Hold my hand and I'll take you there somehow, someday, somehwere.

Any cute fonts yet? Stupid HTML!!!

2010-12-30T12:28:00.002-07:00

NEW BLOG!!

2010-12-29T01:18:00.000-07:00

Guys, I've moved!! Check out my new blog at myyellowsandbox@blogspot.com

Follow me over there so you don't forget!! Love you all!!

Abby

Cocoa Sliders

2010-12-11T13:28:00.000-07:00

Alright. Christmas Crafts. So much fun! The day after Thanksgiving my sister and I had a little too much fun with my Cricut. Here's what we made, and a tutorial is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZTLi6_ViDE&feature=related

COCOA SLIDERS

Has it really been almost a year?

2010-12-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

So here's the thing... it's been almost an entire year since I've last blogged. Can you believe it? Wow times flies. I started blurbing, which led to a decrease in blogging and it was just this whole thing! But I'm hopefully back, we'll test the waters and see :-)

Just to catch you up... that cute little tiny baby we once had, has now turned into this curious little fire ball, just like his momma! He's got a temper that kid, and it's pretty hilarious. He hates being constrained in anything from a highchair and stoller, to a carseat and jumper. Silly little buddy. He's cute as ever though. Brian is taking the GMAT in one week from Saturday- cannot even wait for it to be over! I am, besides being a housewife, teaching singing lessons and soon will start directing a little girls performing group, which I super excited about. So life is busy as usual!

Take care!

Abby

Boston's Newborn Photos

2010-03-28T23:27:00.000-07:00

My friend and neighbor, Tawni, took Boston's newborn photos. He screamed the entire time. The poor kid hates to be naked! I'm suprised she captured such great pictures. Anyway, here are my favorites!

Being home with Boston

2010-02-21T20:02:00.001-07:00

It’s been a rough two weeks but I’m finally feeling better and Boston has been the best little boy. He rarely cries and would sleep through the night if I let him. I literally have to set alarms to wake myself up to feed him. Brian is back to work and I’ve assumed responsibility for this little life. I love being a mom- surreal as it is.

He got his first bath, which he hated! He has really big hands and when he gets nervous he flails them about. It's hilarious! He got to spend time with the Smith's and was spoiled rotten! The first night he slept in our bedroom, Brian and I would jump up out of bed whenever we'd hear him make any sound. We were so nervous he was going to break! It's been a great few weeks and we're finally use to the new routine!

Boston's Here! 2/1/2010 8.5 lbs 22.5" long

2010-02-21T19:49:00.002-07:00

Brian and I made the decision to induce little Bosty January 31, 2010. Before going to bed Saturday night we talked about how different things would be the next time we would sleep in our bed. We’d have a little baby to take care of, to love and to wake up with. Sleep didn’t evade us too long and before we knew it we were on our way to the hospital. At 10:00 am my nurse gave me my first dose of petocin. The contractions started but they weren’t bad. Brian was very worried the entire time because he knew how well I handled pain… every five minutes, “What’s your pain level now babe? Do you need your epidural yet”? I held out as long as I could and at 1:00 I got the epidural. What a blessing! For eight hours I sat with Brian, joking and laughing, watching movies and really just waiting. At the end of those eight hours I had dilated to a two- out of ten. AH! I was supposed to have this kid by the late afternoon. That was the plan!

I hadn’t moved since I had gotten my epidural and my arm was killing me because the blood pressure cuff had been going off every five minutes. Eight hours later I got a new nurse around and she asked me when I’d last moved. I told her I hadn’t moved and she was appalled. My legs were completely dead. She came in every half hour to move me and once I started moving, I started dilating. At 2:30 am, the next day, I had finally dilated to a ten. The nurse said, “Okay, start pushing”. I was like, huh? Where’s my doctor? I just assumed that I’d push a few times and Boston would be here. How wrong was I! After an hour and a half of pushing my doctor finally came. She told us that the baby was posterior, and she asked if we would let her use forceps to help get the baby out. I remember looking up at Brian, not knowing anything about forceps, and asking him what he thought we should do. Our doctor assured us she was the best and I was so exhausted I didn’t want to just roll over and get a c-section after 19 hours of laboring. So, we used the forceps- worst mistake of our lives. It was the most awful site. My mom started bawling and I was hysterical, barely able to breathe and Brian was holding us all together. After trying the forceps a few times my doctor realized she wouldn’t be able to get him out safely and we rushed into the operating room for a c-section. I was so discouraged. I couldn’t believe the last 19 hours were for nothing. I could have just scheduled a c-section and things would have been so much easier. I was wheeled into the operating room and they started cutting- I could feel it. I started screaming and a few seconds later the anesthesiologist knocked me out. I remember them showing me Boston and then everything else was a blur. I woke up in my room hours later, exhausted. I wanted to see Bosty, but I felt beaten down and I just wanted to sleep and forget everything that happened. While I was feeling sorry for myself and Brian trying to console me, they wheeled the little guy in. He was beautiful. All of a sudden, everything that had happened and all that I went through was worth it.

I spent five days in the hospital. They weren’t glamorous. I was constantly in pain and I barely had enough energy to stay awake, let alone spend time with Boston. Brian wouldn’t leave my side and he was able to hold and get to know our little guy. Boston had a rough first week of life. He had awful scrapes and bruises on his head from the forceps. He had lost a whole pound and had jaundice really bad. He had to be put under the lights and wear a billi blanket when he was in our room. He was our little glow bug! There was also something on the back of his neck that the pediatrician thought might be spina bifida. They had to give him an IV to prepare him for a CT scan. When they took him Brian wouldn’t sit down. He was just pacing our room saying, “This wasn’t how things were supposed to happen”. Brian was such a concerned little daddy. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without him.

Acclamation Reunion

2009-12-19T14:35:00.002-07:00

THE BYU GAMES!!!

2009-12-19T13:42:00.002-07:00

Brian's family has four season tickets that we all sort of share. Can I just say, I love going to the BYU games. Before I met Brian I wasn't much of a sports watcher. A few baseball games here and there, but being married to a crazy fanatic has forced me to learn to enjoy watching sports. Now that I actually understand all the rules and know the names of players, it's not awful sitting through games anymore!

While this season wasn't the Cougars' best, I don't blame them but coach Mendenhall. We wont get started on all the reasons, we'll just leave it at that. But GO COUGS- no matter what!

Thanksgiving in Oklahoma!

2009-12-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

My parents, my sister Hayley and I drove 20 hours to Oklahoma to visit my sister Mel and her family for Thanksgiving. I was 30 weeks pregnant at the time and let me just say that spending 20 hours in the car is something I would never recommend. I was super uncomfortable and the trip was hard because I really missed Brian. He had to work everyday but Thanksgiving and I thought this might be the last chance I'd have to visit my sister, so I decided to leave him behind. It was so sad! We had so much fun though and I'm really grateful for the opportunity to visit and spend time with my family.

So this was the last week I attempted P90X. I was so proud of myself though because I totally finished plyometrics. 30 weeks pregnant. Hey-o! Hayley kept us motivated and we worked out everyday, it felt good. Too bad I'm not that motivated at home! We went to the New Moon movie, yes, we made the boys go, and it actually wasn't too bad. We all hate Edward and loved Jacob- obviously. What's not to love?! My Dad and John were good sports!

We spent a day at the Oklahoma City Zoo and it was crazy. There was no one there and the animals were all out and wanting to play. The tigers were roaring, the bears were playing, and every animal was strangely enough wanting to be seen. I swear, at the Hogle Zoo the animals are always sleeping!

We had so much fun and it was sad to leave. I was really excited to see Brian though, I'm kind of needy like that! The drive wasn't something I prefer to remember but we all made it home in one piece!

Prego Pictures

2009-12-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken October 14, 2009. If I'm doing my math right, which I'm probably not, I was sixish months along. I was really little for a long time and then one morning I just woke up and had a nice round belly! So, we took a picture of it!!

As soon as I get my pictures from my sister, who is a major slacker, I will post the pictures that go inbetween these two. These must work for now!

This picture was taken at the Acclamation reunion last week, December 5, 2009 with Shawnee. See the huge belly! Boston is getting bigger!! I was around 31 weeks in this picture. 9 more weeks!

The Forgotten Christmas Carols

2009-12-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

Going to the Forgotten Christmas Carols with the Smiths has become a really great tradition that started last year. The show itself was, as always, inspiring, and getting to spend time with the family was what feels like a unique experience these days. With Brian and I living with my parents and working around the clock, it's not often we get to see the Smith's. We love them so much and were so excited to get together.

The Smith Family

Matt and Brenna

Brian and Alan

Me, Brian and Bosty!

A Night Out

2009-12-12T11:52:00.002-07:00

Last night we went to dinner and a movie with the Hansen's. We ate at Javier's, a little Mexican restaurant by Target, and it was delicious. We had this dessert that was basically a bunch of cinnamon tortilla chips with icecream and caramel- MMMMMMMM it was soooooooo good!!

The movie of choice was The Blindside, which was amazing. It's always fun to get out of the normal routine and spend time with friends!

It was hilarious because Brian and Brian were dressed almost exactly the same. They had on American Eagle long sleeved shirts with a brown coat, their hair was a little shaggy and they'd let their scruff grow just a few days. We made them take this picture as you can probably tell. Thanks for being such good sports!

Brian's First Drive-inn

2009-11-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

It was a typical Friday night and Brian had just gotten home from work. We wanted to do something fun but were both so tired to actually plan anything. So, I suggested a drive-inn. Brian then casually told me he had never been to a drive-inn. Huh? Never been to a drive-inn? My own husband, how deprived! Speaking of being deprived, he's never been ice skating either. We're waiting for winter to fulfill that one! Sad though, huh?! Anyway, back to the drive-inn story. We grabbed an extra mattress from my parents basement and threw it in their Tahoe. The theaters were opening soon and we didn't have much time to organize things so we just shoved the mattress, and plenty of blankets and pillows in the back and headed out to Ogden. It had been a long time since I'd been to a drive-inn and I was so excited to go with B! We stopped at a gas station and bought some treats and made it to the theater just in time to snag a good spot.

We first saw the Surrogate with Bruce Willis, which was pretty good, and then we needed to change theaters to see the only other PG-13 movie in the theater, GI Joe. There were signs all over the theater that said changing theaters is prohibited. Brian isn't one to normally break rules. And after much persuasion, he finally caved and moved to Tahoe. Silly Brian! Thanks Moto-Vu for making our Drive-inn experience worth while. Ha-ha!!

Brenna's Wedding

2009-11-14T17:35:00.085-07:00

Brenna married Matt Nelson June 27th in the Salt Lake Temple. They had their reception the night before, just like me and Brian, and it was beautiful. The Smith's worked so hard on making their yard wedding ready and as you can see from the pictures, the hard work paid off. I have loved being a part of the Smith family. Brenna is one of my best friends and I'm so excited for her and Matt!

IT'S A BOY!!!

2009-09-06T19:20:00.005-07:00

The pregnancy has been awesome. I am 18 weeks along and haven't been sick once. I just started getting a tiny belly but can still fit into all my clothes. My stomach looks flat for the most part it just looks like I'm a little full, I'll post some belly pictures! We went to Delta Friday night to see what we could find out as far as gender goes... DRUMB ROLL PLEASE!!! It's a boy!! We all wanted a boy so bad that we were sure it was going to be a girl! We don't have any names we love yet, but I'll keep you posted.

This ultrasound was taken at 18 weeks- we've got a thumb sucker!

This ultrasound was taken around 12ish weeks. Notice anything similar?

Smith Family Camping Trip

2009-09-06T18:32:00.005-07:00

I finally have enough pictures of the Smith family annual camping trip to create a post! The camping trip is one of our most favorites trips of the year. We camp somewhere in the Beaver mountains, eat, play games, eat more and sing by the fire. Every year is a little different but you can always count on EXCELLENT food prepared by Jacki and you can always count on thousands of card games!

My first year camping with the Smith family (Aug 2007) we hiked Mt. Delano. It was so steep. We saw mountain goats for goodness sake! The nights were so cold that I talked Brian into letting their dogs, Daisy and Dexter, come sleep with us in the tent- they were my personal heaters!

The second year (Aug 2008) I unfortunately forgot my camera. It was an unusual year because on the way there, Jacki and Brenna rolled the beast- the Expedition. Luckily they had minor injuries but things were very lax that year. No hiking trip but a lot of great food and games!!!

The third year (Aug 2009), which was just recently, was maybe my favorite of the three years. Pam and Keenan came with their little family and Brian and I fell in love with Deizel. He is the cutest little boy I've ever seen!! We went on a great hike to the rock taverns which were absolutely fantastic and we played a huge softball tournament amongst the families. Things got a little heated, but what do you expect from competitive sports crazed families?! It was sad to see the fun end and we can't wait until next year with our little six month old baby BOY!

FOOD STORAGE!!!

2009-09-04T09:53:00.003-07:00

Really? This just seems like way too much food for three months! Brian and I have decided it's time to follow the Prophets council and get our food storage in order. We have our emergency prepardness backpacks and now, our three month food supply. There is a really great website if any of you are interested, it's foodstoragemadeeasy.com. You can download an excel spreadsheet where you add all the meals you would typically eat in three months and then put in the ingredients and it figures out how many cans of whatever you need. It's hard because you can't store three months worth of fresh vegetables, so my mom, who is crazy about food storage has made me buy dehydrated crap... ha ha, hopefully we'll never have to use it! But, in case of an emergency we'll have dehydrated eggs, celery, broccoli, onions, carrots, potatos and powdered milk... mmmmmm doesn't that just sound yummy? We have 12 jars of peanut butter. Really? Twelve jars? We have 70 cans of canned chicken! Thank you Costco. The canned chicken is actually very good. I don't see us eating 70 cans even in a whole year, but we're prepared if we need to!

Acclamation Reunites!!

2009-09-03T11:11:00.004-07:00

Oh Accla. How I've missed you! It was Saturday and Brian and I had spent the day with Brian and his family in Provo. We went to lunch, went shopping for baby stuff and then went bowling- which was embarrassing for me because I didn't get above a 75 and Jacki bowled a 150... it's depressing! Anyway, after his family had left we met up with my friend Christy and her husband Jason just to hang out and such. Well, I get a phone call from Gabe reminding me of Austin's wedding reception. We hightailed it out of Springville and made it to the reception just in time. We met up with Gabe, Shawnee, Tyson and Johnny. After congratulating Austin we left for Centerville, where Ang's reception was held. It was the COOLEST wedding I have ever been to. Polynesians sure know how to put on a party!! We got to see Rosa and Julsies and there was dancing- oh it was so much fun!! After the wedding Tyson, Shawnee, Brian, Gabe and I went to Ihop and caught up on the last few years. Shawnee and I are pregnant together- which is so much fun!! She has been really sick and I feel so bad for her! I have had like, the perfect pregnancy. I haven't been sick once, I've been able to do everything I've wanted and it's been awesome. And poor little Shawnee has been miserable. It's just not fair!! I'm really greatful that Brian and I could spend time with my old friends, I know that Brian feels a little out of place but he's a great sport and he had fun- especially at Ang's wedding, it reminded him of his mission!!

Bear Lake 2009

2009-08-16T19:23:00.003-07:00

The 4th of July!

2009-08-15T15:24:00.003-07:00

Billy made his kids where masks because their mom, JaQuoy, had the swine flu!

Look at Budders face! Oh I love those boys!

Mommy and Hudders

Brian and I, Mel and Hudson and Hayley and Greyson. My mom was there but she was taking the picture!

The fourth of the July was just like any other. It started off with the Kaysville city breakfast, then the parade, a nice big lunch and ended with a big bang of fireworks. We didn't run in the race this year because no one could afford too. Ha ha that's depressing! Billy brought his family minus Shae and JaQuoy because they were apparently infected with the Swine flue. Just to make sure our family didn't get sick, he made his girls and Strydey where masks... it was the saddest little thing you ever saw! Spending time with the family is always fun and the fourth of July has become one of those days you look forward too.

WEBER RIVER RUN!!!!

2009-08-15T14:56:00.003-07:00

Dad, Mom, Me, Brian, JaQuoy and Hayley

Brian and I

QuoyQee, me and Haybells

Well this was sure an experience I'll never forget. The river was at an all time high yet we were assured it would be safe and that we had nothing to worry about... HA! Now, I have an abnormally low pain tolerance yet I'm definitely not a wuss when it comes to adventure sports like kayaking and rock climbing etc. So, I figured this would be no big deal and that there was nothing to worry about. Well let me tell you, there was plenty to worry about!! I don't have many pictures as I don't have a water camera, but after this experience I am definitely looking into buying one! Oh the memories I wish I could show!!

We each pulled off the shore at different times so that the guides could help us figure out how to paddle and eddi out (pulling over to the side of river). It wasn't too bad. Actually, it was a little exhilerating because we were ultimately responsible for ourselves and if we weren't paying attention or following the rules, we'd the be the ones who ended up swimming in the freezing river. After everyone had a chance to acclamate themselves to their kayak the fun started. The water so so swift that everyone kept falling out of their kayak. My family managed to stay in their kayak for the first half an hour. Maybe that's because for the first half hour we had to park our kayaks on the shore to wait for the guides to pick up the empty boats of those people who didn't stay in their kayaks! Some lady fell out of her kayak onto a rock and broke her ankle... ha ha it's not funny because she didn't get to finish going down the river but it is kind of funny because she fell out in an area where it's almost impossible to fall out!! Anyway! As we got further down the river it became harder and harder to stay in our kayaks. Because the water was so high, it was super swift. There was an area where I fell out of my kayak twice in 30 seconds. The water was so cold that you almost couldn't breathe. I'd fall out, hyperventalate and flip my kayak back over so fast that no one even knew I had fallen out. Brian watched as I fell out twice in a row and he said he'd never seen anyone move so fast!! Which is funny because I'm not fast at anything- except typing maybe! Pretty soon everyone was falling out and the guides were freaking out. They couldn't keep everyone safe because there were only 3 of them and there were 13 of us- all missing either a kayak or a paddle! They blew an emergency whistle which meant we needed to eddi out of the river, or pull over to the side of the river, and get out immediately. I couldn't eddi out because I had lost my paddle and there were trees everwhere along the sides of the river, so I remember grabbing onto a branch and just hanging on for dear life. My hand got totally mangled! I finally slowed down enough that I could jump out of the water. Brian saw me and tried getting out where I had so that we could be together. He grabbed onto a tree branch and when he did, he went over a rock so his kayak was filling up with water. He couldn't hold on and let go, loosing both his paddle and his boat. He made it to the shore after I'd almost had a heart attack watching him drown! The guides yelled to Brian and I to walk along the train tracks until we came to a road. When we got there, we waited. We waited for at least an hour! It was terrible!! For all we knew someone had died! It turns out, everyone was okay except for the lady who broke her ankle, and we weren't allowed to get back in the river because it was too high. It kind of sucked because we'd made it down 1/3 of the river. We paid for 3/3 of the river! Ha, oh well, I guess I'd rather be alive than make it to the end!

So, there's the story. My parents were expecting some nice leisurly ride down a river and after that experience I'm sure they'll never get in another kayak again! We had so much fun though and I am definitely going to go again next summer, hopefully when the water isn't so fast!

Hudson's Blessing- June 6, 2009

2009-08-15T14:40:00.004-07:00

My sister Mel and her husband John have adopted the two most beautiful boys ever. Before Hudson could be blessed the adoption needed to be finalized and they needed to be sealed in the temple, that's why he's a little older than most babies who are blessed! Hudson is the best little boy EVER. He crys only when he's hurt or hungry. And even though he's hungry often his little crys never get annoying. He is also the fattest little nugget I have ever seen. He fits into Greyson's clothes and Greyson is almost three... ha ha!! Anyway, the blessing was awesome, John did a great job and they are going to have the most well behaved children! Mary and her family were able to come and it's amazing how people we don't really know can become so much like family. Hudson is definitely a blessing to our family and we're so grateful for Mary and Jesse.

My fattest little nephew Hudson, with his daddy Juanola and his mommy Mello.

Now isn't that the cutest picture you've ever seen? Oh he's so fat!! Not you Hudson, John! ha ha

We had the family celebration after church in Mel and Johns clubhouse... which sadly no longer exists because they moved to Oklahoma. STUPID!

Jesse, the birth father, and Mary the birth mother. They are adorable!

Hayley, me, Mary and Mel. Don't we all look like sisters? Mary fits right in!

And the man of the hour, Budders.

That's right, we're pregnant!!

2009-07-17T17:19:00.013-07:00

Brian and I found out we were pregnant over a month ago. We were totally shocked as it wasn't planned, but we're learning to love the fact that life will certainly be changing.

As the story goes, my family was taking a trip to Iron Blossam for the weekend, a ski resort at Snow Bird. I hadn't had my monthly visit from nature in over three months so my sisters kept joking around about how they thought I was pregnant. The whole weekend it was the big family joke, ha-ha right?! When we got back from the resort I figured I should bite the bullet and take a pregnancy test just to make everyone shut up already! When it turned out positive, no one believed me. Brian was watching a Red Sox game and my sisters were making cookies, or something like that, and no one would even give me the time of day! I was freaking out and no one was consoling me, not even Brian!! I had to wait the entire game for Brian to finally succumb to his fears and look at the positive pregnancy test. Sure enough, I wasn't lying!!

Because my family was all there when I took it, I wasn't able to suprise them. It really was anti-clamactic. Sad! Brian's Dad is a doctor and we wanted to see how far along I was and such, so we decided to take a few days off and drive to Delta. This will be the first grand-baby so we knew we had to come up with a semi-creative way of telling the family. And this is how the story goes:

We drove to Delta late Friday night and picked up a few items at Walmart in Springville. We got to his house around 11:30 which was perfect timing because we wanted to sneak in and set stuff up for when everyone woke up in the morning. We ran into a few minor problems. Trevor was awake in the basement. I actually wouldn't refer to this problem as minor, it was major. This major problem kept us up till 4:30 in the morning!! Stupid Trevor!! We couldn't get in the house without Trevor hearing us, so we had to wait it out in the garage. It was freezing! We watched King of Queens for at least three hours in his parents car before Brian got too ansy to wait. To make a long story short, we got inside, stole some paper from the office and made a banner on the driveway. The motion lights kept going off, which was annoying, but we managed! Getting inside the house again wasn't easy but we were able to put everything up and sneak downstairs all while Trevor texted on his phone till who knows when! When climbed into bed around 5:00 am. Stupid Trevor!! It really was fun though because we were like robbers, being all sneaky and such. We had to make sure the dogs didn't bark, that the snesor lights didn't come on, that Trevor wasn't suspicious, it was a huge ordeal!!

Everyone is super excited for us and we are very thankful to have family and friends that are by our side. Well, here we go, into an unknown adventure!!

Happy Fathers Day!!!

2009-06-21T17:11:00.004-07:00

Walk A Little Slower Daddy
Walk a little slower daddy said a child so small
I’m following in your footsteps and I don’t want to fall
Sometimes your steps are very fast
Sometimes they’re hard to see
So walk a little slower daddy for you are leading me

Someday when I’m all grown up
You’re what I want to be
Then I will have a little child
Who will want to follow me.
And I would want to lead just right
And know that I was true
So walk a little slower daddy for I must follow you

(Watch the video and see if you can figure out our secret??!!)

Graduation!!!

2009-05-15T16:39:00.014-07:00

Well, it's finally here. Graduation. Four years and a ton of amazing memories. I really can't believe how much Brian and I have accomplished. A few bullets: I graduated highschool, was able to perform in Acclamation and learn how to dance, I competed and placed in the Miss SUU pageant, I met amazing friends and loved my roomates, found Brian somewhere along the way and got married in the temple. Brian graduated high school, played baseball at SUU for a season, went to New Zealand on his mission, married me and now, we're both graduating with our Bachelor's degrees. I remember being asked in high school where I wanted to be in five years... well, it seems that we're just going down that list I had for myself and checking it all off! Moving from Cedar City is going to be so sad! I'm going to miss Necia! Whenever you lay out just think of me okay? Ha-ha we're big huge dorks! Cedar has been our home for the last four years, it's weird leaving it. But where one door closes another one opens and like Rascal Flatts says, if that other door doesn't open, you keep searching for that window. Well, Brian and I will be searching for that window and we're really excited for what's to come.

Moving out. We had my dad's truck and trailor and Brian's Dad's truck and trailor and we barely made it! We owe everything we have to our parents, without them we wouldn't have been able to do any of this.

We went to Chili's the night before graduation and had to wait three hours! ha ha it was awful! They didn't have a table big enough for everyone so we had to split up to an adult table and a kids table. Brian and I were on the kids table with Trevor, Zach and Hayley! We all ordered Rib Eye Steak and it was disgusting. It looked like dog! The waitress felt so bad she gave everyone a free desert! Stupid Chili's!!

And here it is, what we've been working towards since highschool.
GRADUATION!!!

Our friends in this pictures are: Necia, me, Brian, Zach Vernon, Ben and Sutton Fox

Pic 1) True T-Birds!

Pic 2) Tyson and Shawnee!! Tyson and Shawnee were in Accla with me and they are my bestest friends!! Look how beautiful Shawnsters is?

Pic 4) Blake Fry, one of Brian's best buds in Cedar

Pic 5) Here he is!! Brenden, Necia's other half. These are our two bestest friends and we love them so much. Remember when we went to church with you guys because we forgot what time our church was at? ha ha, long story!

Pic 6) Necia!! I love you soooooo much! Ha ha, remember when Juan got arrested? Stupid Juan!

President Monson spoke at the ceremony and it was awesome! Necia and Brian and I got to sit next to each other during it and Necia and I were happy because we got to chat and Brian was happy because he got to have peace and quiet! Oh Brian, aren't you going to miss Necia!?

None of this would be possible without our family. We love you all so much. And thanks for making all of this happen, it's been a wonderful blessing.

EASTER!!!

2009-05-15T16:03:00.010-07:00

Easter at the Prows House is always crazy! We dyed easter eggs, went on an easter egg hunt with the little kids, ate lots of candy, had an arm wrestle tournament, which John won because he has ridiculous forearms, ate dinner and sang happy birthday to Brian, my Dad and John. We ate better than sex cake and it was delicious! The night ended with Billy scaring the crap out of everyone which is demonstrated in the video!

Finally getting around to Spring Break!

2009-05-15T13:35:00.041-07:00

I finally have some time to catch up so here goes!

March 17 - March 21, 2009

My Mom and Dad and my sisters Hayley and Mel were planning a trip to go visit my brother Ryan and his family in California over spring break. I wasn't going with them because I had too much homework and projects to finish before graduation. A few days before they were leaving Mel found out that her little family was being uprooted to Oklahoma and I figured this would be the last sister trip we'd have in a long time. So, I threw school out the window and joined them on this crazy road trip!

I felt bad leaving Brian behind but the distance surely made the heart grow fonder! We left on my birthday and made it safe to California. I'm pretty sure my family is cursed with bad luck because no matter how hard we try things never go as planned. We got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere and my dad ended up needing to replace all four tires at an over priced gas station. My parents are on a budget, ha ha weird, I know, and they were trying to cut down on costs by staying with my brother and his family in their two bedroom apartment instead of getting a hotel. Well, that didn't work out too great because we spent $1500 on new tires! We could have stayed at the Ritz for a whole week!!!

In three days we did so much! My brother is getting is MBA at Standford and the campus is amazing!

Christina and I went jogging around the campus one morning and it was so beautiful! The air is so much easier to breathe it was amazing how far we could go! The athletic wing of campus is to die for. There are huge pools, gyms, tracks, courses, fields, and trails. It's awesome! I'm totally jealous we're not at Standford!

While we were visiting, we went to Montara Beach. It's this little secluded area most tourists don't know about. The air and water was freezing so we didn't get in but we played on the sand for hours. Mel and I threw the football back and forth and we wouldn't let Hayley play with us cause she sucks at throwing! ha ha it's so funny! We raced up and down the beach, ate lunch and just had a really great time.

The next stop on the trip was San Francisco and Pier 39. The last time we were all here was the summer of 2006 to visit Candice Newell, the birth mother of little Greyson. It was really great to be here again and it brought back a ton of old memories. We first stopped off at the famous Wipe Out To Go van, went through Lefty's Rule and finished the trip at Bubba Gumps. We were also able to visit China Town, and walk around the city which was fun.

Summer of 2006 (top) Spring Break 2009 (bottom)

SERIOUS NEWS!

2009-04-12T20:33:00.003-07:00

So the last few months have been crazy! I haven't blogged in FOREVER!! We don't have the internet at our house so it's really hard to be a consistent blogger, ha ha. Brian and I have some serious news....

WE'RE MOVING BACK TO LAYTON!!! YAY!!! I am so excited! So we've got to keep in touch because I'm so excited to see everyone!! And you will all love Brian, I promise!!

Give me a few more weeks and I'll update with pictures and such, until then take care and see you soon!!

2009-02-21T14:49:00.025-07:00

Valentines Day, opening presents at the Abbey Inn in St. George Abbey Inn, hanging out with the family

Shae was showering before dinner and Billy dumped freezing cold water on her! Sorry Buggy!!

PIRATE'S ISLAND!!!

Brian nearly beat the record. He got 360 and he needed to beat 430. I'd say he did well considering he only played once!

Stryder loves shooting! We had to hit the targets on a pirate ship... let's just say we didn't win.
Not only did I beat Brian at air hockey, I beat JaQuoy as well. It will probably be the only time I ever beat JaQuoy at anything!! I'm definitely soaking in the moment!

Little Gracie and me just being pirates!

CUPS!!!

Stryder was in the middle of a group of kids trying to go down the slide on the pirate ship. I took this picture and as I looked closer I could see his little cheezer. Priceless!

Oh my! Buddah won 100 tickets in the arcade room right as we were about to leave. He pushed a button and music came on and lights started flashing. His little face was adorable!
Isn't that sweetest picture? Billy and Strydey, best friends forever!!

My brother Billy and his family came down to St. George last weekend for Shae Bugg's soccer tournament. After all her games we went to dinner at a restaraunt called "Pirate's Island". It's a pizza palace with an arcade room and cool pirate waitors! It reminded me of the pizza place in toy story that Andy goes to when Buzz and Woody get lost... and Buzz finds the green alien machine? Remember? Anyway! We had sooo much fun!! Because it was Valentines there was about an hour wait, so naturally we played arcades. Brian played basketball and almost broke the record. I killed Brian and JaQuoy at air hockey and Stryder won 100 tickets.

We were seated in an awesome dungeon cave room. Our waiter was a crazy pirate and we all got pirate hats! Shae and I tried playing the cup game, where you tap on the cup and pass it... anyway, we couldn't get enough cups for everyone to play but we sure had fun teaching the rhythm to everyone. Brian and JaQuoy decided to get a nasty fish pizza and Stryder was mad because Billy wouldn't let him drink his sprite without a lid or a straw! Sadly the night came to an end but Brian and I are really greatful we got to spend time with Billy and Quoyqee and their little family. We never get to spend time with just them so it was really fun!

Brian and I are still going strong with our New Years Resolutions... except I can't get to church on time. I don't know what my problem is! I either wake up super early and try to get ready and end up being late because I actually tried to get ready or I wake up late and don't get ready and am still late!! It's a continual work in progress! We're both sick of school but we're going to go out with a bang! Brian is working hard at trying to find a job/career after he graduates and I'm working at the Head Start here in Cedar. We're both really busy but we're always home at the same time so that's good. We've been going to the gym at 6:30am everyday. We have only missed a few times. I'm so proud! I have officially lost five pounds and am almost back to where I started when we got married! Fast food will kill you! Anyway, life is good and we still love each other!!

2009-02-02T18:11:00.014-07:00

It's been a few weeks. I realize. I honestly would have posted had Brian and I done anything cool. But it's pretty much just been school, homework, and the gym- of course. Heaven forbid Brian misses a workout!! Ha-ha, just kidding. I don't mind his firmness. Whoa, okay enough of that!! I actually wouldn't be posting anything this week either except for the fact that I feel extremely guilty because posting once a week was part of my new years resolutions. So here I am, just blogging away! Brian and I have this amazing secret that we want to share with the world. It's called the frozen meal. If you've never heard of it you should definitely do some research! My mom gave me a cookbook that has a million frozen meal recipes. I was definitely skeptical at first. We tried a few and liked them, and then tried a few more and loved them, and now we have a whole bunch of frozen meals we love. So it goes like this, once a month we make a huge shopping list, go to the store and buy a ton of food, and cook for like six hours straight. Why would we do this you ask? BECAUSE IT'S AMAZING!! Friday night Brian and I made twenty meals. Do you know what that means? It means that we wont be cooking for the rest of the month... and you're probably confused because a normal month is around 30 days... well we go out Fridays and Saturdays. Anyway! I'm not going to lie, cooking for six hours straight probably isn't our favorite activity, but it's a great way to spend time together. I'm thinking I will post a few of our definite favorite recipes and then you can see what you think. But I'm not kidding, it will change your life. And I bet your jealous that we don't have to cook again till March!! Some of the recipes include beef and broccoli, stuffed chicken manicotti, taco soup, beef and vegetable pie, chicken enchiladas, Navajo tacos, beef stroganoff and cornflake chicken- to name a few!

Things are going great, school's getting tuff but we're hanging in there. We are still keeping up with our New Years Resolutions which is awesome and this month we are planning on going to the gym at six in the morning instead of in the afternoon. We'll see how it goes. Until next time!! Take care. - Abby and Brian

Visiting the Family

2009-01-20T19:49:00.018-07:00

Brian and I decided to take a trip up north and visit the family. We got to my sister Mel’s house Friday around six and played Tetris all night long. Seriously, we played until about three in the morning. It was ridiculously awesome! Brian had never played the gold box Tetris game. If you aren’t familiar with Nintendo 64 gold box Tetris I would strongly suggest you get on the bandwagon. It’s arguably the greatest game of all time. Anyway, like always, John won. Every game. Not cool. I was proud of Brian though because my family has been playing that game since the beginning of time and Brian was able to hold his own!!

The Prows Family How cute is he?!

Sunday we celebrated my brothers’ birthdays. Everyone in the family was at Billy and Quoy’s house except for Ryan, Christina and there little girls, but we were able to talk to them via Skype. Ryan is attending Stanford and has all these crazy stories of all the ridiculously smart people he goes to school with. He just got home from a trip to Africa where he met with the President of DeBeers Diamonds. If you’re familiar with How to Loose a Guy in Ten Days, the DeLower’s, the couple who owns like 80% of all the diamonds in the world, are the DeBeers in real life… if that makes any sense. Anyway, we are so proud of Ryan and are hoping he’ll be able to support the whole family in the next few years!!

Going home is always fun and leaving is always so hard. There are so many things Brian and I miss out on because we live so far away. Our Nephews and Nieces are growing up so fast and it’s sad to not be part of everything. It makes me so sad to think that there are people out there that don’t have cohesive families. We are so grateful for all that we have and we know that the Lord’s hand is in our lives, we see the tender mercies he gives us everyday. Brian and I are still going strong with our New Years Resolutions, I think this is the most consistent I’ve ever been reading the scriptures and saying my morning prayers. It’s amazing how even a quick morning prayer can affect the rest of the day. Before saying something negative I am reminded of the Savior and refrain from making the comment. I am more sensitive to the spirit and I’ve noticed that while watching TV I pass on shows that were once appropriate. By small and simple things are great things brought to pass. Hopefully we can keep up with our goals, it’s hard to remember sometimes but when you’re able to it makes the biggest difference. Well, there ya have it. We love you guys and wish the best!

New Years Resolutions meets the first week of school!!

2009-01-12T20:43:00.002-07:00

Well, the first few weeks of the New Year have come and gone. Like most couples Brian and I committed to living better. Reading our scriptures together everyday, morning and nightly prayers, family home evening, being on time to church, working out six times a week, eating better, not ditching school, you know, the usual new years resolutions. So far, we’re a hundred percent. Since not many people actually read this blog I figured we could use the space not only as a journal, but also as a space to share our testimonies to our families. Because we’ve made it a goal to pray together and read our scriptures everyday the spirit has been strong in our home. As our relationship with God has been strengthened our relationship as a couple has grown. Brian and I are definitely nervous for the future. We’ve been going to school our whole lives and in a matter of months we’ll be thrown into the real world. Brian is majoring in Economics with a minor in Finance. His plan is to work for a few years, gain experience and then continue on with his MBA. His career choices are unlimited which makes it hard to narrow down where exactly we should start looking for a job. We definitely have faith that God has a plan for us. While things seem scary now we know that if we continue growing together in the gospel, keeping the commandments and living with faith that things will turn out for us. Those who keep the commandments will prosper in the land.

Okay, change of subject. The picture above is of Brian in our living room with the couch bed pulled out. Let me explain. This Saturday, because neither of us has jobs and school just started, we ended up watching the whole first season of Bones. It was so fun, I can’t even tell you! Now, some of you might be saying, “You guys are lazy, get up and be productive!” No. We like being lazy. In fact, we love being lazy. In a few years from now we’ll look back and remember the day we hunkered on the couch for 20 straight hours and we will laugh and joke with each other about how good we had it!! So while you might think we were being lazy, we think we were spending good quality time together. Don’t tell me that if you didn’t have a job or responsibilities, lying on the couch with your best friend watching a cool TV series all day long would not sound appealing? Thought so! Well, until next time. Take care!

Christmas with the Smith's

2009-01-05T21:11:00.005-07:00

Brian and I spent the last three weeks in Delta. Now when people hear the word Delta they automatically become bored. But being bored was not an activity we participated in. One of the Smith family traditions is to have the kids perform a skit on Christmas eve for Jacki and Alan. Brenna came up with the most hilarious skit. In a nutshell, Santa's sleigh went missing and Rudolph was framed. So Rudolph hired Jane Bond to save the day. Brian and I were the evil villains, Helga and Sven, who framed Rudolph so they could get hold of the gold covered chocolate coin market... random, but hilarious!

Another great tradition their family does each Christmas season is the twelve days. We had so much fun doorbell ditching three different families each night. It was nerve wracking because the families would be waiting to catch us, so we had to be stealth! Which, obviously is second nature for me because I'm such an athlete... Psych! Brenna, Brian's sister who has had two knee surgeries was still faster than me. I was running with all my might just falling behind... it was sad. But so fun!

Well, Christmas was wonderful and we all had so much fun playing games, rock band, DDR, ping-pong, and of course eating amazing food. It was weird to not be with my family. I missed them! But the Smith's have definitely done a great job at making me part of their family. It was hard to leave and come home, but Brian and I are excited to start a new semester. Until next time! Take care. - Abby and Brian

HALLOWEEN!!!

2009-01-05T14:23:00.005-07:00

Dressing up for Halloween was a blast! Being together and laughing while putting on our war paint was a priceless moment. Brian went to three different stores to find some machine guns-- he's like a little boy in a grown mans body! I wanted him to tie some fabric around my arms because it just looked 'army' to me and he was telling me how the "cool" thing to do now is to tie two thinner bands around your arm instead of one thick one. He was all into the costume and making sure everything was perfect, it was the cuttest thing ever! The Westphal's invited us to their Halloween Bash which was a lot of fun. Their dog Thor was a bee and it was hilarious. He's the cutest, fatest, most cuddliest dog in the whole world!

How cute are they!?

2008-10-23T20:11:00.008-07:00

Their family is so cute! I think that Hudson looks like a General Authority. Ha ha that's funny.

Oh I love Greyson so much!!

Oh Jeese-Leweese. Haha, so I can't spell. This week has been crazy. School has been so time consuming. It seems like Brian and I have been at the school all day everyday for the past few weeks. I'm so sick of school already!! This last weekend we got to meet our new little nephew Hudson. He is so cute! And such a good baby. If there is one thing I hate about Cedar City it is being so far away from my family. Oh, I'm home sick. ha ha. Well, until next time!

It started off with a blizzard...

2008-10-14T16:52:00.008-07:00

Val Anderson, Me, Jamie Webb, and Necia Larson
Brian just being a poser!

Necia just being Necia!!
Necia and Jamie

Saturday was a very interesting day. It started off with a blizzard warning, which was completely random considering it's only the beginning of October, and ended at the bowling alley in front of a huge flatscreen TV. Brendan, Cory, Scott, and Brian just couldn't miss the Red Sox game, which by the way went into too many extra innings!! Back to the point, Brian and I were pretty much blessed with the awesome ability to bowl extremely well. Ha ha, I got a 42. If you're not familiar with bowling scores... a 42 sucks! Brian got around a 130 so he's actually not bad. Necia and Brendan won with awesome scores, Scott and Val suck cause they're really good too, and Jamie and Cory kept getting all these strikes which wasn't fair at all!! Our friends are the best and we're so greatful for the awesome opportunities we've had in Cedar City. Brian and I will be sad to leave the area that has been home for the last four years, but whatever lies ahead better be prepared cause we're coming and we're ready to lay the smack down!!

TWILIGHT

2008-10-08T13:41:00.004-07:00

I have been doing a project for one of my classes on Slovenia. As I was looking at random pictures of the country, I came across this eery vampire picture. The caption on the picture said "Vampire Season". CREEPY!! Can you even imagine? By the way, Brian and I are so excited for the Twilight movie to come out next month. Okay... I'm a big fat liar! Brian is not excited at all. He hates anything and everything that has to do with vampires because he thinks I'm in love with Edward... which I just might be... Ha-ha!

Okay, okay I'll succumb to the peer pressure and blog!

2008-10-04T15:07:00.006-07:00

Because we live so far away from family, we've been encouraged to blog. So... here I am. And mark my words- I will be here at least once a week! Ha ha, I didn't even know what blogs were until last week. I'm always reminded of the Twix commercial... the one where a guy asks a girl if she wants to go to his apartment and she's all offended... you ever seen it? Well, he takes a bite of his twix bar and says something like, "Oh, I thought you were a believer, someone who wanted to blog about your ideals". Ha ha, it's hilarious! Anyway...

Brian and I have been married for over a year now! I needed some way to catch up on the last few years, so the slideshows on the sidebar kind of wrap everything up! We are both attending SUU, and will graduate in May. Then... we're off to be fed to the wild wolves! Brian will be graduating in Economics with a finance minor, and I will be graduating in Early Childhood Development. We got married June 29, 2007 in the Salt Lake Temple and have pretty much loved every second of it!

Well, until next time!

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