La Famille Gibbons

OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY! 1/21 10:00 am - 1:00 pm

2012-01-16T08:55:00.000-08:00

- 1878 Sq. Ft.
- 0.18 Acres
- Built in 1978
- 3 Bedrooms
- 2.00 Bathrooms
- Central Air Cooling
- Forced Air Heating

Priced to Sell quickly! Like New Carpet, Paint, Tile. Updated Kitchen and Bathrooms. 90+ High Efficiency Furnace. Central Air Conditioning for comfort year-round. Large laundry/storage area. Fireplace. Huge 16x16 Deck with built-in benches, Great for Entertaining. Spacious Backyard with Mature Fruit Trees. Minutes away from All Layton City has to offer. Easy access to Hill AFB. Nice Area surrounded by Newer Homes. Outstanding Davis County schools. Not a Short Sale. Buy Today, Move-in Tomorrow!

Agents Welcome.

For more info call 801-712-9269 or email jennylgib@gmail.com.

More pictures and info available at:
http://265east1250north.blogspot.com

Happy Birthday to Chelsea! and a little bit more.

2011-12-19T12:30:00.000-08:00

This year Chelsea's birthday was on a Saturday, it was so fun to celebrate all day long. I made her some yummy "Vitamin C" Waffles for breakfast, we went to lunch at McDonald's and had dinner at Chuck-A-Rama (best decision we could've made - endless Mac&Cheese and Chocolate Milk)! Right before dinner we took her to Boondock's to play in the Kiddie Area, only $3; however, we might try that again when she's 7. It was a little bit big for her... After the fun day, we opened some gifts and had some delicious birthday cake. Chelsea received so many fun gifts from her grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles! We want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for making Chelsea's birthdays special.

Who's Who...

A little trip to the zoo, anyone?

Chelsea CANNOT get enough of this snow! We have her boots, coat, gloves, and scarf right by the back porch for anytime she wants to play with (or eat) the snow...

With all that snow-fun, there's always some room for snuggling with her dolls and dou-dou watching a little "Thumbelina."

Celebrating the Christmas Season at Great Gram's house - playing with her hospital toys! Thanks for the "heated throw blanket" and the cute baby & toddler clothes, Gram.

Cute Girlies and Birthday Celebration! A Picture Update.

2011-11-14T12:26:00.001-08:00

So grateful for these kind of carts!

I love going shopping with my girls.

Yes, I do love being a mother!

On the way to celebrate Michael's BYU Birthday Bash!

(Michael's Dad made us all Steak Sandwiches and then we watched the BYU Game)

Right after I made the cake!

(Chocolate cake, chocolate frosting with a little bit of red food coloring,

white Good&Plenty, and vanilla Tootsie Rolls - with coconut/green food coloring for the grass)

Right after Chelsea discovered I made the cake! :)

Happy Birthday, Daddy! We love you SO much.

Thank you for letting us be a part of your 26 years of life!

Heart Strings and Things.

2011-10-14T22:34:00.000-07:00

I don't think it's fair that 2 months can just fly by without me noticing! But it's because we are having so much fun! I love my little family. These girls are growing up so fast! Lily is about to cut her first tooth. And I'm pretty sure my twins can crawl circles around your twins (and circles is about the extent of it...). Lucie does the cutest little grunt you've ever heard. They both are eating better and I can actually get a spoon into their mouths. I had to use a dropper for the past two months because they just wouldn't open their mouths for a spoon (they love their mommy)! I feel so blessed to be able to nurse these babies and can really feel the special bond we all three share because of it. I truly love being a mother. At an Elder's Quorum social tonight I was talking to some couples about how I don't know how I've survived these past 8 months. And really it feels like it's been one long day. In the words of Jacob, "our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream." I love my life! I love how the days flow together and I get to spend so much time with these sweethearts. They truly are heaven-sent. Chelsea is turning into the sweetest little girl. The other night when Michael was putting her to bed he laid her down and pointed to heart saying, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart." And she repeated back to him, "Heart, heart heart. Hi heart." She does things like that all day long, I love it! She has started repeating prayers and loves scripture time with daddy (I wish all of you could see his scripture-time dramatics, it's amazing)!

There is so much to be grateful for and I can only begin to count the blessings. I truly can feel the Lord's hand in our little family's life. I know Heavenly Father is aware of us and our daily struggles (the spilled juice, the messy dishes, or even the unfolded laundry). These struggles may seem small but to us the are big accomplishments at the end of the day. I know my capacity to handle the little things has been enlarged by a loving Heavenly Father. In a Stake Relief Society meeting lately, a member of our Stake Presidency shared an analogy about stress. He shared that it is through "stress" that silver is purified and the way the Refiner knows when the silver is finished is when he can see His image reflected in the silver. I truly feel it is the same way for us. That the stress we feel in our lives is our Heavenly Father's way to help us because a little bit more like Him. But, the biggest part of it all is that we don't have to go it alone. He is right there molding and shaping us into the beauty He knows we are. I want to thank the "angels" in my life who help me daily to relieve my stress and help me raise my sweet little family.

Our Little Princesses!

2011-08-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

Happy 6 month Birthday to Lily & Lucie! Has it gone by fast for you? Because I have felt like the past 6 months have flown by... They both are in the middle of teething, none have cut through yet, but they are gnawing on everything, including each other! It is so fun to watch these girls interact. They also have mastered the art of rolling over and are starting to scoot a little bit, even if it is backwards. These girls are also so smiley and happy! We couldn't feel more blessed with how healthy and happy these twins are.

Chelsea is in the stage of exploration! She wants to know how everything feels, sounds, and tastes like. The other day we were playing outside and she heard someone playfully scream from a neighboring yard. She of course couldn't resist the urge to copy it (same pitch, mind you) but then she discovered something...her echo! She kept doing it over and over again just to hear the echo, the look of discovery on her face was priceless!

Chelsea loves animals! She's had these sounds mastered for a while but this is the first time I actually caught them on video. Don't worry, she doesn't have a huge growth on her back, we were pretending she was a turtle.

Bread, bread, and more bread.

2011-08-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

For some reason I have had a huge desire to become great at baking bread. I've really wanted to perfect the art - Not just know how to follow the recipe, but to know that putting water in the oven along with the bread makes the crust more crispy, or knowing to let the yeast sit until it is completely dissolved before I add it to the oil, sugar, and salt, even knowing that patience in letting the dough rise long enough is always worth it in the end. So a 1 1/2 years ago I made my first loaf of French bread and this is how it turned out:

Not bad looking, but it just didn't taste right. It tasted too flour-y and was very thick. Michael was very nice about it and told me he loved it, but for the most part, it didn't taste anything like the French bread he actually had in France. My problem is that I always thought that the bread isn't supposed to be sticky anymore after I've mixed it all together so I kept adding and adding flour, when really the extra flour just makes the bread heavy. So over the past few months I've searched and searched for a recipe that would taste amazing and look good, and have also done a lot of reading on how to make the bread the right consistency: fluffy, a little crisp on the outside, will go along with anything or will taste great plain. And this is what I've come up with:

The glazed look on the crust is a coat of egg whites I added before I let it rise for the last time.

My mother-in-law (who tells me that she hardly ever eats bread) has now asked me to make it every time I come over for a Sunday dinner. Isn't she nice? I have a long way to go still because all I can make is French bread and I'm still learning the tricks of that trade. But, my next journey is finding a good Sandwich bread recipe . . . Wish me luck on my continued adventures in the world of bread.

Twin Arm Wrestle - winner gets to eat first.

2011-08-06T21:48:00.000-07:00

What's been going on at the Gibbons' home?

2011-07-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

Guess what!?! All my girls are asleep for the night, yes, it is only 7:49 pm. This is saying a lot for our little family since last night it took until 11:30 pm for all of them to finally go to bed (we started putting them to bed at 7:30). Why is this happening, you ask? Because we just got back from the funnest vacation we've ever taken as a family and some nights we didn't get even back to our hotel until 11:30 pm! We spent the last week in California going to the Beach, Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, Old Town, Hollywood & DISNEYLAND! Oh my goodness, was it a BLAST! Here's a little bit of what we did:

We started out the trip by going to Sea World. I'd never been before and it was a BLAST! I already want to go back. We love seeing the Dolphins, Sea Otters, and Shamu (to name a few). But, Chelsea's favorite part about Sea World was that there was a Sesame Street Land - they had Elmo and Grouch rides - here's a vid of Chelsea during one of their shows:

The souvenir we got for Chelsea at Sea World was a stuffed Shamu! When she first got it she wouldn't let it go of it and kept making it jump while saying, "Jump, jump, jump." It was so cute! Right after we gave it her we introduced her to Shamu . . . if you've never seen Shamu in person, she is HUGE!!! Now every time Chelsea sees her stuffed Shamu, before she hugs it, she Roars! I think it really scared her at first.

We had so many good pictures from our trip that I decided to do a slideshow of the pics. We had such an amazing time as a family! We came back rejuvenated, filled with more love than ever for each other! Thanks also to Bob, Liz, Maddie, Jim, Mimi, Papa, Megan, Luke, Brocko, Sophie, Guy, Nannies (Happy Birthday), and Aubrea for also making this such an Amazing vacation!

And presenting . . .

2011-07-12T18:00:00.000-07:00

I know it's been 4 1/2 months since my babies were born, but I wanted to show you my husband's handiwork . . . He took the pictures AND designed the birth announcement. I sure love these girls so much!

A Trip to the Zoo!

2011-06-21T20:57:00.000-07:00

We decided to splurge this year and get a Zoo Membership! We've already saved money with it - we LOVE the Zoo. Chelsea has now mastered the following animal sounds: Monkey, Tiger (Lion, Dinosaur, or anything with scary teeth), Horse, Cow, Elephant, Dog (her favorite), kitty cat, bird, and I'm trying to teach her Gorilla. We have a lot of fun together as a family! We especially love it when Daddy gets to come along on our adventures:

Thanks, Daddy!

It was so cool - the leopard kept pacing back and forth. Right before we took this picture Chelsea's nose was practically against the glass - you can tell she is a little bit unsure about how close this Big Cat was.

We toted our cute babies around in a wagon! (now we have a minivan and can bring our TRIPLE stroller to the Zoo - which we did once already)

Of course, we must end the day with some Ice Cream! (I hope it was better tasting than the sand she sampled earlier)

Happy 1 Month Birthday!

2011-03-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

My girls are 1-month-olds already!! They are growing up so fast. They can focus better, follow voices, and both Lily & Lucie have smiled at me while they were wide awake! They are still pretty hard to tell apart, but Lily so far has a little bit more chubs than Lucie and a little less hair in the front, but even then I haven't taken off their name bracelets - I would hate to get them confused permanently.

The best news is that they are becoming better sleepers! Lily slept a whole 7 hours straigtht last night!!! Lucie didn't sleep quite as long, but she is still making a lot of progress - 4 hours straight - which I think is amazing for a baby that is only 4 weeks old (Chelsea didn't sleep even that long until 6 months)! We've been pretty determined to helpthem get their nights and days straightened out. I make sure to get them up around 9 am (varies, obviously), feed them, then at least change their clothes, so they know it's morning and time to play. We have them on a Eat, Play, Sleep schedule and I usually feed them at the same time. I like this kind of schedule because I never feel confused about what they need. I can be sure I fed them, and then when they start to get fussy while we're playing (which is tummy/talking time) then it's time to go take a nap.

I couldn't do it without all the help I've received in the first month - thanks to everyone!! who've helped me clean my house, watch my Chelsea Rose, or make us dinners (plus I know there's been tons more you've done). Recovery from my C-section has been slow but steady. I definitely am learning a lot through this experience! And I can't end this post without acknowledging how helpful Michael has been through this whole experience - he is the sweetest. He helps me cook and clean - on Sunday I didn't do a single chore or make a single dish because he stepped in a did it all so I could have a "day of rest." He and Chelsea also are becoming quite the duo - he helps with her so much, because I'm not supposed to lift her yet (2 more weeks!).

These little girls are angels; we are so blessed to have them in our family!

Happy Birthday, Lily & Lucie!

2011-03-01T17:30:00.000-08:00

February 21, 2011

8:11 am
52 seconds apart

Lucie Nicole

6 lbs 13 oz
19 inches

Lily Michele
7 lbs 0 oz
19 inches

We named them after our mothers, Lucie (Michael's Mom) & Michele (My Mom) as well as both Michael and I have sisters with Nicole their middle name, Laura & Brook. We feel so blessed that they came so safely. My biggest prayer was that they would be able to come home from the hospital with me and they did! We have the best family and are loving getting to know our beautiful girls!

Lily & Lucie were born on Michael's brother, Grant's, birthday. He entered the MTC two days later, I say, that was a close call, we're so happy he got to meet them before he left.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-15T08:29:00.000-08:00

Michael and I had SOOO much fun last night! We sure love each other SOOO much and love celebrating how much we love each other - we splurged and even got a baby sitter! He came home with these beautiful flowers - I LOVE FLOWERS!!! It was filled with roses, star gazer lilies, and beautiful greens! ** He also wrote me the sweetest love letter -

This is where we had our wedding luncheon - we can never get enough of Joy Luck! We shared Tangerine Chicken and Almond Shrimp. Delicious!!

Shoes, shoes, shoes! Thank you, Michael - we went to the Gateway after dinner, window shopped and got a few things for the both of us. We love getting each other presents and surprises!! (maybe a little too much . . . )

This is the Valentine's Card Chelsea and I made for Daddy!! Isn't she cute??

Here's us waiting at Joy Luck! We LOVE love and hope that you know how much we LOVE you!!

Cross Your Fingers . . . x2.

2011-02-04T14:58:00.000-08:00

I'm really hoping to get everyone an update of our family - this will be the 3rd time I've tried. My Internet has been super fast today so I'm hoping that I can get pics and movies to upload. Here goes . . .

Chelsea's 1st Birthday:

We had a huge party for Chelsea Rose! She is growing up to be such a sweet gal and is in love with dogs! There are 3 dogs that live behind us so she always wakes up from her naps barking, it is so cute. Because of her love her dogs we threw here a Dalmatian Party! She had no problem digging into her Dalmatian Cake! It was so fun to have both sides of our family there to celebrate our sweet little angel. Thank you for all the gifts and love!

Christmas Time:

We had the best Christmas ever! We spent Christmas Eve/Morning with my family in Orem and then went home to have a little Christmas opening at our house - then headed over to the Gibbons Family's to celebrate the rest of Christmas day with them. Michael spoiled me SOOO much this Christmas! We feel so blessed to be able to celebrate the birth of the Savior every year. We hope to keep him at the center of our lives and hearts throughout the entire year! We talked about next year making Christmas more about the Savior - if you have any suggestions how you keep Christ in your Christmas we would love to hear them.

Yes, we all look a little tired, don't we? My family is up at 6 am (at the latest) to open presents! I love it - and with how many people there are it usually takes about 3 1/2 hours for everyone to get through their presents - well, mostly because we all get spoiled! :)

New Year's Celebrations:

We celebrated New Year's in style! On New Year's Eve, Michael's band had the opportunity to perform at the Tabernacle for First Night, they did such an amazing job! During the day, we went to Build-A-Bear with my family and then Discovery Gateway with Michael's family! And on New Year's day we met up with all of my extended family on my Mom's side at The Chinese Gourmet for our annual New Year's dinner (this is highlighted in the picture of my sister, Laura, and her new husband, Josh!! - congratulations! They got married on December 21st and spent their honeymoon in California over Christmas Break, fun huh?).

A quick trip to the doctor:

It was the first time that Chelsea has ever been really sick - she had an ear infection and a little cold in her eye, but she got better quickly with antibiotics and has been healthy ever since! She was such a sweetie, we waited for 2 hours to see the doctor (Michael is in the background trying to find something for her to watch on his iPhone).

And the waiting begins . . .

Can you believe we've made it this far into our pregnancy?? We are 36 whole weeks along and the babies are as healthy as ever! In fact, they are both about 6 1/2 lbs. each already. This isn't the best picture of me, but it shows how HUGE I'm getting! I told Michael that the next time we have a baby that if I ever complain that he needs to remind me about this pregnancy . . . It is just a little bit hard to get around these days . . . but, we can't wait to meet our Sweet Girls!

A Twin Update! @ 27 Weeks

2010-12-08T17:07:00.000-08:00

BABY B - WEEK 27 (BABY A's HAND IS OVER HER FACE)!!

BABY A - WEEK 27 (3D - so cute!!)

BABY B - WEEK 16

BABY A - WEEK 16

BABY B - WEEK 12

BABY A - WEEK 12

BABY A & B - WEEK 6
(we found out we were pregnant and having twins on the same day)

Halloween, Bellies, and Flowers.

2010-10-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

We went to our ward's trunk-or-treat for Halloween. It was so fun - they had a chili cook-off and everything, delicious! Michael was Sherlock Holmes (pretty sure he had the best costume) and Chelsea Rose was a Porcelain Doll.

I was "Hawaiian" for Halloween. Michael kept saying that I was the Last of the Mohicans!

Carrie: 37 weeks . . . Jenny: 22 weeks, say what??

Michael surprised me with flowers (I LOVE FLOWERS) just to show me how much he loved me! I love you, Michael! Now, what can I surprise you with . . .
a new Albert Lee HH, maybe?

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-26T13:14:00.001-07:00

A Day at the Park with our Cousin, Brocko! **

2010-10-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

Speaking of Michael - HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY!

2010-10-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

25 Reasons I Am So Happy to Celebrate Your Birth (in no particular order):

1. You light up my life with your smile.
2. You get me drinks of water in the middle of the night.
3. You love to hold Chelsea and miss her if she's asleep when you get home.
4. You are so talented in so many ways: guitar, singing, piano, water glasses, and pretty much anything else that makes music.
5. Your eyes shine when you look at me (which means you love me).
6. You are so dedicated to your work and our family.
7. You have blessed so many lives with how thoughtful you are.
8. You are so passionate about living life.
9. You inspire me everyday to be a better me.
10. You make Chelsea laugh harder than anyone else can.
11. You make me laugh harder than anyone else can.
12. In other words, I love your sense of humor!
13. Thank you for all the delicious food you've introduced me to - I never knew sauce and seasonings could make food taste so good.
14. I am so much more adept at guitar and music lingo because of you - I think it's either between the Tribute or the Albert Lee - Mahogany Body/Rosewood Neck.
15. I am so inspired to be a good wife and mother because you are such an amazing husband and father.
16. You are very, very punny!
17. I love how you've introduced me to the French culture and language.
18. You make friends easier than anyone I've ever met.
19. Our relationship is so strong because of you - you are the best communicator I've ever spoken with - and you are also the best listener I've ever talked to, thank you!
20. You've added so much meaning to my life.
21. Having picnics at the park is so much more fun when you are there.
22. I've been introduced to so many amazingly produced movies because of you!
23. I love how Chelsea's eyes light up when she sees you.
24. You are so committed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ -
25. You provide me with such a comfortable life, I never worry about tomorrow because I know you will always be there for me, I am so grateful for you! I am so happy with you in my life! I am glad that you were born exactly when you were so we could meet exactly when we did - I Love You, Michael!

And the Girls Have it . . .

2010-10-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

That's right, folks!! We are having IDENTICAL TWIN GIRLS - can you believe it? Michael will be outnumbered 4 to 1 . . . he's such a good Daddy to Chelsea, no wonder Heavenly Father wanted to bless us with two more girls!

A Peek at The Gibbons New Home!

2010-09-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

We did it - We bought our first home!! In preparation for the twins that are on their way . . . March 5, 2011 . . . we decided we needed a place of our own - there may just be some crying our apartment neighbors might not have appreciated - We've settled for the time being in Layton, UT, the city where I grew up - it's really fun to see a lot of old friends (well, really a lot of friends' parents because most of my friends have all grown up and have lives of their own). We have a GREAT ward and Michael's already been called to serve as the Choir Director - he is so talented and I know we will also be blessed by the experience.

WE LOVE OUR NEW HOME!! It's so nice to let Chelsea play and explore without having to pick her up every second because she's about to knock something over . . . We are so grateful for such a wonderful place to raise our family. Thanks for all the help moving!

"The Gibbons" named ALBUM of the Week!

2010-09-07T12:14:00.000-07:00

The Chapman Paper Sleeve: Liz's Album of the Week, or "Step aside, Jonas Bro...: "I lack my husband's more eloquent critical writing style, but I decided that this album is good enough to warrant an 'Album of the Week' po..."

What a Vacation!!

2010-09-02T13:11:00.001-07:00

Our family had the most exciting vacation of our lives this past weekend - we got to go up to Washington state to see John Mayer & Keith Urban in concert (my Anniversary present to Michael) AND spend lots of time with Dan, Brook, Eliza, Porter, and Jesse (Michael's older sister's family)! We had a blast . . . (get ready for a long one)

We left Friday afternoon around 6:00 pm. On our way we saw this:

It's a Forest Fire!! The picture doesn't do it any justice - although I'm sure it was devastating to the trees - it looked amazing! Had I known then that we would be putting out a few fires of our own I probably would've turned the car around and headed straight for home as fast as our car could take us . . .

We drove in Saturday morning and relaxed for a few hours with the wonderful Black family - then Michael and I kissed our Chelsea Rose 'Goodbye' and headed for the much anticipated concert (now this was the very longest we've been away from her since she was born . . . I was hoping she wouldn't miss us too badly) -

The Gorge Amphitheater! Literally in the middle of NoWhere, Washington - amazing backdrop - but really there wasn't even a McDonald's within 40 minutes any direction - my pregnant self would've driven that 40 minutes had there been one . . . Nevertheless, we got to the amphitheater about 2 hours before the concert began and found our seats or spot on the grass, rather - I forgot to mention that on the way to the concert I forgot to grab the tickets so our 1 1/2 drive to The Gorge turned into a 2 hour drive - which gave me even more time with my honey . . . I'm just glad I remembered only 20 minutes into the drive.

The Darling Avett Brothers - these guys were the show opener - mix between funk, folk, pop, rock, and who knows what else . . . here's what we thought of the Avett Brothers:

They had some cool musicianship but nothing compared to this:

Here's what we thought of that:

Okay, the concert was AMAZING!! It was so neat to see two incredible guitarists jam on stage together - Michael was in heaven!! I love him SOOO much!

After an AMAZING concert (we love music!) we had about an 1 1/2 drive home, but leave it to me again to not have directions going back home - I thought I'd be fine just following the directions to The Gorge backwards . . . anyway, I missed the turn and we had to drive about 40 minutes before there was a way to turn around . . . I'm so grateful that Michael is blessed with patience . . . he needs a lot of it with me . . . Well, we made it home safely and pulled in at about 2:00 am to our sweet baby girl sleeping peacefully - THANK YOU, BROOK AND DAN!!

THE NEXT DAY

On the road again - we left the Black's at about 9:30 am which would mean we would be home at about 8:30 p.m. Perfect!! Before we left we made sure to put some new spark plugs in to make sure our car would be running perfectly for the drive home. We started on our way, bags packs, baby fed, and happy!! We drove a little ways and as were coming up to the town of Pendleton we thought maybe, since it's Sunday, we should read a General Conference talk. We found one by Elder Gregory A. Schwitzer called Developing Good Judgment and Not Judging Others. It talked a lot about that and gave us a few keys that will help us do so . . . a part of the talk that stuck out us was when he read a scripture about Keeping the Commandments and Prospering. I took the liberty to ask Michael what he thought we can do as a family to better keep the commandments in order for us to prosper (emotionally, spiritually, physically, etc.) Before either of us got to answer we started hearing some sort of banging sound from under our hood - we figured that maybe we didn't screw on the cover quite tight enough where the spark plugs were so we thought it would be best to pull over - as we did we heard a loud bang and the car turned off . . . Uh, Oh!!

Miracle #1

We were only 1/2 mile from the exit AND on a hill so we let our car cruise down the hill off the exit.

Miracle #2

There was a tow truck that could come and get us within an hour and take us to a car repair shop. Now, it was Sunday. There was only one car repair shop open on Sunday and only from the hours of 4-6 pm. It was about 11:30 am. This is where we "landed:"

Miracle #3

We had TONS of food so the wait for the repair shop to open wasn't so bad. We created a little hut for ourselves with Chelsea's blankets to keep the sun out, opened the windows (there was a lovely breeze), and took a little nap.

Miracle #3 1/2

Maybe it was a blessing that we missed our turn last night and had to drive an extra 80 minutes . . . Pendleton was the last big city before we got over the Oregon pass . . . I'm glad we didn't get stuck in the middle no where?

Miracle #4

The mechanic figured out what was wrong with our car!! Well, this is the not so good news . . . the engine had to be replaced. He told us that we blew a piston which means that we had some engine failure. He told us that to replace the engine would mean that we would have to wait a week to find the engine then however long it would take to fix it. We didn't have a week or think the car worth the wait - sorry, Eunice. Well, now the question is . . . how in the world are we going to get back to Utah???

Miracle #5

Thankfully we were only about 1 1/2 away from Pasco (Brook and Dan's house). They were SOOO kind to come and pick us up and take us back to their place while we figured out what we were going to do.

Miracle #6

The man who towed us to the car repair shop is partners with another man, Chris, who owns a junk/salvage yard for cars.

Miracle #7

Chris offered to buy our car for $800!! At least we got something out of it . . . Our last look at dear, old Eunice (named after Eunice on "What's Up, Doc):

Miracle #8

With a lot of prayers and a lot of help and advice from Michael's dad we made it home!! We decided to get a rental car and buy a new car as soon as we could when we got home (which still can't happen yet 'cause we have to close on our house first . . . which thankfully is this coming Tuesday . . . HOORAY!!).

We certainly learned a lot this past weekend. We feel more humbled than ever and are so grateful for the little miracles that happened. We feel so dependent on the Lord and are more motivated than ever to focus our lives on the Gospel and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Without Him and without prayer and without all the many angels looking out for us we would not have made it through this tiny trial. Thank you for being those angels in our lives! Next time we may just think twice before we ask ourselves how we can do and be a little bit better in our lives . . .

2010-08-02T16:16:00.001-07:00

My Stick Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Yes, it's true - we are adding to our family on or around March 15th, 2011 - not just one baby, two! We can't wait -

Fourth of July!

2010-07-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

Watching fireworks at Eaglewood - It was an amazing fireworks show - thanks to Michael . . . Enjoy the pics!

Chelsea LOVED the fireworks!

Hands & Knees, Hands & Knees . . .

2010-07-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

So, ignore me in the background and watch Chelsea get on her hands and knees!! She was pretty tired. But, it's been a pretty adventurous month for her - she got her first tooth and I think she will start crawling soon - she's also taste-tested tons of different solids - it's so cute, whenever she sees us eat anything she will start chewing on her tongue, I love it!

Memorial Day at the Zoo!

2010-06-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day Photo Shoot

2010-06-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

Celebrating Forever on May 16th!!

2010-05-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

I am so grateful for Michael and I love him SOOO much!! He is the best husband ever - he is so kind and loving, sweet and thoughtful, sensitive and caring! I am so blessed to have him as Mine. I love the Eternity we share and am excited to spend Forever with him and our sweet Daughter, Chelsea!

Taking Pictures @ the Bountiful Temple

Our Wedding Rings -Goldesign Jeweler's

We stayed at the Silver King Hotel in Park City - equipped with a full-size kitchen and a jacuzzi!

The Anniversary Dinner Michael Made Me: Quiche, Steak, & Strawberries!

My Anniversary Flowers! + a Date Night @ the Studio (recording ME)!

Vote for Chelsea!

2010-05-12T18:11:00.000-07:00

Help my Mommy and Daddy win $400.00 to Dick's Grocery Market by voting for me at:

http://www.todays1065.com/pages/baby_idol/

I'm contestant #35.

Tell all your friends and family to vote for me, too!

Thanks a million ice cream cones . . . think of how much baby food $400.00 will buy!

The contest ends June 3rd.

Chelsea is growing up TOO fast!

2010-05-06T19:07:00.001-07:00

I love these pictures of Chelsea - she is growing up SO fast! She is becoming so attentive & alert! She LOVES people - we went out to eat at Five Guys last Friday and she was in Heaven!! She couldn't stop laughing and smiling. I'm pretty sure the 2-year-old next to us was falling in love with her; he couldn't take her eyes off her and he kept saying "baby," SO CUTE!! At Chelsea's 4 month checkup she was the average height of a 6 month old (95% for height). Now she's almost 6 months old and she's only gotten bigger . . .

My First Try @ French Bread

2010-05-06T18:56:00.001-07:00

Since Michael served his mission in France I've been trying to learn how to bake bread like the French do (this is an almost impossible, because real French bread is AMAZING or so I hear) - this was my first try at French Bread! I liked how it turned out as far as the taste goes and how crunchy it got on the outside; however, I think I would've liked it to be a little bit more fluffy on the inside, I think I added a tiny bit too much flour - Michael said it was great for my first time . . . The difference between American French bread and French French bread is the outside crust. Our ovens can't get as hot as French ovens so what I had to do was put a bowl of water in the oven along with the bread to make it "feel" hotter. It seemed to do the trick. I'll let you know how the next batch goes . . .

Chelsea Says "Hello"

2010-04-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

Chelsea is saying "Hello" to her friend in the mirror! (at least that's what it sounds like to her mother)

A Scraping Wood We Go

2010-04-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

Michael and I have the wonderful opportunity to clean the Cherry Lane Apartment Office! It just so happens that the cleaners before us decided to cover the Pergo Floor with a clear Wood Finish every time they cleaned the floor. This became quite a predicament for us because, no matter how hard we tried, the floor never looked clean. So, in hopes to make the floor look good again we decided to loosen and scrape all the extra wood finish off the Pergo floor. The truth is I didn't know how ambitious of a task this was until we started.

It's starting to really look fabulous, but after almost 6 hours of work we only got half finished . . . Here's our progress so far:

How Time Flies!

2010-03-19T17:33:00.000-07:00

Chelsea Rose is 4 months old already! We are so happy to have her in our life. She is such a happy baby - since the beginning she smiled and laughed, even in her sleep! Here are a few pics to highlight the past few months:

First "Official" Family Photo

A Few Weeks Old

Always Smiling

Smiling at her friend in the mirror

Sunday Afternoon Nap

Photo Shoot

First Day at Church

Could her cheeks be any chubbier . . . I think she's being starved!

Christmas Morning

Merry Christmas!

I just think this one's ADORABLE!

A Few Days Old

A Few Minutes Old

Chelsea Rose from Heaven

Introducing . . .

2009-12-03T15:46:00.000-08:00

7 lbs. 7 oz. 21 inches - Born at 11:47 pm - LDS Hospital

Baby Shower Bonanza!

2009-11-04T09:13:00.000-08:00

I can most definitely say I've never felt more spoiled and loved in my whole life!! Thank you so much to my Mom, Mimi, Megan, and my ward for throwing me such fun and beautiful baby showers! I received some of the cutest and most incredible gifts!! Chelsea Rose is lucky to be coming into a world with so many caring people around her. I couldn't have asked for more love and support. She truly has so many wonderful and great examples to follow. I want to make a tribute to all the wonderful women in my life who have been role models to me in every aspect of my life: My Gram and Grandma Janet, My Grandma Wood and Grandma Gibbons, My Mom and Mother-in-law (thanks for showing me how to be a great Mom!), my sisters and sisters-in-laws, my many amazing Aunts, my Young Women and Church leaders, and the countless others who I have looked to for strength and learning. I am so blessed to be surrounded by so many righteous and amazing women. Thank you for showing me how to love and to be loved, how to sacrifice, how to overcome adversity, how to be so kind and caring, how to love my husband, how to be a daughter of God, and much , much more . . . Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I hope I can share with my little girl all the things I have learned from you!

BYU Football Mania!

2009-10-27T20:59:00.001-07:00

Michael and I went to the BYU football game this last Saturday against TCU. Okay, okay. Although, it didn't go exactly like we all hoped it would Michael and I still felt like winners!! It was so much fun to spend some time together at my Alma Mater!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MICHAEL!!

2009-10-12T16:39:00.000-07:00

Only 7 more Weeks!

2009-09-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

Mike & Katie Shepherd-For all Eternity!

2009-09-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

My sister, Katie, is married!! She married Michael Shepherd on September 8, 2009 in the San Diego Temple (they both dreamed of being married in the San Diego Temple ever since they were little--way before they even knew each other). Following their sealing, they had a luncheon at Mimi's Cafe. Then, a week later, they help a reception at Wadley Farms in Lindon, UT. It was a BEAUTIFUL reception!! Pictured above is the card I made Mike & Katie for their wedding. The pictures on the front are the pictures they sent out with their wedding announcement--they are an adorable couple!! We are SOOO happy for them. They now happily reside in Provo, UT.

The Adventures of Island Park

2009-08-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

Michael and I stayed in Island Park at Gram's Cabin for a weekend getaway. My friend, Corinne Packard Hoskin, was getting married in Rexburg and we thought we'd attend the reception. However, our plans were disrupted by the fact that I forgot the wedding invitation with the address--we drove around Rigby, ID for about 2 hours trying to find the reception. We even resorted to following cars with people that were dressed in Sunday Clothes (which worked for the most part--we found a wedding reception, but it just wasn't hers)! After that we headed back to Island Park to roast marshmallows and eat s'mores!! The next morning we were watching a relaxing 'Flick when a BAT (flying rodent) came flying downstairs! Michael had me hide in the bathroom while he tried to coax it outside (I didn't want to miss out on all the fun, so I dressed in a big coat and hat, Michael was wearing sheets--it was hilarious--we didn't want to get any diseases). The bat flew back upstairs into a closet. Michael covered the closet with another sheet and was going to turn on the light so it would fly out and we could catch it and take it outside. I wanted to check how the lights turned on in the closets so I tested it in the other closet, a few seconds later the bat flew out and went downstairs--and finally found its way outside! HOORAY--you could call us the Bat Team (hurry Michael, to the Bat-mobile)! We sure loved spending time together, especially away from all the hustle and bustle of daily life. We also got to visit Jenna and her family in Rexburg (my best friend from High School), feed fish and muskrats at Big Springs (pictured above), attend church at the A-frame, and go for a small hike through the forest. Michael is my best friend. We had so much fun--I am so happy to be with him for eternity!

Jenny's 21st Birthday!

2009-07-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who celebrated my 21st birthday! Michael hosted a barbecue for me that evening (with both sides of our family)--we had over 30 people there. I love all the baby stuff, maternity clothes, baby toys, and more . . . Thank you!!

Michael surprised me on Saturday morning with an early birthday present . . . A Canvas Picture of a Mother and Baby Giraffe for our Nursery! He created the picture himself--amazing!! I am so blessed to have Michael in my life; I love him so much. After that he took me to IHOP for breakfast-DELICIOUS-and that night we went to Hollywood Connection where we ate dinner, saw Night at the Museum 2, played miniature golf and shared a brownie sundae! It was my best birthday ever!!

Getting ready for the Baby Nursery!

2009-07-13T15:29:00.001-07:00

Our first big purchase for our Baby Girl was her Crib Set. We found it at BabiesRUs for 30% off-(Thank You to some pretty helpful Family Members) -HOORAY!! We are so excited for her to come into our home. Only 4 1/2 months left. We also have some really cute Orange Lamps to Match (The shades are Brown with Blue, Orange, and Green Circles)!!

What we've all been waiting for . . .

2009-07-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

We are so happy to announce that our cute little baby is a girl! We are so excited for her to come to our family. We can hardly wait to meet her and I'm sure she can hardly wait to meet her family (extended family included!).

We are beginning to feel our precious daughter move more and more everyday. Hooray! We'll keep you posted with all the updates. Thank you already for all of your love and support. We appreciate it so much and it never goes unnoticed.

DUE DATE: November 15, 2009

Our Trip to Washington

2009-06-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

Our family took a trip up to Washington to visit Brook and Dan, Eliza and Porter (and the Black's new little one on the way)! We loved spending time with The Black Family and with The Gibbons Family and with The Flinders Family. We were also able to perform for the Pasco Stake's Youth Conference. It was such a neat experience! We were able to give the morningside outdoors and in the mountains.

We love music and love the Gospel - we are so grateful we were able to share both with the wonderful people in Washington!

Welcome to our Blog!

2009-06-16T14:55:00.001-07:00

Just to give you a quick update: We just moved to South Bountiful into the Cherry Lane Apartments (2 bedroom/2 bath) and we are expecting our first baby (we are in our 18th week)!! We find out in a couple of weeks whether its a boy or a girl, hooray! Michael is still working at Platinum Sound and Mastering Labs as a Sound Engineer/Producer. Jenny is working for The MT Pit doing piano work and emailing, also she is cleaning apartments for Cherry Lane. We are as busy as ever and are so excited to keep you updated with our pregnancy!