could come and join us. All of Mark's family was there and Ashley, Butch and Liam came! We had big plans to have it at the park..I made invitations and everything! They were nothing special and I took a picture but I forgot to put them on here! Well being that we live in Springerville it quickly became apparent the party was not going to happen at the park. So we changed it to my parent's house! Thanks for letting us crash your house! Gray loved all the attention and was a doll the whole time!

Lets replay the party through pictures....

I bought Gray this awesome birthday hat and shirt and she definitely was the Cutest Birthday Girl Ever!

Gray scored some pretty awesome gifts! She got this awesome turtle to ride on...I might have given it a try!

When I was pregnant with Gray I found this elephant cake in one of my cookbooks and from that moment on she was getting an elephant cake for her first birthday. I think it turned out so cute! I made some elephant cookies to go with it...and a special cake for Gray to eat all by herself!

(Thanks Taylor for the sign!)

Gray loved her cake a little too much! Once she figured out what it was she was shoving handfuls in her mouth! She was not happy when she had to stop! This is why she did not eat sweet stuff before now!

Gray just wanted to climb on her presents instead of open them! She did enjoy pulling things out of the gift bags. She would get so excited when I would tear the wrapping paper she would just start playing with the toys before we could get it out!

We love you Gray and I hope you enjoyed your elephant/jungle animal/safari birthday party. (I couldn't find elephant plates so they had other animals on them!) Thanks everyone for coming to celebrate her special day! Gray is definitely one spoiled girl!

Gray is now a 1 year old!

2011-04-12T14:48:00.002-07:00

Gray turned 1 on Sunday even though I was not ready for her to be so big! We still love her to pieces though and she is SOOO much fun right now! Here are some awesome things about Gray...

Weight: 17 lbs 3 oz. After being sick for a couple weeks we are back on the growth chart!
Height: 28.5 inches
She LOVES to point at anything and everything and if you will take her around to touch stuff she will love you forever!
She has developed a fake laugh all the sudden ( I am blaming it on Liam!)
She says uh-oh!
She still loves to eat everything and when she is done eating she just pulls the food right out of her mouth.
She loves to push buttons and just got some awesome toys that have lots of buttons!
She loves socks and shoes and to put things in the garbage in my room and other random places. Mark was taking out the trash and he asked if I threw these bells away that Gray loves to play with...guess who did it? Little Stinker!
She absolutely loves it outside and we go outside every chance we get!

We love you so much Gray and your funny little personality even if you are a little stubborn!

P.S. She had a pretty awesome birthday party with the coolest cake ever! Pictures of that to come soon....

Ready or not...

2011-04-07T15:20:00.002-07:00

Things are changing it seems around here. I don't know how I feel about it. I love a routine and if I could do the exact same thing every day I probably would. Actually I already do almost the exact same thing every day!

I got put in the young woman's presidency a couple weeks ago. I kept telling Mark that I wanted to be in young woman's and now that the opportunity is here I am feeling a little scared. I am sad to leave my primary class. They were so sweet and adorable! I am excited for this new adventure and opportunity to grow. I am humbled to say the least. Last night I did my first Young Women's activity by myself. Everything went well and I don't think the girls were completely bored with me! I need to tap into my old high school self so I can be crazy and fun again! I really am excited even though I am having to change my routine around a little bit!

Gray is almost one and I am definitely not ready for this. I am having a very hard time with my little girl being one! It makes me want another baby right now....don't get your hopes up though. It's not happening!

Gray continually reminds me that she is getting bigger whether I like it or not. She has gotten a little bit of an attitude in the last week. She has also figured out when we go to my parents in the morning that I am soon going to leave and she does not like it! Then when I return to pick her up she screams at me to let me know that she is not happy with me! Isn't she too young to do these things?

Gray still loves it outside and the other day while her dad was home for lunch he let her help him water the lawn! The pictures say it all!

Dad is so much fun! Too bad you can only have on fun parent! Why does it always get to be the dad?

Maybe if I didn't love routines so much I would be more fun? Just a thought! Maybe some more changes are to come!

Sicks and Chicks

2011-04-04T13:19:00.002-07:00

We have been "Sicks" here at our house. It has not been a very exciting week. Our house that really needed some cleaning only became dirtier and the dishes started to overtake the sink on some occasions...but hopefully the house will get taken care of soon! Gray has been throwing up on and off for 2 weeks...poor little thing! The doctor is now concerned about her weight because she just haven't been eating much which is not like her at all! Hopefully we can get over this soon so she can really enjoy her birthday cake this weekend! I was not feeling well either a few days this week..and that is how the house because a disaster. I am feeling better though and Gray is sleeping so I SHOULD be cleaning! I will get to it I promise!

Last night we drove up to Alpine to see Mark's family and they just got new little baby chickens. Gray loved to just watch them and point but she did not want to touch them! She just likes to look from a distance!

And that is all that has happened to us in the last week! Every one deserves to be boring every once in a while!

I think Burger King has a kids menu!

2011-03-28T08:54:00.007-07:00

This last week was my spring break for work and so we had plans set to hang out as a family. We were all set and ready to head out Sunday after church...Gray had different plans. She woke up Saturday night throwing up...so our trip was postponed a few days. We did get to stay for the awesome rib party in honor of Uncle Steven and it was delicious and fun! Wednesday morning we packed up the car and headed to the valley. It seems like every time I go down there I have a million things to do and I never get everything done I want to. We had lots of fun...and Mark said that I shopped until I dropped...here are a few pictures!

Gray and Liam mesmerized by Elmo...for a few seconds anyways!

We went to the park one day..and of course Gray only wanted to play in the sand!

Brynli was making some cute faces for Mark!

Mark said this is what his life is like. Me always telling him something to do! I just didn't want my picture taken!

And I learned Carli can stand up under the little goal with room to spare!

It is funny how well Gray and Liam play together. He is the only kid Gray even cares about. They follow each other around...so cute!

They even took a bath together!

Poor Liam! The only place his mom would let him play was in the trunk so he didn't get dirty! Not really ...he wanted in there and he loved it!

On Friday..Mark and I went out shopping and his mom and sister drove down to see Gray. They were in Kohl's and we stayed outside in the car because Gray was napping. As I go to pull out of Kohl's I can barely turn the wheel in my car. Some nice ladies stopped to let me back out and it took FOREVER because I couldn't turn with my weak arms! I'm sure they thought it was entertaining. Come to find out my power steering went out. So I pull out my book and it was the only pump not covered on the warranty. I called the dealership where I bought my car...and it had a recall on it. They sent me a notice but told me to wait until the second notice so I forgot about it. What a relief! We drove to the closest Mazda dealer and they were super nice and squeezed us in so we could go home the next day. While we were waiting for Ashley to pick us up they kept trying to sell us a new car. This one older gentleman sales guy really liked Mark. He just talked and talked to him about random things until Ashley picked us up. Mark asked him where was good to eat..you know making conversation and he said TGIFridays...not bad. Then he said or across the street there is a Burger King and it is very kid friendly! He was pretty sure that they even had a kids menu and high chairs and everything! When we left...he came over to Ashley's car. He hung around a little close for comfort for me! He said something about Burger King....he thought that is where we were headed! Hilarious! He said a lot of other funny things but I don't want to write it all down...

So the one thing I learned on this trip....

Burger King has a kids menu...i think?

Happy Anniversary To Us...

2011-03-21T10:09:00.002-07:00

Mark and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary yesterday. Well we really celebrated it on Saturday because we couldn't go out on Sunday. In honor of our 2 year anniversary I have come up with 2 reasons why we did not get married in the Snowflake temple.

Reason #1:

and Reason #2

Do I need to say anymore?! I am glad my face didn't look like the above picture in all of my wedding photos. Mark's face still looks normal...whatever! When we knew we were going to get married in March I thought wind...and so we went with Mesa. I still think it was a good idea!

We celebrated our anniversary by going to the temple and then we went and had dinner together. It was simple, but fun. I am glad I married Mark...the only person who is willing to challenge me in everything I do and say!

I have spirit yes I do!

2011-03-19T10:03:00.002-07:00

One of the things I get to do for my job is be one of the student council sponsors. I work with little kids so we don't do a lot of student council things but we do dress up a couple times a year! It is spring break(I don't know if I can control my excitement!) and so this last week we had our spirit week.

One day we dress up as super heros....

And I transformed into the "denominator." Mark told me I was the nerdiest superhero he had ever seen. I am a math teacher!

And I also became a hippie for a day!

We also wore green one day for St. Patrick's Day but I didn't get any pictures because it was nothing special!

You got to love a job where you get to play dress up every once in awhile!

I can feel spring in the air

2011-03-16T12:51:00.004-07:00

And because Mark and I got married on the first day of spring! So convenient! Now I know when to look forward to the end of the dreary winter. And that my friends is coming up this weekend. Last Friday Mark had the day off and the weather was gorgeous outside so we decided to take Gray to the park. We went down the slides a couple of times and Gray enjoyed it but what she really wanted to do was play in the sand!

If she went a little bit further she would have laid out in the sand completely!

I love her face here! It is like on Titanic when Kate Winslet does that flying thing...except Gray does it at the park! Same thing!
We look forward to spending LOTS of days at the park!