I Heart Etsy

Our laptop is officially ill and needs to see the doctor, so I am having a hard time getting anything done on our ancient computer. I apologize for the lack of posts and also the lack of pictures but it will most likely be awhile. Anyways, the semester is rapidly drawing to a close and I couldn't be more excited. I am ready for a break! It is much different this semester due to the fact that I am working four to five nights a week on top of my school load, (which was only seven credits this semester.) In the meantime I have also been keeping up with my Etsy shop. So many people that I run into have never heard of Etsy.com and it amazes me since I am pretty obsessed with it. Some of you may know that I have a shop at www.runiqueboutique.etsy.com I love to sew and be crafty so when I discovered etsy I knew it was for me. Etsy is a website that sells nothing but handcrafted or vintage items. The site it full of thousands of crafters that have awesome and fun things to share. I do plenty of shopping on etsy now and love being able to find things that are trendy, cute, and UNIQUE. For example, for our anniversary I got Josh a hand stamped keychain that had our initials and wedding date on it along with a cute saying. It was personal, thoughtful and inexpensive.... PERFECT! So along with the craziness of my semester I have been trying to fill my shop up for the holidays. I pretty much have every bag that I wanted to get finished all done and listed in the shop. I call that my own little miracle. I also recently made a whole bunch of fabric flower headbands but due to the malfunctioning of the laptop those might not make it on the site for a few weeks. So if you haven't already, go and check out Etsy.com you can get a jump start on your christmas shopping, (with two December birthdays and four children I started about four months ago)

10 Years the Full Story

Ten years ago today I got married. WOW! I remember thinking about this day, how it seemed so far away. I remember thinking that if we could make it to our ten year anniversary then we would be just fine. We were married in the LDS church and Bishop Homer married us. I didn't wear a fancy dress and it was super small, just close friends and family were there. We always talked about how we would have a real party when we went through the temple. About 22 months later we were sealed in the temple and had no celebration aside from a cake at my parents' house. Then we always talked about how at our 10 year anniversary we would have a reception. At the start of the year we contemplated it, but it just didn't work out. So here we are with big plans for tonight. Go to the temple, come home, eat some homemade Cafe Rio burritos and then do some homework :) Fun huh? I am just happy to have a night off, eat some yummy food and go to the temple with my best friend.

We didn't get married under ideal circumstances. I was pregnant. I got pregnant at my senior prom. Almost makes you laugh right? When it finally came out that I was pregnant I had already been accepted to BYU and was devastated. I went to California to live with my Aunt and the plan was to put the baby up for adoption. I quit talking to Josh and got a job and picked out a family to adopt the baby. On my 18th birthday Josh sent me an e-mail. That changed everything. We began to talk and my feelings towards Josh started to change from anger back to the love that I had felt for him. We talked for another five weeks and we decided that we wanted to get married. It was important for me to know that I wanted to be with him because I loved him and not just because I was going to have a baby. Those times were crazy and my emotions and thoughts were overwhelming. As I look back on our first couple of years I am still amazed. I know that we were led through some strenuous times by our Heavenly Father. I remember hearing things in those first few months about how friends and acquaintances were talking about us and giving us 6-12 months before we split. That made me so mad!

We kept moving forward, I was in school and Josh got a decent job. Things were going pretty well. We were sealed in the temple in August of 2002 and that gave me some confidence in our relationship and a little peace of mind. We had set the goal of going through the temple within 2 years and we made it. A few months later we were excited to find out that baby number 2 was on it's way (we had been trying for a couple of months). Ethan joined our family the following summer. He was such a mellow baby and child. It was a much needed difference in our home. When Ethan was a year we bought our first house. It was a wonderful house that we had built and it gave us room to grow. A few years later I planned on going back to school and about a week after initially contacting the school we had a surprise when we found out that Preston was on his way. Although he wasn't planned I knew that he was supposed to be coming to our family at that time.

As our family changed and we went through career changes and sold our home and went back to school we were growing up. We were just kids when we started out but we were determined to make it work. We had similar goals in life and were willing to sacrifice for one another. As I get to know other teenagers and young adults in my life the more I realize how lucky we were to make it through those hard times stronger and more dedicated to one another. Last night as we lied in bed I told Josh that I would love to know what our moms were thinking about us on our wedding day and now what they think 10 years later. I hope that my children never make the choices that we made but I pray that if they do that they have the maturity to deal with them and grow from them.

These 10 years haven't been flawless and we haven't made the best choices every step of the way but we know that we aren't perfect. Over the last couple of years we have had a number of friends struggle in their marriages and have seen some of those marriages end in divorce. It has given me a wake-up call. I know that every day I have to work on my marriage. It isn't something that can be taken for granted. I have also learned that you have to be willing to share your thoughts and feelings. Even if your spouse doesn't agree with them or it makes them upset. I have found that if Josh knows where I am coming from and knows my thought process then it helps him have a better understanding. Everyone is different but I know that what we have works for us and I love my husband and I still look forward to the moments that we get to spend together.

Frumpy Dump

Alright, this post has been nagging at me for quite some time. A couple of weeks ago I had a bad day. Nothing looked right and I was just frustrated with myself, I was standing in the bathroom looking in the mirror and almost had tears in my eyes. Josh walked in and we talked a little bit. I told him I felt like a frumpy dump. He laughed at my word choice and of course assured me that I am not a frumpy dump. It wasn't too many days later that I was getting ready to walk out the door for work. My hair was done, my make-up on, and I put my super cool new aviator sunglasses on (Old Navy $2.99.) Josh just looked at me and told me I looked like I was trying to be 21. I told him that I was just trying to be the age I AM and that my new sunglasses were super cool and I walked out the door. When I got to work I walked in and took off my sunglasses. One of my male co-workers said, "look at you miss Heather Locklear with your new hair (I recently got my hair done and it is pretty blond) and shades taking them off all cool like that." This particular co-worker of mine is strange and loud by I will take the compliment anyways. Thank you Jarvis.

So I have been thinking about these events quite a bit lately. I hate feeling frumpy! I take pride in the way I look. I am not skinny, nor am I overweight. I am not comfortable wearing super trendy clothes or clothes that are too tight or revealing. I leave the super trendy to my skinny younger sisters :) I have a personal style that works for me, I understand that I am not 21 but I am still only 28. Yes, I am the mother to four children. But that doesn't mean that I have to dress like I am 40 or 50 years old or that I just got done working out when we both know that I didn't.

One morning when Kendra was in 1st grade I was getting ready to take her to school. I was wearing workout pants and a sweatshirt just like every morning. She kindly looked at me and asked me if I was going to get dressed today. I knew exactly what she was trying to say by the look on her face and her tone. So I asked her if she would like it if mommy got ready before I took her to school and picked her up. She politely said yes. That moment changed me forever.

Looking like I take care of myself and dressing stylish doesn't cost me a ton of money or take me forever either. I enjoy hunting for the best deals and I am an avid "couponer." I like to splurge on my jeans and only do that every few years. And I am talking like 70-100 dollars, it could be much worse. Good jeans are the basis for everything so I willing to pay more and sometimes I find good ones for 20-40 bucks. But seriously, good jeans make me feel like a million dollars.f I shop online a lot and use coupon codes and almost ALWAYS get free shipping. I can sew. I make things and I am able to alter things that don't fit quite right. I buy all my makeup at target. I use the Internet as a huge resource. For instance, I was having issues with my make-up. It just never looked really good. I wanted Amy to teach me her tricks when we met up in Park City last spring but we never had time. So when I got home I googled make-up tips. I found an awesome website with video tutorials and everything. I learned SO much! Anyways, I guess the point I am trying to make with this paragraph is that it has taken me a little bit of effort but not a ton of time or very much money. After my incident with Kendra years ago I knew that there was no excuse good enough for letting myself go. I owe it to my children and my husband to look good for them and myself.

I love Dr. Laura's book, "The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands." Her views are similar to mine and I read chapters from her book pretty regularly. It helps me to stay focused on being a good wife. Anyways one of the reasons I try to take care of myself, besides doing it for myself, is for my husband. Ten years ago, (almost to the day) Josh married a pretty cute 18 year old. Even though we have both gotten older and put on a little weight I still want to be my cutest self for him. Impressing my husband is important to me. No he isn't always going to think I am the hottest girl around and he has seen me at my absolute WORST. But he needs to know that young cute girl is still in there and that she still likes to get dolled up for him.

Do I look good all of the time? NO WAY! Do I still take the kids to school in pajamas? YUP! But I come home and get ready for the day and I make sure that I don't look out of date and that I am dressing appropriately. I may only get my hair done twice a year but I know how to style it and am not afraid to try new things. Despite all of my efforts I sometimes still have days where I feel like a frump. But I guess the important thing is that I try my best not to give in to my inner Frumpy Dump.

My Baby

Aubrey is full of spunk! She is busy and sweet and trying and wonderful all at once. She is really starting to grow up. I think communicating does that to little ones. Once they start communicating they are no longer babies. She is using new words every day. At night when we kneel down to say prayers with her she has finally started trying to repeat what we say. It seems like this has taken her a long time since she has been folding her arms and "praying" every night for months now. You can't understand a single word that she is saying but she still tries her hardest to repeat what Josh or I say to her.She has curly hair! I can't even believe it but Aubrey has curly hair! I was glad when Preston's hair came in curly and I still just adore his sweet little blond curls but now I have a little girl with curls too! Aubrey has been pretty good about letting my put ponytails in her hair and just smiles and giggles at herself when I stand her on the counter to look in the mirror when I am done. She still has her big blue eyes and we still get comments on them everywhere we go. All four of our kids have blue eyes but something about Aubrey's eyes gets people to stop us where ever we are to tell us what beautiful eyes she has. It is strange.

Yup, this is her playing peek-a-boo with us. She is extremely playful. She loves to laugh and play. The older kids are pretty good about letting her tag along and Aubrey almost always has a baby doll AND doll blanket in her hands.
I took Aubrey to Old Navy to do some shopping for her as it started to get colder around here. She found some boots. Well, I found the boots first and showed them to her and asked her if she liked them. That was a huge mistake! Those pink patent leather boots were on her feet before we left the store and she carried them around and wore them for weeks. She even slept with them! She loves her boots! She gets really excited to put them on and they can take her mood from frustrated and upset to perfectly happy. I am almost in love with the boots as much as she is!

Red Lodge 2010

I think that our trip to Red Lodge is turning into a yearly event, which I don't mind at all! It is a great way to welcome fall and have a good time. We had to stop at the candy store and fill up our bags. We have learned that in order to avoid kicking and screaming we have to cave and let each of the kids fill their own bag. We just have to monitor what is going in and take them as soon as we can get away with it.Aubrey's bag was also known as Daddy's bag. And I helped Kendra fill hers with some of my very favorites. I LOVE salt water taffy and they have just about every flavor imaginable. I am such a sucker for candy that this is the highlight of my day in Red Lodge.

Preston didn't quite know what to do with himself in the candy store. We made it out of the store alive and the candy only lasted a couple of days thanks mostly to me!
We headed up to Wild Bill Lake with the fishing rods that Gma and Gpa Black got for the kiddos after our last trip fishing. Josh hadn't caught a fish all day until he was holding Aubrey so that I could gather up our things to leave and what would you know, he finally caught one. I am giving the credit to Aubrey on this one.
A close up of Ethan's fish!
He was so proud of himself! I reeled in a couple for Grandpa and caught one all on his own too. The fact that he stayed dry is a miracle. Grandpa Beau helped Ethan, but he got the casting down pretty quickly.
Uncle Justin was Preston's helper for the day and they caught quite a few fishies. Preston was brave and held them so that I could take his picture, but he never took his eye off of them.
This was their first catch of the day and I think that Justin was more excited than Preston was!
Kendra was a pro and did a great job casting. What a difference it made this year with Kendra and Ethan being able to cast their own lines. Kendra was the first on to catch a fish in the family and she did great, although holding it her hand was not something that she was willing to do quite yet. Kendra had worn her big ol rainboots so that she could wade out into the water, and it was raining when we left Billings. Well.... she waded out a little too far and her boots filled with icy cold water. It wasn't too long after that we headed out for dinner. He feet were FREEZING!

While the kiddos were busy catching fish Aubrey and I had fun with the camera. She was a trooper and it was pretty cold out but she stayed pretty happy and I got some GREAT PICTURES! The one above just totally captures her personality. She is really playful lately and has a great temperment. She can get a little worked up when she doesn't get what she wants but is communicating really well lately. She will nod her head yes or no, but you can usually tell by her reaction. And when you ask her to say "I love you" she just makes a kissie face and pretends to kiss you.


The kids found this crazy catepillar and so the guys of course put it on a hook. I don't think it stayed more than a few casts before it was lost in the water but it was a nice try.
We had so much fun and then Grandma Black cooked us some amazing french dip sandwiches back in their camper. It was a great way to relax and enjoy the outdoors.

No More Junk

We just moved. AGAIN! I am so sick of moving and I hope that we don't move again for a very VERY long time. Josh and I are coming up on our ten year anniversary and in those 10 years we have moved 8 times now. That includes a five month stay at my mother's house last spring and staying at my grandmother's place while looking for a house to buy and then waiting for our house to be built. I never felt like I moved all of the time until now. But hopefully we will be here for awhile. We moved into my Mom and Dad's house. They are empty nesters with a large house. My dad has Parkinson's and has a hard time moving around and stairs aren't easy. He also can no longer take care of the necessary things around the house. So we came up with a solution.... We are living in their house and will hopefully be buying it when Josh is done with school. And they moved into a smaller and more manageable house that doesn't have stairs.

Our kids are going to Blue Creek School now which is a small county school and they love it. I didn't want to move them from Big Sky until I knew that we would be permanent but I figure this is close enough. As of yesterday we are officially DONE with our other place and every corner and shelf was cleaned and the inspection is done. That is the worst part for me. I don't mind going through all of the stuff and boxing it up and hauling it all over. And I really enjoy unpacking and putting everything in the right place and getting it all organized. But having to devote days to scrubbing out an empty place that you are just leaving behind, well let's say that I would rather be cleaning just about anything else. My aunt and cousin helped me out with the kiddos and my sister pitched in to help me finish in time for the inspection. THANK YOU!

Now I have a large house in desperate need of attention. My mom still has stuff in most closets and on the walls and I have stuff.... everywhere. This is definitely a crazy move and someday when I get it all organized and pretty I will post a picture or two. Maybe. It is strange living here with all of my stuff in a house that I am so familiar with. My parents have never lived in a house for as long as they have lived in this one. We all still call it grandma's house. And we probably will for a really long time.

Four Eyes

Well, it was really only a matter of time before one of my children got one of my not so wonderful traits. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that Ethan was playing his MarioKart on the Wii while he was about an arms-length away from the TV. Hmmm... it was a strange sight and not just the usual "I am a kid so I want to sit close" kind of situation. He looked really weird because he was standing up too. So I remembered that and figured that I better make an eye appointment for him. Of course I didn't. Then something happened a couple of days ago while we were out as a family so when we got home I grabbed a notebook and a big black sharpie. I had Josh hold Ethan on his lap and I wrote out letters in block format like at the eye doctor and we gave Ethan our own homemade eye test. He failed. Josh and Kendra could read it all just fine but Ethan was struggling. So we got him an eye appointment on Monday and sure enough he needs glasses.

He was actually really excited to be getting glasses and his prescription is strong enough that he will need (and most likely want) to wear them all of the time. I was glad that we were able to catch it early and before school started. But seriously the kid just turned 7! He is really going to be in for it. His mother can't even read the big "E" at the top of the eye chart. I am sure that his eyes will only get worse as he grows up like mine did. But in the meantime he is just happy to see the leaves on the trees and many other things that the world now offers him.

We got him two sets of glasses. One a little more contemporary and bolder then a nice pair of blue wire-rimmed ones. Josh and I both like the bolder, thicker frames and I was worried that he wouldn't like them as much, but they are his favorites! He is looking super stylish now and can't wait to go to school to show them off. We headed to the park right after picking up his glasses and I just had to laugh as he told random kids that he wears glasses. His excitement was too cute.