The Black Family

And a few more.

2012-01-27T15:51:00.000-08:00

Chandlers second first day of preschool.David and his 10K victory.
Christmas.
There is no rhyme or reason to these last posts, but please enjoy anyway.

Some pictures.

2012-01-27T15:15:00.000-08:00

I ain't chicken.

2012-01-27T14:55:00.001-08:00

We are not animal people. I am not a bird person, remember this post? But David thought that we should try out chickens.

So like most people do we drove down to the local cal-ranch and purchased ourselves 10 baby chicks. 4 were for eating and 6 for eggs. Long story short....we raised the roasting birds and butchered them in our garage (it was humane, but I don't think we will be doing this next year). While at Jill's wedding 3 of our egg hens died, it was very sad. Poor Sheila. I forgot to tell you, we name our chickens. Our three surviving chickens Sally, Jessie, and Raphael(white) continued growing and thriving. Until that morning mom woke to a very loud roster crow. Poor Raphael was dinner that night, it was an interesting dinner to say the least.

So now we are down to just Sally and Jessie. I have to say they are the best pets a small family could ask for. They pretty much take care of themselves. They roam the backyard and go into their coup at sundown. The kids love them, in fact they go out and pet them every morning. They give us two eggs a day and only chase you because they love you.

We are alive! I know you were worried.

2012-01-27T14:04:00.001-08:00

My dear friend Amy did a cute year in review on her blog. And since I am not creative nor do I want to figure out some awesome way of doing this I will steal her idea.

Brinlee Rae

(aka: Brinner brinner chicken dinner, coco butter, stinky, binny and of couse princess)

At 2 Brinlee:

Loves Tangled. Sometimes I catch her spinning in circles singing "When will my life begin!"
Loves nursery. From the moment we enter the church she is wanting to know when she can go.
Loves the chickens. I bet you didn't know we have chickens.
Wants to potty train.
"Shut the front door" is her saying of choice.
Loves cousin Christian and always talks about him.
Wants to kiss daddy all sacrament meeting and makes it known to all of the congregation(more on that later).
We have had our share of coloring on the walls, emptied tubes of toothpaste and diaper rash cream, bite marks on various parts of our bodies(Chandler has had them on his bum), spilled or throw drinks at the dinner table, destroyed toys, destroyed DVDs , destroyed important paper work, emptied filling cabinets. Needless to say she is extremely busy and we love her very much; I think it is just a phase, well hopefully.

Chandler

(aka: Chancho, bubba, buggaboo,)

At four Chandler:

Is loving his second year of the Busy Bee Preschool.
Can recognize all letters and their sounds.
Writes his name.
Loves to play outside.
Is the official egg collector.
Is not a fan of church and loves to talk about how much he HATES it in his loud voice during the sacrament.
Can beat the star wars Lego and Lego pirates wii games.
Is the official dishwasher unloader
Wants to play at Briggy's house everyday.
Loves his army guys.
Could possibly be an angel. This kid is so helpful and content to do just about anything. He doesn't like it when he hurts peoples feelings and is very sensitive to others.

David

(aka: Daverino, Dave, Dad, and sexy Dave but only by his wife)

David at 29 1/2:

Is busy! Between work and his new calling as 1st counselor in the bishopric he is on the go.
He took first place in the 25-29 age range for the Onion Days 10K.
Went deer hunting for the first time since being married.
Is training for a half marathon.
Pumped the iron at Golds all summer.
Went golfing all summer. Including some memorable moments with Ronni.
Loving his chickens Sally and Jessie
Raised 4 Cornish Hens and then butchered them in the garage with his true love. They were delicious.
Is currently on vacation enjoying life.

Ronni

(aka: Mom, mommy, Ronster, Ronni Brin )

Ronni at 26:

Grew a killer garden this year. Bottled 30 quarts of pickles, 30 pints of tomatoes, apple sauce, grape juice, salsa, and peaches.
Pumped the iron all summer with Daverino.
Is on her fourth class in the primary, and they are perfect angels.
Might not be so afraid of chickens anymore.
Plays on a ladies volleyball team and hopes she can move the next day and not pee her pants while jumping.
Cooks, cleans and does all of her motherly duties with a smile (haha).

In 2012 we hope to:

Grow another garden.
Install new flooring in our home.
Go to Easterfest with the Van Ausdal family.
Visit Scott and Kelly in San Diego.
Expand our family (chickens or children).
Go Camping.
Love each other.
Be more service oriented.
Live at the park all summer

One for Lori.

2012-01-27T14:03:00.000-08:00

It has been a while, six months plus! I am here though ready to fill the void that my blog-less blog has put into your lives. My dear sister in law Lori had to have a minor surgery and now is in bed blog-stalking (according to her hubby). So Lori this is for you, blog-stalk away!

Love

2011-05-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

On May 6th David and I celebrated 6 years. I love this guy. Somehow I was lucky enough to find him. Somehow I was lucky enough to be chosen to be his forever. I love you Daver!

Let there be light!

2011-05-24T21:34:00.000-07:00

We live in an old house. 60 years old to be exact. We have no lights in our front room. Well except for a big weird light box that only shown light on the floor directly below it. So what did we do? We tore out that hideous light box. Installed 16 next can lights and repainted the kitchen.

Ya.....we are awesome.

Easter weekend.

2011-05-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

David had Easter weekend off this year! So we packed up the kids and headed to Santaquin to see my side of the family. There was egg coloring.

Chandler's very first dentist appointment. He did great.

And a tour of Santaquin. First we headed to the museum. Chandler loved the military doll display. Had burgers at the Santaqueen and got some delicious treats at the red barn. It was a perfect little vacation.

Chandler's Pirate Party!

2011-05-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

Chandler has been talking about having a pirate party for a year now. So we threw him one. Luckily for us we were able to spend it with a lot of our family! David was our leader on the treasure hunt. Chandler kept saying how "scary" pirate daddy was.

Some of the decor. Pictures courtesy of Grandma Marcia.

He loved all of his gifts. He even got a big boy bike.

Our cute little pirate!

The treasure hunt.

We love our little Chandler and were so glad a lot of our family was able to celebrate his birthday with us.

Chandler its your birthday. Happy Birthday Chander!

2011-04-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Chandler! We Love you!

Brinlee vs. Iverson

2011-03-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

Brinlee is now 18 months and guess what? I can get her hair into braided pigtails! Now that is saying something considering some children are completely bald until they are 2. I love having a little girl. I love making her hair fancy. It took some time to get this little hair do perfect. When I was done I rushed Brinlee out to the garage to show daddy how adorable she was. I was so excited and told David to look how pretty our little princess was. David said "Oh she is adorable, our little Iverson baby." What?!? Brinlee does not look like Allen Iverson. The only thing they have in common is that they are both really good at throwing fits.

Oh well. I still think she is a pretty little princess no matter what. Iverson hair or not!

Craft, food and much more.

2011-03-09T11:34:00.000-08:00

I just started a craft, food and much more blog. It is called Ronni's blog (boring name). You can link to it from my facebook page or the sidebar of this blog. Don't be too shocked if I ask some of you to be a guest blogger!
Check it out: http://ronniscrafts.blogspot.com/

Brinner

2011-02-22T09:31:00.000-08:00

Why is it that your second child becomes a toddler so much faster than your first? Where has my baby gone? I just love this little Brinner! She is so much fun and we love having her running around our home.
A few things to know:

*She loves to swing. While we were in Blanding last week Grandma took the kids to the park (she is brave). Brinlee just loved swinging, she even pumps her little legs.

*She loves her baby doll. A few weeks ago she was sick with a double ear infection and strep throat. She was a VERY sick little girl. She wanted her baby by her the entire time. Mommy got her baby a towel for her head to and Brinlee was very happy to see her baby was getting better with her. Her baby is very loved and knows how to say mama (well brin says it for her). There is not a day that Brins doesn't have her baby in her arms. She is a very good mom.

*She loves to cheese it up. Just look at the picture, this kid really loves to have her picture taken. Anytime a camera is out she puts on her cheese face and is ready.

Brinlee will be 18 months on the 20Th. I just can't believe she is ready to go to nursery! We love our Brinner.

Down on Aunt Kim's Farm.....

2011-02-22T09:19:00.001-08:00

There are happy little babies!
Goats eating cookies.

A turkey that will let you pet it.

And little boys feeding chickens.

Auntie Kim and Uncle Clayton have quite the set up at their new home. A place for their horses and lots of fun farm animals. The kids had a great time being around the animals. I now want chickens, yes I want chickens. Thanks for the fun day Kim and Clayton!

Sister for Sale!

2011-01-05T13:52:00.000-08:00

Brinlee is my sweetie. She hardly cries and has always been a very happy little girl. That is until recently. She is teething and it is extremely miserable around our house. You know the routine: up in the middle of the night, never wanting anything to eat, short fuse(baby and mommy), and all the whining. Pray for me!

Now you know that let me tell you a little story.....

Today while the kids were playing in the playroom I heard a CRASH and then Chandler crying. That's right Chandler, normally it is Brin and I was a little freaked out. I got up to go see what had happened. Chandler met me half way and told me the whole terrible story. Short Version: Brinlee was stealing his toys and he told her no so she pulled his hair and then hit him in the face (according to Chandler). He also said "She is extra mean to me today!"

I got after Brin and put her to bed then had a talk with Chandler. I told him that little sisters don't know how to share and so big brothers need to be a good example. Plus, she a super sad so no matter what you do she isn't going to be happy. At the end of our talk Chandler looked at me and said "I think we could sell her. Is that a good idea?" Hahahahahahaha! I couldn't stop laughing. Kids. I told him no and he was very unhappy that I didn't agree. Afterwards I thought about a poem I use to love in elementary school.

FOR SALE

by: Shel Siverstien

One sister for sale!

One crying and spying young sister for sale!

I'm really not kidding.

So who'll start the bidding?

Do I hear a dollar?

A nickel?

A penny?

Oh, isn't there, isn't there, isn't there any

One kid that will buy this old sister for sale?

This crying and spying young sister for sale?

It's funny but I think we all at times have wanted to sell our sisters. I know I did!

Christmas

2010-12-25T21:44:00.000-08:00

FUN FUN FUN! We had such a great Christmas morning. Santa found our little house and boy we must have been good. Chandler is the proud owner of Legos, a giant box of army men, and some big trucks. Brinlee is now the adoptive mommy of Violet Harley (her new Cabbage Patch Doll) and will host any of you with her new tea set.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Our Nativity 2010

2010-12-25T21:37:00.000-08:00

Every year I look forward to Christmas Eve and a nativity scene with little children. It has been a while. It was so special this year to have our little ones play the parts of Mary and Joseph. I don't think they quite understand fully the significance of this small play. I hope that as they grow David and I can teach them what a great gift the birth of our Savior is. These pictures make me laugh. I love to have things perfect, sometimes I get a little crazy and when it doesn't work out I am mad. Not this year. The kids were so funny and couldn't stop running around in their little costumes.

Brinlee was a very loving Mary. Making sure the baby Jesus got lots and lots of kisses.

Chandler was a very handsome Joseph. He made sure Brinlee was giving the right amount of kisses.

I love these kids, they are such a joy in our lives.

Cookies for Santa

2010-12-25T21:33:00.000-08:00

What do you do with a little boy on Christmas Eve? This is the first year he has really understood what was going on. We have watched lots of Christmas movies and in each one there is always someone baking cookies for Santa. Chandler was so excited! He decorated them himself and even made a special snowman sandwich.

Christmas coloring

2010-12-25T21:29:00.001-08:00

Chandler and Brinlee both love to color. The other day we colored some special pictures for Santa. Brinlee scribled and tasted her crayons, while Chandler stamped and did some watercoloring. She just couldn't keep those darn crayons out of her mouth. We have alot with teeth marks in them.

Chandler really loved the stamps. He stamped for 30 minutes, it was great. If any of you know where I can get some cheap let me know. It is something I am willing to spend money on.

The lights at Hogle Zoo

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

Did you know they have lights at the zoo? We didn't either, one of David's co-workers told us about it and we decided to check it out.
To start things off both of our children fell asleep on the way down (this is something that NEVER happens). Them falling asleep turned out to be a very good thing. They were still a little drowsy so a stroll through the Christmas lights was even more relaxing. Most of the animals were in their hibernation so we didn't see many. We did see the tiger's, Santa's reindeer and all the snakes and birds our little hearts could enjoy.
Chandler and David by the Gingerbread house. We have been reading the Gingerbread man and Chandler loved the little boy and girl.

Mommy and Brinlee enjoying the lights. Brin was an angel, she didn't make a peep the entire time. We almost forgot she was there.

After the Zoo we went to Bajio for dinner. Normally they have Hispanic music playing, last night they had all sorts of good 80's rock. Chandler just couldn't resist! We were the only people there and he was dancing his little heart out. Just watch and wait for it, you will get to see his version of the moon walk. Hilarious!

2010-12-11T11:26:00.001-08:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

2010-12-08T12:16:00.000-08:00

Last week my Grandma Jennie was preforming at temple square. She is in the Payson Civic Corale and is quite the singer. We decided to go down and watch. Since parking is a NIGHTMARE downtown we parked over the the Gateway and jumped on the train. Chandler loved it! We met up with Grandpa and Grandma and walked around to see the lights. As always it was beautiful. The kids loved it so much. After we walked around we headed to the assembly hall and listened to a few songs. It was a really fun night. If you haven't been down there this year you are missing out.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-08T12:13:00.001-08:00

This year David and I hosted Thanksgiving. It was really fun! I like to cook and eat so it is really a win win for me. We had the usual Turkey, Stuffing (amazing), Potatoes etc. My mom made her incredible yams and a very delicious pumpkin cheesecake. All in all we were very full and happy.

Chandler and Brinlee Photoshoot

2010-12-08T12:10:00.000-08:00

Halloween 2010

2010-12-08T12:09:00.000-08:00

Hailey and Justin

2010-12-08T12:02:00.000-08:00

It has been a while, two months to be exact. Last post I promised some pictures from my sisters big day.
Hailey and Justin were married October 2 at the Petetneet (?) museum. It was a really nice ceremony preformed by President Bart Olsen. It was fun to get to share in such a special moment in their lives with them. The reception was great to. Cheese cake was served and it was fun to catch up with some long lost friends.
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Jensen!

Heritage hike, Dino Museum and Bluff.

2010-10-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

Going back to the good old days we took the kids to where Daver popped the question. We climbed the tower, sat in a covered wagon and played in a tepee.

When we told Chandler the Hogon was a house it looked at us like we were crazy. He still had a good time pretending it was his home.

Annual trip to the Dinosaur Museum. Last time we were down Chandler could not stop talking about it. It nearly drove us crazy. That kid loves Dinosaurs and Grandma makes our trip so much more fun.

After the Dinosaur Museum we headed to Bluff. First we had a yummy lunch at Twin Rocks and then went over to the visitors center. Brinlee taught us a little something, Chandler tried to escape to the old Bluff Fort and we gained a greater respect for the Hole in the Rock Pioneers (if you don't know about their journey YOU NEED TO LOOK IT UP).

2010-10-08T10:55:00.000-07:00

See that crack just above the "This is where we hiked to" caption?
Well that is where we hiked to (duh).

Lewis Lodge

2010-10-08T10:53:00.000-07:00

Since we have been married David has always wanted to take me out to Lewis Lodge. I have usually been pregnant so it hasn't worked out. Well this trip was perfect for the hike. It wasn't too hot and I am not preggers (the perfect combinations for hiking).
Starting out the hike you are not quite sure where you are going to end up. We scaled some slick rock and ended up looking in to a giant canyon (top left). This is the point where I say "Where is the ruin?" and David laughs and says "In that tiny crack."
Standing there looking at the canyon we both felt so small in comparison. I thought that once we got into the ruin we would be far from the cliffs. Was I wrong! Straight plummet to DEATH(bottom right)! What in the world were the Anazi people thinking? And how did they build in such tight places on the faces of cliff? What did they do with their children?
P.S. ours were on top with Grandpa and Grandma

The Anazi people were truly insane as well as incredible builders. Even after years of weathering the Kiva was in pretty good shape and still had most of it's roof in tacked. The only thing that was strange is there were no petroglyphs. We had a great time and there was no crying.

Hovenweep

2010-10-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

About 40 miles south east of Blanding is Hovenweep National Monument. In the middle of nowhere is a little canyon full of ancient ruins. It is a cool place and an easy hike to see some history. Curtis and Kristin were able to come with us and we had a blast. The Anazai people were incredible builders(and a little crazy with their cliff dwellings). Building round buildings out of sandstone perfectly straight with no modern tools is amazing.

At the beginning of our adventure the kids were asked to participate in the Jr. Ranger program. They had to complete a number of tasks such as: connect the dots activities, decorating pots ect. Chandler chose to do the connect the dots activity and circled all of the number fives and drew a big letter A. He is a real overachiever.
When we finished our hike we went back to the rangers station where the kids were sworn in as Jr. Rangers. It was so cute and they were all so proud of themselves.

Jr. Rangers Chandler, Ethan, Maggie and Ben.

If you are ever down south you should head on over to Hovenweep.

Arches National Park

2010-10-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

Arches is really an incredible place. I had never been their in all of my years of being from Utah and really wanted to go. Dave had been a few times and didn't mind taking another trip into the park. First we stopped for quick potty breaks and water refills at the visitors center and then we were off.

There are so many cool things to see. The middle picture is a place called down town(or something like that) it really looks like a city. The arch at the bottom is the arch Daver hiked/ran in to. I should have known I would love it so much since Monument Valley is one of my most favorite places in the world.

Against better judgement, the advice of the in laws and common sense we decided to hike to Delicate Arch with the kids. It was hot, they were tired and we didn't have the patience to make it all of the way. At the half way point(you know right before you start going straight up hill on the face of red rock) David says "I will just take the kids back to the car, drive around and come back to get you." Really? So big mama hiked to the arch by herself and enjoyed every minute of it. It really is amazing, and I am so glad I did it. Thanks David for being such a stud and taking the kiddos!

One year of Brinners!

2010-09-21T19:32:00.000-07:00

Our little baby Brinlee is one year old (yesterday the 20th).
Please enjoy one year of Brinlee in pictures.

2010-09-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

Isn't it funny what entertains children? Chandler and Brinlee would be content just to dump out all of the toys and just play in the baskets. Brinlee especially loves doing this. Anytime she finds a basket, box, or anything she can sit in she plops herself down and plays.

Over Labor day we headed up to Kaye and Matt's. While we were there we went to the Willow Park Zoo, had some yummy pizza, did a little shopping and went fishing. Chandler was the mighty fisherman catching the biggest fish. It was his very first fish and he was excited and a little frightened.

Mirror Lake

2010-08-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

This weekend we were invited to stay in a cabin near Mirror Lake. We had a great time hanging out with Mike, Emily and the kids, Matt and Kaye, Jill and Jodi. No fish were caught but we had a great time eating delicious food and catching up. Thanks for the invite Mike and Em!

Learning to eat with(out) a spoon.

2010-08-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

Love is in the air.

2010-08-22T21:14:00.000-07:00

Love is really in the air lately. Kaye and Matt were married July 30th, and had the BEST WEDDING EVER. Can't go wrong with soft serve ice cream and some serious dancing.
Way to go love birds!

Plus, my sister Hailey and her true love Justin were engaged yesterday!. They will be getting married October 2nd. We are so happy for you guys.

2010-08-22T21:13:00.000-07:00

2010-07-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

Binny is already TEN MONTHS! Can you believe it? This little girl is such a joy. She is a little ball of happiness and delight in our family.
Brinlee at ten months:
Loves to bath and splash her big brother.
Loves to crawl around all day (and eat things off of the floor).
Loves to pull herself up and squawk so we can make a big deal about it.
Loves to take short naps.
Plays patty cake with the best of them.
Claps for everyone (especially the men giving the lessons in elders quorum).
Loves being sang and read to.
Loves when we have company over. She is already quite the little preformer.
Is the happiest baby in the entire world!
Sleeps all night.
Weighs 17 pounds
28 Inches long
Has a below average head size(I am okay with that).

We love this little gal and so does her big brother!

Hill Air Force Base

2010-07-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

Chandler loves the to watch the jets that fly over our house. So the other day we took him up to the Aerospace Museum. He loved seeing all of the big planes, helicopters and war birds. The museum is pretty cool and we have been up there multiple times. They have recently put together a children's center where the kids can learn all about how planes fly, how a pilot is trained and lots of other fun things. They have a station where you can put on a flight suit and sit in the cockpit of a jet. Chandler loved it so much he wanted to take the suit home with us! It was a great day and we had a fantastic time.

What is up with th Black Family?

2010-07-14T23:35:00.000-07:00

So what is up with us? At the request of a few sister-in laws I have decided to finally update a little(I am sorry you didn't like the dinosaur museum post). :) We have been having a great summer just playing, relaxing, a little hiking and biking, getting ready for Kaye's wedding , and figuring out a new schedule with David's new hours.

This is a picture Marcia took of me and Brin. I forgot to post it so now I will. Isn't Brin such a little cutie? She is getting big so fast, she is almost ten months! My little sister McKenzie competed in the Miss Utah pageant and did an excellent job. David and I were able to go the night she preformed her talent. We were both so impressed with her total awesomeness! I have been so proud of that little sis of mine. Love you Kenzer!

Brinee is finding out quickly that "Pain is Beauty". I trimmed her hair into a little bob and now we roll it up on Sunday mornings for the perfect hair do.

She really doesn't mind too much.

Since it is summer the kids are always super dirty. Bath time is a must and the kiddos just love it. Look at that handsome boy and he is squeaky clean to.

Brinlee really loves it. Her face says it all.

Did you know that we didn't have any grass in our backyard last year? Well we didn't and it really wasn't fun. We got a little more ambitious this year and planted seed.

Look at it now. Isn't it beautiful? We also have a garden. I really enjoy the yard work and the gardening. Now if we can just get everything to grow!

Chandler loves playing outside. He loves the sandbox, coloring with sidewalk chalk, riding his spider scooter, playing with all of the neighbor kids, eating ice Popsicles, swimming in the pool, and just playing so much that he sleeps all night long.

Brinlee is a sweetie. She is contented to just crawl around and play with whatever toy is on the floor. She is now standing up on everything and thinks she is such a big girl.

I have tons of pictures I need to develop so keep your eye out for more updates!

Happy 28 Daver!

2010-07-13T19:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Daver! We love you and all you do for our little family. *Birthday last year, please forgive the Tiger Woods cake it was pre-affairs. :)

Dinosaur................ahhh scary.

2010-05-20T21:49:00.000-07:00

They are not scary, their happy. -- Chandler (referring to the dinosaur that dad said was scary)

Eight Months

2010-05-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

True Love

2010-05-06T13:27:00.000-07:00

Today we have been married 5 years! I still don't know how I got so lucky. I didn't know it when we were first married, but I am almost positive I have the greatest husband in the entire world. Happy Anniversary Daver!

A little story about debt.

2010-04-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

David and I have been married now for almost five years. In that time we have had 2 children, 3 cars, 5 couches, moved out of 5 homes, painted and cleaned enough apartments to last a life time and now we can say we are debt free.

After moving from Ogden to Centerville in May of 2008 we were able for a short 6 months to be part of a fantastic ward. There were so many great people and they taught us so much. Around September the elders quorum had a lesson on finances. The guy teaching the lesson introduced David to Dave Ramsey and the total money makeover. He bore testimony of how much better his family life and relationship with his wife had become by getting and staying out of debt. David told me all about it and within the week we purchased this book:

Now don't get me wrong I am not trying to tell anyone that they need to do the same thing we have done I just wanted to share our experience.

After getting the book David read it and then tried to get me to follow the financial plan set up in the book. At that time we had about 20,000 of debt (our mini-van , a student loan, a credit card and some medical bills). We decided that we would start budgeting and get the ball rolling.

In November we moved in with Mike and Emily Black (David's brother) and payed down our student loan, medical bills and credit card. Life was going great and after only two months of living with the Black's we found and purchased our home (finding out the same day we were expecting Brinlee). We knew our home needed some work and we budgeted for it and only spent what we had. A few weeks after living here a window salesman talked us right into some new windows for the house. We still had the van and added an additional 5000 to our debt making it once again nearly 20000. We were stupid.

We continued following the program and budgeted our money. David got a second job working for the DATC as a janitor and started working graveyards at Walgreen's. We were going to use the extra $500 dollars a month to put toward our windows that we had to start paying for in October. It was a great plan on paper but then life hit and the whirlwind began. Summer came and went and then our little Brinlee was born. Our first bill came for the windows and the spit hit the fan. We didn't have near enough saved and were paying 26% interest on $5800. We knew we shouldn't have put the windows on credit but did anyway.

In January the stress of having this debt hanging over our heads was really getting to me. I wasn't really a fan of the Dave Ramsey program and had thought that it really wasn't that big of a deal having so much debt. One night after reading my patriarchal blessing I had the impression that we needed to sell our mini-van. The Van I never wanted but fell in love with(I know it sounds ridiculous). That night I put it on KSL and we had it sold within 24 hours.

The following month we paid off the windows with our tax return and have felt light as a feather ever since.

So in the last 18 months we have paid down (including selling the van) $28,000 of debt making around 2,000 more than that a year.

Let me tell you something. Life has been soooooooooo much better. We always have money and we are now saving like crazy. We don't have to have that weight of living pay check to pay check on our backs. We still budget everything to the penny and have started the profit sharing program with Walgreen's.

I am so Thankful we were part of the Centerville ward for those short six months. I am so grateful I have a husband who looks out for what is best for our family. I am so thankful that I was able to realize that it was important for our family to become debt free. We have been so blessed and hopefully now we can bless the lives of other by sharing what we have been able to accomplish.

David recently was promoted into the management program and starting out with a salary being debt free is the best feeling I have ever had.

If you are interested in becoming debt free check out Dave Ramsey online or purchase his book the Total Money Makeover.

Old roll of film.

2010-04-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't really been updating the blog lately because our digital camera died. We have been using our Canon Rebel 35 mm. It is a great camera it just uses film and isn't as convenient. When we realized the digital camera had died we pulled out and wiped the dust off the old Canon. There was a roll of film in it and this is what we found........
This is a trip to the Ogden temple David and I made one day for FHE. We took pictures of the flowers and of course the temple. I love this little gem. It is so David!

This is our first Halloween. I only put this up to show you how messy our house was. I can't believe I let David take this picture with all of the crap in the back!

Look how young and skinny (mostly me) we are. I love the modeling Daver. You still got it.

Now please behold the gem of all gems on our roll of film. Halloween 2005, I have no idea what I am suppose to be. I bet you can guess who David is though. Trust me he has on the snow boots and the rustler jeans. This was the Black family Halloween party at Curtis and Kristin's. I believe Kirstin was an old grandma? Who knows I completely forgot about this. I hope you all enjoy as much as we did.

Guess who is 7 months?

2010-04-21T18:50:00.000-07:00

That's right, our little Brinlee is seven months old already. Where has the time gone? She has been such a great little addition to our family. A few things you might like to know are:
*She weighs 14 lbs 5oz (at her six month)
*She is 25 inches long
*She loves to eat eat eat. You wouldn't know that by looking at her but she does.
*She loves her brother Chandler. She will squawk at him until he pays her some attention.
*She is very happy. I am pretty sure she is the most pleasant baby in the entire world(still wondering how we got so lucky)
*Sometimes she likes to just lay in her crib and talk to herself
*She loves the backpack and enjoys gardening and hiking with us.
*She sleeps from about 7-7.
*Is quite the roller and sitter upper.
*She loves to scream (happy screams).

She is quite the drama queen and really like to have things her way. She definitely gets that from her father.

We love this little girl and are so thankful she is part of our family.

Three Years Old!

2010-04-14T21:41:00.001-07:00

My little cutie pie Chandler turned three April 7th. I can't believe it! He is so crazy fun. Some interesting facts about him are:
*He loves playing with cars
*Shooting targets with dad (wii game)
*Helping mom make cookies
*Running around outside
*Riding his spider scooter
*Playing with his friends next door
*Loves loves loves nursery
*Is really good at making Brinlee laugh
*Knows who everyone in the Frist Presidency is (his favorite is President Ukdorf)
*Loves reading and going to story time
*Loves to sing and dance
He is awesome!
Our digital camera died and so we have been using the old 35 mm. I took these pictures on his Birthday. Isn't he such a cutie!

We had to have a sponge bob cake again this year. I had originally purchased a rainbow chip cake and showed him. He told me it was "Too boring I want a sponge bob cake". He has some real attitude :)

Happy late Birthday Chancho! We love you.

I guess I better update.

2010-01-22T20:33:00.001-08:00

We had a great holiday season this year. This post has lots of pictures so I will just tell you a little something about everything. Winter is starting to get to us at the Black house. Chandler is stir crazy and we make frequent trips to Toys R US just to get out of the house. I came in to the front room one night to find him sporting this awesome outfit. We have also resorted to face painting as a past time when Dave is off. Isn't he a cute little kitty cat?

Brinlee is now and has been for a while sporting a ponytail. She doesn't really like it but she will get use to it (didn't we all? at least she doesn't have ceiling high bangs and a side ponytail with sponge rollers in it.).

Chandler has become quite the photographer. I found theses pictures he had taken of Brigham one day. There were about 50 extra photos on my card. We laughed so hard.

He really likes taking ones of himself.

Like I said we are a little stir crazy and can 't wait until spring. Neither can Chandler(notice the Easter basket on his head and in his hand).

We had a great Christmas this year. We spent it in Santaquin with my family and had a really good relaxing time. Chandler was a little under the weather on Christmas Day but had a good time overall.

My little sister Mckenzie who is 17 almost 18 was SO excited to open presents she insisted we all open on Christmas eve. Chandler open sponge bob underwear and as you can see he has no interest in ever being potty trained.

This is Mckenzie's favorite part of Christmas. My parents have some reindeer in their front yard and Kenz "stacked" them. Yes we are from Santaquin and we stack our own deer. We are trashy and proud of it. It was hilarious! I am pretty sure there may have been some wet pants.

Chandler and his nativity scene.

Christmas eve at Great grandparent VanAusdal's. Isn't he a cutie in that train sweater?

We have had some problems with Chandler wanting to be like mom and dad. He decided one day to put on mascara.

It took a while to get it off.

Look at these two cuties. We are so grateful to have these little kiddos in our family. I even think they might like each other. Brinlee loves to watch Chandler all day and she just giggles at all of his silly sounds. Chandler likes her, sometimes, when it is convenient.

WE hope you all had a great holiday season and can't wait for what the new year has in store for us.

Purple Paisley Designs

2009-12-15T16:33:00.001-08:00

My awesome cousin Erica Pratt Dixon has started her very own design blog. She does everything from Wedding Announcement to just about anything your little heart can think of. She is AWESOME and designed this adorable birth announcement for Brinlee. I posted her button on my blog so check out the right hand side. If you don't...............you better watch your backs people! :)
Thanks again Erica!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-05T11:18:00.000-08:00

Warning: Big post with lots of pictures.

2009-11-20T16:27:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since my last post. With Halloween and lots of other stuff going on I have been busy.
Brinlee is now two months old and is cute as ever. She is a very happy, calm, good sleeping, good eating baby. I haven't been to her two month appointment so I don't know how much she weights or how long she is. Sorry. Chandler is her best friend, or at least that is what he told me while I was taking her pictures today. She was crying and he said he needed to hold her hand so she would be happy. Guess it worked.

We blessed Brinlee on the 1st and it was great. We had lots of family support and are so grateful for all of them. Dave did a great job and Brinlee didn't even cry. She did however fill her diaper as soon as the blessing was done resulting in a wardrobe change in the chapel.

Our costumes for Halloween this year had no rhyme or reason to them. Brinlee was a flower and was not happy about it.

We carved pumpkins and Chandler dug right in. He didn't want to save the seed and was constantly trying to throw them away. It was funny.

Chancho and his BIG pumpkin.

Here are our costumes this year. Chancho was a puppy and we were a white trash couple. I even had a black eye. It was awesome!

Chancho getting ready to trick or treat.

Before and After....again.

2009-11-09T16:18:00.000-08:00

When we purchased this home we knew the space under the front windows was a really strange space, not very functional. Some people with similar homes have put their TV or couch in front of the windows and it looks stupid. I can't figure out why someone would want to put something in front of a window especially low windows. So after watching lots of home improvement shows we came to the conclusion we needed more storage.

So this is what my handy man came up with. Four storage shelfs with a blanket box in the middle. It is awesome and the front room is staying clean.

I love it and Chandler loves driving his cars on it. Thanks to Ikea we now have lights above it and baskets to put our crap in!

More Before and After.

2009-11-03T16:01:00.000-08:00

From this.................. To this.........................

What do you think? I love it! We bricked the front on the house, had new vinyl windows installed, a new garage door, new exterior door, and new lights.

LeGrande and Marcia did a great job on the brick and we are so thankful they were willing to do it.

I don't know if I will ever be able to leave our "little red brick house".

Crafty

2009-10-23T10:45:00.001-07:00

Armed with the hot glue gun and other sorts of crafty stuff Chandler and I have created some fun things for around the house.
This is not a craft it is Brinlee doing what she does best. I have been wanting to make this for a while now. A friend from Ogden had one in her front room and I just loved it. All it is is an old window I picked up at the antique store, a piece of wood painted white (I used bead board because I am cheap and we had it), dried flowers, and moss.

What do you think? Too much bead board for the kitchen?

The other kid friendly craft Chandler and I have been working on is this cute little turkey. I know it isn't close to Thanksgiving but I wanted to make something fun Chandler could be involved in to put up as a decoration around the house.

Cute and super easy. All you need is pine cones, feathers, google eyes, and pipe cleaners. The pine cones came from a neighbor and the craft supplies were at Michael's.

JP Creative

2009-10-21T16:45:00.000-07:00

A cute girl I went to high school with is a graphic designer and designs some great stuff. Everything from wedding invites to children's room wall posters. She is having a give away that will end October 30Th. Check her out at http://jpcreativedesign.blogspot.com/.

Kids

2009-10-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

Brinlee is now three weeks old and is fitting in with our family perfectly. Chandler still likes her and is always wanting to hold and give her kisses. Life with two kids has been a little bit of an adjustment but we are all getting use to this new routine (as if we had one before now). Dave has been back to work for four days now and we are still surviving. The house is messy and our dinners consist mostly of breakfast and stuff out of a box. It has only been three weeks so I am not really pushing myself to hard. Although I started going to the gym this week and my legs are pretty sore. Oh well I did just have a baby, did I think I was going to be able to run a marathon?

Still not sure what to do with Chandler all day long. Sometimes I wonder if I am cut out for this stay at home mom thing. I mean don't get me wrong I love it and would never ever want to go to work, I just don't know what to do with little kids all day. If any of you have good ideas/websites or anything like that pass the info on.

Pretty cute kids don't you think?

Baby

2009-09-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

Just some new pictures of the baby.

Brinlee Rae Black

2009-09-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

She is here! She even decided to come on my birthday. Brinlee was born Sept. 20th, 2009 at 8:10 p.m. weighing 8 LBS 5 OZ. She is super sweet, cute and has tons of hair (check out the white streak). More to come.

Phone pictures sorry about the quality.

Full Term

2009-09-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

I am officially full term today! So I have been cleaning like crazy. You know mopping, wipe down walls, vacuuming out corners of windows, stuff you don't normally do unless you are trying to start having and keep contractions going. Unfortunately I haven't had any luck. Oh well, at least my house will be spotless. We will keep you all updated.

Big Boy Chandler

2009-09-04T18:17:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how big my little boy is! The last few days I have been pretty sad that it will never be just me and Chancho ever again after the baby is born. I keep thinking that maybe I haven't spent the time with him that I should have, that I could have been better at playing and not just watching. Hopefully he is ready to be a big brother (most likely not) and wont hate mommy for very long. Although two year old are extremely challenging and can push your buttons like no one else, they are the best little people out there. Just look at this cutie. David brought home some crazy glasses a few weeks ago and Chandler thought they were hilarious. He would never put them on himself, he just liked when adults wore them. My mom and dad were up a week ago and grandma had them on. When Chandler saw her he put his hand to his head and said "Oh my heck Grandma" and ran away giggling. As you can see he is now enjoying wearing them and with his striped jammies he looks a lot like Waldo.

He thinks he is pretty hilarious. Being nine months pregnant and having a funny two year old are not the best combination, I nearly wet my pants taking these pictures.

A few weeks ago I made play dough. Yes I made play dough, just call me Molly Mormon Mommy. Anyway, while playing with it one night Chandler told me it was his baby. So we wrapped it in a dish towel and he carried it around all night. Singing it songs, rocking it, making sure it was warm, and of course giving it some serious baby talk. I don't know where he comes up with this stuff.

By the looks of it he is ready to be a big brother.

35 Weeks (well almost).

2009-08-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

Just a little update on the pregnant lady in this family. Hmmm lets see.......... I have been feeling great minus typical aches and pains. I went to the Dr. yesterday and have only gained nine pounds this entire pregnancy! This is great considering with Chandler I gained over 40 (a lot was water but holy cow). I am right on track as far as growth for the baby and she is head down. My blood pressure is low and right now I have no signs of toxemia. Hopefully it will stay that way. The baby is really wiggly and moves all night long. Last night I got about 3 hours of sleep in between going to the bathroom and waking up to move with the baby. Chandler is ready for this baby to come out. He can't figure out why mom can't hold him, snuggle on the couch, or why she is so emotional and sleepy all of the time. He does love to put his cars on my belly and say move baby, he thinks it is hilarious when she moves and the cars roll down. We still haven't decided on a name yet but I can tell you it will either be Kamry Rae, or Brinlee Rae. Chandler calls her Kamry, David calls her Kamry and I call her the baby or it. So that is the update on me and I would appreciate it if all of you pray I have her in 3 weeks not five =).

Mini Team Tiger

2009-08-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

David's dad gave us a picture of the brothers golfing in Monticello when we were down in July. Chandler thinks it is the coolest picture. Everytime he looks at it he asks if he can golf to. A few days ago I told him we would, so I went outside to get his clubs (yes he has real golf clubs) and he wouldn't let me leave until I got him a hat. I gave him one of David's old hats and he wouldn't have it. He wanted a golf hat (meaning a Tiger Woods hat). So I put it on him and he was ready to go. David and Chandler love to go on the front lawn and hit practice balls. They usually go out every single day.

Look at that form.

Mini Team Tiger!

Little Update

2009-08-05T16:19:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures from the last month. We finally got Chandler set up in his "big boy" bed and it seems it isn't just for little big boys. We headed to Blanding for a mini family reunion and enjoyed the parade in Monticello, camping at Camp Jackson and relaxing. It was great.
This picture was actually taken at Orchard Days in Santaquin. Chandler really loved these puppies.

Four Generation pictures with Grandpa Christensen.

If you will notice the side bar to the right you will be happy to see we only have 59 days until the baby due date!

How did the garden grow?

2009-07-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

This is our first year to attempt any sort of gardening. We purchased a few Topsy Turvey tomato planters and they seemed to be doing really well. Until recently, lets just say I wasn't going to waste a digital photo on them. Hopefully they will keep growing. In addition to our tomatoes we planted green onions, raspberries, blackberries and peas. The peas are the only real plant growth we have had and trust me they are delicious. Chandler really likes them and says "more peas, peez".

I know there are not very many in this picture but by the time I thought of taking any photos we had already ate most of them.

Hope all of your gardens are growing well.

Summer Fun

2009-07-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

We just got our computer back today, due to some software problems we had to get repaired. So after talking to my mother yesterday she made me feel like a big slacker (so this one is for you mom).
Last week we took Chandler to the Dinosaur park in Ogden and the Union Station. It was great considering he loves dinosaurs and trains. We had a great time!

This is Chandler taking a picture of us. He is a strange child.

We also visited the Oaker Mountain Temple open house. It was really cool and Chandler slept the entire time (score!). I think everyone needs to go see this Temple if they haven't, it is beautiful inside. I think it is the most simple Temple I have been in, but it is now one of my favorites!

So.................

2009-06-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

Do any of you love Kanye West? Just wanting to know because if you don't know any of his songs we recommend Heartless, Stronger (edited), and Love Lockdown. Watch out because he either has really good songs or bad (meaning a lot of F words). David loves it, which is a little weird because it is totally music he wouldn't normally give the time of day.

Also, today we ventured to the DI to get a new T.V. The old Zenith that I received from Santa Clause in the 7th grade finally gave up the ghost.

RIP Zenith. We had some good times. You were the T.V I wanted, we enjoyed Robin Hood Prince of Thieves at least 200 times, and yes you always helped me go to sleep every night.

I am totally being silly right now. Cross you fingers our new/old TV lasts as long.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T11:11:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day to the best Dads, Grandpa's and Great Grandpa's around! Great Grandpa Lyle

Bampa Black

Great Grandpa Ron

Bampa Jeff

DADDY!!!!

Love you all lots!

What's up with Chandler?

2009-06-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

There was once a point in my life where I vowed that I would never ever have children. Now I have obviously changed my mind, and I am sure glad I did. Chandler, although he is very busy and sometimes has freak outs for absolutely nothing I still love this little guy. Here are some funny things he has started doing.

Saying Mama:
Chandler has recently started referring to me as mama, instead on just yelling hey in my general direction. The only problem is he waits until I am not paying any attention, sneaks up behind me and screams "MAMA!" He has scared me to death at least three time in the last week.

Dad:
David works graveyards and gets home at 8:00a.m. Chandler is always awake at or around 7:00 and once he is up he wants to make sure I open the front window for him so he can watch for dad. Once David is home Chandler insists i open the front door so he can run out of the house and down the drive to give him a huge hug. It really melts my heart.

Bampa:
Davids mom and dad have been here for the last week and half helping (well really doing all the work) bricking the front of our little house. Chandler loves Grandpa and when he wakes up in the morning he stands in the hall and yells "BAMPA WHERE ARE YOU!" They left this afternoon and Chancho is going to be super sad that the only person he is waking up to is his mother.

Fridge:
Now that he is talking really well he is able to tell me when he is hungry, if he needs a drink and when he just needs a little snack. The last little while he asks me to come to the fridge and open it. After it is open he stands there for a little while places his finger on his lips and says "Hmmmm I doh no?" It is hilarious. He also wont eat an apple unless I have peeled it with the peeler.

Sandbox:
We just put together the sandbox and we love it. Chandler has played in it for hours, and if we aren't paying attention he sneaks out and runs straight for it. Now don't worry we watch our child but if the door is open he is running straight for the box.

Polite:
I can't stand kids who don't say please and thank you. So since Chandler has been talking I have insisted he always says please when he wants something. So the other day I was cutting up a cantaloupe for dinner and told him he had to wait. He instantly turned on his sad lips, looked up at me, and said "PEEEEZ MAMMA" Needless to say the fruit was half gone before we started. It he says please I crack and give him just about anything (is that bad parenting).

Body Functions:
For some reason burping and farting is hilarious to a two year old. We always know when Chandler has done either because he gets a big smile on his face and says "Excuse you" I think he has figured out the blame game.

We love this little guy. He is super funny and we stay entertained all day long.

Pictures from the show.

2009-06-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

Hottie!

Thanks Kari Ann Haskell for taking such beautiful pictures.

And the winner is...............

2009-06-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

MCKENZIE!!!!!!!!!! Way to go girl!

Miss Santaquin

2009-06-02T19:47:00.001-07:00

Mckenzie is trying out for Miss Santaquin this year and she is awesome! If you want to come see my awesome sister dance, look beautiful and steal the show the pagent is Saturday the 6th.

Good luck Kenzie!

Should men wear bras?

2009-06-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

We have been married for 4 years and in that time we have had many different neighbors. Now don't get me wrong many of these people have become good friends and we have had very few enemies. So now that we are in a house I had this crazy thought that all of the weirdos would go away and we would live in "Ronni Land" where no one bothered us and we didn't have to see people in less than full clothing. Well I was sure wrong! About five minutes ago our new neighbor knocked on the door to see if we minded him parking his jet ski between the houses. Now I was not too concerned with the jet ski I was however concerned with the fact that he didn't have a shirt on and his crack was hanging out about six inches. Don't get me wrong this guy is a nice older guy but he has man boobs (bigger than most females) and really needed a bra. I was a little disturbed. Actually I don't know if I will be able to sleep tonight.
I thought you would all enjoy that and I want you all to know that nothing like this ever happens when David is home. Its like I have a huge sign on my forehead that says "Please come to my house half naked, tell me everything about your life, and please for my sake don't hold anything back".

Blanding

2009-05-24T10:28:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday the 14th we packed up the van and headed to Blanding. We went down so David and my Dad could go turkey hunting. It was an unsuccessful hunt due to the "alien wizard turkeys from hell", according to my Dad. Other than that it was quite the exciting adventure. They saw a cougar, some bull elk, some coyotes, a bald eagle and a few turkeys. Tyler came down with us and helped entertain Chandler on the long ride. He and Chandler are now good buddies, they played all day long together. David and his Dad went on a few four wheeler rides and saw some ruins and dinosaur bones.

We celebrated our anniversary by inhaling a Sheepherders sandwich from Twin Rocks. We also went to the tower where we got engaged and gave each other a new turquoise ring. It was very romantic.

Grandma and Grandpa played with the kiddos and took them to the park, the dinosaur museum, out for snow cones, and let mommy relax. It was a great vacation.

Guess what?

2009-05-12T19:25:00.000-07:00

It's a GIRL!

Floating Head?

2009-05-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

We love bath time!

Cowboy Kline

2009-05-09T08:33:00.001-07:00

Chandler has really been into the horse/cowboy thing lately. For his birthday he got the movie Spirit, besides knowing the words to most of the songs he loves horses. All of the books we get at the library are about horses and cowboys.
Since he has started loving horses everyone that will let him climb on their back becomes his own personal horse. Daddy is the best!
Here is Chandler sporting Daddy's gardening hat, and mom's cowboy vest from her days of pink boots and riding Goldbar (I think the vest originally belonged to one of my parents). Pretty cute don't you think?

Chandler screams and giggles the entire time. It is pretty cute. We have started calling him Cowboy Kline. His dad was know as this when he was little and since Chandler has the same blond hair, dimples and love of all things western we decided this would be a great name for our little guy.

Taming the wild stallion.

4 years already?

2009-05-05T17:42:00.000-07:00

July 4th, 2007

May 6th, 2005

After I received my endowments, Monticello Temple.

Reception.

First Year Anniversary.

We will be celebrating our four year anniversary tomorrow. It is crazy that we have been married this long. It seems like only yesterday we tied the knot. I didn't know when I married David that I was getting the entire package deal. Let me tell you why I love the guy. He is a hard worker, he is freaking hilarious, he puts up with my craziness, he helps out around the house, he is a worthy priesthood holder, he loves the goo goo dolls as much as I do, at the most random times he will break out a Michael Jackson song (the entire song), he understands my humor, he loves Chandler more than anything in the entire world and he is the sexiest guy I know. Now those are not all the reasons but I don't want you all to be jealous of me. =)

Love you Daver!

Update

2009-05-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

So yesterday while improving the weeds and dirt we noticed we hadn't seen the mama bird for a while (like a week). We think she was eaten by the neighbors cat or left the nest cause the eggs were bad. We took the nest out of the light and there were four blue eggs (they were cracked, but the babies were no where near ready). We threw the nest away and are a little sad that she is gone but I am sure we will get over it.

I love to see the Temple.

2009-05-01T16:29:00.001-07:00

Yesterday my best friend Brooke and her true love were married in the Salt Lake Temple. It was so great to be part of such a special event. She looked absolutely beautiful and was SO happy. We were so excited for the love birds.
Since the pictures came up backwards I will tell you about the dinner first. Brooke decided not to have a reception and just had a dinner. We went to La Caille and it was amazing. Our delicious main dish, chicken something. SO GOOD!

This was on our table when we first sat down. Is it not the cutest thing you have ever seen? It was also very yummy.

This is her cake. IT WAS AMAZING!

At the Temple every tulip was in bloom. It was so beautiful, we were so inspired we decided to buy a lawn mower and make the weeds look nice.

The happy couple, this was the only picture I got of them =(.

Chandler trying not to pick the flowers (don't worry he did pick some).

It was such a great day to be at the Temple with friends and our little family. If you haven't been to Temple Square yet you need to go, it is amazing.

Chancho

2009-04-27T10:11:00.001-07:00

We have had a lot of bad weather this last week and were stuck inside. Chandler hates being inside and spends most of the time getting into stuff and driving his mother crazy. In an attempt to make being inside fun we have been trying some new things.
My friend from high school had this idea on her blog. It's called muffin tin Monday, or any day that you are stuck inside and the kids are crazy. What you do is give your child lunch in a muffin tin. I gave Chandler a sting cheese, some watermelon, grapes, crackers, pickles, popcorn and a sippy cup of milk. All you do is divide the food into each muffin tin and eat lunch somewhere other than the table. We enjoyed our lunch in Chandler's room on a blanket. He loved it! We have started a chore chart for Chandler that he is starting to like. I just printed off some paper with the chores and put magnets on the back. When one is complete he gets to move it to the completed side of the fridge. They are pretty easy and stuff he already enjoys doing like unloading/loading the dishwasher, watering the plants, and picking up his toys.

A few days ago I had just finished cleaning his room and had his bed made to perfection. As I was finishing up in the bathroom I could hear him playing in his room with the door shut, I guess he likes his privacy. After a minute there was only silence, knowing that he was either choking or doing something he knows he shouldn't I ran in his room to find him laying wrapped up in his blanket. He had climbed into his bed and was just hanging out. After this he decided that he was not going to stay in his crib or his room. A few days later he was climbing out of his bed and opening his door to tell us he was not going to nap. So now we have taken the front of the crib off and letting him sleep in a big boy bed. We have not had a nap for 4 days. He is cute and a little silly but we love him.

More before and after.

2009-04-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here are the before and after pictures of the kitchen. This faucet on the sink was a joke. It didn't swing over the left side, the owners just bought the cheapest one they could find and installed it. The hot and cold were opposite and it was really weird.

There were no knobs of the cabinets and luckily they left us a beautiful set of drapes that were immediately thrown out the day we closed.

That is Dave and our Realtor. They were in a lot of the pictures (still don't know why).

After:

Best faucet ever!!!!! I highly recommend this faucet, it is really tall and you can fill any pot in your sink. Plus it has a soap dispenser. LOVE IT!!!!

These pictures are kinda bad but you can get the general idea of the kitchen. I was trying to steal my cousins idea that she had a her wedding, damask print fabric and lots of green, doesn't look the exact same but sorta (thanks for the cute ideas Erica). Other than the green paint that I love, my sexy husband installed all of the bead board. I love it, if I could I would put it in every room.

All of the other rooms were painted and new baseboard added. Since they are pretty plain at the moment you will just have to wait until I come up with some good ideas (or still some from my sister in laws).

Jumping

2009-04-24T17:32:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors across the street have a trampoline and Chandler loves to jump on it. Since we don't have one he takes the cushions off the couch and jumps his little heart out. Yesterday Dave was jumping with him. Don't ask why because I have no idea. Sometimes I am pretty sure I have two children. Check out the scissor kicks.

Punishment?

2009-04-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that I hate birds. Their beaty little eyes, the fact that they don't really have a neck, and all of those disease infested feathers. YUCK!!!! And even right now as I type there is a puffed up robin trying to die on our lawn (or at least that is what it looks like, plus it didn't move when I threw dirt at it). I don't know why I hate/fear birds so much, maybe it is because they fall dead out of trees in front of me or without fail there is always a crazy bluebird that will try and attack me every summer.
So now I have come to the conclusion that I am just being punished. Yep that's right, this little mamma bird made her nest in our light. Now this wouldn't be that big of a deal but I have to walk right under this light to get to the car. Do I? No I walk out on the lawn and around avoiding any possible close encounter from this horrifying animal. I mean seriously could she have not made her nest in one of the hundreds of trees in the neighborhood? So now my goal is to nag David enough that he will move it. Wish me luck. This is a cute picture of Chandler I took today. He was really excited about finishing the rest of mom's watered down pop.

Big Baby Sister.

2009-04-14T16:37:00.001-07:00

My baby sister went to prom this last weekend and I just wanted to post a picture of her so you can all see what a babe she is. She is getting too old, I mean I remember when she was Chandler's age and next year she graduates. Crazy!
Love ya Kenzie!

Parties, presents and yummy cake.

2009-04-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

Since Chandler's birthday was on Tuesday this year we had a big family party Sunday after conference. We enjoyed Chandler's favorite meal of chicken alfredo, breadsticks and pop (he loves pop, we are bad parents). Recently Chandler has decided to break away from the same old disney channel routine and has gained a great love for Spongebob Squarepants. Knowing he loves this show I attempted to create a cake that look like Spongebob, I couldn't find my cake decorating kit so I had to use plastic bags and this is how it turned out:
Please don't submit me to cakewrecks! I will say that it was really yummy, I got a recipie for buttercream icing from my aunt and it tasted like a professional bakery cake.

Chandler got all sorts of fun toys, clothes, coloring books and baby sports toys.

He was really excited to open the presents but when it came time to blow out his candles he was not so sure about it. He ran and hid in his bedroom when we started sining and luckly his older cousins helped him with the candles! We had a great time.

Happy Birthday Chandler!

2009-04-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

Our baby boy is turning two tomorrow. He is the sweetest, silliy, naughty, cute, happy, little ball of energy in the whole world. We are so happy he is part of our little family. Happy Birthday Chancho!

2009-04-06T18:37:00.001-07:00

A Van?

2009-03-30T12:29:00.001-07:00

After we got our van last year alot of people asked "Why did you buy that?"

My reply "To fill it with children."

Black baby #2 due October 3rd.

Laundry Room.

2009-03-23T09:53:00.001-07:00

The reason I loved this house is because it was all one level and the laundry was right off the kitchen. Our kitchen is a pretty good size but it lacks in the storage department. As you can see there was alot of room in the laundry room.
Originally we were going to move the plumbing and put the washer and dryer be the water heater and build some storage cabinets where the plumbing was. We decided it didn't really matter so my sweet husband built some storage shelves for me.

After:

Chandler has really become a model for the camera. Anytime I get it out he follows me around and says "CHEESE!"

Awesome shelving, thanks Black Brothers Shelving!

I decided to paint the east brick wall green to keep a good flow from the kitchen to laundry. I love this green, it looks a little bright in these pictures but it really is not that bright.

I do like how it has turned out, even though I hate laundry, plus I love the green.

The left wall is part of the kitchen so just a little teaser until everything is done. It won't be for a while since now all I need to do is sew a few things, and since my sewing skills are pretty much non-existent it might be a while until the kitchen is reveled.

Hope you enjoy.

Rudee and Tasha's Wedding.

2009-03-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend our friends Rudee and Tasha were married. It was such a beautiful wedding with all of the bright spring colors. The ceremony was performed by there Bishop and it was really nice. It was great to be able to be there to support them.
This is the cutting of the cake. I only was able to get this shot, but lets just say there was cake everywhere.
Ceremony.

Tasha hiding from the camera.

Rudee looking great!

Congrats again Mr. and Mrs. Boyd!

I love the DI!

2009-03-18T17:12:00.000-07:00

I love the DI! We have always been able to find really good stuff there. Including this little beauty: Since the weather has been really nice weather David and I have been so excited to grill. The only problem was we didn't have a BBQ, this was a real problem considering all we have talked about the last little while is how yummy grilled chicken, hamburger, kabobs, steak, and every wonderful food you can grill sounds for dinner. So today before going to watch the Bountiful Blacks we stopped at the Centerville DI (we were originally looking for a phone). Needless to say we say this little beauty and the price was right (15 bucks), loaded her up in the van and had the best grilled chicken ever for dinner.
I love the DI!

Finally some exciting stuff.

2009-03-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

Okay so this post has taken way too long to do, have I really forgotten how to blog? Anyway, We are loving our new home! We are pretty sure we will have projects for years to come but David and I both say "BRING IT!" Over the next little while I will post some before and after shots of our projects, we hope you all enjoy.
The Bathroom.
This little space didn't need much work but what we did do made a huge difference. We painted (thank you kaye), added beadboard, installed all new plumbing thanks to our Dads, hung a nice shower curtain to hide the "original" bathtub.
Before:

After:

I love this little bathroom and the color of paint I stole from Emily. We hung an extra storage cabinet above the toilet but we have yet to decided what to store in it. It has glass doors so it will have to be well organized storage so if you have any ideas let me know.

Internet!

2009-03-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!
We finally have internet (now that we have been settled in our home for over a month). We have all sorts of fun stuff to post, so keep on the look out.

Moved

2009-02-03T08:57:00.001-08:00

We can now say we are homeowners! We closed last Monday and started the fixing up Tuesday. We don't have internet yet but will soon. We will keep you updated.

Updates.

2009-01-23T08:36:00.000-08:00

So I looked outside this morning and it was spooky. It is really rainy and foggy, and Chandler couldn't figure out why we were awake while it was so dark out (he would keep looking out the window and saying "Mamma?") he is silly. Don't worry though it was really almost 9, we slept late this morning due to the 24 hour flu at our house. Wednesday night I didn't sleep a wink, I was sooooo sick (and will probably never be able to eat taco soup again). Being sure I was going to die I asked Emily if she would watch Chandler for a little while and do you know what that lady did? She took him all day until David came home from work! Emily is the greatest, plus am pretty sure she has a superwoman suit under he clothes. So I had to give her a shout out!

Today we go for our final walk through on the house. We close Monday and are really excited, I already have every room painted and decorated in my head. Chandler knows something is up, he watches me while I pack up boxes and asks "What's this?" I tell him we are going to our new house and he runs away. Hopefully we will ajust quickly, I am possitive he will be missing all of the kids and be bored out of his little mind with his mom. I don't know if I told you but the house is in Layton.

Chandler is doing really well, he had the flu a few days ago but hasen't been too sick the rest of the winter. He is starting to say all sorts of word and ask questions about everything. Some words he says are: Dadda, Mamma, TyTy(tyler), Biggy(Brigham), Kaye, Pappa, Ball, Cheese, Please, Nanna (Banana), What's This, Why, Showa (shower), Nigh Nigh(good night), Car, You serious(it dosen't sound like that but I know that is what her is saying, it is funny). Those are only some that I can think of right now but he is saying new words everyday. He is super silly and giggles all day. He loves to play with cars, color, watch the Imagination Movers, play with the cats and love love loves his daddy!

David is good, he is loving working for Walgreens and is excited to start work on our new home.
I have just been packing and mostly organinzing and decorating our house in my head. Because of my obsession with head organinzing/decorating all I do is watch HGTV and look online at decor websites(it is sick ).

We are doing great and are excited for new things to come.

Christmas, The New Year, and BIG news!

2009-01-11T20:36:00.000-08:00

Since my pictures came up the wrong way I will start with the BIG news. We put an offer on this little beauty and it was excepted! This is a 3 bedroom 1 bath home and we will hopefully be closing the 30th of this month and are excited to be living in our own home. We are however pretty sad to be leaving the fantastic home of Mike and Emily. They have been so great in letting us live with them for these last few months and we are SOOOOO thankful to them. We will let you all know how everything goes and hopefully things go as planned.

We had a pretty relaxed New Year. We had a yummy dinner of Tiny Spicy Chicken and watched Horton Hears a Who (which is super funny). We went to bed around 11 because David had to work at 6 the next day and just relaxed all day on the 1st.

Christmas this year was the best Christmas ever (I am pretty sure I say this every year). Christmas eve was a little different because Dave had to work but we still were able to read the story of Christ's birth and enjoy spending time together. Christmas morning we woke up around 6:30 and Chandler was not happy. He was super mad that we woke him up, but once we started opening presents he was pretty excited.

Santa brought Chandler lots of books, toys and a stocking full of candy. David was pleased with the Dark Knight and some body spray. I was super spoiled this year! I got a new purse (the buxton bag ) some new picture frames, a massage chair and a KITCHENAID!!!!! I could not believe it, I have wanted since we got married and have whined every Christmas. Needless to say we are enjoying some yummy treats!

This is a funny picture of Chancho. I was picking up around the house Christmas Eve and heard some tinfoil I didn't think anything of it and kept cleaning. Later I went to the kitchen and found him eating the butter pound cake by the loaf. It was so funny, and he was so happy I couldn't get mad at the little guy.

We had a fantastic holiday season this year and are excited for 2009.

Christmas 2008 coming soon.

2009-01-04T17:09:00.000-08:00

My sister took this cute picture of Chandler , just thought I would share. We will have updates soon.

Ronni

Snow,snow,snow!

2008-12-16T18:53:00.000-08:00

Yummy.

My awsome new snow boots.

We have been getting lots of light fluffy snow today. So after a quick stop at DI(which is totally awsome here in Centerville) for mom some snow boots we headed outside to play. Chandler was so bundled he could barely move, but we had a great time!

Santa,dancing,and of course some crying.

2008-12-16T18:46:00.000-08:00

Saturday was the ward Christmas party. Lets just say it was the best party ever. Santa danced for us, we made gingerbread houses, played bingo, had breakfast, and sang Christmas carols.

Chandler was not happy about Santa this year. We still had a great time..