Follow the Prophet!

Ethan has always been such a good little singer. He can pick up melodies super fast, and has an amazing memory! So he can remember words to songs usually after only hearing the song once. Well my mom, Meg and I were at The Quilted Bear, and I was singing "don't go breaking my heart" to Ethan... and after I stopped singing the song... it was silent for like 5 seconds, then Ethan just starts singing "Follow the Prophet".  I was totally amazed because he must have learned it from Primary, I had never sung it with him, but he knew the whole thing. And he just kept singing it over and over.

A couple weeks ago, Becky Williams, the Primary president let me know that he is such a good singer. He may not know all the words, but he tries so hard and sings SO LOUD and has a smile the whole time during singing time.

Today at Church, my mom played the piano in sacrament, and after she was done, he walked over to her and said "Great job MaMa" and gave her a thumbs up.
What an amazing boy... and later Meg and I went to the bathroom before Relief Society, and Ethan's class was taking a bathroom break, and he says to me "go back to class mommy, I'm in class." Really Ethan? lol

He just absolutely LOVES church. It makes me so happy that he can be so excited about church. I have to admit, he inspires me to be better because he is so happy and filled with love! I love it when the sacrament gets passed because he sits there, and waits so reverently, and if you have a 3 year old you know how hard that is, and gets so excited to take the bread and water. And if you talk.... well..... he will look at you and put his finger to his lips and say "sssshhhhhhhh". (he did that to Meg today)

I just wanted to share this. So hopefully one day when he is not so excited to get dressed and go to church (which I hope is never) I can pull this out and remind him how wonderful his spirit is, and how it effects everyone around him!
I'm so lucky to be blessed with such an amazing son. He strengthens me in a way only a son can. I love you Ethan, and I cant wait for your sweet spirit to bless more people.

Ethan had such a great day at church, he needed a nap! The red blanket he has is his new favorite blanket. He got it from his Great Gma Riley for Valentines. She told me that since he doesn't eat candy, she thought he would like this. Well he LOVES this blanket. Hasn't departed from it since he got it on Saturday!

Its about time....

... So a month later...
lol. I know, I have been extremely lazy on posting. Well let me sum up the last month....
CRAZY!!!!
As most of you know, we found out we are having a GIRL! (woot woot) So Isabelle Clara Bringhurst will grace our family on June 12th, so the doctors say... I believe it will be 2 weeks sooner.... we will see who is right in 4 months I guess.

I have moved out here to Utah while Russ is doing some deployment training. And it has been a hard few weeks for me here. Not only because Russ is gone, but my allergies are so bad with this pregnancy, that I can not stay with my parents! Bug (the wood family cat) makes it pretty much impossible for me to breathe. So my WONDERFUL in laws have agreed to let me crash their house once again while Russ is gone. :) I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful in-law family (that sounds weird, but I don't know how to say it). I also have been very sick, a really bad cold, that just wont seem to go away. So it just seemed like everything has not been working out the way I planned it to, but that's life I guess.

I decided to post today because I think today has been one of the BEST days since I have been out here. Everything is working out great today! Ethan has been helpful, nice, and has just been in the greatest mood, which has kept me in the greatest mood! I have had a very positive outlook on everything! Even the negative... I have found a way to fix it or keep my head up! Its an amazing feeling. I don't know why it has taken me this long to get positive.... But I hope I can keep it going.

Update on Russ.....
He is learning a lot and is working hard. Today he called me and let me know he is doing the hardest part of the training today. He sounded like he was already out of breath. He was super excited to talk to Ethan, who like I said, was in an amazing mood. Ethan told him all about gma being sick, and going to get some chocolate milk at the store, and how he played hide and seek with kunkle this morning. That made Russ really happy. We both really miss each other, and cant wait until the 18th when we get to see each other again!

ANTICIPATION!!!!

OOOOOOOO Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow!!!!

I am super excited for my appointment! I was smart this time and scheduled the first appointment of the day! 8:45 am! Woot Woot! When I was pregnant with Ethan, I didn't find out until like 1 or 2 pm. So I had to wait ALL DAY! So I was smart this time. Early Appointment! Now the only thing I have to worry about is not spilling the beans until I get home on Saturday! lol.


What do you think its going to be??????



Do you think Isabelle Clara Bringhurst?????? or Ryder Gary Bringhurst?????

Let you all know on Saturday!!!!

Healthier Happier (only a little bit heavier) Mal!

LOL... love my title! lol. Its true though. I have only gained 5 pounds so far during this pregnancy. So its only a little bit heavier then I normally am. Granted I was quite large already when I got pregnant, but still! I think that's pretty good! And I think its all because this pregnancy has me eating a lot better then I normally do! I have been craving Salads, Fruits and Veggies during this pregnancy! I have never eaten this healthy in a long time. Its crazy how much energy I have! (except for yesterday and today... I'm a little sick, but any other day, ENERGY!)

I have always been a fan of fast food. Whats that saying.. You are what you eat... well I was Fast, Easy and Cheap. lol. I would never actually make dinner. We would stock up on freezer food, or just go out to eat. But that has not been what I want now. I have been making dinner every night, having a good breakfast, and eating a really good salad or two during the day! Its amazing how much fun you can have figuring out what new things to make. I love to cook, I really always have, just never found the motivation to do it I guess... I have so many cook books, and family recipes and its so great now to finally cook them!

Salads have been my main focus lately! I cant stop eating salad. My favorite is without a doubt, Chinese Salad. (Its actually Chinese Chicken Salad, I just don't add the chicken!) lol. I love cabbage, and so I put green and red cabbage in this with carrots, ramen noodles, dried cranberries (to add some sweetness) and some homemade dressing!

I know it may not look too appetizing by my picture, but its AMAZING!!!!

So I just wanted to share that I'm so happy that I have started eating better! I feel more healthy then I ever have before, and I'm so glad that this new eating has not only helped me, but my little baby as well!

SUNBEAM!

At church today Ethan went to Primary for the first time! But he wasn't excited at all. In fact, he started to cry when I left him in the Primary room with his new teacher! :(  I felt so bad! All the new sunbeams were too! They all knew the days of getting to play with toys and eat snacks were over at church now!
It was actually kinda a funny site at first... There was a row that had really small chairs that only the sunbeams sit on, and every single child was sitting there crying. Ethan didn't cry at first when I was there with him, once they started I left to go to my class, and as he is watching me leave he screams "mommy don't leave me here". lol. Oh it melted my heart! I turned around and he had tears running down his face! His teacher was really sweet though, she picked him up and held him, and motioned for me to leave.

So RS was over, and I walk out to the sunbeams class (all the doors on the classrooms with the younger kids had windows on them so we could sneak a peak) I look at him, SMILING! Oh thank goodness! They said their prayer, and he comes out with some art work he did, and says "I love my class" "Its a big boy class".  So he ended up loving his new class and teacher! He also got to wear his new church clothes Gma Wood gave him for Christmas...

This was taken after church. He had a very large temper tantrum before church, so I couldn't get a picture then! But at least he came home happy! :)  Hes holding his art work he did!

And on an embarrassing note. Russ has to have a fresh hair cut every Monday, so he usually gets it cut on Sunday. Before Christmas break, he had just been shaving it off, because then he wouldn't have to pay 10$ every week to get it cut. But he let it grow out over Christmas, and he really liked having hair again. So he went back to the barber. Well just now like 30 mins ago, he asked if I could do it, so that he could keep his hair and not have to pay 10$. LOL. That didn't work so well. I totally butchered it. lol. Russ was embarrassed, he wore a hat as soon as I cut it. So I had to drive him over to get his hair fixed, he said the barber laughed at my work. lol.

Zoo Fun!

Well I promised some pics from our visit to the zoo with Jenny and Taylor... so here they are. They had so much fun together! Ethan has never been so good at taking photos, but Taylor is a little ham, so I think he let me take pictures because Taylor loved to have her picture taken!

They loved yelling at the monkeys! Jenny and I decided that Taylor and Ethan should be the ones in the cage, because they were acting more like a monkey!

Like I said... he was so good for pictures, but I think it was because he saw Taylor being so good!

Guess who he's looking at? lol. Not me, that's for sure! His uncle Nate taught him well.....

(Sorry it wont rotate)... but you see... not looking at the camera... checking out a girl! lol

Now hes looking...

They always had to be holding hands! Ethan was a little embarrassed that I was taking this picture.. that's why he looks mad

If you have ever been to the San Diego Zoo, you know that its pretty much the work out of your life to walk every where because of all the hills. Luckily the escalators were on that day. :)  Jenny and I were both happy to take a break from walking!

Ethan was happy too!

They liked the Dog a lot more then the Cheetah! lol.

At the petting zoo, Taylor had lots of fun chasing the animals and petting them...

.... Ethan, not so much. lol. He didn't like to pet them so he sat for a little bit.....

Then he got bored, so he started to climb on the trunks...

We had so much fun at the zoo yesterday!

But I think he had the best time because of Taylor was there! lol

PS... I posted a video of Taylor getting Ethan to dance on facebook.... lol. Its awesome! And there are a few more picture of yesterday on facebook as well!

2011

FAIL... lol that is the word for my gratitude list. I tried, and I was going to finish it but going home for Christmas was a lot busier then I thought it would be! I will try again this year. :)

So its finally 2011! I have a lot of goals I set for my self this year and I really hope to achieve them all. Here are a few that I have...
1- Get out of debt. While Russ is deployed, I'm pretty sure this is possible. So I hope to be out of debt by November! Russ really wants to buy a house out side the base when he gets home, so we need to work on our credit to do that!

2-After the baby is born, get healthy. This includes changing my fatty diet! I eat a lot of fast food, and I hope, after the baby is born to stop that and really focus one summer on losing weight and getting healthy. I would rather spend one entire summer working really hard on that and getting a routine to stick, then trying to do that for the rest of my life and having to struggle with it.

3-POTTY TRAIN ETHAN! I know... Sad right? lol. I cant do it. He is really a smart kid, but he just wont do it. I really have a lot of patience, but that's obviously not what this takes because I have tried everything to get him to do it. This WILL be done by the end of this month! (that's this goals timeline...)

4-Finish my painting. lol. I have been working on a painting for 7 months now. lol. I don't know why but I cant find my inspiration to finish it. I have put it aside and painted other stuff... but I want to finish this one. I cant wait to show everyone once its finished!

5-Go to School! I have always wanted to go to school and be a teacher. That's all I have ever wanted to be. Hopefully I can work on this when I move back home this summer.

Well that's just a few of my goals! I do have a whole list! lol.
So far 2011 has been a great 4 days! I went to a new store today called Fresh and Easy. They have them in California and Arizona only I think... but they are awesome! Wonderful deals on fruit and veggies and stuff like that. I bought a bunch of stuff to make salads with. I have been craving salads a lot lately! And tomorrow Ethan and I are going to the Zoo with our neighbor, Jenny and her daughter (Ethan's love) Taylor! That should be a lot of fun! I will definitely post pictures of that!

Rain Rain GO AWAY!

It has been raining ALL DAY! Poor Ethan, he wanted to go play at the park to day, and play golf out side! But the rain ruined that. We played golf inside, but he said it was boring. lol. Well off to todays list!
My 17:
Im sooo thankful for.....

1-Working windshield wipers. Woot Woot! For the longest time, we had one windshield wiper that didn't work, so having it work now is awesome on a rainy day!

2- iphone adapter in my car. Very handy on a car drive. Which will be happening in 5 days!

3-Diner, Dirve-ins and Dives. I love this show. I love seeing where these places are that have amazing food. There was a place in SLC that was on the show, I think it was called "the blue plate diner". I want to go there!

4-Gatorade. Water sucks, it really really sucks.. lol j/k (thats from water boy) I love Gatorade! Its so refreshing. Grape or Strawberry is my favorite!

5-WIC. Although they told me that Ethan is very unhealthy and OBESE... yeah.. I guess he is super fat for his age... (I dont think so at ALL) Im so glad I am apart of this program. We drink so much milk, and to get it free is amazing. And now they do Veggies and Fruit! So thats so nice to get that!

6-Sports bras! Unless you are or have been a pregnant women.. you really dont know how amazing sports bras are! Sure they are wonderful for working out.... but when your boobies hurt from being pregnant... they are a miracle worker!

7-Pedicures... I have had a total of 3 of these done in my life. I had it first done when we came to California to visit my uncle. My cousin Mikale had her birthday and we all got pedicures, that was like 7 years ago.... But now living in Cali, I have been 2 times with my friend Amanda. I love them. Its super relaxing!

8-Orbit gum. I love it, always have to have it, and never leave my house with out it!

9-For my family always willing to forgive me and my crazy life decisions. Seriously... totally thankful for this. I had been so stupid growing up. So rude, and uncaring... but my family never gave up on me. Always willing to help me anyway they could!

10-Funny kids photos. Have you ever just googled this.. DO IT.. here is one of my favorites!

BAHAHAHAHA

11-A glass of cold milk! Like I said... we go through a lot of milk! A nice glass of COLD MILK... oh so nice

12-Ethans love of  the Arts. Im so thankful that Ethan truly does have a an Artistic side to him. He loves to paint, draw, color, sing, play instruments. I cant wait to see how this plays out for him in the future!


13-Basketball shorts. Wearing them right now! So comphy... I love them

14-Air conditioning. We moved in to this small house just to have Air Conditioning. Russ and I both sweat so much. lol. So we love the cold air. We are super excited to come to Utah for the cold winter!

15-That cali is really a scenic drive everywhere. I love just driving in Cali. Its beautiful everywhere you go. Not just by the beach... everywhere.

16-High Heels. They make me feel pretty!

17-Quiet Mornings! I had one of these today. I woke up before Ethan, and just sat in my bed listening to nothing! Oh it was beautiful!

This is Megan :) posting for Mal... Her internet was turned off... and she will resume her Thankful Posting on the 23! She says, "Sorry About That" haha... MALLORY LOVES ME SO MUCH AND THAT I AM THE BEST YOUNGEST SISTER EVER!!!!!

Sweet 16

Man this blogging every day has been really hard to do. lol. It was easy at first... but now its super hard. I get really tired at night, or I'm just not in the mood too... but last night I straight out forgot. :)
Here are my Sweet 16 Thankful thoughts:

1-Playhouse Disney. So very wonderful if you have a toddler. Ethan watches this every morning so I can get things done.

bahahahah. This is Ethan wearing his Mickey Mouse helmet backwards, while watching Mickey Mouse in the morning.

2-Moon and Stars. If you know me, you know I LOVE THE STARS! I love the light that the moon gives.. and stars, to me, are a symbol of beauty. I love them.

3-Aquariums. I'm so glad Ethan loves water and fish as much as I do. We love going to Aquariums!

Ethan enjoying a fish at the aquarium

4-To have things to look forward too! I love having things planned. Like my visit to UTAH! Woot Woot! Is nice to have things to look forward too!

5-That Russ has calmed me down on public affection. Bahahah. I used to just show my love to anyone, anywhere. lol. Russ hates that. I used to grab his bum, give him kisses and just embarrass him all the time in public. He told me that no body wants to see that. I didn't really care until I saw some teenage kids going at it, at the mall... I looked at him, he just smiled and was like "that's why I ask you not to do that, there are people just staring and making fun of them". Needless to say... we are a "peck kissing" public affection couple now. :)

6-The movie Willow. LOL. When I typed PECK, lol, that reminded me of this awesome show. My family regularly quotes this movie.. Missy can say "willow, you iiiiddot" very much like Raziel. Oh good movie

I had a crush on Val Kilmer when I was little. Hes sexy!

7-Scentsy. They make my house smell like Christmas. :)

8-That I have been able to travel. I was so lucky as a child, my parents loved to travel, so we have been many places. I loved going to new states, seeing new and old things. lol. Wonderful

9-Having Spell Check! I am the worst speller ever. This is amazing

10-Cuddling. I love when my hunna cuddles me. Its so nice!

11-Step by Step instructions. Have you ever tried putting together a bike, bed or dresser without instructions? I thought so.

12-That I "grunt" when I'm mad. My cousin Kamie and I inherited the "grunt" from my grandma Jaylene. She used to grunt when she was angry. I have noticed Kamie do the same thing... and I realized that I do it too. lol. Its funny what traits you get from you family.

13-In-and-Out burger.... We had this yesterday. I'm sooooo glad there is one in Utah now. Its pretty much the most amazing place to eat ever.

This is a #1 (double double) no tomato, Animal style, and Animal fries! BEST THING EVER!

14-Starbucks. Yes I know... I'm a Chai Tea Addict. I love Chai... and Starbucks has an amazing Chai, so flavorful... mmmmmm...

15-Itunes. I'm thankful for this because as I have said before, I love to sing... so for me to download songs, and it only taking a minute or two is AMAZING.

16-That my Daddy laughs with us when we make fun of him.
Now Missy, Nate, Meg and I are kinda rude kids I guess, because we make fun of my dad whenever we are together. Its that, or its that my dad is soooo easy to make fun of. He does the silliest things sometimes. One of my favorites is when we were at a track meet for Missy in AZ. We went to McDonald's to eat, my dad was eating fries, and he accidentally got ketchup on his arm, so instead of wiping it off, he takes a fry and dips it in the ketchup on his arm and eats the fry, the when we are about to leave.... he still had fries left so he put the fry cup in his shirt pocket. So he could eat it on the go! LOL. We always do the hand motion like we are picking up a fry, bringing it to our arm, and pretending to wipe ketchup then eating it. He just laughs with us, and calls us stooges. There are so many more... lol. Oh daddy! Thanks for letting your children have a good laugh at your expense.

Love you daddy!

So far I have listed 136 things I have been thankful for! WOW. I still have 17 more that I will do tonight. Man if you think about it... there really are so many things to be thankful for! Awesome. I am blessed.

Moody Moody Moody

So today I have been kinda in a bad mood! Stupid hormones..... Yeah I'm back to blaming problems on pregnancy.. lol. But it has to be the hormones.. I had no reason to be in a crappy mood today. No reason at all, but I was. uh, oh well. I need to work on not being mean and crabby for no reason. lol. I don't think I was so crabby when I was pregnant with Ethan. Was I? I don't remember.. that was a long time ago. lol. like about 4 years ago. Long Time.
My December 15th List:

I'm thankful for....

1-Ethan's honesty. Today Russ was cleaning out his car, and Ethan ran over to mine and said, "Mommy, yours  is really bad too, you need to clean it." He spoke the truth, I didn't want to hear it right then, but he was right. So he sat in the car pushing all the buttons he could see while I cleaned it.

2-My dreams that I'm at a Day Spa! I guess I really want to have a Spa Day or something. Because I have been having dreams that I get this nice luxurious day where I get pampered. Oh how I love it.

3-Smoggy Days. I'm thankful for this because it sorta kinda looks like a snow storm.. kinda... ever so slightly.. so it reminds me of home.

4-Seeing Broadway shows in New York City. You know not a lot of people get to do this. So I'm so thankful that my parents were able to send me to NYC twice to see some shows. That was a dream of mine you know. To be on Broadway... there was absolutely no way though... bad singing voice... lol

5-Easy going Person. I don't want to tute my own horn...."tute" lol. But I think I'm a pretty easy going person...
6-Set goals. I'm thankful that I love to set goal... I hardly ever accomplish them, but I do like setting them. I try really hard, but some times I set them a little to high... lol

7-Know when to quit: I like knowing that I'm able to walk away from things that don't make me happy or aren't satisfying. Sometimes it takes a while to come to terms with "quitting," but I'm glad I've had the guts to do it when it has really mattered.


8-That I'm American! Taking nothing away from any other country, I'm just being thankful for my own. It may not be perfect--what place is? But I love it nonetheless.


9-The nice family who helped me in San Diego. I was thinking about this family from Utah while I was cleaning out my car today. I was just finishing up a day at the San Diego Zoo with Ethan in February, and its super hot in February, so I got to my car, opened my door turned on the AC, while I was doing that Ethan pushed the door lock. So me not noticing that, I shut my door....  So I was locked out of my car, no phone, no money NOTHING but me and Ethan, while the car was running. Long story short.. I was bawling because Russ was in the field that week, I didn't know anyone out here or no phone numbers... and this family visiting from Utah stopped when they saw me crying and called their AAA people and had them come help me. It was the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for me. So thank you Utah family.

10-Hot Showers. Oh how I love to just take hot showers. So very thankful for that

11-The Ocean. I'm glad Ethan is able to see the Ocean every day. He loves it. Its such a beautiful thing.

12-The Wildlife here on base. Although I hate the little rabbit poops all over our porch, I love seeing deer and wolves... and fox's. Its really fun to see them and point them out to Ethan.

13-Facebook. I'm thankful for this because its nice to reconnect with friends that you haven't seen in 5-10 years. I found some friends from elementary, so its nice to have those memories brought up again.

14-FREE Festivals. Anything Free, I'm pretty much thankful for. I love activities and festivals. Utah has a lot of Free stuff, so its will be nice to live there again next year.

15-My Crock Pot. I have been looking for a lot of recipes for stuff to make in our Crock Pot, and there are a TON! I hardly ever used my Crock Pot until this week! So its nice to have it, because I can just prepare the food and let it sit for a few hours... so nice.

Pregnancy and Disney!

So Yesterday I was having the worst heart burn EVER! I got some tums.. but it seemed like they were making it worse. lol. I just didn't feel like posting... So this morning, I was going to do it, but I just didn't feel good... Then I thought.. I need to be positive.. So my post for the 13th is a list of why I LOVE BEING PREGNANT!

1-Attention! I love when people notice my belly and congratulate me! :) I guess I'm just glad that people notice I'm pregnant, and not fat... lol

2-Being able to fart in public. I know, you may think that's gross... but its so nice when your pregnant, people just kinda smile at you, like I understand.. rather then when your not prego, and they glare at you with disgust. lol

3-Baby Things. Seeing all the clothes and toys in the store has gotten me SUPER excited. I cant wait until I find out if we are having a boy or girl.

4-Maternity Clothes. They are just perfect. Love them. I love how stylish they are now.

5-Just the Knowledge that I'm carrying a baby inside me. That's an amazing feeling. I love it.

6-Russ rubbing my belly. I love it when he does that.

7-ALL THE FOOD! lol. I'm totally bumed that I cant have Sushi, but glad that I can eat pretty much anything else I want!

8-My baby can now hear me sing. Which could be a good or bad thing. lol. I love to sing, I may not have the best voice, but I do it every day. And to know now, that the baby can hear my voice, I love that.

9- Expectant Mothers parking! This is so nice at the Commissary because its always packed!

10-glowing. People tell you that you glow when your pregnant. :) I'M GLOWING!

11-Ethan finally accepting that I have a baby in my tummy! This is a big deal!

12-Nap times for me. Wonderful! Thanks Russ

13-Ultrasounds. I love seeing our little peanut. And from what I have seen so far.. She/He is super active. likes to move a whole lot!

So Im thankful that I can see the positive side of being prenant. Its good to just step back and look at whats so great about things.

So for my December 14th list... I wanted to list my favorite Disney movies. Mainly because that's pretty much all I watched growing up and most all of them you can sing along with...lol. Now a days kids have so many other things to do, like game systems, computer crap, and other dumb stuff. lol. I love just sitting with Ethan enjoying a good Disney movie. So here are my 14 Favorite Disney movies.

1-Beauty and the Beast. This has always been my favorite. Ever since I saw it I told my family that when I have a little girl, her name will be Bell. :)

2-Bedknobs and Broomsticks. I love Angela Lansbury. She reminds me of my Grandma Riley.

3-Alice in Wonderland (2010). Tim Burton, Helena Bonham Carter. Enough said.

4-The Incredibles. Edna E Mode. Best Character Ever.

5-Up. Super cute story

6- Toy Story 1,2, 3.

7-Mary Poppins. Classic.

8-Princess and the Frog. I love that Ethan can sing all the songs from this with me.

9-Remember the Titans.

10-Monsters Inc. I love Boo. I want a little girl just like her.

11-A Goofy Movie. Russ and I love watching this together

12-The Santa Clause 1,2,3. I love Tim Allen

13-Mulan.

14- Freaky Friday. I think about this happening to me and my mom. lol.

So Im thankful for all these movies, because they give me something to sing, and my family will enjoys these just as much as I did when I was little.

Tattoos, Nap Time, and Pillow Pets!

Okay so today I was a little frustrated with Russ because he insists on giving Ethan early Christmas presents. We differ a lot on this subject.. the only Christmas present that I think should be given early is pajamas, which are given on Christmas Eve. Call me a stickler... but that's just how I think it should be. Well Russ thinks otherwise... He said I can do with my presents how I see fit, and he can give his out whenever... So today Russ gave Ethan one of his presents... A Pillow Pet. Ethan has wanted one of these for a while now... and I was going to give it to him Christmas eve, along with pajamas. But Russ had to give it to him today... uh. Last year... Ethan opened almost ALL his presents early... I was so mad.... But Ethan loved it.
So here are my 12:

1-I guess I shared this because I'm thankful that Russ really wants to please Ethan when he can. I think that's why he so set on giving Ethan presents early. Weather I like it or not... this is a father son thing. lol. I guess I will just have to get use to this.

2-Pillow Pets... This is such a cute idea, epically if your child likes big stuffed animals. (which Ethan has always loved). So like I said, Russ got him this today. I haven't taken any pictures of it yet but this is what it looks like.

he got this cute penguin. Hes sleeping with it right now.



3-I'm thankful that my mom found my Seminary Scriptures. They are the only scriptures that I have ever really "used". They are pretty much falling a part, but I love it. I have been behind on the reading challenge that my sister Becca started, but I'm trying. :) I have so many good notes and quotes in there. One of my favorites that I wrote in there is from January 2001

"Truly of all the errors mortals can make, Gods plan of Salvation is the wrong thing to be wrong about" - Elder Maxwell...

4- I'm thankful for blogging... To quote my cousin Kamie "what did we do before... srcapbooking??" lol. Its so true though. Blogging is amazing. Its such a good way to keep track of life and to tell stories. I'm going to make a book of my blogs this year like my sister did last year. I'm so excited!

5-Nap Time. I love when Russ and Ethan take naps together. I love seeing my husbands arms wrapped around my son, like he is trying to protect him. Its the most beautiful site.

6- I'm thankful for the Small Things. I know that's not specific, but my small things are totally different then someone else. For example, I'm thankful for the smile I get from Russ right when he walks though the door when I haven't seen him for 2 weeks. Stuff like that. I love the small things that keep my day happy.

7- I'm thankful for the Celtic Women's song The Voice. You know how some songs just speak to you. Well this song gives me great comfort when I hear it. I don't know what its suppose to be about, but to me it speaks to me about our Savior... I don't know why.. but it does. Its such a beautiful song. Here it is if you want to listen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaqQnhBtxaI

8-I'm very thankful for all the crafts my mom makes me. She is so crafty. Lol. I love family block she made, and my wedding book. She is so talented. I love my crafts!

9- Along with that.. I'm thankful that I have some what an ability to paint. I love painting. Its so fun for me. I have been able to paint for my family, and that's really neat for me. I love sharing my art with people. My sister Missy has my very first painting I ever did. I love seeing it hung in her house every time I visit.

10- My Strong Family Unit. MANY people said that they didn't think Russ and I would last... They said we rushed into marriage and that it would never work. Well I'm here to say that are family is stronger then ever. We knew it would be a hard few years... they really are hard still.. but that doesn't effect us. We love each other and love Ethan more then anything. I'm so lucky to have been brought up in a strong family. So that is how my family will be. :)

11- I'm thankful for my tattoos. I say this because.. its a constant reminder of what I WAS like. Some one I hope to never be like again. Its a permanent reminder of my mistakes... which I grow from everyday still.

12- Along with that... I'm so thankful for my health. I have always been a sick girl. As a baby, though high school... but I always pull though...  I did some dumb stuff that made my health even worse, but still pulled though that. I'm very lucky to have the health I do today, although its not the healthiest I can be, its still so much better then I was. I'm so blessed to be given a strong body. So thankful for my health... every day, very thankful.

So sick... short and sweet 11

So today my list is short and sweet... I have super bad heart burn and tummy aches today. Little peanut is kicking my butt!

1-Christmas cards! I love getting friend and family cards in the mail! Makes my day!

2-Although I don't have any... TUMS... I really need some right now. My doc said that I was allowed to take some, so I will be thankful on Monday when I can buy them! lol

3-My puzzle books. When I'm sick, or Russ is playing video games, I love to just sit and do puzzles... Sudoku, word search, cross words any kind of mind puzzles. They are the best

4-Shasta! lol. Maybe this is giving me the heart burn... I don't know.. But I love it! All the flavors... yummm

5-My pillow, uhhhhh its calling to me right now!

6-I'm thankful that Russ will pass gas right along with me.. lol. :) I'm pregnant so it happens a lot more then normal....

7- My winter boots. We keep our house pretty cold during the day and I don't have slippers... so I wear my winter boots.. they are so soft inside! lol

8- I'm very thankful for Ethan's constant reminder that he loves me. He says it a lot. I love it.

9-11
Ethan's 3 things he does before bed time... We do this EVERY NIGHT!
KISS.... HEADBUTT.... SQUEEZE
I love it, I hope that never stops.

My Hunna

Thankful 10!

1- I'm so very thankful for my hunna Russ. I really am blessed with a good man. He is a great father and wonderful husband! He works really hard for Ethan and I, and really misses us when he is away working. I love how he can make me laugh, and keep me smiling day to day. Although our courtship was quite short, and unexpected.... He still knows me better then anyone. I always joke that we are like the couple on 4 Christmas's. Vince Vans brother on the show and his wife... TOTALLY CRAZY AND WILD, but when it comes to love, and knowing everything about each other.... we have that down. I love that he will sit and watch Harry Potter with me and pretend to be super excited, I love that he lets me sing, and hum silly songs to him...(I really do that A LOT) And I love his undying love for me. :) Thanks for everything Hunna! I love you!

2- I'm thankful for Musicals and Broadway! I love anything to do with Musicals... I love plays and singing... so that combined is perfect! I cant go through the day without singing at least one song from a musical! I really cant name my favorite, because I love so many... but I do have to say I want to see Wicked again. That was such a good show.

3-My Great Gmas quilt! She makes one for everyone that gets married.. or has a baby... or something like that. She is such a great quilter... I love mine she gave me for my wedding. It sits on our couch, so everyday I see it and think of her. Thanks Great Gma!

4-I'm thankful for Playgrounds. This is what has pretty much kept me sane while Russ has been gone... Ethan has so much energy, so a trip to the playground to run around is such a great thing!

5- Yummy Chips... (this is coming from my peanut in my tummy..) She or He LOVES Chips! Any kind of chips... lol.

6- Along with that I'm thankful that I can pretty much get away with eating anything because I'm pregnant! lol. I love that!

7- I'm thankful for good dance music! lol. I love music that gets you off you butt and moving, and makes you happy and just keeps you moving! LOVE IT!

8- I'm so thankful that I found my journal from 1997. I was 11 years old and this was my first entry was on Sunday June 1, 1997....

" Today we had stake conference. After we had family home evening, dad gave us these journals, he gave us a challenge... I challenged Obedience. Listen to my parents and teachers and pray. At stake conference Cami sat by me we had FUN."

"PS  Cami and I didn't listen to anything "

WOW. I was funny. Cami was my bestest friend growing up. lol. I bet we thought we were so rebellious not listening to anything. lol.

9- I'm thankful that I can still laugh at my self. I use to sit and cry or complain when something stupid would happen to me, but now... I know its not the end of the world, I know I will be fine... so I laugh it off!

10- I'm thankful that my family members call just to say Hi. Its such a great feeling. I love hearing my ring tone for my dad or mom.... It brings an instant smile to my face... same with my siblings. I'm so thankful that we all have time to call and catch up or to ask silly questions! So thankful for that!

Kamie and Kasie

So my pregnant butt cant even count. I only did 7 yesterday! lol. SO I will do my last one from yesterday  right now...
8- I'm thankful for good friends that remind me how silly I am when Im pregnant! :)

Okay so my Thankful 9 for today!

1-I'm thankful for my BEAUTIFUL cousins Kamie and Kasie. I grew up with these girls and they were my best friends. Although we never really lived close to each other, I would still visit them at least once a week when I was little. I even went to their High School some days...And helped out when ever they needed some prop people for their dance competitions. lol. I'm thankful that they are 2 of the most original people I know. They both stay true to who they are, and are so amazingly unique. They have blessed my life in more ways then I can imagine. They really are like sisters to me. I could brag about them all day, lol, but I will leave it at this.. I love you girls so much, I truly think that we were placed in the same family so that we could strengthen each other... because that's what you guys did for me! :) I couldn't have made it through my teen years without you both!

BEST TRIP EVER!!!!

2-I'm thankful for cookie exchanges! lol. The ladies in the ward come on base once a month and have lunch at the park, and today, they did lunch and a cookie exchange. Not that I need the fat, but I got so many cookies! Yummm

3-I'm thankful for Beanies and Hats!!!!! I love hats a scarfs.. so whenever I get the chance to wear one I do! Ethan has my obsession for hats too! He has 5 hats! 5!!! I only have 4.. (if anyone wants to buy me a hat for Christmas... It will be very much appreciated lol)

I guess I did have 5, the one Ethan is wearing was mine.. but he pretty much took it away from me.

4- I'm thankful for stupid quotes that me and my high school friend can remember! We were both so random, and would stay the most funny things, and they would just stick. We even made buttons that said "That's some bad chicken, it'll mess you up" (that's from an episode of Signfield). We we so weird, and loved this website called homestarrunner.com... here is one of our favorite emails from it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hlgm39msW0
We were really obsessed with this website! lol. Oh good times Carly! So thankful for this CRAZY girl!

5-totally thankful that Ethan likes to help me clean. He wont clean on his own.. but if he sees someone else cleaning he runs and grabs his broom, and starts to help! lol

This was the first day he got the broom. He picked it out at the fair.. lol. My mom told him to pick a toy, and he picked this broom.....

6- My awesome water jug that Gina and Ron gave me. I LOVE IT! I probably wouldn't drink as much water if I didn't have it. For some reason though, since I have had it, I drink about 4-5 refills of it a day, and its a 24oz.

7-SPANDEX!!!! Oh how I love spandex, even more the pregnancy pants. I pretty much wear spandex every day. I have many colors.. Bright Pink, Bright Orange, Bright Blue, black, dark red, gray, tan, and dark brown! lol. I love to wear them. :) And they go with everything really!

8- I'm thankful for hand-me-downs. Our entire house minus our TV, and TV stand have been handed down from family! Pretty much our whole front room is from Gina and Ron, really a lot of stuff is from Gina a Ron. lol. My parents gave us a TV, and shelves... Both parents bought Ethan's bed... I mean the list goes on and on...WOW. Now that I think of it... we are kinda spoiled with hand-me-downs.... lol. THANKS FAMILY!

9- I'm thankful for my iphone apps. lol. totally crazy thing to be thankful for unless you have a crazy 3 yr old that like to cause havoc everywhere you go. Apps keep Ethan busy so that he doesn't act out in public! Its wonderful! I love it. Makes me very happy! Here is a picture Ethan colored with one of his apps... lol

Right after I got this app, he learned how to save the pictures to my phone. So I have like 30 of these saved!

8 is Great!

My 8 Thankful things!

1-I'm thankful that I totally lucked out and got the BEST mother-in-law! Gina is such a great mom and grandma! She is more like my best friend! She always willing to help us out in any way.. even if it is just babysitting so Russ and I can go on a date! She is amazing and I'm so lucky and thankful that I get to be a part of her family. She loves me and cares for me, and I appreciate that so much! Thanks Gina!

This is one of my Favorite pictures!

2- I'm thankful for Ron! Russ step father and Ethan's papa! He has been so welcoming to me ever since I started dating Russ. His is such a great Papa to Ethan... Spoils him crazy! lol. Ethan loves to talk to him, and to play games with him. I'm so grateful to him for allowing Ethan and I to stay in his home while Russ was in boot camp. Ron really does love our family and I'm so thankful!

3- I'm thankful for MILK! Its my favorite thing to drink, we go though so much in our house! Its so delicious!

4- I'm thankful for Tylenol! The only thing I really hate about being pregnant, is that there are so few things you are allowed to take for pain, headache... etc... so Tylenol thank you for making my head feel better!

5-I'm thankful for Christmas Trees! I'm not putting mine up this year, because we will be going home for Christmas, but I do love to look at them! I would have a fresh one in my house if I could! I love the smell! :)

6- I'm thankful that I was blessed with patience! lol. Its really hard to raise a son alone (when Russ is gone working for weeks at a time), with no one to really hang out with, and no family around. Im really grateful I have patience because I would be CRAZY by now if I didn't!

7- I'm thankful for books! I love to read and get lost in books. I like to read right before I go to bed because then I have dreams about what I was reading! lol. I had the BEST Harry Potter dream last night! lol.

My Thankful Siblings!

So for my thankful list for December 7th... I'm doing my siblings.. because I'm thankful for all of them!

1-MEGAN! My best friend. I'm so thankful for her amazing power to make me laugh. She is absolutely crazy and insane, and I wouldn't have it any other way. She is so spiritually strong too and pushes me in the right direction every time she sees me.... I love you baby sis!

2- Nathan! My awesome brother! I'm so thankful for his sweet caring heart. He calls me just to check up and to make sure I'm doing okay! He is a lot like my dad, hard worker, devotes everything to his family, and loves everyone! I love you BRO!

3-Becca.. My sweet sister-in-law! I'm thankful for her outstanding ability to show how devoted to the church and family she is. Its weird, when your with her, she gives you this warmth and comfortable feeling. Its hard to explain, but I love it. She is amazing and I'm so blessed that she is in our family!

4- My big sister Missy. I call her sissy... I'm thankful for her beautiful face! LOL. She is gorgeous! I'm actually jealous... but that's not what I'm really thankful for.. I'm really thankful for her teaching me how to be a good mom. I don't get to see her a whole lot, but when I do I learn so much from her. She is such a loving mother and is so good with her kids! I love you sissy!

5- My oldest Brother in law, Casey! I'm very thankful that Casey makes my sissy happy. :)  Missy never really dated in high school, she was more focused on school, and sports, and same in college.. so when Casey caught Missy's eye.... I knew it was serious! :)  From day one, Casey has been so nice and understanding to me. I really appreciate his love for our family. I'm glad you stole Missy's heart!

6- Nate! My brother-in-law! I'm pretty sure Nate thought I was crazy the first time he met me, I was terrified of him! Hes so tall and has the same effect my dad does. Looks a little intimidating... but once you start talking to him, he is as sweet as a gummy bear! I'm thankful for his love for Ethan and I. He is a lot like my dad and brother... he works hard and loves his family! He calls me to check up on me and Ethan, and tries to visit us often as he can. I'm truly blessed to be apart of his family. I love ya Nate/Kunkle!

7- Bri and Ryan! Russ's step siblings! I hardly get to see these 2  because Ryan lives in Arizona, and since we never go to Utah, I don't get to see Bri either! But I'm thankful for both of them! They are so sweet and caring toward Ethan, and have been so nice to me! Thanks for letting this crazy girl into your family! :)

 

So those are my siblings... I know I cheated and put Bri and Ryan together.... But I had to! I could only do 7!!!! lol. I'm thankful for all of you and love you all so much! Thanks for being great sisters and brothers!

My Monday 6!

My Thankful things for December 6th:
1- LAZY DAYS. I love when I can have lazy days. Today was one. Its so nice when Ethan can just sit and watch movies with me. I'm so thankful for lazy days!

2-I'm thankful for my Daddy! :)  I love when I call him, hearing his voice gives me such comfort. He is the hardest working man I know, and I am truly blessed to be his daughter. He is so smart, and gives me advice almost every day. I'm thankful for his love of family! I think that's why are family is so strong. He taught us to love one another and to always be grateful for family. My dad was with me all the time when I was a sick little baby while my mom taught school.He always calls me his "baby Mal" because of that. He is such a great father! Amazing really. I love you daddy! Thanks for being the greatest man I have ever known.

3- I'm thankful for cough drops! They have pretty much saved my life today! :) Cherry cough drops. Delicious and healing!

4-I'm thankful for the nice ladies in my ward! They are going to watch Ethan tomorrow while I go to the doctor. They were so sweet to just offer to watch him. They knew that Russ is gone and that I don't have anyone to watch him. I was just going to take him with me, but they told me to take him to the park and they would bring their kids, and they could all play while I was gone. So I'm very thankful for them!

5-I'm thankful for Christmas lights! Although I'm not putting up any this year, because we will be going home to Utah for Christmas, a lot of people in my neighbor hood have. It makes the night beautiful. Ethan loves lights just as much as I do! We plan on going down to San Diego this weekend to see a neighborhood where ALL the houses are completely decked out! It will be so fun!

6-I'm thankful for Russ's marine sweats. lol. He would be so mad, but I'm wearing them right now because they are so comfortable! I have until Saturday to wear them, so I will be every night! I love comfortable sweats and its rare when I find a really good pair. :)

Thankful Things for December 5th

1- I'm thankful for the Priesthood. Today was fast Sunday at my church, and I had an overcoming feeling to share my story about prayer and how it helped me feel comforted in a time of need. After sacrament many people came over to tell me that they felt the spirit strongly, and 2 brethren asked me if I wanted a blessing. I really REALLY did! I just never wanted to ask. So they gave me a healing blessing. It was so wonderful. I'm so thankful for that blessing. Someday Russ will be able to have the power to give blessing, and I cant wait for that day. :) Priesthood is so important, and I'm so thankful for it.

2-I'm thankful for my long hair! I love it. I love putting it in braids. It reminds me of my childhood. I love my long hair. It makes me feel so beautiful. I do want to cut it super short one day and give my hair to locks of love.. but Ill let it grow more before I do that. :)

3- I'm thankful for the piano Gina gave me! I love to play, and Ethan loves to play. It has been such a comforting thing to have it in our home. I love playing twinkle twinkle little star with Ethan, and having him sing along. So thankful for such a wonderful piano.

4-I'm thankful for Ethan's ambition for learning. He wants to know so much, and loves to learn new things. He is a lot like me, we both love to learn. I hope this means he will love school! I hope this ambition lasts all through his school years! :)

5-I'm thankful for my Grandmas recipes. I use them almost everyday. She is such a great cook, and makes every thing from scratch. We love to season in my family, love to put lots of flavors in things we cook, and my grandma has made her own season salt. It is the most delicious thing. Gina and Ron even asked me to give them some because they loved it just as much as I do. So thanks grandma! You are the best cook!

December Nights!

Last night I took Ethan to San Diego's December Nights at Balboa Park! It was super fun, but it was pretty hard to go look in the museums because it was just me and Ethan, and we had our stroller, but you couldn't take it in the museums. I really didn't want to leave it alone out side, so we mainly just walked around. There was only one museum that had watched stroller parking, so me and Ethan went into that one. It was pretty cool, it had loads of dinosaur bones, and some earth stuff to teach kids. So here are some pictures from last night. There's more on my facebook page, and a video too. So go check that out!

Ethan and I at the Artist Block, that was my favorite spot, it was so amazing to see all the different art work!

No trip out with me would be complete unless Ethan got some kind of a light up toy!

This was the banner in front of the Artist Block.

Inside the museum, Ethan was playing with all the earth stuff. He liked this one the best because it showed how Volcano's erupt!

This is while we were ridding the Balboa train. The haze in smog! It looks like snow... but its just smog. Check out my video on facebook to see it better!

After December Nights, I stopped off at the San Diego Temple. Ethan calls it the BIG CASTLE... it was lit up with lights, nothing as great as SLC Temple, but still, it was beautiful!

Thankful things for December 4th

1-I'm very thankful for my Mommy Dearest! I love that I can call her 3-4 times a day about nonsense things, or to ask her how to cook some food, or just some advice for being a mom. She is the best mom. People wonder why I call her Mommy Dearest, because if you have seen the movie you would wonder too... lol. I was watching it with her one day, it was when I was in my rebellion stage, and I was amazed how crazy and scary Joan Crawford, that's the mom, was to her daughter. She yelled and beat her because she had wire hangers in her closet. I always thought mom was hard on me, but holy cow, so I laughed and told my mom that I have it EASY! She really does love me so much, and would never do anything like that, but I started calling her Mommy Dearest as an inside joke, and it just stuck. lol. So that's the story!

Mom, I'm so very thankful that you can accept me for who I am and can laugh at the silly things I say. That really means so much to me. You are an amazing women and I strive to be more and more like you every day. (that's why I call so much lol) I'm blessed to have you as my mother. You will always be the BEST Mommy Dearest! I love you!

2-Im thankful for pregnancy pants! lol. They are so comfortable, and even though I shouldn't be showing a whole lot, the baby fat is mixing with my normal fat, so I have a huge belly! It looks like Im already 6 months! So I cant wear any regular jeans, they hurt my fat. lol. Pregnancy pants are amazing. They look like real jeans, and they are super cute. So thank pregnancy pants for being so comfortable!

3-I'm thankful for my reading teacher from 3rd grade. I was a horrible reader growing up. I pretty much couldn't read, so I had a resource class to help me read. My resource teacher, I cant remember her name, was amazing. She helped me so much, and because of her I love to read now! :) So thank you to all the resource teachers out there who helped out kids like me who couldn't read well! I absolutely love to read now, I can get lost in a book for hours!

4-I'm thankful for my pink blanket. My Grandma Riley made me a blanket when I was 11 yrs old for Christmas one year. It has not left my side since. I have it on my legs right now actually! Its been with me on on vacations, long drives, and I sleep with it every night. Russ wants to burn it. lol. He gets mad because at bedtime I start off under our blanket that we share, then when hes sleeping I put my pink blanket over me. I will always have this comfort blanket!