Always and Forever

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and 6 months

2012-01-18T21:25:00.000-08:00

It's taken way too long, but here is our update...

Brandon's First thanksgiving was a lot of fun...at least for Kyle and I. Brando didn't see what the big deal was since he didn't get any of the food! We went to La Habra with our friends the Irwins. It ended up being really special because my cousin Mimi is serving a mission up that way, and our friends' grandpa happens to be the stake high councelor over the deaf branch she is serving in, so he decided to suprise us and invited her along with all of the other ASL missionaries. We didn't know this was happening, so it was very exciting when we saw each other. It was so nice to have some family with us for our first Thanksgiving in California.

Our family on Thanksgiving day!

December was a very busy month for our little family:

On the 3rd we played Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus for the live nativity at the Orange Stake Community Christmas Celebration. It was a really cool experience and Brandon was EXCELLENT! I expected him to get fussy, but he just enjoyed looking around and snuggling in my arms.

On December 16th, Kyle, Brandon, and I flew out to Utah to spend Christmas with our families. We went up to Cub River first and enjoyed making gingerbread houses, a visit from Santa, exchanging gifts, sitting in the hot tub, making gingerbread boys with great-grandma Knapp, and watching movies in the theatre room.

The Lucherini Family Gingerbread House

Brandon with Santa Claus

While we were up there Kyle and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary on December 20th. I can't believe it has been 3 years! I feel so blessed to be married to such a wonderful, loving, and supportive husband! To celebrate, Grandma and Grandpa Lucherini watched Brandon while Kyle and I did sealings at the Logan Temple and went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse.

On the 21st we headed down to Riverton to spend time with my family. Unfortunately, Brandon had picked up a nasty cold from the yucky Utah weather, but he was still as happy and playful as can be! While we were in Riverton we saw the lights on Temple Square, played games, watched movies, and, of course, celebrated Brandon's first Christmas eve and Christmas day. On Christmas eve all of my family came over for a nice dinner and to open sibling gifts. It was so nice to have everyone together. On Christmas day Brandon's cough was getting worse so he stayed home with daddy while I went to church. After church we took Brandon upstairs and helped him open his presents. He didn't care about the unwrapping part, but loved playing with the toys inside! We also visited with family and watched movies.

Getting ready to see the lights!

Daddy and Brandon

Christmas eve in his 1st Christmas pjs

Checking out the stocking!

On the 26th we got family pictures with my family, since my brother Jacob was going to be leaving on his mission. The pictures turned out great; however, Brandon's cold got even worse and we had to take him to the instacare. They told us that he had bronchilitis and did deep nasal suctioning to help him breathe better. It was awful and Brandon sobbed, I was so grateful that Kyle was there with me!

On the 27th we headed back up to Cub River for the last couple of days before Kyle flew home. Unfortunately, I had picked up a nasty flu bug and ended up being sick for the next two days. Kyle and my mother-in-law Mary took such great care of me. I am so grateful for both of them!

On the 29th Kyle flew home and I went back to Riverton to spend a few more days with my family and hear my brother Jacob give his pre-mission talk in church. He spoke on January 1st and did a wonderful job. It was a great talk and I felt the spirit very strong as he spoke. He entered the MTC on January 11th and I am so excited for him to be serving his mission!

Since I had a few extra days and my parents were back at work, I went down to Mapleton on January 3rd and visited Hobble Creek and my former students. It was a lot of fun to show off Brandon and see my sweet former 2nd graders. I still love them to pieces and they loved seeing Brandon and I!

Then on the 4th I flew home to my lonely, starving husband. We loved visiting family, but it felt SO good to be home. I could tell that Brandon was happy to be done traveling as well.

This past Saturday, January 14th, Brandon turned 6 months old! I can hardly believe it has been 6 months! He is growing so fast and doing so many new things each day. I love my little boy so much and feel so blessed to be his mommy. He gives the best smiles and snuggles and I am so grateful that I get to stay home with him! Here are his 6 month stats and some of his latest accomplishments:

Our little 6 month old!

Weight- 18 lbs 11.5 oz

Height- 26.5 inches

Head- 17.5 inches

-Sits up by himself, although he sometimes will fling himself backward or to the side, so we put pillows around him just in case :)

-Eats rice cereal and banana flavored puffs. We will try peas in the next few days...

-On his tummy he can push himself up super high and turn his body to the side or push forward and backwards. Sometimes he even tries to pull his legs underneath his body, so we'll see what happens with crawling in the next few weeks...

-He rolls really well from his tummy to his back and can roll from his back to his side but hasn't quite figured out how to get all the way over.

-He loves playing with his feet and in the morning when he wakes up we usually find him laying there, holding onto his toes :)

-He is very ticklish and will laugh like crazy if you get the right spot.

-He tried water and a sippy cup for the first time and he loves it!

-Loves to smile!

He really is such a happy little guy and we are loving watching him grow!

Now Kyle is in the thick of his busy season. He works from about 8:30 AM to 11:00 PM Monday-Thursday and 9:00 AM- 5:00 PM Friday and Saturday. It gets lonely for me, but I am thankful to have my little man to keep me busy!

Family Visits, Halloween, and 4 Months!

2011-11-18T13:13:00.000-08:00

We have had a lot of fun the past couple of months as we have settled in, had family come to visit, and explored the area a little more! Here are some of our adventures!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love Disneyland. That being said, we could not pass up the opportunity to get a season pass to the happiest place on earth! We have already been 3 times and I'm sure we will go plenty more!

My brother Jacob came to visit for a week at the beginning of October while he was on Fall Break. It was SO MUCH FUN to have him here. We went to Disneyland, the beach, Angel's Stadium, and did some shopping. I am so glad he chose to spend his fall break with us! About a week and a half after he came he got his mission call to Mendoza, Argentina. He enters the MTC January 11 and we are so excited for him. He will be a great missionary and I am thankful that he is setting such a wonderful example for his nephew!

Angels Stadium!

At Disneyland with Uncle Jake

Brandon turned 3 months while Jake was here!

Three days after Jacob left my mom, dad, and Quin came to visit for their Fall Break. It was especially great timing because Kyle had just gone out of town for work and it was nice not to be alone with Brandon! While they were here we went to Disneyland, the beach, and Angels Stadium (this time we got to go on a tour and walk on the field. We also went to a cupcake bakery, something I have always wanted to do, called Sprinkles cupcakes, which is owned by one of the judges on cupcake wars. It was so nice to have my family here and I know Brandon loved spending time with his Grammy, Poppa, and Uncle Quin! It was hard to see them go, but I am looking forward to seeing them again for Christmas!

Newport Pier

Brando enjoying the beach!

Kyle and Quin Boogie Boarding

I have never really been into Halloween, but this year I was pretty excited because I have a cute

baby boy to dress up! Brandon and I were cows and Kyle was a farmer. I'm pretty sure Brandon is the cutest cow ever...not that i'm biased! We did go out trick or treating for like 30 minutes, just so we could show off Brandon :)

Last, but certainly not least, as of Monday Brandon is officially 4 months old!!! Time is flying by so quickly, it is amazing how much he has changed in the past 4 months. He can sometimes roll over from his tummy to his back, he LOVES his hands, he can sit up with support, he grabs at and plays with toys (mostly he sucks on them and drools all over, but i'm pretty sure that's his version of playing), he is super strong and can hold his head up really well, he sleeps for about 10 hours a night (waking up to eat once), he love his voice and often uses it to its full potential (hopefully our neighbors don't mind...), and he has the absolute sweetest smile and giggle! I love my little man so much and can't imagine life without him! I love snuggling with him, reading stories, and singing songs to him. I love that when I leave the room, he stares at the place he last saw me until I come back, and then he grins when he sees me again! He really is such an angel baby, and Kyle and I feel so blessed to be his parents. Here are his 4 month stats...

Weight: 17 lbs 8 oz (I know, he's huge!!)

Length: 26 inches

Head: 43.25 cm

We love you Brando!!!

Newborn Pictures!

2011-09-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

When Brandon was about 7 days old my cousin Kat, who is an AMAZING photographer, took his newborn pictures. We just got the CD with the pictures so I wanted to share a few of them. I am a little biased, being his mommy and all, but they are pretty cute!

I love those bright eyes!

Our little family!

Update!

2011-09-27T09:32:00.001-07:00

If you look at our blog you would think that we have either disappeared, or we never take pictures of Brandon. I am happy to report that neither is true, I have just been slacking with my blog updating (like usual). Today I am going to change that! Here is an update of the past two months in the Lucherini family...

After Brandon was born we brought him home to Grammy and Poppa's house in Riverton, since we were still living with them waiting for Kyle's job to start. When we got home my family had decorated our basement apartment to celebrate Brandon's arrival. It was so cute and made the homecoming even more special!

While we were living at my parents house Brandon had a lot of visitors, especially his aunts, uncles, and cousins. We were so glad that so many people could visit while we were still in Utah! Brandon especially enjoyed snuggling with Grammy and Poppa and sleeping on Grammy’s waterbed while mommy tried to get a little bit more sleep. I seriously don’t know what I would have done without my mom there to help me during those first few weeks. It was such a blessing to have my family so close by!

Sitting with cousin Avery and Drew!

Snuggling with Grammy!

On Sunday, August 7^th Kyle blessed Brandon in my parent’s ward. It was a very special day and we enjoyed spending it with all those family members that were able to come.

On Saturday, August 13^th Kyle left for 2 weeks of training in LA and Brandon and I stayed in Riverton. It was really hard to be apart for those two weeks, but my family was an amazing support system and I loved having a little bit more time with them before leaving for California. While Kyle was training, Brandon and I visited with family and prepared to move everything to our new home.

One month old

Sitting with cousin Logan

After two weeks Brandon and I joined Kyle in California. Our amazing dads drove the moving truck out on Friday, August 26^th and I am so thankful for their help! Brandon and I flew out the next morning with Grandma Mary. It was really hard for me to leave my family behind and I cried a lot, but I was also really excited to get back to Kyle. I think the hardest part was saying goodbye to my mom when she dropped Brandon and I off at the airport, and then saying goodbye to my dad that night when we dropped him off at the airport.

Snuggling with Poppa

Now, after a month of being in California, Kyle and I are all settled in. Kyle’s job is great and he really likes the people he works with. Brandon and I are having fun being home together and getting to know the area. Since we haven’t been here long we haven’t done too much exploring, but we did go to the beach on Labor Day which was really fun.

It really has been a wonderful month out here in California and we are enjoying this new adventure so far. We have a nice ward, we have made some great friends, and we look forward to making more friends!

Brando LOVES bath time!

Go Cougars!

Introducing Brandon Scott Lucherini

2011-07-27T21:39:00.001-07:00

After 39 weeks and 5 days of waiting, Kyle and I welcomed our sweet baby boy, Brandon Scott Lucherini, to our family on Thursday, July 14th at 4:30 AM. He weighed 7 lbs. 9 oz. and he was 20 inches long. I really was blessed to have a fairly easy labor and delivery experience, I only had to push for about 30 minutes, and Kyle did a fantastic job helping me relax and breathe, I couldn't have done it without him. Brandon did have to go to the NICU for a few hours after he was born because he was having trouble breathing, but they got the problem taken care of and he is a very happy and healthy little boy. Being a mommy is amazing and overwhelming. I love taking care of my little man and knowing that he is my son! It has also been fun to watch Kyle become a daddy. He is so sweet with Brandon, and he is one proud daddy! We really lucked out with our little guy. He rarely cries, he loves to snuggle, and he eats like a champ! At his two week appointment this Tuesday he weighed 8 lbs. 4 oz. and he was 20 1/2 inches long. It is amazing that he has grown so much in such a short amount of time! Here are some photos of the past two weeks, enjoy!

Kyle's Birthday, Family Stuff, and 36 Weeks!

2011-06-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I posted a good update of what has been going on with Kyle and I. Here is a look at a few things we've been up to for the past month...

On May 28th we celebrated Kyle's 26th birthday! We were in Moab on a family vacation for his actual birthday, so I gave him his birthday gifts before we left. He has wanted the original Broadway cast recording of Les Miserables for quite a while, so I was pretty excited to give it to him!

Over Memorial Day weekend we went to Moab for the Lucherini family vacation. Since I was 33 weeks at the time I couldn't hike to delicate arch with the rest of the family, so Kyle and I found some easier trails to go on, including the Delicate arch viewpoint. I especially like this picture of Kyle at the delicate arch viewpoint. My favorite part of the trip was the pool at the RV resort we stayed at...it was nice to feel weightless for a change :)

On June 1st my "little" brother Jacob graduated from high school! He has grown up to be a great young man and I am proud to call him my brother! Way to go Jake!

On Friday, June 3 I was 34 weeks!

Since we will be moving to California in August, and we won't be able to do any traveling between now and then, Kyle and I went up to his parent's house in Cub River June 10th-13th for one last visit until we come back at Christmas time. Almost all of his siblings were able to come up and enjoy the weekend with us. We are definitely going to miss spending time at the farm with family when we move! While we were there Kyle's family threw a baby shower for me. My sister-in-law, Cami, made the super cute diaper cake in the picture for me.

That brings us to now! I am 36 1/2 weeks, which means that my little Brandon could arrive any time in the next 3 weeks. This is another time in my life where I am being taught patience. I

think it is one of those lessons you are never quite done learning. We move out of our apartment and into my parent's house this Saturday, so hopefully being with my mom will help keep me occupied as I wait for my sweet little boy to arrive!

End of the School Year and Baby Update

2011-05-31T10:36:00.000-07:00

Since graduation I have been finishing up my first year of teaching at Hobble Creek Elementary. Last Thursday was my last day of school, and I can honestly say I would not trade the experience I have had for anything! The 26 students in my class have taken a piece of my heart, and I will never forget them. It was hard for me to say goodbye, and I cried as each of my students left, but I am SO INCREDIBLY EXCITED to become a mom!!!!! I am currently 33 1/2 weeks pregnant, which means I have 6 1/2 weeks left. It has gone by so quickly! I won't lie, pregnancy is not always comfortable, but nonetheless I absolutely love being pregnant! I feel so blessed to be going through this experience, and I can't wait to meet my sweet little Brandon!

My 2nd graders on the last day of school!

Me at 32 Weeks!

Quick Update!

2011-04-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

I have been a slacker about blogging for the past few weeks, so here is a quick update...

I am officially 29 weeks pregnant! This picture was taken last week, but I figured that it is still an adequate representation of how I look!

Last Thursday and Friday, Kyle and I graduated from BYU! I received my Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education and Kyle received his Bachelors of Science in Accounting and Masters of Accountancy. We are both so happy to be finished and so grateful for all of the people that helped us reach this point, especially our wonderful parents!

Kyle and I with our parents!

Ashley and I admiring my baby bump after graduation :)

The happy graduates!

Vegas!

2011-03-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Kyle and I had the wonderful opportunity to go down to Las Vegas with Cami, Andy, and Kyle's dad for the Mountain West Conference tournament. Although we love BYU, Cami and I chose not to go to the games. While Kyle and the boys watched BYU play Friday and Saturday nights, Cami and I went to a couple of shows. The best part was that Kyle got to go see Jimmer score his outrageous 52 points and I got to see both Phantom of the Opera and The Lion King. We both had a wonderful time and especially enjoyed a break from the cold weather. It was my first ever experience going to the strip, so before the game on Saturday we saw some of Vegas' clean entertainment. Here are some pictures of our adventure. Sorry, no pictures from the game, I had the camera.

Cami and I just after seeing Phantom of the Opera on Friday night--It was AMAZING!!!

Kyle and I outside Excalibur

M&M World...a Vegas must see!

I'll let you guess guess which of the two of us actually touched the snake :)

New York, New York!

It's A...

2011-03-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

Just a quick update to let you all know, it's a BOY!!!

Pictures of our Latest Adventures!

2011-02-27T11:27:00.000-08:00

So I am finally going to live up to my promise and post some pictures of what we have been doing recently. Enjoy!

On January 30th we went up to Roy to celebrate our niece Avery's 3rd birthday. She is such as cute little girl and we are so lucky be her aunt and uncle!

Avery and Aunt Kayla

On February 2nd my sister Megan got married to Justin in the Salt Lake Temple. It was a cold day but everything was beautiful. We are so happy for them!

Kyle and I at the wedding dinner the night before.

Megan and Justin just after coming out of the temple.

For Presidents Day weekend Kyle and I went up to Cub River, Idaho to see his family. My family also came up for the weekend. We had a great time snowshoeing, snowmobiling, playing games, eating yummy food, and relaxing!

Kyle and I on our first ever snowshoeing adventure.

My adorable nephew Logan all bundled up for a snowmobile ride!

Last but not least, I decided that it was about time I posted a picture of my growing belly. I am now 20 weeks and I feel the baby kicking all of the time. I love it! We find out Tuesday if Baby L is a boy or girl...I can't wait!!!!

Me at 20 weeks!

Growing Baby and Meg's Wedding

2011-02-06T13:30:00.000-08:00

The past three weeks have been busy and exciting! On January 17th I had my second OB appointment and we got to hear the heartbeat again. This time we recorded it and I am so glad! Every time I play it I am just humbled to think that a little life is growing inside of me. I can't wait to find out if Baby L is a boy or girl! I have asked a few people what they think it will be and all of them have said girl. Any opinions out there? Kyle is going to help me create a poll so be sure and cast your vote! I am the only one who has voted boy so far, and I'm not even sure why I am voting boy. Honestly, I will be ecstatic either way! We hope to find out the first week of March and I will definitely post the results of the ultrasound! I announced that I am pregnant to my second graders and they were all very excited. When I told them one little girl said "I thought you were pregnant Mrs. Lucherini because you used to be really skinny, and then you just weren't as skinny any more." She said it so matter of factly, it was hilarious! I have started to show a little bit, but only enough that those who know me can really see the difference. I guess she just knows me really well :)

In other news, my sister Megan got married this past week! She looked so beautiful and she is so happy! We are very excited to have Justin in the family!

That's all for now, I promise to post pictures ASAP!

Good News

2011-01-16T11:03:00.000-08:00

This post is perhaps a bit overdue, but I intend for it to be the first of many very regular blog updates. Kyle and I are expecting our first baby in July (right before we move to California)!!! I am currently 14 weeks and things are going great. I just feel so incredibly blessed to be pregnant at all, so I am trying to enjoy every bit of it. We actually got to hear the heartbeat for the first time on our 2 year anniversary, which was the best anniversary present EVER!!! Baby L had a nice strong heartbeat of 180 BPM and the doctor found it right away, no searching required. I think Baby L knew that I stress out way easily and it was best for both of us just to have the heartbeat found right away. We told both of our families over Christmas break which was awesome! We have videos of their reactions which I will post ASAP! Although most people cannot tell, I do have a teeny tiny bump which really only I can see. I will post pictures of my belly when there is actually something to see. We also bought our first baby outfit yesterday, which was super exciting because I have been waiting for a VERY long time to do this, Kyle can no longer hold me off :) My goal is to blog every two weeks, so look forward to another post then!

Blessings Beyond Measure

2010-11-07T20:23:00.000-08:00

After 7 office visits and a whole lot of recruiting, we have finally gotten a job! Kyle was offered a position by PWC in Orange County, California. We are both so incredibly grateful and know that we have been watched over by our Father in Heaven. We had actually interviewed with this particular firm two previous times, and it was also our last hope after 6 rejections in just this round of interviewing, but we got the job and we are so happy. This has strengthened my testimony that Heavenly Father has a plan for us. I also know that if we keep doing our best and never give up we will be blessed, it may not be in the way we expect or with the things that seem ideal from our perspective, but we can have faith that it will be according to our Heavenly Father's will, which is perfect. He loves us so much and wants to bless us. He will bless us if we remain faithful!

Waiting

2010-10-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

Right now Kyle and I feel like we are waiting for everything. Most importantly, we are waiting to figure out what our future holds. Kyle has been doing job interviews, and they have gone extremely well, but we still have not been given any answers. Why? I do not know; however, we have made the choice that rather than being negative and sad and pesimistic, we are going to be joyful! Kyle and I are both planners, as in we like to have a very clear mapped out picture of where we are going and how we are going to ge there. Unfortunately, life is just not like that, and as such we have decided that we need to focus on what we do know and what we can be joyful about. We have joy because we are sealed for time and all eternity, we have families that love and support us, we are healthy, we both currently have employment, we live in a warm comfortable apartment, and most importantly, we are children of a Heavenly Father who loves us and is guiding our lives. I know He will lead us to those opportunities which will allow us to have more joy than we can can currently even comprehend. I am so grateful for the peace and guidance that the spirit provides! We truly are so blessed!

Back To School

2010-08-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

Well, after a long busy summer the time has come for Kyle and I to go back to school. You might say, based on our blog, that we have not done much this summer; however, we have done things, I have just been a blogging slacker as usual. Most of my summer has been spent finishing up classes so I can teach this fall. It was actually pretty crazy becuase a 16 credit semester was crammed into spring and summer terms. Eventhough it went by quickly I enjoyed my classes, learned a lot, and even had some fun along the way. Kyle has spent the majority of his summer working full time at KLAS Research and Emergency Essentials. He has learned a lot and looks forward to applying for full time jobs in the fall. In between work and school we have squeezed in a few vacations. At the very end of April Kyle and I went down to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. We spent our time there hiking and especially enjoyed hiking up to Delicate Arch!

Kyle and I in front of Delicate Arch!

In May we went up to Cub River (where Kyle's parents live) for Kyle's birthday and Memorial day. His parents actually went out of town the day after we got there so it was just me, Kyle, my sister Megan, Bryce, and Nate up there for the weekend. Kyle's birthday was great and I was very glad to have my sister there with me for the weekend! At the end of May I got sick with mono so June was kind of a low key month for us. We spent many weekends with my family having dinner, celebrating birthdays, and relaxing.

Kyle with his birthday gifts

Sitting by the fire in Cub River

July was a much busier month for us becuase of family reunions and finishing classes. We spent the 4th of July with Kyle's family and even went to see the stadium of fire for the first time (Carrie Underwood was AMAZING)! The next two weekends we had Farnsworth and Lucherini family reunions. The best part of July was Kyle's family's vacation to Jackson Hole and Bear Lake. We left the morning of the 23rd for Jackson Hole and right after we got there we went white water rafting on the Snake River. It was a lot of fun, hopefully Nate will give us pictures so we can post them soon! On the 24th we went to the Tetons and hiked up to hidden falls. It was absolutely beautiful and so so worth it! We left Jackson Hole on the 25th and headed up to Bear Lake where we spent Monday the 26th boating.

Kyle and I in front of Hidden Falls!

Me water skiing at Bear Lake

This month Kyle and I are spending the majority of our time preparing for school to start. I have been setting up my classroom for the past two weeks and look forward to the first day of school on Tuesday the 24th. I will definately report on how that goes ASAP! Kyle is finishing up his last couple of weeks at Emergency Essentials after two years there and is especially excited to start his last year of school ever!!! We are both excited to graduate in April and begin the adventures await us.

This is what my classroom currently looks like :)

A Quick Update!

2010-04-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

A lot has been going on with Kyle and I over the past almost four months (wow...it's been a long time since I have posted). Rather than making this an extremely long post I thought I would give a few quick updates.

For the whole month of March I taught in a second grade class at Hobble Creek Elementary in Mapleton, Utah. It was such a wonderful experience and I was very sad to leave my students!
Starting in August I will be teaching full time in my own classroom as an Intern at Hobble Creek Elementary. Becasue of this, Kyle and I will be staying in Provo for the summer so I can go to school full time and finish the rest of my classes. Kyle will continue to work in the accounting department at Emergency Essentials.
Finals end next week, which will conclude Kyle's first year in the Masters of Accounting Program. He has learned a lot and is looking forward to finishing school next April.

It is so nice to be ending the semester and we are looking forward to the hopefully warm days ahead!

Christmas Break

2010-01-27T20:39:00.001-08:00

So I know that this is a bit overdue, but I figure it's better late than never :).

Kyle and I had an absolutely wonderful Christmas break! On Monday the 21st we drove Riverton to spend the week with my family. Kyle still had to work up until Christmas eve, but I didn't want to sit home alone while he worked, and it isn't that much farther to drive from Riverton to his work. While Kyle spent his mornings working I spent my time with my mom. It was so nice to have some quality time together! In the evenings we spent time playing games, watching movies, and just enjoying the opportunity to relax.

One of the best parts about being at my parents house was that my Grandma Farnsworth was staying with us for part of the break. She is such an amazing, loving person and I really enjoyed being with her. I honestly could not ask for a better grandma!

On Christmas Eve we had our traditional prime rib dinner, which was absolutely delicious. After dinner we read the Christmas story in the scriptures and sang Christmas carols around the piano. Even Kyle, who is not much of a singer, enjoyed that experience :) On Christmas morning we woke up at 6:30 AM and opened presents. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, watching movies, and eating a ridiculous amount of junk food. Ashley, Ryan and baby Logan came up at noon and, of course, Logan was the highlight of the day.

The day after Christmas Kyle and I headed up to Cub River, ID to spend some time with his family. Activities there were pretty similar :) We played games, watched movies, ate plenty, and enjoyed spending time together. Unfortunately, Cami and Andy and their kids had to drive back to Flagstaff, AZ the day after we got there so we only had a little bit of time with them.

Even though Cami and Andy had to leave Kyle and I had a great time with his parents and his brother, Bryce who stayed up there with us. I went shopping with Mary (Kyle's Mom), Kyle got to watch football on the big screen, and we had a wonderful time playing in the snow.

Here are a few pictures of our Christmas adventures:

The tree at my parents house

Kyle with his new lint roller and exacto knife on Christmas morning, don't you love that facial expression :)

Me just hanging out on Christmas day

The following two pictures are of Kyle and I modeling his parents work overalls. They were a little too big...but they sure were warm!

One Wonderful Year!

2009-12-20T16:41:00.000-08:00

For our one year anniversary, Kyle and I decided to go down to St. George to see Zions National Park and enjoy some slightly warmer weather. We figured that since we still have our National Parks pass it would be a fun, relatively in-expensive thing to do. We left on Friday (Dec. 18th) and spent yesterday, Saturday (19th), at Zions. While we were at Zions we did a couple of hikes, including the Walkman and Canyon Overlook. Both hikes were beautiful and it felt great to be out in the fresh air instead of sitting in a classroom! After a long day at Zions we went back to our hotel and got dressed up for our anniversary dinner, (we decided to go our yesterday since our real anniversary is today and it's Sunday). We went to Outback, which is nice by our poor college student standards, and had a great time. Before leaving St. George this afternoon we went to church at the building right across the street from the St. George temple and walked around the temple and visitors center. Neither of us had really ever seen the St. George temple and it was absolutely beautiful. Overall, it was a great way to spend our first anniversary! I feel so blessed to have Kyle as my husband. He is so patient, understanding, caring, and he always makes me laugh. I am grateful that we have been able to spend the past year together and I look forward to spending the rest of eternity together!

Hiking up Walkman Trail

This was along Walkman Trail, it looked like a chair.

At the top of Walkman Trail.

The view from Canyon Overlook trail. It was beautiful!

Kyle and I at the top of Canyon Overlook

This is called The Court of Patriarchs, pretty cool!

The St. George Temple

Something Truly Beautiful!

2009-11-07T15:01:00.000-08:00

Last night I had to go to a performance called "Children's Danceworks" for one of my classes. It was put on by a group of children 14 and under who choreographed their own dances. One of the girls, who is 11 years old, danced to this song entitled "More than the World" by Mindy Gledhill. Not only did this 11 year old do a beautiful job expressing the words of this song through her dance, but the words of the song truly touched my heart. I found this video of the song on you tube. I hope you enjoy the song as much as I do!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz_LN_rqoNg

Emergency Essentials

2009-10-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

This is a monumental event! Kyle is making a blog post, everyone who reads these better pay close attention because this is the first (and possibly the last) post I will make. :)

I have been working for Emergency Essentials for almost 2 years now. It's been a great place to work and I've learned a great deal about a variety of emergency preparedness topics. I spent a year working in the sales department, and learned that when it comes to emergency preparedness most people don't have idea where to get started. I have two suggestions - first, go to beprepared.com and click on the tab "insight articles" - here you will find tons of information about all kinds of prepardness topics (and not just about the products sold by Emergency Essentials either). Second, go to beprepared.com and click on the button labeled "Food storage analyzer". Here you can enter all the food you currently have in storage (whether it is from Emergency Essentials or not) and break it down into specific nutritional information. You can identify if your storage is lacking in certain areas (like not enough protein or vitamin C) and then you can view products that would satisfy those areas. It is very helpful and a good way for both experience preparedness people and first timers to see where to start and what they can improve!

PS - BYU basketball is right around the corner, get ready for a great year!

Life and Having Faith in God's Will!

2009-10-21T15:27:00.000-07:00

Life really does some unexpected things sometimes! I try to tell myself not to expect things to go my way, but somehow I always end up really hoping, and almost expecting, that they will. I'm so grateful that our Heavenly Father is understanding of the fact that we struggle with this. I really do want his will to be done in my life, sometimes it is just so hard to have the faith that everything will work out right. My number one goal during this time where there are a lot of unknows for Kyle and I is to have greater faith in His will. It is perfect, and He wants us to be happy. Although it is not always easy to think that way, I know with all my heart that it is true!

Making up for lost time!

2009-10-10T15:10:00.000-07:00

So it has taken me a bit longer than I thought it would to make this post, but as promised I am going to update everyone on all that has happened since our 4th of July trip to Island Park. I know, that's a lot of time, but I will try to do this in a very concise manner!

July 16, 17, and 18 we went camping with my family up American Fork Canyon. While we were up there we hiked up to Timpanogos cave. It was the first time I have hiked it since I was about 4...at least I think that's how old I was. All I really remember is that Grandpa Farnsworth wore his red plaid flannel shirt and I held his hand the whole way up to the cave. This was Kyle's first time ever hiking to the cave. We both really enjoyed it, and it was fun to make some lasting memories with my family!

The Boys

The Girls

August 7-12 we house sat for Ashley and Ryan. We took care of Jynx and Cali and enjoyed a week of AC, which our apartment does not have.

August 13-16 we had Kyle's family reunion. We played games, specifically ticket to ride, went boating at Bear Lake, survived a crazy wind storm while trying to camp, ate delicious raspberry milkshakes and dutch oven, and enjoyed relaxing as a family. It was my first time ever going to Bear Lake and it was ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!!

Kyle and I after boating all morning

Kyle, Drew, and Cami playing on the beach

On August 20th Logan, my super cute nephew, was born. He weighed 3lbs 14.5 oz. Ashley and Ryan are such cute parents and we love going over to their house to visit!
August 21st-25th we visited Cami, Andy, Drew, and Avery in Flastaff, Arizona. They moved there in June and we thought that it would be fun to visit them as our last vacation before school started. While we were there we went to the Grand Canyon, Walnut Canyon (which has some really cool cliff dwellings--see pictures), and enjoyed spending time with our adorable niece and nephew. It was so much fun and we are so glad that we decided to go!

Kyle and I at Walnut Canyon

Avery and her flower :) She is such a beautiful little girl!

The Grand Canyon during a rain storm. Lets just say we got soaked, and there is a pretty funny story to go with the experience!

Me, "It's so big". Kyle, "Hmm".

Me, Avery, and Cami

Me and the Grand Canyon

Kyle and I. Drew is hiding behind us throwing rocks into the Grand Canyon, which was his favorite part of going!

Isn't it beautiful?

Cliff dwelling at Walnut Canyon

Kyle did his 2nd triathlon on August 29th. Below are some pictures of him during the event.

SWIM

BIKE

RUN...Look at that form!

School started again on August 31st and since then pretty much all we do is school stuff.

We celebrated my birthday on September 25th. Kyle loves surprises and he definately surprised me! We went to a movie and when we got back my family was waiting at our apartment. I had no idea they were coming! It ended up being a great birthday!

So there is an update of the last 3 months in a nutshell. I really am going to try to be better about blogging so that all of my posts don't end up being so long!

Still a Slacker

2009-09-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

So based on our blog it would appear that Kyle and I never do anything. The truth is, we have a lot of pictures to put up and a lot has been going on, i'm just a slacker when it comes to blogging and I never take the time to do it. I really will...maybe this Saturday will be the day...

Our First Family Vacation!

2009-07-05T17:58:00.000-07:00

So this past week Kyle and I took our very first family vacation together! We left Tuesday afternoon and drove 5 hours to Island Park, Idaho. My Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson live in a cabin there, and it is only 30 minutes away from the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park, so it was a great place for a little time away from Provo. We spent all day Wednesday in Yellowstone, which was so fun, but by the end of the day we were exhausted. Thursday we went swimming at Island Park Reservoir and spent a little time at Big Springs, which is a river where huge trout live under a bridge. Since we didn't have bread crumbs or fish food to feed the trout, we fed them rasins. Suprisingly, the fish loved the rasins and some actually fought over the rasins we threw in the water. I also made homemade pizza for my Grandma and Grandpa, they though it was amazing that I made the crust from Yeast! Since Grandma was pretty excited to have company she made us a German Chocolate Cake and Seven Layer Bean Dip. It was delicious, and we were happy to spend some quality time with grandparents! Friday morning we ate a big breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa and then headed home. On the way home we stopped at Golden Spike National Historic Site. Since we had purchased a national parks pass at Yellowstone we didn't have to pay to get in, which was pretty nice, but it was in the middle of nowhere and pretty small. We decided that for Golden Spike, one visit in a lifetime is plenty! Before we actually made it all the way home we also went to the Oakley, Utah professional rodeo with my family and my Uncle Rod and Aunt Robyn and their family. It was so much fun, and a wonderful end to our first family vacation!

This is Kyle as we drove into Yellowstone, we were both pretty excited to be going!

Old Faithful, a classic part of the Yellowstone experience.This buffalo was just slowly walking down the middle of the road.

Kyle loved the buffalo...Go Bills!

We actually saw about 7 black bears while we were in Yellowstone. When I took this picture the bear was pretty much looking right at me!

One of the most beautiful areas in Yellowstone is the Grand Canyone of the Yellowstone.

This is the lower falls in that canyon.

Kyle and I by Mammoth Hot Springs

The giant fish at Big Springs and Kyle and I sitting by the river

This is at Golden Spike. The two trains represent the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroad lines that met up at Promontory, connecting the United States from East to West. A golden spike was driven in the railroad tie right between the two trains.

The Absolute Best Post Ever...at least for me :)

2009-05-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

As I promised I am redeeming myself and creating a blog post that is actually worth reading!

Kyle and I have been married for about 5 months (it will be officially 5 months this Wednesday :). We were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on December 20th, 2008, and it was the absolute best day of my life thus far! I have already posted a couple of wedding pictures, but becasue I love pictures so much, and I haven't posted any that were taken by out photographer, I am going to put some more up!

This is Kyle and I as we're walking out of the temple. I like it becuase we both look so happy :)

This is everyone who was either at the ceremony or waited for us outside the temple. I love the expression on everyone's faces!

This picture is one of my favorites of Kyle and I. It is especially important to me, becuase my parents have a similar picture by the other tree like this from their wedding day!

A Little Bit About Us:

Kyle and I met at BYU while living in Centennial Apartments, becuase were in the same FHE group. Our apartments became good friends, so we were always playing Guitar Hero at his apartment or going to BYU football games as a group. Probably some of the funniest and funnest times we had together when we first started dating were at football games.

This is from one of the first football games I went to with Kyle. It was freezing cold, but we stayed to the very last second. I would have never stayed for the whole game if it wasn't for Kyle!

Currently, Kyle and I live in Wymount Terrace, the BYU married student housing, and we absolutely love it! We have such an awesome ward, and we have made some absolutely wonderful friends living here. Kyle works for Emergency Essentials in their Accounting department. He just finished the junior core of the accounting program, and we just found out yesterday that he has been accepted to the Masters of Accounting program (Professional Stem-for anyone who knows what that means). It is so exciting, and we feel incredibly blessed to have this opportunity! I currently work for the Department of Statistics, although I know nothing about statistics. In the Fall I am starting the Elementary Education program, and I cannot wait! The first semester is arts classes, and I absolutely love the arts. It will be exciting to finally get started on what I love.

Now that the information I should have put up in separate posts long ago is up, I can talk about recent things, like any normal blogger :) This summer Kyle and I have decided to be active, after a long and inactive winter. We are on a soccer team with our ward which is so much fun. Our record is current 1-2, but it is still great to play. I haven't been on a soccer team since I was in the 6th grade, so it is great to get back into the sport! Along with playing soccer, we are working towards running a 5k on the 4th of July here in Provo. We signed up officially last night, which cost $15 each, so there is no way we are backing out. I am way excited, it will be my first official race ever! At the end of summer Kyle is hoping to do another triathlon, and I will be doing a relay triathlon with his Dad and Andy (our brother-in-law). I am going to be doing the running portion, and if we do a full that will be a 10k. Hopefully it will be a 10k, eventhough it will be difficult, becuase I want to keep pushing myself!

Cheesecake Factory:

Last night we went up to Riverton for my friend Sarah's wedding reception. It was a beautiful reception, and I am so happy for her! Afterwards we went to dinner with my sister Ashley and my mom. We went to the cheesecake factory, because we had a $25 gift card :), and it was delicious. My mom had driven her Honda Pilot, so after dinner we went to the car and my mom tried to open it. For some reason the keypad to unlock her car wouldn't work. We tried sticking the key in, and even that wouldn't work. My mom started getting really concerned, and said that the key wouldn't work if the battery in the keypad was dead. Kyle and I both found that really odd, and continued to try to open the car, but to no avail. Finally my mom decided that we needed to find the mall cop who we had seen driving around, because otherwise we would never get home. Then all of the sudden my mom started laughing and discovered that she had the wrong Honda key out. It was pretty funny, especially since my mom had said that the car key couldn't work if the keypad battery was dead. We all got a good laugh, and were grateful that mom had discovered she had the wrong key out before we called the police!

Well, my blog is officially up to date. Now I just have to keep it up...

2009-05-15T13:20:00.001-07:00

So I officially am the absolute worst blogger ever; however, this weekend I am going to redeem myself and post the absolute best blog ever!

3 Months!!!

2009-03-18T07:23:00.001-07:00

So I finally found a way to get some wedding pictures on our blog, since we don't have our digital picture CD yet. There are only two for now, but i'm definately going to put more up!
It is pretty crazy to think that this Friday will make 3 months that we have been married! Time has gone by so quickly! Life is so busy with school and work that it seems like we never have a quiet moment, but really, life is great. We are so blessed!

2009-01-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

Kyle really likes this picture...i think it's the hat :)!!!

2009-01-13T20:59:00.001-08:00

2009-01-13T20:56:00.000-08:00

2009-01-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

Kyle and I are LOVING married life so far! It is so wonderful!!! I definately can't wait to post pictures of our wedding...yay!!!

2009-01-13T20:50:00.000-08:00

We'll Just Stick with Pictures for now!

2009-01-13T20:43:00.000-08:00

PICUTURES!!! YAY!!!