when i have grown a foot or two

Good luck, Elder Stewart!

On Wednesday, my brother left for the Paraguay Asuncion Mission.

Here are some random pictures of the family gathered to celebrate.  Nieces, nephews, cousins, grandparents, siblings, and of course, the man himself!  (I just bit my tongue as I was typing this, which was quite uncomfortable.) 

We celebrated Pioneer day by watching the parade.  You can see in this picture what little e thought of the high school band.  Followed by my family riding in a wagon that my brother-in-law built.

Happy weekend!

but i never let it get me down

Sometimes her little face just breaks my heart.

i'm standing here with no umbrella

Jeffree, after reading my blog post said, “Food storage is a commandment.”

Me:  Yes, and we don’t have a 3-month supply of m&ms. 

Jeff:  We don’t have a 3-month supply of water bottles either.

Me:  Water comes out of the tap.

Jeff:  What if the tap runs out of water?

Me:  We’ll fill it up with m&ms.

Jeff:  Do m&ms have water in them?

Me:  Probably…

I’m not sure if that was convincing enough for him.  I’ll keep working on him, though.  I'm guessing if it rained in m&ms, Jeffree would be more convinced at how vital they are.  So as long as it keeps raining water, I might be without m&ms.

all that i know is i don't know

last kiss by taylor swift is the perfect sad song.

Sometimes, when I'm feeling blue, I just sit myself down and listen to sad music.  Am I weird?  Maybe.  But I don't think I'm the only one who participates in this strange (but affective) therapy.  I'm not sure how it works, but I find myself feeling better.  Or at least feeling justified.

Yes, I have bad days.  Days when all I want to do is stay in my pajamas, cry, and eat peanut m&ms.  Unfortunately we are currently out of m&ms.

I learned once that it's healthy for a woman to cry at least 7 minutes every month.  I've never been one to struggle with meeting that quota.  Between yesterday and today, however, I've racked up maybe 70 times 7.  Is there an unhealthy limit?




Don't worry.  I'll feel better tomorrow.  In the meantime, I will try to come up with the amount of m&ms needed to have a three month supply for our food storage.  Then I'll conjure up a scheme for convincing Jeffree that buying more m&ms is just following the prophet's counsel.  I'll let you know how it goes.

no i could not want you more

I just celebrated two years with my man.  There is just something about him - the way he looks into my eyes as if he just can't get enough.  The way he makes me laugh day after day.  The way he adores his girls and cherishes the time he has with us.  The way he turns to putty when I tickle his back.  The way he smiles.  The way his nose scrunches when he laughs.  The way he holds me and twirls me when we dance.  The way he holds my hand as we drift off to sleep.  I can hardly believe he's mine!

Here's to forever with you, my love.

going to the chapel and we're gonna get married

One of Jeffree's bff's from high school got married this last weekend.  The ceremony was beautiful, the bride stunning, the couple was beaming, and we had so much fun.

All matchy matchy

The happy couple.  Congratulations Mike and Nikki!  We are so excited for you.

The boys

Daddy daughter dance

We had such a wonderful weekend together.  It's so good to spend time with Jeffree and little e.  They bring so much joy and happiness into my life.  There are moments when it's hard or exhausting, but moments like these far outweigh life's hardships.  

(stay tuned for more about our anniversary)

pull me close and take one step

Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale.

stay this little

Honestly, who can help but adore this face?

little e giggling at her Dad.  She loves him so much!

We love our little e!

you put your arms around me for the first time

Jeffree Dean blessed our little Ember Belle on Sunday.  Some say it was the biggest circle they've ever seen.  I just know it was a sweet moment for the three of us.

We realized afterward that FIVE of my brothers weren't able to be there, along with three of Jeff's brothers/in-laws, as well as Jeff's Dad.  Even with the MIA, it was an impressive sight to see all those worthy Priesthood holders cradling our little girl.

Jeff was pretty proud that she passed gas in the middle of the blessing.  e's aunt Stefani (my youngest sister) was excited that e was being blessed in the same dress she had been blessed in.  All in all, it was a beautiful day.  Spending time with family was fantastic.  Eating dinner while someone else had our little e wasn't too bad either.  :)

Here's a shout out to all of our R town peeps.  We miss you and we are sad you didn't get to share our special day with us.

Love to all  <3

let freedom ring

God bless America