The Vichitnands

Gowing Up!

2012-02-06T01:08:00.000-06:00

Sometimes it just takes me a little off guard when I see this little girl and realize what a "big girl" she is becoming! Definitely not a baby any more! And as a bias Mommy here, I have to say, she is getting cuter with age. Not sure how I was able to make such a pretty little girl! Must be her cute Daddy's genes kicking in. Gotta love her!

Another Crazy Day with the Little Miss

2012-02-06T00:58:00.000-06:00

We started the day as a ladybug chef. She served me lunch. Plastic fruit is tasty!

Then we were onto chores. She wanted to help. She had changed into this dress and I thought it was too funny, a real life Cinderella, so I had to take a picture of that.

Dinner time. Who doesn't like to put pudding on their body then eat it off of themselves? Uh, yeah. This was definitely a "don't get mad, get the camera," moment.

She's a crazy one. But we love her and wouldn't want her any other way.

Snow Days

2012-02-06T00:40:00.000-06:00

This is the view out our living room window. Not too bad!

I didn't get out and take as many pictures as I would have liked but we had a week of snow! The snow is so wet up here and so infrequent that this area just isn't really equipped for the once a year (if that) snow storm. Everything just kinda shuts down. And I'm ok with that. You just prepare for the worst and hope for the best. We didn't lose power like a lot of people, so we stayed warm. Being at the top of two hills proved to be a challenge while trying to get out of our neighborhood. I have to say it was pretty bad though when major highways were being shut down! Mostly because of fallen trees though. We had about three days of snowfall, then an ice storm that froze on top of the snow then two more days of snow so several trees couldn't take the weight and they couldn't get the trees of the roads quick enough. It was pretty crazy. Derrick ended up not having school basically all week and ended up staying home from work that weekend too. We decided that the trying to get over the mountain passes were probably not a good idea since they were supposed to get around a yard of snow! It was nice to have him around.

This was one of our cozy snow days. Aurora likes to sneak into our room early in the morning and climb into bed with us. So this is the precious scene that I woke up to. My favorite!

With his spare time, Derrick and Aurora decided to bake some pies! They had a fun time together. Aurora liked rolling out the dough.

And of course, this kid, who we can barely keep clothed, decided that it was a good time to wear her swim suit. I tried to get the picture in a way where you could see the snow out side while she was wearing this, but couldn't get the angle right and it had started to get a little too dark out. Oh well. She's a crazy one!

Now I am ready for spring!

Bump Update

2012-02-06T00:15:00.000-06:00

Just thought I'd share a few of these.

I believe these were all taken at around 30 weeks. I feel monstrous! I can't imagine what another 10 weeks will do to me!

Christmas!

2012-02-05T23:58:00.000-06:00

I know, it's over a month pas but I had a little motivation so I thought I'd better get this post done and over with otherwise the next post will be in April about our new baby.

So we ended up moving out of my Grandparents house a week before Christmas and spent Christmas day among boxes and chaos. I got my wish though (moved out by Christmas,) and it was nice to have that time just as our little family. It has been extremely good to be in our own place, just to re-establish routines and for my own mental health! Not to mention there wouldn't be enough room to house another body, and I think it would be extremely difficult for people who haven't lived with babies for almost 50 years to be woken up on a crazy baby schedule, so it was just perfect timing. We are renting the house at great deal that we worked out with one of my Dad's clients. It is a HUGE blessing. Only draw back is that it is month to month, in that the owner could need to move back into the house any time. But for now, it gives us a place to be.

Christmas Eve was with Derrick's family and Christmas Day was with mine.

These girls are so cute together. There is another little girl in this bunch that isn't pictured here but by next year there will be five little girls! All within four years. It'll be fun to see them grow up together.

Aurora had been obsessing about this doll for months. So we broke down and got it for her. This was her big "Santa" present as we call it in our family. All the presents are from each other but one special present that is usually from Santa. When we got older the special present was then from "Daddy Claus." I think it may be a tradition we carry on. I have to say I was impressed with our Rora. We talked a lot about what Christmas and what it really means etc. I have heard of people having a tradition of baking a cake for Jesus' birthday, but Aurora suggested it on her own. We were going to do it this year but things were just so busy, but we have plans for now on to try and remember to do that so that we have that extra reminder of what it's all about.

As much as this kid wanted that doll, Derrick had been wanting to get her an umbrella. I thought it was a little silly to get for a Christmas present, but she liked playing with my Grandmas. Well, it ended up being the real winner that day. She STILL loves that umbrella.

So it was just a relaxed holiday. It wasn't the perfect Christmas. But like I said. I got my main wish. We got to spend Christmas morning ALONE!

The Lights at Warm Beach

2012-01-23T00:33:00.000-06:00

One of the things I was sad about leaving in the south are all the fun festival kind of things to do at Christmastime. Maybe my family just doesn't do that kind of stuff and that's why I don't know about it up here, who knows. But as Christmas drew nearer and it became more apparent that this year was going to be EXTREMELY tight and different than Derrick and I have ever celebrated Christmas, I started to feel a little sorry for myself. I know it doesn't help but somewhere in my mind, I just thought that things would have started to get a little easier for us by now. So one day we got talking about what to do for FHE and decided to go look at Christmas lights. My grandma overheard and said she had a friend who performed at this light display at Warm Beach and had a free ticket to get in. I looked it up and it looked fun, but I wasn't sure we could afford to get one of us in, even with the free ticket. So my grandma asked her friend if she had any more tickets and sure enough she did! So we were able to go and enjoy! It was pretty fun. It was packed. I was kind of surprised! I think we found our Northwest replacement for fun things to do around Christmas! If I wasn't pregnant, we would have stayed a little longer to see all the attractions but my dang hips gave out as usual and my feet decided to start killing me too. So maybe next year we will see the whole thing, if we think we can handle taking a 4 year old AND an 8 month old!

Winter Leaves?

2011-12-30T03:13:00.000-06:00

For whatever reason the leaves on the two trees at my grandma's house didn't fall off til about a week before Christmas. But once they decided to let go, boy did they let go and were all down in a matter of days. Rory had fun jumping in the huge pile!

2011-12-30T02:55:00.001-06:00

Aurora is at a fun age with playing right now. I just love watching what she comes up with. She is such a little nurturer and loves to take care of her babies and stuffed animals. I am always finding baby dolls in my bed or lately she has been raiding the linen closet and using towels for beds and washcloths as pillows for her toys. We will find them all throughout the house with toys taking naps in them. Oh and yes there is a big fat bruise on her head... little monkey wouldn't stop jumping on our bed and two times in the same evening literally fell off and bonked her head.

She always loves play time with Daddy too. Derrick is awesome about playing with her. He is like a kid himself. Aurora can't get enough. I just love her smile in that picture below. Notice also, there are at least three different "princess" dresses in these pictures. She loves to be pretty and girly. It'll be interesting to see if we end up with another girly girl or heaven forbid Aurora's playmate in the making wont love all this stuff as much as she does. We shall see!

She is also our little budding artist. She loves to color. It's about the only thing that keeps her quiet at church!!! She is always drawing smiley faces on everything. They all have legs and hair and sometimes belly buttons or shoes. She has this little sketch book that I found her coloring in one day. She was concentrating so hard! Gotta love it!

She is all about the accessories too. I had to take a picture of this one morning. This is how she came out of her bedroom first thing. Scarf, necklace and slippers. I just had to laugh. At one point she was trying to sleep with a hat too but she would get too hot so she gave up on that.

We sure love our little girly girl!

It's a Girl!

2011-12-30T02:27:00.000-06:00

It's taken me a while to get this up but we have been BUSY! But here she is! Our little miss Leah Elizabeth! We can't wait to meet her at the end of March!

I just love her little face already. So cute. We couldn't get a single shot without her putting her hands in her face. This was the best we could get. We may have another finger sucker on our hands.

These are always my favorite. I love baby feet!

Oh and we just got news that my sister Erin is expecting again! Her little one is probably due sometime in mid June, so two more babies in the family born one right after the other. It'll be interesting with Aurora and Jax being only a month apart and these new babes only being two-three months apart. Craziness!

He Passed!

2011-12-07T16:30:00.000-06:00

After many all nighters, dealing with a very sick and hormonal wife, working on weekends five hours away, having the distractions that adult life likes to serve up... he made it! And did a pretty good job. I am impressed. Honestly, the guy is complaining because he got an A- in one class... in my book though, that is still an A! Two A's and a B and the B comes from a class that was REALLY difficult. I'm talking non-college level algebra (Intermediate Algebra with Business Applications was the class) and they were doing college level Calculus! The teacher was terrible, the kind that gets mad if you don't understand something, and wont go over it with you and the whole class is completely confused. You know the kind... My Mom showed Derrick www.ratemyprofessor.com after the class was over and the teacher does not get good ratings and the comments were all what Derrick had been telling me he was also frustrated with. We will be using that web site from now on to make sure Derrick gets good teachers! Imagine not having that math base (that he was supposed to be learning in that class,) yet being required to know those higher levels of math and he still managed a B! He's not dumb, that is for sure. Luckily he has a sister who is really good at math and was able to help him out a lot! We definitely owe her and her husband a nice dinner out, or since we are a starving college family right this sec, maybe just a plate of cookies or something.

Good job babe! I hope that the rest of this experience goes by as quickly and successfully as this first quarter has! Maybe a little less stress and some better teachers would be nice though?

I'm Thankful For...

2011-11-25T14:35:00.000-06:00

My own bed filled with pillows and fluffy blankets.

My sweet, strong willed, beautiful daughter. Her sassy comments, her little insights, her humor and those sweet brown eyes.

Food, good food.

Feeling the baby move.

People who get me.

Friends who care and stick around.

Beauty.

Cozy, comfy clothes.

A husband who loves me. His constant example of optimism and finding joy in all things. For being an extremely hard worker and being who he is by overcoming more trials, sadness and pain than any other person I know and of course passing to our daughter those sweet brown eyes.

My testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

The knowledge that the Savior loves me, that I am not alone and that he knows the hardships I go through.

Yummy smelling candles.

Hot showers.

Chocolate.

20 Weeks

2011-11-14T15:36:00.000-06:00

We've hit the half way mark. So far so good. The nausea and migraines finally quit, just like it did with Rory, around week 18. But I think I can safely say it is over, that is unless I take my pre-natal vitamin. The heart burn has settled in though, yet in comparison to last time, just like it was with the first trimester, it is not quite as frequent and severe, which is nice. I don't know if it's my weight, age or just because it's the second time around, I have been having major hip issues. If I take a trip to the mall for a couple hours, I will be practically a cripple by dinner. Tylenol is my friend, though I try to only take it in the most severe of pain. This morning I looked at my fingers and toes and realized that I may not be able to escape the extreme edema that I suffered last time either. Boo. I guess I can take comfort though that even though pregnancy is a drag for me, delivery was a breeze with Aurora so I can hope for a similar outcome here!

Once the nausea quit, the cravings hit, hard! I had a few in the first tri, but not the every day, wake up with a list in my head, cry/obsess/grouch 'til I get it kind of craving. One morning I woke up with a craving so powerful for strawberries, even my throat ached to swallow them. A couple times it's been chocolate mousse. Right now it's a Whiskey River BBQ Burger from Red Robin. (Hurry up Derrick and get home from class, mamma is going to die here soon if I don't get my BURGER!!!) A few others have been steak, smoothies, Zuppa Tosconna from Olive Garden and root beer! Oh man, I am getting hungry! Haha.

I guess you could say I have transitioned from looking chunky to looking pregnant now too. I would consider sharing a photo but my memory card is missing from my camera. Thank you curious three year old... I guess I can't totally blame her, I did set the memory card on my night stand and anything with in her reach is fair game right?

Aurora has informed me that the baby in my tummy is a girl and don't tell her otherwise. She does not want a brother, she want's a SISTER. Oh little girl, if only it worked that way. We still don't know, but I am excited to find out. Aurora is so sweet though. If we go shopping, she picks things out for the baby. One for her self and one for the baby. She is always wanting to get presents for the baby. It will definitely be interesting to see just how she reacts when the baby is here. I have a feeling she will be a great big sister though! She loves to mother and play with her baby cousin and loves to point out the babies in the stores and at church etc. I guess I am just nervous about how much time I will have to spend with the baby and will I have time for my other sweet little girl who has had my sole attention for three years now! I know she will survive, but I also know that in talking with other moms that it's a normal feeling when having the second one.

We look forward to meeting this little cutie! I still can't believe it's already half way done!

2011-10-31T18:38:00.000-05:00

Rory has always been a pretty good self entertainer. This particular day she was being especially creative and cute, in my eyes of course.

First she was "reading" a book and having a picnic in the front yard.

Then I saw her take her pillowcase off to the back yard. I snuck back there to find her "camping." How fun. She loves to imagine and make up stories as she goes. It's fun to listen to her self narrate and sing. Better not say anything to her though, she get's embarrassed and shy if you notice her.

Rory's Family Party

2011-10-31T14:37:00.000-05:00

Let's just first say that Lindsey and pregnancy don't compliment each other very well. So don't judge my lame attempt at Rory's family birthday party. Haha. So Derrick goes to school Monday through Thursday, leaves Thursday night for five hour drive over the mountains to the fish farm and works Friday and Saturday and drives home Saturday night. He was going to try and make it home on Saturday night a little early but couldn't. But a party was out of the question for Saturday. So we planned a little family get together for Sunday night and this was the result. Rory was happy. The highlight was of course the pinata. So ignore the fact that Rory's hair never got brushed or that she didn't have a cute outfit on or that she flipped out and ended up having to wear her cousins shirt the rest of the night after she got hers just a little dirty. I promise, she does get fed and groomed occasionally. :)

Opening a gift from Grandpa Sam and Malia.

Trying on her fabulous new lip gloss from Aunt Elyse.

Our 'ghetto' cake. I had a little song about our ghetto cake too, but I can't remember it now.

Blowing out the candles.

The pinata. Notice what a girl Rory is compared to Jax by the way she is holding and swinging the bat. Gotta love it.

Sorting through their loot.

It was fun and I am glad we were able to do something even though it was kinda lame.

First Pictures

2011-10-26T14:44:00.000-05:00

So we were finally able to SEE our little baby. Unfortunately it was just a gestational age check. Whenever we are able to get in to a doctor which will hopefully be SOON, we will be able to see the gender and make sure the baby is healthy. The technician did try and glance at the genitalia and said it looked female but couldn't be sure simply because she didn't have the proper equipment and expertise, etc. But I did get some comfort in knowing that there is a baby in there and it's not just a tumor that messes with hormones and makes me sick, haha. And I got to see some of the movement. It's a wiggly little thing, just like Aurora was. Due to extreme irregularity we were unable to determine a gestational age and due date thus the ultrasound. I had been basing where I thought I might be on how I felt. Based on that we were only about a week and a half off. Not too bad of a guess if I don't say so myself.

Little stretched out legs and toes. Love it.

So we now know officially that I am 18 weeks and that the due date is March 27th, 2012.

Rory's 3rd Birthday (Saturday Night)

2011-10-10T14:08:00.000-05:00

My original plans for Saturday night had to be changed last minuet due to Derrick's crazy schedule and so I had to beg my family to come out to dinner with me so that I didn't have to be alone yet again on Aurora's birthday. It turned out great though, and I am glad that I bugged my parents and sisters. Haha.

We ended up going to Bucca Di Beppo. It has been almost ten years or more since I have been there. It has always had great food and a fun atmosphere. We got lucky and got to have the kitchen table. It's almost like going to a show of sorts. They only seat people there twice a night. You are sitting at a booth in the kitchen and then are shown every different kind of yummy dish as they bring it out to the guests, they explain what it is and what is in it etc.and the waiters and chefs chat with you the whole night. It's just kinda fun.

Rory had a great time. That kid is not shy, let me tell you. She knew people were watching her and she would go dance in front of our table and smile and talk to them. She was pulling off Birthday Princess like she was made for the job.

(She is demonstrating how to use her gift from Aunt Savanah on the seat, a pillow pet. Sparkly eyes courtesy of Aunt Erin who took her for a quick trip to Ulta and gave her a birthday makeover since she couldn't come to dinner with us.)

The food was awesome and at the end they brought out a candleabra and a huge yummy ice cream covered brownie and sang to her. Then she decided she had to blow out the candles. It was pretty cute.

Gotta love other people taking pics for ya and can't get it focused right... or a Dad that wouldn't quit putting food in his mouth between pictures, haha. Oh well. Happy Birthday sweet girl! We love ya!

Rachelle's Visit

2011-10-10T13:41:00.000-05:00

I was so excited when Rachelle called me and told me she was going to visit this summer! I haven't seen her since Derrick and I first got married! Much to long for sure! She and I became good friends in my senior year of high school and I am so glad we have kept in touch all these years. She had a lot of people to see and only a week to be up here so I reserved one day with her. Her husband has never been to Washington so when talking with Derrick about what we were going to do with them that day he suggested Deception Pass. It is always beautiful and a great way to see some of Western Washington.

Rachelle and I with Miss Aurora who decided she had to be in the picture too.

At some point Derrick found this Lady Bug in the car and handed it to Aurora. It crawled all over her fingers and when we got out of the car we thought it had flown away. At some point we found it again on her back! It had stuck around. Then it was gone again and maybe a half hour later it was found AGAIN crawling on her hair bow! It was then named by Aurora "Best Friend Lady Bug." When it left us for the last time and never came back and our sweet girl was heartbroken! We tried to tell her it flew to be with her family, but she didn't want to hear it. She wanted her best friend back. It was pretty sad. She cried most of the way home about it and even talked about it for days after.

We decided since Deception Pass goes to Whidbey Island to go ahead and make the circle and go down to Fort Casey and then take the Ferry home. Fort Casey always fascinates me with all of it's blocked off passageways and dark rooms. It would be a great place to set up a haunted house.

You have to notice the sign that says climbing on this stuff is prohibited, we couldn't keep the boys from messing with it though. Rory was NOT a happy girl when Derrick tried to stuff her in the end of this old gun, so what did they do instead?

Yep, that's our poor dog. Notice the makeshift leash? Uh, yeah. Asked Derrick to pack the leash, he forgot, and every place we went there were strict leash laws so Derrick fashioned one out of random stuff in the car. Nice huh?

It was a nice day and I was so glad I was able to see my friend while she was up here. I hope that she gets to come more often, or maybe I will have to go see her in one of these cold winters to her toasty Arizona home.

A Trip to the Zoo

2011-10-10T13:07:00.000-05:00

So I know Summer is more than done and over already but I thought I'd get the rest of our adventures posted before it was completely pointless! We were able to visit the Woodland Park Zoo one day. It has literally been about 20 years or more since the last time I was there last. After a twenty year break I ended up going twice this summer. Funny how that works out. I guess it helps having a kid to go with.

Amyah and Aurora in front of the stinky penguins. They sure were cute, but super stinky. I could not get Rory to just smile for any of these pictures! Haha.

Chantel with the girls. She has been such a big help with her sisters!

Thankfully what Arianna did for most of the day!

It was a fun day seeing all the animals. The girls had so much fun but both completely passed out in the car literally before we left the parking lot. Not even an ice cream cone could entice these two out of their fun coma. I'm glad that Aurora gets to have these kinds of experiences with her cousins!

One of THOSE Days...

2011-09-30T20:51:00.000-05:00

So It's just been one of those days. I'll spare the more complicated details. But you can always count on your kid to either bring in the comic relief or just straight up add to the stress. It started with krazy glue, rubbed on her arms like it was lotion. I stuck her in the bath and left her in the care of my parents while I went to the grocery store to get some stuff for our brunch tomorrow. By the time I came back they were more than ready for me to be back and hand her into my care. The kid had dumped half a bottle of BBW body wash in the tub then promptly covered herself in pen "smiley faces," marker and lip gloss after the bath. Also destroyed a (brand new replaced from her destroying it last time,) huge pad of postits that my mom uses for school, got into the hand soap, had to wash her hands three or four times, the list goes on. Every time something was taken away it created a complete hurt feelings melt down. And it was all done within one hour.

Still trying to decide wether it is comic relief or not...

My Baby is Three?!

2011-09-23T14:34:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow my little girl is turning THREE! It seems so young but at the same time it seems like she's been part of my life forever. I can't imagine life or eternity with out her in it. She is a Vichitnand-Hudson hybrid at it's best. Derrick and I hoped she would get the best of both of us and so far that has been mostly true. It seems as though she has gotten the strong will and stubbornness from us both, it is frustrating, but we both have to laugh and know we put our parents through the same torture.

We call her a little mommy because she likes to mother everyone. She will push the hair out of my face and look at me with a serious little face and say, "I love you Mommy." Sometimes she needs to hold our cheeks and give us a kiss one the forehead. Sometimes she tells me I need to be careful or sometimes she is straight up bossing. We have to remind her sometimes who's in charge... I doubt she'll ever agree.

She is a bit of a neat freak. She has to wash her hands all the time and wont wear a dirty shirt. She hates spilling at meals and will request napkins and rags through out the whole ordeal. Recently she has become obsessed with brushing her teeth after I mentioned that her breath was yucky cause her mouth was dirty. She likes to comment on how places are so clean or so dirty and yucky.

She is still as girly as ever. She loves to have her nails painted, princess dresses, princess movies, dancing, flowers, babies, brushing mommy's hair, bubble baths and she LOVES lotion. We can't keep her out of it. She is loves rough housing with "Daddy Monster" and loves to jump on Grandpa Lance.

She thinks she is already a teenager and will join a group of teenage girls and try and hang out with them if she can, though her "best friend" is her cousin Amyah who is only five months older than her. As social as she is she also loves to play imaginitive games and is really good at self entertaining.

She's pretty independent but will still climb up on me and demand snuggles whenever she decides she needs them.

She is a good eater and basically will eat basically anything I put in front of her except for cooked peas. I agree, peas are nasty. She will finish her dinner and if she is full she will pass up dessert. Not sure where she got that from but I'm all for it!

She loves books and learning new things. She has been rather upset that she can't go to school with every one, Daddy, Grandma, Aunt Savanah etc. We have gotten her a few books to do "school work" with and she loves that. She loves to count, not really understanding the concept, but loves to do it. And she can recognize a few letters in the alphabet. She remembers the smallest details, facts and events. Sometimes we wish she didn't have such a good memory. Haha.

We love our little girl and can't wait to see what another year will bring. Happy birthday sweet girl!!!

Hormonal Tales of Woe

2011-09-07T19:13:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy was not fun the first time around and is proving to be just as nasty as the second time. This time it comes with a new flavor though... GUILT! My sweet, sweet little girl hates that Mommy is sick all of the time. While at my Mom's house she was trying to get medicine out off of her bathroom counter. When my mom told her to stay out of the medicine Aurora told her she had to get it for Mommy, "because she is sick and the medicine will make her better." Today she had a meltdown over Menchies, the newest fro-yo place in town. It's pretty fun. You pay by the ounce and it's all self serve frozen yogurt and sorbet with fun toppings ranging from sprinkles to Captain Crunch. We've been twice and she was supposed to go with my Mom and sister today but plans got changed. Derrick went and picked her up from my Mom's and she just started bawling. I get the frantic phone call from her Daddy asking where the heck this ice cream place is. We hang up and a few minuets later I receive another rather subdue phone call from him. The fit was partly because Aurora wanted to get some Menchies for me. Apparently she thought it would make me feel better. Can we say emotional break down on the Mommy end?! I really hope that I'll feel better in the second trimester.
It's been a rough several weeks.

Elyse's Wedding

2011-08-28T16:20:00.000-05:00

Elyse FINALLY got married on July 2nd in a civil ceremony to her long time boyfriend Joel. It was crazy and chaotic and we laugh because Elyse usually the most laid back out of all of us girls but she ended up being the closest to "bridezilla" as any of us has ever come. That being said, we are all glad it is done and over with.

It was held at Richmond Beach Park overlooking the sound. The weather did not disappoint! It was perfection as far as Northwest weather was concerned.

I helped make the bouquets and centerpieces. I liked the way the bouquets turned out, not perfection, but pretty good, the centerpieces could leave much to be desired in my eyes at least time to go refresh my training I had oh, 10 years ago!!! Yeah, definitely overdue, haha. Derrick had brought over a ton of fish from his work and we were able to serve with some yummy sauces some salad and rolls. I was glad to be able to help out to try and make it a wedding she would love. This fish was so good (remembering I am not a fan of Trout,) people didn't even know it was trout, they thought it was Salmon! Derrick being and avid Trout lover was offended he wanted everyone to know that this great fish was indeed TROUT and not Salmon and it was good because it was TROUT! I have to tease him just a little about it.

Top view of one of one of the flower arrangements I did. Not great, but good enough I suppose.

My mom and I did a lot of tying together of loose ends and trying to organize etc, etc. It was truly a crazy day of Mom and Dad's oven catching on fire, like a real almost call the fire department fire, sewing dressed and making flower arrangements til 3AM and getting up at 6AM to finish them, pinning people down for details, etc, etc. It was a lot of work, but in the long run, Elyse was happy and that was all that mattered at the moment.

My Grandpa and Grandma Hopkins made it up and got to meet my sweet Aurora for the first time. He gave both Aurora and Jax some gifts. One of Aurora's was stuffed squirrel that moves around. Aurora LOVES it and played with it and fed it all afternoon. I am sure that pleased my Grandparents to no end. I hope they enjoyed her as much as we enjoy her!

My sweet girl was so pretty that day. I can't help it. When Derrick saw her the first time after she got dressed, hair done, etc, he was completely in awe of her. It was so cute. She is holding one of the bridesmaids bouquets that I made. She loved being dressed up like a princess. The dress she is wearing, she calls her wedding dress. One of the girls in my parents ward graciously agreed to watch Aurora while we all got ready, amidst all the chaos and all! Her mom is also a hair stylist and so naturally Hailey just started doing Aurora's hair. I thought it turned out so cute. Aurora's hair is so fine there is little we can do with it most of the time. Aurora really loved being part of everything.

Cutting the cake.

I just loved this shot. Rory had thrown a complete temper tantrum and had run as far away from us as she possibly could. I wasn't allowed to get near her, (according to her of course, haha) so I stood back and let her Daddy calm her down. I am sure she is sassing him but it looks like tender Daddy, Daughter moment. So we'll just pretend she was an angel all day long.

Congrats sis.

Boating!

2011-08-19T19:45:00.000-05:00

So in an attempt to bring in an income Derrick has started a business called Vichitnand Diving. I couldn't remember if I had mentioned that before or not. It is a business that offers diving services such as hull cleaning, retrieval and wheel jobs, any where out here in the Pacific Norhtwest. One of the things he needs to be able do that is a boat. He bought this really ugly pontoon boat for a decent price as far as pontoons go. (Think color scheme of pink, teal and navy blue, cracking and mildwey. ) Derrick spent the better part of April and May taking this whole thing apart and redoing EVERYTHING on it. He replaced the deck rug, and cleaned and repainted all the seats and consol. There are a few more things to do, but it looks 100% better. One of the benefits of the boat of course have been that we don't have to use it soley for business. We get to use it for recreation too!

We have been able to go out a few times. I'm not completely comfortable on it yet. The engine is really old and needs to be repaired and Derrick had been stranded out near the ferry before, so I always get a little nervous.

Fourth of July was awesome though. Crabbing season opened July 1st and so Derrick got his license and just dove for crab rather than use pots. He was able to just go down with a bag off the boat and then hand us his catch. Between the two who had licenses we had about eight Dungeness and four Rock Crabs. Fresh is better than any crab I have ever had. Nothing tops it. That night we went to my parents and boiled them up and then watched fire works.

Right now the Derrick is working on the engine, so hopefully we will be able to take it out again before the end of summer while the weather is warm enough.

Rory loves the boat but always gets cold and wont let us put a blanket or jacket on her. (Hence the clenched fists.) Drives me nuts!

Omak

2011-08-19T19:32:00.000-05:00

Derrick spent several weeks working at a fish farm on the Columbia River doing some commercial diving. He had the weekends off and would come home for the weekends but one weekend I decided to go stay with him rather than he come home. It was nice to get away for a little bit.

There was a park right next to the farm that you could go fishing at. The fish that escape the farm are fare game and so it's a great spot. These were Triploids I believe, genetically altered Trout. They were huge, the two pictured are 7lbs and 9lbs. The limit was two a day and Derrick fished his limit every day he was there and we actually served the fish at Elyse's wedding. I have never been a trout fan but let me tell you, these were sooo GOOD! Aurora LOVED holding the fish after her Daddy caught them too. She was so proud of her efforts!

We were pretty close to the Grand Coulee Dam and happened to drive by on our way to a lake that Derrick used to go to as a youth. We decided to stop and take a look. It had been years since either of us had been. On our way back from the lake (camera died at this point,) we were able to catch the last half of the laser show that they do on the dam.

Another day of fishing, Aurora was sure she was going to catch one in her net. Some people next to us thought she was so cute that they let her net their fish for them while we waited for Derrick to catch his.

Derrick didn't have much luck the last day we were there and we were all getting tired. Derrick was so determined to get that second fish that he was fishing late into the evening. I finally convinced him to wrap it up shortly after taking this moon light picture, haha. It was definitely very late, when we got back to our hotel room, Rory didn't even stir as we brought her back up to her room. She sure had a great time though and so did I. Time away with the family is always nice.

Our Mothers Birthdays

2011-08-04T13:04:00.000-05:00

Both of our Mom's birthdays are at the end of August, in fact only two days apart. This year we wanted to give them something special, but unfortunately we couldn't wait.

Their birthdays are the 25th and 27th and things were getting too difficult to be able to wait til then to give them their gifts. So we spent the last couple days getting it ready and bringing it to them and seeing their reactions.

We gave them this picture in a cute little frame.

Happy Birthday Mom and Rebecca!

2011-07-10T18:08:00.000-05:00

These are some of the cuties I have been watching. Right now I am only watching Amyah, and Arianna, but before I was watching them, Milani and my nephews Malik and Kahlil as well.

(L-R, Aurora, Milani, Arianna and Amyah)

Kayak Point

2011-07-10T17:53:00.000-05:00

One of our adventures back at the beginning of June I believe it was. We love the beach and better yet, living SO close to it! This particular beach is about an hour away, but we can pick and choose from so many parks that sometimes it's nice to switch it up.

There is always so much drift wood on the beaches here. I love all the different colors and the way it creates an interesting landscape. Sometimes people build driftwood forts. This one was already here when we got there, so we were able to explore it with out having to do any of the hard work.

Aurora LOVES spending time with her Daddy. Monday mornings she always asks where Derrick is then for the rest of the week she tells me, "Daddy is at work!" And then is so excited Saturday morning to wake up and find Daddy home! She was more than content to follow Daddy around on the dock that day.

We have been enjoying being able to do some more family things than we were before. I think things are slowly... slowly getting better around here. It's just taking it's sweet time doing so.

Alive!

2011-06-19T20:08:00.000-05:00

The last few months have been insane. I just thought I would give a quick update while I had the chance. I have a job now. I watch my sisters-in-law, kids during the week. It makes for a long week. Here is a glimpse. Monday- Friday, wake up at 5AM, out the door by 6:15AM, in North Seattle by 7AM. Three days a week I pick up my sister Elyse on the way and have her help me because those three days there are four girls three and under at the house, a 9 year old a 13 year old and sometimes a 15 year old depending on the day etc. I drive the 9 year old to and from school and take care of all these little girls while the older kids are at school. Their parents get back between 5:30- 6:30PM which means I get home around 7PM. Rory has to go to sleep by 9PM and I no later than 10. Really Rory should be asleep by 6PM, she is one of these who would sleep twelve hours a night if she could, but that's just not feasible. We are wiped out. I'm not sure how much longer I can do this to myself or to Rory. It is giving us a little money and Elyse a little money too.
Derrick has been doing some fish farm diving the last two weeks. Our friends knew about this gig and referred Derrick. It's incredibly hard, physically demanding, smelly, nasty work. But it is work. It is over in Omak, WA which is about 4.5-5 hours from here and he has the weekends off so we have been able to see each other on the weekends which is nice and honestly if I didn't have to watch these kids, I would probably go spend more time over there with him since they give him his own hotel room. It's a temporary job that happens every summer so I am grateful that we were able to hear about this. This seems to maybe opening some doors for future work too.
I do have pictures and some cute stories to share. When I have a spare moment, I will try and get more stuff on here!

Easter 2011

2011-05-06T19:01:00.004-05:00

It's been a long time since I have updated. I feel like we have been going non stop. And until we get our own place and we start making a decent income again, I am unsure when it will slow down. So I will try and update things as best I can!

It was pretty nice being home for Easter this year. It was the first holiday that we were in Washington for and the first holiday that we were able to spend together as a family in a long time. It was a jam packed weekend let me tell you! It started on Friday with the Mukilteo Ward Easter egg hunt and dinner. It was good to try and get out and meet the people in our new ward. Aurora got lots of candy and Derrick was appauled to think I would even consider eating it, because it was Aurora's not mine. He doesn't know the rule about how parents earned the right to eat their kids candy when they are little and don't know any better. My parents did it to me, so you know, it's only fair!

(Aurora enjoying the sun at Grandma Jean's house.)

Saturday was Breck and Mona's annual egg hunt and dinner. Lots of family was there. We dyed eggs and then the kids did their hunt. They had some pretty cool prizes to hunt for including stuffed bunnies, big chocolate bunnies, silly putty, rubix cubes etc. Another successful candy day for Mommy. Haha.

My Grandma wont allow the dogs at her house so family has been watching them. Unfortunately Bella, or Beagle was extremely neglected at her first place and we had to watch her while my Grandparents were out of town and get her healed up. We decided while we were in the sounth end to let Molly and Bella play. They miss each other, it's kind of sad. After dinner, Derrick went over to his Mom's where Molly is, to work on a car , brought Bella with him, and I stayed at Mona and Brecks since it's a little more child friendly while Derrick was over there. Someone thought it would be a good idea to open the FRONT door to let to two out to play. Does anything else need to be said? Really? Well, the two are used to living in Moss Bluff, Louisiana, not Kent, Washington. Someone saw them on the road, picked them up and brought them home. By about 10:30PM, I decided enough was enough and called Derrick to see where the heck he was and why it was taking him so long to get back. It is a hour drive back home. That's when he told me the news. Our dogs were missing. They weren't wearing their collars. And, Molly's microchip information hadn't been updated to our new information. I was so upset. Monday we put up signs in Rebecca's neighborhood and by the time we got back home to Everett, someone was calling me to tell me they had the dogs, literally as we were walking through the front door. So we turned right back around and went to save our puppies. We got new tags for both of them, updated Molly's microchip and hopefully nothing like that will EVER happen again!

Sunday, we went to church with my parents. All of us girls were able to make it which was nice. Jax couldn't come because he was with his Dad, but isn't it nice to know that we live here now and maybe next year we can ALL be together?! We had dinner at my parents and then went over to my Aunt Lynn and Uncle Ron's house and met up with my cousins Leann, her husband and two kids and Janae. Grandma Joyce was there too and we were able to get most of the great grandkids together to do an egg hunt in the living room since it had gotten cold that evening.

So minus the dog fiasco, it was a pretty good holiday. Let us not forget the true reason were were celebrating though. I am so greatful for the amazing sacrifce that our Savior made. That through him I can repent and be made whole and like that weekend where we were all together, through him, we can be like that for eternity!

We Made It! (Updated with pictures!)

2011-04-07T12:00:00.001-05:00

I feel like just barely though. It was hard to leave the beautiful weather of a southern spring to come up here where it seems as though spring has been delayed by a few months! As much as I have wanted to be here, I have already missed my house A LOT and the sun. Of course, come summer, I will be SOOOO glad I am not in the south! Yuck. I hate that heat more than I hate a week's worth of gloomy days.

Our trip up was pretty uneventful, in that nothing went wrong. I pretty much packed up the car the night before, then was able to hang out with the Gardner girls for the evening watching movies and eating popcorn. Aurora loved playing with her friend and it was nice to sit on couches for a little while as mine were in the garage. In the morning I finished packing up leaving a few things out for Derrick when he got there, while Aurora slept. I had to wake the sleepy girl. She wasn't sleeping at night for almost two weeks, (it was truly a nightmare,) and she has been an excellent sleeper since about three months old! I was so totally done with it, I had to get on the road and get up here just to get here on a more regular schedule.

(My creative little nugget entertaining herself when almost everything in the house was packed.)

After I got everything packed up and had my moments of good byes with my first house, we met up with the Mechams' at McDonands since they had been out of town and we hadn't yet had the opportunity to say goodbye. We appreciated the McNugget and ice cream breakfast!

(Our cute little cherry blossom trees that decided to bloom the morning I left. I was glad I was able to see it.)

From there we were able to make it to Decatur, TX. I had a goal to take pictures of unique things all across the country as I drove and the most unique thing I saw I didn't stop for and am seriously kicking myself for not stopping! On the second day out in the middle of nowhere I saw a random farm house off the side of the highway in Texas or Oklahoma, this person had a green convertable parked in their driveway with two maniquins posed wearing bathing suits, sitting on the back edge of the car. It made my day. Who does that? Out in the middle of seriously no where? Ah, I really wish I had stopped. I think that same day we passed through Boise City, Oklahoma and we saw a giant metal dinosaur, only problem was my camera literally died as I opened it to snap the picture. Luckily I rememberd I had Derrick's little camera with me too, but those pictures don't do the dino justice.

(This is what almost three days of driving looked like. Yuck!)

I spent the second night in Lamar, CO. I decided to take Highway 70 across the rockies rather than up and through Wyoming so I could enjoy the scenery a little. I even toyed with spending the night in Aspen since I had never been and have always wanted to go, but decided against it. But did stop for a break in Veil and drove around a bit and enjoyed some scenery there. I ended up in Grand Junction, CO that night after driving through a sleety slushy storm. It was kinda crazy leaving the warm barely need a sweat shirt weather that morning to end up needing a winter coat by the evening!

(Buffalo, just right off the highway in Colorado!)

The fourth night was one of the best of our road trip because I got to see my friend Mary. We had a little snow fall on that days drive as well and had lots of snow there in Logan. Aurora was able to play with Hudson who she used to play with as a baby and We saw Kennady exactly one year after the first time we saw her. Funny how that works out! We took at little trip through Logan and Mary showed us the temple. It was very cold though so we didn't spend too much time out side.

From Logan to Everett, it is only a twelve hour drive. I really thought I could make it and probably could have if I had left early enough, but that is ok because I made it to Yakima where my Aunt and Uncle, Lon and Cheri, took us in for the night at the last minuet. I left Yakima at about 9:30AM and got to my parents house in Lynnwood around 12PM? I can't even remember. I even stopped for lunch, so it was not a long drive, but it was a good thing I stopped, and I was able to enjoy the rest of our trek across the country.

It was a beautiful day coming down the mountains and as I pulled into my parents driveway I saw that the cherry blossoms were in bloom, just like the ones in my Louisiana front yard. I was so sad I would never see the cherry blossom trees that Derrick planted fully in bloom. And seeing those blossoms right at the end of my trip gave me hope that maybe someday soon, we will have another house to call home, to plant trees at, to paint pink walls for Aurora, to bring new babies to, the list goes on. This transition has been oddly bitter sweet, but I have faith that we are doing the right thing and that things will someday, hopefully sooner rather than later, work out.

Our Newest Addition

2011-03-05T13:55:00.000-06:00

to our extended family that is. I forgot, I actually had more pictures from Washington. How could I forget my newest niece?! Ariana Noel! She was born December 17th. Misty asked me to take some pictures of this cute little nugget while I was up there and this is what I got. (I have more of Misty's other cuties, but I'll post them later.) I really wish I knew how to use some photo editing programs, but I think the turned out ok regardless. Hopefully once Derrick gets a job with a regular schedule and I'm in a place where I have family that can watch Aurora even if he isn't there, I can FINALLY take those classes I have wanted to take for so long!

Here she is!

Afternoon

2011-03-02T20:37:00.000-06:00

Is best spent outside with your friends.

Moving?

2011-02-27T21:58:00.000-06:00

The Gulf oil spill has virtually destroyed the off shore industry in the United States which has basically shut down Derrick's career as a Commercial Diver. Slowly but surely his company has been selling off all of their vessels that actually use divers off shore. They also shut down the shop which is the only way to make money while not off shore. We have been able to scrape by barely, month by month for a little while. But we have come to a point where we don't think we can make it any more.

I am grateful for the monetary stability his job has provided. But Derrick and I have been married for almost four years now and have spent more time apart than together. As we have been praying and contemplating what we should do, all arrows have been pointing north. The pros out way the cons and we know it's our next step. It's funny how sometimes we are prepared for these things a little. I have just had a feeling over the last few months that our time was limited and to start to prepare for change.

ALL of our family is in Washington and have excitedly been anticipating the day we would finally return. Almost every phone call from family,sister, mothers, aunts, fathers and even friends have asked us just WHEN would we be moving back. I would be lieing if I said that I wasn't counting down the days that we would be back home either. But as much as I can't wait to get back to my beautiful Emerald City, the place I have longed to be for all these years... my heart is breaking a little. OK, a lot. Lake Charles is the place Derrick and I shared our first apartment, bought our first house, and had our first baby. It is a place that we have shared a lot of firsts. I hate to leave the ward. It's a weird feeling to think that everything will just keep going as if I was never here, somewhere that I have deeply emersed myself into and let myself feel deeply part of. I hate to think of having to move and leave my friends here and have to go make new friends as if back in high school. It kills me that I don't get to see some of the kids I work with in primary grow up or see the girls I worked with in YW go off to college. It makes me sad for Aurora that she wont see all the little kids that she has grown up with, that she wont get to go to the nursery that she loves so much. I was looking forward to being able to see her graduate into this wards primary and see her sitting on that front row with all the other Lake Charles Sun Beams.

It's a scary process and there are still A LOT of unknowns but we know we are going in the right direction. We could be leaving as soon as a week. I will deeply miss our southern home and hope we can visit again some day. The things I have leaned here could be learned no where else. We hope that if any of you are ever in the area that you will visit! (For real, I'm not saying that just to be nice.) Please stay in touch!

Thanks Husband...

2011-02-23T10:46:00.000-06:00

For trying to do me a favor and just post my unfinised blog, lol. To anyone who tried to look at my blog in the last couple days, I'm sorry, I had no idea. I saw that Derrick had closed the page, but didn't know he had added all the pictures and posted the blog. I was in the middle of uploading the pictures from the trip and walked away and forgot about it and honestly thougth that that I would have to upload them all again. Haha. Oh well. My Leavenworth post should look normal and finished now.

Leavenworth

2011-02-22T03:13:00.001-06:00

I think that this is the last post for my trip to Washington, FINALLY. I have been procrastinating...

Leavenworth is the cutest mountain town that they converted in the 60's to have a Bavarian Alpine theme. They have all kinds of festivals and lots to do. It had been I think seven years since I had been there last and told my family I was determined to make over there this trip.

Just before you get to the town, there is a candy shop just off the side of the highway that I've always wanted to stop at but never have. They have all kinds of fun candy, sauces, salsas and treats to check out. It was there that I also discovered that I forgot one of Aurora's gloves in my car back at my grandma's house. The little boo wasn't too thrilled about it.

Everything there is alwasy so cute and then with the beautiful mountain back drop, it is fun to go any time of the year.

Despite buying Aurora some new gloves so that she could have two, she still wasn't thrilled about the cold. She is my little Louisiana baby! But honesly, it truly was REALLY cold. On the car themometer it read as cold as 13 degress while driving to and from there. Down by the sound, we don't see tempereatues like that, and poor Aurora has probably never felt that cold her whole life when where she was born people cancel school if it get's close to 32 degrees, haha!

Lucky for us though, she always has smiles for Grandpa Lance. Well, and we went and ate dinner in a warm resturaunt right before these pictures were taken.

Not the best picture but they have spots right in the middle of the town where people go sledding. It's seriously right in the middle of town, not even off to the side or anything. Kinda fun. I felt old when I realized I was to chicken to do it, in fear that I would get myself hurt... maybe another time?

It was a fun little day trip and I'm glad we were able to go. Apparently they have a train that runs from Seattle to Leavenworth where you can come stay a couple of nights. I informed Derrick, he and I would be doing that some day! Hopefully it wont take me another seven years to get back there again!

Whidbey Island Adventure

2011-02-10T12:37:00.001-06:00

While visiting Washington, I always like to try and do a ferry ride. I'm not sure what it is, but they have always been some what of a little treat. The ferries in the south just don't compare. I don't have any pictures of the inside of the ferry because, they are't that special except to maybe me. It is truly a pacific northwest experience

Erin, David, Jax, Aurora and myself squished into my old Honda and made our way over. David was kind enough to sit between the car seats so Erin and I could have some quality sister time. On the way there the kids fell asleep just as we got on the ferry so David was gracious enough to stay in the car so that Erin and I could go up top to take in the views since it would be dark on the way back.

When we got to Whidbey Island, we really didn't have any plans so we just started driving. We ended up in a cute little town named Coupville and found a perfectly cute little Grill with views of the water. I had some yummy steak and Erin and David had burgers while the kids screamed the whole time, but not out of being bad, just being loud kids. It was a little embarrassing nonetheless. It was SO cold there. I'm not exactly sure what made it so cold (as compared to the "mainland,") but it was the kind of cold that truly penetrated almost down to the bones. It was worth it though. It was so beautiful.

The kids got a little restless on the way back but they were ok considering we drug them around with us all day!

Aurora took her shoes and sock off despite it being freezing and was writing in the fog on the windows with her toes. What a little goof ball! She seriously needs to be in gymnastics! Look at that girls' flexibility!

Mr. Jax sure loves to scream right now but we got some sweet pics outta him.

Playing on the observation deck of the ferry. It was cold but the kids loved it!

(Erin and David)

I enjoyed the scenery and the time with my sister and maybe next time we visit we can do the whole island and go up to Deception Pass and back down 5. That is actually one of my favorite day trips. But I guess I am just grateful for what I was able to do this time.

Snow Day!

2011-01-22T15:09:00.000-06:00

I know most were not as excited for the snow that day as I was but I was super excited. It has been two years since I was in some good snow! I woke up and Grandma Joyce was on the phone but she kept motioning about something to me. Finally I caught on and saw out the back door that the world was covered with about 2-4inches of the beautiful white stuff. I was a little worried if my snow driving skills would kick back in and when it snows in WA the problem isn't usually the snow as much as it melting then freezing during the night on the roads for the next week, which was the case again this time. In fact I got rear ended just down the street from my parents house at a four way from someone slipping on the black ice! But beyond that it was so fun to be able to play in the snow!

(Aurora loved eating the snow. At one point I asked her what it tasted like, she didn't have an answer so I proceeded to tell her it tasted like water. She then continued to tell me the rest of the day that snow tastes like water!)

Christmas at the Hudson Home

2011-01-22T13:44:00.001-06:00

Aurora and I spend Christmas morning with my side of the family. They wanted Aurora and I to spend the night at their house, not really confirming that this was the plan until I was briefly stopping by to get some cookies on Christmas eve, we ended up having to borrow clothes and sleep in our clothes etc. It was a little bit of an adventure. The morning was fun opening presents with my sisters.

My parents have started a tradition of giving us all matching PJ's for Christmas starting last year. I was glad to be there for this years attempt at a family photo. This year my Mom tried to make them. The grey poke-a-dot ones didn't turn out right. Haha, the waist, if pulled up all the way went to our chests but made the legs like a one foot too short. If we wore them on our waist, the crotch was to our knees. I think Aurora, Jax's and Erin's turned out great. We had plans to alter them, but it didn't happen while I was there. If we could have gotten a pic of us ALL together, you would see that they are all coordinating rather than matching completely which is really cute. I give my Mom two thumbs up for the attempt. She knows now not to use that one pattern.

(Stupid Hannah Montana pose, I really did not want to do this... apparently they did it last year so we had to do it again this year.)

(The babies were NOT happy about having to stop playing to take a pic. Aurora woudln't even get out of her new princess dress!)

(Elyse used to do this for pictures when she was little, what a goof ball.)

At one point Aurora decided she needed to bring jax's baby potty down and use it in the living room. She didn't actually use it, she just liked running around without her pants on and sitting on it randomly. It did cause problems later, we had a bit of a poopy fiasco... it was on this trip she decided she doesn't like poop on her bum and began taking her diaper off herself, sometimes when no one was around to stop her or clean her up immediately. Let's just say there was poop all over the front entry of my parents house. She has since started pooping on the potty all by herself! Since we have been hope I hardly changed any poopy diapers!

Now off the lovely tangent... for breakfast we went to Grandma Jean's house and ate sasuage, eggs satsuma oranges and yummy sweet rolls. They weren't cinnamon rolls, so I think they were sweet rolls. Anyhow, of course they were baked from scratch cause Grandma would do nothing else right? They were SO yummy!

To be honest with you, I don't really remember much of the rest of the day, (except for the poopy mess when we went back to my parents.) I was too exhausted from all the excitement! We did have a yummy Christmas dinner and I do remember though, at about seven PM Aurora climbed up on my lap while in the Family Room at my parents, layed her head down on the arm rest and fell fast asleep with in seconds. I knew exactly how she felt. Content, cozy, comfortable and tired.

A Very Vichitnand Christmas Eve

2011-01-18T23:43:00.001-06:00

Aurora and I flew in to Washington the 21st of December so probably our fist major event was Christmas Eve with the Vichitnand/Brandes bunch. These get-togethers are always pretty big. Derrick's family is pretty huge. Derrick's grandparents had seven kids (I think???) and then Rebecca and Sam (Derrick's Mom and Dad,) went and had nine! So add cousins, aunts uncles etc to that mix and it's a whole lotta people! Not everyone was even there!

You have to check out how many presents there were. These pictures don't do it justice! It was a lot! Someone made the comment that the recession must have not hit our family yet. I'd just like to think we are all very generous! :) But then also remember how many people there are!

My sweet niece Amyah. She and Aurora are only five months apart.

A cute little cousin pic

Some of the group after most of the opening was done.

Another cute niece Chantel. I can't believe how much this girl has grown up! She was only seven when Derrick and I started dating!

My sister in law Kabrina holding Misty's (also a SIL and mother to Chantel and Amyah,) newest addition, baby Arianna. Kabrina was so mad I snapped this pic, but doesn't she look so sweet! I love candids!

After the night was over, the girls had to get some cuddles from one of the brave host's of the evening, their Great Aunt Mona.

I'm so glad that I was able to share the holiday with my family and hopefully some day we can be closer so that we can spend more!

Our Early Christmas

2011-01-18T22:53:00.000-06:00

With Derrick's crazy schedule we decided to go ahead and just Aurora and I fly up to Washington this year so that at least we could be with family in case Derrick was off shore. He was called out on a job just a week before it was time for Aurora and I to leave so the day before he left, we had our own little Christmas Day. We did a good enough job of celebrating too because on Christmas it felt like the rest of the world was off since we had already celebrated. It was kinda fun.

Aurora cuddling "cozy" blankie on the kitchen floor "Christmas Eve" as I cooked dinner.

This is the first year that we left cookies for Santa! We were lame and only had Oreo's. I didn't get around to baking any of our traditional cookies, (and hoped for them when I went to Washington but EVERYBODY was lame this year! Even my Grandma! I was VERY disappointed!)

"Christmas" morning after opening presents, a tuckered out Rora.

Aurora enjoying some of her gifts. A cute pink chair that we have been wanting to get for her basically her whole life and a toddler laptop.

Our little Christmas was all in all a pretty good alternative. Hopefully if we have to do it like this again, it will be just as good.

Grant Tree Farm & Syrup Mill

2010-12-16T20:02:00.000-06:00

I had seen bill boards up all around town for this Syrup Mill and decided it would be fun to go. It's one of those places that you can go to and say, yay, I went, I know what it is now, don't really need to go again. That's probably how I've felt about most of the stuff we've tried out this year. But it was a memorable experience none the less. We already had our tree so we were there for the syrup anyway!

Old fashioned syrup press

Old guy making syrup with cane juice. They even had plain cane juice you could try. Kinda nasty if you ask me. Aurora drank the whole cup of it.

Derrick munching on sugar cane.

Aurora riding a donkey!

What do you do with hay? Why throw it at Mommy of course!

More hay in Mommy's hair.

We got to finish off the day with a horse and carriage ride through the farm.

Sweet Ballerina

2010-12-16T19:29:00.000-06:00

We found these cute little ballet slippers on clearance at Old Navy the other day and she just can't get enough. She wears them almost everywhere right now. She also got this cute tricycle for Christmas and is having fun trying it out. She also got the shirt (tutu cute is what it says,) as a gift and couldn't resist pairing it with the slippers. (We did Christmas early this year since Derrick had to go off shore and wont be back before Aurora and I leave for WA.) I will post about our Christmas later!

Gotta love the shoes.

She looks like she's working so hard and then you see her feet aren't even on the petals yet! Haha! She can go about five inches before she gives up, not quite one whole tire spin.

Had to take a break for a leaf, of course! Her and leaves! Every time we are out side she picks up leaves and tells me so excitedly "a weaf, a weaf, a weaf!!!"

Oh you are one crazy, but sweet, little ballerina!

Christmas Under the Oaks

2010-12-16T11:16:00.000-06:00

This year while Derrick was home, we decided to try and do as many Christmas things as we could. This was the first time we had been to Christmas Under the Oaks. It was kind of fun.

Aurora had her face painted with some sparkley snow flakes.

When you're in the south you have to have some Gumbo! We got Aurora something else but she was determined to steal Mommy's gumbo! She even turned down a brownie!

This was Aurora's first time with rides! She loved this carousel. She yelled "WEEEEEE" the whole time!

She had fun on lots of other rides too.

None of us rode this ride, I just liked the way it turned out.

It's a poor picture but Derrick was insistent on taking Aurora on the ferris wheel. I don't like ferris wheels. If I had a seat belt, I would probably feel better but they don't so I refused to go on and almost didn't let Derrick take her. I still shudder at the thought of her deciding she was done trying to get down or something!

We had fun looking at what every one was selling and left with some yummy pepper jelly. It was definitely an interesting experience and we are glad we finally went.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-12-16T10:54:00.000-06:00

We had Thanksgiving at our house for the first time this year! We had visitors! Derrick's Dad and Step Mom came down for a few days to celebrate with us. It's always fun to have visitors and show our family where we live and a little slice of southern living. Derrick wasn't able to come home from work until the second day they were here so I gave them a little tour of the area. We drove down to Derrick's work so they could sort of see what kind of boats he worked off of. We walked a little on the Lake Charles waterfront and drove past the beautiful houses on Shell Beach drive. That surprizingly took up a good portion of the day before Derrick came home. That night we went out and ate sushi which is always a good time!

We kicked off Thanksgiving in true southern style with a fried turkey and three trips to Walmart. Derrick had decided that morning that he wanted a fried turkey and no one complained so we tried it out. My only disappointment was the stuffing. I haven't had my families' good stuffing for three years now and I was finally going to be able to make it here and eat it... but you can't stuff a fried turkey so it wasn't up to it's yummy goodness that it is supposed to be after roasting in a turkey all day. Oh well. Sadly our guest's had to leave the next morning. We hope they had an enjoyable stay.

Blast From the Past (2001)

2010-11-09T10:44:00.000-06:00

My dad just sent me these pictures. One of the perks of him being a Safeco insurance agent is sometimes getting to do fun events that involve the Mariners. I should say one of the perks to being Lance's daughter is getting to do fun events with sports teams. (My dad is a HUGE sports fan!) Lucky for me he took me along to this particular event.

This is Jeff Nelson from the Mariners back in 2001. If I look less than happy it was probably because I was EXTREMELY shy and my Dad is not and I think I was shy that he asked to take the picture.

I won a baseball, I think I just handed it to my Dad the second I sat down. I don't remember what was special about it. Not the most flattering picture, again I was SUPER self conscience at the moment. I remember not even wanting to get up to claim my prize!

I can't remember if this was before or after graduation. By looking at the hair I think it may have been after. But who knows. I'm just glad that my Dad shared these with me!

Corn Maze

2010-11-09T10:31:00.000-06:00

I lied, I do have some pictures from our wonderful fall adventures! We forgot to bring our camera to the corn maze but the Mecham's were nice enough to let me snap a couple with their camera.

The whole group minus Stephanie who was behind the camera.

They had a bin full of corn for kids to play in I guess. We took to burying the kids in the corn. They had a blast!

Don't Put Off Living the Life You Want

2010-11-06T16:19:00.001-05:00

I joined a group called sparkpeople.com. It's a free website that allows you to track your nutrition, exercise and other healthy goals plus it hooks you up with other people (if you choose to,) with similar goals. It's really a great site and if you're interested, I would encourage you to check it out. I've really only been using it regularly for about two weeks, but I really like it. Once a week they send me an inspirational message and an inspirational quote. I really liked this weeks message so I thought I would share it. Enjoy.

There is no lesson for today. You have permission to stop thinking for a moment and just enjoy yourself. Stop looking at your computer right now and go look at the world. Rediscover the natural wonders that you walk past every day. How can there possibly be that many shades of green? Let your mind be grateful for a break. Don't think, don't strain. Let the memories of loved ones remind you of your favorite times. Close your eyes and try to smell the sunshine. Listen to your heart beat in your ears. If it's raining, smile at the thought of the flowers that will soon follow. If you're surrounded by buildings, celebrate the creative genius of human beings. See the hope, the alarm, the love, the grief in faces that stream by. Thank whomever you'd like to thank for the chance to even be here. For a moment today, don't worry about being better. Just be.

(I have trouble finding beauty here in the south, so when I need a moment as described above, I close my eyes and picture myself here, in the Cascade Mountains. This is my happy place.)

Halloween?

2010-11-03T11:42:00.000-05:00

I didn't get any pictures of the fun Halloween stuff we did this year! We went to the pumpkin patch with Derrick, went to Trunk-or-Treat and even went to a Corn Maze and we don't have a single picture! What is the deal with that?! So if any of our friends who were with us at any of these things read this, can you send us pictures you may have of us and of Aurora? That would be awesome! Thanks!

I did get some pictures of her the other day though. She is going through a naked phase and so I took this rare moment of her being fully clothed to take some pictures.

She loves these little flowers that grow in the lawn.

I could not for the life of me get her to look at me! I'll tell her to say cheese and she'll say cheese all right, just not while looking at me. Oh well. We'll keep her anyway!

Aurora's Second Birthday

2010-10-28T00:48:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe that I have a two year old in my house!!!! And what a cute little two year old she is. She is right on track and more perfect than I could have ever imagined her. She talks, a lot, she even has back talking down with some sassy "stop it's" and "get out of here's." She likes to count, but only 1-2 and 8-9. She loves "twinkle, twinkle," and requests Mommy sings it frequently. If you ask if you can sing another song, she simply replies no. She can identify circles, squares, triangles and one day (I think it may have been a fluke,) an octogon. She can also identify the letter "A" and "R."

She is unbelievably girly yet I think she prefers the company of boys. She loves to try on Mommy's shoes, never Daddy's. Funny how she picks like that. She is in heaven when Mommy will share her makeup with her. She will stand on the toilet and point to her cheeks, eyes or lips saying "some? some? some?" I can't resist and I will dust a just a little of the neutral shades on her angel face. She especially loves the lip gloss and loves to be complimented on how pretty she looks with it on. She loves music and loves to dance. It's a party if she can find one of Mommy's shirts to drape over her clothes and a pair of Mommy's heels and then she just spins and spins to the music.

She is still a social little thing which is where she and I clash. I am such an introvert where socializing literally will make me tired, but she thrives in the company of others. I have REALLY pushed myself (which may come as a surprise to some,) to make sure I socialize more and really try to make friends so that she can have that interaction otherwise she and I get sick of each other really quick. She really loves cartoons and I am a bad mom and let her watch them... a lot. My excuse is that Derrick is gone so much, I would go insane with out the TV. That extroverted personality demands that she be in the same room climbing all over me otherwise. But I feel OK knowing that that is where she is learning those shapes and letters. A retired teacher in a store was talking to Aurora one day and praised me for how much I read to her, "teachers can always tell when the children a read to a lot by how much they speak, etc." Sorry lady, haha, I do read to her, but I think the TV has taught her more. Oops. One day I will figure it out and be a good mom. If I wrote everything down that she says, it would take forever. She can copy just about everything I say to her.

Her birthday was fun. I'm glad I was able to have a cute little party. It wasn't quite the fairy heaven I had pictured in my head but with a budget and knowing she probably wouldn't remember it, it was perfect.

Not frosted as perfectly as I would have liked but good enough to eat!

You can't see the bottom of the table cloth but I glued flowers to it to try and make it more "fairy hollow" like.

Let me tell you, these balloons were hard to get! I had some help though after the whole first batch minus maybe two popped!

She likes opening, but she likes to take her time to play with each thing after it's opened too.

Yum! Frosting! Yep, that's all she ate!

In fact, after everyone left I caught her stealing more frosting off of the leftovers!!!

The Rest of Ty's Trip

2010-10-27T22:31:00.000-05:00

I know, I've been procrastinating really bad! I'm not sure why, I just haven't been motivated to blog. One thing is for what ever reason my computer wont load multiple pictures right now so it takes a lot of time to get them up. But I thought I'd better finish this up since it happened almost two months ago.

So I'll make it brief. We made it over to New Orleans. That is always a great cultural experience. Ty is so kindhearted and kept wanting to give her money to the homeless men on the streets. It's almost like they could sniff out her kindness because by the next day she said she was done giving her money away!!!

We ate some good food at a place called Redfish I think it was and when we were done we were welcomed by some street music and dancing. One of the gals that was with the group tried to grab Aurora from me but once she explained that she wanted to take her to dance with the band, I told her I would bring her up there. I mean, Aurora is pretty hard to resist, but who just comes and grabs someones kid out of their arms? Haha. Aurora is so good natured that she was OK with the strange dancing lady.

The next morning we had to hit up Cafe Du Monde and of course we walked A LOT.

Ty's last days here we spent in Lake Charles. She watched Aurora so I could get some much needed TLC by ways of a pedicure. Ty said she kept getting funny looks in the play area at the mall though and had a couple people ask her if Aurora was hers. It was funny how offended she was replying always "I'm only 15!!!!" Welcome to my world honey. I look like a teen mom with my braces and young looking face. So they came in for the last half of my pedi and Aurora took her shoes off and kept putting her feet in my face saying "some? some?" Who could resist that cuteness? I couldn't. So yes, she got a pedicure!

We also spent some time at Lake Charles it's self. Ty liked that beach better than Holly Beach. At the time, I guess it may have been a little cleaner.

I got some really pretty pictures of her on the beach. What a beautiful girl inside and out.

I hope that she had an amazing time and I look forward to sharing this our little bit of culture to the rest of our nieces and nephews!

The Positive Thinking Project

2010-10-18T17:18:00.000-05:00

I am trying REALLY hard to make myself be a more positive person. Using the idea, if I make my self think positive, maybe I can make myself happier. Plus I've been getting really sick of a couple people in my life doing nothing but complaining every time I talk to them so I suppose I better not be a hypocrite. Today was another seemingly horrible day, just the regular garbage. If you know me, you know my story. But it's not going to change any time soon so how can I make it work?!?! My experiment will start with this: ten positive things that happened or that I loved about today.

1. Aurora told me today "The Rora, shake the booty."

2. I got Mini Oreo's and they totally hit the spot.

3. Only four full days until my hubby comes home!

4. I got THREE things in the mail today from family. (Two were technically for Aurora, but oh well.)

5. I knew I wasn't going to make my weight goal this week but I still lost 0.7 of a pound when I weighed in.

6. The weather has been pretty good for a while now.

7. Aurora can almost say our impossibly hard to say last name! She does better than most actually, haha!

8. Aurora asked if she could wash the germs off her hands. (Smart kid, takes after her Mom :P )

9. After thinking I was going to rip my hair out & after a heartfelt prayer, Aurora did leave me alone for about an hour so I could re-group

10. I made lots of food this weekend so I have lots of leftovers today which means I don't have to cook today!

The Myrtles Plantation

2010-09-27T11:16:00.001-05:00

I thought I'd better finish up my blogging on Ty's trip since I could't wait to post the last blog. I'll hurry up and get this done.

One of the things Louisiana is know for is it's many haunted houses. I had heard of the Myrtles Plantation from a friend and thought it would be fun to check out. It is considered to be one of Louisiana's 'most haunted' locations and TAPS from the show Ghost Hunters has even been. We had a little spare time though since Ty decided she wanted to go on the "haunted" tour of the plantation. We were directed to old town St. Francisville. It had this really neat graveyard and it housed on of the oldest churches in the area.

Below, the plantation. If you zoom in to the mirror you can see the spookiness.

There were some flickering lights and a weird image in my picture of the mirror but I like to listen to what my intuition is telling me and I had no feelings of ghosts and whatnot. Could something happen later on? Do people really have experiences there? I guess we'll never really know...

On our way home we drove though Baton Rouge. We stopped and looked at the Capital and drove through the LSU campus.

It was definitely a fun little trip. I would love to go back to the plantation and spend the night. It's also a bed a breakfast. I think that would be really fun. I would have also liked to have been able to get a tour at LSU for Ty but we did spend some time soaking up the student life. Almost made me want to be young again. Note, I say almost.

A Revelation

2010-09-18T13:31:00.008-05:00

I had one a couple weeks ago, a revelation that is. I like football. I know. It's quite shocking. The sound of it coming out of the TV is almost like a lullaby to me. It's my childhood. It's watching my Dad jump up off the couch shouting praises or anger at a bad call or play. It's the basement of the Mill Creek house. It's a little cold but a good coat will warm it back up. It's fall, hot apple cider and marching band music. It's purple and gold baby and I want to watch the Huskies game SO bad today!

I never had the need to seek it out myself before because my Dad is always so keyed in, but oddly enough I married someone who isn't really into football. The thing is I didn't even realize how much I liked it until we went out to dinner the other night and the restaurant t had the Cowboys game on and it was me who had to sit facing the TV, me who was watching it and me who walked out going, wow I really miss football! I should have also know about this 'like' of mine when I sat home depressed when I couldn't find the Super bowl game on my TV (I have weird channels,) and it wasn't until someone invited me over mid game that I was happy.

Now, it's just me and my lonesome, searching all of my channels for one measly college football game to watch all the way in the south today. I guess all I can say is GO HUSKIES!!!

Birthday Inspirations

2010-09-17T02:53:00.000-05:00

My Rora is turning TWO next week! I can't believe it. It is too crazy to me. I haven't planned anything too big and it wasn't until last night that I found my inspiration (a Tinkerbell bubble bath from Walmart that created a full blown, double meltdown in the store, triple if you count the one from tonight when I wouldn't let the little toddy sleep with it.) But, the possibilities are limitless and I am going insane! I wish that I had unlimited funds and more time because I think it would be so fun! I love planning and coordinating and making things pretty and just using that part of my brain. I'm really weird about it but I think that my perfectionism works to my advantage most of the time, when it comes to stuff like this. I decided to share some of my findings and do an 'inspiration post," as I have seen so many of while I have been searching these last twenty-four hours or so.

Of course I had to include my own little fairy princess in my inspiration! Oh if I had all the time and money in the world. I love it all! I will let you know what I come up with after her party. Wish me luck!

Our First Adventure

2010-09-01T13:42:00.001-05:00

The first week Tylicia was here we pretty much hung out around Lake Charles. We walked Prien Lake park in the heat, we went over to Beaumont one day. But the first day we got to do something a little more on the fun side we headed east towards Lafayette. Our first stop was a cute little zoo called the Zoo of Acadiana. It rained the whole time we were there but it was OK since it kept us cool. I was surprised by all the animals that Aurora knew the names of.

Next we went over to Avery Island where they make Tobasco. We missed the Tobasco factory tour by a half hour. I wasn't too heart broken though, the tour is lame. I just thought it would be a good educational experience for Ty. We did go to the best part though. Jungle Gardens. It's a driving tour of a wild life refuge on the island. It is also one of the biggest refuges for the Snowy Egret. We didn't walk down to see the Egrets since it was rainy and we had had a few accidents that day already but we did get to see some of Louisiana's hidden beauty.

It was rainy and wet but it was in true Vichitnand form, an adventure.

We Had a Visitor!

2010-08-30T09:05:00.000-05:00

Our niece Tylicia was able to come and visit us for two weeks! It was so nice to have some family here! She is the first of the Vichitnand side to come to our house! Unfortunately Derrick was called out to a job the day after she flew in. We did make it out to eat at Pappadeaux on the way home from the airport for a little introduction to some southern food, and a trip out to Holly Beach for some swimming and fishing before he left.

It was really good to have some family here! Many more pictures and adventures to come.

Another Derrick Induced Adventure

2010-08-01T14:20:00.000-05:00

We bought a kiddie pool a little over a month ago. Unfortunately because it's hot and buggy down here, it takes very little time for that pool to fill with algae, like a week maybe. And because of this it becomes a feasting ground for all sorts of wild life. This last time we went to empty it, it had filled with tad poles! Tons of them. Derrick being who he is had to collect them all in a bucket. No problem right? Well next thing I know he is filling the fish tank with these baby frogs. Then just days later he goes off shore. So yesterday I was sweeping and found these funny dried up things on the floor. Sure enough, some of the tad poles had grown into full blown baby frogs, found their way out of the tank and then starved to death. Poor guys. When I looked in the tank, all along the rim there were about seven of these baby frogs. So rather then let them have the same fate as the others I scooped them out and brought them to the ditch. There are still a lot of tad poles in the tank. And I'll admit, it's kinda fun. I just hope that I don't have frogs all over my house these next few days!

First Hair Cut!

2010-07-25T09:37:00.000-05:00

It's taken some convincing, that's for sure, but Derrick finally broke down and let Aurora get a little trim. I just wanted her bangs angled so they wouldn't be in her face as much as they grow out and her ends were getting a little scraggly.

First snip.

Getting some layers.

I thought this picture was funny. She was getting her hair blow dried and didn't like it too much.

All done! What a cute little girl!!!

Derrick handled it OK but surprisingly, after we left and all was said and done and I was looking at the lock of hair they gave me as a keepsake, it was me that got all choked up as I was realizing that my little baby isn't a little baby any more. She is definitely a toddler and the hair cut only made her look the part even more!

Feelin' a Little too Redneck Maybe?

2010-07-21T15:36:00.000-05:00

Derrick's been gone for almost a month now and my house is in shambles. What would I do with out him? Our lawn mower broke so I have long grass. Our garage door fell off it's guides and is hanging open. The flower beds need weeded but we have wasps every where so I am being a chicken. Speaking of chickens, Derrick moved the chicken coop and they were roaming the neighborhood and I haven't seen a single one for several days now... I know I am going to get an ear full when Derrick comes back home. I found a mouse in the chicken feed and when I moved the bin I noticed there was all kinds of mouse poop on the ground around the feed.
I would like to think I could get everything taken care of on my own but I don't even know where to start! It would be nice if this didn't all happen right before I am supposed to have some kids over for Youth Conference TOMORROW! Oh the crazy life of a Vichitnand. I should have know better what I've gotten my self in to! :)

4th Pictures

2010-07-06T17:45:00.000-05:00

Aurora has kinda taken on a shy phase and this is a look we get often.

The Clifford girls loved the Pop-It's!

For whatever reason Aurora loved using these discarded Roman Candles as drum sticks.

She LOVED playing with the sparklers.

Mommy had to keep a close watch!

Fun with the Roman Candles again.

Very Curious

It was just Mommy and Rory again this year, but we made due even though our hearts were with Daddy and with our family and friends in Washington.

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T14:55:00.001-05:00

Ceadar Planked Salmon

Bottle Rocket Wars

Fruit Pizza

Outdoors

Cherries

Coca-Cola

Family

Friends

Bare Feet

Smoke

America

Pride

Lawn Chairs

Slight Pyromania

Watermelon

Fireworks

What does the 4th of July mean to you?

2010-07-01T13:08:00.000-05:00

So I had a couple of cute stories to share. A couple days ago I walked in on the cutest thing, Aurora getting her toenails painted by her Daddy. I laughed and asked Derrick how it came about. Apparently she found the bottle of polish handed it to Derrick, sat down on the ground and pointed her toes at him. He couldn't resist the cuteness. I probably wouldn't have been able to either!

Today, I swear Aurora the ability to teleport. I handed Aurora a cup of juice and watched her toddle over to the living room to watch her "Gabba-Gabba." I went straight to the laundry room and transfered a load, started another, turned out the light and shut the door. To my dismay, the house was silent. Completely. I called for Aurora and she was no where to be found. I looked in every room, except the laundry room. But how could she be in there, I was just there in that small room, doing a lot of moving around. So I go check and as I opened the door it hits something, something that has feelings... I have no idea how she got in there but she was there just standing in the dark with her juice and blankie and once I found her she let me know how hurt her feelings were. Why she just stood there in the dark and didn't make any noise I don't know. Like I said, she must have teleported!

Her vocabulary is exploding. She is constantly blowing me away with new words that I swear I didn't teach her. It's like she just heard us saying them and one day finally was like "humm, I think I can wrap my mouth around that one now, let me try it out!" Just yesterday she pointed out the "rainies" (rain). Randomly started saying "1, 2." She loves to show us her fingers, toes, nose, eyes, ears, mouth, head and her favorite, her "button!"

She's still a little social bug. She loves nursery! Every time I peak in on her, she is happily playing with toys or sitting at the table eating her snack. I think she is doing great. She loves the nursery at the gym too. She has decided that some adults are scary. If they talk to her or look at her wrong or at the wrong time, she bursts into tears, pouty lip and all. You can tell that her feelings are hurt but you never know when it's going to happen. Such a girl. Haha.

We love our little Rora and enjoy every minuet watching her grow into the little lady that she is!

Dad's

2010-06-21T13:12:00.000-05:00

Dad. I just wanted to say I love you. I'm sorry this year has been so crappy for you. You really are a great man. I admire and look up to you. You are truly one of the BEST men I know. I couldn't ask for more in a father. I wish I could be there to help out more, to mow your lawn among other things. :) Thanks for our little talks growing up. Thanks for honoring your priesthood. Thanks for now being a good Grandpa or Pa-Pa as Aurora now calls you.

Derrick. Thank you for being a good Daddy. Thank you for being so involved in Aurora's life even though your job takes you away so much of the time. I love seeing you play with her. I hate that she cries when we drop you off for a job now, but it tells me she loves you and you're doin' something right. Thank you for giving me the most beautiful daughter. I couldn't have even imagined her to be this great. Thank you for giving me the gift of motherhood. It's my greatest dream come true. You drive me crazy, but I love you. Thanks for keeping life interesting!

2010-06-15T18:56:00.000-05:00

So I know you probably get sick of my post on Aurora, but she's all I got. She's my world! What can I say.

Lately her girlie qualities have really been coming out. On almost a daily basis she goes through my purse to find lotion and lip gloss in which she brings it to me, holds out her hand and puckers up to which I must reply "oh, what a pretty girl!" after applying both. She LOVES shoes. We like to go walk to mall and I will take her into Payless Shoes just so she can try on as many as she likes. We never buy any. It's just a fun way to pass time. She regularly rampages my closet and pulls out all of my shoes. She loves to wear my heels around the house. I think she wears them better than I do sometimes!

I love my little girlie-girl and and so blessed that she is in my life. I always think how much Heavenly Father must really love me to send this precious little girl. To trust ME(?) with her. What an amazing gift.

A New Business Venture?

2010-05-25T11:29:00.000-05:00

I am thinking of joining At Home America, which sells products for your home at shows in your home. I would be able to do catalog shows (for my friends who are far away,) or home shows. The product is very nice, quality items. I have a few things already in my home and love them. With Derrick's industry slowing down, I am feeling my own pressure to contribute. This would give me the flexibility that I need with Derrick's crazy schedule and allow me to still be a stay at home mommy.

So I am wondering if I were to do it, would anyone even be interested? To earn my kit I need to make $1000 in the first 35 days. That is about six shows. So this is why I am posting, if you are interested in the product or are just a great friend and want to help me out and would like to host a show, let me know! I would need to know by this Friday, and the show would have to be with in 35 days of Monday. Like I said before I can also do catalog shows if you don't live near me, where I would send you a catalog and you could pass it around to your friends and family and you would basicly have 20 days to send me your orders and payments. (The 20 days would have to be with in my first 35 days.)

So please let me know as soon as possible so I can make my final decision and get this show on the road! Thanks guys!!!

If you would like to see the product check out www.athome.com

My Little Artist

2010-05-15T21:25:00.000-05:00

It shouldn't surprise me that I have a budding little artist considering that Derrick and I both are mostly right-brained. I am a little surprised at how quickly she has shown interest in these things. She has always found color to be fascinating, beauty in nature, flowers, grass, she loves to point up and tell us about the sky. She loves to look at pictures on the wall. Especially the paintings of Jesus in the church building. If I would let her, she would have been picking out all of her own outfits for probably a little less than a year now. But most of all Aurora loves to COLOR!

Give this girl a piece of paper and a pencil and she is happy as a clam. Take it away and you have a full on toddler, throw your self around, throw any lame replacements, cry till her face turns blue, tantrum. She will color on that paper until there is no room to color anything else. Her favorites are blue ink ballpoint pen, (not mommy's favorite,) and a red colored pencil. Crayons apparently aren't bright enough or something.

She will literally lay on her belly, feet up in the air and scribble away for a half an hour or more. It's a great distraction. I'm just not loving the body art and my new wall decorations. Sometimes the tantrum just isn't worth the battle.

(Please ignore the mess! All the papers in the background, those are more of her artwork.)

I look forward to many more masterpieces from my little artist.

He's At it Again

2010-05-15T21:05:00.000-05:00

"Tim," is back and this time he dropped a tree on my fence. He was so embarrassed when I came out with the camera and started taking pictures. I told him I have to document these things so that people know what I have to live with, haha. Don't get me wrong. I love him to death!!! But every week I swear, it's a new adventure. That is one of the reasons I married him though. I knew I would NEVER get bored!

I Just Can't Help It!

2010-05-15T14:08:00.000-05:00

But I think my Aurora is so pretty! I couldn't resist taking some pictures of her on this beautiful spring day when all the azaleas were in bloom. She turned 18months in March. I didn't get around to taking any great pictures of her then. I took these in April so I think that is going to have to be close enough. I can't believe how fast she is growing! She amazes me with new words and accomplishments every day! I love her so much!

I may be just a little bias. But I am allowed. I am her mommy.

Houston Weekend

2010-05-15T13:52:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago we took an spur of the moment trip over to Houston. We had fun visiting with family, some of Derrick's good friends and eating some yummy food.

We were going to go to the zoo but when we got there it was so busy we decided to go to Kemah instead. It was a nice relaxed afternoon. We went to the sting ray exhibit and got to feed and pet sting rays. Aurora wasn't a fan. When we tried to get her to touch one she had a melt down.

Though she wasn't a fan of the sting rays she did get a kick out of this guy performing outside the aquarium.

It was nice to get away and spend some time with the family.

A New Threat to the Vichitnand Farm

2010-05-10T20:58:00.000-05:00

I call it a farm because I think if Derrick had his way, that is what he would make this place. So late this afternoon I look out the back door only to see a Hawk sitting in front of our chicken coop. I immediately hit my hand on the door to scare it away. But it was too late. By the time I saw him, he was coming back for seconds. When Derrick ran out there some chickens that had been on the other side of the yard hiding in the garden, came running out to get back to the coop as though they knew that Derrick was their protector. The rest were huddled into a little ball of fluff but were glad to be carried into the coop. We did a head count and searched some more. After finding some feathers and a little blood, I think it's safe to say that we are down to 11 chicks now.

Of course Derrick being the man he is asked my why on earth did I not get him before I scared it off so that he could shoot it. Oh, maybe because it's illegal? In fact after the whole ordeal we looked it up and found out you can be fined $5,000 and go to jail for six months. I'm glad I went with my first instinct. It left a feather behind so we were also able to find out that it is was a Coopers Hawk.

Molly wasn't in the yard at the time so we will make sure from now on to not let the chicks out unless the dog is out there with them and see if that keeps them safe.

First of all, I never thought I would ever own chickens let alone have to worry about HAWKS eating them!

To Good Not to Blog About

2010-05-06T23:20:00.000-05:00

It's not the happiest post but I have to share. It's too long for a facebook update. But I have to write it down.

This had been the last 10 minuets of my life. First I go to straighten up the front bathroom. I haven't been in there all day. Derrick gave Aurora a bath this morning. Guess what was in the tub. That's right. Poop. Aurora's poop. It's a wide known fact that babies poop in the tub. BUT YOU CLEAN IT UP!!! It was glued to the bottom from sitting there all day and there were little terdlets all stuck around the drain. Sorry not my problem. "Oh DERRICK?!?!?, I think you have a mess to clean in the front bathroom.!!!!" He comes out of the computer room with his "I'm in trouble," devious smile. Yeah, that's right buddy, he knew EXACTLY what it was. His idea of cleaning was to pick up the poop and then spray bleach on the rest. I'm to tired to force him to scrub it right now.

So then I go to pull the pillows off the bed and snuggle down with a book. I pull the last of the throw pillows off, set them down in the corner turn around to fold down the comforter only to find a dead lizard sitting on one of the sleeping pillows. Derrick was good to me then and threw it outside, only to come back in and point out it was my pillow it was on.

Sorry Derrick, it's your pillow now and oh by the way, you can take it to the couch with you until the tub is completely scrubbed.

Spring Has Sprung

2010-04-21T13:22:00.000-05:00

This Easter was nice. Again with a year of firsts, it was the first Easter that Derrick and I have spent together as a married couple. The first year he may have been in Saudi, the second, Mexico, so this year I decided we were going all out!

My Mom picked up this amazing little sunflower dress while we were in Florida and I immediately deemed it Aurora's Easter dress. So because I am cheesy, I decided we all had to match even though it was conference weekend as well. We got Derrick a yellow tie and a cute yellow shirt for me. I wish we had a better picture of all of us together, but this was all we could get with our timer propped on a telephone pole.

Aurora had fun searching for the eggs. She was more interested in what was inside once she figured that one out!!!

It was so nice to watch conference with my husband and baby and eat a nice traditional Easter dinner of Potato Casserole, Ham, Green Beans and Carrot Cake. The only thing I forgot were the rolls! I did miss being near our extended family, which I will always miss until we can get closer. But I was so grateful to have my husband with me!

This month I was able to do something that I have been wanting to do for years! I got braces! I will be so glad to get them off, and get rid of my crooked teeth! It has always been a HUGE pet peeve of mine. I notice teeth on other people, so why wouldn't others notice mine, right? People tell me they don't notice... I don't know if I believe them.

Another change is that I finally broke down on something... I let Derrick get some Chicks! Aren't they cute? I guess I was in a good mood that day. Actually they aren't much of a bother. If all I have to do is feed them and collect eggs, I am OK with that. Another "pet" is a whole other story. Derrick has been busy building a coop. He's done a pretty good job, especially considering he makes it up as he goes along.

Don't worry, the wood came pink. We tried using spray paint to give it a coat of tan, but it soaked right in. Eventually it will get painted!

Spring Break 2010 Woo-Hoo!

2010-04-07T15:43:00.000-05:00

(Aurora decided she really liked this guy. I think he's pretty great too.)

A few weeks ago I had some visitors! My parents came to visit mid March for their anniversary. I was super excited to see them, it had been about six months. Way too long! Because it was their anniversary they wanted to do something a little extra special. So we had a road trip over to the beach! I have to laugh though: my Mom has gone back to college and what did she do for spring break, she went to Florida to par-tay! Haha, just kidding. But really, we did go to Florida, Destin to be exact. It all worked out perfectly too because the day I drove over was the day that Mary was scheduled to have her baby! Not only did I get to see a good friend and her precious baby girl, but I had some decent beach time and lots of time with my parents! Here are some highlights from the trip!

The Hoyt's little girl Kennady! So cute!

The view from my parents room.

What is a trip to the beach with out a classic temper tantrum?

Ahhh, so nice!

You Know What They Say

2010-03-30T14:25:00.000-05:00

The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. In Aurora's case, I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I knew I had these pictures laying around here that totally remind me of my own little girl.

The quality is not that great, but you get the idea. Me in my Grandma Jean's backyard with my blankie.

Aurora and her blankie.

While my parents were visiting I learned that her stinky blankie stinks (not smells,) exactly the same as mine did. Mine had a special fuzzy that I would rub on my nose (which I can still locate by the way,) while her blankie has silky edges that she rubs between her fingers. I sucked the right middle and ring fingers while she sucks the left pointer and middle fingers. The free hand is to drag blankie around or rub it on the face.

I also learned that her hair is growing exactly the same way mine did. Down to the bangs in the face and the curls around the ears!

My crazy happy girl Aurora.

Is it all genetics? Or did Heavenly Father just make sure my best friend was sent directly to me, as my daughter. I hope it's the latter, especially when the teenage years hit.

An Unexpected Guest

2010-03-30T10:23:00.001-05:00

If I were to go back in time ten years and tell myself that I would be married to an off shore worker, living in Lake Charles, Louisiana , in a Duplex, I may have cried and felt as though all my dreams of the future were dashed to pieces. Maybe that is why Heavenly Father helps us make decisions based on Faith and trust that he will lead us the right way rather then show us our futures. And who's to say that I can't still have my acreage out in Clearview, WA with Derrick working a 9-5 and all the things that dream entails, we've still got time. But every now and then Heavenly Father gives me these neat little moments where I know he is aware of my desires. It may sound silly and totally unrelated but we had a mysterious visitor about a week ago! This visitor is what prompted the previous thoughts.

Derrick was out mowing the back lawn. While he does this he lets Molly out to roam around the woods and whatnot. This time she found a friend. It was a tiny little rabbit! He could fit in my hand. He was slightly injured from Molly picking him up but nothing serious. Because of his tiny size we thought that he was a baby. We were able to call a local wildlife refuge center where they asked a few questions and were able to determine his age and breed. He was old enough that he had already been sent out on his own by his mother. They told us to treat the scratch with some Neosporin and keep him in a box in a dark cool room with some fresh greens over night and then set him free in the morning and that he should be fine.

It was really neat to hold this tiny rabbit and to see Aurora experiencing something new and exciting. Derrick released him back into the woods the next morning while I was doing something, I can't remember what right this second. I think he did it knowing I had grown a tiny bit attached... or he straight up didn't think about it at all and just did which is also very likely.

In the background of the larger portrait of how I pictured my future when I was younger, you can probably find these little moments and experiences. It might not make sense to some but I appreciate the uniqueness of this experience. While the setting may very different and off by a couple thousand miles, the experiences are the same and I am grateful for that and also grateful for an ever loving and mindful Father in Heaven.

My New Favorite Thing

2010-03-28T20:13:00.000-05:00

Chocolate Cheerios.

YUM!!!

And I just compared the nutrition facts to the box of Multigrain Cheerios that I have here and the only thing that varies is there is 3 more grams of sugar and a little less potassium. They taste like Cocoa Puffs. I like.

So far this February

2010-02-18T12:47:00.000-06:00

Aurora and I have been sick most of this month. We both got colds and they are just kinda hangin' around. I don't usually catch what Aurora gets but this time I did and it's in full force.

On the 13th Derrick turned 31! He has been off shore so we didn't get to celebrate with him. We will when he gets home I'm sure. That meant that he missed Valentines Day and Mardi Gras too. Valentines Day was rather quiet. I was going to make my Mom's traditional Cherry Berries on a Cloud dessert but I felt to gross to make it. I ended up celebrating with some store bought sugar cookies and a box of Russell Stover chocolates. It was fine though.

For Mardi Gras, we did make it out to a parade. We were right in front of the court house with a group of people from the ward. It was fun to get out for all of the festivities. Aurora made out with lots of beads and a Twinkie, which she gobbled up like it was nothing. I think she enjoyed the music off the floats but she did not like when the trucks carrying them would honk their horns. She got hit in the face from one set of beads but it was from the last float so we didn't have any melt downs or anything. Poor girl, I know how much it hurts cause it happened to me too!

I joined a gym last week. I am really glad I did it. It's amazing how much better it makes you feel to get that good work out. Today I did the whole thing with weights and cardio, but I woke up with an ear infection (I think, I've never had one,) and it totally threw me off so I ended up almost making myself sick. I'm not sure if it's because I am SOOO out of shape or because I am still sick. Maybe it is better to start when I am sick so that when I am healthy I can push myself even more!!!

Not much else is going on here. My Mom and Dad are flying in to Houston on March 19th, I believe. I am really excited to see them and spend a little time with them. They will probably be heading over to Gulf Shores or Destin for their anniversary and I may tag along. If so I will get to see my good friend Mary, and it will be just in time to see her new baby girl. So that will be fun. Other than that, Aurora and I are just chillin' at the house waiting for these dang colds to go away!

The Secret May Now Be Revealed!

2010-02-07T17:35:00.000-06:00

My sister is engaged! It happened last night! She seems happy! And if she'll let me, I have a wedding to plan! Oh my, I love weddings! Congratulations Elyse and Joel!

The truth is I've been planning her wedding for quite a while. Haha! Just have to get her approval. I have some AWESOME ideas if I don't say myself!

This is What Happens

2010-01-28T10:46:00.000-06:00

Derrick get's bored when he is home. He starts projects and fiddles with things. I call him my Tim the Tool Man Taylor because of all the crazy things that happen. This is the latest.

This is our X Terra. In our back yard. Stuck. In the mud.

Notice the bat box on the tree above the truck? We don't own a latter and so Derrick gets the bright idea to use the truck to raise the bat box higher on the tree. So he drives it into the swamp. Smart. Oh Derrick, I love you. But Seriously?

I have a secret...

2010-01-28T10:33:00.002-06:00

That I can not tell anyone and it is driving me CRAZY!!!!! And no, it's not about me.

Why Do I Torture Myself?

2010-01-25T20:36:00.000-06:00

Any time I get lonely or bored I start looking on line of all the things I am missing about Washington. I was just looking at all the fun classes you can take at the Mill Creek Town Center. I remember taking gymnastics there. There is a toddler & parent gymnastics class! How fun. Plus tons of other classes that I would love to take. I search all over for things like this in Lake Charles and it's like pulling teeth! Is there anything out there? If there is please tell me!!!

I really want to go the mall with Erin.

I want to go on a walk with Dad.

Eat sushi with Savanah.

Maybe see a movie with Elyse.

Shop with Mom for stuff for her bedroom.

I want to go to Pike Place eat those yummy doughnuts and get some Ivars.

I want to go play at Stevens Pass.

I want to have dinner at Grandma Jeans.

The list goes on, and on, and on...

I even start to look for houses up there. I can't seem to find the right place. Where would Derrick work?

It's just been one of those days, ya know?

Winter Projects

2010-01-21T14:06:00.000-06:00

I've been keeping Derrick busy since he has been home quite a bit this winter. We have finally tackled the monochromatic walls and trim in our house. I know this will eventually be a rental property but I have to enjoy where I am living, while I am living it it! The main thing was the trim color... same as the walls. It drives me nuts! We decided to go with a glossy white. We also are room by room changing out the gold knobs and hinges. I love the way it looks with the new white doors!

I decided I wanted to paint my bathroom as well. Last spring I painted my bedroom a nice slate-y blue and wanted to have a complementing color in the bathroom. I love the color but it does need to be about two shades lighter. Oh well. I'm not painting it again and I still like the way it turned out!

Our main living area is completely open concept so to paint could be rather daunting. I am not opposed to the tan on the walls in the living and dining room but it needed to be broken up someplace. So we have this great accent wall in the kitchen which also has a trey ceiling that we thought would be the perfect spot to add some color. I'm not huge bold colors but this red we picked blends nicely into our furniture and decor. I must say that of anything we have done in this house this is my favorite. It was so simple too!

I would like to get something on that back door. I can't decide though. Not that I am opposed to the light, I don't like it at night. The fishbowl effect. Our house backs up onto woods but I always wonder, what if there was someone watching me from the woods. Creepy!

We still have several rooms of trim and doors to paint and a few accents and pieces here and there for me to get before I will be fully satisfied with the decor, but I think I am happy with what we have done so far.