Che & Amber

Bump Update

2012-01-19T22:44:00.000-08:00

I am officially 32 WEEKS!!

Good grief time has flown by! Feels like yesterday when I announced what I was having!

I've had a few appointments over the last 12 weeks, my recent one being on Tuesday (same day as my sister's 12 week appointment, so fun)! So far, everything looks really good. I had my glucose test and am relieved to have had great results! That drink was seriously nasty ha ha. I thought it wouldn't be too bad, but it was a little worse than I thought. Took about an hour for my stomach to calm down.

I found out that Tayen is a MOVER. Holy crap does this kid move a lot! He is all over in there. It's all day too. He moves the most while I'm working at my computer and when I go to bed at night ha ha. But I can't help but feel sooo grateful for all that moving. It's such a wonderful feeling and can never get annoyed of it. I don't think I've even gotten over the SHOCK yet of being pregnant ha ha, and I'm almost done! So weird.

Che and I recently bought our crib and baby bedding. It was so fun ordering it together, picking it up, and putting it together. I just love it! We also got a matching valance that is soo cute. I will probably take some more pictures later of Tayen's room, but here's a sneak peak at the bedding. We've also bought some diapers here and there a different grocery trips and have gotten clothes from our mom's already. But that's quite normal! They're just super excited! Especially Che's mom. She isn't a Grandma yet, so she is thrilled. Che is an only child, so she's relying on us to give her grandkids ha ha.

We've already gotten a few stuffed animals from some family. They are already best friends as you can tell :)

Che putting up the valance

I forgot to mention that over the weekend my mom and I got to spend time with Tyson, Alli, and Brycen in Ogden. It was so much fun. I love that Alli and I can talk pregnancy, it's what I've wished for forever!! We had such an amazing weekend and I discovered a few new things about Brycen, including that I think he is going to enjoy baking just like his mom :)

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My Young Women and leaders threw me and another leader (Jessica) in our ward a baby shower on Tuesday. It was so much fun and so sweet of them. We played a few games and they got us a cake as well. It was a blue and pink shower since I'm having a boy and Jessica is having a girl. The girls also tied blankets for us and we got a fun little gift bag full of goodies. We have the best YW ever! I just love my calling.

Don't you just love the cake?

Everyone seriously had a blast

Can't forget the candybar diaper game!!! That actually didn't go over to well with me ha ha. The melted candybars started to look too real and I almost puked ha ha.

By the end of the shower, some of the girls decided to eat the baby food from on of the games. I love these girls, they're hilarious! Did I already mention how much I love my calling? :)

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I haven't felt sick at all for the passed 10 weeks, just really tired. I'm starting to slow waaay down and beginning to waddle ha ha. Che says I've been waddling for awhile and I'm sure that's true. I guess I just didn't realize it til now. Being short doesn't help any either ha ha!

I've had crazy pregnancy dreams/nightmares and sometimes wake up swetting. I have baby on the brain 24/7. I've sat in bed sometimes wondering what a contraction feels like and if I will know when I have one. I've wondered if I will go full term or come early, if I take pain better than I think, if I will have complications, if being a mom will come too hard for me...I just think about these things so much! I do think that when the time comes though, that everything will turn out and that I will love that baby so much that the answers will all just slowly come.

My little brother leaves on his mission 6 days after my due date. I just know it will be an emotional month for everyone. It's such an exciting time for many things that it's hard to wrap my head around it all. But in the end my heart bursts with gratitude knowing how blessed I am. I'm just so grateful for my family and for this baby on the way. I'm so grateful for my little brother and the choice he's made to go on a mission. I just know he'll do great. Even though I have so many thoughts right now of everything that's going on, my heart is so full and I LOVE my life. I am so incredibly lucky. I know Che will be an amazing dad and can't wait for him to hold his son for the first time. My Heavenly Father has blessed me with the best companion in the world, the best family in the world, and a baby boy on the way. So many countless blessings!

FUTURE MISSIONARY...I just love my little bro

Here's to the last couple months of pregnancy!! Can't wait!

December 2011

2012-01-04T19:52:00.000-08:00

I can't even begin to tell you how busy our December 2011 was. On top of all of the Christmas shopping and hussel and bussel, we had three birthdays, my choir concert, and parties out our ears! We also got a crib and set it up after Christmas, so a lot of exciting things!! I've posted quite a few pictures from this month so enjoy!!

Choralaires Christmas Concert: December 5, 2011

My Choir Buddies: Steph, Elise, and Temala

Me and Steph (Both of us are taking a break from the choir thing this semester because we're both expecting! So fun! She is due this month (January) and I'm due in March so no singing for us!

It was a great semester!

Che and Mom's Birthday Party

We also had a party in Blackfoot for Che's mom, but like an idiot, I forgot my camera.

Can't go wrong with Papa Murphy's!!

Boston and "Grandpa"

Lighting the candles

Boston in his super cute PJ's. I just love him!

The Cake (Che picked it out and chose what it would say ha ha)

Happy birthday to you!

Adam just happy to be there ha ha

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The Annual O'Connor Christmas Eve Party

Grandma and Grandpa came over and took a picture with their Great Grandkids. So cute!

Taco dip! My favorite. Thanks Erica for the recipe!

So much amazing food. I think we had more treats than REAL food ha ha.

I had to throw this picture in here because it made me laugh so hard. Che just looks crazy (plus he gave himself a mohawk) and Brycen just looks loopy ha ha.

Christmas Day

The morning of Christmas, Che and I opened gifts and then headed over afterwards to my parents house. We both loved what we got!

Che enjoyed his Christmas...especially the GNC on the go Blender I got him.

I loved my new purse and wallet. Man did I need a new wallet!

Opening presents at my parents house

Brycen loved his Christmas. It was so fun watching him

He mostly just wanted to play with his new Toy Story ball. He was so excited, it was so cute.

Even Boston loved it! ;)

Tayen even got a few gifts! Britney and Aaron got him some wrist toys and Amy got him this stuffed duck that laughs ha ha (She didn't know it laughed)

I got a new scentsy warmer and scent from Alli and I loved it!

Che got some new tools from my dad, which he LOVED

We had such a fun Christmas and got a lot of fun stuff! That day Alli, Amy, and I all sang in my ward for Sacrament Meeting and then went our separate ways to our In-Laws. Later that night we partied some more back at the O'Connor's and played lots of games. It was soo much fun! Alli and Brycen were in Idaho Falls for 2 weeks!! I am so grateful I had so much time to spend with them. Tyson had to go back to Ogden to work, but he got to stay for in I.F for about a week. We love the Millers and always miss them, so we were happy they got to stay long.

December 26, 2011: 3D Ultrasound

Are these pictures just so amazing? He looks like he has my nose ha ha

He's already flexing...definitely his dad's son

New Year's
After Christmas we did get together for New Years and had Sukiyaki. We usually have it on my mom's birthday, but we wanted Alli and Tyson to be there. I didn't get pictures, but I can tell ya that we partied hard!! Loved our holidays this year! Thanks to my family for all the great food, fun, and laughter. I love you all!

December got even better when my sister, Alli made an ANNOUNCEMENT...

She's expecting!!! So excited for them!

And we are only 4 months apart!! She is due in July! This December...no no...THIS YEAR really couldn't have gotten any better. I'm so grateful to be pregnant let alone be pregnant along with my twin. It's a dream I've always wanted.

2012 will be a life changing year! I will post a pregnancy update soon! I still can't believe it's almost here! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and a happy new year!

My New Year word for 2012 is LOVE...what will yours be?

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-02T16:56:00.000-08:00

This year, we celebrated Thanksgiving at Che's parents and it was so much fun! I kept thinking to myself that this is Che and I's last Thanksgiving as just "Amber and Che." So weird! Next year we will have a 3rd member of the Miles Family. It's just so hard to wrap my head around that.

This was my masterpiece that I created with a veggie tray. I combined the veggies with the crackers and cheeseball and came up with this beautiful work of art. What do ya think? I think it's pretty :)

The dinner table all set up and ready to go!

Che choppin' onions

Che and his mom, Nari workin' hard in the kitchen. I promise I helped too. Just had to stop and take some pictures ;)

Nari got each family one of these. So cute!

Poor turkey...fried...torn apart...than enjoyably devoured. I'd like to take a moment and give thanks for this turkey who gave it's life for us to eat. Thanks turkey :)

So good!

Later, we played bingo (which is a tradition every year). Nari provides little prizes and we always look forward to unwrapping them. Che really likes to be the reader ha ha.

Oh and can you guess who this little cutie is? That's right...it's Che. Hopefully Tayen will look like his cute Daddy. Oh and by the way, I'm 25 weeks today!! So crazy! I can't believe it. Where has the time gone! I can't wait to meet our little guy!

Love Me Some Holidays

2011-11-14T21:08:00.000-08:00

Came across this picture while looking through my old posts...anyone else as excited for the holidays as this cutie? I am!!

It Came...

2011-11-09T18:57:00.000-08:00

On October 18, 2011 (My 27th birthday) ...IT CAME.

I knew deep inside my heart that I was going to get my letter, but it never showed up in the mail. Turns out that it had been lost all this time. If you look at the received date, you'll notice that it was marked on my birthday when I was twelve. Oh how I've wished for this day to come!

Everything about the letter was as perfect as I ever imagined. I will forever cherish it for as long as I live. It was the best birthday ever. And even though I missed my chance at what could have been greatness, all that matters to me now is that I was accepted! And you know what that makes me! It's okay to be jealous :)

A Pregnancy Journey

2011-10-31T22:22:00.000-07:00

I seriously can't believe that I'm 20 weeks, let a lone pregnant!! It seems like such a miracle at this point, that it still hasn't fully hit me! Today I'm officially 20 weeks and 3 days pregnant according to my most recent ultrasound. Everything looks great and I'm even measuring a little bigger and now due March 15.

I kept a small journal throughout the past year on my pregnancy journey, but since I've started printing my blog, I decided I wanted to document it on here as well. Not only is this important to document for myself, but it's just as important to document for others who have been trying everything to get pregnant. I learned a lot from reading others stories and it helped soo much. Here is our pregnacy journey...

2008

It was October 2008, and Che and I had already been married for over a year. At this point, I was ready to toss away the birth control. We talked about it and both agreed that we were ready for our own family. After trying for the first few months, I decided it was smart to atleast track my ovulation. Duh! I guess that's kind of important if you're trying to have a baby. So I got online and tracked it by calendar.

2009

Months went by in 2009, until it turned into a whole year, and still nothing. It was a little frustrating, but I knew that sooner or later I would have to see someone. It scared me knowing that there's a possibitity of something being wrong with one of us.

By December 2009, I decided to pick a physician and go with it. Since I worked at Mountain View Hospital, I decided to go to someone at Rosemark since I got a discount there. I randomly picked an OB/GYN who ended up being, Dr. Merrill. We sat down together and had a short discussion on my history then gave me an order to get some blood work done. The next day I got the results back and everything was normal. She decided then that she would put me on clomid for 3 months.

2010

At the very beginning of the year 2010, I started buying ovulation tests (the cheapest, but most accurate ones I could find) as well as take clomid. I definitely underestimated the power of clomid. I was on a lower dose and still I felt quite moody ha ha. It scared me to think how I would be on a higher dose!! I took clomid January-March, but still nothing. I went back to Dr. Merrill's and she decided to up the dose. She gave me a prescription and sent me on my way. After that day, I knew in my heart that I shouldn't be seeing her. She was very nice, but I didn't have a good connection at all. I needed someone who was really going to sit me down and REALLY talk out my options. So I didn't get my prescription for clomid. Instead, I searched for a new physician.

I asked many people I knew who they recommended and of course they were all different. My friend that I worked with told me that here sister has had trouble getting pregnant and that her doctor has helped her tremendously. I got a few more opinions and then decided on Dr. Hall (my friend's sister's Dr.) I felt really good about it and knew that this change was necessary.

I set up an appointment with Dr. Hall and what a difference in consultations!! I felt better already! We visited for awhile discussing any problems I've had or family history. After the discussion, he made me a list and then he went over it with me. It was what he wanted me to do in the order that they were written. There were probably 5 different things on that list which made me feel so at ease. He knew what he was doing and what he wanted me to do. It felt so comforting and for the first time I felt hopeful! And then the last thing he said to me was, "Don't worry, we're going to get you pregant." Talk about a weight lifted.

So March was the month for all the tests! I went out and got a bunch of blood work done while Che did is one test (you know which one). We waited a few days for the tests to come back and when they did, I almost wish they didn't. The blood work came back normal, but the analysis for Che didn't come back as well as we hoped. Motility was low, which makes it so the little swimmers die off quicker before they can get to their destination. Fortunately, there were ways around it and we were prepared to do whatever it took!

April 2010 I attempted the next thing on the list...surgery!!! Dr. Hall explained in great detail what Endometriosis was and how many women have it, but don't know they have it. And unfortunately, it can prevent you from getting pregnant. Gah! Another possible setback. And to make things more complicated, you don't know you have it unless you have the surgery. It didn't take me long to decide. I had a strong feeling to get the surgery and so I did! First surgery I have ever had and I was terrified. Everything went well and I obviously didn't die ha ha, but guess what? I HAD IT! I couldn't believe it! I was pretty upset, but at the same time was so grateful I went ahead with the surgery. They removed the endometriosis (unfortnately it will always grow back), but there are ways to keep it gone. It was a decision that I was glad I made. So, I got through my first surgery with a terrified but happy heart :)

Due to the negative test results we had, Dr. Hall had me start the Intraueterine Insemenation process or "IUI." For those who aren't really familiar with this: They first will do a sperm wash and then place the little guys directly into the uterus, which gives them less time to travel. They are placed in there the day after an ovary releases an egg to be fertilized. It's quite an amazing thing that they can do this sort of thing. These procedures run $300-$700 a pop. I was lucky enough to have a doctor who only charged $100 flat the day services were rendered. Such a blessing! I was so excited and had a strong feeling that this was going to work for us! From this point on, Dr. Hall prescribed me with the highest dose of clomid EVERY month. You can imagine how that went!

Well my cycles have been all over the place, so Dr. Hall recommended a good ovulation test. I bought the digital ones so I would know absolutetly for sure when I ovulated. These were like $30-$50 a box! So starting in May 2010, I started my clomid and had my first IUI on the day that I ovulated. I was so nervous, but turns out it wasn't even a big deal! We were so excited to find out if we were pregnant or not.

The day came to take the first test, but it was negative. I figured that it probably wouldn't take on the first one. But the same thing happened in June, July, and September (August for some reason I didn't even ovulate! So frustrating). My doctor said that I could do the procedure up to 6 times and then I had to wait a few months to do it again. So at this point I was starting to get worried. The worst part about trying to get pregnant is the dang waiting game!! On top of all the frustration my mood swings and hot flashes were at their highest and I was just mad at the world ha ha.

October came and I had my 5th IUI. It just felt like the same crap over and over again and my attitude was getting more negative. Plus, my cycle was so off that I went through tons of ovulation tests. I was spending money out my ears on those things. And on top of the tests, they wanted blood work done every month after the IUI to check my progesterone levels. I just felt like I was wasting money like crazy. I was also sick of being poked and prodded so much! Depending on the tech, I would sometimes come home with bruises! I was seemed to get someone who was new...

The time finally came to take a pregnancy test. I had no hope whatsoever, but I glanced at the test and did a double take...it was positive!! I couldn't believe it! I was so excited and couldn't wait to tell Che!

December came around and I was about 9 weeks along. I hadn't felt right all day. I had some cramping and then eventually spotting. I soon began to panic and called my doctor. He said to come in to the office as soon as they open. At this point it was like 4am. Over night it got worse and worse until finally I knew what was about to happen. I ran into the bathroom and experienced one of the worst things I've ever experienced...a miscarriage.

Why me? Why now? Two years of trying and this is what happens? It was awful. I was hurting physically and mentally and my emotions just increased the ever growing pain. I knew what was happening and it was the worst feeling. It was hard to wrap my head around what was happening. That night I didn't get a wink of sleep. We went into Hall's office the next morning with tears still streaming down my face. I tried to hide it, but it seemed like everyone around me knew what just happened only by looking at me. I was so tired and exhausted. They sent me over to Mountain View to get an ultrasound. It was so awkward walking into the hospital knowing EVERYONE. I passed so many people with my head down trying to avoid them. I was in my pajamas and looked like I was dying.

I had the ultrasound but they didn't determine what happened. They pretty much said that there wasn't much there to begin with, which made me feel more at ease. The tech gave me a hug and said some kind words. In that moment, all that was in my head was, "this too shall pass." It was hard to go through it during the holidays. Che and I had made Christmas cards that year that we were so excited to send out. I am so grateful that we didn't get to that point. I will cherish this Christmas card for as long as I live:

My Brother and his wife announced only weeks later that they were pregnant and I was so happy for them...but obviously broken hearted at the same time. It was really hard for a while, but I KNEW in my heart that this wasn't supposed to be. Heavenly Father had a plan for us and it just wasn't the time. Yes it was hard and took such a toll, but many blessings came from it. Oh how grateful I am for my loving Heavenly Father who has blessed us in so many ways. That blessed spirit wasn't meant to be with us, but we know we will see you again.

2011

After everything that happened in December I decided to take a break from the next month. It felt a little too soon for me. I got a little depressed and I just didn't feel like myself. But I finally felt like I got to the point of really wanting to try again and my attitude moved to a little more hopeful.

By February I was ready to start again. I took ovulation test after ovulation test and NOTHING happened for 3 months! My positive attitude when down hill so fast I couldn't catch it. I felt like maybe the miscarriage had messed up my cycle somehow that I just wouldn't ovulate. It was so hard, because I was wasting precious months! How could I NOT ovulate? I continued taking the clomid and unfortunately had gained more and more weight from all the stress and depression. I was hating work so much and just felt miserable!!

Che and I then decided that we should take our honeymoon...the one we never took. I had heard from many people that taking a trip was the best thing for them because it helped them relax. So that is what we did in May 2011. We went on Caribbean cruise for a whole week!!

Well we got back from the cruise and I didn't ovulate AGAIN according to my tests (which I probably should have just left at home). Luckily it didn't ruin the trip, we had the time of our lives! Felt so incredible to get out and do that. It put me in a little bit better mood and I was ready to move on to the next month. The beginning of June, I called the Dr.'s Office and asked if there was anything I could take that would help me lose a little weight (so maybe I would feel a little bit better). The PA recommended Metformin, which also helps with infertility. So I of course said, "Yes Please!!" She ok'd it with Dr. Hall and I started to take the prescription. Well, turns out it makes you feel like crap ha ha. You feel so nauseous! I didn't think I could deal with taking this for more than 4 weeks! It was pretty miserable but I was willing to suck it up!

Journal Entry:

June 23, 2011

"You will never guess what happened today! I ovulated! Finally! Eight months later and it finally happened. Mom was so excited when I told her that she cried on the phone. I know how much my family prays for me and I'm so thankful to them. This was almost more exciting than seeing a positive pregnancy test! Because without ovulation you can't get pregnant! Well at 2:45 today I went to Dr. Hall's office and got an IUI. The first one in eight months! As I lay there in the room, after they did the procedure, I talked to myself a lot ha ha. I even hummed a lullaby. How cheesy is that? After Hall's I came home, put my feet up and fell asleep on the couch for 2 hours while watching Planet 51. I feel really good about this IUI. But then again that's how I feel about ALL of them so who knows. All I know is that I'm so happy and relieved that this happened today. Oh and by the way I went off Metformin because it made me so sick! I just hope that it wasn't the Metformin that made me ovulate because those are the worst meds ever!"

After this day, I had some of the worst work days ever. My attitude was so awful at work!! I basically just tried my best to get through the day...and then July 8th came:

Journal Entry

July 8, 2011

"Well journal, it happened. I took a pregnancy test yesterday after work and it was positive! Can you believe it? I actually took a test about 5 days ago and it was negative. I was really disappointed but then realized that I had possibly miscalculated so I retook one today. When I took the test I almost screamed I was so excited. I took a picture of it on my phone and sent it to Che. He was so thrilled. I called the Dr's office and talked to Stacy the PA. She said I was about 4 weeks along and due March 19th. I have my first appointment in about 4 weeks and I'm praying that everything goes okay. Now, I'm off to lunch with my mom and my sister. My mom already knows, but now I get to tell Alli!"

Well you can imagine how the journal entries went after that. I was happier, more positive, and work was even better. Here was my 8 week ultrasound:

12 weeks later we had these two ultrasounds:

We didn't get a great shot on the first one. It's supposed to be the head but it doesn't look that great. The 3D one will be much better. But the second one I think you can tell EXACTLY what it is...

That's right, IT'S A BOY!! And I don't have to tell you when I say that we are so happy and amazingly blessed.

"Adversity will be a constant or occasional companion for each of us throughout our lives. We cannot avoid it. The only question is how will we react to it? Will our adversities be stumbling blocks or stepping-stones?"

-Dallin H. Oaks

Happy Birthday!

2011-10-18T15:49:00.000-07:00

Today I have to give a shout out to my twin sis...Happy Birthday!!! Alli and I are 27 today, and that's one year older that I just don't want to be ha ha. I hate getting a year older! Why can't I just be 23 all the time? Not sure why 23 is the magic number, it just is ha ha.

I just got back from an amazingly awesome birthday weekend with the girls and I wish I was still there dangit! But, that's just the way it goes. Alli and Tyson will be here this weekend so I shouldn't complain. Anyway, I will probably post our fun weekend here soon, but in the mean time, go on over to CUPCAKE DIARIES because Alli posted a freakin' cute celebration wreath tutorial. I decided I really need to make one!! If I had just made one months ago, I could have hung mine up today!! What's up with that!

Look how stinkin' cute this thing is!

Happy Birthday Al!!! Still can't believe we're 27!

I'm Drooling

2011-10-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

If you love HALLOWEEN as much as I do...Go here right now!! I was overwhelmed by all the amazingness! Oh and BEWARE of the drooling, because it WILL happen.

Happy October!

2011-09-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

The following are my top 5 reasons why OCTOBER is my favorite month:

It's a Fall month and that is my favorite season-This includes Fall smells, Fall decor, Fall weather, clothes, Mini Bazaar, and of course Fall candy (Candy Corn)!!
Love watching Conference
My birthday month with my twin! (we have a lot of fun)
Halloween is my favorite holiday
HORROR movies! I don't know if I will beat my record this year though of horror movies watched. I think last year it was almost 30 in the month of October. Thank you Fear Fest!

I now have told you my general top 5 reasons why I love this month so much, but here are a few bonuses that are really going make my OCTOBER even better!

In two weeks, my mom, Amy, and I are going to Alli's in Ogden to spend our birthday weekend! We're going to go shopping, eat, hang out, love up on my nephew, be girly, and just be plain out awesome!!
The weekend after that, Tyson and Alli are coming to Idaho Falls! While they are here we are going to have a birthday bash! I have no idea what it's like NOT to spend my birthday with my sister...and I never want to know :)
We are updating our bathroom! New tub for me! Hooray!
New season of The Walking Dead starts on the 16th
And I can't forget the most important bonus: We will be finding out the gender of our sweet baby on the 28th! Technically on Halloween, I will be exactly 20 weeks...that would totally happen to me right?

So...is October your favorite month yet? I know December may be a lot of people's favorite month (and Christmas comes in very close to Halloween in my top favorites), but wouldn't you agree that October pretty much rules? Well, if you don't so, I think you should ha ha. Oh be sure to check out my favorite Halloween songs on my playlist! They pretty much rule!

HAPPY OCTOBER!!

I know mine will be :)

Pregnancy Talk

2011-09-27T17:11:00.000-07:00

My Pregnancy So Far:

Weeks 6-13: Morning sickness 'til about 2:00pm in the afternoon and if I waited too long too eat. I was super tired and didn't want to go anywhere. One day, I waited to long to eat breakfast and I threw up in the the sink, then the toilet, and then the sink downstairs. I learned a good lesson after that day ha ha.

Favorite Snacks: Premium Saltine Crackers, Honey Wheat Pretzels, Fruit Snacks, wheat toast, string cheese, Fresca, Sprite, Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi, baby carrots, and mashed potatoes. There was actually a point where all I wanted was mashed potatoes, because they always seemed to make me feel better. I had them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! I haven't craved super weird things, but I have craved some things I don't usually get. And the things I get ALL the time (Pork Salads) I NEVER get!

Smells: I haven't struggled too bad with smells, but there are some that really make me sooo sick. I can't walk into Cafe Rio or Costa Vida without wanting to puke. The pork smells make me sick. On top of that BBQ sauce and super greasy fried stuff make me sick. So the fair smells didn't help at all.

I am currently 15 weeks and have not felt any morning sickness in the last two. It feels sooo good to have some of your energy back and not feel sick. I don't have much of an appetite, but I feel really good!! One thing that I've noticed is how seriously crazy I feel sometimes. My brain doesn't function like I want it to. I have a bad memory anyway, but I think it's worse. Today at work I waited for 5 minutes for my co-worker because the door was locked. Ya I forgot I had a key. I'm losin' it people!

We have been a week ahead on all of our OB appointments and today I had my 16 week appointment, even though I'm only 15 weeks. I listened to that wonderful heartbeat once again and I couldn't stop smiling. Everything so far seems to be going just fine! I love being pregnant and am so grateful that it finally happened! Apart from feeling pretty ugly, I love the feeling of pregnancy and can't wait for the rest of our journey!

My 20 week appointment is scheduled for October 28th and I couldn't be more thrilled! So excited to find out what my little "Spook" is (as my mom says). I love Halloween and 20 weeks lands on Halloween exactly so that is even better! But when I find out the big news, I will be sure to do a very special blog post!! Can't wait to be a mom!

4 Years

2011-09-22T15:20:00.000-07:00

Happy 4 year Anniversary to my amazing husband, Che. I love you so much babe!! And there's nothing better than celebrating, knowing we will be starting our family come March!! Happy Anniversary

Love You

Extensive Surgery

2011-09-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I don't need an actual operation, but feel I need to be surgically removed from my twin before she moves. Yes, that's what I said, Alli is moving and all I can think of is "my life is over." I have been with my sister pretty much my whole life. The longest we've been apart was when she lived in Utah during her internship. So it was probably, I don't know, 4 weeks. She did come home here and there, but that was hard! Tyson got a new job in Ogden and their family will be moving in only 2 weeks! I know what you're thinking...she's only moving to Ogden. I do feel very grateful that it's there and not like New York, otherwise I would flip out! Anyway, I am super happy for them and know that they will be just fine. I will miss them sooo much!! Knowing me I will probably see them atleast once a month. Day trips are the best! I want them to know how much we love them and how we'll miss all the double dates we had together. I know we will continue to do it again, I just hope it's soon!! Now only 2 more weeks until the worst surgery ever! Hope it's not too painful ;) We love you Miller Family!! Don't forget us!

Love Che and Am

12 Week Appointment and My New Nephew

2011-09-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

Well, turns out I was about 10 days off on my due date ha ha. I'm actually due March 19th not 9th. I am 11 weeks and 4 days instead of 13 weeks. Not really sure how that happened but it's okay! All I care about is that I'm pregnant and so happy!!

Today I had my 12 week appointment and got to hear the heartbeat! As I lay there, all I can think of is, "please let there be a hearbeat." I got to see it (barely) early in my pregnancy but never hear it, so I was on pins and needles today. It seemed like forever waiting for that heartbeat to come. And soon as that whisping sound arose, I lost it and the tears came. This was the first time I cried (and I'm quite the sensitive, emotional person). I didn't even cry when I found out I was pregnant! After miscarrying in December, it was just hard to except that everything was fine with this pregnancy. But after today, I now have a complete different feeling. I'm so emotionally excited, happy, overwhelmed, and anxious. So many emotions went through me today. And all Che could talk about was what we were going to have a boy or a girl. He really wants to go shopping for some baby lugs ha ha. I can't wait to find out the gender.

So, yes we aren't as far along as we thought, but we couldn't feel more grateful. I have a little person inside me and it has a heartbeat. I can't describe in words how truly blessed we are. My new nephew is so precious and perfect. Just holding him and being around him has made me so excited to be a mom. I feel like I've been waiting for so long to be "Mom" and now it's only months away. I think I might start crying again...but I won't. Instead, I'm going to go to lunch with Mom and Alli, and go help Aaron and Britney move their little Boston home. Best Day Ever!

My new nephew, Boston Charles O'Connor
Born August 30, 2011 at 11:04am
8lb 6oz and 20 3/4 in long

So grateful and blessed to have all of these wonderful things in my life. Boston is so precious and sweet, I love him so much. Congrats to Aaron and Britney on their beautiful arrival. What a beautiful family. Love you guys!

12 Weeks

2011-08-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

So, I just HAVE to post about making it to 12 weeks (And for journaling purposes too of course). It feels kind of weird actually, but so exciting! Today after work, my mom and I had to go pick up an Iphone for my dad at the FedEx by the Airport. And when you're that far out...you have to go to REED'S DAIRY!! So my mom bought me an icecream cone to celebrate my 12 weeks. Thanks Mom!

To update you on my pregnancy so far: The past 5 weeks I have felt pretty sick in the mornings, but I've only thrown up twice. The only time I do lose my cookies is when I wait too long to eat. Other than that, I just feel sick. I've also been super duper tired. Sometimes I'll barely last at work for 2 hours. One day I will have some energy and the next I'm dead on my bed asleep ha ha. Work doesn't really help either. I think the desk job has gotten to me, so it's been a little rough now that I'm pregnant. But, I've recently changed my schedule from 9am to 2pm Monday-Friday. I love this MUCH better. In the last 6 weeks I've gotten sick from food twice which was miserable and have had the flu. Hopefully I'm passed getting sick from everything.

Well, that's pretty much it!! I'm tired, feel sick, and don't want to work ha ha! But the good news is, I'm 12 weeks and so excited about it! One of these days, I'll post a little story on our journey to pregnancy. I'll try to make it not too long because it is 3 years worth ha ha. It's just weird to think that I we're finally here and having or very first baby. I'm so freaking out just typing this ha ha!

And I'm so excited for my Sister-In-Law, Britney to have her little baby, Boston on Tuesday! Congrats Aaron and Brit!

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live" -Albus Dumbledore

2011-08-20T15:29:00.000-07:00

The weekend before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II came out, I had a BRILLIANT idea. I had never thrown a Harry Potter Party before and I really have wanted to in the past. So I thought of the quote by Albus Dumbledore that I put as my title of this post: "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." So no more dreaming!! I was determined to throw the best Harry Potter party I could!! And so Saturday, July 9, 2011... I did just that.

Thanks to my Mother-In-Law, Nari, I was able to get a lot of great decorations! A buzzard and the dead version of Aragog, the Acromantula.

I of course had to hit the party store Zurchers, and snag up a bunch of Harry Potter supplies. I got a center piece, tablecloth, plates, cups, napkins, and even some invitations.

It looks like Harry's wand is actually glowing in this picture ha ha. The magic of throwing this party just came to life!

Nari also let me borrow a few skeleton heads and some "potions" which is acutally embalming juice ha ha. Tyson and Alli bought the Tales of Beedle the Bard for me in New York City because they knew I would love it! And boy do I sure love it. It even worked great as decoration for our party.

Can't forget the owl!! I loved this one!

I hung this spider from the fan in our living room.

Dead Aragog

Harry Potter's glasses and wand were a nice touch to the party.

I bought balloons that represented each House in Hogwarts and put them in each corner of the living room. After we ate dinner (which was just a BBQ...nothing Harry Potter worthy) we were sorted into our houses!!

We sat in this chair and the sorting hat sorted us into Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff. It was so much fun! After we were sorted, each house competed in a Harry Potter 1-7 trivia game.

The official Harry Potter invitations I used to invite our special guests.

Even though we didn't have a Harry Potter worthy dinner...we definitely had Harry Potter worthy desserts and beverages!!

I made these chocolate cupcakes with lightning bolts and I called them cauldron cakes.

These are droobles (aka cotton candy gum).

Alli made Licorice Wands and they were a hit!! Don't they look sooo good? They were yummy!

Me and Alli's Harry Potter shirts

You can't have a Harry Potter party without Butterbeer!! We used cream soda and vanilla icecream for this. Everyone loved them!

A friend from my ward let me borrow her sign. I think that was a nice touch don't ya think?

I just HAD to let everyone know what we were celebrating!

I made Amy and Adam put Che's graduation robe on, along with Harry's wand and glasses and shout spells ha ha. Had to get into the Harry Potter spirit!

Amy got into character quite well

Everyone had a great time, and I was so happy I FINALLY threw my Harry Potter party. Nothing's better than having a party that makes you sooo happy!! We had a blast and the movie was excellent!! I'm just so sad it's over. We looked forward to each HP movie every year. Ten whole years of epic films came to an end. But what a wonderful ten years it has been. We love Harry Potter!

Che Miles + Amber Miles = Baby Miles

2011-08-04T20:54:00.000-07:00

We are so happy to announce that we will be expecting our very first baby March 8th!! It just sounds so weird to say that ha ha. Feels like it's been forever in waiting, but the time has finally come! I'm almost 10 weeks and have had a 1st trimester ultrasound. I guess I should have posted that picture too. Anyway, I got to see that cute little peanut in my belly including the heartbeat which was amazing. I got some lab results back today and everything looks normal. So...now what? I have no idea what I'm doing!! ha ha Guess that's just how it goes I guess. But we're so happy, I can't wipe the smile off my face. I'm so so thankful. Can't wait for March, Baby Miles!

Fun on the 4th

2011-07-13T17:42:00.001-07:00

For the 4th of July weekend, we had BBQ at Che's Aunt's house. We had hotdogs and burgers and sat around the fire making smores. Gotta love summer

Yum

smores!

We made the Miles famous salsa for the Miles family 4th of July BBQ

On Sunday, some of my family went up to my Grandparent's cabin in Ashton. We played games all night and had a blast!

The next morning we all went to the Ashton parade which is the best parade ever!! It's about 25 minutes long, but they turn around and come back so it's about 50 min to an hour. They throw out so much candy though! Here's Grandpa running for some candy ha ha.

They even handed out chocolate milk! How cute are my grandparents? I love them sooo much!

Look at these adorable Shetland ponies

Look at all that candy!

My grandparent's cabin. LOOOOVE this place. I could live here

Me and Mom

Later that night, I hung out with my little brother, Adam and my mom. We didn't buy any fireworks, but we found some old ones at my mom's house to light. (We did however buy these "Snakes." because we only had a dollar on us ha ha)

Adam and I had a little too much fun

This is what we call our "Band" picture

Adam and I had tank wars later that night and lit all of the other old fireworks. I think they were a few years old actually ha ha

I got this awesome shot of Adam just about to throw the crackling ball after I lit it.

Our fireworks may have been lame, but we had a blast!!! Hope you all enjoyed your 4th of July as well!!

Our Honeymoon... 3 Years Later

2011-06-23T19:33:00.001-07:00

Last month Che and I FINALLY took our honeymoon! We went on an Eastern Caribbean Cruise and had the time of our lives. I could have stayed there forever!! I took about 700 pictures on this trip so here is just a small taste of the fun we had. Some of them aren't really in order so I will do my best to let you know what's what. Enjoy!

Our room on the ship. The bed was sooo incredibly comfortable. I slept like a rock every night.

My Carnival Cup. We got a bottomless beverage card and then they gave me this. I dranks a lot of Diet Coke ha ha.

Watching the other Carnival cruiseline leave. It's amazing how huge these ships are!

We were greeted with a different towel animal every night. Puts a smile on your face doesn't it?

Che reading up on all the fun things to do!

We sat at this table every night for dinner at the Silver Olympian (table 572). The food was to die for and every meal was an amazing experience. That never got old. The servers and cruise directors even entertained us throughout dinner. This is Che and I on formal night.

And I can't forget these two amazing people, Josh and Rachel Austin from North Carolina. These guys were our dinner partners throughout the cruise. The servers brought Che and I this cake with a candle and sang, "Happy Honeymoon to You!!" It was so hilarious and fun. We weren't sure how they new it was our honeymoon. And then they turned around and did the same thing to Josh and Rachel. They were also on their honeymoon. So fun!

Amazing sunsets

Isn't this gorgeous?

Cozumel, Mexico (our first stop). I absolutely loved this sign because I love this movie ha ha

Puerta Maya, Mexico

Some Mayan ruins

Che and I went on a Jeep Tour in Cozumel and our group stopped at this cute place on the beach. We had the most amazing tacos.

We enjoyed movie night on our cruise. They played the best movies too! Despicable Me and Tangled were my favorites tha they played. They even popped popcorn for us.

We went to a few shows while we were there and learned we could bring eat in there. They have these little table on every seat so Che and I would eat our dinner and then go grab more dessert and take it to the shows.

Che and I with our "Funtimes" Pamphlet. This thing was so awesome because it told us all the great things that were going on that day.

Monkey towel!! My favorite one!

Che and I at the Comedy Club

Our second stop was Grand Cayman (my favorite stop), and we went to Hell

This is Hell

We also got to visit a turtle farm. This was so awesome. I got to hold these wonderful turtles. They were sooo cute!

Che and his humongo turtle

We went to Stingray City and got to swim with them. This is me holding HUGE one. They are so slimey but awesome.

Carnival Liberty, our wonderful cruiseliner

We also went snorkeling in Cozumel, Mexico. Sooo fun! I am so glad I finally got the chance to do all of these amazing things. The water was so clear and beautiful.

Che driving our jeep on the jeep tour in Mexico

Our feet on the amazing Mexico beaches.

We climbed to the top of a lighthouse on our jeep tour in Mexico. The view was breathtaking. This is Che and I at the top.

Second formal night. We were so grateful to have met Josh and Rachel. They were around our age and were the funnest people! We actually booked our Grand Cayman excursion together by accident. We hung out with them so much on our cruise. Saw a couple shows, ate dinner every night, and spent the day in Grand Cayman together. We love you guys!!

Just a taste of what we ate at dinner...can you say amazing?

They had like 4 of these selfserve icecream machines on the ship and they were addicting!!! We would always grab one if we were nearby. We even had some for breakfast ha ha!

Che and I on the beach of Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We witnessed the murder of a crab here. You'll have to ask me the story sometime. It's too gruesome to publicly share on my blog. Dumb kid, I hate you!

Dunn River Falls in Ocho Rios.

We ate a cute place in Jamaica and had their famous Jerk Chicken and Jerk Sauce!

Did a little shopping. Grand Cayman was the best for shopping. I got the cutest pair of sandals!

Ocho Rios

Swimming. The water was sooo warm!

Enjoying a moonlight stroll on the ship.

Thank you to my amazing husband who took me on this fabulous honeymoon. We had the time of our lives, I can't wait to do it again. Cruisin' is the way to travel, let me tell ya. I love you Che! I will always remember this wonderful vacation with the love of my life. Hope you enjoyed the pics!

A Little Bit of Spring 2011

2011-06-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

Well everyone, we just got our new computer put together today and I'm a happy camper!! Thanks to Pete for helping us build it. It's sooo nice and I couldn't wait to post! Well it's been a while and I never got the chance to post my Spring pics. So here is just a little taste of what we did in the Spring...

I made these little brownie nests for Easter Sunday at my parents

Brycen, Grandma, and Great Grandma (according to Brycen). Don't you just love Great Grandma's animated face? I love it!

Brycen and Amy on Easter Sunday

Che's mom and dad got another puppy. Her name is Addie and she is so sweet! They actually just got another as well but I can't remember the name.

For Mother's Day, my mom got a new laptop!! Woo hoo go Mom!! And all of us kids got her a new camera. You deserve it, Mom! I'm officially going to wish my mom and mother-in-law a Happy Mother's Day! Even though it was a while ago, I forgot to do a shout out on my blog, so there ya go! I love you both so much!

Amy and Adam both had birthdays in the month of May. Amy and Brycen blowing out her candles. Sorry Ad, I didn't get any pics of you on your birthday! Happy birthday guys, we love you!

Fun Spring tulips by my front porch :)

And I can't forget our Spring concert for the Choralaires! Temala, Steph, and I all had solos for the concert. It was a patriotic theme and it turned out really great.

So that was my Spring in a few pictures!! I'm so glad to have a computer that works. I guess it's better late than never when posting right? Next post, I will have some pics from Che and I's honeymoon. But I'm not going to put many so you'll have to go check out my Facebook for the rest of them!!

New Computer!!

2011-06-16T17:34:00.001-07:00

Che officially ordered all of our stuff for a new computer last night. I'm thinking maybe next week I will be able to catch up on this blog. This darn computer has given me such a headache! Anyway, we are ready to start over with this thing and we're pretty excited. I think I'm even more excited to post! I just want to thank our friend, Pete for helping us out!! (The pic of this computer is not the actual one by the way. We will be buying a tv for our monitor!!)

Oh P.S...we got our Harry Potter tickets!! Woo hoo!

Coming Soon...

2011-06-05T16:12:00.000-07:00

Well, still no new computer yet so it will be a little bit until I can get updated on my blog. I got spring and a whole vacation to blog!! Che and I had an AMAZING cruise, we didn't ever want to leave. Now, we're just sad to be back to reality. Not excited to be back at work, but the weather, however, is looking up. There's nothing else I can really tell you except, we are still alive and hopefully getting a new computer SOON. Can't believe it's already June! And you know what that means? Only weeks closer to Harry Potter! Ahh c'mon, you knew I had to say SOMETHING about HP!!

Technical Difficulties

2011-05-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

So, I have a million things to post on this blog, but I'm not able to upload any of my pictures to my computer. I have no idea what the problem is, but it's driving me crazy!!! I still need to post Easter, Mother's Day, and birthdays! So by the time we get this all fixed, I'll probably be doing one HUGE post ha ha. But for now, this post is going to be my last for a couple weeks, because Che and I leave for our cruise this Thursday. So until then...

BON VOYAGE!!

Brycen Turns One

2011-05-03T20:52:00.000-07:00

On April 5th, my adorable little nephew turned 1 years old! And on April 8th, somewhere in Idaho Falls, a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party began...

...at The Millers! Best party I've ever been too. Alli had Mickey Mouse Clubhouse playing on the tv, we had "Hot Diggity Dogs" for dinner (hotdogs obviously), she made cute party favors for the little ones, and her and I made some fun Mickey Mouse cupcakes! It was one big Mickey party!!

Check out that present table! Brycen has a lot of family that loves to spoil him!

He was happy happy happy the WHOLE time! He just soaked it all in.

He opened presents...

...and of course ate cake. A cupcake that is.

Happy Birthday, Buddy!!! Your Uncle Che' and Aunt Am LOVE you so much and we want you to know that you are a very special part in our lives. And stop growing up so fast! Happy 1st Birthday, Brycen! Oh, and we're so glad you love "Moosh" so much! (Moosh is the pillow pet we got him).

Harry Potter Day

2011-04-29T20:33:00.000-07:00

FYI...Harry Potter Day is this coming Monday!!! Jump on to Facebook, look up "Harry Potter Day" and attend the event! You can be at home, work, school, or anywhere, to show your support. Just make sure you atleast shout out random spells at people. Oh, and as soon as you "attend" this wonderful event, click on the link located on their fb page to be sorted in to your house. It's going to be awesome.

Priorities

2011-04-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, our computer crashed. It was so awful! I freaked out because there is a lot on this thing that I just can't lose! Many many pictures, documents, files, etc and of course all our music. It's a scary thing to have that happen but luckily they were able to retrieve it all.

Now, even though I freaked out that my computer crashed, it was actually really nice not having it for a week. Yeah, there were important things I needed to do on it, but I enjoyed my time away. The only thing I missed was my blog. I know that if our computer crashed and we couldn't save anything, my blog would have still been there. But, I was so grateful still that I had printed it already knowing that all my thoughts and pics were lying safely in a book in my living room. It felt good knowing that the only thing I missed about my computer was my "online journal." It definitely made me feel like I was on the right track and that I had my priorities in order. So after my computer-free week, I had one final thought that entered my mind from this year's April conference...

"Let us remember: Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. In addition, it is our actions and our desires that cause us to become something." M. Russell Ballard

This talk really hit me like a ton of bricks. This is what I learned... figure out what your priorities are and execute them 100%! Don't let the "want" get in the way of what's more important. I've realized my priorites and I'm going to stick to them. And if you can't figure out what yours are, a good place to start would be thinking of others first before yourself. Because like he states above, "It is our actions and our desires that cause us to become something." So I guess they better be the right ones!

Spring Fever

2011-04-06T18:47:00.000-07:00

Oh boy, do I have SPRING FEVER!!

The past couple of weeks have just been fabulous. My sister Alli entered me in a contest at Retreat Day Spa called "The Ultimate Makeover Giveaway," and I won! Out of all the contestants, they picked mine...and I didn't even know about it! My sister is so incredibly sweet. I just love her so much, thanks so much Alli.

The day included:

Hair cut and color

Eyebrow wax

One hour massage

Spray tan

Manicure

Pedicure

Facial

Makeup done

Recessionista and Orange Leaf gift cards

Talk about an amazing day right? It TOTALLY was. Thank you to all the wonderful people at Retreat and my amazing and sweet twin sister for entering me!!

Here is the before and after pics from that awesome day...

BEFORE AFTER! My hair is harder to see in this pic, but you can tell my makeup was done! Here is a closeup. What do ya think? I really like it!! This is considered wild for me, but I love it! McKenzie did a great job! I feel like it's sort of a "sunkissed" look and I'm totally ready for spring now! I'm also ready to go on my cruise!

So, because of this horrible fever I have, I've done a little shopping at Kohls the last couple of weeks. I seriously just can't help my Spring Fever! I just keep getting sicker and sicker ha ha. Here's a couple things I fell in love with... I seriously love the Sonoma T's at Kohls. They have them in so many fun spring colors, I bought like four of them. They are so perfect under a simple shrug (which I'm also obsessed with right now). I love LAUREN CONRAD'S line of clothing. I had to buy this shirt when I saw it. Sooo stinkin' cute yes? I don't have a picture, but a couple days later I fell in love with a black shrug in her line and had to buy it. It's my favorite item of clothing right now :) I couldn't have done this though without my Kohls 30% off coupon!! It's a MUST HAVE!

Found this adorable tree at Target. I can't get over how much I love this.

Used my 30% on this cute candy tray as well. The bright colors make me want to eat more candy!

Just HAD to buy this easter basket at Target. I don't exactly own one, so I thought it would be fun to get it and also use it as some cute decor. Plus I can't wait to use it for my YW Easter Lesson! I love all the fun colors

Did I mention how much I love Spring? The colors are the best!

Today, I found this picture at Seagull Book for half off! It was only $19.99 and I've wanted to get a picture of Christ for our family room. Isn't it beautiful?

Also at Seagull, I found this in the discount area and fell in love. I don't think I could have enough decor that says family. I can't wait to teach my Easter lesson in a couple of weeks. If anyone wants any ideas for their Easter lesson, be sure and go to my new blog, Love Your Callings. It's a blog for tips and ideas in the Young Women's. But a lot of these ideas are great for any lesson! Come check it out!

Hopefullly this weather will shape up soon...I can't help my Spring Fever!

Happy Spring everyone!!

I Smiled Big Today

2011-03-31T21:46:00.000-07:00

The weekend is finally here!!

Lunch tomorrow with my buddy, Ash

Movie night with Che'

Wonderful conference weekend

Watch "Tangled" with the girls

Did you know that Brycen turns one in like 5 days?!

Oh yeah, and 50 more days until our cruise!!

All I can do today... is SMILE BIG

"Love Your Callings" Blog

2011-03-29T14:13:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone!! Anyone out there have a calling? Well I have two! Beehive Advisor and Assistant Camp Director...yeah, it's a little crazy. That's why I decided to start my new blog called, "Love Your Callings." This blog is simply for sharing ideas and getting creative and excited about your callings. I love finding new fun ideas and want to hear feedback too! Most of my posts will probably directed towards the YW program since that is my calling, but don't worry, I will throw out a variety of ideas for different callings too!! You'll find my link in the upper right corner of my blog. Or go here. It's still a working progress, but I'm so excited! I LOVE my calling

Girls Weekend

2011-03-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to my grandparents cabin and had a girls weekend!! I was so excited to go, the week just couldn't have gone by fast enough. The partiers included: Myself, Mom, Grandma, Alli, Britney, and Amy. We got to Ashton Friday Morning and then left Saturday afternoon and we sure did party!!

This is what we saw when we pulled into the driveway. Look at all that snow!!

Amy standing on the railing. She could just fall back and land softly in the snow. That's how high it was. Looked like 6 feet!

Had to take a picture of beautiful Fall River. We saw a few deer just hangin' out down by the river bank. Such a beautiful place.

We did A LOT of this.

More snow!! This is the deck in the backyard.

Snow covering the shop...can you see the door? It's to the right of the window :)

Grandma rolling up her sleeves getting ready for some serious partying.

We had lots of yummy treats at the cabin including a veggie tray, which obviously Alli loved ha ha!! I think she got a little too much ranch on that little peapod.

Snacking after dinner. Sorry this picture is dark

Alli brought her amazing white chocolate krispies, and she put Easter M&M's in them. Nothing like Easter candy to make a treat even better! I honestly can't remember the actual name of these treats, but Che' calls them "Heaven."

More treats!

Mom and Alli doing the dishes after yummy a Chicken and Rice Soup dinner.

Ripple!!! My new favorite game. I kind of want to start a Ripple night once a month. I love cards!

Grandma just got a negative 20! (That's a good thing). You want to get the least amount of points possible. Can you see her excitement?!

We had so much fun at the cabin I just want to do it every weekend!! Thanks girls for all the fun!

Oh and did I mention I finally got my blog printed for the last 3 years? I actually deleted quite a few random posts and look how thick it still is! I'm so happy to have it done!

Also...I just want to shout out to my twin sister, Alli, a huge THANK YOU! She nominated me for Retreat Day Spa's Ultimate Makeover Giveaway and I won!! I can't thank her enough and I'm so excited to be pampered! For someone to take the time to write up an email and send it in about someone else is seriously the sweetest and most thoughtful thing ever. Alli, I love you so much! I can't thank you enough. I hope you know how happy this made me!

101 Friends

2011-03-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Bloggers: I never would have thought that after creating a blog I would eventually have 101 blog friends/family. And I love reading each one!! I love all my blogger buddies!! Thanks for bringing me so much joy through blogging! It makes me so happy that I can keep in touch with all of you. I hope we can all continue to share our lives and ideas with one another. I get a lot of my creativity and ideas from all of you and I have become a better person through blogging and learning new things. Thanks so much! You all hold a special place in my heart!

Love, Amber

Happy

2011-03-07T10:38:00.001-08:00

I really wanted to do a post on how I've been feeling lately. Mostly for "journal" purposes, since that is mostly what my blog is. This last year was super hard and we had lots of struggles, but I've moved on and tried to stay positive about things. Well it's 2011, and although I've stayed super busy and kind of crazy, I am now finally feeling very happy. I've always been happy, but this is a different kind. Any of my close friends and family members will know what I mean.

Well work hasn't changed much and honestly, I don't really enjoy either of my jobs that much, but I kind of just block it out when I'm there. Instead, I think about the weekend and all the fun things coming up...and that makes me happy.

I'm always trying to lose weight. It's seriously my biggest struggle. But, just recently I've lost 15 pounds and it feels great! I have much more to lose, but I think I can do it. I want to lose a lot more, but my goal is to lose 20 more pounds before our honeymoon. 15 pounds is a big number! And that makes me happy!

Speaking of honeymoon...Che and I finally booked it, as I mentioned in my last post. I think this has helped with my weight loss motivation. I still can't believe we're actually going. I can't wait to spend this time with Che. We've needed a trip like this for soooo long. It makes me so happy to know that in 2 months, we'll be on a Carribbean Cruise soaking up that wonderful sun...and that makes me sooo happy.

I can't believe I would feel this happy being an Aunt. I love it so much! I have the best nephew ever and another niece or nephew on the way! I secretly am hoping it's a niece :). I feel so blessed to be have Brycen in my life. And I can't wait for the newest addition in 6 months! It makes me so happy!

I know one day I will have a family of my own and I can't help but wonder all the time... What are my kids going to look like? Will they share the same personalities as their parents? How big will our family be? So many questions and so much excitement. These thoughts are constantly on my mind and continue to make excited for the future. But for now, Che and I love each other more than we did the day we were married and we love our life so much...and that makes me happy.

Yesterday was Fast Sunday and I bore my testimony for the first time in Sacrament Meeting in probably 7 years. I know, it sounds absolutely awful. I have done it in Relief Society, Young Women's, and other places but it's been so long since I've shared it in Sacrament Meeting. It was such an amazing feeling. As I listened to the other testimonies I started to become so emotional. All of the sudden I had the urge to share. I felt like I was physically lifted up out of my chair and Che didn't even touch me. I knew I needed to go up there and I did. I cried the whole time. I am so happy that I was given the callings that I have. Even though, I can become so overwhelmed at times with everything else going on, I wouldn't ask for anything different. I can't really describe how I felt up there any other way. It was kind of a "Ah ha" moment. The spirit was with me so strong that day...and oh did it make me happy.

After booking our trip, I felt like I needed a little change...physically. I've been working on the weight loss part, but I felt like I wanted to change my hair. So I went in to Great Clips where my sister Amy works, and she cut away at my hair. She cut a couple inches off, layered it more, and I even got bangs. I really like it! And you know what else?

I'm Happy

A Weekend of Bliss

2011-02-28T15:18:00.000-08:00

It's weekends like these that really make me thankful I'm alive. Everything that we did this weekend was pure bliss. Nothing could have ruined it. I know I'm sounding cheesy, and when you read what we did you'll probably be like, "Oh that's it?" Well, it's those little things that really shape a person and bring them the most happiness...and that's exactly what this weekend did for me.

FRIDAY

Che and I both had the day off from work (this rarely happens), so we set off on our little Friday adventure. First stop: Lunch date at Carinos. Delicious as always and 50% off. Can't go wrong with that! Next, Che and I did quite a bit of grocery shopping considering we had nothing in our cupboards or fridge. It was so nice to be able to spend the day with Che. When you're not used to spending a week day together, it means so much more. Almost like you're being a little rebellious ha ha. After shopping, we of course, snagged up some Orange Leaf, took it home, and put it in the freezer for our date night later. After putting away our groceries, we went to the gym together and worked out. That's right, date night at the gym. The day seemed to go by super fast, but it was awesome. Later that night, we watched a movie and ate our heavenly Orange Leaf. When you get Orange Leaf it's always a perfect day!

SATURDAY

I was so happy that Che and I got to spend the day together Friday, because the next day, Che was going to Utah with his dad. But bright and early, I needed to be at the temple because my extended family was having a Family Temple Day. This was the first time I had ever done a family temple day with my extended family. And I got to say, it was one of the best experiences of my life. My Aunt Trina did some family research on the names that we would do. We were split up to do baptisms, sealings, etc and it was the neatest experience. I got to watch my cousins baptize each other, I was able to be confirmed by my Uncles, and doing this together was just a wonderful experience. My extended family also has FHE once a month together...that's a lot of people. I feel so lucky that we are so close and have such a great love for each other. I can't wait to be able to do another Family Temple Day in the future.

This isn't even all of my family. It's the latest picture we have all together and we're missing quite a bunch. I love them so much and can't believe how lucky we are to have each other.

Doing temple work that day really was amazing. I always feel guilty when I don't get to the temple enough. And every time I go, I don't want to leave. The spirit I feel is unbelieveable and my heart is so full. My day is better and life is just better. What an amazing sight to look at, don't you think? I feel so blessed to be able to go here with family.

After the temple, Alli, my mom, and I grabbed a bite at Bajio. The reason being, Bajio is going to close in a few days! So sad. :( We are getting Costa Vida however, but I will surely miss the Shrimp Salad and Shrimp Tacos there.

Guess what else made this weekend amazing? Yeah that's right...we are finally taking our honeymoon!! Saturday we got our cruise booked! We are going on a 7 day Caribbean Cruise in a few months and we're so excited! Che and I are sooo ready to spend some time together. Now I just wish it would get here faster!

SUNDAY

Sunday, we celebrated my Mother-In-Law, Nari's birthday. Her birthday was actually in December, but it's tradition that we do it in January or February. The meal that we have is a lot of work, so they move it until after the holidays. We have a big seafood dinner with crab, lobster, shrimp scampi, cajun shrimp, pasta, garlic bread, salad, and of course dessert. It's AMAZING.

I'm starting to get better at cracking these things open, but man it hurts my hands!

My Father-In-Law, Reed demonstrating that crab legs are good for other things too! ha ha

Check out the pincers on this guy. Creepy! Looks like human teeth!

Tink

Max and Jag. Che's parents have 3 dogs who are just big, cute, and cuddly.

For Nari's birthday, we got her a music stand for her music. Reed got her a harp for her birthday. She's always wanted to play the harp, and it's so pretty!

I loved this quote. It's so Nari and so true!

After dinner, we played the Wii game, "Just Dance 2." I've never played the first one, so I tried it and it was a workout! It was actually kind of hard, but I had a blast playing it. You had to copy what the dance on the screen was doing for points. Che quit pretty fast. He said,"No way! I'm not doing that move!" ha ha

Jerron and Nari playing

After the game, we had dessert. Now this looks like the original BTS cake, but it's not. It's a different version and I swear it's BETTER. Instead of german chocolate cake, do white cake. Be sure it's butterscotch or a maple caramel inside, and the topping is a streusel (little butter, brown sugar, and nuts). Not even kidding, it's better than the other one.

It was such a great weekend full of lots of family and fun. And guess what else I accomplished? I ordered my blog book! 3 years worth! It feels so good to have that done. Thanks to everyone who made my weekend one of the best I've ever had. I can't wait to hit the beach with the love of my life!

February

2011-02-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

February has been so busy, I haven't really gotten the chance to post much. I had a lot of YW's stuff go on and then work on top of it...ugh. But now, I feel like I can actually take a breath! Here's just a little of my February...

For Valentine's Day, Che and I just went to dinner to celebrate. We weren't supposed to get each other anything but of course, he had to get me my favorite flowers. Thanks valentine, I love you!

I actually had 2 valentine's this year :) Love you buddy! (Picture by Alli)

My dad's birthday was on February 2nd and we had a party at their house. It was so much fun! It's also a tradition to find the funniest card possible for my dad. He LOVES funny cards as you can tell, and every year we try super hard to find the best card for him.

Alli made these cute little bundt cakes for dessert. They were so tasty!
Make a wish!

Brit and Brycen

Dad, you are so amazing and feel so blessed to have such a great example for a Father. I don't know how I would ever get through life without you. Your family loves you so much and think you are just the absolute best. Thanks for everything Dadio. I love you! Happy Birthday!

New Beginnings was also a great success this month. Tons of work, but it turned out great. We've got a great group of girls. Now onto Camp Clinics!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day and enjoyed the month of February. Only two days left until March!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-13T11:40:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I was doing a count"down" and I kind of counted"up," whoops. Pretend that I counted down and today is the #1 day ha ha, thanks.

Happy Valentine's Day to the #1 thing that I Love...

Che'

Hello my valentine, I love you more than anything in this whole world. I can't think of anyone better to spend the rest of my life with. I can't wait for all the more wonderful memories to come. Thank you for being the person that you are and always believing in me. You are my everything! I love you so much, Che. Happy Valentine's Day

Love, Amber

Day 10: The Temple

2011-02-12T08:36:00.000-08:00

Day 10: I Love...

The Temple

Knowing that I will forever be with my family is the best feeling in the world. What a magnificent gift that we have been given. I couldn't feel more blessed.

Day 9: My Best Friend

2011-02-11T21:24:00.000-08:00

Day 9: I Love...

My Best Friend: Alli

Can't really express in words how much I love this person. We've been attached at the hip our whole lives and I couldn't ask for a better other half. I feel so blessed to have the relationship we do. Alli, I love you so much and want you to know that you mean so so much to me. Frankly, I'm not sure what I would do without you. Thanks for always being there for me. I love you so much!

Day 8: Movies

2011-02-10T20:21:00.000-08:00

Day 8: I Love...

"Let's go to the MOVIES, let's go see the stars"

Ok, I know what you're all thinking. I've gone on about all these wonderful things I love and how much they make me happy. Choir, family, my calling, the gospel, and...movies? I know, it sounds kind of off from all the other things I listed. Well, turn out, movies actually make me really happy.

When Che' and I met, we were both really into movies. Any and every movie in the world we would want to see. We would have movie nights where we would sometimes watch three in a row. I mean if it's a trilogy you have to right?

Che and I have been married for over 3 years now, and movies are something that really bring us closer together because we both share the same love for them. I am so into movies that I even watch every award show every year (The Academy Awards are on the 27th FYI).

I love to laugh, smile, cry, scream, and get absolutely 100% involved in a movie. It's the best! You just can't beat the feeling of popping a bag of popcorn, getting into my PJ's, and cuddling up with my husband. I sort of wish that I was a movie critic for a living...that would be awesome.

So that is why I picked "Movies" as the #8 thing that I love. Yes, they are that important.

Day 7: Choir

2011-02-09T17:21:00.000-08:00

Day 7: I Love...

Choir

I can't really say much about this subject, because throughout my posts I've pretty much said everything. Choir has been a huge part of my life and still is today. I'm currently singing in Choralaires and I'm really enjoying it. It's not like the experience I had in high school, but it will do. I'm singing and that's what matters.

Day 6: Family

2011-02-08T17:40:00.000-08:00

Day 6: I Love...

Family

What can I say? I have the best family in the whole world...and that's all I'm going to say about that.

Day 5: My Calling

2011-02-08T11:30:00.000-08:00

Day 5: I Love...

My Calling

When we first moved into our ward, we had a hard time. I don't know if you've ever had that feeling where you just don't care about your ward and you would rather stay home, but I have! It's always hard to move to a new ward and start over.

Months after we joined this ward, we started to serve in the Nursery. Yeah, not really my favorite calling. In fact, I think it made us inactive ha ha. Well, we fulfilled our calling trying to have a good attitude when soon they asked me to be Assistant Camp Director in the Young Women's. I was confused. I thought I had to be a YW Leader in order to have a camp calling...but, I was wrong.

So I had my new calling, in addition to the nursery. "It's just camp, I can do this." I think I was more nervous than excited. This would be the first time for me even meeting some of these girls. I was terrified. Well, after the first day of camp, everyone wanted to hang out with me. Can you believe that? I guess I'm funner than I thought I was ha ha.

Months later, the bishop came over to my house and asked me to serve in YW's as a Beehive Advisor. I was shocked! I asked him, "Are you sure I'm qualified enough to teach young adults? I'm 26." He just laughed at me. I of course said yes, but developed the worst anxiety I've ever had. I had to teach almost every Sunday and it scares me to teach. Those 12 year olds are intimidating! Che had to deal with my anxiety every Sunday for a couple months until it wasn't an issue anymore...poor Che. I feel very comfortable teaching now and it feels so good.

Throughout this calling, I've learned a lot about myself. My creativity has reached knew levels and these girls teach me a lot. We have a lot of fun and I have an amazing partner. I am so grateful to have recieved this calling. This is MY calling. I love it so much; I couldn't ask for a better one. Heavenly Father called me to this and now I know why. It has without a question, changed my life for the better. It changed my attitude towards church and now I couldn't ask for a better ward. Callings really do make a difference on your church experience. This calling is so incredibly busy, and takes up a lot of time during my week, but it's so worth it. I am currently still Assistant Camp Director as well as a Beehive Advisor, so it's going to get busier and crazier! I know I can handle it though, that's one of the things I learned about myself. I can't believe how blessed I am.

Day 4: Girls Nights

2011-02-07T08:33:00.000-08:00

Day 4: I love...

Girls Nights

This last Saturday night, my mom, Alli, Amy, Britney, and I planned a girls night and it was so much fun! Gosh, I wish we would have gotten picture happy. I didn't take one!

We started with going to dinner at Carinos and followed that with a trip to my favorite place, Orange Leaf! It was so delicious, as always. Afterwards, we went back to my house and played some Phase 10, watched a movie, and shared a lot of laughs. This has only been one of many girls nights that we've had and I really look forward to them.

Whether it's just dinner, dessert, sitting and talking, craft day, baking, I don't care as long as we're hanging out together. We had so much fun Saturday, I was so sad when it was over. But it's ok, we've already planned a girls day in March! I love you guys so much! I don't know how I would function without you. There's nothing like a little "girl time" to really make your day.

Day 3: The Gospel

2011-02-05T10:31:00.000-08:00

Day 3: I Love...

The Gospel

What a huge blessing it is to have the gospel in my life. I am so thankful for my parents who raised me with a knowledge of the importance of it. It has been the foundation of my life leading me back to correct paths and happiness. I'm so thankful for the trials that come to me so that I may be a stronger person. I'm grateful for my Savior who made it possible for us to live again. He helps me through everything and I know he's always there when I need Him most. I've been blessed with so many things, that I often feel guilty when I go through trials and selfishly ask myself, "Why me?" I often don't ask for help when I need it most. I've realized that I AM deserving of help and that it's ok to keep asking. I am so thankful for that gift of prayer. I am grateful that I was able to find my eternal companion and marry him in God's house. I am so full of joy knowing that families can be together forever. Knowing what I know about the gospel...life couldn't be more wonderful.

Day 2: Blogging

2011-02-04T16:31:00.000-08:00

Day 2: I Love...

Blogging

Blogging has actually changed my life, believe it or not. My sister, Alli got me into blogging, and as I've continued over the past 3 years, it has taught me a lot about myself.

I've learned that I absolutely love crafts. Now, that's all I want to do! It makes me so happy! I've learned that blogging is like an online journal, which in turn means, that I have written in my journal atleast once a week for the past 3 years. And now, I have the opportunity to print it so my children can read it! From blogging, I have kept in close contact with my closest friends and have learned much about them. I have even become closer friends with these people because of blogging. I've learned that this is sort of a hobby for me, and that I honestly and truly ENJOY it. Everything about a "Blog" I love.

I've learned so many things from others such as: New recipes, crafts, how to sew, good thoughts, being thankful for what I have, tips on being a mother (even thought I'm not a mom, it's helpful), service, and much more.

Blogging has made me a better person. I feel like the opportunites come to me through blogs. My friend Angie is doing a service project in honor of her son, and it makes me so happy that I have her blog to know what's going on in her life. And that is an opportunity for me to give service. Not just for them, but for me. I've learned that I feel the best when I'm giving to others.

I could go on about this, but I think I got my point across. I think everyone should blog. It's helped me through so much, especially this last year. I hope this doesn't sound cheesy, but hey it's the truth. Thanks Alli. I guess in a way, you were the one to change my life for the better.

Countdown to Valentine's Day: Day 1

2011-02-04T15:48:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I decided to do a countdown of posts. Everyday, I will post about something that I LOVE,until February 14th. I've had a lot going on in my life right now, and I feel like I really need to take a second and look around me. There are so many wonderful things in my life that make my heart so full. Why am I not focusing on the good? I realized from experience, it's really hard to stay positive 100% of the time...so I don't, and that's ok right? I'm learning that it is ok. But, in the spirit of the month of February, I want to share the things I love in honor of Valentine's Day...for me.

Day 1: I Love...

Date Night

There's nothing better than a date night with the love of your life. Time spent together only brings you that much closer and that much happier. Che and I watch an obscene amount of movies...it's just what we do. So date night really does bring us closer together. Especially when we do things we both love. I hope that in the future, we will still focus on giving ourselves date nights and making it a priority. Now, I just hope that one of our date nights will soon turn into a week's vacation called "Our first honeymoon." Talk about your perfect date right?

"Calling All Angels" 2

2011-02-02T17:46:00.000-08:00

I love these two people, they are so amazing. What a wonderful way to honor their son Jayden. There's nothing like a wonderful act of service. Let's all try and donate! And remember to post the video to your blog and Facebook...and anywhere else you can think of. We love you Neal and Angie!

Rock Candy

2011-01-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

My friend Stephanie posted this way cute Valentine idea on Facebook called, "Rock Candy." Is it not the cutest Ipod you've ever seen? I decided it would be fun to make these for my Beehives for Valentine's Day. As you can see in the picture, I used designed valentine paper instead of a solid colored paper and I changed the playlist to LDS Hymns. They are so creative and so easy to do! I Think the girls will love them. You're never to old for valentines! Thanks for posting Steph!

If you'd like to make your own Rock Candy go here!

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/rock-candy-675037/

Had to post a picture of my sweet nephew, Brycen, because he's too cute not to post.

Temple Blocks

2011-01-25T20:00:00.000-08:00

Tonight for mutual we made temple blocks. I was so excited to make mine, because I've been meaning to do something like this for awhile and just haven't gotten around to it. All you need is a block, a picture, sandpaper, paint, mod podge, and ribbon. Simple as that!! I like to sand mine quite a bit to really give it that rustic look. The leaders got the pictures that said "Families are Forever," while the girl's pictures said "I'm Going there Someday." Isn't that so cute? Craft nights are the best!

Che and Amber Forever

2011-01-19T19:08:00.000-08:00

Since I've been in such a Valentine's Day mood lately, I decided to change my playlist to something very special. When Che and I were dating, he made me a CD. I know huh, we totally did that stuff! I made him one too and I love mine. Anyway, I chose a few of my favorite songs from this CD he made me and put them on my new blog playlist, titled "Che and Amber Forever." Totally cheesy right? I love it. If you listen to the playlist I think you'll like it. I only put half of the songs on there, but the whole CD is awesome!! As for this video, this is the band called Ace Troubleshooter. This song was one of my favorites that Che put on my CD. It's called "Tonight," and the words speak everything about our relationship then and now. And I absolutely love all the lyrics to this song, it's so great! I used to rock out to this song when I would drive to his house because it made me so happy. You know that feeling when you really like someone and you just can't wait to see them? That's how this song made me feel. So it has so much meaning in our relationship. Anyway, this song is so unknown that the playlist website couldn't even find it, so I had to find a random You Tube video, which really isn't a video, it just plays the song. So, I just had to share some of my awesome playlist to you. The ones on this playlist are simply my favorite ones. I decided to have the "Che and Amber Forever" playlist play from now until the end of February in honor of Valentine's Day. I love you Che!

Feeling Crafty

2011-01-17T21:31:00.000-08:00

I really wanted to do a fun craft for Valentine's Day but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I found this off of my friend Holly's blog and I fell in love. It's super super easy and actually really fun. The most time consuming part was cutting out the felt circles and I just did that watching T.V in my P.J's. I loved it! Anyway, thanks Holly for posting!

Heart Felt Wreath

http://www.theidearoom.net/2010/01/felt-heart-wreath.html

New Year Word

2011-01-05T11:04:00.000-08:00

2010 was probably one of the hardest years I've ever had. Now, it's time to start the year over and only one word comes immediately to my mind. My new year word for the year 2011 is, PATIENCE

Christmas 2010

2010-12-31T12:05:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas for me is very busy. But this Christmas was especially crazy. We had so many things going on, it was hard to keep track of what was next. And somewhere in all that craziness, I still had to go Christmas shopping! Anyway, in addition to all the shopping, we had many family Christmas parties, birthday parties, work parties, church activities, and even a high school choir reunion!!

Christmas 2010...

This year we had a choir reunion and it was so much fun. We were sent the music over email so we could practice on our own. At the reunion, we practiced all together and had some good food. Here's a picture of a few great friends that we saw there. I didn't see many from my class, but there were about 100 people there. It was crazy and so much fun! Monday, we were featured in the high school's choir concert. It was a very neat experience. I can't wait for the next one! It was great to see all of you girls! I love you!

We celebrated Christmas with my family on December 19th. We had a big party with lots of great food. We played bingo, cards, and opened our presents. It was so much fun! For the first time ever we did a family Christmas toast. My dad said a few words and we toasted with Pomegranate 7up. Cheers to this wonderful holiday and to my wonderful family!

Digging in to all the Christmas treats. We had so many finger foods including fried shrimp and Tyson's famous meatballs. Everything was so good!

Look at all those yummy treats!

After we grabbed some goodies, we opened our presents. Brycen opening his Christmas present from Grandma and Grandpa

I got Brit a scarf, necklace, and earrings

Adam got a Call of Duty t-shirt. I'm sure he will wear that everytime he plays Call of Duty ha ha.

Alli got Amy some really cute clothes and some earrings

Alli got a way cute cake pan. They are shaped as Christmas trees so she can make little holiday cakes! How cute is that?

My mom got Che some tools and he LOVED them...don't let that crazy face fool ya.

Aaron got a gift card from Amy

Che got Tyson a Wendy's gift card and a shirt for work.

My dad got some Utes stuff. Go Utes!

My mom got a snuggie from Britney which she loved. She and my dad also got a very special book from Brycen. It's a photo book that they made throughout the year of everything that happened in 2010, told in Brycen's point of view. Isn't that so cute? They absolutely loved it.

We played games and had a blast!

So much fun! We had a great party with the O'Connors!

Had to take a picture of my Christmas tree for 2010. Does anyone still lay underneath their tree and look at the lights? I do!

We spent Christmas Eve into Christmas Day at Che's parents house in Blackfoot. Christmas Eve, we go to his Grandma Hernandez's house and we eat dinner and then open gifts. Che got a tripod for our camera from Uncle Jerry. I'm so excited!

Jerron got me a gift card to Maurices. I had to solve a puzzle in order to get the gift card out though. If you look closely, you can see that it's locked up in a plastic container. Took me a minute, but I got it.

Grandma Hernandez got this beautiful canvas of Jesus. I really want one for my house now.

Nari modeling her cute new hat

We decided to test out Che's new tripod on a family picture. And it worked great! I love our camera and I love our tripod!

Christmas morning we didn't even open gifts 'til about 10:30. It felt amazing to sleep in. Che and I didn't get a ton for each other this year, but his parents sure added on to that and spoiled us.

Che going through his stocking. He got Call of Duty Black Ops. Just what he wanted!

Reed and Nari got me this really cute frame. I love it so much! It's so ME

We had a great Christmas this year. Thank you to everyone in our families for making it so special. We love you guys so much! And I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday Che and Mom!

2010-12-28T16:19:00.000-08:00

Birthday Party #1: Che's parents house

Che opening his gifts

Nari and Traci cutting Che's cake

The famous chicken enchiladas. SOOOO amazing! I look forward to these every year. Don't they look divine?

Grandma Hernandez and Ethan
Me and the birthday boy

Before all the parties I gave Che his birthday present. I got him a bodybuilding.com sweatshirt and Subway gift card

Party #2: My parents house

My mom's birthday is also this month (December 17th). Because we had so many things going on this year, we combined parties and had one big birthday bash for Che and Mom together. Che and I were in charge of the dessert since my parents did dinner...Sukiyaki! Gotta keep the tradition going! We had such a great time eating amazing food, opening gifts, and visiting with family.

I thought this was a cool picture. Alli was showing me a picture she took of me and I took a picture of it. It looks really cool huh?
Tofu...my absolute favorite. I could eat 50 of these

Dad getting the Sukiyaki ready and put in the skillet

Che got lots of great stuff for his birthday. He got this Body Building Muscle T (from bodybuilding.com), in addition to a Buckle gift card from Tyson and Alli. Thanks guys, he loved that so much!

My mom got many wonderful things too. Che and I got her this candy dish from Kohls and a Kohls gift card. Isn't it so cute?

Summer sausage!! My mom got Che a long-sleeved body building T with this amazing summer sausage. Che really liked that! It was so big, he could bat with it! That whole week, I swear he only ate that sausage along with cheese and crackers ha ha

Che picked out this cake for their birthday. It's so bright and colorful...and it tasted delicious!

Great food, great company, great parties!!
Happy Birthday Mom and Che!!

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

2010-12-13T16:03:00.000-08:00

I asked many of you for addresses and didn't send out one Christmas card this year. I'm so sorry. We had something happen and it resulted in screwing up our Christmas card plan this year. So, here is our Blog Christmas Card that we would like to share with everyone!! We love all of you and hope you continue to enjoy the holiday.

I also want to give a shout out to my husband Che. Today is his birthday and he is a whopping 27 years old! Happy Birthday babe! I love you so much! MANY MANY pictures to come...

Merry Christmas!

Love Che' and Amber

Choralaires Christmas Concert

2010-12-07T21:19:00.000-08:00

Last night we had our Choralaires Christmas Concert and we had a great turn out. I love singing so I, of course, HAVE to go searching for choirs to sing in. I found out that two of my friends were doing Choralaires, so I joined almost immediately. We've had a lot of fun singing together, but I'm happy to be getting a little break for a while.

Me, Janna, and Steph
Performing at the concert

Thanks for a fun experience girls! Until next "semester!"

Brycen, the Day Brightener

2010-12-04T17:05:00.001-08:00

This little man always seems to brighten my day when I need it most. I love you Brycen Tim! Here is a few pics we took today when my mom and sister came over...

Brycen and I were looking at my Christmas tree and he was staring at a candy cane. So I took it off the tree and gave it to him. He LOVED that candy cane (and it matched his cute outfit too). It was still in the wrapper, so he didn't actually experience all the wonderful sugariness, but he still had fun playing with it. Here's Brycen and Grandma

Looks like Brycen wants me to have some too!

He's full of Christmas joy!

And I can't forget this guy who brightens my day every day. Che, I love you so much! I took this picture yesterday when Che was craving Stephens Candy Cane Hot Cocoa. Cheers!

And the Fun Begins...

2010-12-02T07:52:00.000-08:00

It is December 2nd, and I just keep looking at my calendar thinking, "Holy crap, I have a lot going on!" But it's not really crap, it's a lot of fun stuff! Here's a little bit of my exciting December schedule...

Tonight I have dress rehearsal for Choralaires. Our concert is on Monday night at 7pm by the way. It's at the Colonial Theater and it's FREE! Just in case you all wanted to know.
Saturday is Craft Day with Britney, Alli, and my cousin Coya. I'm so excited I can't wait! I love crafts so much. I'm hoping to have a girls day sometime soon and maybe watch some Christmas movies. What do ya say girls?!
Lot's of busy mutual activities on Tuesdays as well as lessons every week. I teach every Sunday now, so it gets a little crazy. But I really LOVE my calling. My sisters and I are also singing in Alli's ward on the 12th and I'm super excited. When I get to sing with my sisters in December, it always makes my Christmas that much better.
We have 2 work parties this month as well! Che's having a work party at Elk's Lodge. Prime rib baby! And hopefully we'll win something this year! My work party, we're having a potluck at my boss' house so that should be fun!!
I'm not finished!! There are 3 birthdays this month that we celebrate as well! We will be celebrating my mom's and Che's birthday together and we are going to celebrate Nari's (my Mother-In-Law) birthday in January. I know, it's crazy, so many birthdays. It's actually my Grandma's too ha ha. And I can't forget the famous birthday chicken enchiladas that we will be enjoying at Che's parents!
Choir reunion! We are having a high schoolchoir reunion this year and I'm super excited! So we will have it on a Saturday night where we'll eat and then have a rehearsal. The following Monday, we will be featured in their Christmas concert. So fun!
I also have a bridal shower for my friend Stacy. She's getting married this month and I'm so excited to see her! Shower, wedding, Christmas...I can't imagine what her and her mom are going through. BUSY BUSY!
We of course have to have a Christmas party on both sides of the family! Duh! So I'm pretty stoked for that and then Christmas of course!

I'm not going to lie, I couldn't figure out what to blog about, so I blogged about the only thing on my mind which was my schedule. I can't stop thinking about all the fun things coming up! Sorry if this post sounds kind of lame. I just had to share my excitement with everyone! So be expecting lots and lots of pictues and many more posts! I'm sure I'll see some of you this month too! Enjoy your December schedule and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Happy Thanksgiving and Farewell

2010-11-27T14:34:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving was a crazy one! Can you believe all this snow? I can't! I pretty much stayed home all week because I didn't want to die on the road ha ha. That Tuesday when the storm hit, Che got a snow day from work. He probably shoveled the drive way ten times within the next 3 days. What a way to start off your holidays right?

Here's Che excited to go shovel away!

We celebrated Thanksgiving at my grandparents house. We do this every other year with all of our family on my mom's side. It was so much fun and there's always a ton of food!

Dad talking to Uncle Blake. Brycen looks quite interested in their conversation ha ha.

Can't have Thanksgiving without pie!! Now, I have to tell you a secret...I don't like pie. I know, I know! But, I do love Marie Callendar's Dutch Apple, and that's it. See it on the very end over there with all the amazing crumbles on top? Yeah, I know, it's amazing.

Grandma's famous Honey Cookies. SOOOO good.

Mom (Grandma) and Brycen

Just a few of the cousins out of many many. Brandon and Kristen (on the right) live in Arizona, so we were so excited to that they could make it. Especially with the weather. And we haven't seen their little Ethan in so long! He is such a cutie pie. Love my cousins!

During the crazy storm week, Che and I also put up Christmas. I just love the feeling of Christmas. After we were finished, I made some hot cocoa and just sat in front of the tree. So wonderful.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, but we did have a sad day this week as well. We had to put down our sweet little kitty, Snoopy. She is 14 years old and was just getting too sick. Snoopy has been in our family for years. Growing up, we had her and Sadie (Snoopy's mom) until Sadie got killed when I was 15. One of my best friends, Ashlee, took Snoopy's sister, Socks as her pet 14 years ago. The crazy thing is that Socks recently passed away this summer at 14 years old as well. So I know Snoopy is in heaven right now very happy with her mom and sister. That makes me feel really good to know that.

At this time of year I just want to say how THANKFUL I am for my wonderful kitty. She was technically my cat when I was little, and it was very hard to have to put her down. But, I was so happy I was there to be with her and I thought I was the right person to be there holding her paw. Now she doesn't have to suffer anymore and she can be happy. It was definitely a bitter sweet Thanksgiving. The reason I picked this picture of Snoopy is because I know how happy and good she felt when she got shaved every summer. Snoopy was a very fluffy cat that would get matted really easily. Every summer we would shave her and she looked like a lion...but you could tell how happy and free she was of all that extra fur. She's our cute little lion kitty. Is she not the cutest lion you ever saw?

We miss you so much Newt! You are such a sweet kitty and everyone loves you so much! It's only goodbye for now. We love you

Today, I am Thankful For...

2010-11-24T20:56:00.000-08:00

1. My family...I have the best families in the world!
2. Not one, but two jobs!
3. Stephens Candy Cane hot cocoa.
4. Craft day with the girls.
5. A roof over my head. Especially in this ugly weather.
6. My busy, but wonderful calling in the Young Women's. It's such a huge blessing.
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Without it, my holiday would not be the same.
8. Blogging...to have a journal that I actually love to write in, is simply a blessing.
9. Choir reunions. There's nothing like recapturing some of the happiest times of my life.
10. My husband Che. He is my everything and I couldn't be the person I am without him.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Trans-siberian Orchestra

2010-11-22T08:10:00.000-08:00

November 18th, we went to the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City and witnessed once again the amazing show of the Trans-siberian Orchestra. Che's parents, Reed and Nari, his Aunt and Uncle, and ourselves all drove down together and the 2nd show was even better. These guys are so talented! If you haven't been to a concert yet, go and see it! It's basically Christmas rock and it is awesome! It's so loud and the lights always take my breath away. At one point in the evening it even snowed inside! That was my favorite effect. It really put us in the Christmas mood. It was so fun going with family. We had a blast! Thanks Reed and Nari for the tickets, we loved it!

Reed and Nari

Aunt Traci and Uncle Jerry

Che and I

Laser lights!

They had lots of cool stage effects

Doesn't it look like a Christmas tree? I love it!

This is the biggest light show I've ever seen! They had EVERYTHING. Lots of laser lights, snow, and the stage even moved. The whole thing blew my mind!

This is Angus Clark. He is my favorite guitarist of the group. I love the way he entertains. He smiles a lot and has so much fun. And I think he's cute with his long blonde hair. :)

We love Trans-siberian Orchestra! What a perfect way to start off the holidays! Thanks again Reed and Nari! We love you!

Thankful Thursday

2010-11-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for Harry Potter...9 more days

The End

In This Town, We Call Home, Everyone Hail to the Pumpkin Song!

2010-10-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

BEWARE: long post...lot's of pictures (with my new camera) ;)

Yes, I indeed live by the words of "The Nightmare Before Christmas." You probably think I'm crazy for loving Halloween so much, but I don't care! It makes me so happy! My October has been quite eventful I must say. Considering how much I love this month, it wasn't the most enjoyable in the first few weeks. Believe it or not, I've had quite the bad luck since the 1st of October. Tis the season for black cats and broken mirrors I guess, right? Here's just a few of the unlucky things that happened this month...

1. I ended up losing out on about $150 from Inches-A-Weigh (long story), and was the worst start to the month of October. A lot of stress and crying over this...such a pain!

2. I was sick for almost 2 weeks with the flu, sinus infection, and aching joints, yuck. I was also sick during my birthday week, so I didn't really get to enjoy it to the fullest. I was miserable! I haven't been that sick in a long time. Violent shakes, puking, and the worst headaches I've ever had. The only perk was that I watched a lot of horror movies :)
3. Was a human pin cushion...got lot's of blood work again, including a Flu and TDAP vaccinne. Oh the joy. You know the weird thing about this though? Saying "thank you." Do you ever notice if you say thank you after getting your blood drawn or a shot? It's not fun at all yet you continue to be polite. "Thank you for shooting me with a needle! Have a great day!" Just sayin.
4. Missed out on money opportunites from being sick. I had a party at Carinos that requested me, which was an easy $100 and I couldn't make it because I was so sick. I also missed a couple days at Mountain View which really set us back. Ahh!!

I seriously thought that nothing would ever go right after those miserable weeks. But, of course it can! It's Halloween! It's tied at #1 as my favorite holiday of all time! So how could I NOT enjoy atleast some of the month of October, right? With that said, here is my list of TEN things that made the rest of the month of October super duper awesome!

1. Went to Frightmares with all my siblings. SOO much fun! We rode tons of rides, had fun with all the Halloween characters walking around, and watched a show. WICKED was my favorite ride there! First time I ever rode it and I loved it! I wished I could have ridden that 100 times. That's probably what made me sick now that I think about it ha ha. Plus it was a little chilly, so I wouldn't doubt it, if that's when it started.

2. Watched 34 Horror movies in the Month of October...a new record for me! No really, I'm not kidding. Ask anyone in my family, it's no surprise to them. Horror movies are the highlight of my October. AMC's Fearfest rocks my socks.

3. Had a great birthday even though I was sick. Got so many great things from family and I couldn't ask for a better person to share my birthday with. Thanks guys! I love you all!

4. Put up my Halloween decorations!

5. Purchased my Harry Potter tickets! I can't even begin to describe the joy I am feeling...so I'm not going to. Let's just leave it at that.

6. Had a Halloween party with my siblings. Every year, all my siblings have a Halloween party and we just take turns at different houses. This year we celebrated on Friday, and it was at Aaron and Britney's. We had so many fun things this year. Britney made cider and the best eyeballs I've ever tasted. Alli made some really cute witch hats and some spinach dip. And I made Jack Skellington cupcakes and brought a veggie tray. So yummy!! We had a great time! We carved pumpkins, played Horror movie trivia (which I got 100% ha ha), and watched Tremors. Awesome party guys!

Amy was Lady Gaga for Halloween, so she wanted to show us her glasses. I saw a picture of her whole outfit that weekend and it was awesome ha ha. Loved the blonde wig Aim.

7. Made Jack Skellington cupcakes and painted a Jack Skellington Pumpkin at mutual. I was quite proud of them. Especially the pumpkin.

8. Got an early Christmas/Birthday present from my In-Laws...a new camera! Thanks so much you guys, that was the sweetest gift. We love it so much!

9. Girls day with my sisters and my mom!! Went to Rexburg to do a little shopping, lunch, and then relaxin' at my house.

10. Got a visit from my nephew Brycen on Halloween (Eve). He was dressed as a duck. He was so darling! I was so happy that he got to come trick-or-treat at Aunt Amber's and Uncle Che's. Alli and Tyson even got him to hold a bag as they walked up to the door. It was the cutest!
So that was my October! Pretty exciting huh? I LOVE Halloween and am a little sad it's over. But, on to some pretty amazing holidays with friends and family. Can't wait!

26 made me sick...literally

2010-10-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

Monday, October 18th, Alli and I turned the whopping 26! I didn't really celebrate my birthday ON my birthday, but we did go out and party over the weeend. Saturday, we went out with Alli and Tyson to Roadhouse and then headed to Dairy Queen afterwards. We went back to Alli and Tyson's later to make the brownies for our birthday party the next day.

Sunday, we had a birthday party for us at my parents house. We had brownies and icecream for dessert and opened presents. This is a picture of Alli and I holding our birthday dessert with two candles. I borrowed this pic from Alli's blog because I was an idiot and didn't take any. Thanks Al! I got a lot of great things from everyone. Tyson and Alli got me a new curling iron and some bread loaf pans. Aaron, Britney, and Amy all got me Kohl's gift cards. My parents got me a cupcake holder and cupcake pan. Che and I decided not to get each other anything for our birthdays so we could pay off some bills, but he still got me Beauty and the Beast on Blu-ray. Thanks everyone! I loved everything I got!

We had a great weekend, but unfortunately I didn't have as much fun as I wanted. I had been sick all week long and couldn't even get rid of it 'til this week. So my party days were a little rough. Saturday was better than Sunday, but I couldn't even eat any of my birthday dessert due to my upset stomach. I just wasn't in the right place to be having fun so I did feel like I missed out on my birthday a little. Monday, I went to Bonneville High School's Fall Concert by myself. They did a great job and I loved catching up with friends. So there ya have it, that was my 26th birthday. Despite me being sick, I still had fun. Thanks everyone!

A Change of Heart

2010-10-10T17:09:00.000-07:00

I just want to say thanks to my friend Angie for posting this on her blog. Just so you know, it made a difference.

Bring it on, Fall!

2010-10-02T15:56:00.000-07:00

Well it's one my favorite times of the year and I'm super excited! I just love Fall! Soon as October starts it only gets better from there. I've already got my Fall/Halloween decorations out and already starting the horror movies. Did I mention I have an extreme LOVE for them? Yes, Horror indeed is my favorite genre of movie. This is why Halloween is my favorite holiday next to Christmas!! And so the season begins...

Che' and I have been super busy and it's only going to get worse as the months go on. I'm still working 30 hours at Mountain View Hospital and 10-15 hours at Carinos. But, I may be going back to full time at Mountain View. It's not a sure thing yet, but if I get the opportunity, then I will surely take it. Che' also gets the opportunity to work in town for a few months so that has been sooo nice. He continues to apply for more jobs out at the site so we hope we get something different in the near future. I'm so proud of Che', he's such a go-getter and always continues to push himself to do more and learn more. So I hope he gets that opportunity to do something different. Work is going well for both of us...we just work A LOT. I have a love/hate relationship with working ha ha.

It's my own fault that I'm so busy because I keep adding things to my schedule. What am I thinking? I don't know I'm just a crazy person I guess. I just started a city choir called Choralaires. It's part of the Idaho Falls Music Club and it's a lot of fun. My friend Stephanie recruited me probably because she knows how much I LOVE music and singing. I actually know a few people in the choir so it's really great. It's been so nice getting to sing again. The feeling I get when I am singing is wonderful. I feel so lucky that I have the opportunity to continue doing what I love.

On top of choir rehearsals, I still have my busy, but great calling in the Young Women's. It's such a busy job, but I love having this calling. It's one I've always wanted. I am a Beehive Advisor and Assistant Camp Director, so a lot going on. The bishop only wants one advisor now so I get to teach every week. Talk about the pressure of entertaining! I am not great at teaching, I get anxiety sometimes even if it's 12 year olds. I'm getting more comfortable, but I would prefer not teaching every week. And I can't forget mutual nights!! I am very grateful for my callings and for the experience I've had so far. I just hope I don't stress too much! Those girls I know will keep me on my toes so I'm sure it will be just fine!

I've started really cracking down on myself to workout everyday and I think I'm doing really well. I have a workout partner Candra who keeps me on my toes. I LOVE the fact that I have a support system. We help each other out and make sure we get there. Candra, I love you so much! Thanks for the support and most of all our great friendship! We can accomplish our goals! I know we can! We're working out atleast 6 times a week and making it a priority. Talk about a crazy schedule right?

In a couple weeks, Alli and I will be turning 26! What the heck? I can't believe I'm getting so old! It makes me nervous! I want to start a family and I just keep having more birthdays! Go away birthdays! To celebrate, all of my siblings and spouses are going to Frightmares at Lagoon. We're so excited to go next weekend. I got tickets for half the price! This is another reason why I love this month!

So that is what's going on with us right now. We love the holidays and can't wait to spend time with our families. Fall starts and I just get happier. Simple as that. I love the smell of fall, the weather, fall clothes, candy, and lots of family fun. And it just gets better as the months go on. Don't forget Harry Potter comes out in November! You didn't think I would miss saying that now would you? Bring it on, Fall!

3 Wonderful Years Continued...

2010-09-25T15:36:00.001-07:00

For Che and I's 3 year anniversary, we decided to keep it simple. Friday night we went to Carinos for dinner (mostly because we wanted the Apple Skilletini that is being taken off the menu! Sad), and then we watched "Lost" when we got home. We were going to head to Edwards and see a movie, but we have just gotten so into "Lost" that we HAD to continue the season. We're on the last one for crying out loud! We really didn't want to spend much money anyway so we also said NO gifts. I did get Che some treats though because I couldn't deny him of that on such an occassion. He LOVES white chocolate anything so I got him Lindor Truffels (which are amazing) and a Cookies and Cream candybar. And Che got me flowers!! He couldn't find my favorite ones, but they were still very beautiful. You're so sweet Che! We had a wonderful anniversary, and I still can't believe it's already been 3 years! Hopefully in the near future, we'll be able to go on a big trip together. But for now, Frightmares is the next best thing! I can't wait to go for my birthday in a few weeks! If you couldn't already tell by my blog, I love Halloween and couldn't wait until October. My decor is up as well as my blog background. My mind says that it's Halloween time. And that means the smell of fall, treats, and horror movies!! Anyway Happy Anniversary babe, I love you so much!

3 Wonderful Years

2010-09-20T13:31:00.001-07:00

I've been married to my best friend 3 wonderful years today!

Today is Che and I's 3 Year Anniversary! September 22, 2007, we were married in the Idaho Falls Temple and sealed for time and all eternity...the happiest day of my life! I feel so incredibly lucky to be married to Che'. We've been through so much together, it's hard to believe that we met only 7 years ago. Here's a recap of when Che and I first met...
2003-I got hired at Carinos as a host/table-tender. Che was a server and I developed an immediate crush :)

2003-2005-Che and I became great friends developing a close friendship. We did everything together. We were both servers and trainers at this point and even teamed up and did the training at Carinos. I helped him with the group interviews, it was so fun. We would go hangout with friends every weekend after work, go to movies, and dinner. Sometimes it was like we were dating. People at work acutally thought we WERE dating. We had a wonderful friendship. Sometimes after work we would sit in our cars and talk about our future goals and just life in general. We were so close that I went to his house a lot and we'd watch back to back movies. His mom constantly embarassed him by asking him when he was going to marry me...funny thing was that she was serious.

2005-2006-After hanging out as much as we did, we decided that we actually did like each other "more than a friend." We made the decision to try and date. We didn't date for very long and broke up. This happened a couple times acutally. The amazing thing was that we still kept our close friendship. The dating thing just wasn't working out like we thought.

2007- February '07, we both wanted to date again. It was like we were thinking the same exact thing. We realized we both felt the same way about each other and we wanted to give it another try. For some reason, this time around was different. After dating for just a few months, I realized how much I really love this person. He was my best friend and I LOVED him. I will never forget the day when Che' said I love you for the first time. We were sitting at table 51 at Carinos when Che' just casually turned to me and said, "I love you." I kid you not, we started talking about getting married almost immediately after. He was the first one to say the big "L" word.
JUNE 15, 2007 Che propsed at Mesa Falls. Then 3 months later we got married on September 22, 2007 in the Idaho Falls Temple. And that's the story!! I tell it because it makes me so happy that I married my best friend. I can't believe how lucky I am!

Since we've been married, so much has happened! Che and I both have gotten new jobs, bought our first home and pet, bought a truck (after Che's car died), and were even blessed with our first nephew. We currently still have those jobs and I feel so blessed that we do. Che' is working out at the site as a Warehouse Clerk, and I work for Mountain View Hospital as a QA Specialist as well as working at Carinos a couple times a week. I am currently serving as a Beehive Advisor in the Young Women's as well as Assistant Camp Director and I love it. It's my dream calling!

I just want to say to my loving husband: Che, you are my best friend, and I couldn't ask for a better eternal companion. I can't express in words how much I love you. How lucky can a girl get? You are sweet, kind, and wonderful beyond measures. I love that you make me smile, make me laugh, lift me up, and take care of me. I love that you are such a man's man and can fix literally anything and everything. I love that family and the gospel is very important to you. And finally, I KNOW that you are going to be an amazing dad, and it WILL happen for us soon... I know it in my heart. Happy Anniversary babe! I can't believe that it's been 3 years!! And 3 wonderful years it has been...I love you so much!

Love, Amber

Blackfoot Fair and a Birthday Party

2010-09-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

Blackfoot Fair, here we come!!!

Che' can hardly contain himself, he's just soaking it all in

We went to the fair on Friday with two of our favorite people!

And my pumpkin won first prize!! Ha ha jk, it's not mine, but that's the biggest pumpkin I ever saw!

We had LOTS of food. Che' and I shared everything so we could have more ha ha. I love Reed's Dairy Pralines and Cream, my favorite!! This one was all mine...I didn't share.

Alli and Tyson...just a few moments before this picture, we saw a lady with a jean jacket that went to her ankles. I wish I could have gotten a picture. "People watching" was probably the main highlight of the fair apart from the awesome petting zoo!

We loved McKee's Petting Zoo! These guys were so fluffy and fat I loved it!

These guys were so funny. There was a baby that kept biting my pants because it wanted food ha ha.

Sunday we celebrated Che's Dad's birthday and his Uncle Jerry's. This is what amazing homemade salsa looks like...it is DELICIOUS

Che digging in before dinner

I asked him to smile and this is what I got.

Uncle Jerry

Reed reading the card Che and I got him...it was a good one ha ha

Italian ice for dessert. So good!

Happy Birthday Reed and Jerry!!

Happy Birthday Britney!

2010-09-08T20:38:00.001-07:00

Sunday, September 5th, we celebrated my sister Britney's birthday. Her birthday was actually the 7th, but we decided to party a little early. We had a yummy BBQ with burgers and these amazing sausages that my dad also threw on the grill. (Just want to say that I was trying something new on this post and the pictures are all over the place so I'm sorry!)

Mom and Brycen...Brycen turned 5 months on Sunday as well!! I can't believe it's already been that long!

Britney isn't a huge fan of cake so what's the next best thing? ALLI'S COOKIES!! Here is Brit's birthday cookie

Not sure why, but I somehow forgot to get Dad and Tyson in my pictures!! I'm sorry guys! Here's a few pics of the fam from the party.

Happy Birthday Brit! We love you!

Happy Birthday Tyson!

2010-09-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

Friday, August 27th we celebrated Tyson's 30th birthday. Alli threw him a big party at our parents house, and it was a lot of fun!!

Me and Brit

Aaron, Tyson, and Che' looking at Che's new Droid X...can't seem to pry that thing from Che'. It's like trying to take candy from a child.

It was a little windy, but it was nice enough to BBQ outside.

Me and Aimz

Me and Al

More guy talk

Amy and Brycen

Alli got this for Tyson ha ha. It's ok Tyson!! Numbers don't mean anything!

Aaron and Brycen.

Opening presents

Alli made Tyson Texas sheet cake for his birthday. This is Amy testing it...and it was soooo good Alli!!

Tyson's dad brought the icecream (of course). It was so good!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYSON!!!

Stay tuned for more birthdays to come! Britney's is Sept 7th and Aaron's is Sept 29th. But the best one is coming up next month! It's the birthday that starts off the holidays...that's right, it's me and Alli's!!

Murri Reunion 2010

2010-08-18T15:59:00.001-07:00

Alright everyone, this is a long post with lots of pictures so be prepared! Our annual Murri Reunion is a big deal so I of course have to post a lot of them. It went from Thursday to Saturday, (some stayed until Sunday), and we had a blast as usual! Our family is super close and we always look forward to this weekend every August. We really know how to party! So here ya go...this is our Murri Reunion 2010!

Remember these? Well they were a hit! Not only were they cute but everyone said they tasted great!!! Well Thursday night was movie night at the reunion and we watched Get Smart. I didn't get any pics from that night so I'm sorry! We set up a big projector in the shop and eat snacks while we watch a movie in our PJ's. It was a lot of fun!

Friday morning we went and hiked to Bechler Falls. It was so beautiful! This isn't everyone, some stayed back at home. We got some great exercise and enjoyed the great scenery.

I wish I knew what was so funny!

Aaron and Brit...peace

Me and Che

Alli and Tyson

There were lots of mosquitos on the hike...like swarming!!

Jena

Tanner and his fish hat. Gotta love it. I'm not sure if Tyrel is just trying too hard to smile or what he's doing ha ha

Mady came along for the hike too. That's my Uncle Mike with the baby holder posing ha ha.

This is Bechler meadows (at the end of the hike) so beautiful

At the cabin there's always a lot of card games...

and food...

and pop...

and more food...

and of course DESSERT!!

And we love it!!

Adam, Tyson, Amy, and Brycen hangin' out in the cabin

Amy and I took pictures of our cute toenails

Friday we also started the Murri Ring Toss Tournament (Or MRRT). This is the major tournament we have every year. Our family has around almost 50 people so the bracket for this is quite large. Everyone plays, and if they win, they move up in the bracket. We then play until the top 8 for the finals, which we hold the last day of the reunion. This is Che VS Blake for a top 8 position.

But Blake won! Sorry Che, maybe next year. I was so proud of him for doing so well though! I never make it that far!

My dad and Kristen playing for the a top 8 position...

and Dad won!! Way to represent the O'Connors, Dad!

His winning shot will go down in history for one of the best shots ever!

Some of the finalists. My mom wasn't one she just decided to sneak in the picture

6 of the top 8 finalists. We're missing Nathan and John

Saturday we started Murri Palooza!!! We are placed on 5-6 different teams, playing lots of games, trivia, etc. Whoever gets the most points total wins! We started this last year and apparently it was a hit so Jena hosted it this year. All the teams waiting for Jena to say go...this was the relay race

Che in "The Ping Pong Game" His team did really good with this

We did the Murri Palooza trivia the night before so here's a few picture of that one. Lee and her Grandson Ethan. He was looking up at something and it was so cute

Jena reading off the trivia questions. The questions were chosen by all of us in the family. Funny stories or facts about each other so it was a hoot!

Listening to one of the stories

During the trivia, Byrcen started sucking his thumb! It was so cute, so we got Dad (Or Grandpa) to do it too

After the trivia everyone just relaxed in the cabin and visited. (Mom and Brycen)

This is me and Che's tent...not set up ha ha

My dad brought his drift boat. And yes he did build this

Just a fraction of the cars that were there. There were so many!

The sign that's been on the cabin gate for years and years

Saturday we also played in the water a little bit...

...and went golfing that morning

2 of the 3 Great Grandkids. This is Brycen and Ethan. 4 months compared to 4 weeks. They were so funny next to each other. Mady is the 3rd Great Grandchild and she's 1 years old.

Brandon and Brycen. (Brandon is Ethan's dad)

Brycen and Uncle Aaron

Tyson and Brycen. Ha ha I love saying that

Hannah and Chlo

Hailey and my mom waiting for the finals to start for the MRRT

Grandma and Trina

Brit was in the final 8 too!! It was great!

Watching the finals

Dad didn't win but he put up a good fight!

Blake played his wife Janell in the finals so it was intense!!

And John won the MRRT! First In-Law to ever win! Way to go John!

After the MRRT everyone just hung out and enjoyed the weather until they went home. Tanner getting ready to go fishin'

Playing in the river

Dunking Cooper in the river

Tan fishin'

Water fight!!

Some of my grandpa's family stopped by

Brycen and Grandma

Cooper being tossed in the river...once again

And that's it!! We love our family and look forward to our reunions ever year! Great reunion guys!! It was so fun! See you at FHE!

Owl Cupcakes

2010-08-15T17:17:00.001-07:00

This weekend we went to our annual Murri Reunion and I decided I wanted to make a fun treat. So I grabbed Alli for some help, and off we went to my mom's house to make "Owl Cupcakes."

Brycen watched us while we decorated. Sorry the picture is kind of blurry

Throughout the decorating, my mom showed us what she grew in her garden. That's the biggest broccoli I've ever seen!! Way to go Mom!

Alli and Mom twisting the oreos

Just the eyes and ears

Piping the fur

Alli and I had tons of fun making these cupcakes. They turned out really cute!

The reason I decided to do "Owls" was because my grandparents found a family of owls at the cabin awhile ago and they have been part of our family ever since. There's even a picture of the baby owl in the cabin that fell out of the tree. So they were so special that we had to make them for the reunion this weekend. Stay tuned for TONS of pics from our always amazing, weekend long, Murri Family Reunion 2010!!

Grandma O'Connor's 80th

2010-08-10T06:24:00.000-07:00

This wonderful lady is going to turn 80 years old next month. 2 weekends ago we took a trip to Utah to celebrate Grandma O'Connor's 80th birthday party and we had so much fun! It was the only time we could all get together...plus Grandma was going to Vegas that Sunday! She had so much fun! Saturday evening we went to the Golden Corral (her favorite place), and we ate lots of great food and visited with family I haven't seen in a long time. Later that night we went to a church and played games, danced, and had a blast! Grandma I love you so much and you're such a special part of our lives. Happy Birthday next month!!

Update

2010-08-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

July was kind of crazy and I'm so glad it's over! There were a lot of fun things but most of the busy schedule came from work. I had a lot going on at the hospital and tons of deadlines to meet so it got a little crazy. On top of that I've been working 2-3 shifts a week at Carinos, but it's been way worth it. We've had 3 receptions in the month of July! We also did some more on our house. My dad built us a vanity for our bathroom and some laundry room cabinets. Thank you so much Dad. It has helped out tremendously! We also airated our lawn and rolled it, so it is a lot healthier. We still want to plant a few trees and do a couple more updates on the house, but we're gettin' there!

On the 31st we went to Utah for my grandma O'Connor's 80th birthday party. I will post about that later but we had a lot of fun. I love my grandma so much! She's the sweetest lady in the world. While I was visting my grandma in Utah, Che had his Hernandez Family Reunion. We wish we could have done both, but that's just what you got to do sometimes is split up and represent both families. We both enjoyed our family time and each one turned out great!

We're still working on the family thing. Can't wait until we get to start one of our own. I just hope it's sooner than later! One of these days I will share that story with ya. Speaking of family...I love being an Aunt and my little buddy Brycen is the sweetest nephew ever! I love him so much and steal kisses from him every chance I get! I took this picture of Brycen from Alli's blog. I love this picture! It just shows his personality so much! They took this on their trip to Portland Oregon. I think this was at the Zoo. Oh isn't he the cutest?

Now that July is over, we can move onto the next busy month!! Che and I are getting ready for a bunch of people to come over to our house this Friday. A couple of really great friends of ours are coming to town this week and they live in Colorado so we never get to see them. We used to work with them at Carinos so we haven't seen them in so long! Che and I decided to have a BBQ at our house for them so we can all get together and catch up. We're so excited for them to come, but I have so much cleaning to do!! Pray for good weather because we need to fit 20 people in my house!!

The next week is our annual Murri Reunion in Ashton and I can't wait! We really look forward to our reunions. Our extended family is really close and we just love getting together. I'm ready for a lot of good food and camping at the cabin!

I just have to say that I'm so excited that it's August because it is just one more month closer to amazingness. This includes: Our 3 year anniversary, my birthday, all my favorite holidays, and most important...Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I. Yeah that's what I said. Oh and did I mention we're hoping to go on a honeymoon this year? Crossing my fingers we end up going! And that's my update! Sorry I wish it was more interesting!