The Merkley Family

Holiday Fun!

2011-01-08T16:10:00.000-08:00

My sweet boy with Lo.... they were watching fireworks at my parents and the poor guy was deathly afraid. :(

Gav looking like a BOY... it only took him 5 minutes to get messy.

Lorin drowning us in leaves.

My sweet girl - Man, I LOVE HER! She's definitely my little bestie!

Lily playing in the leaves Christmas day.

Lily Christmas morning looking out of it still!

Gav & Lils on Christmas Sunday. So stinkin' cute!

Lily with Santa at our Annual White Elephant Exchange.

Ritchey grandkids - yes, my kids are the whitest ones!

We took pics of all the grandkids on the Ritchey side for my mom... it took some editing, but I LOVE how they turned out! Thanks, Jax!

It's only taken about 10 years to update this thing!
We had a crazy December, and I'm happy to report that things have slowed down and we are looking forward to a new year and a new baby to join us in March.
If I go 1-2 weeks early like I have with the previous two kiddos,
I'll be having this baby in 9 weeks!!

9 weeks?!!?!?

Crazy, I know!

We are so excited for Eveline (Evie) Iris to join us in March. Don't really know how crazy life will be with 3, but I know we're in for an adventure!

Here are some pics of our Christmas and New Years!

ENJOY!

Family Pics

2010-11-14T07:51:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile!
(As usual).

I'm just so happy that the holidays are here.
Can you believe Thanksgiving is here in LESS than two weeks?!
Craziness!

In preparation for the holidays, we were able to have our pics taken and I'm so glad a few turned out where both kids were looking.
(Sounds easy - but trust me - a very difficult task!)

Any way, I just love this time of year, and cannot wait to spend it with my family.
This time last year I was pretty sad thinking Lorin would be leaving us for school right after the New Year, so I'm so glad that is done with and so glad that he won't be leaving us again.

I sure do love my family!

Gav:1 & Lily:3

2010-10-13T11:21:00.001-07:00

I sure do love my kids!

They make me sooo happy!

We just celebrated Gav's 1st and Lily's 3rd birthday a few weeks ago, and I cannot believe how fast they are growing up. They truly bring me so much happiness!

Seriously, I think that if they can make me so happy, then won't 5 more kids bring SO MUCH MORE happiness?! Okay, I know... it may also bring some insanity, but I think it's worth it!

Here are some pics of the kiddos at their birthday celebration.

We had so much fun!!
Thanks to all our friends and fam who came to party with us. :)

It's been awhile...

2010-08-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

I know, I'm slackin'.

Why?

I'm pregnant - that's a HUGE reason in itself.

The other reason?

I'm spending LOTS more time Bloggin' for Lil' Luna.

Lame, I know.

Just thought I'd post some of the latest pics...

Man - I sure LOVE my Lil' FAMILY!!

:)

2010-07-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

We are SOOO EXCITED!!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

Ended up making about 3 of these. More info on how to make them on my
Lil' Luna BLOG
The hubby and Lily (still half asleep apparently)

My dad's pop case.
All of Lorin's goodies... More info HERE. I hate copying crafts exactly but I had so little time cuz of my craft nite last week, that copying exactly was all I could muster. Lame, I know.

Father's Day was great this year!!
It's so much fun when the kids can get more involved. This year, Lily was SOO excited to celebrate Father's Day, and all day she kept telling Lorin - "Happy Father's Day - you are soo handsome!" Cute, huh?

We were able to have breakfast and then dinner with my fam and the In-Laws. Talk about an overload of food, but everything was so stinkin' yummy!!

Just want to tell my Pawda (Dad) how great he is, and also the FIL how great he is as well. You guys are both WONDERFUL!

And to Lo - thank you for being the BEST husband and father to our children, Lils and Gav. I couldn't have picked anyone better for them. You are amazing in every way, and I cherish and love you more than you could ever know!! :D

New CRAFT BLOG & GIVEAWAY

2010-05-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends!
Just wanted to let you know that I've started a new CRAFT BLOG!

Every weekday you will find a NEW, CUTE and INEXPENSIVE craft that I've made or found online and wanted to share. I know that the hard part of crafting can be coming up with the idea, so I figured if I helped find the ideas, then you could learn how to make something super cute for little money.

ALSO, if you have an idea you want to share, just let me know and I would love for you to POST on the blog
(just email me: kristynmerkley@gmail.com) :)

I'm also doing a GIVEAWAY right now.
Can I get a WhAt? WhAt?

You have 5 chances to enter, and here's HOW:

1 - Become a FOLLOWER of the blog.
{1 ENTRY}

2 - Become a FAN and joing the Group on Facebook.
{1 ENTRY}

3 - Blog about this GIVEAWAY.
{1 ENTRY}

4 - Invite Friends to become a FAN on Facebook.
{1 ENTRY}

5 - Send an Email about this new BLOG and GIVEAWAY.
{1 ENTRY}

There will be two PRIZES:

1 - A Family FOREVER Board {$50 VALUE}
AND $25 VINYL CREDIT.

OR

2 - $75 Credit towards Lil' Luna Products which include VINYL, HEADBANDS, LITTLE BOY TIES AND HOME DECOR!

**PLEASE LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY ON THE
LIL' LUNA BLOG**

Thank you!

Love - Kristyn
http://mylilluna.blogspot.com/

Disneyland & HB

2010-05-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

Wow - who  would have thought that less than two hours of service could get my  family in to Disneyland for FREE?!

Well, we are so glad we took advantage of Disney's  Give-A-Day-Get-A-Day. We had so much fun there this past week  with my sisters, Tara and Kellyn, and their families. We were able to  spend ALL of last Friday at Disney and then went to Huntington Beach on  Saturday. Fortunately, Disneyland wasn't too crowded and the longest  wait we had was 30 minutes for the Nemo Ride. It was also so much FUN meeting Tinker Bell. Lily  could not stop talking about her!! The beach was also so nice. Breezy  and hardly any people, which was GRRRREAT! I've  decided that I could never get sick of Disneyland - it seriously is the  best ever!!!

WARNING: Pic overload -
I had too many favs!!


I love her - She was sooo happy to be at the beach!Gav and his mama - which he says now. Looove it!
Before he started eating the sand. :)
Even though the water was freezing Lily looooved it.
My happy boy.
The two MEN in my life - I sure do love them LOTS!
Meeting Mickey :)
Gav - oh how I love this boy. He was so happy and just patiently waited on the ground for the parade. I seriously could just eat him!
Lily literally jumping for joy before the parade started. The parade this year was awesome because it was interactive. They would pull kids from the crowd. Lily got to meet Mickey, Minnie, Woody, Jesse, Tigger, Peter, Wendy, and more!
Camo (Kellyn's boy), Lils, and Hunter (Tara's boy)
Lily with her game face on for Buzz Lightyear's Astroblasters. She loved this ride, and kept asking, "Can I shoot the circles one more time? Please mommy?"
Lily and her hero, Tinker Bell.
I just love this little girl even if she doesn't look like she's mine.
The cousins
Our one family pic on the Jungle Cruise.

Discounted Crafts! Mother's Day Items.

2010-05-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

Heabands - All $5

Hey Friends! First off, thank you to those who came out and supported me at this weekend's Boutique in the Barn. It was awesome!! I hope you guys were able to find a TON of cute items!! I had some items left over that I have gone through and discounted. I am attaching a collage of those items. It's first come, first serve. I will be home many mornings this week if you want to pick them up, but if you want an item, please email me back and I will set it aside for you. If you have not come by Friday nite, I will "re-list" that item. There are a ton of cute Mother's Day items for CHEAP, so be sure to check them out. I also had some leftover headbands that I will be taking pics of and posting on my blog tonight or in the morning, so let me know if you'd like any of those as well. Thanks again, and I hope everyone has a wonderful Mother's Day!

Tired

2010-04-29T20:28:00.000-07:00

I'm tired... and here is the reason why:


Come to
Boutique in the Barn
May 1st, 2010
8am-5pm
Just west of Rural Rd. off of Warner

Gift bags for the first 50 and lots of fun stuff.
I promise!

Easter Sunday

2010-04-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

We compromised...
Lorin's family would always dress up and go to church to watch Conference. My family did the opposite - stayed in our PJs... stayed at home... and almost always fell asleep. When we first got married, we decided we needed to compromise on the whole Sunday Conference dilemma. SO, now we dress up and just watch it at home. Because it was Easter also, I thought it would be nice to take family pics, and I am so glad we did!
Any who, I was just curious if anyone else had to make Conference Sunday Compromises....

Learning Experience

2010-04-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

My little Gav - what a stud!
My sugarcane, Lily, who was greatly missed while we were gone.
Gav's first plane ride.
The John Hancock building, which is right next to where Lorin lived.

Lo with his two professors - Jared & Tom

Lo & I at his graduation (and no we did not try to match on purpose).
Drunk Gav and I at graduation.At Gino's - an awesome restaurant in Chi-Town.
Me, after the windiest day in my life - it was pointless to do my hair cuz everywhere we went it got more messy and tangled. It seriously took me ten minutes to brush out all the knots!

Wow - he's home! It's about stinkin' time too. 3 months flew by pretty quickly, and at the same time it seemed like FOREVER! I'm just so glad that it is done with, and that we are a family of FOUR again. I LOVE our little family, and am just sooo excited that we are together again.

Looking back on the last 3 months, I learned a few things...

1 - Being a single parent is HARD - I definitely have more respect and admiration for all those who do it alone. Unfortunately, I had to go through this experience to better understand what single parents go through.

2 - It's easier to lose weight when you don't have a husband to cook for. I've realized that I don't make dinner for ME. It's all for HIM. I'm happy with a salad or bowl of cereal. :)

3 - Skype is AWESOME! We've had it for a few years now, but never really had to use it. Modern technology is the BEST!! Thank you to all the NERDS who made it possible for me to "see" my hubby every day while he was away.

4 - Absence makes the heart grow fonder. :)

12 Days

2010-03-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

My little Jubbly - that's his nickname, and I LOVE him!
Lorin and I, and 1/3 of Lily. Man I LOVE him!
2 of my 3 favorite people in the world! LOVE THEM!
My Silly Lily!! The first day at the Blasers... I put her down for a nap and thought she went right down but after half hour I went in to check on her, and this is what I found... She had markered all over her hands and legs. Thankfully, she didn't mark on anything else but herself. Then not too much later she locked herself in the bathroom. I was a little stressed thinking the whole week would be a little stressful, but fortunately, this was the worst of all the days. Holy Moly!! Ya know, after having 7 kids for the week, I still want 7 kids. Crazy, I know!

I DO NOT love markers!!

Man, I've been busy!! Fortunately, things are winding down now and Lorin will be home in 12 DAYS!! I CANNNNNNOT WAIT! I'm especially excited that we last minute decided to go out to Chicago to pick him up. Yup, that's right. Gav and I will be going to the Windy City on the 24th, and then coming home with Lo on the 26th. It will be a really short trip, but I'm excited to meet all of Lorin's new friends and to see him graduate from Northwestern. Lily will be staying here, and I'm having mixed feelings about it. I REALLY do not want to be away from her for 2 days, but I also REALLY do not want to pay for her to fly there. I know... I'm cheap.
Any way, Lorin was able to come last weekend and help me watch the Blaser kids (the fam I used to nanny for years ago). He was suppose to come in Friday night, but surprised me and came in Thursday night. I was just sitting on the couch talking to one of the kid's (Paige's) boyfriend, Jake, when Paige came in and said someone from church was at the door. It was 11:30 at night and I was thinking, "Who from church would be here this late?" I was a little worried, but when I got to the the door I saw that it was Lorin. I couldn't believe it!! I mean, I just couldn't comprehend in my mind that he was there, and I was SOOO HAPPY!! We were able to spend most of Friday together before we had all 7 (their 5 (technically 6), plus our 2) for the next 6 days. I am so grateful Lorin was there to help me because March 6th was the craziest day EVER!! I had 2 baby showers (which I couldn't even go to), a bridal shower, our nephew's birthday party, a Primary Quarterly Activity, and then one of my laurels was going through the temple to receive her endowments (which I couldn't go to either)! Lorin kept me sane and I was so glad he could be there to help. He is the BEST!!
Just 12 more days and I will have a husband again. I've realized just how much I need him. Gavin, Lily and I have all been sick this weekend, and to be honest, I just cried when I realized Lorin couldn't be there to help me and the kids. It really is such a blessing to have such a wonderful and helpful husband, even if he couldn't be there this past weekend. I know that all of this is temporary, and I know that a lot of people have it worse than we did these past 3 months, so I cannot complain. All I know is that I can never take Lorin for granted, and that I am SOOO excited he will be done with school next week. WOW - next week. I love it!!! I'm just SOOO happy thinking about it!! :D

Exciting News

2010-02-28T14:41:00.000-08:00

I know, I know... I have been wanting to post for awhile now, but I have just not had the time. With two kids, a busy calling, and no husband, I find myself running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Please forgive me.

I wanted to let everyone know of a few things I have been working on...
1 - I am currently working on more crafts and items for my Lil' Luna website. Woo hoo! I love crafting but have unfortunately not had the time to work on them like I wish I did.

2 - I am starting a new Blog. It's called: My Smokin' Deals. I am gathering info to put on there, and it's basically going to be a place where you can learn how to find a smokin' deal... with groceries, clothes, you name it! Go here to check it out.

3 - By popular demand, I am starting to host a craft night (Lil' Luna Ladies Nite). Right now I am planning on doing it every other month, but if enough people want to do it, I will have it once a month at my home, and will try to do crafts that center around the holidays. For these nites, I will tell you the craft, the cost, and what you need to bring. Then, I will provide all the other items. The first craft will be on APRIL 15th (after Lorin gets home) and will be a scrapbook frame. It's 16x20 inches with an 8x10 frame in the middle. The cost will be $16, and all you have to provide is the scrapbook paper to put on the frame. Not only will you get a wonderful craft but you will also LEARN how to make it for future crafts/gifts. If you would like to participate in this craft, please email me by April 1st. Tell your friends and family! The more people that sign up, the more of a discount I can give you. :)

Here is a pic of what we will be making:

Any who, I'm sorry if you were looking for more exciting news than this, but this is it. It's all pretty exciting to me. Pleas let me know if you would like to participate in the Lil' Luna Ladies Nite, by emailing me at:
kristynmerkley@gmail.com
Or by leaving a comment below (further details will be emailed out once you sign up).

Stay Tuned....

2010-02-16T22:19:00.000-08:00

I have some fun things I'll be announcing/posting about in the next week.

Get excited! :D

P.S. And no, I'm not pregnant... remember, Lorin's in Chicago... Kristyn's in AZ. Not possible ;)

Not gonna lie

2010-02-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

I'm not gonna lie...
I miss Lorin, and some days I think I can't do this without him. Fortunately, I'm good for the most part, BUT I definitely have my moments. Ya know - where I tell myself it's only temporary and I try very hard not to curse...
I'm glad my kids are so stinkin' cute (most of the time), and that's what keeps me going.

4.5 weeks down, 6.5 more to go.
Not that I'm counting or anything. :)

The stinkin' cute kids that make it all worth it:

Man, I LOVE these two!!

Garage Sale Donations

2010-02-07T07:29:00.000-08:00

Hi, all!! My niece, Hannah, is organizing a garage sale & bake sale for February 27th at my mom's house as part of the Disney-Give-A-Day-Get-A-Day program. All of the money made will be donated to the Feed My Starving Children organization. This is a non-profit Christian organization that packs and ships meals to countries all over the world. Right now, they are assembling these meals for children in Haiti. It is such a good cause, and I wanted to see if there was anyone who would like to donate items. If so, I can come get them or you can drop them off at my house (in Gilbert) or at my mom's (in Chandler. ) This is a really good opportunity to do something for those that are less fortunate. Thank you in advance and know that this is going towards a very good cause. :)

5 out of 10

2010-01-25T13:12:00.000-08:00

I really am a nutjob!! Awhile back (last year or two years ago - can't even remember and am too lazy to look at my old posts) I blogged about some of the crazy things I do. In a nutshell, I'm a worry-wart, am OCD and am kinda crazy some times. Aren't we all? Any who, as I was doing one of my daily rituals - checking msn.com - I saw a story that I thought was pretty interesting. It's about the top 10 PHOBIAS of 2010. As I was looking at them, I realized that I have 5 out of the 10 phobias listed. I'm officially a nut-job, as Lorin could attest to.

Top 10 Phobias - MSN.com article
1. TERRORISM
2. FLYING - AVIOPHOBIA
3. HEIGHTS - ACROPHOBIA
4. FINANCIAL RUIN
5. PUBLIC SPEAKING - GLOSSOPHOBIA
6. SPIDERS - ARACHNOPHOBIA
7. DOGS - CYNOPHOBIA
8. CONFINED SPACES - AGORAPHOBIA
9. OPEN SPACES - AGORAPHOBIA
10. THUNDER/LIGHTNING STORMS

Kristyn's Phobias:

1. TERRORISM - If I'm on a plane or in a tall building, I'm constantly thinking "What if someone flies a plane into here or blows us up?" Is that even NORMAL!?

2. FLYING - Refer back to phobia 1. I have flown all over the world - China, France, Ireland, England, Mexico, and I HAVE NO IDEA HOW I'VE DONE IT!!! Something about an airport gets me very excited and gitty, but when I'm in a plane, and especially during take off, I kinda freak. I know it won't happen but I always imagine the Space Shuttle Challenger blowing up!! And don't even mention TURBULENCE.... HATE 'EM!! I just start panicking and praying A LOT!

3. HEIGHTS - I am just so afraid I'll suddenly get the urge to JUMP!! Weird, I know, but I freak myself out. I've been on a Hot Air Balloon, Parasailing (twice), on the Dive Devil at Magic Mountain (4 times!), and up very tall buildings, and I've freaked out every time. I just find myself holding on for dear life in those instances.

4. SPIDERS - I swear they can out-run, out-jump, and out-smart me. It didn't help that my friend, Mike Rogan, posted a spider video on facebook (Go HERE to see that). FREAKKKKY!! 8 legged things are just too creepy for me!

5. CONFINED SPACES - I am very claustraphobic! VERY!! Once again, I don't know how I did it, but I did the "birthing canal" when I went to Pepper Sauce Caves. Ask me now to do it, and the answer would be "HECK NO!" Even if someone paid me $1000!! Uh-uh - NO WAY!! It didn't help when I heard about the guy that went caving last month in Utah and got stuck head down in a small crevice of a cave, and died!! Yikes!

Any who, if people didn't think I was weird enough I've just given you even more reasons to think I'm crazy. All that matters is that Lorin knows all these fears of mine and he still loves me. :) And I have to mention also that those other 5 fears don't even phase me, so does that make me semi-normal?

Am I the only crazy one out there?

Fun with Daddy

2010-01-16T10:10:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad Lorin took a few days off of work before he left for Chicago so we could have some family fun. We went on a picnic one night and fed the ducks, and on one day we went to the Wildlife Zoo & Aquarium. We went on a Thursday morning and no one was there, so it was nice to have it all to ourselves. I have to mention, Lily decided to throw up as we went out there. Niiiice. She said, "Mommy, my tummy hurts." I told her I would get her a snack and before I knew it curdled milk was everywhere. GROSSSS! Lorin was trying not to dry-heave, and miraculously, I was able to look at it and smell it without dry-heaving while she continued to throw up (which is not the usual - if I was pregnant, I would have been vomiting wit her!) Fortunately, we were right by Lorin's work office, so we cleaned up there and got re-situated. I don't know why I did it, but I had packed her an extra pair of clothes so we were lucky. And fortunately, it didn't spoil the day and we were still able to go. We also went to lunch and were able to get a sitter so we could go see "Sherlock Holmes" (which by the way, is awesome... Robert Downey Jr. is seriously one of my FAVS now!) Any who - we had so much fun and I wanted to post a few pics of our activities with our long, lost daddy - We sure miss him, but we are able to talk a lot on the phone as well as SKYPE. It's so cute... Lily will tell me, "Skype Daddy! Skype Daddy - He's in Chicago for long time!" She sure loves and misses her daddy. :)

Having Lorin leave made me wonder about some things. Everyone is always asking me if I'm going to move in with my mom since he's gone or if I'll go over there every night. People also seem to have an opinion on how often he should come home or if you should or shouldn't wast the money, so I want to ask the following...

1 - Would you stay at your own home or move in with the parents so you're not alone?

AND

2 - Would you try to fly your hubby home as often as possible, or do you think it's a waste of money?

I'm curious...
1 - I am staying at home mostly because I have so many projects I want to get done and I also don't get scared at night.
2 - We are flying Lo home every 2-3 weeks because a: we saved up money so we could do this, and b: we just miss him that much and want to see him. :)

They like to move it, move it... and eat Veggie Straws. We probably weren't suppose to, but we threw veggie straws to them and they seemed to like 'em. :)
Umm, SCARY!! This thing freaked me out, and I swear it was staring at me!
My sugar pie - he is the sweetest little boy, and he just loves me so much!
Lily givin her daddy some loves.
You can feed the giraffes - sooo cool!
My sugar pie again - He was such a happy baby the whole day. I really think Heavenly Father has blessed him to be good for me, especially while Lo is gone.

You don't have to pay to touch the sting rays here like at the zoo... then again, it is about twice as expensive also. :/
Feeding the ducks... there were so many of them and they practically ate the bread out of our hands!

It happened once again...

2010-01-11T10:55:00.001-08:00

I've been sucked in... I'm officially watching "The Bachelor" this season. Why, you might ask? Well, first off, it's Jake. It's not that I was in love with the guy when he was on Jillian's season, but I definitely liked him and though he was genuine. Secondly, Lorin is gone and A-He won't be here to give me crap about watching it, and B-He won't be here, so what else better do I have to do? ;)
I just need to know once again that I'm not the only one....

Already excited for Christmas next year...

2010-01-05T14:06:00.000-08:00

We are so busy at the Merkley house, but I just wanted to post a few pics from Christmas... It was the best, and I'm already looking forward to next year's Christmas. Do you want to know why I'm already looking forward to it?! I'll tell ya!

Every year I save up some money so that I can shop after Christmas for Christmas stuff. On Dec. 26th, everything is 50% off, and since I'm cheap and poor, that's when I go and buy my stuff. I usually get all my gift wrapping/bows/etc. for the whole year as well as any other cool goodies. If there is something I want but it's still kinda expensive I pray it's still there a few days later when everything is 75% off. I found SOOO many cool things this year, but my favorite was a white swirly cupcake tree holder for $2.50!! Gotta love a bargain!

Lily with some of her cousins on the Merkley side Christmas Eve
Me and Hannah (Tara's oldes)... if you look real close you will see that I got BRACES!! Crazy, I know, but I'm finally getting used to them and they aren't as bad as I thought they would be.
Taylor Lautner showed up for dinner on the Luna side Christmas Eve, so I couldn't resist the pic opportunity.
My little stud, Gavin, on Christmas Sunday looking a little shocked.
My sweet Lily on Christmas Sunday lookin' oh-so-cute!

:(

2009-12-29T12:48:00.000-08:00

Woo hoo... that man is HOT! ;)

We've known about this for two stinkin' years now, and I still can't get over the fact that Lorin is leaving for Chicago next week for 3 MONTHS without us!

Lorin will be doing the Clinical Portion of his schooling at Northwestern for Prosthetics starting January 11th. It's 11 weeks long, and I am SO SO SO sad that he is going. Like I said, we've known about this for a long time now, but it still seems so surreal. I'm sure some people reading this are thinking, "Shoot, 11 weeks is nothing!" And I'm sure others are like me and are thinking, "Wow.... that's a long time!"

We had the option of going with him, but we didn't think it would be such a good idea for a newborn and Lily to be stuck in a VERY SMALL apartment in Chicago during the winter. I think we would go insane, and I think we would be in the way of Lorin's studies. It would also be very expensive for us to be there with him. Fortunately, we will be able to fly him home a few times in between.

I just wanted everyone to know so that if I'm a bit of a grump, you'll know why. Lorin is my BEST-EST friend in the whole world, and it's going to be really hard for me to be away from him so long! :(

Enough of the sad news...
We had a wonderful Christmas and I'm so glad we could spend it with so many friends, and with all our family. It was so fun watching Lily get into the season a little more this year. She went around telling everyone that "Santa is coming to town!" And she was so excited to tell everyone she wanted a candy cane for Christmas... pretty low expectations (hopefully she's that way every year - ha!) It was also fun celebrating with Gavin - he's my little stud, and I love that he already loves me so much!!

We hope everyone else had a Merry Christmas, and one of these days when I actually have more time I will post more pics.

Song about Mormons on Conan & Alice in Wonderland

2009-12-16T12:45:00.000-08:00

I just love Conan... he's so funny!

Check out this video if you have a few minutes to spare...

Song about Mormons on Conan O'Brien

Also, here is the new trailer for Alice in Wonderland... I CANNOT WAIT!

Alice Trailer

Busy Busy Busy Busy

2009-12-07T13:50:00.000-08:00

You know how it is with the Holidays... BUSY TIME!

Even though things are crazy, I love it!! The hustle and bustle just reminds me that Christmas is coming, and I'm so excited!

Of course we were busy with the boutique, but we were able to fit in a quick trip to mine and Lorin's favorite place... Disneyland! We couldn't resist because we had free tickets! Lily & Gavin were awesome, and Lily is still talking about the rides and how Mickey Mouse gave her a kiss. Gavin was way too good... he hardly said a peep the whole time, and we were able to take him on a TON of rides. I wanted to do a blog post that continued from last year's post about Disneyland, but just haven't had the time. Oh well!

Here are just a few pics of what we have been up to lately....

Our Christmas Card Family Pic
Part of the Boutique
At Disneyland
At the coolest new ride at California Adventure... the Toy Store 4-D Ride
Lily with Cinderella... she was so happy to meet her

Discounted CRAFTS!

2009-11-30T12:59:00.001-08:00

Hey guys!

I had some leftover CRAFTS from the boutique I just did, and have discounted all my items so I can clear out my inventory. If you are interested in getting anything, just email me at: kristynmerkley@gmail.com.

No items will be shipped. Payment due at pickup. First come, first serve basis.

**Not pictured - I have FLOUR/SUGAR Labels to sell that are for glass jars
Small are 50 cents and Large are 75 cents - Great Stocking Stuffers!!

Twilight Car Vinyl - $4 - Most are about 2.5 inches by about 16-24 inches long

Give Blood, Date a Cullen
Watch Out! I Drive Like a Cullen
Edward Prefers Brunettes
Plan A: Go To College, Plan B: Join The Vampires
I Like My Men Cold, Dark & Sparkling

Give Blood, Date a Cullen #2
Edward Prefers Brunettes #2
I Run With Vampires

Edward prefers Brunettes Cabinet Door Hanging - $10 - SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT

Give Blood, Date a Cullen Cabinet Door Hanging (Also in Red) - $13 - 1 of each available
SOLD OUT
Family Home Evening Board - $16 - 1 in off white, BLACK SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT
SOLD OUT

SOLD OUT
Love is All You Need Tin Ceiling Tile - $10 - 2 Available
Together is a Wonderful Place to Be Til Ceiling Tile - $10 - 1 Available
SOLD OUT
Love is All You Need Tin Ceiling Tile - $10 - 2 Available
SOLD OUT

Thank you!

2009-11-24T06:15:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all of those who came out and supported Kellyn and I on Saturday. It was awesome!! There were close to 800 people who came, so we were very happy about that. Tune in later this week for discounted items I will be posting on here. Most of the gifts make AWESOME Christmas presents!

Thanks again - you guys are WONDERFUL!

LeChic Polka Dot BOUTIQUE

2009-11-12T07:03:00.000-08:00

So...
I decided not to have my boutique this year because I just had Gavin. I was kinda bummed but okay with the idea of not being stressed out of my mind. I found out a friend was doing a boutique and decided to just be a vendor this year. I am so excited about it. It's going to be awesome, and Kellyn and I have made a lot of fun stuff!

So far I've made:
3 Our Family Forever Boards
4 Cabinet Doors with Wood Letters
4 Word Plaques
5 "The Stockings Were Hung" Boards
7 Twilight Cabinet Doors
35 Twilight Car Vinyl
10 Scrapbook Pails
8 Temple Ceiling Tiles
18 Vinyl Ceiling Tiles
60 Christmas ornaments
10 Christmas signs
14 Vinyl Glass Frames
4 Vinyl Cabinet Doors

Yes, I've been busy...
Here are pics of some of my products:
(Not pictured are the Stockings Boards, Ornaments & Twilight Car Vinyl)

COME CHECK IT OUT AND GET SOME FREE STUFF!
THE FIRST 50 CUSTOMERS GET GOODY BAGS!

I will also be taking orders for Christmas if you cannot attend the boutique and want to order one of the products. I will add pics of the other items when I have a little more time. :D
Our Family FOREVER Boards

Word Plaques
Family Home Evening Boards
Temple Ceiling Tiles
Cabinet Doors with Wood Letters
Twilight Cabinet Doors

Vinyl Cabinet Doors
Twilight Ceiling Tiles
Vinyl Glass Frames

Vinyl Ceiling Tiles

LECHIC POLKA DOT BOUTIQUE
Gilbert, AZ
Saturday, Nov. 21st 10am-5pm
3303 E. Baseline Road

Gavin's Blessing Day

2009-11-05T06:21:00.001-08:00

We blessed Gavin this past Sunday. I cannot believe my little boy is already 7 weeks...almost 8! Time flies by too fast.

Also, sorry for the lack of blogging... I'm in a boutique in a few weeks and have been busy crafting. I know, I know... I'm crazy. I will be sure to post more info about it as it gets closer. :)

Gratitude

2009-10-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Thank you, Heavenly Father, for such a sweet little boy!!
I cannot even express how grateful I am for him and my precious Lily!

Clint

2009-10-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

Lily, Travis, Clint, my Lily, Jackie, Mikey, Ali & Joey (Paige is missing).
This was on Christmas last year. They had bought Lily a Little Einstein set which you can see she is very distracted by. Lily LOVES the Blasers, and so do we!!

This weekend has been so sad...
Clint Blaser, a loving husband and father, passed away Thursday night. I nannied for his family for 7 years and have come to love them as my own. Clint was like a big brother to me, and his wife, Jackie, is one of my DEAREST friends. He leaves not only Jackie behind but 6 beautiful kids - Paige, Ali, Travis, Lily, Joey & Michael.

Clint had gone running Thursday night after 5 pm and never came back. After a few hours Jackie called the police. They had informed her that someone had been found in their neighborhood who had been jogging and needed to be ID-ed at the hospital. Unfortunately, it was him.
Someone in the neighborhood saw it happen. She had waved to him while he was jogging. He waved back and collapsed right after that. By the time she ran to him, he was already gone although she administered CPR until the paramedics came. They know he died of plaque build up in his arteries causing a heart attack which killed him instantly. Their family is still in shock, as well as myself. Clint was a WONDERFUL man and will be dearly missed. As you can imagine, the family is devastated and is having a hard time imagining life without their dad and husband. Please be sure to keep Jackie & the kids in your prayers as they go through this unimaginable trial.

Funeral is Wednesday at 10 am at the Corona Stake Center.

Two WEEKS old!!

2009-09-27T19:58:00.001-07:00

Holy crud, I could eat this little boy!! He is just so darn cute!!

I have to say that having a kid is so much easier (not easy by any means, just easi-ER) the second time around. You know what to expect and everything isn't as hard... especially nursing!

I am so grateful for these two little kids,
even if they don't look like they're mine! ;)

Gavin Leo Merkley

2009-09-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

HE'S HERE!!!

Gavin Leo was born Sunday night at 9:59 pm, weighing 7 lbs. 7 oz and 20 inches long!!

HOW IT ALL WENT DOWN
(A long story - sorry, I can't tell stories in a short way) :D

SO...Sunday morning I started feeling a little crampy (like I was going to start my period - yuck!) I should probably mention that on Saturday morning my brother hosted a 5K Amputee Walk that we went to. We walked it that morning and that may have helped things get going. Gavin was definitely lower after that walk! Can someone say, PRESSURE!?!

Back to the 13th.... we went to church and during sacrament I felt a contraction. I just looked at Lorin and told him to start timing them. I didn't know if I'd remember what a contraction felt like, but OH - DID I REMEMBER PRETTY QUICKLY!! I went to Sunday School in Lorin's class and the girls just kept looking at me so pitifully as I was wincing and breathing deeply. I had to ditch out on Young Womens half way through cuz they hurt and every time I had one it KILLED my back!! They were about 5 minutes apart and pretty intense all through church so I was getting a little excited/nervous. We got home and they just STOPPED. I was a little surprised so we went for a walk and even said a little prayer because at that point I just wanted to get things going. A few minutes later the contractions started again and they were more intense and about 3 minutes apart. After about 45 minutes I decided to call the doc. He asked if I could hold off on going anywhere for awhile cuz he was about to walk into his son's Patriarchal Blessing. I, of course, told him to take his time and I'd talk to him soon. In the meantime the contractions just got more intense and were about 2 minutes apart. By this time is was after 3 pm and after getting everything ready and straightening up the whole house (YES - I KNOW, I'M CRAZY!) we decided to take Lily to my in-laws and we would wait there to hear from the doctor. My father-in-law (who is a doctor) told me that I was in labor and that I just needed to head to the hospital. We agreed.

My doctor called as we were leaving and told me to head down as well. We got checked in to the hospital and after waiting for awhile, they said I was being admitted and that I was 4 cm. By about 530/6, I had gotten the epidural (WOO HOO) and the doc had broken my water. I was 5 cm by 7 pm which is about the same time my mom and sisters had decided to come and check on me. I was feeling really good by then and could hardly feel any contractions. We sat there and just laughed and talked about all sorts of stuff waiting til I got checked again. I felt bad because I was laughing so much, my belly would shake and the monitors would fall off. It was great having them there though and made the time go by quickly. The nurse came at 9 and checked me and told us that I was fully dilated and 100% effaced. I was a little surprised but happy, of course. I told my mom and sisters to just stay and they could all attend the birthday party. They were happy since my mom was the only one that had originally planned on staying for the delivery.

Within minutes the nurse got me all ready and said we should have a practice push. I REALLY could not feel anything at this point!!! My left leg was TOTALLY NUMB and I felt as though I wouldn't be able to push at all. They got me in position and told me to push. She quickly told me to stop because the baby was right there!!! The doctor came a few minutes later and only 3 pushes later there was a huge POP! I had torn on my episiotomy from Lily and the baby's head came flying out! The doctor had to quickly catch him and push half of him back in and unwrap the cord from around his neck. A few seconds later he was out and BORN! It was so FAST and EASY I couldn't believe it. It was all so SURREAL!!! Little Gavin was healthy and came without any problems, and we were SOO GRATEFUL!! We spent the rest of the night and Monday at the hospital and were able to come home late Monday night which I was so happy about! I was dying to see Lily! I was so happy to get home and to start our life with 2 children. Since RSV season started this week they wouldn't let Lily come see the baby. She was already asleep by the time we came home last night so Lily met Gavin this morning. She kept saying, "Baby Gavin, cute?!" We assured her he was and that he was here to stay! (We're not sure how well that will all go with her!)

We are so thankful for this new bundle of joy in our home. He is just a doll and looks like the boy version of Lily. His hair is a little darker but he has a lot of it! I think we're destined to have all blondies (NO ONE WILL EVER BELIEVE MY KIDS ARE 1/4 MEXICAN - HA!)

Thank you everyone for all the well wishes and congratulations. We love you all and cannot wait for everyone to meet the newest Merkley!

Just got admitted and ready for the drugs....

Gavin right after he had come out.
A few minutes after he was born.

His firs pic with mom and dad.

My sweet little boy. He slept almost all monday after the circumcision which made nursing really hard!

Gavin right before we left the hospital.

Lily holding Gavin for the first time. She already LOVES him soo much! (Let's see how long that lasts - haha)!

P.S. The winner of the baby pool is my sis-in-law, Kristi! She was the only one that guessed Sept. 13th. Congrats girl - I'll be sure to hook you up with something AWESOME! :)

Ready or not.... Here he COMES!!

2009-09-02T08:38:00.000-07:00

WARNING: LONG POST AHEAD!

So...
I think I'm ready!
I've cleaned practically every little thing in the house and have finished all of the major projects I had in the works. I CANNOT even tell you how great it feels to be semi-prepared. I've been workin' my booty off these last few months/weeks to get to this point, and I'm so ANXIOUS to meet our new little bundle of joy. I still have over 3 weeks left, but I'm HOPING to go a little early (don't we all!).

I don't know why I think I'm even ready because thinking of pushing a human being out of me is a little uh... what's the word... FREAKY! Lily's delivery was so wonderful that I'm afraid it will only go downhill from there. We are praying all is well and hope that Gavin can make his entrance with no problems!!

We did a BABY POOL with Lily, and thought we would do the same with Gavin.

**That being said, leave a comment with the DATE, TIME, & WEIGHT and whoever gets the closest will when a PRIZE from me... it could be a craft, a custom vinyl order, or if I'm feeling lazy, a gift card or something.

Any who, here are a few pics of what we have been up to the last month...

Gavin's nursery... my mom made his bedding, the only thing missing is the Dr. Seuss crib sheet which I haven't put on yet.
A sign I made for the nursery.
A Magnet board I made

The rag quilt for the twin bed in Gavin's room.
Some wall art we made for the nursery.

I made some of these for the people who answered my craft post a few months ago, but instead they say LOVE or JOY (this one I made for the living room).

Burp cloths I made for Gavin as well as for some of those who answered the craft post awhile back.
Lily's room
More of Lily's room....
And Lily's new bunk beds which we painted and I made rag quilts for.

Talk about tiring!! We PAINTED both Gavin's and Lily's room in the last two months and have been trying to get them in order. I'm so glad to be done with all this crud I put on my own shoulders. I think more than anyone, Lorin is especially glad I'm pretty much done. :D

And then here are some family pics we took before Ryan, Lorin's little bro, left on his mission a few weeks ago. We thought we would kill two birds with one stone and also got Lily's 2 year pics done.
Recommendation: Don't ever get pics done when you're this pregnant!

My FAV!! I sure love this little girl!!

REMEMBER: If you want to be in the baby pool, just leave a comment and I'll add you to the list. In case it helps, I was 9 days early with Lily and she was 6 lbs. 7 ounces.

Oh yeah, and I'm due Sept. 26th.

Spoiled Rotten!

2009-08-28T08:29:00.000-07:00

Last week, my family threw me a baby shower, and I was TOTALLY SPOILED! It was so much fun, and I'm so glad I was able to spend a night with family and friends. Thank you, thank you to everyone for making it such a wonderful night and for spoiling me and little Gavin!

Lily made her appearance at the end of the shower, and was having so much fun with her cousin, Hannah.... She looks like a hippy in this pic.
My sis, Kellyn, and cousin, Rene
My ward friends, Amy & Laura
Sister-in-laws Erica and Kara with Erica's little girl, Ella.
Mother-in-law, Paula & cousin, Kristi, with Ella and Kristi's little girl, Taylor

The gift from my mom and sisters, including my baby bedding which I LOVE!!
My ex-co-workers Jessica & Miranda
My aunt, Chris, and my Mudda
Me with the family I used to nanny - Ali, Lily (name inspiration) & Jackie
My beautiful diaper cake and Dr. Seuss frames made by my cousin, Alina, and my aunt, Chris.

I'm still working on the nursery (as well as Lily's room), so once I'm done with a few more crafts I will have to take pics and post them on here! It's been SO MUCH FUN decorating their rooms, and I hope I can get everything finished before Gavin comes.

At my doc appt. yesterday I was dilated 1 cm and 75% effaced, which the doc was a little surprised about. He doesn't think Gavin will be making it to his due date, which I am happy about! :D

Free Stuff

2009-08-20T06:47:00.000-07:00

I just had to put this on here because I love FREE stuff, and I figure everyone else does as well. My sis found out about this website from the Tyra Show last week. It tells you all the places in your area where you can get free stuff for your birthday (at restaurants, etc.) Check it out and sign up. You have nothing to lose... and LOTS of free stuff to gain! :)

http://www.freebirthdaytreats.com/

Family Reunion

2009-08-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Lorin, Lily, and I were able to escape the heat and go to Christopher Creek for a few days. Lorin's parents rented a cabin which was ideal for the family. We were so happy it was only a few hours away and that the weather was WONDERFUL!! I've decided that if we were ever to have a cabin, this place is the perfect location!! We enjoyed hanging with the family, renting a boat and going to Woods Canyon lake, hiking down into Box Canyon, playing horseshoes, playing frisbee golf, relaxing, and watching movies. If anyone is ever looking for a close getaway, this is the place!! It was so much fun!

Box Canyon
Lily swimming in Box Canyon... it was so cold but she LOVED it!
Lo playing horseshoes
Lily admiring the view at Woods Canyon Lake
Lily and I eating lunch next to the lake.

The Windy City

2009-07-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a week long trip to the Windy City - CHICAGO! Lorin had to go for Orientation for Northwestern and wanted Lily and I to join him so he wouldn't be bored out of his mind. To be honest, I never really thought of Chicago as a vacation location, but it was GREAT! There is so much to do and see there, AND the weather was BEAUTIFUL (the 80s the whole time... little humidity... some clouds.... PERFECT!) We were able to do so much and really experience most of what Chicago had to offer. If any of you ever have a chance to go - GO! It's AWESOME!
I took over 300 pics (way too many, I know), but here are a few (or a lot) of my FAVS:

Lily on the plane... we were so freaked out she would be bad and she was when we first boarded, but once the plane started moving she loved it!! We were so blessed and got an empty chair between us on the way there AND the way back... which is a miracle because both times, it was the only free seat on the plane.
Lily jumpin' on the bed at the hotel... since we were there for 5 nights, they upgraded our room for free, which was sooo nice.

I don't know why, but I just wanted to take pics of the beautiful flowers everywhere. It was soo green and they had so many pretty flowers... these ones were my favorite!
This was Lily's fav part of the Lincoln Park Zoo. The Zoo there is FREE!! Can you believe it? And it's so nice and has every animal you can think of... way better than the Phoenix Zoo. We liked it so much we went there two days last week.

Lily LOOOOVED the zoo!!
Lily on the train at the zoo. They had to stop the ride a few times cuz she kept standing up she was so excited.
The buildings around the John Hancock building.
Lily and I at the top of the Hancock building... I didn't get nervous til' we were at the top and I looked down.... so high!! I couldn't stay up there very long because my imagination started going and I freaked myself out.
The John Hancock Building from the ground.
Who wouldn't love the Hershey's store? You get free candy just for walking in!
They give all the kids a "Factory Worker" hat at the Hershey's store. You can also pay to make some chocolate to take home.
We stayed off of Mag Mile which has a lot of nice & fancy stores.... so I was excited to see a store that I could actually shop at. If only there was a Ross....
Walking along the beach of Lake Michigan - which is HUGE!! It looks like the ocean!
My fav guy and girl at the beach.
Lily loved the carousel at the zoo.
Walking along the Navy Pier.
Check out this turtle! Stinkin' scary lookin'! We went to the Aquarium which is huge and has dolphins, whales, and so much more!
Buckingham Fountain... with the skyline behind.
Again.... my two favorite people in the world!

Must-Sees in ChIcAgO:
The Field Museum
The Museum of Science & Technology
Lake Michigan
John Hancock Building or Sears (Willis) Tower
The Shedd Aqaurium
Lincoln Park Zoo
Mag Mile

We were so blessed to be able to go to all of these and more and would definitely recommend going at least once in your lifetime.

CHICAGO ROCKS!!

He's gone

2009-07-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not talking about Wes from the Bachelorette.... I'm talking about my little bro, Evan. He left this past week for his mission in Louisville, Kentucky. We are very much alike which wasn't always a good thing. We got into fights a lot, but we were also really close. I got to spend his whole last day with him Monday packing him up. He even came with me to my last ultrasound that day. It was great having him there although he was trying to make me laugh the whole time just so my tummy would jiggle - haha! I'm so excited for him and can't wait to see how much he learns and grows in the next two years!!

RIP Jack-O

2009-06-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not I had a crush on him... back when he was black and looked like this.

I know... I just had to blog. I got a text awhile back from Lorin saying "Jack-O died." I immediately went to the computer and looked up msn.com, cnn.com, ktar.com, azcentral.com, etc. I also then called my mom and her first response was "I know, I know." I really don't even know if it's been TRULY confirmed just yet, but I wanted everyone to know that although Jack-O was definitely a Wack-O, I still loved the guy. I grew up on Moonwalker and LOVED MJ. My cousin, Alina, had a Michael Jackson barbie doll that we always fought over. My aunt had a sequence glove that I always wanted to wear. When I nannied I had the kids watch the MJ DVD with his videos, and I think I helped instill in those kids a love for him that their mom was not too happy about. Haha. I'm probably sounding really crazy/weird right now, but I really am sad. The guy had some major issues, but he was sure talented. He could move like no other and truly was the King of Pop. I always told Lorin that if he came here in concert, I would HAVE to go NO MATTER WHAT. Too bad that will never happen.

MJ - I will always REMEMBER THE TIME the WAY YOU MADE (MAKE) ME FEEL while I ROCK(ED) WITH YOU.

The Makings of a Perfect Day... or Week!

2009-06-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

Bahaha. Yeah Right!

I turned the big 2-7 this week and am happy to say that I had the BEST birthday ever!! I think the older you get the less you care about your birthday. That having been said, you expect less so when you do get something you're more appreciative and feel pretty darn cool. That's how I felt this last week, at least. On Tuesday, we went out to dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. We thought it would be fun for Lily with all the fish, fake elephants and gorillas, etc. Boy were we wrong!! She LOVED it at first, but we forgot there was a fake tropical thunderstorm every 20 minutes or so where all the lights flashed and there was thunder,etc. That freaked her out a little bit. By the second time it happened, she was trying to unbuckle herself out of the high chair and kept saying, "bye, bye..." We ate real quick and were sure to be out of there before the third storm hit. :)
On Friday, Lorin took a half day so we could really celebrate then. My mom kindly agreed to watch Lily so Lo and I could bowl, hit a movie and grab dinner. We went bowling (which was SOOO FUN!) and called my mom to check on Lily afterwards. She woke up way too early from a nap and had been crying for the last 20 minutes wandering the house and calling, "mommy." We decided we should go and pick her up and finish the date later. Fortunately, we were able to do just that and hit CPK that night and the movie the next day. We saw "Wolverine," which was pretty darn cool. It was just so much fun, and I'm glad I got to spend that time with Lily and Lorin. I was also able to celebrate with both fams which is always so great!! I've decided that I had everything I could want this past week....

Who said birthdays get more lame as you got older? Not mine!!!

Dinner with Lily & Lo
CPK (mmm, yummy!) with Lo
Bowling (AND having the highest score)
Watching Wolverine with Lorin
Cheesecake Factory with the fam
Craft Supplies from Lo
Got chalked by my Laurels
Dinner AND my fav ice cream cake at the Merkleys
A ROSS Gift card
A Target gift card
New dishes from my mom
Pei Wei's with Jess
Lots of fun presents from everyone
Birthday wishes from Family & Friends

What more could I ask for?!!?

NOTHING!!!

It was PERFECT!!

I finally did it!

2009-06-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

I finally did it! I bought my first REAL vinyl cutter awhile back, and am just now reporting the good news. What does this mean? It means I will have all the vinyl in the world for all my silly crafts. This also means that you can come and get cheap vinyl from me whenever you want. I hope to have Font and Vinyl Colors available for all to see shortly so I will keep you posted on that. In the meantime, check out this beauty! Gotta love it!

Craft night, anybody?

WoW!!

2009-06-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, I didn't like the first movie a TON, but I just watched the trailer for NEW MOON, and it looks stinkin' awesome!! All I could say was, "WoW!!"

New Moon Trailer

I don't think she looks great here, but Edward and Jacob sure do! Ummm.... WoW!

Catch up

2009-05-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

This month flew!!! We really were so busy, and to be honest, I was just too darn lazy to blog!!! SOO, here are a few pics of what we were up to this past month. I'm really hoping June is a little more relaxing...

Lily got to meet Baxter at the D-Backs game... we weren't sure if she would be scared or not but she WASN'T. She ran up to him and gave him a big fat hug and kiss!
This is a pic of Evan on the JUMBO-TRON at Chase Field. The DBacks invited his baseball team to the game Tues. night to honor them for winning state so we all went to watch.
Slip-N-Slide on Memorial Day with Alina's boy, Ezra.

This is also on Memorial Day... she's way into sunglasses now. I LOVE it!!

At Evan's graduation.... which we missed. We tried going to Lorin's bro's, Ryan's, first because he was speaking. We got there an hour early so by the time it started Lily was soaked and shivering so we left. Lame, I know... we went to Evan's and got there just as it ended. Even more lame!!

Our garden... the plants are about twice that size now... we're growing tomatoes, watermelon and zuccini!
Corona won the state championship so were busy going to all of Evan's games which we LOVE and will miss A TON!!

Busy Busy

2009-05-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

I've been SOO BUSY all week... and surprisingly I haven't been busy throwing up!! I've actually been busy making crafts!! It's been way too long since I've made some thing, but this week I have been SOO busy prepping for a boutique I will be in tomorrow. I've made:
FHE Boards
CABINET DOORS
PLAQUES
SCRAPBOOK PAILS
DR. SEUSS ONESIES
TIE-DYE ONESIES
TUXEDO ONESIES
TWILIGHT CAR VINYL

and MORE!

Here's the info one more time. I hope you can make it. Also, here is a preview of just a FEW of the things I will be selling. Can't wait to see you there!

Chez Moi Boutique
Saturday, May 16th
8 - 1 pm
2121 E. Laurel, Mesa 85213

Chez Moi Boutique WEBSITE

Hallelujah!!

2009-05-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

My Sweet Lily
Hailey - Tyler's little girl
Hannah - Tara's girl (and the only one who looked good in every pic!)
Emma - Tyler's oldest girl
Hunter - Tara's little boy
The grandkids - Hunter, Lily, Hailey, Emma, Hannah & Camden.
Camden was tired so Kellyn had to take individual pics later that day of him, and the newest addition, Lucy (Tyler's two week old) wasn't there under doctors orders of staying indoors for awhile.

I just started feeling A LOT better this week, and I CANNOT tell you how great it feels! I was thinking it was about time since I'm now over 20 weeks, but I am just grateful that things have gotten a little easier for me. I even agreed to be in a BOUTIQUE next week. Someone asked if I would be a vendor and I knew it would mean lots of work this next week but I was actually up for it. I almost forgot how much I loved doing crafts just because I haven't been feeling good for so long. Any who, I'm just glad that I'm half way there and that I have more energy for cooking, hanging out, and feeling semi-normal.
I'm also happy it's MOTHER'S DAY. Lorin & Lily got my mom and I gift certificates for a pedicure and I cannot wait to do that. My siblings and I also pitched in and put our husbands to work building a custom trash can to give her today. I don't have pics of it just yet but will post them later. It's huge, and it's red and apple green and it's awesome! The guys did such a great job. We also got together and took pics of all the kids and are updating all the pictures in my mom's sewing room. FUN FUN!! Any way, I hope everyone else has a WONDERFUL MOTHER'S DAY!! You all deserve being pampered, and I hope you are today!!

P.S. I will post more info about the boutique this week. I hope everyone can come to it this Saturday!!

Lorin's two bits:

2009-04-26T16:19:00.001-07:00

I'm sorry, Kristyn, that I don't like using adverbs or 15th century names for the names of my children. I guess looking out for the well being and self esteem of my children as they go through the harsh elementary school years is now being "picky"! Trust me, my kids will thank me! Remember, This is coming from a guy with a girls name!

The VOTES are in!!

2009-04-22T14:12:00.000-07:00

We made a Magazine Cover and wrapped it to tell our families the good news.
My 17 week belly.... (bigger this time around than with Lily - Haha)!

Yes, the VOTES are in and the majority won!! We are having a little boy in September! We are going to name him Gavin Leo Merkley. Gavin is the only boy name Lorin and I could agree on (Lo's picky about names believe it or not), and Leo is Lorin's grandpa's name. We are so excited to have this little stud enter our home in 5 months! I don't know how to deal with boys but I'm sure I will love it. Lily is going to be the BEST big sister. She already loves to hug and kiss my belly. We were also happy to see the little guy growing and jumping around inside. I have felt him every day now for the last week, so I'm thinkin' he'll be as curious and rambunctious as our sweet Lily!!

We are just SOOO excited!!

Easter Lily

2009-04-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

My Easter Lily!

With her cousins on the Merkley side

I had to post this just to show we put her in her first ponytail this week!

My training skills paid off!

We had a BUSY but FUN week. After all the food and Easter Egg Hunts, I'm glad normal life can resume and that we can get back on a schedule. Lily had a total of 5 HUNTS in the past week or so. I know I'm kinda lame for doing this, but I have been training her on what to do for an Easter Egg Hunt. I wasn't trying to make her fast or anything.... I was just teaching her how to participate in a hunt by finding eggs. I would put one jelly bean or an M&M in an egg and hide it in the living room. She quickly learned that finding the plastic eggs was a good thing. By the end, I was kinda sad I had taught her because we came home with SOOOO much candy! Honestly... it was worse than Halloween! I never realized how much candy is involved with Easter!! Sadly, Lorin and I will be the ones eating all the goodies.
Any way, we were happy to spend the holiday with friends and family and even happier to celebrate the life of the Savior and especially His Resurrection. I hope everyone felt the joy and love of the Savior as we remembered all that He sacrificed for each and everyone of us!

B's on the Brain

2009-04-08T07:49:00.000-07:00

1 - The Biggest Loser - So, I was a little upset last night. The BL is the only show I've been watching pretty religiously lately and I was so mad at RON last night that I just had to vent a little. I used to like him and Mike until I realized how much he manipulated the other players and the "game". I know he tries to play the part as the "dad" who cares so much about his son but that's crap (excuse my language)! Any who, I knew Sione was going home because I've known for the last two months who the final 5 were. YUP, that's right... do you want to know the next 2 going home??

Just highlight the following text and it should come up: Laura & Kristin.... I know, Ron is still there (or was two months ago)!

Any who, I'm so proud of Sione. He's stinkin' ripped now and looks like he's putting up a fight for the second prize of $100,000. Go Sione!!

As for Mike and Ron, I hope neither win. They are officially on my poo list now.

What do you guys think?

2 - Baby - I'm coming up on 16 weeks this week, and I can't believe it! I feel like I've been pregnant FOREVER, but at the same time it has all gone so fast! I've been feeling a little better, which is SOOO great, but now that I feel better I'm constantly worried that something is wrong. DUMB, I know, but I'm a worry wart!! We will find out on the 21st what we are having and we cannot wait to hear. We would be happy with a Boy or a Girl!! Honestly, we just want a healthy baby!! Right now, the Top Names are: Gavin Leo for a boy and Eveline (EVIE) Iris for a girl.... who knows if either will stick.

3 - Babysitting - Starting Monday, Lorin and I will be watching the O'Hare kids (4 of them) for 13 days. We watched them last year as well so we're glad we should know what we're doing this time. Their parents are going to S. Africa. Jealous!!!

4 - Being Better - Conference was this last weekend and I'm so glad we could listen to all 4 sessions. Listening to all the talks made me realize that I am lacking in so many ways. I hope that I can remember what I was taught this weekend so I can keep it as a constant reminder that I have a lot to work on!!

5 - Bad Economy - There are so many people struggling right now and it's TOTALLY stressin' me out!! Fortunately, Lorin is in a field that is doing just dandy, but it doesn't matter... we have so many family and friends going through rough times and I think I get more stressed out than the actual families do. I feel like our prayers are getting longer each night simply because we are praying for more people. I know things will get better soon and that Heavenly Father wouldn't want us stressin', but it's still hard not to. I sometimes wish I was a billionaire so I could just take care of everyone.

Is that asking too much? :)

dominant and recessive traits

2009-03-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

K.... you might be thinking this is a weird post but I LOVE this kind of stuff. I really enjoyed taking Biology in High School and I especially loved Gene Mapping. Now that I'm having kids it's fun to remember what I was taught WAAAAAY back when and to think of all the possibilities of my future kids' characteristics. It all goes back to dominant and recessive traits. I am posting a list here that shows which traits are dominant and which are recessive. As mentioned in my last post, everyone is always commenting on Lily's hair. They always say that she has her daddy's hair, but it's not possible. Since red hair is recessive, that means Lorin got the "r" from both his mom and dad, so he has 2 "r's". That means he can only pass on the "r" (red hair gene) to our kids. That means I have a "B" (for brown hair), and a "b" ( for blondish hair). Is this making sense??? Any who, Lily got her blonde hair from me. Long story short, if you go back to the high school days and remember what you learned in biology, you will have a better idea of what characteristics your kids/future kids might have. Hope this helps and isn't too confusing....

**Now, to show you what color eyes your children will have, go to this link:

EYE COLOR PREDICTOR

Obama Shmama?

2009-03-23T18:25:00.000-07:00

Is it just coincidence that this pic resembles communist/socialist art?

So... Lorin graduates in May and for those who haven't heard, Pres. Obama will be speaking at ASU's graduation. Lorin had told me a few months ago that he didn't want to walk, and I was kinda bummed because I really wanted him to. Well, since I heard about Obama coming to speak I told Lo he HAD to walk even though he still does not want to.... I mean this is a once in a lifetime opportunity right?! Although, I DO NOT agree with most of his policies, (For example, I do not like how much control he favors giving the government as well as taking away natural consequences for the majority of those who have made poor decisions (i.e. abortions, bailouts, etc. (and I bet you didn't know you could put parenthesis inside of a parenthesis if it wasn't a math equation))) I do feel he is a good father and a honest person. SO, if any of you see my husband's graduation tickets on EBAY, please let me know so that I can get one of them!

In the meantime, I'm posting a few pics of our latest adventures with Lily & Co. Our sweet girl is getting more funny each day, and we are getting more excited each day as we wait for the arrival of our next bundle of joy!!

Man, I think I could eat this girl up!

This may seem weird, but Lily loves to CONDUCT. She watches Little Einsteins, and wants to be just like Leo... she loves finding a stick and just conducting!!

Sweet Camden... Kellyn's little boy. He was posing for me so much I couldn't resist taking a ton of pics of Lily's cute cousin!

Like the make-shift bib? Lily loves dinner time at Grandma & Grandpa Merkley's.

My blonde-haired, blue eyed baby! People wonder if she's mine, and when they see Lorin, they always comment that she has her daddy's hair. Little do they know that Lo's red hair is recessive which means he can only pass on the red gene, so her blonde hair had to come from me. Believe it or not?!

Giving Makes the Giver Happy Too!

2009-03-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

Making handcrafted items is a dying art, but they are so fun to make & get! So, here's a little game to encourage the handcrafting to live & thrive!! The first 5 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a super-duper handmade gift from me.What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise!The catch is that you must participate as well-before you leave your comment here, write up (or copy & paste as I did!) a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you're going to play, and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Remember that only the first FIVE comments will receive a gift from me, so be quick!

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!2. It will be done this year (hopefully sooner than later.)3. You will have no clue what it is going to be.

C'mon, you know you wanna play!

SO SAD!

2009-03-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

PLEASE READ!!

I am not happy!! I had to edit this post, because I know I need to be nicer, but it's so hard to do when people are being ignorant and are showing no respect. I really am just so sad that the so called "non-mormons" that are being represented in Big Love are going to the temple, and they are ACTUALLY SHOWING sacred ordinances on the show. I'm just a little frustrated, and if you read on you will know why.....

"Many of you may have heard of HBO's television show, Big Love. It came out a couple of years ago, and it shows polygamous families. When it first came out, the church came out with a strong statement against Big Love and Polygamy. You can see the statement here:

http://www.newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/church-responds-to-questions-on-hbo-s-big-love

However, as if the polygamy weren't bad enough, HBO has taken their unscrupulousness to new heights.
On Sunday, March 15, 2009, HBO will be airing a segment of their Big Love series that will show individuals dressed in full temple clothing (you can see the pictures right in the TV guide itself), and they are planning on recreating the temple ordinances on public television. They have an ex-member of the church that is helping them make this ceremony as authentic as possible (you can see even from the pictures they have posted how closely they have replicated the clothing).
Please help stop HBO from airing such an offensive show! You can go to the link below to submit a comment to HBO.
http://www.hbo.com/apps/submitinfo/contactus/submit.do?title=GeneralInformation&questiontype=generalInformation&questiontype=general

It's imperative that we get as many people to voice their complaints as possible before HBO airs the show. Please pass this information on to as many people as you can!

If you are not a member of the LDS church, we invite you to learn about our church and out temples from a true source: www.mormon.org

"Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart" --Psalm 24:3-4

Here's a link to the pic they show in the TV guide http://www.salamandersociety.com/temple/

The newsroom at lds.org offers some good advice as well:
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/the-publicity-dilemma

PLEASE take some time and contact HBO.
Thank you!

SPOILER ALERT!!

2009-02-27T16:03:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm sorry to be a spoiler, but I'm just so annoyed that I had to blog.
SORRY! So, as mentioned before I've been watching The Bachelor. A shame, I know, but whatever! Any who, I've really liked Melissa and Jillian. Unfortunately, Jillian was booted off last week. Now, it's between MELISSA & MOLLY (the two chicks pictured above). Well, I just don't like Molly... she just hasn't impressed me much, so I obviously want Jason to pick Melissa.
WELL, last week Extra was on the TV while I was cleaning or something and I heard that because of some things, ABC had to tape a "2nd After the Rose Ceremony". I thought to myself, "that's weird... did Jason change his mind... or did he pick stupid DeaAnna?!" Any way, I decided to google "Jason Mesnick changes mind" and the first article I read had some spoilers according to a guy named REALITY STEVE. I had no idea who the guy was, but just went to his blog today and read some of his posts. He claims that Jason picks Melissa in New Zealand, but then keeps secretly dating Molly. Well, he ends up dumping Melissa and going for Molly. STUPID!!! I don't know the reasonings for everything, but this Steve character has a lot of ideas and facts about what happens. I'm so upset I can't even write about them all, but if you want to see for yourself you can go to his blog:

Reality Steve BLOG

I just had to get this off my chest.... Jason is a loser just like Dumb DeaAnna!!
I'm so mad that I got sucked in to watching this stupid show. Unfortunately, I'll probably watch next season too. I guess I'm a loser as well!

I'm STUMPED!!

2009-02-25T07:11:00.001-08:00

Okay.... I don't even know if anyone else is a Joaquin Phoenix fan or not, but there is just something going on with him, and I really CANNOT tell whether or not he's faking it. If you haven't heard, he's given up acting to pursue a career in RAPPING! I know... of all the things. Any who, if you haven't seen this clip of him on Letterman last week, you have to watch it. The guy is crazy, and NO ONE KNOWS if it's all a joke or not. He's way too good of an actor to give it up, but that's what he says he's doing. I mean... I love the guy.... he was great in Gladiator and I loved him in The Village and in Signs. Any who... I just want to know what you guys think. Is it all a JOKE? Or is the guy crazy?!?!?

Joaquin on Letterman Video

Miracle of Miracles!!

2009-02-19T07:17:00.000-08:00

Playing at the Desert Ridge District.
She may look innocent, but this girl is crazy!

We had a picnic the night before V-day.

Lily loves her dada.

These were suckers we made that week for our V-day cards.

I am happy to report that we had the best Valentine's ever last Saturday. I didn't think it would be possible since I've been SOOO sick, but MIRACLE OF MIRACLES... I was healed for the day! I was hooked up with 2 Zofran and wanted to save them for a special occasion. We had plans for Saturday so when I started feeling sick that morning, I thought "I think today is the day." If you don't know what Zofran is, let me tell you.... it's a miracle drug!! Actually, what's really weird is that only Ondansetron (which is the generic form of Zofran) and ONLY the kind that dissolves in your mouth, is the only kind that works for me, and that's what I had. Honestly, it was life changing! I felt normal pretty much the whole day, and I've been far from normal for the past 5 weeks, so it was wonderful! We started the day running a few errands, and then we spent the morning out at the Desert Ridge shopping center. They have a Marshalls/Home Goods store, Ross, Joann's, Target, Old Navy, and a TON more. We weren't really looking for anything in particular and actually didn't buy a thing, but it was still so much fun. We had CPK for lunch, which is always so yummy, and then stopped by the fudge shop before we left. We got this huge, delicious carmel apple that was covered in caramel, white chocolate, milk chocolate, peanut butter, and everything else fattening you could imagaine. It was great!! We stopped by at my parents afterward and just hung out for a bit before we went home, and made ourselves some steak, garlic potatoes, asparagus, and for dessert.... white chocolate covered strawberries. We had so much fun and loved having our sweet Lily with us all day. We just chilled the rest of the night and watched a movie.... very simple but OH SO NICE! I was sooo grateful I could feel good for the day and was very sad when the drugs wore off early the next day. It's all good though. I'm back to barfing tons each day, but was able to get some more Zofran (although not the dissolvable kind) and am grateful that helps for the most part! AREN'T DRUGS WONDERFUL?!?!? Haha. ;)

PSYCHO!!

2009-02-02T06:47:00.000-08:00

NO..... I'm not talking about the movie.... I'm talking about MYSELF! Really!!! I have realized that I am pretty darn right psycho. You want to know why? I'll tell ya.... I'm so weird that some times I will look at planes and if they ever look "suspicious" or anything, I'll remember the time I see them and their exact location in the sky so that in case they crash, I could tell authorities the plane's position and time hoping it will help them! I do the same thing with cars... I will memorize the make and model, and their license plate #. That craziness actually helped me nab some burglars who broke into a car at Corona del Sol!! ALSO, if I'm on the freeway, I sometimes think to myself, "What if I just turned right now, in the middle of the freeway." And then I get so freaked out that I might actually do it that I have to hold on real tight with my hands in the 10 & 2 positions. The same things happen when I'm in high places, and I think "What if I just had the urge to jump right now?" And after that, I'm so afraid of myself that I might actually do it that I have to hold on to rails real tight or just have to get away. Is this SOOO weird or what? I know I'm not the only one out there. Lorin does the same thing on the freeway and with the planes. I hate confessing all this craziness but I know there are other PSYCHO people out there. My sis (or maybe it was my cousin) once told me that when they drive they have to tap the steering while whenever there is a light post. That's crazy! I know I'm pregnant and more "psycho"/moody, whatever, but I want to hear about other people's CRAZINESS. Or do you just think I'm PSYCHO?

Diaper Cakes AND....

2009-01-24T17:04:00.000-08:00

Simple

Less Simple

Not as simple

Well, I've become the official diaper-cake-maker. I really enjoy doing them, but I have to admit that they are time consuming. When I first started making them, I did them very simple. Being as crazy as I am, I just can't do simple anymore. I know, what's wrong with me? My aunt, Chris, has been my real inspiration. She makes diaper cakes to die for!! I know I'll never be as good as her, but using her inspiration and the crud load of scrapbook paper I have I've been making them for a lot of friends and family. They really aren't hard to do... they just take time. The one issue I have with them is that I don't know if the people receiving them think that's my gift to them or not. I want it to be my gift to them since diapers aren't cheap and I put time and effort into them, but I think they're considered more of a center piece and not a gift as much. What do you think? I need a general consensus whether people consider them a gift or not, so that I don't feel bad when all I make is the cake.... Help?

OH YEAH, AND I'M....

I guess I could have done a separate post for this but thought, "what the hey, I'll kill 2 birds with 1 stone." I'm only 5 weeks but it's been hard hiding it cuz I'm darn right moody and have been throwing up lots. I'm actually kinda glad I'm not feeling great, because that's usually a sign that things are going well. Let's hope they continue to do so.... I CANNOT even tell you how excited we are!! We love our sweet Lily and cannot wait to have another one of her in our home!

Too much TV!

2009-01-15T13:13:00.001-08:00

K - I knew there were a lot of shows starting in January that I would want to watch, and lately, I feel like all I'm doing at night is watching TV. I feel so pathetic. What's even more pathetic is that I'm watching The Bachelor. Stop laughing. It's only cuz it's Jason, and I wanted him to find someone other than Stupid DeaAnna. Any who, I'm also watching True Beauty since that's on right after The Bachelor. It's actually pretty hilarious. It's about these people who know they are in a beauty competition, but they don't know that they're also being judged off of their inner beauty (these people are beyond cocky!). I'm also watching The Biggest Loser, and when I can I watch American Idol. We're not even watching 24, although we've watched every other season. Lorin and I decided that we let 24 run our lives. In the past, we pretty much made FHE "watch 24 night" so we thought that would be better for us to try not and watch it at all. Unfortunately, I'm still rushing through FHE so that I can watch Bachelor (and no, Lorin, doesn't watch it with me - instead, I spend the show texting my sisters through out the whole thing). I honestly don't even have the time to be watching these silly shows, but I am!! I need to know that I'm not the only TV junky out there.... is anyone else obsessed right now? Or am I the only loser?

WATCH The Biggest Loser!!!!

2008-12-31T06:43:00.000-08:00

Blaine & Dane - The Black Team

We are SOOOO excited for this season's Biggest Loser. We have watched it the past few years and think it is life-changing. It is awesome to see these people get healthy and happy in a matter of months. Well, this season we know 3 people on the show. Crazy, I know, but it makes watching so much more fun!!

Dane Patterson & Blaine Cotter are the BLACK team and are on Jillian's team. Dane married my friend, Carli Cotter, whom I've known most of my life. Blaine, I've known my whole life. His parents and my parents are best friends and we spent many summers in San Diego staying with Blaine and his fam. We are so excited for these guys. I know their current "Status" I guess you could say, but I don't know if I'm allowed to say anything. I can say though that a few weeks in, together, Dane & Blaine lost more weight than any other "couple" on the show. Cool huh?

The other person we know is Sione Fa (he's on the blue team which is with Bob). He's DJ'ed a few family events and married Brittany Figueroa, a long time family friend (her parents lived on my grandma's street). He is on with his cousin which we don't know, but that's okay, we're still cheering them on.

The winner of the show gets $250,000! Even then, there's a prize amongst all the people who were voted off early. They can still win $100,000!! Not too bad of a prize for second place, wouldn't you say? I just had to make sure everyone knew that these guys were on the show. They are all LDS and are wonderful people. We wish them the best of luck and can't wait to see the season premier - NEXT TUESDAY (the 6th) ON NBC!!!

To meet the guys you can visit the following links:
Blaine & Dane
Sione & Filipe

GO BLAINE, DANE, SIONE, & FILIPE!!!

Done and over :(

2008-12-28T12:39:00.000-08:00

Lorin's parents got her these twin baby dolls which she loves.
Playing outside in my parents backyard Christmas day
A present my mom gave me. She knows just what I like.... baking goods & polka dots!
An autographed Glenn Beck book I got for Lo. And yes, he looks a little high... or maybe just tired. Lily must have known it was Christmas because she woke up at 5 and would not go back to bed! Believe it or not, but we were all ready for the day and done wrapping presents by 6 am! I know.... we are CRAZY!!
Christmas morning at our house. Lorin is getting out the Tickle Me Cookie Monster. Lily laughs her head off when he's on but is also deathly afraid of it.
Lily, Lo & I with Santa Christmas Eve.
Lily & Ezra (Alina's boy) = Kissing Cousins (opened mouth kissing too!)
Lily with the Blaser Fam Christmas Eve. They got her some presents which you can see she loves.
We had a high school get together Christmas Eve for breakfast. It was great seeing a lot of the old gang. In this pic is Scott, Lisa & Tyse Cole, Travis Lueck, and Mark & Dyan Bell.
Lily & I Christmas Sunday.

Like most people, Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I was sooo anxious for it to come, and now it's done and over. So sad!! The only thing that I like about Christmas ending is going to the stores the day after Christmas to get all my decor, wrapping paper, tags, and more for 50% off. Yes, I was at Wal-Mart Friday morning at 6 am with my mom and sis to get some smokin' deals. It's sad I can't enjoy those items til next year, but it's so worth it when I remember that I only paid a buck for most items. I just love finding good deals, but I am still sad Christmas is over. We really had a wonderful Christmas season and I hope everyone else did as well!

The FOURTH and FINAL White Elephant Exchange

2008-12-23T11:06:00.000-08:00

The amigos... (Our house is too small so we had it at the church).

Ali & Vaughn Fish

Derek & Rachel Jensen
Angie, Zach & Ryker Hawkins

TC turned 27! Dang, he's old!

Amber, Bailey & Brennon Adams
Des showing off her AWESOME High School musical presents
Tyson & Mandi Abaroa
Chad & Jaylynn Andersen showing off their weight belt and cowboy hat.
Lorin won this beautiful sign made by TC. Fortunately, someone stole it from him. :)

What can I say? I love white elephant exchanges! We had one with our family, one with the young womens, one with our friends in our ward, and the last one was last night with our friends from our old ward. We had so much fun getting together for this annual event! We also celebrated TC Fish's birthday last night. It was fun chatting, laughing and fighting over presents! We hope to continue to have this tradition since most people have moved from the ward. Plus, it was nice to finally get rid of the Richard Simmon's workout video that we got at last year's white elephant. I had saved that video for a whole year just so I could regift it this year. Lame, I know!

Lots to do and loving it!

2008-12-18T11:52:00.000-08:00

White Elephant with friends from the ward - Lexi Ray, Amy Brinton, & Laura Johnston
Lily is WAAAAAY into kissing right now. It's soo cute!
Our ward party had a Kiddie Corral with rocking horses, which Lily LOVED!
My high school friends decided to get together for breakfast since some were in town for Susan's funeral. It was great catching up and sharing memories of Sus!
The family white elephant exchange! The craziest gift this year... slippers made out of Kotex. I just love my crazy family. ;)

The holidays are crazy, and I LOVE THEM!! Yes, most people are stressed to the max, but I love the get togethers, the craziness of everything and all the fun we have. I still have some crafts I want to make but other than that, I'm just trying to enjoy the last week before Jolly Ol' Saint Nick comes. These pics just show some of what we've been up to these past few weeks. I am so grateful we can be spending the holidays with those we love!

My memory of Susan

2008-12-08T15:35:00.000-08:00

We were sticking candy corns in our mouth, and apparently Sus and Jess stopped being silly before we did.

Sus is riding Shadowfax - remember that, Jess?

At my 16th bday party at the Walters.

Bahahaha. I still laugh when I look at this.

. . . .....................

We were all asked to share pics and memories of Susan that would be compiled into a memories book for Justin and her family, but I thought I would post what I submitted for the book. I had such a great time looking at pics and thinking about all the fun times we had. I would love to read what everyone else submitted as well since I probably will never see the book. I have such a bad memory so seeing some of these pics triggered a lot of our forgotten adventures, and as mentioned before, it was just so darn fun thinking about all the crazy and fun things we did with Susan. We always had so much fun together!!

..................................

Where do I begin? I've known Susan for quite awhile now. Over all these years, we grew very close and I am so happy that she has been one of my dearest friends. We have been able to share so many fun and crazy memories, which I will cherish forever. High school was just too much fun with Susan. One time we got all our friends and watched a movie out in the ball fields of the church. Sadly, the night ended with gum all over her hair, but she handled it way too well compared to the average teenage girl. We also had a so-called "war" with our guy friends and ended up being stuck down in our friend's van down a narrow back alley. That was too funny!! The dances were always so much fun with her as well. She always just wanted to have fun, and that's exactly what we did when we were with her.
The memories didn't stop once we graduated high school. Since she was at U of A and some of us at ASU, we only got to see her on the occasional weekend. Fortunately, we had all the holidays and summers with her. We were able to continue the high school tradition of eating Bruce's famous pancakes after midnight on New Years Day with our college friends. That is one of my favorite high school/college memories. We also spent time couch skiiing (long story - but oh so fun), creating a weekly email newsletter (also long story, but sooo funny), crawdad fishing, going to countless parties, and doing whatever else it took to have fun (and meet boys)! :D Everywhere we went, all my guy friends would ask about Susan. They all liked her!! I can honestly say that I think she went on more dates than anyone I've ever known. There was just so many things about her that everyone liked, and because of it she had a lot of admirers. What was so great about Susan too, was that she was so honest with all of these boys. If she wasn't interested she would just flat out tell them!! I loved it. Most girls would skirt around telling someone or would just ignore their phone calls, but not Susan. I always told her how brave I thought she was for doing it. She even helped me to be brave the night I met my future husband, Lorin.
Sus and I had gone to a party that night and we were talking to all sorts of boys when we first met Lorin and his friends. We all chatted and invited them to hang out with us after the party. We spent the rest of the night playing "hot seat" (a favorite of ours). We would just ask all sorts of questions to try and get to know the other person better. Susan would come up with the funniest and silliest questions... it was so fun playing with her. After that night, we remembered we had a Stake Girl ask Guy Dance coming up. I wanted to ask Lorin, but felt kinda silly doing it. Susan convinced me I needed to do it or else I would regret it, and she was right. I built up the courage and asked him. Long story short, we started dating a few weeks later. On the night we officially began dating, Susan kept texting me to see how it was going. She knew it would be a "make it or break it" kinda night. I called her after we had our first kiss and she just knew I was a goner after that night. She was so happy and excited for me although she knew our plans to move in together and for us to go to Europe would probably never happen. That was just like her though... putting others before herself. Fortunately, Sus was also able to meet a very special person that year, and something happened when she met him.
From the very beginning there was just something about Mr. Justin Turley that she couldn't resist. Since I had gotten married around this time, I had fallen out of the "let's hang out lots" radar. We were still able to double with them a few times, but also during this time is when Susan and I began emailing a lot more. I think she considered me her best confidant (other than her family) at the time because all of her friends were also friends with Justin. I loved this bond we were able to have because we were able to talk a lot about the Gospel, relying on the Spirit, life, and especially love. There was no doubt that Susan loved Justin very much. And we knew he loved her too. She knew she wanted to marry him, and although it may have taken him a little longer to realize it, she knew they were meant to be together. She'd pray and fast and pray some more, and in the end she always felt like Justin was her answer. Little did we all know at the time is that he really was her answer to prayer.... and her answer for peace, comfort, hope and so many more things while she went through the greatest trial of her life. Fast forward a few years, and I was so blessed to be able to go to the temple with her when she received her endowments. She was so happy to have Justin with her that day and to have him take her through the veil. She was even more happy a week later when she was sealed to him for time and all eternity. Being in that sealing room was so wonderful. Susan was beaming and Justin was as well. As they looked at each other with so much love, no one in the room could deny their devotion and unconditional love for one another. It truly was a sweet and beautiful day.
Unfortunately, since getting married, we really didn't get to spend a lot of time with Susan and Justin. After being diagnosed with cancer we knew she would be weak and not always up to having visitors. We were so happy that she called on a Friday afternoon in September and asked us to come over that night. We spent the night chatting, playing games and enjoying one another's company. I didn't know that night that that would be the last time I would see Susan alive. She seemed so strong and happy then. I left thinking she would beat the cancer. It makes me so sad to realize that she didn't. It is/was/will be hard to lose such a good friend! Susan was just so wonderful, kind, funny, beautiful and Christlike. I knew I could count on her for a shoulder to cry or just to talk to. She has taught me so many things that I will remember forever. Because of her I am going to try and live each day to the fullest, to not worry about silly and trivial things, to serve others more, to be the best friend/sister/daughter/wife/mother that I can, and to always live my life in accordance to the will of our Father in Heaven. I am so glad she is no longer in pain but sad that her mortal probation was cut short. I know Susan was just too good of a person and that her Heavenly Father needed her. She will be forever missed and will always be in my heart.

I love you Sus!!Your friend - Kristyn Ritchey Merkley

Susan Mortensen Turley - May 7, 1983 - Dec 5, 2008

2008-12-05T20:58:00.003-08:00

I couldn't sleep...
My heart is so very full right now. My dearest friend, Susan, passed away tonight. She was diagnosed with colon cancer this summer and after a short but very hard battle, she was taken back to our Father in Heaven tonight. Susan was just married in January of this year. I was blessed with the opportunity to be at her sealing to Justin. It was a very happy day for Susan. She had been waiting awhile for that special moment, and I was so glad she finally had it. Unfortunately, despite all hope she didn't have much time with her sweet beau. If anyone knows Susan, they know she was a fighter. She ran cross country for U of A and was always competing in sports and the like. I know she thought she would be able to beat this cancer - that she could be the exception to all of the statistics, but sadly, she lost the battle. She was just too good of a person and her Heavenly Father needed her. She was such a wonderful, kind, funny, beautiful, Christlike person and she will be forever missed. She has taught me to live each day to the fullest and to serve all those around me. I am so grateful for her friendship and pray that her loving husband and family will find comfort during this very sad time. I know that through the knowledge and testimony of the plan of salvation, we can all find peace as we mourn for her loss. Please pray for her sweet Justin and loving family.

Sus - you will forever be in our hearts. I love you!

http://lemonademakers.blogspot.com/

Christmas Card

2008-11-30T11:43:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we were able to meet my siblings at the temple to take our annual family Christmas pics. Fortunately, we didn't need any pics with all the grandkids (those are so crazy and impossible to get everyone smiling!!) I had my sis take our pics, and we took their pics for them (what can I say? - I'm cheap, and don't want to pay anyone:D ). I was so happy that quite a few turned out. I think it's mostly because we have a semi-decent camera. I know everyone is getting into photography these days, and I have to admit that I am one of them. I love taking pics!!! It's so much fun!
Any who, I don't know why but I kinda stress out about christmas cards each year. I know it's not a big deal, but I guess it's just one more thing to do during the holidays. Fortunately, this year I really didn't have to stress, and I'm so glad I got one out of one hundred Christmas-to-do-things done! Phew!!

We LOVE Disneyland!!!!

2008-11-23T06:02:00.000-08:00

Lily & I
This was a hose at Goofy's house that Lily couldn't get enough of.
On the train around the park.
Our only family pic the whole time (in front of It's a Small World)
On Flik's ride at California Adventure
Lorin and I ;)
Can you tell we're happy?? It's the one place we feel totally stress-free!
Lily loved the carousel!
On the streets of New Orleans Square. Lily just didn't know what to do with herself. She just wanted to run around and soak it all in, and we don't blame her!

So, you might be wondering why we LOVE Disneyland so much, and hopefully some of these pictures show why...

Department 56!! The coolest store, and it's found in Downtown Disney. There isn't one in AZ at all! :(Funnel Cakes! You'll see from the following pics, that a lot of the reasons we love this place is because of the food you can get there. What can I say? We're hungry people. :)
Cotton Candy! Need I say more?
Fake snow (soap suds) in front of the pretty castle.
Monte Cristo sandwiches at Blue Bayou. SOOOO good!
CHURROS!! I know you can get them at Sam's Club/Costco, but at Disneyland you really don't hesitate to eat them because you're not calorie counting/dieting. It's great!
Bread bowls!!
Pirates!!! I really do not think there is a SMELL better in the world than the musty, wet smell of this ride. If they could capture that scent and put it in a bottle, I would buy it!
5 minute waits for every ride!! Who wouldn't love that? We try to go this time of year, because there is hardly any waits, the Christmas decorations are up, and the weather is awesome!!
The candy!! I think every kid in the world loves/wants these suckers!!
The fudge - Lorin's all time favorite!
Tower of Terror - my all time FAV ride at California Adventure. I scream every time. I just love that you can float in the air on this ride.
Club 33!! One of mine and Lorin's goals... This door is right next to Blue Bayou, and it's only for an elite group of people who are VERY rich and donate LOTS of $$ to Disney all the time. There's a 5 star restaurant through this door, and a bunch of rich, Disney-know-who. I just want to know what it's like... :D
The HUGE Christmas tree at the beginning of Main Street is amazing!!!
New Orleans Square looks just AWESOME this time of year!!
The Haunted Mansion is decked out in Nightmare Before Christmas attire. The whole ride has been transformed and it's all blacklight. It is sooo cool. It makes the regular Haunted Mansion very boring to ride.
Buzz Lightyear's AstroBlasters!! It's mine and Lorin's favorite ride, and Lily can ride with us. You just shoot at targets but Lorin and I are so competitive, that we just love it SOO much!!

We feel very blessed and lucky to have been able to go on this short family vacation this past week. I know a lot of parents despise Disneyland, but fortunately, Lorin and I LOVE it, and we want our kids/future kids to love it as well. There's just something about the atmosphere there that makes us so happy and worry free. Disneyland truly is the happiest place on earth (for us)!

Thank you!! Thank you!!

2008-11-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to write and tell everyone thank you for coming out to the boutique. We had over 700 people come and had over $11,000 in sales!! Woo hoo!! Thanks again for all those who supported me in this crazy endeavor. I truly appreciated it!! Love you guys!!

The Tattered Trunk Boutique

2008-11-04T05:13:00.000-08:00

Okay... I have to make one more plug for my boutique. It will take place this Saturday at DWHI (a charter school) in the SE corner of McClintock & Elliot from 9am - 4 pm. I honestly think you will not be disappointed if you go. There are so many fun and cute things. There is even a gift bag for the first 50 customers, and a raffle going all day long. PLEASE come and check it out.

AFTER about 15 Cabinet door signs,
10 Twilight signs,
23 sewn onesies,
5 FHE boards,
12 Vintage Ceiling Tile signs,
45 scrapbooked pails
5 Plaque signs,
and more...

I am happy to say that I am done with all of my crafts. (THANK GOODNESS!!!) A lot of other vendors made their items as well, so they are one-of-a-kind. The products are great, so if you have gifts to get for birthdays or Christmas, this is the best place to find some of them. Any way, I'll shut up now. I hope to see you all there Saturday!
Here's the link if you want to check out the blog:
http://tatteredtrunk.blogspot.com/

Trick or Treat

2008-11-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

My cousin, David.... scary, huh?

Fam & Friends

Lily on Halloween night at Lorin's parents. She found this bowl and spoon and just started mixing. Then, she would pull out the spoon and lick it. It had nothing on it, but it was hilarious.

Rocker Lo & Rocker Lily
Rocker mom & daughter, and yes, I know I look ridiculous.
The Rocker Fam!
Pebbles (Raylee) & Rocker Lily :D

I know I'm busy, but I just had to share some of our Halloween fun we had over the past week. I love Halloween, and I'm sad I didn't have the time to get into it as much as I had hoped. Perhaps, next year, right? Lily was a punk rocker this year, and we were punk rockers with her one night and then dressed as conservative parents with the rebel rocker child the other night. We obviously didn't have a lot of time to come up with really good costumes, but at least we dressed up. :)

No time...

2008-10-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I am SUPER busy getting things ready for the Boutique on November 8th, so I probably won't have time to blog.... If I can spare a few free minutes I might be able to take pics of some of my projects to post them on here. We'll just see.... I hope you can all make it Nov. 8th. I am so excited, and there are so many fun things that will be sold there. I promise you won't be disappointed! (Click on the link on the right to check it out) :D

I CANNOT WAIT!!

2008-10-14T17:30:00.001-07:00

The last and BEST trailer for Twilight was posted last week, and I just have to share. Even my husband admitted that the movie looked pretty cool. I agree with him!! November 21st, baby!! I will be at the midnight showing. Will you?

Movie Trailer link: http://www.myspace.com/trailerpark

Paz De Cristo

2008-10-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

Some of the YW
Making some good ol' PB & J (Allison, in the middle, is one of my girls)
Emily (on the left) is also one of my Laurels.
Emily, Karlie (who is dating my bro, Evan :D ), & myself.
The fruits of our labors. :D (We made a whole tub of cut apples & grapes)

I'm in Young Womens, and I love it! I was first called to YWs when Lily was only a few weeks old. We had just moved into our new ward, and I hadn't even been to church yet when I was called. I was a little worried at first because I REALLY liked Relief Society and didn't really consider myself a "YW" person or a Primary person. It's been almost a year since I have been in there, and I really enjoy it. My girls are awesome and I get along with most of them really well. They all seem to think I'm "cool" since I can text message, but I have to remind them I'm not too much older than them. In fact, if we ever do anything for mutual outside of the church, they assume I'm just one of the laurels as well. It's pretty sad.

Any who, we went to Paz de Cristo this last week which is a homeless shelter in Mesa. It was a really great experience and made me realize how fortunate I am. So many of these people were so grateful that we would come to help. There were women, men, & kids of all different ages & races. We spent several hours preparing their food and getting everything ready, and it was so worth it!! I'm a little ashamed that I'm not as good of a person to be in the "holiday spirit" all year long, but I must say that I have the spirit now and cannot wait to serve others this holiday season!

C e l e b r a t e good times, come on!

2008-10-05T14:37:00.001-07:00

This was earlier that day jumping on the tramp.
Kyra, Cory & Jade helped party with us.
Emmie & Adam Cooley
The crazy fam
Lo & TC
Lily & I
The Bouncer - too much fun!!
Lily had more fun playing with the ice than she did her toys that night - silly girl!
Lily & Raylee played with the ice for about 30 minutes
Lily broke open the pinata!! Haha. Yeah Right! After going through about 10 kids, Lorin had to bust it open!

The kids running to get the candy (along with the parents).

Lily had no idea what to do with the cake, but she soon figured it out...
She started out putting one finger in the frosting and licking it, then she realized how good it was and started grabbing fistfuls. :D
LAY OFF! I'M STARVING!!
In the end she was pretty messy but it was fun watching her dismantle the cake!

It was Lily's first birthday this past Friday. To celebrate we had the fam over to eat, hang out, and have lots of fun!! Our friends, the Brinton's, were kind enough to let us use their bouncer (if you ever need one, check 'em out at: http://www.arizonaairbounce.com/). It was definitely a HIT with all of the kids! We couldn't call ourselves real mexicans if we didn't have a pinata, so we were sure to have one of those as well. ;)

We REALLY cannot believe that Lily is already ONE, but we sure do love her and feel SOOO grateful that she is ours! Happy Birthday LILY!

Turning ONE!! Warning: Picture Overload

2008-09-23T15:10:00.001-07:00

Yes, I know... Lorin kindly reminds me she looks like an ewok. I think she looks like a CUTE ewok! :D

She's pulling a George Costanza (see below)....

Lily turns ONE next week!!! I know, where has the time gone!?! I have no idea, but it sure has flown. Since we really haven't taken any professional pictures of her, I thought we would do it today. It was a little crazy trying to get her to hold still for a few seconds, but the photographer managed to get some cute shots of her any way. I think I sweat 5 pounds off chasing her around, but I'm glad we did it. They were a little more expensive than what I wanted to pay, but can you really put a price on these? I think not. :D

Busy but FUN weekend

2008-09-15T17:56:00.000-07:00

Each flag represented someone who had died due to 9/11.
Getting ready to walk the 5k.
Lily was so good during the walk and either played with this flag or slept. It was great!
My bro, Tyler, was in charge of the event.
The newly painted kitchen... you can barely tell it's green in this pic.

You can see the green better in this pic... kinda. :(

The living room is a pale, antique-ish yellow. Can you even tell?

I had to break out the cobwebs and halloween decorations. I know, I'm sick...

I am a little obsessed with the vintage Halloween decorations. Fortunately, you can find them for like $5 at most stores now.

Aren't these skeletons the bomb?! My aunt made them for me for my bridal shower. I love them!

This weekend was crazy busy (as always) but super fun!! Friday, Lorin and I hung out with our good friends, the Turleys. We played some fun games with them, and I enjoyed kicking Justin's bum in a game that was very similar to Boggle (you can pass that along to him, Sus). Haha ;)

Then, Saturday we were able to participate in an Amputee Walk that my brother put on. It was great to walk the 5k and to see all sorts of amputees and supporters, including the Mayor of Tempe. It was at Tempe Town Lake which was also cool cuz they were having their 9/11 Memorial there. They have displayed a flag for every person who died due to 9/11. Each flag had a picture and some info about each person so it was an emotional reminder of that fateful day 7 years ago.

Later that day I realized how much my husband really loves me because he said we could paint the living room and kitchen. I have always wanted to paint, but Lorin really likes things plain (I know, he married the wrong person), but he lost the fight Saturday. We spent the rest of the day painting. It was A LOT of work, but I LOVE the finished product. He even let me pick the colors (a light yellow for the living room. and a light lime-ish green for the kitchen). Lorin really does not like yellow so he was so nice to let me paint with that color. ;) He also let me put up Halloween decorations. I know it's a little early, but I have a very busy month and a half ahead of me so I knew this was the only time to do it. Like I said, Lorin must REALLY love me, and I am so grateful he does. He was such a sport working all day and night to get the painting done. He is the best - I love him SOO MUCH!!

2008-09-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

That's right... we put her in the big girl carl seat, and she loves it!

Say buh bye to the small car seat... it has now become a toy for her.

I know, I'm crazy, but I had to try...

The curls lasted for about 15 seconds...

Man, I love this little girl. We have so much fun together and I'm trying to soak it all up, because she is growing up waaaay to fast!!

KTAR Talk the Vote - LIVE with Glenn Beck

2008-09-07T07:43:00.001-07:00

On Friday, Lorin and I were able to go to the Orpheum Theater in Phoenix with some friends to see KTAR's Talk the Vote Live. This consisted of an hour of the "War Room" with Pat McMahn, Darrell Ankarlo, Mac Watson and Glenn Beck discussing the presidential race and the war. This might sound really boring, but it was actually VERY entertaining. After the war room, Glenn Beck spoke for about an hour doing some bits from his show that he has been touring for. He was awesome! If any of you know him, you know that he's a little extreme, but I REALLY like him. He's a convert to the church and is a little rough around the edges but he was so much fun to watch. I haven't always enjoyed politics (and sometimes I still don't) but they made some great points tonight that helped me realize who I needed to vote for. I haven't really been a fan of either politician (when it comes to character really), but at this point I've realized I need to vote for "the lesser of two evils" as Lorin tells me. It's not that John McCain or Barak Obama are evil, I just don't agree with any of them whole-heartily. Any who... as you can see from the pics, you know who will be getting my vote. :D

This is a snippet of his show. It was hilarious!!!

I wonder....

2008-09-02T13:33:00.000-07:00

Whenever I watched Back to the Future II I always wondered if any of the things in the movie would actually be invented. So... yesterday Lorin, Lily & I went to Chandler Mall and we found this pair of glasses that I made Lorin put on that ended up being a movie screen. Can you believe it!? I tried it out myself and low and behold, a movie played right before my eyes (and for only $200)! The glasses reminded me of Back to the Future II (remember... they are sitting at the dinner table and the sister puts them on to see who's calling.....). Any who, it got me all excited. I mean, technology these days truly is amazing. I still can't even figure out how texting, cell phones and emails work, but they do, and it's awesome!! I wonder if the hover board is next.... you might think I'm crazy, but maybe I'm not. I found this article about some scientist in Scotland who have solved the mystery of levitation. If you don't believe me, check out this article. I wonder...

Back to School Blues

2008-08-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

I think I could just eat her up!! (and all her rolls)

Lorin went back to school today. I'm kinda glad that we will get back on a normal schedule of things, but I'm also so sad that once he's home at night he'll be busy with homework, projects and all that boring stuff. We've had a little too much fun this summer enjoying our nights together as a family and I'm sad to say that that's over til December. Bummer!! Fortunately, Lily keeps me busy and we have fun playing together. I feel like she is growing up WAY too fast. She already has her two front teeth!! Time flies by way too fast!

When Lily isn't keeping me busy I try to check out one of my new favorite websites. It's called ETSY (etsy.com). Have you heard of it? My sister in law, Kristi, told me about it and now I'm obsessed! It's a website where different people can post things they make and they can sell them. There are so many talented people out there. I love 'em!! If you haven't been to it, check it out. There are thousands of sellers on there and they are awesome!!

My current favorite seller:
pumpkinseedmama - She has some tags I'm getting to use as ornaments on a black tree I have for Halloween. I LOVE, LOVE her stuff!

My New Hero

2008-08-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

I LOVE the Olympics! Every night since August 8th, Lorin and I have found ourselves staying up way past our bed times so we could watch the exciting Olympic games. I have always loved the gymnastics and track events, but I had never really considered myself a big Swimming fan. Well, that has all changed. I don't know if it's all because of Michael Phelps, but I LOVE LOVE watching swimming now. This may sound super weird, but I almost feel like he's my son and I am so proud of him after each race. I always get teary-eyed and Lorin just looks at me like I'm a nut. Any who, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Michael Phelps break so many records and win so many gold medals. I felt special watching history take place. Michael Phelps is such a stud and is my new hero!!

Fun in the Sun

2008-08-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

Lily loved the Sand!
Lorin and his brother, Ryan, spent a lot of time building this on the beach. Silly boys.
Our fam on Ocean Beach.
Isn't this beautiful? I absolutely loved the sunset!

Lily loved the waves. She would have just walked out into the ocean if we would have let her.
Gotta love that girl!
It was sort of impossible keeping her from eating the sand, so we kinda just let her have at it. She loved it so much!
At the science center Friday. That place was amazing and it had lots of toys to play with. This was Lorin's favorite part of the trip.

We went to the USS Midway Thursday. It's a huge army boat that is next to Seaport Village.
The beautiful temple... it was so amazing inside. I loved it.
After the temple, Lorin and I were able to go to Pat & Oscar's, one of my favorite restaurants. Their food is sooo yummy! They used to have one in AZ, but they closed it down. :(

I think I had too much fun at the zoo. I just love the monkeys and could sit and watch them all day.
This orangutan was huge!

Is that a close up or what?!?
Gotta love those monkeys!Lily was beat after a long day at the zoo.

Lily was ready for Sea World. She had so much fun!

Shamu rocks!! BELIEVE!
Lily was enthralled with this sea lion until it started barking at her for food. That kind of freaked her out.
I had to beg Lorin to get in this pic with me. Don't we look lovely?
Lily loved watching all the shows.
This was Lily's favorite part. She just stared and "wow-ed" at the Beluga Whale. It was so beautiful and amazing!

I need to preface by saying that I REALLY did like Breaking Dawn, I just didn't LOVE it like I loved Twilight and Eclipse. I've gotten a lot of crud about my last post. I obviously enjoyed enough to not want to put it down. I just thought it was weird at points and was a little upset that if it was made into a movie it would probably be R... that's all.

That having be said, I wanted to post some pics of our vacation to Cali last week which was much needed and was lots o' fun! We were able to go to Sea World, the zoo, the beach, the temple and the Science Center, and we had a blast!!

It's also Olympics time, and I LOVE the Olympics. Lorin and I had a goal to be there this year but that was quickly changed when we decided we wanted to have kids and it would be way too hard. I love that it is in Beijing, and it makes me miss all the people there that I grew to love so much. Our next goal is to maybe go in 2012 when it is in Sochi, which is a place Lorin served at in Russia. Wishful thinking I know, but I think it would be awesome!!

Breaking Dawn - 1.5 stars

2008-08-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

SOOO....
I've been dying to blog about this book all weekend. I was able to get it at midnight at Deseret Friday night. I'm stupid and never went to bed that night. I read from 12:30 to 6:30 in the morning. We were busy all day long with family things so I didn't get to finish it til last night. Now, if you don't want spoilers PLEASE don't read below, because there are a ton... SORRY :(

I have to admit, I was a little disappointed. I felt like the book was VERY different from the other three. I think it was just too much of the vampire/werewolf world for me. In the other books, she still went to school and associated with the humans and what not, but this book had none of that except for the wedding in the very beginning. Don't get me wrong... I thought it was very entertaining but it was just a little on the... WEIRD side for me. I think they talked too much about the horizontal tango... The whole pregnancy thing was just a little much, not to mention how she actually births the baby. I also was a little freaked out about Jacob imprinting on Renesme (which by the way, I HATED that name... too long and dumb). I know I'm just complaining a lot here. I told myself I would be happy as long as Bella & Edward were together and they were so I shouldn't be complaining. I think it was just a disappointment. I feel like Stephanie Meyer could have done this book very differently and it would have been better. She should have had more of the humans... there should have been fewer characters to introduce... the whole J Jenks thing could have been left out (just pointless and unnecessary)... the whole immortal children thing was dumb in my opinion... I just feel like it could have been such a better story! I feel like peoples' theories as to what would happen in this book were so much better than what actually happened. Does that make any sense? What does everyone else think? Am I the only one who really didn't like it that much?

Boutiques, Books & Beaches....

2008-07-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

Bahaha! This pic makes me laugh. Isn't it pathetic? Who could turn down a face like that?
Once again, her hair always manages to surprise me. She had just woken up from a nap. Her hair was perfectly straight before. I have no idea how it got so crazy.
My little chunker.
Rob, me, Lily and Darrell Ankarlo

So much has happened or will happen this month. . .

1 - I've started a boutique as most of you know. I had a poll for the name and decided to go with a name that didn't win. The name is: The Tattered Trunk Boutique. It was a close second in the poll. It's set for November 8th, and I'm VERY excited for it.

2 - Lily is turning 10 months!!! She is growing way too fast. She makes me so happy and we have so much fun together. She has started taking steps and loves to talk. I wonder where she got that trait from. ;)

3 - Last week, I dragged Lily and my mom with me to Chandler Fashion Mall to meet Darrell Ankarlo. He's a radio talk show host on 92.3. Lorin is actually in his little Diversity Posse so he's met him before, but this was my first time meeting him. I also met his producer, Rob. If you have listened to KTAR at all during the weekday mornings, you know who these guys are. They crack me up! I was there to buy Ankarlo's new book, "Another Man's Sombrero" for Lorin. It's about illegal immigration. Gotta love it!

4 - Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final book in the Twilight series comes out Friday at midnight. Tara (my sis) and I will be getting it then. I plan to stay up and read all night because I have a busy weekend. WARNING: Please do not check my blog this weekend if you don't want any spoilers from the book. I can guarantee that I will blog about it. All I know is that if Edward and Bella do not end up together, I'm gonna be TICKED!!!

5 - We're headed to Cali next week. It's our first vacation since Lily has been born so we are very excited!! We'll be in San Diego and plan on hitting the beach, the San Diego Zoo, Sea World and a few other places. If anyone has any suggestions on MUST SEES there, please let us know. We don't want to miss anythin'!

The Latest...

2008-07-17T08:13:00.000-07:00

Whoops... Lily looked down at the last minute... I was so bummed!

I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to blog. Sorry. Right now, I am in the process of starting a boutique... crazy, I know. Fortunately, I have about 40 vendors who want to sell stuff so that is awesome! I am also closing in on the location for the boutique. I just need to get a few more quotes on places to make sure I pick the best one. My big dilemma right now is that I am having a hard time thinking of a name for the boutique. If anyone has any cool ideas let me know. Every time I think of a good one, I google it and it's already taken. Bummer! Any who, please also let me know if you would be interested being a vendor or if you would like me to add you to our mailing list for when we send out the info in the future. Right now, the boutique is set for November 8th. We have some AWESOME stuff to sell. As soon as I can get more pics gathered, I will start a blog for it.
We are also trying to enjoy the HOT summer. It's nice to have Lo home at night and not have to worry about him having homework. We are heading to Cali at the beginning of August, and we are hoping the weather is a lot more bearable there. A short few weeks after that, Lorin starts school again. :(

TICKED!!!! : Z

2008-07-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

Dumb Deanna

I am so ticked off right now that I knew I had to blog to blow off some steam. So, what could I be so ticked off about?!? Let me preface by saying that I have never watched The Bachelorette before this year. I only watched because I was curious since I had heard this chick was blown off by the Bachelor, Brad Womack. Any who... I know you're probably thinking, "uhuh, sure, whatever...." BUT it's true! Tonight was the season finale and it was down to two guys. One guy named Jason and the other Jesse. Jason is the nicest guy and is a father of a little boy. Jesse is nice also but he snowboards and isn't very cute. I REALLY REALLY wanted Jason to win. He was cute, nice, romantic and everything a girl could want. Well, when the show started Lorin decided to look online to see if there were any spoilers (he did this in hopes that if he found out the winner, I would stop watching....good idea, but it didn't work). He found a website that stated Deanna picked Jesse. I didn't know if I could believe it, but then my friend, Desiree called from Oklahoma and she had just finished watching it. SHE REALLY DID PICK JESSE!!! Grrrr! I am so mad. Both of the guys are nice but Jason is a lot better looking and seems more in love with her. It also ticked me off because Jesse is so "dude-ish" that he could never say things like, "you're beautiful" and "I am starting to fall in love with you." Instead he would say, "You are so hot" and "I am soo digging on you." LAME!!!! I am just so mad right now. I know you all think I'm a nut but I guess I am. Deanna Pappas is WHACKED!!! I really am ticked off... I think I will go cry myself to sleep now... ;)

Birthdays Galore

2008-07-01T08:15:00.001-07:00

Papa (my dad) had too much fun licking and sticking puffs to Lily's face.
Hailey at her 1 year old birthday party at Peter Piper. Ain't she cute?
Evan's good friend, Karlie, made him this birthday cake. Isn't it stinkin awesome!?
Evan turned 18! CrAzY!!

So many birthdays in June!! I was trying to figure out how that happened.... Most kids go back to school in August/September. Coincidence? I think not! ;)

I'm way too old!

2008-06-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

Lily loves my parents dog, Bowzer. Can you tell? She loves giving him kisses!
Play group with Jaxon Bourne, Abby Williamson and Lily.

Nice hairdo, Lil. :D
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop. Who knows? I gave her a lick and she took it from my hand and wouldn't give it back. She was making such a mess I took it from her! I guess we'll never know how many licks it takes.

Last week I turned 26! Crazy, huh? It actually wasn't too bad. Fortunately, I was busy all week and didn't really have to dwell on my new age. I've also been sick for the last week and a half and I'm grateful that is over. Other than all that, I've been trying to keep up with Lily. She is all over the place now. She really is getting her own little personality which I absolutely love. She is so much fun to be around and definitely keeps me entertained. Just the other day I was in the kitchen making some cookies and I hear her going "Mmmm, mmmmmmm." I knew she was eating something. I turned around and saw that a little piece of snickerdoodle dough fell on the door to the dishwasher just a few minutes prior. She, of course, found it and was enjoying it. I told Lorin and the next day he was with her in the living room. He heard doing the whole "Mmmmm, mmmmm" thing and assumed she was eating something good and edible. Come to find out she had two $1 bills in her mouth and dollar bills in both hands (I had put some change on the coffee table about half hour prior). Dirty money, I know. If it's small enough for her to put in her hands we have to assume she will put it in her mouth. Funny girl!