A little bit of catch up!

Ok, now that I am finally back to "normal" (notice the quotes) (at least, I am trying to get there), I wanted to catch up on a couple of things!
The girls finished school just before we went out of town and I had a few pictures I wanted to put up of them.



This is Rachel and her preschool teachers, Mrs. Baker and Mrs. Jordan at preschool graduation. They truly are angels!!! They loved Rachel so much and taught her so much! She will miss them so much!!



Sarah has been so lucky to make new friends here in the Midwest. This is the last day of school. These 2 were in her class, Ryan and Rimml. Sweet girls that made Sarah feel like she was home!!!


Here we are in the car for our quick drive back to Utah! My amazing husband drove the whole way! Especially through the lightning and hailstorm just outside of Des Moines and through the tornado watching in Nebraska!!! He is MY MAN!!!


Being home allowed us to reconnect with family and friends we didn't think we would see again for another year. I was able to go out with the Springville Girls (minus my sweet Amy)! In all their glory!!! It was fun to sit around and chat and laugh! There is nothing like a true friend!

We also had a BBQ with our friends from American Fork. It was so great to get together with people we have know for so long! Some of them more than 21 years!!! We love you guys!


We were truly in town for the funeral of Richard's grandfather, O. Wayne Day. What an amazing man and a life joyfully spent! The funeral was full of laugher and tears! We are so blessed that we could be there for it!!!

We love you and miss you Grandpa Day!!!

February in the Midwest means....

Sarah's cute new shoes!

The weather has had us trapped a little bit in the house, so this week has been just a "hanging out" week for us!
First, I found out that I was going to miss my "Girls Weekend" in Las Vegas with some girl friends. I have really been hoping to go, but I need to be here so that Richard can do his school stuff and for some family visits (more on this later). I am really sad, I miss those chicks from Springville! And Las Vegas is a blast! I love you, girls! Have so much fun!
On Thursday, Sarah went on her first field trip to a local Environmental Center, where she learned about animals and went Snowshoeing. A friend accidentally bumped her in the mouth with their snowshoe, but she was ok. She actually had a really fun time! She keeps talking about the bear furs and the skunk furs.
Rachel had a few days off school and she missed it so much. I met with her teacher who let me know that she is doing awesome in school and is very ready for Kindergarten. She really loves art and painting and memorizes really well. It is fun to hear about her at school and to hear that she sings all the time at school, too.
Emma spent Tuesday a little sick. She threw up most of the day and then was fine by Wednesday. The rest of the week she has been running around the house like nothing else went on! She is so full on energy right now!
We had the Elders over for dinner on Friday night and had a great dinner of lasagne (we used Richard's mom's recipe only we tweaked it to be more healthy). It is great to spend time with missionaries. Richard went with them on an appointment after dinner.
In a few weeks Richard's sister Michelle will be coming home from her mission. And we are so excited that she and the Grandma and Grandpa will be spending some time with us! It is going to be so fun to see them all! We love them so much and miss them!
Also, this week I got a call from my little sis, Katie and she asked if they could come out to visit in about a week and a half! It was a big pick-me-up, because I wasn't going to Vegas! I love ya tons, sis!
It will be fun to show people around where we live and what we are up to!
What have I been up to? Mostly just working out and doing house stuff, getting ready for Richard to be super busy! I have been working on my cooking and all that, too! What else? This...

...dark brown hair and red lips!

Check out the other blog for those thoughts!

Take off, to the Great White North!!!!

Ok so we aren't in the North, more like the Mid-West, but it sure feels WHITE!
Snow yes, but more like white as in freezing cold!
Our week was full of Snow Days! I kind of have been wanting one lately because I am feeling a little lazy and I sure got what I asked for.
Richard had class on Monday night and he was supposed to have a test and then a lab. Well, early in the day he received an email from his teacher saying they would only have the test and do the lab on a different day (he has to drive an hour to get to the school). Well, then we watched the news and they closed school and the teacher fired off another email postponing the test until Wednesday. So, we woke up on Wednesday and the girls' school was cancelled as well as Richard's. So now, because of the Human Rights Day holiday on Monday, his test has been moved back until next Wednesday, 9 days later than it was supposed to be. It's great to have a little more time to study, but he kind of wanted to get it over, too!
Also, little Rachel had her Christmas program at school scheduled for the Friday before Christmas. Well, that day was a snow day. So then they rescheduled it for last Wednesday (another snow day). Her teacher joked the other day that by the time they got the their program it would be an Easter program! Oh well!
So our school attendance goes something like this: They had school on Monday and Tuesday. Snow days Wednesday and Thursday. There was teacher inservice Friday and there there is a holiday from school for Human Rights Day on Monday. That will be 6 days off school!!! If we had known this would be a big break, we would've driven to Kentucky (miss you!)!!!
JUST A SIDE NOTE: It was so awesome to hear that someone else watched "WICKED" and screamed her guts out at the end of the first act! I am glad to hear that there is another crazy out there!!! (0:
So being cooped up in the house has been our favorite past time this week! I don't know if you guys know, but the temperature here got so low, it was a record. Thursday was a high of 3 below zero and a low of 20 below zero. With the wind chill on top of that, it was a record!
So that is what people in the Mid-west do. Play inside their houses!
So that is what we did:



PS Check out my curly hair blog for a funny story about church!

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Merry Christmas 2008


Hello from the Midwest!!! Last year we talked all about the changes going on with us. Sheesh, that was Nothing compared to this year! So we invite you to hang on for our ride!
This year was spent enjoying our time with friends and family and getting ready for our move to Iowa. We had an amazing time at the two weddings in Richard's family (Jon & Jan in May and Marianne & Brian in September), helping a little in Grandma Joy’s garden, Grandpa day’s farm, and swimming in the pool!!!! We also got to spend memorial Day weekend with the Becky's family in Eden, ut! We spent a few Saturdays up the Hogle zoo with friends and family, enjoying the freedom, exercise and fresh air.
AS we got ready to move, we had a great going away party (with an awesome corn cake and everything!) and 30th birthday celebration for both Richard and Becky. As a family we spent time outside, enjoying the mountains and canyons.
Since the 2 ½ day move out to the Midwest (in October), we have been settling in and getting used to the Midwest. It is starting the get cold and a little snowy! Our ward has been amazingly welcoming and serving and has put us to work already!

This year:
~Richard worked hard to finish up his schooling at Utah Valley University, Making the dean’s list and graduating with his Bachelor’s Degree in Business management in August. Also In August he ran the Highland Fling 5k with Becky (thanks for your help, hon!). He took Becky to Cedar City for the Shakespearean Festival to see her favorite play (Taming of the Shrew) and had a great weekend trip. And Richard went to his last BYU game with Becky before we moved. It was a fun and hot day! We will miss that! Then Richard drove the moving truck across the country with his dad (with half a sick day) and got our home set up with help from his parents. Being back in his mission must be interesting and fun for him. Right now he is taking Organic Chemistry lecture and lab and is getting ready to start his Doctorate Program in March. The ward is using his talent of working with the youth by calling him to be the Sunday school teacher for the 13-18 year olds. he and Becky are also called as Ward Temple Patrons.
~Becky had a busy year, too. In March she took a trip with her girlfriends down to Las Vegas and had an amazing and rejuvenating weekend there. Becky had the chance to go up to salt lake city to see her sister-in-law, Luvir, become a citizen of the United States, which was amazing! She “ran” the 5k with Richard and was so proud of achieving one of her goals. Another of the goals that Becky has been working on is to live more healthy and lose weight. She is doing great and will keep working hard! Becky was also blessed to witness the tender mercies of the Lord like watching a good friend bring a baby home from china, after many miracles (the family was sealed in November). Becky is using her kitchenaid mixer and taking the world by storm. She was called to be the 2nd counselor in the primary presidency.
~Sarah had a great year! In may she graduated from Kindergarten and started t-ball. She liked to stand and chat at first but then she got into it and hit and ran really well and chased that ball wherever it was! We cut 11” off her hair and sent it to Locks of Love for wigs for kids! Sarah started 1st grade and loved it! She had her 6th birthday in the backyard. We borrowed the neighbor’s HUGE water slide and had pink cupcakes! The move was fun for her and she loves her new room she shares with Rachel. Her school is amazing! She has art, science, music, gym, and so many other fun things! The library is the biggest elementary school library we have ever seen! For Halloween she was Ariel and she looked great at the school parade! Sarah lost her first tooth in November and loves having a new tooth coming in!
~Rachel had a busy year. In January she turned 4 years old and hasn’t looked back since. She also gave her 11” of hair to locks of love. She swam like a fish all summer. ON the move, Rachel heard a song about the Mississippi river and she sings it every time we cross the river now. She also got to start in preschool and she adores it! She just counts down the time until she gets to go every day. She went on her first bus ride with mom to the pumpkin patch and had a blast! Rachel dressed up as Snow White for Halloween and had a blast at the trunk or treat! She loves to play in the basement with her toys and princess tent!
~Emma’s year was one for the record books. She moved into her new big bed and loves it! She wore her first big girl ponytail in her hair. In June, Emma turned 2 years old and had a great chocolate cake and new baby. Then, a week later she broke her left leg and wore a purple cast for 4 weeks! She crawled around on the floor at first and then she started walking around on it! What an experience for a 2 year old! After the cast came off, Emma swam as much as she could! She took the move the hardest and she carried her ducky blanket around the house all day for weeks. She now is doing great and loves to drag the chairs around the kitchen and move the magnets around on the fridge and get a snack from the pantry. Emma is just getting big!

So, that’s what our family has been up to! We are so blessed to live so close to the Nauvoo temple. It has really made us make time for temple work. We are looking forward to another joyful year and we hope your new year will be blessed, too!

Love,
Richard, Becky, Sarah, Rachel, & Emma

PS The mystery post from last week was a close up of my super wool gloves/mittens that my mom gave me last year. The kind that pull back so you can use the fingers. I never thought that I would use them and then we moved here. 7 degrees below zero on the way to church, people!!!
PPS Check out a new small (but cool) accomplishment of mine on my curlyhair blog! Thanks! (0:

Christmas dressing up!

Here is a picture of the family before church today. Our Christmas program was today, so the girls got to wear their new dresses. Cute little girls in black and white! They loved them!
And we had to set the camera to do the timer thing to take our picture (sorry Richard's head). But it's a cute picture of us, anyway!
Things here are busy, but great! Richard has been working for UPS during the day and going to class 2 nights a week and doing another job 2 nights a week. He is really busy and tired but grateful for his jobs. They are a blessing!
I am busy doing the holiday preps and getting ready for the next few weeks. I am keeping up with the working out (I need a stress reliever!) and cooking new kinds of things all the time!
The girls are getting ready for Christmas programs on Friday (last day of school before break) and just getting into the Spirit of the season. We have 3 or 4 countdown calendars and Emma loves to do them! Sarah and Rachel gave some really cute dolls to Toys for Tots yesterday. They liked them so much and wanted to keep them at first, but then they really wanted to give them to other little girls who didn't have dolls. It's so cool to see the girls serve and share.
Next week I will post our Christmas letter and card! I hope that everything is going well! We love you guys!
AND check out my other blog (http://www.mycurlyhairdays.blogspot.com/) a few times a week for funny stories, thoughts and goings on at our house! It's public, so no names or places (thanks!). The girls sure make me laugh and are great kids! You can click on the link at the top of the page on the right!

Kung Fu Home Evening

We have been doing family home evening a little differently lately. This last week we talked about what makes us special. We watched Kung Fu Panda (I LOVE Jack Black) and ate Po's favorite dinner, dumplings and noodle soup. It was a fun night to hang out and the girls had a blast!

To my little sister, Katie...

FYI: This is the first of 3 posts today and 1 post from earlier this week. Keep reading!!!

My sister Katie and her husband John riding the tram back to the car at Disneyland June 2007. She is holding Emma age 1, John is holding Rachel age 3, and Sarah with her hand raised.

For my weekly post, I wanted to dedicate this post to my little sister, Katie. Her birthday was this week and I was thinking a lot about her. She and I are great friends and I sure miss her. I wanted to just mention a few things that I love about her.
KATIE:
...was in the very first blog picture that I ever posted (the Melting Pot dinner).
...is a Wish-granter for the Make-a-wish foundation in Utah.
...had as much fun at Disneyland as we did!
...just bought her first home and did her interior designing sister proud by painting the rooms all different colors! (0:

...probably cries as much as me!
...loves Christmas almost as much as I do.
...saves her pink yogurt lids and sends them in for cancer research.
...loves to go to adventurous restaurants (just like her sister).
...goes all out on her decorations for Halloween at work!
...makes wedding cakes for friends.
...has taken our family picture more than once!
...makes homemade candy every Christmas.
…sends me forwards that make me laugh so hard that I cry.
...is very reliable. If she says she will do something, you can count on it.

...has a card for every occasion and a gift for it, too.
...adores her husband, John.
...is an awesome aunt! My girls adore her!
...is a great sister (and sister-in-law).
...biggest goal is to become a mother and will be an amazing mother!
...is an awesome chick who I miss so much!!!!

Sis, I hope you had a great birthday! I thought of you all day! If we weren't sisters, we would still be very close friends!

Happy November!

Another week of lots of adventures for us! On Monday, Rachel took her first field trip ever (and her first bus ride) out to a pumpkin patch. The day was freezing and windy, but the kids had so much fun! They learned about the animals on the farm and how pumpkins grow. I think that Rachel had an amazing time just being a big girl!

Freezing Rachel and her pumpkin

Mom and Rachel getting ready to go!

Our Emma has been quite the little girl lately. She has been a total angel and then she has been kind of a punk. I think that is how she has been reacting to the move. And maybe it is because she is just two and asserting her independence and agency! Dang agency!
This is the first picture I took. Notice the grouchy face...

and I adore her bib!

A second later Emma decided to smile for the camera. This is typical Emma.

Another awesome thing that we did this week was get Richard's graduation present in the mail. Richard's parents, my mom and I gave Richard an AWESOME telescope for getting his graduation present. We decided to wait until we got out here to have it sent to us. We got it Friday and Richard put it together. He is was so excited and happy. Then we went out in the field behind our house and looked at a bunch of stars. I will have to get a picture of it put together, but here is one picture that I got...

This is the tube of the telescope. Notice how big it is. Yeah, cool, huh?

Ok so that was our week! We are getting into the groove of things. Richard has one part time job (the other one didn't work out), so he is still looking. Please say a little prayer for us. He also starts class on Wednesday and it is going to be a good time. Hope you enjoyed this pictoral journey of the family from this past week!

Our week in the Midwest...

This week we are just getting into the groove of things. Sarah and Rachel are loving school and Emma always wants to go, too. She walks around talking about going to school.
Sarah is getting ready to finish her semester at school. The testing here is super different but I think that she is catching on. Rachel and I are going on a field trip tomorrow to the pumpkin patch and she is very excited! It is going to be fun to spend a few hours with just her. School has been an awesome thing for Ms. Rachel.
The other day, we got the girls a treat at the store and what started out as a fun pumpkin donut for the fall...

silly Sarah...

sweet Rachel...

turned in to.......................

Emma's attack of the killer black icing!!!!!!!!!!

The girls loved them and I had to take this picture! It was a funny evening of super messiness! And the black didn't come all the way off, so Emma had a little bit of a grey beard the next day.

Another thing that I did this week was start cooking again!!!!! It was a fun break from cooking everyday living with Richard's parents, but I think one of my New Year's resolutions will be to become an AMAZING cook. Ok, really I want to just learn to be a good cook! So, we busted out the kitchenaid and flamed it out. What do you guys think? I LOVE it!!!

So those are a few fun things that we did this last week. This week Richard is going to start working and his one class and lab start in a week and a half. Things are going to settle a little more into a schedule and that will kind of be nice. We have been kind of flying around by the seat of our pants trying to settle in. Speaking of flying... the wind here in insane. Like blow you out of your shoes crazy. And unlike Utah, it is windy EVERYWHERE, all day long. It is so strange to not have the protection of the mountains around us. So weather just sits over us. When it rains, it pours ALL DAY LONG!

We are really excited for Halloween and just doing something that we always did in Utah and feel more normal again. It still feels a little out of whack. But we are getting there!

Have a super week! And post and let me know what you guys are up to! Post, email me or call me anytime! Love you all!