Happy Birthday Dad!!

I have always had the benefit of having my birthday close to my dad's. We always get to share the cakes and family dinners together. Now that I am married, it is always a good reminder for my husband that mine is approaching. This way he has no excuse for forgetting. Although at this age... who really even cares about birthdays anymore!!

Anyway, I wanted to write a quick note to my dad!! Happy Birthday to you!!! Happy Birthday to YOU!!

Thanks for always being there. Love you lots!!

**man I also realized I need more pictures of you!!

Yet another Apartment issue... at a time like this!

Why do things always come at the worst of times? That always seems to be the story with us anyway. We got a call yesterday (voicemail actually) from a tenant of ours in PG...yes, the same horrible location that we own that always seems to be causing us problems.... anyway, she told us that she was moving out and would be out by the end of the month. Does she realize that is only 4 days away? Does she realize she has a contract, legal contract, until Dec'08? Does she even care that I have a baby due any day? The answer to all of these questions is NO!! A BIG FAT NO!! Either that or she just does not care and I guess that could be the case too.

So, Neil and I jump on the computer and post the apartment for rent within minutes of hearing her message and then decide that it might be best to head over there and see for ourselves what is going on. Tenants have a tendency to lie. For all I knew, she had been out for weeks and I would not have known the difference. I am glad we ran up there. She was just leaving the apartment and had that "oh crap" look on her face!! It amazes me that someone thinks they can just up and leave, giving barely notice, not paying you a single dime for the rent you will be missing out on.

Well, for those who know me well, know that I do not take these things lying down. My mean side comes shining through without much effort!! I ran up there, told her she needed to pay me Aug rent and she was lucky I was not asking for the next four months up front. She said..." oh, I thought you could just use my security deposit for rent next month..." WRONG!!! That baby was lost the minute you started moving out!! I had to remind her of the legal rights I have against her and the contract she signed. Her apartment was loaded with JUNK still, it was in desperate need of a cleaning, and I think she was going to leave it that way!! SOME PEOPLE!! By the time we left, I was able to collect rent for August (in cash), she agreed to pay for a cleaning service to come in and clean her apartment tomorrow, and she will not get a dime of her deposit back!!

Oh, and we got a call from a nice couple within 15 minutes of posting the ad, they showed up at the apartment within the hour, and they signed anothers years lease and gave us a security deposit. Oh, and we were able to raise rent quite a bit from where the past tenants were paying. I truly feel blessed. Things really worked out with us coming out way ahead, from something that could have caused us ALOT of stress and problems. I think the Lord knew the timing was bad for me and I could not handle any apartment problems at the time.

The cleaning service is in tommorrow, carpets cleaned on Wed, and the new tenant is moving in on Thursday!! Thank goodness for these little miracles!!

Timmer went off...

My belly button has popped...does that mean this turkey is done?

My "Girl's Room"

Rememer this post... http://amyandersen.blogspot.com/2008/05/times-have-changed.html. Well, I finally figured out what to do about my room situation. I was really struggling to know where to put this baby. Should I just give her her own room and let go of my toy room....? Well, the answer is NO. I charish a room where I can send the kids to play and shut the door so I do not have to look at the mess they make. So, I decided to switch rooms and put the toy room in Paiges old room and put her into the old toy room. Anyway, now we are done. Well, I have been done for a few weeks and have been meaning to post a picture of our new "girls room" Neil took some time and got my wall done with white bead boarding and a decorative shelf. I love it!! It turned out really cute. I got my girls matching bedding and painted the walls a nice shade of yellow. Now normally I am NOT a fan of yellow!! I do not like it on the walls, but I think this turned out nice.

Neil even dressed the window with some nice white encasing. I have had additional shelves installed in the closet to make room for all those girls clothes... I have gone overboard on them.

Now, I think I am ready. I have a cute Vinyl saying I still need to put up on the wall and hang a few more accents, but that is just going to have to wait until after this baby gets here... I am just too tired. I am just glad it is done...

NOW I HOPE THE TWO GIRLS WILL SLEEP GOOD TOGETHER!!! FINGERS CROSSED

*yes, that is an outlet cover that still neil needs to adjust to fit

Family Night in the Canyon

One of the things I LOVE about this area is how close we are to the mountains. Neil and I love taking the kids up on a weeknight or over the weekend to cook hot dogs or walk in the trails. It was exspecially fun to get everyone together while the family was in town for the wedding to have a family night up in the canyon.

We cooked hot dogs and smores, watched the kids run and play in the dirt and enjoyed being together. With our quickly growing family, it is fun to create fun memories like these.

Here are a few picture from our night

**why is it so hard to line these pictures up right...sorry but this is the best I can do


Matt's Kids w/ my Jacob

My mom- sorry about the look I captured Matt's Son- Tyler & Jacob Most of the older Grandkids - Matt & Monica's, my two, and Laurie's Son My Brother Matt & his wife Monica Matt's Oldest, Ashley My baby sister Katie Laurie's youngest Jaelyn Matt's youngest - Andrew Lauries husband, Kevin & their son Jonathon

The Miracle Cure

Both of my kids have "their blanket." It is something I bring with me to the hospital when I have them and put them to sleep with each night. So, yes, I bring this on myself. But, it is security for them and then it turns into great childhood memories. Although each of my kids are attached to their blankets, they are also able to go without them. They love their blankets and find comfort in them. So, when Jacob fell last night on his scooter, Neil told him that if he was to wrap his foot in his blanket (like a cast) then it will feel better in the morning. I found it cute and funny, but to each him own.

Anyway, when we went to check on him last night before bed, we found him asleep with his blanket wrapped around him leg. Now, I knew these were special blankets and they brought comfort to my kids, but man, this blanket really worked miracles. I asked him in the morning how his foot felt and he told me it was "ALL BETTER."

Good thing for small miracles...and our special blankets!!

Evening Prayers

Every night the kids argue over who's turn it is to say prayers. Tonight was no different. However, Paige won out and she immediately started into her prayer even before we were all situated on our knees. She does pretty good getting herself started and then she will get to a point where she does not know what else to say. Tonight, Neil jumped in and helped her along...

Neil - "Please bless we will sleep good..."
Paige - "Bless we sleep good"
Neil - "Please bless we have a good day tomorrow"
Paige - "A good day morrow"
Neil - "Please bless we will go right to bed and not get out"
Paige - "..........................." silence
Neil - "Please bless we will go to bed and not get out"
Paige - "........................." again silence
Neil - attempts one more time "please bless we will stay in our beds"
Paige - "...................." not a word
Neil - "Please bless we will be listen to our mom and dad"
Paige - "Listen to mom and dad"

I could not stop myself from laughing! She would not repeat Neil about the staying in bed part, but when he moved on to something else, she was right there with him. That is my typical Paige. And yes, she got out of her bed over 8 times tonight! It is like she was preparing us for it.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we had a spa day last Thursday...kindof a send off to Katie. I went with all my sisters, my mom and my dear sister-in-law. Poor Monica, being the only sister-in-law...but she fits in perfectly. We went to a local spa here in Spanish Fork. Neil has treated me to a few massages there before and I could not wait to get back. It is a real relaxing place where you truly feel pampered. They provided us with lunch before we got started and then we all got changed into these huge plush robes. Now...I looked a little ridiculous in a robe!! My belly just made me look odd. I do not think people realized I was pregnant, they just thought I looked oddly shaped. Oh Well!! We each got massages, facials and pedicures!! It was so much fun. I got a few pictures off of my sister to post, so here you go!!

**and yes, there is a rare photo of my belly!! Good thing the end is almost here!!

She made it official!

I come from a family of five brothers & sisters... (one brother, all the rest sisters). I am second oldest and have been married almost the longest (9 years). Because of this, I have had the pleasure of being there when all my younger siblings have been married. Friday, my youngest and last sibling was married. It was a wonderful day! Being able to sit in the temple next to my husband and see Katie get sealed to her companion. The sealing was beautiful and it was hard not to get emotional. Of course, I have a baby that could come anytime, and this did not help with the hormones staying under control. She decided to forgo a reception..like we all did. Instead, she just had a very nice luncheon with her family and a few friends. It was held at Thanksgiving Point and was VERY beautiful!!

Congratulations Katie!! You were a beautiful bride.

OUCH!!

My sister sent this to me recently... does she know my back hurts enough already!! This makes me want to cry.

This is the before...

Here is the after...

To our family...

I wanted to make a quick post about the changes with our Church callings...ok, Neils church calling. We got a call early Sunday morning from a member of the bishopric asking us to meet with the Bishop before church. Of course Neil and I start wondering who is going to get the calling and to which capacity....anyway, Neil was called as Sunday School President. I think this calling is perfect for him. He has been in the presidency for sometime now and with the recent ward split, he lost his current President. Anyway, Neil is excited to serve and extend himself into new areas. I think we all have gotten to that point in our lives where we know we need more of a challenge. This is a great opportunity for Neil to do that.

Toby Update...

I have alot of nice comments about my post about Toby. I used this blog as a release of my feelings and emotions about the situation. I wanted to record how the event had effected my life. It was nice to have so many nice comments of concern. I figured I would post a follow up to let everyone know how things are going now. I am glad that I did not post this follow-up any sooner, because now I would have to print a contraction. Well... ironically enough, I have him back!! I know, I know!! Here is the weird and ironic story that lead up to this.

The days and weeks to follow dropping him off were hard but each day was better. I was doing really good. I had excepted the fact that Toby was gone and I was used to life with only one dog. I had talked to the new owner several times and she raved about how good Toby was and how he had adjusted into their family. So, I was content and was moving on.

Yesterday I got a call from the new owner. She asked me if I would consider taking him back. I told her that yes, I would rather take him back if things were not working out, instead of her then shuffling him somewhere else. She said that her female Schnauzer (who she intended on breading with Toby) ended up having sists and needed a hysterectomy. I think it was this main reason that she saw no point in keeping Toby. If she was not able to bread her female, then she did not want Toby. I think it is sad!! She also complained about his several escape attempts and successes, said he barked alot when left outside too long, and recounted how she had to pick him up from the local shelter. I told her I would be by that night to pick him up.

With this news came the flood of emotions. I saw the benefits of having Toby gone. The stress level in my house had dissolved and life had returned to normal. But at the same time, we missed the energy that Toby had. He is such an interactive dog. He loved to play with the kids, something Molly is just not interested in. He would chase the ball, play fetch, go running with you, and cuddle up on your lap. With him gone, we have seen how Molly is just not that kind of dog. She almost went through withdrawals and became so boring. The kids could not play with her and she did not like to go out with us. So, here we are... back to square one!!

I do not know what we are going to do from here. If any of you would like a dog...please let me know. I love them both, but I know our life would be easier with this new baby coming to only have one. I will keep you posted.

What we have been up to...

With my baby sisters wedding just days away and family in town, things have been busy around here. I wanted to give a quick update as to what we have been doing the last few days.

We went to our yearly tradition of Provo City Days on the fourth...ok, the outing only lasted about in hour with the heat, but the kids got a snow cone and a ride down the slide. That night, Jacob went to Stadium of Fire with my Mom & Dad and my brother and his family, while Neil and I watched the fireworks somewhere else.

On Saturday, we went to my nieces baptism where I was able to give the talk on Baptism to her and then met the whole Johnston crew to watch Wall E. The show was cute and Paige slept on me the whole time. I think she was exhausted from the night before.

Yesterday, we went to the graduation of my future brother-in-law from the Police Academy. It was fun to see someone else going through the same event in their life that we experienced just about five years ago. Congrats Jeremy.

In between has been alot of family togetherness and cousin playing. Tomorrow all us girls are having a fun filled day at the SPA!!! YEA!! I can not tell you how much I am looking forward to that one! My legs are killing me and I need that massage! We start with lunch, have about 3-4 hours at the spa getting all kinds of facials, massages, manicures, & pedicures and then we top off the night with dinner. Thanks husbands for taking the kids so we can enjoy some relaxing time together. The week is topped off with Katies wedding on Friday!!

Tim Hawkins talks about Moms

I love this... although maybe it takes a mom to find it as funny as I did.

Enjoy!!

My little Ninja

Since Jacob has always loved the kicks and jumps that come with superhero and video games, we decided that we would give karate a chance. I put him in a local karate school a few weeks back and he has LOVED it. L-O-V-E-D IT!!! He looks forward to his classes twice a weeks and has really opened up. One of the reasons I wanted to get him involved in it was because he is usually a very shy kid. He does not talk to alot of grown-ups or kids. He plays well with others, but is not extremely extroverted. So, I thought Karate would give him a good opportunity to learn great social skills and confidence. It has already started working and I can see the good it has done.

One of his first classes, he was able to learn some kicks and punches...both of which I think Jacob is naturally good at. He was so proud of himself when he realized he could kick higher then his head!! The look on his face when he was able to punch his fist through a board was priceless!!

GOOD JACOB! Keep up the hard work.