Ode to my Work Shoes

I remember the day I got trained at Carinos, they recommended I got shoes from Payless because they were a decent price. So I went and found me some shoes. Those dear shoes have stuck by me, day by day, minute by minute, as they were filled to the top with grease, cut down the side, my toes eventually would start sticking out and you could probably recognize my toe nail polish (especially if my sock had a hole in it). They were with me through my days of pregnancy when my fat feet would barely fit into them, probably explaining all the holes. They helped bring me to tables that I loved or tables that I would rather throw my shoes at.

We need to take a minute to appreciate these shoes because I never bought new ones. I could never bring myself to purchase another $30 pair of shoes that would just get ripped apart again. So to my dismay and pure joy Bren threw them away. It was sad to see them go because it ends my joy at Carinos, which I dearly miss. I have to give a shout out to all my work buddies that I won't see again (well maybe who knows). I miss all you guys so much and had such a blast working there. We'll always think of you and hopefully when the Malad pass is not covered with pure ice maybe we will take the three hour trek up and visit.

P.S. You know how we always had nightmares about work...yeah it doesn't stop once you stop working. It is horrible.

Graduation and the Internet

We never thought that this day would come. Our stay in Rexburg has come to an end. Even though we've gone through graduation and moving it still seems like we aren't finished there. It still feels like home and that some day we will return.

Splash Park

So when I saw this picture I said...She looks like Indiana Jones. My brother then replied with...Indiana Jones never wore a pink hat. Whoops!

Dad helping her to the Splash Park.

This one was just her right size. She fell face first into it, but other than that loved it.

Poor thing, was wiped out because she had too much fun.

We had a fun picnic at Porter Park with our friends. So we thought we would bring the chica in her new bathing suit, that Aunt Wendy bought her, to play in the Splash Park. The only thing she didn't like at the park was walking on the grass. She loved watching all the kids run around and towards the end would just follow the kids or the basketball instead of play in the water.

Playing with Friends

Just in case you can't tell there are some big fish in that picture.

There was the cutest little house on the edge of the river, it was just too cute to not take a picture of. 

This is Bren trying to run away so the mosquitos wouldn't land on him. 

I had to get a picture of this because we had no other way to cook her chicken nuggets so we had to barbecue them. 

So I went to get the lettuce out and wanted to shake it, to mix in all the ingredients. However, the lid was not sealed shut so it fell out, so needless to say no lettuce. 

She loved the juice we had.

This is what her face looked like after.

Our beautiful friends.

So the other Sunday it was so beautiful that our friends suggested a drive up to Island Park. I can't remember the name of the place but it was a small spot in the mountains that has a river with really big fish. The drive up there was beautiful. When we got to our spot and took one step out of the car thousands of mosquitos attacked us. We were literally running around to not have them land on us. Needless to say we didn't stay too long at the river. We did have time to take some pictures and feed the fish.

We decided not to eat where the mosquitos would attack us so we drove down the road a little and found a church. So we pulled over the truck and had a little tail gate party. We had great food and it was really fun to be in the mountains and smell the clean air. 

Just on a side note...I got about 10 bites from the mosquitos. 

Golfing with the Pros

The Chicka with her yellow ball that she wouldn't let anyone take
These are our best golfing positions...

Rachel and Brady with the Chicka

So yesterday we went miniature golfing with our friends Brady and Rachel. We had a great time.

This was the Chicka's first experience with golfing and she loved it. I let her hold my yellow ball and when I tried to take it away she wouldn't let me, so I had to go ask the employer if I could have another one. Let me just say he was very hesitant to allow me to use a second ball...because I guess they are so precious. But after persuading him that I am a honest person he allowed me a second yellow ball.

We didn't really find out who won but it was great to be outdoors and actually have sunlight on you. We put sunblock on the Chicka twice because I was so nervous that she would get burnt.

A little update on the Chicka. She has 8 teeth. Can u believe? We thought she only had six and then one day we noticed two more on top. She is also a champ at walking. She walks between Uncle Adam and Dad, from couch to chair. She is doing great. It makes me so sad to think my baby is growing up. I am such an emotional mother. But the Chicka is beautiful and getting chunkier and taller by the day. She is eating great. Loves her bananas, cheese and eggo's.

We are doing great as a family. Bren is doing well in school, however we are both looking forward to our summer break. I am so grateful for my beautiful family. Right now the Chicka is snuggling with her dad on the couch and I can't help but smile. I love that my family is eternal and I can always be with them.

Oh and P.S. sorry for the bad photos, the settings were off on my camera the whole time, so sorry we are blurry.

My Chicka

Cousins playing together. They pretty much are best friends.

We went to visit my grandparents. Our chicka loved playing on their bed and doing patty-cake with them.

She is addicted to falling asleep on me. I guess she likes the warmth since we keep our house pretty cool.

This is her toy that helps her walk. She is a champ at it.


What can I say about my cute chicka. She is amazing and sometimes tiring. She is progressing so well. She is healthy and happy ... which is all we ask for. Here are some updates on her...

• She definitely is learning how to climb on things. The other day I was deep cleaning the front room. I had the couch pulled forward with the cushions off. I stepped into the laundry room for a quick second and when I came out she was on the couch...now I definitely can't leave her alone.
  
• She basically eats whatever we eat. Occasionally we'll give her some baby food just to finish off the meal. She eats and drinks so much. I guess she already takes after her mom in that aspect. Anytime she wants food she will spit out her binky, if it is in, and start clicking her tongue or panting. One crazy thing about this chicka is that she already loves salsa. If she sees us eating it, she wants some.
  
• Her top two teeth broke through. Now this makes a grand total of 6 teeth. Oh but wait...we think she is getting more. She just started drooling again with a runny nose. Fun...more restless nights for mom.
• She can stand up by herself. She doesn't like to do it much because I think she thinks it is boring. She doesn't know what to do after...so she just sits down.
  
• She knows how to give high 5's pretty well. She is also learning how to clap. She doesn't do it with us when we say "yeah" but she does it on her own. I guess she doesn't want to be pressured.
• Lately, with the teething and the earache her new found friend is the Tylenol bottle. Now this is not because we give it to her all the time. But it is just the right size to hold in her hand. She will just hold it forever, through bath time, nap time, etc.
  
• She is a great walker. She has a toy that helps her and loves to do it. It is a little hard in our place because there is carpet everywhere. She does better when she is on something solid.
• She is about 17-18 pounds. She is 90th percentile for height, 25th percentile for weight and of course 90th percentile for head size.
  

Daddy's Helper

So sometimes I get cabin fever and need to get out of the apartment. I try to stay away from things that will make me spend money. So we tend to go see Dad at work. Part of his job is that he gets to walk around outside. So I thought it would be fun if we came and walked around with him. However by the time we were suppose to walk around it started raining, so instead we drove him around. Hopefully as the weather continues to get better we can have more daddy outings! P.S Bren is not mad...don't know why he made that face.