Party Time!!

The good, the bad, and the ugly ...

Unfortunately, last week Danny was laid off from his position at Varian and we are now officially where many others have found themselves ... laid off and unsure of the immediate future. That didn't stop us this weekend from going up to Blacksmith Canyon with the Brumbaugh's and friends, however, it did stop Danny from having a good time. I only got one good picture out of the weekend, so no slide show this time around. Mariel and I had a good time and are grateful to Sanna and Matt for all of their help. I hope we get to go on many more trips this summer as Mariel apparently loves the outdoors. I could barely keep her contained in the camper to change clothes, shoes, or just to sit down and eat. She always wanted to be outside chasing the big kids. We'll keep everyone posted, but cross your fingers that we will not be down to one income for very long.

Mariel is getting so big. I don't like it when babies grow up. Her nickname is Sassy because she already has such an attitude. As I'm sitting here typing, she won't stop touching the keys and mouse, no matter how many times I say "no" or slap her little hand. It's a game and she just gives me a look like "What are you going to do about it?" Boy, she's going to be a fun teenager. She loves to dance and smiles like a big goof when you ask her to "Say cheese!" She loves water and we are waiting for summer swimming lessons to open. We love her like crazy and are enjoying each new stage.

Renovating

I know it's been forever since my last post, but we've been SUPER busy renovating our kitchen. It's quite the job. We decided to move our washer and dryer downstairs and take down one of the major walls dividing the kitchen from the living room. I'm SO glad Danny is capable of learning and doing most of the work. We have an awesome family helping us along. If it wasn't for Corey and Deb, we would never get this done. So, THANK YOU! I've posted a few pictures of us in the process. We still have to move the electrical, so we had to leave up a few boards. They will come down in the next few days/weeks. We are still trying to decide on cupboards and flooring. Me and Danny can't agree on anything. Since when do men have such an opinion about deco? Oh well, I'll win ... maybe.

Birthday week

On Saturday the 31st we attended Landyn's baptism up in Brigham City. Congratulations Landyn! We can't believe that you are already eight years old!

We had fun at the dinner after, as you can see. We gave Landyn a hopscotch for her birthday and the little girls wanted to get in on the fun!

Mariel's Birthday was on Wednesday the 4th, however, we had to cancel her birthday party because she was one sick little girl. Whenever she gets a cold, we have to watch her really close and make sure it doesn't turn into RSV. She is considered "fragile" when she has a cold. She has to use her inhaler a lot more often with a cold and ends up on steroids to battle the weezing. We did our own thing with her that day and will just have to reschedule the celebration for another day. We had my family over on Sunday to have cake and loved every minute of it!

We had her dressed up in a mini skirt and since she is walking, she couldn't really move because she has to "make room" for the diaper. She's also learned to walk away with her hands over her ears. Hilarious! She's such a little Sassy baby. We love it!

Party!

A year of precious moments - new and fun,
Our beautiful "wee princess" is turning one!

Bad Timing

So, I've been checking out everyone's blogs and it seems that we have all been bit by the bad timing bug!! It seems that things go out at just the wrong time of year (Megan's furnace), or leave us with cold water when we are in a hurry to get somewhere (Brittany), or leave us pulling up carpet to keep from having moldy carpet (Nancy). I have to say, reluctantly, that I have been in all of your shoes recently. Yes, recently. At the beginning of December our water heater starting leaking and I was informed that we were going to have to "Get it fixed SOON!" We finally decided to get it taken care of before it went out on us and that very morning our furnace starting acting up. No heat, intermittently, for two days. Now, I've heard that things come in three's, but really!? Luckily, our furnace just needed a little TLC and was back up and working after Danny gave it a little kick (he really serviced it). Now, unfortunately, with the warmer weather we now have ocean front property! Our backyard is filling up with water and we do not have a sump pump. Even if we did, there is nowhere to pump it to. We are supposed to have an easement along our back fence, however, our "stupid" neighbor has built a high garden blocking the water from going where it's supposed to. (Down the street to the run-off drain.) I can't afford a flood in my basement, I've already replaced the carpet once. (I replaced it with outdoor carpet, very good idea if you have this problem!) I'm two seconds away from calling the city when the garbage truck comes and nearly takes out our power line because the snow is weighing it down and our garbage can is hanging vicariously from it!!! So, if you have any good luck, please send it our way. I'm done with the bad. It's somebody elses turn!