The Rices

Sugar Baby Boutique Giveaway

2011-10-03T15:57:00.001-07:00

My AMAZING sister/BFF Camille has a totally cute blog. She happens to be doing a giveaway for an adorable ruffly apron. I have loved this apron since she first sewed one and I am DYING to win! You guys should check it out and at least follow her blog and leave a comment for a chance to win one as well!

7-7 & 7-11

2011-07-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

7-7 = My Birthday = Breakfast in bed, lots of hugs and kisses from my boys, getting ready for the day while Mitch watched the boys (proof pictured below), canoeing with Mitch, & Cheesecake Factory cheesecake. So fun!

7-11 = Free Slurpee Day! (You bet we celebrated! This was their treat for being good at the gym daycare so mom could get her work out in!)

Cute Way to Serve Corn on the Cob & LOTS of 4th of July Pics

2011-07-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

Some new friends from our ward invited us to their 4th of July BBQ! So glad they did. We had a blast! There was plenty to keep the boys entertained the entire day. The girl hosting the BBQ somehow manages to take care of her 4 kiddos and be absolutely adorable while doing it. I don't know how she does it. She had the cutest way of serving the corn on the cob. Such a fun festive display and very handy as well! Each person has a stick to hold onto to eat! Just thought I would share that clever and cute idea!

Now, the rest of this post is basically just picture overload! LOTS of pictures of my cute boys throughout the day enjoying the festivities. You have been warned!

Cute matching fourth of july outfits from Grandma Jo! Thank you! They loved that their shirts had fireworks on them!

Watching fireworks with my boy!

Mitch may be the cutest dad ever! I never get sick of watching him play with the boys.

Caden was excited to see a skateboard and insisted on trying it out!

Don't worry, Dad was close by!

Squirt Guns

Branson and his friend Rosy from our ward. Rosy is saying "cheese!" and Branson is smiling. Can't you tell?

They had a fun fountain attachment to go on the end of a hose for the kids to play in!

My baby is growing up so fast!

Speaking of growing up fast...does Caden not look like a little man in this picture? So handsome!

Jumping on the trampoline!

Even Caden can eat the corn on the cob with the handy stick! Yum!

Splashing! I love how you can see Branson watching Caden in this picture! He admires Caden so much already. It's adorable.

Rosy and Branson are buds.

This picture is adorable and just screams fourth of july BBQ toddler style doesn't it?

The hit of the BBQ party was the huge inflatable water slide!

Did I mention it was HOT? 105 degrees or so...we ate popsicles to keep cool!

Pure joy on that face! ha OK, he looks like he's being tortured, but I swear he LOVED it!

We ended the day by going to a park in Lincoln to watch the fireworks! The boys LOVED them. Especially Caden. He shouted and clapped and threw his hands up in the air for each individual firework the entire half hour or so. Everyone around us was getting a pretty good laugh. The boys talked about the fireworks for days. Such a fun fourth of July! I love enjoying the holidays with my boys!

Pros and Cons of Our Yard

2011-07-11T13:10:00.001-07:00

Pros: Gorgeous!

Cons: We find these guys occasionally... (Yes, that first one is a black widow. Yes, the second one is technically not harmful, but it sure is ugly and terrifying. Yes, I would rather jump out of an airplane or hold a snake then come into contact with one of these guys. Yes, when Mitch is gone I go through the effort of begging my neighbor to kill these guys for me!)

Branson's Broken Arm

2011-07-08T13:08:00.000-07:00

One morning I am sweeping the kitchen floor when I hear the sound that makes your heart stop as a mother. The shrieking real cry of pain from my baby. Not the "I want some attention" cry or the "he hit me" cry, but the kind of cry when you just know your baby is in real honest to goodness pain. I turned, saw him on the floor by the couch and picked him up. I asked Caden "What happened? Did he fall off the couch? Did you hit him?" Caden ran to the corner and put himself into time out with no answer. Guilty conscious? Maybe. We'll never know if Branson fell off the couch, or if Caden jumped off the couch on top of his arm, or what, but somehow it broke. People seemed to ask me a lot how I knew it was broken? I didn't. In fact, my new relief society presidency dropped by to welcome me to the new ward, and we chatted for awhile. They held him so I could look up our new insurance information to try and find a doctor to take him to in case it came to that. They also made Caden a sandwich while I tried to comfort Branson. Angels! After they left, Branson seemed to be fine. His arm was slightly swollen and he seemed to baby it a little, but he still ran around and played. Every once in awhile he'd come crying again to me for a minute, but then was off to play again. Mitch was working a few hours away so my neighbors took a look at it and told me it was for sure just a sprain because he was using it so much. False. This is not always true for future reference and all those mothers out there. After a few hours, I couldn't let it go and took him into urgent care. I was sure they would tell me to go home and give him some tylenol. Wrong again, they took an x-ray and told me it was a very good break that need to be treated at the Emergency Room. Oh goody, so me and 2 hungry cranky toddler boys headed that way. As we waited for hours in the waiting area the boys got more and more out of control and just when I thought I was going to start balling right along with them some missionaries came in (one of the elders slammed his thumb in the trunk of his car and split the bone! Ah!). Anyway, the 4 elders were so sweet and made paper airplanes with Caden to distract him. Angels again! God was looking out for me! Long story short he broke both bones about halfway between his elbow and wrist. One was a clean break and the other was fractured.

They gave him a sedative so they could set the bone. I was so happy to see him finally comfortable enough to sleep I could have cried for joy. Nothing tears at your heart strings more as a mom than to see your baby in pain and not be able to take it away.

Ouch! Definitely broken, doesn't take a trained eye to see this one!

Much better after they set it!

First they put him in a temporary cast until he could be seen by an orthopedic surgeon. (This is the next morning, he is clearly not phased one bit!)

Good news! No surgery needed because he is so little and he even got a waterproof cast!

I was kicking myself for never getting a cute picture of him in his cast, so I took this snap shot as we were rushing to get it taken off. Can you tell he's anxious to get rid of that thing? It was probably the cutest little cast I'd ever seen.

Moral of the story: If you are going to break your arm, do it as a baby/toddler. He was 17 months old. The doctor told us if he was older he would have definitely needed surgery, pins, plates, and months of physical therapy. Luckily we got away with a few weeks in a cast is all. His arm did heal a little curved, but we are told that babies bones straighten themselves out. It is called remodeling. He has had it off for a few weeks now and I can already tell it is a little more straight so I guess they weren't lying!

Mitch's Birthday

2011-07-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

Mitch turned 26 this year! We have been joking that 26 is practically 30 and that we are officially old now. Unfortunately he had to work all day, but I did get to surprise him with a babysitter for that evening. I kept telling him that I couldn't find someone and that we could just eat chicken nuggets with the boys and have a relaxing evening at home. I gave him his presents and a card telling him about the babysitter about 10 minutes before she showed up. It was a lot of fun. I got movie tickets to a manly movie (X Men) he'd been dying to see which is normally not my favorite kind of movie. We also went out to dinner that night and the next night to celebrate as well. Caden and I practiced the Happy Birthday song all day while he was at work so he could join in on the song with us.

Caden's favorite part of the day though was the cupcakes. Mitch and I have a thing for these cupcakes. We made them a lot while we were dating and have become a staple for our birthday's now as well. Caden helped me get them in the oven before his nap. I was off getting ready for our date during nap time, heard Caden sneakily running through the living room and came out to find this:

Totally stuffing his face!

This is what I found in the kitchen, the sneaky little guy scooted a chair over and climbed up! At least I hadn't frosted it yet!

Pow Wow Days Parade

2011-07-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

Our first Pow Wow Days parade in Orangevale! It just so happens to pass by our front lawn. Perfection! We made THIS delightful syrup (Magleby's Fresh recipe for all you Provo peeps) and ate french toast outside as we waited for the parade to start. The boys loved seeing the floats and random automobile drive by. They especially loved the fire engines and talked about them for days afterward. They loved getting thrown treats and otter pops and basically every second of the parade. So much fun!

Really guy?

Caden grabbing some loot that was thrown to him!

Racing back to show us what he got!

Cooling off with an otter pop!

They try their hardest to keep it country here in Orangevale.

How can you not love this picture? Best buds anxiously waiting with their bag to see what's coming next!

Branson loved saying hi to every float and person who passed.

Pow Wow Days

2011-06-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

Awhile back our new hometown, Orangevale, held their annual Pow Wow Days! Orangevale is a small town close to lots of bigger towns and cities that is trying it's very hardest to keep it's small town feel. It definitely can have a country feel to it which is kind of fun. Pow Wow days is a big deal around here. It is a 3 or 4 day event held every year with a huge carnival, live music playing every night, and a parade. We jumped at the chance to experience our first pow wow days here and let our boys enjoy a few of the kiddy rides. Caden even went on his first roller coaster ride. Which he LOVED! He still talks about it to this day!

Obsessed

2011-05-18T21:21:00.001-07:00

I am obsessed with these beauties right now. I really need to get my hands on some old furniture and some paint (or tinfoil)!

(Courtesy of A Life of Blue)

You have to check out the process she used for this tinfoil nightstand! I LOVE it! Totally reminds me of this coffee table I've been lusting after for quite some time. Seriously, I am so buying that coffee table next time I find $800 laying around.

(Courtesy of Vintage Revivals)

We did it!

2011-04-27T11:17:00.001-07:00

We did it! We did it! We did it! Yay! Lo Hicimos, we did it! Hooray!

These were the words that popped into my head at the end of the graduation ceremony. Ha Can you say mom of 2 toddlers? We love Dora at our house! But we love even more that we finally graduated from BYU!

Thanks to Hilary for taking some pics of us around campus. And..yes we had to get the cheesy pic of us at the library counter where our story began! :)

Thank you to all of our family and friends who came to support us at the ceremony, and at our amazing graduation party at Noah's thrown by Grandma Jo. It was such a fun weekend filled with our favorite people, food, and fun!

California Love

2011-04-26T22:24:00.000-07:00

So, the next chapter in our lives is going to take us to Sacramento! Mitch got a great job working as a pharmaceutical sales rep for a company called Meda Pharmaceuticals. He starts next week so we had to scramble to change a few plans to get out to his territory in Sacramento. We are really excited about the opportunity and about the area. The job seems like something Mitch will really enjoy, and it is a great place to start his career. As for the area... well, check out some of these pictures:

Of course I had to check to make sure they had some of the things I love and miss about Arizona, and besides my family, most things are included! Like a mall similar in scope to my oh so missed Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall....and multiple locations of my all time favorite....

Should I be ashamed that this is actually a very important factor in how much I will most likely enjoy our new home?

We are only a couple hour drive away from Tahoe and the Bay area as well! I can't wait to start exploring and taking weekend trips. Mitch and I haven't had a true summer weekend since being married. Our warm summer Saturday's have consisted of Mitch knocking doors from sun up to sun down every Saturday.

Maybe one of the things I am most excited about is I will finally get to see something I have secretly, in a dorky sort of way, wanted to see since I was a little girl and first heard about them. We will only be a short drive away from these bad boys:

Have I convinced anyone to come visit yet? As excited as we are for Sacramento, it will be sad to be so far away from family.

So come visit!

Easter Sunday

2011-04-24T22:34:00.001-07:00

This week has been crazy. We graduated, so lots of family in town, get togethers, and planning our move to Sacrmento! More on graduation and Sacramento to come. So, forgive the tired look in Mitch and my eyes, and just enjoy the happy faces of our two handsome little men! Caden was finally old enough to really understand and enjoy the easter bunny and egg hunt this year. So fun!

The easter bunny brought them lots of treats, candy filled eggs, new flip flops, bubbles, and coloring books. All the essentials!

Mitch said the opening prayer in church this morning and the entire time Branson was yelling "Dada!" Caden soon joined in and it sounded like we had a cheering section going on in the middle of the prayer. They were so excited he was up on the stand. Afterward as Mitch walked back to our bench Caden yelled out, "Good job sayin' the prayer all by yourself Dad!". So funny and cute....and a little embarrassing. Caden is such a sweetheart that way, always congratulating us on a job well done. He can often be heard saying "Good job Branson!" or "Good job getting dressed mom!" Any little thing we do......and I'll admit he's a little more enthusiastic on the days it takes me until noon to get dressed and ready for the day! :) I love my boys and holidays just keep getting more and more fun as they get older!

Graduation pics and details on our big Sacramento move to come soon.

Luck of the Norton's

2011-03-17T21:06:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun St. Patrick's day. I usually don't get very into this holiday, but I thought it would be fun to teach Caden what the holiday was all about. When we woke up Mitch was already gone and I got us all dressed in green, and taught Caden all about wearing green so we don't get pinched. I told him I thought Dad probably forgot to wear green and he couldn't wait to pinch him when he got home around lunch time! After getting pinched, we quickly gave him a green shirt to wear so he wouldn't get pinched all day.

It was get in free day at Gateway Discovery Children's Museum, so the boys took off and left me home to get some studying done.

(Branson loves to flex his muscles these days!)

While they were gone I made some "green" pizza for dinner. Caden had been talking about eating our green pizza all day. So fun! (Totally looks weird and gross, but tasted delish and Caden loved it!)

After dinner, we went to the Mr. Viking pageant at Pleasant Grove High School where Mitch's brother Sam was competing. For those who aren't native P.G.'ers or married to one, it is basically the equivalent of being prom king except cooler. They get voted in to compete and then there is a whole night of them putting on skits (See Sam's skit HERE), dancing, answering questions, formal wear, and in tonight's case "Irish" wear. It was pretty entertaining and Sam won! (Totally deserves it too, he's a total stud, talented, and one of the nicest kids ever!) We are so excited for him! We were joking that PG High has Norton fever, because Mitch's sister Hilary Norton was voted homecoming queen, and his cousin (also a Norton) was Mr. Viking when he was a senior.

Play Dough

2011-03-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I found this easy recipe for homemade play dough. The best part? It cleans up oh so nicely! I have been scared to introduce my boys to the wonder that is Play dough in the past because every time I thought about it I just got visions of smashed neon colored bits in carpet, hair, clothes....and just couldn't bring myself to do it. Found this recipe one morning though, and just went for it, and it really is SO easy to clean up. No joke! Try it out! It lasts for awhile in the fridge too so you get multiple uses out of it! Have fun!

The Zoo

2011-02-26T11:33:00.001-08:00

The last Wednesday of each month during the winter is free day at Hogle Zoo. February is your last chance to take advantage of the offer and so we decided to brave the cold and the crowds and take our boys!

I am convinced that kids go to the zoo to see the animals. Parents go to the zoo to see their kids faces light up when they see the animals. Here are some of my favorite faces we caught on camera.

Caden loved counting the animals in each cage. "Two...."

The giraffes were the biggest hit. The boys didn't want to leave when it was time to go see more animals. Branson ran back and forth from giraffe to giraffe, and Caden was excited about how long their necks were! See next pic for his demo of this fact.

Caden, "Whoa! Loooooong neck!"

This is a drinking fountain that was too frozen to be in service. We thought it could make for a funny picture. Caden kinda freaked out a little...didn't think it was such a funny idea. I think we are still working on real vs. fake.

Branson looked so cute all snuggled in the stroller keeping warm!

This is a huge statue of an elephant that makes funny noises. The boys wanted to sit and stare at it for hours! Apparently it is far more entertaining than actual animals to these boys.

Caden insisted on riding the zebra on the carousel!

Branson decided to take the party up a notch by playing peek-a-boo!

Lucky for us, Grandma Great even invited us to come warm up with yummy homemade soup at her house after. My boys were in heaven, the zoo and grandma great's house?

I'd definitely brave the cold and the crowds again any day to watch my boys have this much fun again!

Who is my BFF?

2011-02-01T11:13:00.000-08:00

I have an annoying habit, I LOVE to talk as I fall asleep at night. Ask my sister who I shared a room with, or any past roommates and they will confirm this annoying habit. Sorry guys! :) Last night, Mitch (being the good sport that he is and understanding this trait I have) was asking me questions. One thing he asked was, "if you could hang out with any girl right now who would it be?" (AKA who is my BFF) I realized something,I'd totally hang out with my mom and sisters. As lame and old as that makes me sound, they are really my best friends. Don't get me wrong I have some seriously awesome girlfriends who I love to death and love to be with, but I just LOVE my family. Whenever I'm with them we can sit and talk and laugh for hours. I'm convinced I have the best family in the world. Here are some recent pics we had taken of us. (Pictures taken by Haleigh Rohner Photography in AZ, highly recommend her, she is so good!)

Sisters:

Best husband and boys any girl could ask for!

Love the siblings!

How adorable are my brothers?

The whole fam!

Seriously so blessed! Which reminds me, if you think cheesy mormon mom bloggers like me can be ridiculous at times check out this fake blog that I found recently making fun of it. Seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com

Freaky Facts

2011-01-13T11:26:00.000-08:00

Mitch and I sometimes joke about which one of us is smarter than the other. This is only funny because we are pretty dang equal in the smarts department, although, I will admit that he has a lot more going for him than I do. I adore him and could go on and on about how smart, funny, personable, etc, he is, but I will refrain as to not trigger the gag reflex for anyone reading this. You're welcome! Here are some freaky facts on how similar we are:

We both graduated from high school with extremely similar G.P.A's.

We both got the exact same score on the ACT.

We will both graduate from BYU with extremely similar G.P.A.'s

How freaky is that?

New Year's Resolutions 2011

2011-01-07T21:27:00.001-08:00

(This pic is Mitch and me on New Year's Eve. We celebrated by going out to dinner with my sister Camille and her husband Kyle.)

I have never been a huge fan of New Year's Resolutions, mainly because I can never decide on the best one, and my indecisiveness quickly turns into poor follow through. This year, however, I am determined to do a couple of things.

I have heard that if you write down your goals you are far more likely to actually follow through with them. If they are not written down, they are just dreams. I venture to guess that not only putting them in writing, but also writing them down on a blog for all to see may even help more in this regard as I will feel accountable not only to myself, but to all friends and family who have read them here as well. So here goes:

In an effort to be well rounded (and to help with my inability to make decisions), I have made one goal for each aspect of my life.

This year I will finish my last few credits through independent study to get my bachelor's degree through BYU. (Preferably by April so I can walk at graduation with Mitch!) (Mental)

Last year I set a goal to lose 15 lbs of the dreaded baby weight and I did it! The closer you get to your goal weight, the harder it is to lose, so this year I will lose 10 more! Less than 1 lb per month...totally doable!?! This one scares me a little, but I'm doing it. It's in writing, and you have read it! (Physical)

This year I will pray everyday. I have a strong belief in the power of prayer. I have had countless experiences throughout my life when I have turned to prayer and been comforted or received guidance. It is by far the most awesome form of communication we have, and yet I spend way more time on my droid than I do praying to God. I often think how mind blowingly awesome it is that I can be grocery shopping, have a question about something I need to buy, and I can immediately call my mom in another state, or google it and find the answer. How did people survive before cell phones? Really though, it is far more mind blowingly awesome that I can be having a hard or stressful day, and I can take a minute wherever I am to talk to my Father in Heaven about it, and immediately find comfort and peace in my life. I seriously need to be tapping into that communication more often! (Spiritual/Emotional)

So there you have it. My goals for 2011. What are some of yours?

Happy Birthday Branson

2011-01-05T13:31:00.001-08:00

For Branson's big numero uno we decided it would be fun to take him and Caden to the Scottsdale Railroad Park. We thought that Caden would probably enjoy it a lot more than Branson, but we were wrong. Branson LOVED it! While waiting in line for the train he would get so excited everytime the train passed by. He also loved riding the train around the park and waving to everyone playing on the different playgrounds. We also rode the carousel and he was bobbing his head to the beat of the music the whole time loving it! Afterward we stopped by Serrano's for some lunch and they sang him happy birthday and put a fun sombrero on him. We then had to rush home to get ready for family pictures with my family, but we celebrated more later that night with cupcakes and presents!

Branson has been such a huge blessing in our lives this past year. I can't believe how much we love this kid. He has the most infectious smile and energy. I don't think I'll ever get sick of his big blue eyes and handsome little dimples. Here is a snapshot of what Branson is like as a 1 year old:

He is the pickiest eater ever, but some of the foods he likes right now are yogurt, bananas, crackers, stolen fruit snacks from Caden, and bites of Mom's green smoothies.

He loves any type of talking animal or doll toy. He cracks up everytime he is around one. Check out this you tube video of him laughing harder than I've ever seen a kid this age laugh (he was about 9 months?).

He loves following Caden around and sneaking off with his snacks or bottles when he isn't looking.

He is such a happy, easy baby and is often found content and happy sitting and playing in the living room or kitchen by himself.

He is a little wiggle worm and hates being strapped down or confined. I have often said that he is the happiest, easiest going soul as long as you don't strap him into his car seat, the stroller, or try to hold him on your lap at church or any other time he wants to go explore. Then it is a total freak out tantrum. Unless he is tired and in a cuddly mood, then he is the best cuddler around.

He has attempted a few words which include: first "up", next came "hello" (as he peaks around a corner), then came "mama" (yay!), and in the past week he has said "Jesus" a few times. I'm not lying, at first I thought it was a fluke, but now whenever we see pictures of Jesus he says it. :)

He is very coordinated and strong. He once got down from Caden's toddler bed by climbing over the footboard, grabbing on to the windowsill and dropping down. He is very conscious of where he is going and how he will get there. (Maybe that's normal and Caden was just not so aware of these things? I felt like Caden was constantly falling, or tripping over his own feet, or diving head first off of things.)

I think that sums up my handsome little man pretty well.
We love you Branson!

Merry Christmas 2010

2011-01-04T19:58:00.000-08:00

Having 2 little boys to shop for made me seriously giddy this Christmas. I was more excited for Christmas this year than I have been in over a decade, wow that makes me sound so old...seriously though! I LOVED shopping for them and looked forward to watching them open it all. I was also giddy to be able to spend it with my family in AZ which we haven't done since Mitch and my first Christmas together. This year consisted of shopping, a carriage ride at Riverwoods, seeing a Christmas Carol play with Mitch's fam, picking oranges in AZ, more shopping at Scottsdale Fashion Square mall (which may I add is shopping bliss - check out the link to see all the stores they have!), a hay ride and signing Christmas carols with my brother in laws family, making gingerbread houses, seeing the Mesa temple lights, playing board games and X Box Kinect with friends and family, and watching my boys open loads of presents. They were spoiled by Santa, grandparents, aunts, uncles, you name it...they scored big! Here are some pics!

Our carriage ride around Riverwoods. Branson LOVED it! He was pointing at all the lights and trying to reach the horses.

Mesa temple lights!

This hammock is what my talented brother Devin came up with while the rest of us were making more generic gingerbread houses.

Caden investigating his stocking with Dad.

Ball popper from Santa!

Motorcycle from Santa!

Uncle Braden!

New outfit (mom's favorite part) and new kitchen for the boys from Santa (their favorite part)!

Guitar and fireman hat courtesy of Auntie Katelyn!

Brynlee brought over her hairstyling kit and went right to work on both my boys!

Aquadoodle courtesy of Grandma. LOVE it! Anyone sick of getting crayon and pen marks all over their house needs to invest in one of these bad boys!

Picking oranges was one of Caden's favorite activities. Sometimes the only thing to calm him down from a full blown 2 year old style tantrum was going outside to pick oranges with Dad!

Hope everyone also had a fun Christmas!

Coffee & Cigarettes Cupcake

2010-12-31T13:51:00.001-08:00

Ever heard of Cupcake Wars? For those of you who haven't, it is a reality show on Food Network where various bakeries from around the country battle it out to see who makes the tastiest/prettiest/most creative cupcakes. This little place in Gilbert, AZ won with their coffee and cigarettes cupcake. (Video of a clip from the show on

their home page on that link.) We had to try it!

It is such a cute little coffee shop located in a converted farm building featuring free wifi, yummy sandwiches, cupcakes, and coffee. We bought a handful of their cupcake flavors and brought them home for the whole fam to taste test...including their famous coffee and cigarettes flavor. Verdict? The cupcakes were delish! Even the coffee and cigarettes flavor! (I was a little nervous about that one!) My review of their winning flavor? At first it tastes like a normal cupcake with a slight spice flavor to it, but it leaves a zingy kicky feeling on your tongue after. Interesting but good.

Aren't they pretty? Totally look like flowers!

Brazilian Blowout

2010-12-08T16:47:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have not known me for long, you may not be aware of the fact that if I do not spend quite a bit of time taming the beast that is my hair every morning, then it looks like this:
Ridiculously curly. (Picture taken a 3 or 4 years ago while me and Mitch were dating...and we went to Cabela's to goof off.)

Good news is there is a Brazilian blowout giveaway going on at loveandphotographs.com. I might cry if I happened to win. (Yes, I do realize the odds are not in my favor.) A girl can dream right?

For those of you who have not heard of Brazilian blowouts...google it. They are basically miracles for those girls like me out in the world. I would probably think I had died and gone to heaven if I woke up one morning and didn't look like one of those troll dolls I played with as a kid after brushing my hair out. Brazilian blowouts rank right up there with Lasik in my book. Another miracle I hope to experience at some point in my life. Yes, most mornings I can be found with an afro running into most things until I have put in my contacts and used my trusty Chi to straighten out my locks. Thank goodness for my loving husband who looks past these lovely traits of mine. (Or maybe he just can't see them as he happens to be even more blind than I am! ha)

(Thanks to my amazing sister in law, Hilary, for making me aware of such an opportunity!)

Me + FREE = A Very Merry Christmas

2010-12-07T10:04:00.002-08:00

We LOVE Shutterfly! We used them for Branson's birth announcements last year. They turned out beautiful! We received so many compliments from different people on the quality of this card. It came printed on heavy cardstock which looked very professional. They also shipped very quickly. They even arrived on our doorstep a few days before the estimated arrival date. Click here to see the design we used.

We are so excited to use them for our Christmas cards this year as well. They have way too many gorgeous designs to choose from. Trying to narrow down all of the designs I love to the one design we want to use this year is going to be hard.

For instance, we could use this cute one which could showcase a variety of our favorite pictures from the past year.

Or possibly this one. I love the simplicity of this card. It is simple but still cute and fun with the personalized tag. It would also go really well with our family picture from above.

Another one that I love can be found her e. I love that it highlights the main happenings of the previous year. I also love that it has 2 spots for pictures. Perfect for highlighting my favorite pic of each boy. Or I could use one for a pic of the boys, and one for a pic of me and Mitch.

Decisions, decisions....anytime I order something from this website I can spend hours searching through all of their beautiful options.

Need one more reason to love Shutterfly? Deals! I often get emails with credits for free prints or discounted photo books. Highly recommend receiving their emails. I am even receiving 50 free Christmas cards for posting about them on my blog. If you would like to do the same, just go here.

Happy hunting for the right one! I can't wait to see all the fun holiday cards people pick out!

Can't believe my little man is 2!

2010-12-06T07:47:00.000-08:00

I still can't believe that my baby is 2 now! Caden has been such a blessing to have in our family for the past 2 years. I figured I would write down what he is like as a 2 year old so we can look back at it later in life. He is so handsome, funny, and has such a sensitive little soul. He loves to get ready for the day, he always checks himself out after and says, "Caden handsome!". He also loves to be silly and make others laugh. Once he knows something he has done gets us to laugh he will do it over and over laughing and looking so proud of himself. He hates to get into trouble and can feel guilty easily. I have to try not to be too harsh when disciplining him because he feels guilty and won't look at you and will go off in a corner and start to cry. It's so sad and cute at the same time. He is the BIGGEST helper! He definitely is his father's son this way. He LOVES to help do anything. Unload the dishwasher, sweep, pick up his toys, carry things for mom, throw things away, seriously anything he can do to feel helpful he will do. I am the nursery leader at church, and he is often found cleaning up the toys and "helping" other kids to color their pictures. This doesn't go over so well with the other kids, and he gets so hurt when I ask him to not help them color. He gets in their face like they are babies and says "yellow!" like he is showing them how to color different colors. He is a people watcher, he loves to just sit and watch other people out in public. He loves to play with Branson, just last night he was chasing Branson around saying "I'm gonna get your toesies!" and tickling his feet. They were both laughing so hard. He can get jealous of the attention Branson gets sometimes. Branson is learning to walk, so when Branson does well and takes 4 or 5 steps we get excited and start praising him, and we will look over and Caden starts waddling like a new walker with a face like "hey, I can walk like that too!" He is getting so smart! He can count to five, knows all of his colors, and knows most animals and the sounds they make at this point. His favorite animals right now are elephants, dogs, monkeys, and peacocks. His favorite things to watch on TV are Blues Clues, Barney, Thomas the train, Clifford, Monsters Inc., and of course football. He will sit and watch football with Mitch and even periodically claps his hands and yells things like "Go cougars!". His favorite colors are yellow, blue, and green. He also loves trucks and motorcycles. He gets so excited anytime we see big trucks or motorcycles in person, on the tv, or little toy versions of them. As we drive around town he will often sit in the back saying hello and goodbye to cars as they pass, saying hi truck, hi car, bye motorcycle. Other times he will sit and name the color and type of car saying things like, red motorcycle, big white truck, yellow car. APX had nitro circus come do a dirt biking stunt show back in October, and we took Caden, and ever since whenever he sees a motorcycle or dirt bike he yells, "motorcycle jump!" and gets so excited. We even bought him a dirt biking dvd that he loves to watch. Sometimes he looks like such a little man like in this picture:
Had to include this one too b/c Branson is so cute!

Other times we find him like this and are reminded that he is still so little!

He loves to color, especially on his new table and chairs he got for his birthday! This is him on his actual birthday waiting for people to come celebrate.

We had a party on his actual birthday with Mitch's family and some of our friends. We had another birthday on Sunday with all of the Smartt's. A few days after that my parents came to Utah for Thanksgiving and he got to open a few more presents! Such a loved and slightly spoiled little boy! He loved his birthday and woke up the next day telling me all about the balloons, and blowing out his candles. Pictures of his blues clues themed party:

We love you Caden and are so happy to have you in our family!

A Child's Prayer

2010-11-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

This past week I had such a special experience with Caden, and I wanted to write it down so I wouldn't forget it.

Preface: Mitch was out of town Wednesday through Saturday. This is the longest I had been on my own with both boys and was a little nervous how I could handle the daily stresses with no break. Lucky for me, I have an amazing mother in law and amazing Grandma who helped out, so we survived just fine. I tried to keep busy so I wouldn't go crazy. It turned out to be kinda fun. I got the dishes and laundry done early every day, and enjoyed cleaning up the house every afternoon and taking the boys out to grandma's house, or the park, or just to run errands. Needless to say, every night I was exhausted and bedtime was something I looked forward to.

Friday night I did our usual routine (bath, brush teeth, story time, prayer, bed) and both boys went to bed without complaint. Caden hopped right into bed and blew a kiss to me as I left the room. Beautiful! Fifteen minutes later, however, he is throwing a full blown, freak out tantrum and asking to sleep in "Mom's bed". He was acting almost scared, maybe because Dad had disappeared for a few days? I thought I was going to die. I asked if he was scared, and he said "yeah, scary". The thought popped into my head that I should use this as a teaching moment for Caden and pray with him for comfort. (I knew I could definitely use an extra prayer!) So I explained to him that it was going to be okay, we were going to pray to Jesus and he would help us to feel happy and not be scared so we could sleep. He immediately knelt down and folded his arms. So cute. I helped him say a quick, sweet prayer asking for comfort and to help Caden feel happy and fall asleep quickly. Afterward, I reminded Caden that it would be okay now because Jesus was going to help him feel better. He said, "yeah Jesus, Caden happy!". Climbed back into bed and quickly fell asleep.

This may seem like such a small thing to most people, but it was such a cool experience for me. It was the first time that I felt like Caden somewhat understood prayer. I am so grateful for Caden and the many things I am learning by getting to be his mom. I feel like I may have strengthened my own testimony far more than his that night, and hopefully we are headed on the right track with him. I am so grateful for the Holy Ghost and the inspiration that can come in to your life at seemingly insignificant moments to change your day/life/child's life for the better. Without the guidance of the Holy Ghost I am sure that this story would have ended with me frustrated, Caden freaking out, and a tiring and stressful night. As Caden's mom, I know it was nothing short of a miracle what happened that night. Tantrums definitely do not turn around that quickly and easily without a little divine intervention.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T15:54:00.003-07:00

We kicked this Halloween's festivities off by going to Thanksgiving Point with Mitch's family. It was so much fun! They had a ton of jack o lanterns on display, fun activities, pumpkin guns, hot chocolate, and even Caden's favorite....pig races. Unfortunately, my poor sister in law, Hilary, got called out in front of the whole audience to kiss one of the pigs. Don't worry though, they gave her a prize for cooperating. (The sweet pig nose she's sporting in the next pic) One of the joys of being the cutest girl in the crowd for the farm boys to pick on I guess.

Caden was brave enough to crawl through a very long, very dark tunnel embedded in hay stacks.

We carved pumpkins. Caden LOVED digging his hands in the pumpkin goo. Branson LOVED crawling around our feet hunting for stray pumpkin seeds that fell to the ground.

I made frankenstein sugar cookies. I love any excuse to make these things. Definitely a favorite treat!

Friday night we got a babysitter and went to a party Mitch's parents threw. We dressed up like 80's rockers and had a lot of fun. Saturday night we dressed Caden up as a lion and Branson as a monkey and the boys had fun trick or treating for the first time. Branson thought it was hilarious seeing Caden dressed up and kept trying to grab his mane. Caden loved telling people what a lion and a monkey says and getting full size candy bars for being so cute at a few houses. It was raining so we only went to about 6 houses and then went to a party our friends Jessica & Chad Oram threw. They had a pinata for the kids and Caden loved taking his turn! So fun! Can't wait for next year when Branson will be old enough to enjoy more of this crazy holiday.

Devin Came to Visit

2010-11-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

This post is way overdue, but during October general conference my brother and some of his friends came up from AZ!

It was so much fun to get to see him again. I feel like we haven't had nearly enough time with him since he has been back from his mission. He wasn't here for long and had a lot going on, but we got to see him for a little bit. We miss you Uncle Devin!

Lucky

2010-10-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

This post is in honor of one of the luckiest trips to the mall in Rice family history! Last night I needed to get out of the house, Branson was napping, and Mitch was enjoying a football game. I thought it would be fun to take Caden out shopping for church shoes (no more sneakers or flip flops) and let Mitch get a break from his whiny almost 2 year old.

We ended up at Baby Gap. As we walked in it was a total mad house! Most of the shelves were empty, mannequins were laying on the ground and most were stripped naked. Parents and kids were running around like crazy people. I was obviously not informed of something awesome going on. I asked a lady what the deal was, and she told me that the entire store was 40% off today! What are the odds? I usually buy most of our clothes at Old Navy when I find a good coupon, but LOVE Baby Gap clothes because they last so much longer. One thing I have learned is that Old Navy jeans do not last through 2 boys! By the time Caden grows out of them, the zipper handle tab thing breaks off. On every pair! So, we proceeded to wade through the mess trying to find anything left in his size. We found 2 pairs of pants and 4 shirts!

As the lady rung us up I saw the total was almost $80. Then 40% off....then I realized I had a leftover gift card which I thought had a dollar or 2 left on it. Wrong, it had almost $20 left on it! We walked out of Gap having spent $23 and Caden is officially set for the Winter!

Hunger Games

2010-10-08T08:26:00.001-07:00

My sisters were right. I thought I would hate this book, but couldn't put it down and finished it in 2 days. I guess I need to head back to Costco and get book #2!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

2010-10-07T19:57:00.000-07:00

This is just one of those recipe's that you have to share after trying. I loved it and Mitch went back for thirds and raved about how these were the best enchiladas ever! Definitely a dish we will be eating again and again in the future. I found them on the same blog I found the sweet n' sour chicken recipe that I posted over the summer.

If you are a Mexican food lover as I am, but sick of the same old Mexican dishes you are always cooking, definitely give these enchiladas a try. They are so yummy, and different enough from our usual Mexican recipes that it feels new and fun.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchilada Recipe

As the leaves start to change color...

2010-09-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

I thought it might be time to post our pictures from Florida this summer. We were seriously spoiled! Who gets to live in a resort across the street from the beach? I can't lie, I miss it! I definitely don't miss Mitch's long work hours, eating dinner at 10pm, or the kids being awake until midnight. I do miss the beach, hearing the ocean, watching lightning storms from our 17th story balcony window, having my pick of 4 different pools to go to when the boys needed to get outside, and all the sunshine we enjoyed!

Bright blue eyes and dimples.

2010-08-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

That's what my little boy is made of.

Ollie

2010-08-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

Mitch has a cousin named Merri who lives here in Florida. Merri has a son named Ollie who has the cutest curly hair. Caden has loved playing with Ollie this summer. We went to the beach and played with his dinosaurs he brought with him.

Sweet n' Sour Chicken

2010-08-09T09:54:00.000-07:00

I was craving chinese food, and had a few people over for dinner. The problem? I have always been intimidated by the idea of making chinese food. However, I jumped onto my latest recipe blog I have fallen in love with (melskitchencafe.com) and found a recipe that seemed simple enough for a beginner like me that also got rave reviews. I tried making it....and it was a success! So for all of you who have never tried making homemade chinese before, I strongly recommend starting with this! So easy and everyone loved it! We'll definitely be making it again soon.

Sweet & Sour Chicken Recipe

Goodbyes & Hello's

2010-07-23T17:51:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Arizona, family, helping hands, and Mom's cooking.

Hello husband and resort in Panama City, FL with this sweet ocean view!

I was worried how meal time would be living in a resort until I saw our kitchen...feels like home to me!

Our new routine for winding down for bedtime? Enjoying the nightly fountain/light/music show just outside our front door!

Mitch might have to tear me away from this place when it's time to head back to Utah!

Happiness

2010-07-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

Happiness is my 2 boys and their smiles. They get their smiles from their Dad.
I have a feeling I'll be smiling a whole lot for the rest of forever with my 3 guys around!

Cousins at the Mall

2010-07-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

Family Reunion, Fireworks, & Classic Skating, Oh My

2010-07-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

We spent July 3rd-July 7th in Utah.
The Highlights:
2 Baby Showers: 2 in 1 day! My cousin Nicole and then my cousin Douglas's wife Elise. Both were so cute and it was fun to touch base with some of my cousins I haven't seen in a long time.
Turley Family Reunion: 80+ people came, seeing all the new babies my cousins have had and watching my babies get to know them.
Fireworks & BBQ at Aunt Lynette's: Watching Caden's face light up and his arms fly up in the air as soon as a new firework would start in the street.
Mini Golfing: Trying to maneuver a double stroller along a mini golf path with Grandma, Caden's cute little toddler golf club they gave him to play with.
Classic Skating: The carpet. Seriously, I forgot how rad classic skating carpet was (yes, I just said rad). Totally brings back memories from elementary school like running away from boys come time for the couple skate. Caden demanding to try it himself with no help. My dad getting way into it, and laughing when we found a sign discouraging patrons older than 25 participate. Hanging on to Devin for dear life as he went faster and faster, I really need to stick to blades next time.
Grandma's: Caden discovering her swings I grew up swinging on.

Devin's Home!

2010-07-08T15:33:00.000-07:00

Devin got home last week from his mission to Portland, OR. Poor kid came home to a totally different life. While he was gone my family moved, our dog died, and he became an uncle 4 times! He only had 2 days in AZ trying to adjust before we took a trip to Utah for a week. It has been so fun watching him get to know Brynlee, Caden, Branson, and Reese. We have missed him so much and LOVE having him home!

Getting out of the house!

2010-06-19T10:44:00.000-07:00

The boys and I are just getting over being sick and desperately needed to get out of the house! Where to go when it's 108 degrees outside? Luckily Kilee had the day off work and knew just the place! The Arizona Museum of Natural History! Who knew this gem was just 10 minutes away? So much fun! We could have spent an entire day in this place!

We saw dinosaurs...

Caden even touched a REAL dinosaur bone! Can you tell he was excited?

Figured out that a dinosaur foot was even bigger than Caden's little man feet!

Played with Magnets.

Stood in front of a blue screen and pretended to be movie stars

Panned for gold.

Colored with light in a glow in the dark room.

Glow in the dark Branson wondering where in the world we have taken him now!

Used a green screen and green sheet to disappear...AKA play peek a boo with ourselves!

Now you see us....

Now you don't!

What a fun and exhausting day! I love these 2 little monkeys!

Who knew swamps were beautiful?

2010-06-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

I have always thought of a swamp as a dirty, ugly place that I would have little or no interest in seeing. However, Caden and I recently flew to Tallahassee to spend some much needed time with Mitch and, other than Mitch, the swamp was the highlight of our visit! In an attempt to do something touristy in Florida we took a boat tour out on the water. It was SO beautiful! We saw many kinds of birds and plants I had never seen before as well as quite a few alligators! At the end of the tour they had a section that is considered to be "safe" for swimming with a couple of diving platforms. Apparently this is quite a hot spot for the locals. We weren't feeling quite that adventurous after witnessing all of the alligators, jumping fish, and wildlife up close, but we did wade into the water a little bit. Here are some pictures to prove to all of those unbelievers that swamps can actually be quite beautiful!

Visitors

2010-06-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend it was fun to get to see Mitch's Dad's family who were in AZ for the weekend. One night we went to see them at the resort they stayed at which was AMAZING. It was only about 15 minutes from my house. It had a waterpark which looked like a lot of fun. Me and Mitch may have to stay there sometime when we come visit AZ.

They also came to my parents house one night to hang out and spend some quality time with the boys. Here are some pictures we took!

Shout Out

2010-06-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

This is a shout out to my BFF Kilee. My parents went out of town and I was left to hold down the fort with both my boys all alone for a few days. She was a life saver and came over EVERY day to help out. She even changed a few diapers along the way....that's what I call going above and beyond!

But seriously....she was literally a life saver! Monday night I went to light a candle in our kitchen and I couldn't get the lighter to light. So weird....all of a sudden there was a HUGE flame and the handle of the ligher lit on fire right where I was holding it....so instinct kicked in and I threw it on the counter...where it continued burning! I did what I usually do in emergency situations and totally froze and stared at it with an open mouth....couldn't move...couldn't speak...you know the drill. Kilee came running into the kitchen full speed (where she may or may not have slipped on some water and totally went down, sorry Ki, I love ya). Anyway, she helped me toss it into the sink where it could safely burn out.

THANK YOU KILEE! You saved my life and my sanity! Without you I would have been a stressed out wreck with a possibly burned down Kitchen!

Cousins

2010-05-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

Growing up we were really close with our cousins. We were always at each other's birthday parties, had sleepovers, and could play for hours together. We are still close with most of them, especially my Dad's side of the family. Mitch likes to tease me that "the Smartt's are all up in each other's business...in a good way". It's fun. I hope my kids have that.

Glee Live

2010-05-17T10:06:00.000-07:00

Call me corny, but I LOVE the TV show Glee. It makes me so happy! It's hilarious and there is great music, what's not to love? On Saturday, my sisters, my mom, and I went to the Glee Live in concert! It was phenomenal. They sound even better live than they do on the show, which was totally unexpected. We were getting goose bumps. It was a lot of fun, and they had video clips of Sue as if she was talking to the audience. At the beginning she had her cheerios hand out barf bags to the audience because she was sure the concert would make us puke. So funny! At the end you could tell the actors had so much fun and were so grateful, it was really cute. Finn had such genuine excitement all over his face and couldn't stop smiling and saying thank you! So refreshing to go to a concert where most are new stars who are blown away by the opportunity to perform in front of such a huge audience.

Funny Face

2010-05-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago Branson started making a face that got us all laughing. For a few hours he caught on, and if someone said "Branson, do your face!", we would get this reaction....

Sadly, this trick is now gone, but I'm glad we took this picture while it lasted!

No idea where he got this...

2010-05-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

I still haven't met someone who can copy this noise, so we have no idea where he got it. So hilarious though, I love Caden.

Branson's pretty cute these days too...

Easter

2010-05-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

In the mess of moving and finals I never had the chance to post pictures from this Easter. Caden had a blast looking for easter eggs all over our apartment when he woke up. Then we went to Mitch's Grandma Jody's for the afternoon to hang out with his Dad who was in town from California. Caden loved looking for more easter eggs outside. That night we had dinner with Mitch's mom and dad in Pleasant Grove and celebrated his Dad's birthday. It was so fun to see so much family that day!

What to do when...

2010-05-11T14:20:00.000-07:00

it's 95 degrees outside and your kids are sick of being inside? Take them to play in the fountains! Brynlee and Caden LOVED it! They love playing together and Caden gets SO excited when he know Brynlee is coming to play!

P.S.

2010-05-10T22:44:00.001-07:00

I couldn't help but take advantage of the fact that I was across the country from my husband this summer. I finally dared do some things I've been wanting to try for awhile, but wasn't sure how he would feel about them. So I chopped my hair into an A line bob, colored it a dark rich auburn color, and added bangs! Thanks to my sister Camille! I swear having a sister that does hair so well is such a blessing and a curse...I want to completely change my hair every couple months. I totally have hair ADD.

Train Park

2010-05-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures from the train park Kilee took us to. It is THE cutest park and just over in Scottsdale! The pictures really don't do it justice. There is a huge playground, tons of open grass and picnic tables, tons of old trains to look at, a fun train ride that goes around the whole park (it even has a tunnel, as seen i npic #3), and a carousel (which Caden had a stone face the whole time so I didn't know if he enjoyed it, until it stopped and he threw a fit)! SO fun! I can't wait until the boys are older and truly appreciate it. Also, Kilee informed me Christmas time is a blast here with tons of lights and disney characters around! I can't wait to check it out in December!

The 1 Amazing Moment Today

2010-05-03T22:00:00.001-07:00

Alisa recently went to see the movie the Back Up Plan. She told me that there is a part where a man is asked at a park what parenthood is like? He says something like "It's horrible. Horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, and then they do something amazing that makes it worth it. And then it's horrible, horrible..." So I don't feel that negatively about being a mom, but I do agree that there are these moments now and then that make you happier than anything else ever could. I decided I need to start writing down these moments so I have them to look back on later.

In case you are wondering about the horrible, horrible, horrible, leading up to this amazing moment, here goes.
My timeline of last night:
8:30pm Caden and Branson both go to bed. I could not have been more overjoyed. I even got to spend some quality time playing my favorite card game, Nertz with Alisa and Kilee.
11:30pm I fall asleep.....my favorite time of day. :)
1:15am Caden (who has slept through the night for months and months now) is screaming in the other room. He has an ear infection and his finger was slammed in a door earlier on, so we aren't sure exactly what is hurting him, so I give him motrin and lots of hugs. He only stops freaking out if I have BOTH arms wrapped around him. Nothing will totally calm this kid down, so I try to distract him by making a fort with a blanket for us to lay under (which is a mini amazing moment all in itself, but I'm too tired to get too excited about it).
3:00am Branson wakes up and decides to join the party. My father, who might I add is the most amazing and supportive dad any kid could ask for, is up helping out and Branson sees the lights and hears the noise and decides it must be morning and wants to play.
4:00am I decide that my only hope for a moment of sleep is to take Caden for a drive to fall asleep.
4:45am Caden is asleep and stays asleep when I transfer him to the crib.
5:20am Start to use my brain now, and hit Branson up with some night time orajel.
5:45am Finally go to bed for the night.

Yeah....horrible, horrible, horrible....then today...an amazing moment. They are both in my lap facing eachother (after lots of tantrums and screaming all day from the no sleep the night before) and they really interact for the first time. They were looking straight at eachother. Caden holds a wipe in front of Branson, Branson takes it from him, then Caden quickly pulls it away from him with a smirk on his face. They both crack up laughing. They kept repeating this for awhile. Both of their laughs melt my heart everytime, and to see my 2 boys laughing together for the first time really was AMAZING! Makes all the horrible totally worth it and I can't wait until they laugh together again!

Side note...Kilee also took us to the most amazing train park in Scottsdale today (Side, side note. Kilee is such a great friend. She was a much needed helping hand after a frustrating night). It was so fun, and I will post pictures as soon as I find where Caden has hidden my camera cord. :)

Free Diapers

2010-03-31T10:43:00.000-07:00

I have been so lucky lately! First I won the trivia on Good Things Utah....and today I was informed that I won a month of free diapers from Urge2Save!!! Urge2Save is a company that posts deals for local companies and does weekly giveaways. You can become a fan on their facebook page here.
Who doesn't love free stuff? Sometimes it pays to enter to win things apparently! Who knew?

Grandma Yarn

2010-03-30T13:17:00.001-07:00

Mitch's Grandma Yarn passed away March 1st. She was such an amazing lady and I'm sad I only got to know her for a short while. It is sad how much you learn about a person at their funeral. For instance, we had no idea that she had a triple major and triple minor from BYU! Or that she graduated from high school when she was 16. Talk about an intelligent lady. She was an amazing woman and a wonderful example to us. We love and miss her, and are so grateful for our testimonies and the knowledge we have that we will see her again one day. Until then, we will cherish the fun times we had with her, and the few pictures we took of her and Caden. She LOVED Caden and it was always so fun to see her face light up when she played with him. Here is a link to her obituary if you want to learn more about her life.

Branson's Newborn Pics Finally

2010-03-28T09:26:00.001-07:00

Bedtime

2010-03-27T07:21:00.001-07:00

I have the best little boy in the entire world. I'm sure every mom says that. (sometimes, haha) Last night, Caden was pretty hyper and running around playing at bedtime, he seemed wide awake. I tried to set the right atmosphere to help him get tired by turning off the lights and talking really quietly. He seemed upset...he totally knew what I was doing. After a few minutes I asked him "are you ready to go to bed?" He shook his head no and ran away, so I said "it's okay, let's play for one more minute, and then we'll go to bed" Exactly one or two minutes later I asked again "are you ready to go to bed now?" He shook his head no, but walked into his room and stood at his crib waiting for me to put him in it...all the while he was crying and shaking his head no...but he knew it was bedtime. I set him in his crib and told him I loved him. He then blew me a kiss through his tears and held tight to his stuffed Tigger he sleeps with. What 16 month old boy does that? He clearly was not wanting to go to bed, but not only walked himself to his crib, but blew me a kiss. He is such a sweet boy and I am SO blessed to be his mom!

Brothers

2010-03-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

Working With Dad

2010-03-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

Spaghetti Face

2010-03-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

Confession

2010-03-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

I'm totally addicted to GTU (Good Things Utah). At 10am Mon-Fri I can be found watching this show as often as my boys permit. For those who haven't seen it, it's a talk show with 4 ladies from around Utah. They discuss with eachother and their guests things such as recipes, crafts, scrapbooking, fashion, coupons, exercising, etc. What's not to love? Twice a week they call a GTU viewer and ask a trivia question about the show from the day before for a chance to win a prize. I enter to win anytime I actually get to watch most or all of the show, and today.....they called...and I won!!! I was so excited! So call me a nerd, and I'll admit I totally am...but I get this gift basket from Sonja's Essentials totally free! As well as my 10 seconds of fame!

I Dare You Not To Smile

2010-03-08T15:32:00.000-08:00

With 2 boys under 16 months there are definitely moments I want to tear my hair out, but then I look at their sweet little faces and can't help but smile.

3 Generation Horse

2010-02-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

This was my Dad's rocking horse when he was Caden's age! I remember loving it when I was little. We put Caden on it a few days ago and he went crazy! So fun!

Now I Know Why They Call It A Goose Egg

2010-01-31T20:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight when we were at Mitch's parents house for dinner we had a scary experience. Caden was running and playing when he fell and hit his head on their couch. This is normal, he falls and hits his head quite often, but when I went to pick him up I saw this...

the BIGGEST goose egg I have EVER seen! (Literally the size of a goose egg!) The pictures don't even do it justice. I do not do well in these situations...I of course freaked out and started crying. (I'm not sure I can handle all the injuries that 2 boys are going to bring me in my life!) Mitch and his dad gave him a blessing, and we took him to the hospital. The doctor checked him out and says everything looks okay, we are just supposed to wake him up every 4 hours tonight to make sure he is conscious and hasn't thrown up in his crib. I'll be awake worrying about him anyway! So if you see this poor little man running around looking black and blue over the next week or so...don't call CPS...the couch did it!

Ambien + Jennica = Hysterical

2010-01-05T21:20:00.000-08:00

After a few sleepless nights in the hospital, the doctor recommended that Jennica take a sleeping pill to help out... It was a night to remember. Any medicine that makes you drowsy makes Jennica pretty loopy. Around midnight, as she was nursing Branson, she started getting frustrated that he hadn't latched well and that he kept falling asleep without eating. That's when the craziness began. As she was talking, I jotted down a few of the funniest things she said:

You should go back to target... Do they have a different kind of baby there?
Do you have my worksheet? Where did my worksheet go? The one with the Christmas trees!
Do we get extra points if he latches on well?
Did they bring him the twins? No? Just boobs? No other snacks?
Are we winning? [Me: Yeah babe, we're winning] Good! Keep eating little man we can get first place and beat the germans!
[At one point she stopped and looked at him and said] Are you really Branson or are you a german?
[As I was taking Branson back to the nursery] How will we know they don't give Branson to the Germans?

I don't know what got her on the Germany kick, but I was dying laughing that night!

Introducing Branson Steven Rice

2010-01-02T16:09:00.000-08:00

Born December 28, 2009

8lbs 12 oz

21 1/2 Inches Long
Our New Years Eve party in the hospital!

We love this sweet little guy! More pics to come!

I miss this girl...

2009-12-09T08:00:00.001-08:00

I have the cutest neice ever...I just wish we got to see this face more often!

Laughing at 4:30am

2009-12-07T20:55:00.000-08:00

Last night Caden woke up at 3am thinking it was time to play. After an hour and a half of frustration (playing in the living room, cuddling on the couch, realizing that a 9 month pregnant belly and a Caden do not mesh well cuddling on the couch, moving to our bed) and waiting for him to realize how tired he was and fall asleep there was finally silence. I could not have been more excited! Just as I was about to drift into dream land...I hear... whistling. I look over and he is laying there perfectly content and whistling to himself in the dark and looking around. Through the haze of being half asleep I even managed to laugh out loud. He has been whistling for about a month now and it makes me so happy. Here's a pic of him whistling in his car seat the other day.

It's hard to have a bad day when...

2009-12-06T20:34:00.000-08:00

you have this face smiling back at you all day!

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T14:02:00.001-08:00

Caden in his nemo costume!

Swine Flu

2009-10-31T09:18:00.001-07:00

Okay, we don't have the swine flu, but we have all been sick. :P We went to the doctor to have ourselves checked out just in case, and we had to wear masks because they are being extra careful. What do you think about this pic for our Christmas card this year?

Thriller

2009-10-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

Mitch is officially the best husband ever! He surprised me with tickets a few nights ago to Odyssey Dance Company's Thriller show in Salt Lake. I love the show. They do this every year and I usually drag Mitch there. This year he surprised me by buying the tickets himself and arranging for his mom to babysit Caden so we could go on a much needed date. The show is so much fun and gets you in the mood for Halloween. I would highly recommend it to anyone in Utah looking for something fun and different to do this time of year. I think the show continues for the rest of the week! Happy Halloween!

My Handsome Little Man

2009-10-23T19:52:00.001-07:00

We had some pictures taken of Caden recently...he's always happy, but was obviously grumpy on picture day....so no super smiley pics, but he still looks handsome!

Fall Fun in the Canyon

2009-10-20T17:05:00.000-07:00

Wedding Week

2009-10-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

This week has been so much fun! Caden is trying really hard to walk...so cute.

We also had the opportunity to attend 2 weddings. It has been so much fun to go to the temple and reminisce about our wedding day while sharing in the joy of such good friends.

Congratulations Mari & Tyler!!!

Congratulations Sean & Tiffany!!!

Both brides were gorgeous and both couples were so happy and cute!

Here is a picture of Caden and I at Mari's reception. Caden LOVED the music the DJ was playing and danced around the whole time.

We finished off our week by watching the BYU football game. Mitch is so excited to have a boy to watch the game with. Here they are in their BYU shirts ready for the game:

Video of Caden trying to walk:

Kilee came to visit!

2009-10-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

It was so fun having Kilee here last weekend! We watched conference, went to witchapalooza at Gardner Village, toured the conference center, ate good food, and caught up on life! Apparently we also took a lot of pictures of Caden! :) As you can see, Caden is a very happy boy these days, and we may have too much fun dressing him up.

It's a boy!!!

2009-09-03T15:04:00.001-07:00

It's true...Caden is officially going to have a little brother! Although this was definitely not in our plans, we are so thrilled! Caden is ALL boy and could definitely use a brother to wrestle around with. Anyway....we are kind of stuck on names...any suggestions?

On a happier note..

2009-08-14T14:43:00.000-07:00

Just to prove Caden is generally the happiest baby and laughs really hard at almost anything...here is a happier video.

Yay!!!

2009-08-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

Caden is kind of ridiculous...he hates when anyone says Yay!!! I thought yay was supposed to be an inherently happy word for babies...apparently not. He used to have this same reaction when we would play peek a boo. We never got that on tape, so we figured we'd get his yay reaction on tape before this phase passes as well. Enjoy! :)

For all those missing our little man...

2009-05-17T13:41:00.000-07:00

Texas has been quite the adventure so far. There is so much Texas pride out here...we are working on our next blog which will display some of the most ridiculous TX pride things we have found. Mitch is working hard and doing a great job. It's a really stressful and time consuming job, but he always finds time for me and his boy. I am working in the office scheduling the installs for the first few weeks, so I'm either there, taking Caden to the pool, or trying to entertain him in our apartment. Now for the most important of us Rice's...Caden...

He LOVES his jumparoo. When we got to TX I knew my arms were going to need a break and we headed straight for Target to buy a jumparoo. The one shown above was on display and we let him test it out and he loved it. We then saw the Baby Einstein brand one was $5 cheaper and went with that one. He hated it...we exchanged it for this one....he loves it. I guess he just knows what he wants. :)

Caden was really hyper one evening and went crazy rolling around and playing in our bed. He was so out of control and had fun messing up our covers and getting lost in them. Then, silence....I look over to find this. He fell asleep mid-roll and sucking on his hand.

Caden in his swimming getup! He LOVES the pool, and ever since we took him to the pool he figured out he loves water. Before he wasn't sure how he felt about bathtime, but now he practically dives for the tub as soon as I turn on the water.

Here he is going crazy in his Jumparoo. This video is after he had already been jumping for about 30 minutes straight! It seems like this little man never gets tired or worn out!

Laughing

2009-04-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

This video was taken by Douglas and Elise while they were babysitting Caden. He has been laughing like this constantly for the past few days. It is the cutest laugh I've ever heard!

Brownsville, TX

2009-04-01T22:24:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we are moving to Brownsville, TX in less than a month! We are getting so excited. Mitch has been working really hard getting the office ready and we hope that this summer will be successful and fun! I am excited to be so close to beaches....even if the humidity will cause me to have a perma-fro the entire summer. I have warned Mitch that his wife will probably have sun burned skin and an afro all summer....he promises to still love me! :) Speaking of which...we will be about half an hour away from South Padre island, which I understand is a nice vacation spot, so we would love visitors!

We had his office kick off party tonight with lots of games and prizes, it was fun to get to know the people who are coming out a little bit better. We constantly have APX on the brain these days and can't wait for the summer we've been planning for months to actually start! Speaking of APX on the brain...check out this sweet hat we had made for Caden so he would fit in this summer with all the guys!

Arizona & Rolling Over

2009-03-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

Caden and I had such a fun time visiting Arizona a couple weeks ago. Here are my top 10 favorite things from the trip:

10. My family introduced me to the show Lie to Me...so good!
9. Trying to haul Caden and Brynlee around the mall. Key word trying...
8. Taking a million pictures of Caden and Brynlee together.
7. Hanging out with Kim & Kilee
6. My mom's cooking....I do love her potato soup!
5. Being able to go back to bed in the morning when my mom would wake up and take over Caden duty for a few hours! :)
4. Celebrating Alisa's birthday! We ate some good food at Rosa's.....and we tried Sprinkles cupcakes. They are every bit as good as people say!
3. Shopping! AZ shopping is so much better than UT shopping!
2. Surviving the airplane ride home with a 3 1/2 month old who was such a trooper! Thank goodness for the nice lady who let me use her stroller to carry Caden's carseat through the Salt Lake airport to baggage claim. It was a win win...her daughter refused to sit in the stroller and she was having a hard time carrying her daughter and pushing the stroller...and I was having a hard time carrying my 16 pound little man in his carseat. :)

1. Caden finally rolled over! It happened March 5th..at 11:11pm! Mitch was sad that he missed it, but now this little guy won't stop rolling over so Mitch has seen it plenty!

I have included some of the millions of pics we took in AZ as well as a video and pic of Caden rolling over! The picture where Caden looks miserable is toward the end of the 12 hour drive we took to get to AZ..he looked exactly how we all felt on the inside! Enjoy! :)

My Crazy Husband

2009-02-25T12:45:00.000-08:00

So...as most of you already know, Mitch is hilarious sometimes when he is falling asleep. He can lay down and be sleeping in 2 seconds flat. I, on the other hand, fall asleep in half an hour on a good day. I also tend to talk a lot as I'm winding down for the day. Mitch is so sweet and will often try to stay awake and talk for a few minutes to help me wind down. I can usually start to tell when he is getting too tired for talking. For example, last night this was our conversation:

Somehow we got on the topic of nukes, don't ask me how.

Mitch: "I heard that there are enough nukes on the planet to blow up the world multiple times."

Me: "Wow, that's crazy! Can you imagine? If somebody started we would all just blow each other up. I hope nobody is stupid enough to use one..."

Mitch: "Use one what? Woody dolls from Toy Story?"

Me: "What? You are falling asleep aren't you..."

Mitch: "Well I didn't think I was until that popped out of my mouth!"

A conversation like this pops up almost every other night. It is one of my favorite things about being married to Mitch...I never stop being entertained! :) I usually end up laughing so hard that it makes it even harder to fall asleep, but it is so worth it!

Being a New Mom

2009-02-09T12:31:00.000-08:00

Now I love being a mom, and Caden is one of the best things to ever happen to me. But every once in awhile I feel like this:

Caden is 2 Months!

2009-01-23T19:10:00.000-08:00

This week marked Caden's 2 month birthday! I can't believe he is already getting so old. In some ways being a mom still feels so new to me, but then again I can't imagine life without this little guy. He is such a cutie and I love getting to know his little personality. We took him to the doctors for his 2 week check up and he is now 13 lbs. 7 oz. & 24 inches long. He is in about the 95th percentile for both, but the funniest thing is his head circumfrence. It's literally off the charts! We just keep hoping his big head translates into smarts!

Caden loves staying up late and sleeping in just like his mom...for instance, last night he went to bed around midnight, slept until 5....woke up just long enough to down a bottle (almost couldn't burp him because he was so groggy and ready for sleep again by the end of it ha ha) and then back to bed until 9...again only woke up for a short while to eat and then he decided to lay in a half asleep stupor. He tossed and turned but refused to completely wake up and play until 12:30! He is hilarious...it takes about 30 minutes of stretching, grunting, and yawning for him to wake up in the morning or anytime he takes a nap.

His favorite place to hang out right now is his changing table. The second you lay the kid on the thing he calms right down and starts babbling and smiling and giggling. Sometimes I put him there when he doesn't even need a diaper change. It's hilarious.

He is such a curious little kid and NEVER stops looking around and kicking his legs when he is awake. Sometimes he cracks us up because he will frantically turn his head from one side to the other as if he can't soak it all in fast enough or can't decide which way to look. Sometimes it makes me feel like I'm going to get a headache just watching him do this. He also loves looking at lights. Lights on the ceiling, lamps, the TV when it's on, the windows. Anywhere that light is coming from can hold his attention for quite awhile.

Another funny thing we have learned about our little man is that he is picky! Sometimes he will be crying and looking for something to be in his mouth...but he usually wants something specific. Sometimes you will give him the binky and the bottle and he spits it out and makes a face like it's the grossest thing he's ever tasted, but as soon as I try to nurse him he calms right down. Other times I will think he wants to nurse, but he will cry until we give him the bottle. Sometimes only the binky will do. I hope he is not this picky of an eater when he gets older or we are in trouble!

Here are some of our favorite pictures from the past couple months...

:

The Last Couple Months

2009-01-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

We had Caden's blessing on Jan. 4th. We had so many friends and family come to support us. We are so blessed to have such a strong support group around here. My dad drove back with us from Arizona on the 3rd so he was able to be there as well. Afterward, we had family over for some refreshments at our apartment. We had a lot of people come over, and it was quite hilarious to see how many people we could stuff in our little apartment. It was so crazy but a lot of fun! :)

For New Years week we went down to my family's house in Arizona. It was soooo nice to get out of the snow. We even went on a bike ride in our flip flops! It was such a blast to spend so much time playing games and hanging out with my family. My family loved playing with Caden, and Mitch and I enjoyed going out a few times while they watched him. We were kind of sad when we had to return to snowy Utah and school. I tried talking Mitch into transferring to ASU...but he didn't go for it.

We spent Christmas with Mitch's family in Pleasant Grove. It was so much fun! We played a lot of games and enjoyed each others company. It was very relaxing, Christmas morning we slept until about 9:30 and then ate a wonderful breakfast his parents cooked before opening presents. Caden was so spoiled by Grandpa Jon and Grandma Jo. Mitch's little brother Adam got a new cat! For those who haven't heard, his cat Kato died the night Caden was born. So he was really excited to get a new one!

I know Halloween was a long time ago, but we just got these pics! We went to a party at Noah's which was a ton of fun. We dressed up as white trash....we were trying to think of something I could be pregnant...and we decided to be knocked up white trash. My belly isn't really showing, it's the stretchy part of my maternity jeans. Mitch's mullet wig is the best! :)

Baby Caden has finally arrived!

2008-11-23T15:03:00.001-08:00

After 12 hours of contractions, 1 1/2 hours of pushing, this not so little guy was just not budging. So, he arrived via c-section! The doctors were joking in the operating room that he was going to want cheeseburgers and milkshakes to eat. One nurse said he has the biggest head she's ever measured..... I'm glad he looks well proportioned though, he is just one big healthy boy!

I finally get to hold him for a bit...you can tell I'm still drugged a little and exhausted out of my mind...I was really fighting to keep those eyes open! Not my finest moment....
Mitch is so proud to be a dad! He loves this little man so much and helps out more than enough with him.
We are convinced he is the best looking kid ever!

Nesting

2008-11-09T21:50:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of our nursery that I've been working on! :) We still have some finishing touches to add...but it's really coming together! Thanks to everyone who has helped out! Kilee made the blanket that is sitting on the chair in the picture, it is so cute and goes perfectly with the room! A HUGE thanks to future Grandma Jo who made all of the bedding and has been a huge help in getting everything ready for him. I love to sit in here and get excited to become a mom! I'm already getting some good use out of the glider rocking Caden back to sleep in the middle of the night when he is awake and kicking me. I can't wait to meet this boy....one more week until my due date....cross your fingers that he comes soon!

Just when you think you can't get any bigger...

2008-10-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

Here I am at almost 36 weeks for those who were wanting an update! Hopefully this little guy is ready sooner rather than later...I'm seriously not sure I can handle being any bigger! And yes....I look a little tired and drugged in this picture because the doctors have me on benadryl trying to fight the itch! :)

My new best friend...

2008-10-14T20:28:00.001-07:00

Apparently these bad boys are not just for lowering your cholesterol. The latest fun phase of pregnancy my body has decided to embrace now is a rash around my belly button. So now if I'm not up in the night because of Caden kicking my ribs or hiccupping...it is because I am simply too itchy to sleep. My doctor is running a few tests to rule out a couple things, but figures it is just PUPPS syndrome. A fun condition where you can't do anything about it except endure it and it will go away a few days after delivery. Random fact....I googled PUPPS....I know, I'm addicted to googling... and I learned that 70% of women who get PUPPS get it during their first pregnancy and they are having a boy.

Anyway, enough venting, I also learned while googling that oat baths can be a good source of relief...and boy is it ever! I now soak in a bath full of oats a couple times a day. If I could live in oats I would! So if anyone out there has an itching problem of their own, look no further. Who would have ever thought that something as dry as oats could relieve itchy skin?

This is how I'm feeling these days... haha

2008-08-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

I really wonder if this is what is behind all those smiling strangers I pass throughout the day....

Bored in Yakima = Crazy Onesies

2008-08-02T19:14:00.001-07:00

Not much to do here...this is the result of my boredom...

The last month or so...

2008-08-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

My latest belly pics...getting bigger by the week! :) I believe this was around Week 24?

For my birthday on the 7th Mitch bought me a video camera. We went downtown in Seattle to Pike's Market and had fun interviewing all the funny people this crazy place attracts. This pic makes me feel shorter than ever! :)

The last month has been quite a busy one for us. I went to UT for my ultrasound and also to see my brother Devin off to the MTC. It was so much fun to get to see all the family again! We miss them! In UT...we ate a lot of good food, went bowling, played a lot of games, and basically had fun goofing around with the fam.

A few weeks ago the Seattle South office moved to Yakima, WA. Yakima...is interesting. It has a really high crime rate which is really good for selling security systems, but doesn't make for the funnest town to live in. The mall is kind of pathetic...there are 3 restaurants in the food court...and hardly any stores. Apparently the one redeeming quality of this part of WA is that it's "Washington's wine country!"....too bad that doesn't help us much! haha The upside of living here is that the company arranged for us to live in a brand new extended stay hotel. It's really nice and has a kitchen. I love having free air conditioning (we keep it at 70), and cable TV is saving me from boredom while Mitch is out selling. My favorite part....maids coming once a week. It is heaven! :)

To keep busy I have signed up for an online BYU class "Parenting and Child Guidance". I figured it was a good class to get 3 credit hours of the way while learning about something I happen to be interested in these days!

Caden Mitchell Rice

2008-07-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

For those of you who haven't heard yet...we found out at our ultrasound a couple weeks ago that we are having a boy! We are so excited! As you probably guessed from the title of this entry we are tentatively planning on the name Caden. Mitch has already been talking to him as Caden this whole pregnancy and I have loved the name since high school. We will see though. Here are some of our favorite pictures from the ultrasound! :) The first one you can see his five tiny fingers...and the next one is an excellent profile shot!

Happy Birthday/Fathers Day Mitch!!!

2008-06-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

It has taken me awhile to post this, but June 15th was Mitch's 23rd birthday and also his first fathers day as a soon to be father! I am so blessed to have such an amazing husband who works so hard every day to provide for our little family. He is the best husband a girl could ask for and will be such an amazing dad! Mitch is the type of husband who is always thinking of ways he can help me out. It makes things like his birthday a challenge...so the day before (Saturday) he works 9-9 as this is peak selling time. While he was gone I cleaned our entire house, did all of our laundry (this may not sound like much but our little washer doesn't hold much and what looks like a couple loads quickly turns into 5 or 6), made him dinner, and entertained myself by decorating these cupcakes he loves so much! :) This is the only way I knew I could keep him from trying to do chores on his birthday. Being the generous soul that he is, he walks in after a 12 hour work day and couldn't stop thanking me for all the work I did that day...which is nothing compared to knocking doors all day...and then immediately offered to massage my legs! He is just too good to be true! He never stops spoiling me!

The next day I had him open his presents when we got home from church. He got a few pair of shorts he was in desperate need of, and Season 3 of the Office. He has continuously been recieving cards and packages throughout the week in the mail...so it has turned into Happy Birthday week for Mitch! It has been a lot of fun!After we opened presents he decided his one day off work for the week he really just wanted to relax rather than party too hard. So... we went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner...yum....he played Playstation 3 for awhile and we watched movies and hung out with some of the other guys here selling in Seattle. It was a very fun and relaxing day!And for those wanting an update on how big I am quickly getting here are some pics....

Seattle Update

2008-06-10T16:25:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! It has been so long since I have updated this thing! We are now in Seattle and loving it! Downtown Seattle is so much fun and the shopping definitely beats Utah's anyday! I am way excited about the 3 story Old Navy with a whole floor of maternity and baby clothes for cheap! Our first day in Seattle we headed to downtown and decided we wanted to try eating somewhere random that we've never heard of before...we found a small pizza shop with cheap stuff.....WORST IDEA EVER....we were both sick the rest of the day.

We are living in a town 20 minutes south of Seattle called Federal Way. It is so much fun to be somewhere completely different than anywhere either of us has lived before. We now know what it feels like to be a minority. In every strip mall there is at least one Teriyaki Korean food joint....maybe when I start feeling better we will get adventurous and try some of them out. The first few weeks we got here I kept getting hit on by a lot of high school aged kids. With all of the polynesian and african american people out here I've noticed how much older many of them look in high school. I was secretly flattered I could still pass for being as young as they thought I was....although now that I'm starting to look prego I haven't had any dating offers. haha Go figure! Here are some pics of Federal Way to give you an idea of how beautiful our new "home" is! All of these were taken within a 10 minute drive of where our apartment is.

Work is going well for Mitch. Door to door selling is definitely a stressful and demanding job but he is doing well so it will all be worth it! I am working as the office assistant for the office he is selling alarms for.....so basically I get payed to answer about 15 phone calls a day, play guitar hero, surf the net, and talk to my mom and sisters on the phone. It's not a bad gig!

As far as the pregnancy goes...things are well so far. I've definitely had my fair share of weird pains and morning sickness but I guess that's what I signed up for! I am finally starting to show and despite the fact that none of my pants will button I am still in the stage where I love the adventure of finding outfits which make me look fashionable and show off my new found belly! The ultrasound is scheduled for June 26th and hopefully we will find out if it's a boy or a girl! I am hoping for a girl...but Mitch and the entire family are convinced it is a boy...we will see. I have added a poll on the side of our blog where you can vote what you think! Here are some pics we took on Sunday of my new figure!

I am so excited to fly to Utah in a few days and see my family! Especially to get to spend a day with Devin before we put him into the MTC!

RIP Vicci

2008-04-14T16:42:00.000-07:00

Sadly, our dear friend Vicci has moved on with her life. She has found a new home with a multi-pierced, maniac-driving "BYU student." Maybe we're just sell-outs choosing money over a loving home for her...whatev it was worth it. Farewell dear friend.

Mike Birbiglia

2008-04-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

Californian Easter

2008-03-28T17:58:00.001-07:00

When we first got there Mitch's dad surprised us with a free nights stay at the Grand Californian hotel right on Downtown Disney. As we were walking to our room there was a creepy looking little girl chillin' in her underwear outside of our door. She ran a few doors down when she saw where we were headed. It was kinda creepy....and by kinda we mean WAY creepy and felt like she was straight out of a horror film. After we dropped off our bags we went to ask if she was okay and she wouldn't talk to us...we finally got her to admit her family was staying in the two rooms across the hall from ours. We knocked on both doors and called both rooms repeatedly and nobody answered. We even had the front desk try to call the cell phone registered to those rooms. No luck. Finally they sent up a security guard and he knocked on the door once and a man came to the door. He didn't say much just shut the door and then another man in the room nextdoor answered. He didn't seem worried or concerned that there were about 10 people and a security guard hanging out with his naked 6 year old "daughter". Needless to say, we think there may be some kid trafficking going on in Southern Cali so hold onto your little ones.

The next day we had fun eating our $18 a plate breakfast and lounging by the pools. Mitch's brother and sister Kaitlyn and Kendall had fun riding the water slide and doing flips.

We had fun dressing up in the Disney store.

All in all it was a short but fun trip to Cali.