And our new house.

Before. This is Caroline looking for Easter Eggs in the yard hehe.

Ok sorry for the blog over load, but I promised pics of our new house. Sorry no inside pics, that is still not totally together...though it is getting there more now. Anywho these are pics of what the front yard looked like before and after. Ryan got to have an entire day off on community beautification day or something like that. It was awesome. Most of our neighbors tried to get out of it or BS around the neighborhood when they were suppose be cleaning up, but not us we totally overhauled our yard. there is a yard of the month competition in each neighborhood, though I doubt we will ever win, it is nice to take pride in your yard. We never messed with our yard at the other place, so it feels good to have gotten it done at our new one!
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After. It looks even better now that my plants have grown and my bulbs have come up and we have added a few things to the yard. And my front door is open this picture.

The minivan!

So here is the sweet minivan that I promised a pic of forever ago. We got it about 6 months ago. It is a dodge Caravan and I love having a minivan. I never thought I would say that. But since getting it Ryan has already tore out the radio/cd player (he did that in our other car too) and I ran into a pole at a Micky D's drive through. (Probably a sign.) But it only left a little dent and Ryan actually got me a better radio that plays MP3's. So we were able to download all of conference onto one cd and listen to it on our trip to UT. It also have a plug in for your Ipod...not that I have an Ipod, but I thought that was cool. All the guys at Ryan's work made fun of him for getting a van, but when he had to drive it to work, when the Altima was having problems they all loved it and called it the man van. And anytime they would have to go somewhere, they would say, "lets all go in the man van." They were finding excuses to go places with Ryan, so they could all ride in the man van together. Hehe they are silly, anyway here is me, the proud owner of a minivan!!!

Nap time.

This is how I found Jack when I went to wake him up from his nap. Isn't that cute. Too bad eh won't sit through a book. His bed is right by his book shelf so he pulls them off when he is suppose to be going to sleep. I always thought he was just throwing them on the floor cause that would be where I found them when he wakes up. But I was glad to see he was "reading" one, and one about Jesus at that. I love my little Jackers.

We got a naughty puppy!

This is Goldie. She is a 4 month old yellow lab. Yes the most hyper dog breed ever...exactly what I didn't want, but of course I couldn't say no to Ryan. She is the dog he has always wanted and he loves her. So how did we come to acquire this dog out of no where you ask? Well we went up to Dallas to go to the temple and when I was in the temple Ryan decides to take the kids to a pet store by the church bookstore. They come back to get me with a picture of the dog they like and beg me to go see it. Ryan said she was already trained, didn't shed, and was only 88 dollars. The prices was the only true part to that. She was so naughty, and thought Jack was another puppy to wrestle with. She was jumping all over the place and biting on everything...all I could think about was how the dog would eat my furniture. So I said no...so Ryan and Jack moopped to the book store where they were suppose to originally go. Caroline and I stayed behind to look around some more. Caroline assumed that since we weren't getting the dog we would be getting a cat. I just felt bad for disappointing Ryan and not wanting the responsibility of training and picking up poo. So I told the sales lady we would get her. After all she was the clearance puppy. Of course all the crap we had to buy for her cost more than the dog herself. I didn't know anything about dogs, so they could have talked me into buying anything and I am pretty sure one of the guys who helped us out was high. Anyway I did not know what to expect for the drive home, but everyone was sooo excited. I was like this is a 2 1/2 hour drive, is this dog gonna go crazy in the car, is she gonna get car sick and poop and barf all over our car. None of the above. She was totally nice and calm in the car, and you know how dogs smile, she smiled the whole way home. You could tell she was so happy to finally be getting a family. I don't know much about dogs, but I think they are that simple. They just want a family as anyone would. She is a lot like a kid. Her and Jack do a lot of the same naughty things, like eating things like crayons and dirt. She slept that last little way home and didn't even have an accident in the car. She started getting restless as we approached our home so I dropped off her and Ryan and they ran home. When he got her to the back yard she was soooo excited. She was running all over the place and exploring everything. The next door neighbors dog started barking at her and then I was like oh great they are gonna bark all night, but she never barked. We tried to see if she would want to come in for the night, but she was having too much fun outside. The two dogs I swear played all night long. Also that night Goldie popped every ball in the yard. The only thing we heard from her all night was a little whimpering around 5am. Ryan went out with her for a run. Then she was actually calm for most of the day and even played nicely with the kids and our friends kid that night. She never once got mad at them for pulling on her ears, or laying on her or anything. We were like wow she is actually a good dog. And we had not heard her bark once as of Sunday night. So we go to bed again and then I hear her bark the next morning around 6am. So I went down and fed her and she was all full of energy and acting crazy. I would have taken her for a walk but the kids were still asleep and Ryan was gone. So when he got back for breakfast I took her for a walk. She wasn't too bad. She never barked at any neighbors dogs. I guess she isn't much of a barker. But I guess the walk wasn't enough. She was so wild the whole day, and I couldn't even begin to think about walking her with both kids in the afternoon heat. I filled up the pull for the kids and she was jumping in and out and knocking over the kids and trying to play with Jack like he was a puppy. It was too crazy. And everything time I went to feed her she acted like she was starving. How much are you suppose to feed a dog? They said only twice a day, and we have been dong three, but she still acts like she is starving every time we feed her. So when Ryan go home he took her out for a run again and then she calmed down again. I was like oh no she is a naughty dog what am I gonna do with her. So, but then today we went to the vet clinic on post to register our dog with our community. And there was a soldier there with a chocolate female lab same age as Goldie and she was totally way worse. She wouldn't even hold still on the lease. She was jumping and biting and barking and doing all the naughty stuff puppies do. And then I was like wow I guess our dog isn't that bad. So I guess we'll keep her. I think the most important thing is that she is happy now to be with her new family...living in the pet store probably wasn't fun...and she has a new friend she plays with every night in the back yard. Plus Ryan loves her and she loves him. She does whatever he says and loves running with him. I think she is a great addition and if nothing else brings more love into our home. I have never had a dog and now I understand why people love them so much!

Here she is making herself at home.

Flat Sadie in Ft. Hood, TX

Dear, Ms. Layton's class,
Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to Holtville. I have been here in Ft. Hood, TX and somehow got tricked into joining the army! But I have worked everything out and as everything in the army it has taken forever for me to get out and I will be home very soon.
Everything in Texas is big, bigger, or the biggest! It's the biggest state on the continental US. It is also said to have a big sky which you can see in the pictures below. They also have big produce, cows, and hair! So of course Texas is home to the biggest military post in the country. This is where the majority of our men in women in the army are living and deploy from to Iraq and other various places. Everywhere you go there are men and women in uniform. So how could you come and not get mixed up in it.
Something else they have here that is big are thunderstorms. I have never seen such crazy storms, but they sure do produce such beautiful rainbows. A few minutes after we took the pictures will all the tanks and helicopters a storm rolled in and we got soaked. The sky was sure beautiful afterwards though. The sun is also big and red as it was setting.
Also while I was here the family I was with went on a road trip to UT. I got to see 3 other states. New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. New Mexico wasn't much to write home about, but Arizona had beautiful red mountains and snow!!! We also drove through the archs national park in UT. All the pictures are below of my adventures here.




Beautiful rainbow after a storm

Texas longhorn cow. These cows were everywhere and very big!

Archs national park in southeast UT

Random rock in the middle of nothing in UT.

Main gate to Ft. Hood army post.

Big red sun setting in the west.

The big Texas sky right before a storm moved in.

The sky right after the storm.

Me on an old WWII helicopter.



A big airplane!

An old tank!

WWII memorial.

The Iraq war memorial.

Me showing my patriotism. You can see the American flag everywhere here!

As we drove around a bend in AZ these big beautiful red mountains came out of nowhere.


There was snow is AZ. No snow in TX though.

Jack's one year pictures

We finally got the pictures of our sweet baby boy, we got taken for his first B-day. Let me know if any of you want any of them and I will send them too you!

Look at that face. How could you say no to that face. I am already in trouble.






My baby boy can do no wrong. Oh no I am one of those moms.

I am so behind on my blogging that I am not even going to try and catch up, but I will give you an update of what has been going on recently. Ryan went tot eh field for 2 weeks last month with no break. It was crazy to say the least. I had a big night planned for us the night that he got home. We have been doing a babysitting co op type thing with a few other families from our ward and it was finally a time we could take advantage, but no Ryan didn't get back from the field till about 9pm that night. Anyway we survived and Ryan and I got to go out the next weekend, thanks to one of my wonderful YW!! It was Valentines days and so Saturday night Ryan and I went to Chipotle (mmmmm) and then to see the movie Valentines Day. It was cute and funny, but it was mostly just nice to be out alone. Ryan also got me some beautiful tulips.

Caroline was so excited for Valentines day. It is so cute how she gets so excited for every holiday now. She always asks me when the next holiday is gonna be now. We went to a little valentines day activity put on by a program here on post that we are involved in. The little kids were making Valentines and Caroline wanted to give hers to her friend Max, whom she loves and says she is gonna marry when she grows up. She says, "mmm I guess I can marry Max when I grow up." They love to play together. Caroline makes him play prince and princess with him. This usually involves Caroline being in some dangerous situation and Max having to save her. It is so funny, though Max tires of this game, but Caroline wants to play it all the time. He is actually over as I am writing this and I hear Caroline saying "ok we need to get married now." hehe. I don't know if this is good or not? They are so cute together. They also really like to play doctor and Max is always the doctor. It is too funny what they pick up form just going to the doctor. Caroline is getting too smart for me. She surprises me everyday saying things I thought would be way beyond her understanding. Just the other night she was asking for me to get some puzzels down that were on the top shelf of her closet. We have to keep some of the puzzels up there cause if they are all down it gets crazy and there are pieces everywhere, so she is only aloud to have a few down at a time. Anyhow I tell her I couldn't even get the puzzels if I wanted to, because I couldn't reach, it was too high. Then she asks me, "Is the top of the refrigerator high?" And I answered yes. Then she says, "Well you can reach the top of the refrigerator." I was just like oh man. I had a friend over and she said, "ooo she just called you out." I couldn't believe that a 3 year old could make that kind of comparison. I am happy she is so smart and learning so much...but it is too much sometimes. She is growing up too fast. I can't keep up. She knows most of her letters sounds now and can tell you what a word starts with just by sounding it out. She can also tell you if a word sounds like another word. Next fall she will go to all day Pre-K. I am so nervous to send my baby girl to school all day, but I know she will do great and besides it might be nice to get some time with just Jack and I. Mr. Jack is doing good. Getting too big as well. He isn't a fat little baby anymore. He is so sweet and happy though. Still sooo cute. Everyone thinks he is a girl half the time, cause he is so pretty. I love that little boy soooooo much, it's crazy. Every time Jack looks towards me Ryan says look who is in love. He loves his Mommy too! He is starting to do all kinds of stuff. he is imitating us all the time. he doesn't say many words, but when he sees food is when he tries to talk the most. He isn't sure what he is suppose to say but he knows he really wants what I have and is trying to tell me. I guess that is better than him screaming, which he used to do every time I would put something in the grocery cart he recognized as food. He is starting to cruise around a lot more and stand on his own. I won't be surprised if it is still a little while before he walks. He can take his time though, I don't mind. It is nice to have an easy going baby, that doesn't have to do everything now and by themselves.

I have been keeping busy with my calling and other activities going on here at the Hood. I got to chaperon Youth Conference last weekend. It was fun...hehe...not it really was. The youth are too funny. I suppose I was that way too as a teenager. I am always trying to convince them that they don't want to date till they are older/after missions ect....but they don't believe me. The guys call me the "player maker" because I told them to take out lots of different girls. They are silly. At the dance we had a few wall flowers, and they were BOYS....the girls were out having fun, but a few boys were just standing around. So after a little bit of encouragement we got them all out there having fun by the end. I would hate for them to waste these times. When I think about some of the funnest times I had during my teenage years they were usually church activities or with friends from church. Our YW are great too and I love them so much. I don't know how I have gotten so attached. Of course they will all move I'm sure or I will get released. Their parents are so lucky to have them and we are so lucky to get to lead them and learn from them.

The other exciting thing that happened this past week is IT SNOWED!! We got a few inches of snow and Ryan got out of work! It wasn't even sticking to the roads. He also got to go to work late the next day. And the next day it got up to like 60 degrees and all the snow melted. You would have never thought it had snowed the day before if you hadn't seen it. We took full advantage of the free time though and played in the snow. Of course we don't have any clothing that is appropriate for playing in the snow...so they are kinda wearing random stuff. I am ready for winter to be over...but also dreading summer. I think that summer here is worse than winter.

The last bit of news is that we are moving next month!! Not far just on post. We are moving to Comanche III for those of you that are familiar with the post. It will be smaller and two stories and tile floors, and it has one and two half baths...weird...anyway it should be nice living on post though, convenient, cheaper ect...I will post pics of our new place...though I said I would do that of this place but that never really happened...maybe I will find some and include them in this post.