HANNIBAL

We had an amazing trip to hannibal, mo this week. we decided to go visit the mark twain museum, and we wanted to do the site river tour, but the last one left before we called.. but they did have a 2 hr dinner cruise... we hummed and hawed (pricey thing!) and thought u know what this is once in lifetime opportunity. so we did it.. and im so glad it was a blast!! i mean a real blast! wade decided he loved mark twain and wants to read the books.. so we got him one.

there is nothing like eating dinner, listening to jazz music and watching the sunset on the mississippi!! it was beautiful! and so big.. us utahns just dont get a big river..lol it blows us away!! it was definatly a night we will never forget! nate even asked me to dance!! wow hehe

school day :)

kids started school here aug. 18th. they have really liked it. they both got young great teachers and are meeting lots of new friends.. i am of course enjoying my free days again with lots of jewelry, and mommy pampering time lol.. ok not really but hey im trying here :)

troy, mo

i know its been awhile.. caught up in facebook ..lol so you can always go there for the latest.. :)

we have been enjoying missouri, the ward has been lovely, and welcoming. the kids have loved it meeting lots of friends.

The sites here are really pretty, lots of greenery. now the humitidy on the other hand is awful ..lol i though texas would prepare me for it.. but it didnt lol. its awful. on the other hand the fireflies all but make up for it ;)

last day of school :)

We survived a crazy year of school lol.... Wade was such a trooper changing school as much as he did this year. He even made the A-B Honor roll for 2 semesters, and got a honorable mention on his science experiment! He is looking forward to a summer with his dad, and of course finding new friends.

Emma is finally all ready for kindergarten to start next year. She did awesome in her full time pre-k class. I have to say i think our kids these days are ready for full time school starting at kindergarten. she adjusted so well, and really enjoyed it!

We are going to the beach this weekend. Then grandpa ovard is coming down on thursday and spending some time before he helps us drive out to Troy, MO

The exciting things we are looking forward to inn Missouri are:

Nauvoo is 3 hours away so we are definitely making a stop

St. Louis is an hour awa filled with the famous arch, louis and clark museums, a zoo and six flags.

so there should be plenty to keep us busy all summer

We are thinking about trying to stick around with nate for school, at least half year.. I dont know its been a tough choice, but we all hate to be seperated from him!!

We will let you all know how it goes :)

Fiesta day fun

Nate had to show a demo car at the lackland afb fiesta day party. (fiesta is a big big 2 week long party all over the place in texas lol)

So i took the kids to see there dad and they had all kinds of army displays up. One was a mobile hospital unit. They let the kids dress up as doctors, and remove scrapnel from the patient(not a real one haha) Then the kids got to suck out the blood.. and last cauterize a piece of meat lol(the smell was awful!) anyway they really enjoyed this.

Then the kids went on all the ride and we tried some homeade gorditas (yummy) and huge sausages.

It was a fun day :) The first pic is one of emma in the traditional fiesta day head piece...isnt she cute? lol the main celebration is downtown but is so crowded a little country born girl like me just doesnt want to attempt it lol. luckily they have these little small parties all over so you can still get a taste of it! the kids even get a day off school so they can go join the fiesta!! haha lots of fun in texas :)

Emma's first tooth

After months and months of wishing her teeth would start getting loose it finally happened! she lost her first tooth monday :) she has been wiggling it for a week now. so excited that she was going to loose it. asking about the tooth fairy (how big he is..is he scary lol) and so she was so happy when mom helped it pop out the last little bit! Of course she promptly spent her dollar on some lipgloss (yup all girl!!). so the happy toothless pictures begin :)

Easter

Easter in texas :) On saturday i designed a easter egg treasure hunt for the kids. Wade read all the clues, and then they ran all over the farm looking for the next egg. It all ended with the last egg in a bag of rice crispies which we then made rice crispies squares for our treat.

The next day they hurried out to see if the easter bunny had come. which of course it had. Bringing emma pompoms and cheer stuff, and and wade a ball and a squirt gun...and of course a big cholocate bunny :). After church we were invited over to the rios's for easter dinner. i baked rolls, and they had a bbq brisket which was very yummy. I was so glad nate was able to be here for easter. I think it really made it special for the kids.

Texas :)

I know its been awhile, ive been drawn away to facebook lol. A dear friend reminded me that blogs are more indepth and she missed seeing mine so im being a good girl and posting whats been going on.

We made it to texas safe and sound...quite a trip with 2 kids and 2 dogs.. but without too much drama we found texas after 2 days of driving. We were greeted by 80' weather and sun :) We were very happy to have a place to stay and enjoyed the luxory of room in holly's place after being in the trailer for a couple months.

The kids started school and have been enjoing it ! Emma actually goes to all day pre-k...what a suprise for mom to have her gone all day i was lost the first day not sure what to do with myself lol WAde is enjoying his new teacher and loving school again :) they enjoy being on the farm and helping with the chores(not sure how much help they are but they are loving it)

We have some awesome neighbors (there are 4 homes on a 30 acre farm..its amazing!) The owners the bartons have always been very nice and have welcomed us warmly. the rios's(daughter to the bartons) have 2 children 12 and 13 who keep wade and emma entertained and they love hanging out with them so its very nice.

Nathans job ended abrubtly a week and a half ago. he thought he would get onto another crew but it didnt happen. so he decided to come out and join us in texas for awhile. he took a job out here at a honda dealership, so he will work there for awhile. im not sure what the next job will do. he is in a debate to keep going or stay put for awhile. the construction really takes a toll on the family its hard, but we know its temporary so we are debating what to do. Ill keep ya all posted on what ends up happenning. If he does go back on the road we will join him in the summer for awhile before returning here for school in the fall

Emma had a pre-k feild trip to sea world of all places :) it was a blast! i was able to attend where they let the kids see all the animals, then they had a couple shows one with shamu, and one with the sea lions..it was so fun!! I loved the dolphins, and of course just wondering around seeing the amazing animals. it was a once in a lifetime experience for emma she loved it!

Anyway we have been enjoying the 80' weather and loving the sun :) Ill keep ya posted with pics and stuff as we go :) love ya all and miss ya all :)

my cuties :)

Here are my cuties. How they have grown this year. they have stepped up to the challenges and done so well.

we are taking a break from the road. Nate is probably continuing on to missouri. As we didnt intend for wade to move this much in the school year we have decided ( after much prayer and a little heartache) to let them finish school in texas with holly. then we will rejoin Nate in the summer. then the kids will continue school in texas in the fall.

It was not an easy choice as these kids love there dad...and there dad loves them. but we know this is just a short time. and that we are doing this to better our family. we will all be a little stronger and wiser when we are all done (i hope)

The kids again were an active part of our decision. as this effects them. they agreed this was the best thing and are looking forward to staying in the same place for school.

What an adventure we have had. we will miss Ohio, we have made many friends here. we love the ward. and will sorely miss the fellowship we have fet here. So on this crazy adventure we continue. to the end..and our happy ending (which includes a house and a dad lol) we love you all and have appreciated all the prayers we have felt in our behalf!

our little mistake lol

Well of course daisy went into heat, and of course we tried to keep rocky and her apart..but thats very hard to do in a 24 ft trailer . so the inevitable happened and we end up with puppies. Daisy being very young im afraid had a very hard time. not knowing what to do with them.( so I got on the comp and researched taking care of new puppies, birthing them, and hand feeding them) it took many days to teach her how to feed them and to stay with them.

Unfortunately one was born with a cleft palate and eventually died. the little girl though is still going strong. we had a scare when moms milk dropped to nothing and i had to supplement. but it looks like even that has passed so little roxy ( named by holly as she will be taking over at 7 weeks lol) is 1 week today! mom and baby are both doing well. and mom tasha is exhausted..lol but there is something about a baby puppy and a new life to bring your own into perspective. and of course they are just so gosh darn cute!!

Marriage memo :)

I saw this on melissa's post thought it was cute so here goes :)

1. Where did you and your husband meet?
We met while we were both going to school at Weber state university. i was in a not dating stage..and a dear friend of ours kept trying to put us together...to the point that he staged a group thing and we showed up and it was me and nate lol. and eventually we clicked became best friends and the rest is history :)

2. How long before you kissed?
We hadnt really been going out that long..maybe a couple weeks. nate invited me to a dance at the college and we were in getting the food ready for every one and he kissed me. Bad boy. then he wouldnt stop kissing me all night at the dance.. and i was mad because we were suppose to just be friends..not anything more but i kissed him back so silly i know lol

3. Who kissed who first?
He did of course lol

4. How long from the time you met until you were engaged?
about 3 months. not very long. i was expecting him to tell me that we were more than friends (since we were kissing lol) so i was waiting for him to tell me he liked me. instead he proposed. i was blown away.. and didnt say anything for like 5 min. you should have seen his face when I didnt speak for 5 min!! lol

5. How did he propose?
We were sitting on the couch watching a movie after a dance at the college. he turned to me very serious (hence i thought he was going to tell me he really liked me) and he said he really loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. and i was dumbstruck..but eventually i said yes :)

6. Did he pick out the ring or did you?
We went together. we didnt have alot of money, and it was so unexpected for me that i had no clue what i wanted. but we settled on a solitaire and matching bands..

7. Do you still like the ring?
I still have the diamond, after i worked at a jewelry store i picked out something i really loved, so i took my diamond and put it in a necklace so i can always have it :)

8. Where was your wedding and reception?
We were married in the Salt lake Temple. Our reception was in henefer.

9. How many bridesmaids did you have, and who was your maid of honor?
My sisters were my bridesmaids.. and my best freind maurnee thomas was my maid of honor


10. What color were your bridesmaid dresses?
navy blue if i remeber lol

11. What was your bouquet made of?
My mother made it, it had all kinds of flowers and navy blue and burgundy ribbons it was very pretty

12. Who gave you away?
hmm dont really do it that way in the temple :)


13. Did you cry during your wedding?
I think I was in shock ..lol so I was very quiet :) and i didnt cry lol


14. What style was your dress?
I designed it, and my mother made it.. its was gorgeous with a empire waist and v bottom.. i loved it


15. Was your wedding kiss sweet or sexy?
sweet...lol my hubby would be too embarassed for sexy lol


16. Who caught your bouquet?
I have no clue lol im sure there is a picture somewhere

17. What flavor was your cake?
The top was spice.. it was yummy, im not sure if we did different flovors or not lol

18. Did you smash the cake onto each other's faces or feed it to each other nicely?
I think we were nice..a little mushing but no smashing :)

19. What was "your song" that you danced to at your wedding?
we didnt dance to a song. my mother did a hawaiin wedding dance, and maurnee sang it was beautiful.

20. What did you serve your guests to eat?
lol i think we had little sandwiches..but i cant remeber hehe

21. What did your friends do to decorate your car?
i know they did something ..nate just ran through a drivethrough on our way to salt lake!

22. What was your favorite wedding gift?
our dishes we picked out from zcmi. and the money we got, because otherwise we woudnt have been able to go on our honeymoon

24. Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We spent first night in salt lake and the hotel didnt have the honeymoon suite ready so we got to go in the presidential suite..was very awesome. then we went to montana for a week :)

25. Looking back, is there anything you would have changed about your wedding?
Hmm well thats for another time im sure lol prob would have eloped..much easier hee J/k

I am very happy I am with such a wonderful man. He is a marvelous father, and husband and tries very hard to provide for his family. He is very spiritual, and loves his family couldnt ask for anything more!!

Mundane

I know i havent written anything exciting lately. but honestly everything right now is just mundane. We are getting into our schedule. With Nathan back to work, Wade at school, and emma starting preschool (hurray!! lol) and me with my working out every morning and then cleaning and shoping and all the normal stuff i do..lol we have finally found a nice schedule and our life is nice and boring hehe. and i can say personally it is nice to finally have a little drama out of the way. we are long way from catching up from the no working thing, but things are heading in the right direction and so its been a quiet couple of weeks. and im not complaining in the least .

There are days i come home and wish i could walk into a house rather than a scrunched trailer. or that i could send my kids to there "rooms" rather than cubby holes. but on the flip side we are doing well and surviving.

Emma qualified for the preschool at the school where wade goes to, so she is there mon-thurs. afternoons.. she gets to ride the bus( which she thinks is the best thing ever!!) and mom is getting alot more free time... which was sore in need

so as life settles in, im all for mundane lol. and im looking forward to more of it in the future :)

Snow Days!

So growing up in utah, snow days were not the fun you get to miss school and stay home and play..lol well in cincinnati thats a different ballgame. they panic at and inch of snow. so when we heard a major storm was coming the panic started almost instantly. monday schools delayed or closed even though it wasnt snowing!! Tuesday brought 3 inches of snow and so wades school closed as did Nates work. We all laughed knowing that in utah 3 inches is a day in the park lol. then we heard the rest of the forcast. 1/2-1 inch of ice over night turning to 4 more inches of snow. now if u have never been through an ice storm its crazy and wicked! the rain comes down and instantly freezes. so we woke up today with 1/2 inch of ice and heavy snow falling! of course school was canceled and nates work as well. and though the first day of staying home and playing was fun, a second day confined to a small trailer didnt not sound as appealing lol. but the kids of course wanted to wake up and go play outside being utahns and missing playing in the snow lol. so here are a few snow pics of the snow day :) feels more and more like utah..except that thick layer of ice on everything lol

New Hair!!

Yes i went and got new hair today lol. Anybody that knows me, knows that changing my hair is like therapy for me. hehe. I love walking into a salon and walking out feeling like a new person. Its my one vice..hehe ok maybe i have more than one but its a fun one heh.

I started out with blonde hair just a couple months ago. and then i went brown with melissa, which i felt it was a mousy color so i turned it into black lol.

I know black isnt the best color for me, but its a fun one, but very high maintance to say the least .

So today i was going to have them lift the black and try a brown with caramel highlights. well lets just say that didnt happen lol. when she pulled the black out it went to this very pretty color of redish brown. She was so amazed she had gotten a usable color (guess that it usually goes fire red, or carrot orange lol) that she was like wow that color looks really good, u should try it. of course me being all game said sure hehe. and so a little while later i walked out a red head.

The pic doesnt do the color justice..ill have to try and find a better way to capture the color. its a really pretty dark red. with lots of different tones in it. im going to have fun with it for sure. and it really makes my eyes look green lol

So i guess for awhile im exploring the world of red hehe. Emma's first words to me were. "your not my mom, my mom has black hair lol" And of course wade said thats cool mom. hehe. and nate just sighed and said whatever makes you happy hehe.

So for now the red sticks..and we will go from there hehe

BTW nates job is going great. he is just excited to be working im sure. The ward out here is wonderful, we have been asked to someone's house for dinner at least once a week. so we are meeting lots of people hehe. And as soon as that first pay check hits we should be doing fine lol. Love ya all, miss ya lots :)

Pilates

My new favorite class.. PILATES. I was taking 2 zumba classes but i ran into an instuctor who couldnt keep a beat or count it lol..and the teacher in me just couldnt handle that class lol. so i decided to switch to pilates. this is my second week and i am loving it!! i feel so much longer and taller and straighter when im done. And finding all those core muscles and isolating them is intriguing lol i didnt know they were all there. we have an awesome instructor who will com around and show us if were pointing the right way or doing it right..lol but today i walked out of the gym feeling energized, and tall lol (this is a big deal u know lol)

anyway im loving all my classes really my kick boxing class..literally kicks butt.. she is awesome..doesnt let ya off easy yet does all different lvls and keeps ya going ...and keeps those muscles going too lol

my cardio shape with weights class is awesome too..alot of step arobics, weights stretches and so forth. and our teacher is so cute u just cant help liking it

zumba im not sure yet..due to wade's school being delayed because of cold weather i have only attened the one class with the teacher i just couldnt hack, so ill let you know this week how the other goes :)

And yes Nathan started his job!! yeah we were both soo relieved. He is doing enviromental work on site..really meaning going around making sure site is clean, fences up, and water where its suppose to be....he is on a 4 man crew and he said first day was spent getting lost on ohio roads lol go figure :) im sure he will enjoy it and were so gratefull that it started!!!

we just really feel blessed. it was struggle for sure, but i know we are where we are suppose to be, and doing what were suppose to do. thank you all for your concern and prayers and help!! love ya all and miss ya al tons!!

good news

yeah! we got the call we were waiting for! Nate should start work monday. what a long and very hard wait its been! not to say that having nate home that long was very strange..like getting to know him all over again lol.

but we survived! thank you all for your phone calls, and prayers. Ill keep you up to date on how it goes :)

The one thing we have started doing as a family is playing games. since we dont have a tv in the trailer just a comp to watch movies, the kids have taken a liking to playing board games and cards . its been alot of fun to see them learn the games we all loved as a kid! what an expierence this has been!

But now we can all get back to a regular schedule lol. you all know what i mean lol. ill keep you all up to date about how it goes :)

Struggling..but ok!

I know you have all wondered why i havent posted how wonderful nates job is and how we are really doing. i now i have been procrastinating this for one simple fact....Nate hasnt started his job. One thing after another, has left us without starting. Nate has a job, and were doing very hard trying to get him started. but it is a union job, and the company is hiring him so they are having problems with numbers, and things. Its the beginning of a job, and so they are trying to bring crews in and all. it sounds so simple...but not if you havent had a job for over a month!!

Anyway things are getting closer we know he will be in soon. We are stressed but we havent lost it...yet lol . we know you have all been praying for us, and we appreciate all the concern.

the ward has been marvelous here and taken good care us!! so as soon as nate starts well be doing fine lol ( at least i keep telling myself that)

Any way we love and miss ya all. were surviving and we know it will all work out in the end... last word we heard was a couple days. so..keep the prayers.

my beautiful and talented sister!!

My very talented and beautiful sister Hollyann and her dance partner Richard had an opportunity to compete at dancing with the stars live in san antonio.

10 couples gathered together during a preshow to compete for judges, they were narrowed down to 5 couples. the 5 couples then preformed at first of show and were narrowed down to 2 couples. These 2 couples ( holly and richard and fellow coworkers jenny and david) were picked to preform solos doing cha cha and jive later in the show. then the audience txted in there votes for the winner...drum roll. Yes HOLLY and her partner RICHARD were voted #1 with 73% of the vote !!! I am sooo proud of her! she has over come so much this year, and i know this was a major thing for her to preform in front of thousands of people and come out winning first place!

I just want her to know how proud I am of her. and that i love her soo much. and i know she has gone through the ringer this year but she is pushing her way to the top :) And that she is doing so well i am so glad she is my sister, and my best friend :) i love holly GRATZ!!