We are alive!

Welp, I was getting on to post since I haven't forever and guess what? Spencer posted something today!  Surprise!! I will still post though because I have some things I want to say. Shocking, i know.


1. Finals are over for me and almost over for Spencer. This means that I have only one semester left and Spencer has two! We will both be done with school by next summer. YAHOO!!

2. My sister had a baby!

3. Our nephew got baptized! This event and the fact that we have a new niece sent us on a whirlwind trip to Texas last weekend. It was wonderful! well except for being sick for the 18 hour car ride home.... But still totally worth it.

4. It is almost Christmas! Crazy how time flies.

 5. And possibly the best news of all -- We are having a BABY! Little baby girl is due April 2013 and we couldn't be happier!

Here are some pictures from hour adventures in Texas. 

The big boys face the little "men" in football. They told me they don't need jackets because they are men.  

Paige and new baby H at big J's baptism

Spencer and his BFF G at the baptism

I won't tell you how this shot ended.  

Sisters

Adorable. He really does love me. 

I think that is all folks. until next time...

Hey all,



             I haven't posted anything since we started this thing but I thought I would share some pictures from an activity I got to participate with in November.  A little background first though. As part of my senior year in the Social Work program at Utah State I have the opportunity to be doing my practicum at Common Ground Outdoor Adventures.  CG helps to provide outdoor recreational activities to people who suffer from any wide range of disabilities.  We help them with both physical and financial barriers that may stand in their way.  Anyway, I had the opportunity to go an a fishing trip with CG back in October which was for days long.  Before this time, my involvement with the participants had be limited to daily activities which while awesome, is a totally different experience from being with them 24 hours a day for 4 days straight.  The experience was tiring and taxing as I tried to help in anyway possible.  On the flip side the rewards of spending time with people who have become my friends are all but indescribable.  The participants on this trip in so many ways are considered less fortunate that able bodied/minded person but it is becoming more and more clear to me that they have so many abilities that are looked over.  The ability to unselfishly serve, the ability to see beauty in simplicity,  the ability to care for others,  the ability to be excited in others success.  These abilities seemed so innate and were ever apparent as I spent time simply bating hooks, casting lines, unhooking fish, pushing wheelchairs, cooking and cleaning up meals and in simply sitting around the camp fire.  I hope that you can catch a glimpse of what I mean through some of these photos.

Thanks for reading.
Spencer

A quick update...

• School has begun. Luckily, it has begun for the last year (for me at least). Spencer still has three semesters then a masters. 
• I quit my job at Maceys. It was a good job and I met lots of amazing people there, but after two years, it was time for me to be done. I am now just going to school, working at Morningside Preschool and teaching piano. 
• Spencer and I are both doing our practicums. Spencer at Common Ground and me and Morningside school.  This basically means that Spencer gets to go fishing in Southern Utah, canoeing, climbing, biking, snowshoeing, skiing, etc. and nothing different for me. It is ok though because it also means no extra time for me. 

I think that is basically all... 

Summer Update

Not much has changed in our lives lately but we have been having a lot of fun. Yes, we still work but we try to fit in as much fun as possible. Lately we have enjoyed helping Spencer's mom renovate an old camping trailer, bought plastic and made a slipn'slide, spent lots of time with family, and Spencer has spent his fair share of time jumping off cliffs and climbing on rocks. :)
Here are a few pictures...

Oh! And we had our very FIRST Anniversary! This picture was actually taken on Spencer's birthday but it is the most recent picture of us.  

Our little potted garden.  Our cilantro and basil are suffering a little bit but the strawberries are doing great!

My sister and her kids came to visit. They are growing up so fast! Little Joshua isn't so little anymore...  

Rock Climbing with Ally and Benson

After rock climbing... 

my cool siblings on father's day

i love this picture.  my grandpa and my nephew. so sweet!

HAHAHA!! Cache at three months

snapped this photo on the way out of work the other day. cache valley sunsets are beautiful

Don't worry, I can explain! I am working at Morningside preschool again this summer, helping at the summer camp. We made pom poms for one of our activities so we all gathered as many toilet paper rolls as possible. Spencer didn't know about this and he wasn't home so I wrote a note to tell him not to throw it away. 

I came home from work later that day with his addition. 

Spencer wants to do awesome things every summer. Many of his awesome ideas are way out of our price range so they will have to wait for another summer but his idea of a slip n' slide made it onto this summer's list of awesome activities. We were watching our niece and nephews for the week so we decided to pull it out. They loved it!

Summer has arrived....

And we couldn't be more excited!! We don't have any definite plans for the summer but it is so nice to take a little bit of a break -- especially from school, though Spencer is taking one class over the summer. Our only plan for the summer is to spend as much time outside, enjoying the sunshine as possible! We have already enjoyed a campfire/tinfoil dinners, a hike or two, the river walk, drives up the canyon and a baseball game at the park. There is nothing like the feel of a summer night! Definitely on my list of top 10 favorite things...
Anyway... We will also be working this summer. Spencer will continue to work at Maceys and I will spend my mornings at Morningside School helping another teacher with the summer camp there. I will continue to teach piano and work a couple nights a week at Maceys. I am really excited for the opportunity I have been given to work at Morningside. The job really just fell into my lap and it has been perfect for me. I love being with the children. I am excited to spend more time there over the summer (partially because that means I will be working a job that I really enjoy instead of a job that is good but is mostly just for a paycheck!).
I hope you are as excited for the summer adventures that await you as we are for ours!

So, it's been a while...

Life has been full of a bunch of 'new' the last month or two. It has been great! I don't have a lot to say so I will let pictures do most of the talking...

      We won this sweet chair in a drawing at Maceys. It is huge!

We bought a computer!

IT'S SPRING!!! I love spring and to celebrate, I painted a picture of a bike and                                                                                                bought new pots for my plants.

    Our adorable nephew, Cache was born. Isn't he adorable? 

   Spencer got a job promotion. He is now a front end supervisor. Go Spencer!

Easter wasn't anything new but it was fun so I thought I would share a few pictures. 

The annual Easter egg hunt gets more fun ever year! we get older and the hunt gets harder. It is a blast!

Happiness

This week has been full of happiness.  My wonderful sister, Alyssa returned from her mission about three weeks ago and spoke in church last week. Because of this and spring break, my sister, Janelle and her family came to visit. Spencer and I also had spring break so we were able to spend a lot of time with them.  Let's just say that this last week was great. It has also caused me to reflect on happiness and what makes me happy. 


This is what I have learned about happiness this week.


Happiness is Family
Happiness is Spring Break which = very little homework, also happiness
Happiness is a clean house
Happiness is a husband that cooks me food
Happiness is sunny days


But most of all I have learned that happiness is a choice. 
No one can force happiness upon on us. We have to make the choice to change or attitudes and be happy.  You see, I am awful at making decisions, just ask basically anyone that knows me. But I have realized lately that this is a choice that was easier for me to make.


And let me just tell you, it was a good decision.