Wychstock

Linder Farms

2011-10-17T07:31:00.001-07:00

We went with the Smiths to Linder farms. It was a special treat to have Aunt Desi with us too. We got to go on a hay ride pulled by a tractor. Dallin was in heaven. He had the biggest eyes and biggest smile and really big dimples. The tractor pulled us to a pumpkin patch that was filled with giant pumpkins everywhere. The kids loved running on the little paths in the dark to see who could find the biggest one. The adults were busy looking for the littlest one to buy. Then there was the hay maze and buried tractor tires to jump on, a Bon fire burning, and a live band. The other highlight was the corn box, much like a sand box, but filled with dried corn and wheat. The kids made corn angels in it and got buried by their dads.

Dallin's Prayer

2011-09-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

Mom: Heavenly Father
Dallin: Fader
Mom: Thank thee
Dallin: Temple
Mom: Thank thee
Dallin: Cookies
Mom: Thank thee
Dallin: More cookies

Maren's Hair Awesomness

2011-09-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

Maren has the awesomest hair in the entire world. Ever since it started to grow, she has been stopping all sorts of old ladies at the grocery store who want to touch it and tell me about their grandkids with red hair. Maren loves the attention and loves that her hair is unique. It is her trademark and people remember her because of it.

To do Maren’s hair, all I have to do is get it wet and comb it out with a conditioning cream. It then forms perfect little ringlets all on its own. It took forever to grow when she was little and so far she has only had 2 trims. She likes to leave it down most of the time with a flower clipped in the front, but occasionally she wants to make it super fancy with a French braid.

Today we tried something new- We straightened it. It took about a half an hour, but I think I could do it faster the second time around.

Before

Wet and all combed out.

After the blow dry- front

After the blow dry- back

Flat ironed

All finished!!

A few hours later she started getting this awesome wave in it. She looks like a super star. Now if I could only make my hair look so fab!

Dallin 22 Months

2011-09-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

Dallin is my sweet little guy. He is also VERY busy. I’m sure he is just the regular busy boy; He loves going from room to room dumping everything on the floor. He loves throwing dirt clods into the bushes, and flushing the toilet. He loves his sister. I’m slowly teaching him how to stop long enough to give his Mama a kiss and a hug. He is starting to do this independently now which has scored him a ton of brownie points. He is nearly always happy, and very happy at that, but when he is sad it breaks your heart. He thinks almost everything is really funny and gets the giggles often. He likes it when Maren sing’s him funny songs or makes faces or noises at him.

He loves television with a passion. His favorite show is, “Blue’s Clues” and has recently discovered the “D-D-D!” (DVD) Baby Signing Time. He likes reading “OOKS” (Books) before his nap and before bed. He loves ones with pictures of babies- especially if they have flaps that lift. He is a binki junkie and loves his special cowboy blanket that Grandma B. made for him, too bad his mom makes him leave them in his crib.

When we are diving and he sees any kind of church with a spire, he yells out, “Temple!! Temple!!”

Every time we pass the pasture “MOOOooooooo, MooooOOOOoooo”

He loves all animals and gets so excited when he sees any of them, even the seagulls in the parking lots- he squawks at them too.

Dallin is a great helper in the kitchen. When he sees me in there starting to make something, he shows up and says, “Me, up, me, up” He will pick up anything he can reach and hand it to me. He insists on tasting everything before it goes into the pot.

Feeding the goats at the Boise Zoo

First ever Root Beer Float

Milking a cow at the fair

First Day of School!

2011-08-31T12:50:00.000-07:00

Maren on her first day of school. Her Kindergarten teacher is Mrs. Matthews. For months she has been so excited, she did admit to being a little nervous as it got closer. She was so excited to see that she had a lot of friends already from church and preschool in her class. The day before school she got to meet her teacher and take a tour. It helped clam her nerves a lot. When we got to school, she was a bit too shy to go play on the playground, so she just waited with me. I asked her if it was a "two-thumbs-up-day." She said it was just a "two-thumbs-sideways-day." Then the whistle blew and all the kids jumped and ran to get their backpacks from the fence and then raced to get into line. She followed Mrs. Matthews to class with a skip and she didn't even look back.

When I came to pick her up, she had the biggest smile on her face. The first thing she told me was, "Mom! Kindergarten is fun!" She liked recess and is learning a song that goes, "On the first day of preschool my teacher gave to me...." She was excited that she can have pink milk at school, a treat she rarely gets at home.

Sweet babies.

2011-08-29T22:21:00.001-07:00

Sometimes after a hard day, I think to myself, "What am I doing with my life? I'm going crazy!" But without fail, when I check on my sweet babies asleep in their beds, the world seems perfect and I know that I'm doing exactly what I should be.

Header pic

2011-08-29T16:12:00.001-07:00

There are so many wonderful things going in in this header picture. Love it.

I'm Back

2011-08-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

Jana A. has inspired me to start blogging again. I think it was the pressure to be cute, witty and creative in blogging that intimidated me...so I quit. I also felt like I didn't have a lot of time to do it. Maren is starting kindergarten tomorrow and I've been thinking about how quickly my little kidlets are growing, I don't want to miss a moment. So I'm back. I'm not out to immpress anyone, I just want to journal what my adorable family is doing. So Here We Go!

2010-03-11T10:04:00.001-08:00

Let's see if I can post to my blog using my phone.

Jewel Kade party

2010-03-11T09:49:00.000-08:00

My friend Sarah is having a Jewel Kade party today from 1-3 and 7-9. Don't miss out on the latest and greatest beautiful glittery jewelery. For all the info, check out her blog: http://personallycharming.blogspot.com

See you there!

Welcome Andrew Dallin Wycherly

2009-11-21T15:02:00.001-08:00

I can’t believe that Dallin is nearly 4 weeks old and I’m just finally blogging about it. I find myself either nursing, changing bums, playing CandyLand with Maren or sleeping, but not sleeping nearly enough.

For all those who were wondering, I did finally pass my kidney stone after a few weeks. I defiantly do not wish that experience on anyone.

Dallin came October 26, at 2:50 p.m. He weighed 6 lbs. 15 oz. and 21 inches long. We are both healthy and happy.

For more pics check out:

http://picasaweb.google.com/Angiewycherly/DallinPhotoShoot8DaysOld?feat=directlink

Here’s the long birth story. Feel free to skip it.

This pregnancy turned out to be really good. I was a bit sick the first 3 months, but never threw up until I got on the pain meds for my stone. I felt pretty good until the last two weeks when I got big and uncomfortable.

I was due on October 24th, but naturally, my body decided to hold on to this baby longer. I scheduled and induction on the 26th. It was actually really nice because I was able to get up early, shower and do my hair and make-up. I know it is pretty vain, but I looked terrible in my pictures with Maren. We got in at 6:00 a.m. and the Pitocin started about 7:00. I was disappointed to find out that I was still only dilated to a three because I had been having some decent contractions for the past week at home.

After the excitement of getting settled in the hospital wore off, Andy and I found ourselves a bit bored waiting for things to move along. I read some magazines I bought for myself and Andy worked on some homework for his tax class. My contractions got pretty regular quite quickly and then they started hurting enough that I didn’t want to read anymore. We tried TV but there is absolutely nothing on in the morning to watch that wasn’t obnoxious. So we turned to Facebook. Andy started posting about my status. We had more fun thinking of funny things to write than actually writing them. Andy also read me other posts that he thought would entertain me. He got in trouble several times for making me laugh during a contraction.

By 11:30 I was getting to the point where things were no longer amusing. I asked for an epidural and got checked again. By then I was dilated to a 5 and had received my antibiotics for GBS. So I was good to go. There was only one problem, my good friend Kaila was also being induced that day and she had gotten dibs on the anesthesiologist before I could. This was totally unfair because Kaila was due a week later than me and had come in that morning an hour and a half later than me, but she was progressing so much faster than me. I was determined to deliver before her.

I naturally have a low blood pressure, usually 100/50, but with the shock of labor, I was running in the 90’s, so I started getting fluid boluses. After waiting a whole 10 minutes I finally received my epidural. Then my blood pressure dropped into the 80’s. Baby still looked good, so they just kept running the fluids. After about 10 min, baby’s heart rate really dropped for a few minutes. I was worried I was going to have to get a c-section, but after a shot in the butt (which I couldn’t feel because of the epidural), some oxygen, and more fluids, we got baby feeling better.

Dr. Agrusa came and broke my water. I was so grateful for the epidural because the contractions really started picking up then. It took just over an hour to finish dilating and we were ready to push. I’m not usually grateful for my hips, but I really can’t complain when I only have to push for six minutes. Dallin’s heart rate dropped again, so when he was born, he was fairly blue. He did have the cord around his neck which was probably making his heart rate drop during labor. After a couple of minutes he was nice and pink and screaming.

Kaila delivered an hour before me. So not fair!

Recovery has been so much better this time than with Maren. I’ve really been able to get around a lot better already. The real challenge has been learning how to have two children. I’m hoping that will come with time. Maren loves Dallin. She loves to get in his face and say, “Goo goo goo goo.” Sometimes she says it to the tune of “Happy Birthday”

Kidney Stone

2009-07-20T12:47:00.001-07:00

I'm trying to pass a kidney stone. Never have I been so intimate with my own pee. Lortab is my new best freind. Everytime you wee, say a prayer in your heart for my stone. Pics to come (hopefully soon!)

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th. The Wycherlys were in town this weekend and we had a blast. I'm kicking myself for not keeping my camera with me more.

Our neighborhood had a bike parade with a fire truck escort. After the parade, the firefighters cracked out their hoses and made it rain in the park. The kids had a blast. Maren loves her new hat.

Then we floated the river. We all managed to say in the boats this year. Maren and Carson loved sticking their arms in the water and looking for fishies.

Maren wasn't too sure of fireworks at first. After a few minutes she finally decided to open her eyes so she could see the fireworks that looked like "Belle's dress." She kept her ears plugged.

Camping

2009-07-08T20:56:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago we had a blast camping just past Idaho City with a bunch of friends. Maren was quite the trooper. She loves her "sleeping bed" and her "green tent"

A big thanks to the Taylors for making it all happen.

Catching up...again

2009-07-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

Princess Belle meets cowgirl.

Eagle Island with Little T.

Our new favorite hangout. Summer time = Softball. Andy after his sweet GRAND SLAM! What a stud.

The things daddys do to make their girls laugh.

Lagoon

2009-07-08T20:35:00.000-07:00

The Bramwell fam got together for a wet and wild camping trip to Lagoon. We had a ball. Maren

LOVED all of it (except the scary pirate ship ride.)

Sleepy baby

2009-07-08T20:32:00.000-07:00

I've seen kids fall asleep at the dinner table on America's Funniest Home Videos and I think, "What kind of parents let their child get so sleep deprived?"

I guess I'm one of those parents.

Boy oh BOY!

2009-06-04T19:54:00.000-07:00

That's right, it's a BOY! I'm so stinking excited. Andy is ecstatic. Having a boy means that I have to train my eye to search out more than just pink fluffy stuff. It means I'm going to have to deal with a little fire hose when I change diapers. It also means I get to go shopping for new bedding, a few clothes (thanks meg for letting me use yours) and boy toys! Maren still won't have to learn to share.

I'm a bit worried about the activity level of boys. Maren is my little angel who asks me before she gets into anything. During softball games, she never leaves my side. This little baby is already rambunctious and getting into trouble. When I had my ultrasound last week, he had the cord wrapped around his whole body and his leg! I had to go to a specialist today to make sure that he wouldn't have problems as he gets bigger. So I got another ultrasound today and he was completely unwrapped. The doctor compared him to a Mexican cowboy doing lasso tricks. What am I getting into?

Sorry I'm too lazy to scan the pics now. Maybe later.

Just wanna pinch it

2009-04-29T22:03:00.001-07:00

Girls Weekend

2009-04-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I got together with some of my closest high school girlfriends. We had such a blast. A big thanks to Krista and Dave for the sweet hook ups in Park City.

I love how we've only been together a few times in the past 11 years, but you would never know it. We still talk non-stop, all at the same time, all night long. Naturally, the topics have changed, we talk a lot more about kids, mothering, husbands, and finances, but the bonds are still there. We still know we can count on each other and cry on each other's shoulders. I think Krista won for the most tears shed, not that she has the most drama in her life (Shana, you take that prize), her heart is just closest to her eyes. I think I need to be more sensitive like you.

We went shopping.

Made 135 hair bows.

And stayed up until 4:00 a.m.

You can tell things started getting out of hand as the night wore on!

Krista moved into my ward when we were 5. The rest of the girls I met in 7th grade when they combined the elementary schools. Most of us had girls Gym class together. We had to sit in alphabetical order.....Alynn Beesly, Krista Blackburn, Angie Bramwell, Jana Brown, Shana Brown. I'm not sure how we picked up Tracy Olaveson or Kari Inskeep. But we've all been best buds since.

Thanks girls for always being there through thick and thin. We missed you Jana and Kari!!

Baby #2!

2009-04-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

It's true. Baby #2 is on it's way! Due Oct. 24th. We are so super excited. I'm happy that the first trimester is over. I haven't been super sick, but I haven't felt like doing anything until recently.

Maren is sure that she is getting a baby brother. I think she might be right. I've already had two boy dreams and I haven't been nearly as sick with this one as I was with Maren. I'm kind of hoping for a girl. Maren has been so much fun, I think I would be content with all girls. Plus, I think that she would like someone to play dollhouse with her. Andy really wants a boy. No explanation needed.

I apologize to everyone I lied to about being pregnant. I don't know if I just got fat quickly or if it showed on my face, but it seemed as soon as I found out I was expecting, everyone started asking me about it. Because of some complications in the past, I wanted to make sure I was through the first trimester before the whole world found out. But now we are official!

Big girl bed...almost

2009-02-09T20:53:00.000-08:00

Maren kept asking me for a big girl bed, like her cousin Brooklyn has.

So I figured it was about time. I was putting it off because I was afraid that it would be the end of nap time, but I finally just took one side off of her crib and it has been great. She was so thrilled. She has done a great job of staying in it during sleepy time. Maren has such a sweet spirit, and for the most part really has a desire to follow the rules. Here are the latest and greatest pictures of her new bed.

The first (and only) time she has fallen out of bed. I piled up some blankets just in case if she did fall. I think they did the trick. I daresay that she doesn't remember it. The terrible thing is that I ran and got my camera before I even made sure that she didn't suffocate. It was one of the most sweatiest heads I've ever seen in my life.

This is Maren one week later. My sister-in-law was wondering what was up will all the safety pins in Maren's P.J.'s. This is what happens when we forget to pin her zipper with one. Yes, she did start off with a diaper. Who knows where it went. Luckily, she is doing an awesome job of potty training and managed to stay dry.

Couponing

2009-02-09T20:50:00.000-08:00

I've found a new hobby. Couponing. Today I made some purchases at Albertsons. With no sales or coupons, the total was $18. It rang up for $2!!!!!!! Isn't that amazing? A big thanks to Katie G. for showing me the ropes.

Home Keeping #3

2008-12-04T21:31:00.000-08:00

I was meaning on posting my home keeping tips more often, but here are a few I've been thinking about.

Hard floors are my arch rival. Don't get me wrong, I love my wood floors, I just hate cleaning them. And with a two year old, it becomes a frequent chore. I finally deducted my enmity to the ringing out of my mop. I don't like dirty, wet floor hands and I don't like rinsing grimy mop pads out in my kitchen sink- gross. I don't have a utility sink and the bathroom sink is too small.

I've tried the Don Aslett velcro mop, which I love, but I only have one mop pad....the rinsing problem. I got a Shark Steam Mop. It's pretty cool. It is great for getting the dried up, smashed carrots and cereal up. It came with 2 pads so I was able to do half my floor with one and then finish with the other. But it doesn't slide well on my floor, (probably due to the copious amounts of maple syrup and ketchup that find their way down there) so I put off cleaning it because it is too much of workout. So my final solution for my floors: a 24 inch dust mop from Lowes for a 2 minute cleanup of the whole floor, and then the Don Aslett velcro mop with the Microfiber cloths from Costco (in the car dept.) I love those cloths. I can use as many as I want on my floor and then they go straight in the washing machine so I hardly have to touch them.

Problem Solved.

My other tip is to buy a new vacuum filter. I've had my vacuum for about 3 years and never changed it (they're like $20). But technically they should be changed every year. I finally got one and WOW the difference. I can't vacuum my rugs anymore because the suction is so strong now. When I looked in the canister after doing my family room, their was the normal fuzz, bobbi pins and Angie hair, but there was also a ton of this fine dust that made it in there. Who knows how long its been sinking into my carpet? But now it's gone. Yea!

Ladies Craft Night!

2008-12-04T21:11:00.000-08:00

Due to several requests, I'm going to host a craft night at my house and teach how to make these hats. I'm not going to post the date and time for fear that some psychopath will show up. So for details, e-mail me. angiewycherly@gmail.com

Exciting!

Bishopric?

2008-12-03T20:16:00.000-08:00

Happy late Thankgiving. I would blog about it, but I didn't take any pictures. Rigby was great, Twilight was great. I am the official queen of Guitar Hero...Only when I play on medium. The food, naturally, was awesome. Thanks mom. We were espically grateful for mom and dad's new HEPA filter on their furnace. This was the first time in a long time that we didn't sleep in the RV due to a cat allergy to a cat that my parents refuse to get rid of. It isn't even a nice cat, if you are in bare feet, she will hide behind a corner and jump out and attack your bare tootsies. Anyway, I wasn't going to write about Thanksgiving. I was going to write about the weekend before Thanksgiving.

About 15 min after the BYU vs. Utah game (sniff sniff) we get a phone call for Andy to schedule a meeting with the Stake President the next morning. So we sit up all night contemplating what it could be.

Long story short, Andy got called to be the 2nd councilor in the Bishopric. What? We aren't even 30 yet. But we are greatful for the opportunity. I think it will be good for him. Feel free to sit next to Maren and I during Sacrament Meeting.

McCall

2008-11-12T21:07:00.000-08:00

Andy's brother Ben and his wife Elizabeth are in town this week. Yeah! Andy's parents have connections to a cabin up in McCall and invited us all to go. Andy had to work, so Maren and I ditched him and headed for the hills.

I promised Maren snow. We packed all our snow clothes and talked about making snowmen etc. We get there and...no snow. Well, almost no snow. It turns out it was just enough to keep a two year old happy. Maren isn't allowed to hit mommy with anything but pillows. We have now added snow to the list. She loved getting me. We ended up getting a bit of snow during our stay. It was a great way to kick off the holiday festivities.

We only spent one night up there, so we didn't have a lot to do except veg out, watch movies, play the Wii, and eat at My Father's Place twice. Mmmm. So super good.

One of the highlights was Mr. Fox who payed us a visit several times each day. After a fish stick and a piece of french toast, we are now best friends. We also saw a mama deer and 2 little ones right outside the window.

Here is a beautiful picture of the top of Maren's head, Me, Carolyn, Ben and part of Elizabeth's head. She is pretty stealth at keeping out of pics.

Creating

2008-11-06T14:32:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking a lot about Elder Uchtdorf's talk during the General Relief Society Brodcast entitled "Happiness, Your Heritage." He talks about creating.

I've been trying to find ways that I can create...cleaning and beautifying our home, creating happy experiences for Maren, finding organization in my life. etc.

This is my new creating that I am so super proud of. I've only croched hot pads before when my mom was trying to teach us. Here is the pattern. And this is a website that has videos of each crocheting stitch. Thanks Joyce G. for helping me read the pattern. I'm so excited how it turned out, and get this...I did it in one day!

The beauty of a budget

2008-11-06T13:59:00.000-08:00

After nearly 5 years of marital bliss, my accountant husband has been able to create in me a love for budgeting. I'm not even joking, I love our budget and what it does for us. I admit I fought it tooth and nail at first. For one, I thought it was boring. I hated sitting down and accounting for all that I spent. Most of all, I didn't like the guilt of seeing how much money I spent on dumb little things that I didn't need. It really added up. Andy was persistent. It is in his nature. He wondered how I survived 24 years of life without knowing where my money was going.

Here's what worked:

1. Buying a money management program. Excel is not my friend.

2. Looking at the budget periodically throughout the month. It is a bummer looking at it only at the end of the month just to find out that you overspent on everything. We check ours every Sunday.

3. Give each person some blow money that they can spend on stupid stuff. Now I don't feel dumb buying more nail polish, glitter glue and yarn.

4. Don't cheat. When I overspent in one category, I would want to "steal" money from a different one. Andy would never let me. You have got to be honest. When you rework your budget, you can see what is and isn't working.

The reason why I now love the budget is because it has empowered me. I actually have more money because I am aware of where I am spending it. I don't buy things on a whim, rather, I recognize my priorities and make my purchases wisely. And I don't buy crappy things any more, I buy fewer things, but of better quality.

I felt prompted to write this because of my new purchase yesterday. New dishes!! I love, love, love them and they make me happy. I got my old ones my first year of college. They aren't necessarily ugly, but the green and purple flowers are outdated. I couldn't find any linens that would go with them. So this time I stuck with classic white. Love them!

Thanks to the gift cards I get from my Citibank rewards (I use my credit card for everything humanly possible, but never-ever carry a balance) I got 12 place settings for $24.

R.I.P. Halloween

2008-11-03T14:43:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween. Little Mermaid Maren loved Halloween. She made it to about 5 of our neighbors and then told Andy that she wanted to go back to Maren's house. Her absolute favorite was the trick-or-treaters coming to our house. Every time the doorbell rang, away she went running to open the door.

Ariel and her friend Sebastian

Cruising!

2008-10-31T13:27:00.000-07:00

Last week we had the amazing opportunity to go on a cruise down the Mexican riviera. Andy and I have never done anything like that before. We had the most wonderful awesome time. A big thanks to Andy's work for taking us. Another big thanks to Mom and Andy's parents for watching Maren. She had a ball.

We started out in L.A. and hopped on the Norwegian Star. As we were passing another ship on the way to ours, Candace noticed that everyone in line for the other ship was male....everyone. They were all really good looking men, shaved and greased. Come to find out they were boarding the Carnival "Pride" ship. I didn't know that such ships existed.

Our boat was great. Norwegian is known for it's restaurants and dining choices. 7 restaurants whenever you want to eat. There was tons of fun food that I wouldn't usually get to eat. Creme Brulle', Sweet and Spicy mushroom soup, rack of lamb, molten chocolate cake, etc. Ice cream is always available. Mmmm. Luckily I only gained 2 pounds- we took the stairs a lot.

Our first stop was Cabo San Lucas. So super hot. We didn't have a long time there, but we had a little time to hit the market and get a taste of the Mexican souvenirs. There are about 10 different items that you can choose from, then you see them over and over again throughout the country. We hopped on a catamaran and went around the rocks for some pics, then headed over to a cove for snorkeling. It was a lot of fun. Some crazy guy was diving to the bottom and grabbed a sea anemone and broke it open. All these little fishies came swarming and ate it out of his hand. At one point he had also caught a blow fish. Pretty cool. The ride back offered free drinks. Everyone got plastered. We enjoyed out Sprites.

Next stop was Mazatlan. We took a city tour where we saw some cliff divers. Pretty impressive. They jumped from 40 feet and only had 7 feet of water to land in among the rocks. We saw a little dancing show, grabbed some souvenirs, and went swimming at the beach and ate dinner at a resort. I love real Mexican food. They had some corn tamales to die for.

Finally we made it to Puerto Vallarta. We chose an excursion to go swimming with the dolphins. It was the highlight of the trip. We were in a group of 10 in a pool with 4 dolphins and 2 trainers. We got to hold them and rub them all over (the dolphins, not the trainers). They felt so cool. They were really sweet animals and I got the impression that they really enjoyed people, kind of like horses. They were all trained to do little tricks. They would smile, clap, sing, jump; everything that the trainers asked them to do. They even gave us a kiss on our cheeks. Then we got to have a belly ride. They rolled over and I grabbed onto their fins belly to belly and they swam me around the pool. So very fun.

Another favorite moment was the chocolate buffet. It was pretty much heaven on earth. Hundreds of chocolate cakes, cookies and treats. They were all too beautiful to eat, well, almost too beautiful.

The whole clan.

If you look closely, you can see Andy's head poking out of the water on the right.

I just had a ball and can't wait to go again....someday. I loved sitting in the sun. Just baking and enjoying the heat. I was pretty serious about sunscreen so I didn't get burned, just a bit more brown and a bit more blonde. I really need to do this every year.

Tagged

2008-10-28T20:43:00.001-07:00

I was tagged by Jana to post my 4th picture in my 4th file.

This is Coit Tower in San Francisco. It's not a great picture, but it brings back a lot of memories from our glory days in California. What a wonderful time we had.

The tower reminds me of taking my Nursing boards. I took the exam right at the bottom of the hill on the other side. Pure Stress! I already had my job at Stanford. If I didn't pass, I would have to work as a CNA till I did. I was so terrified that I over studied, so the test didn't seem too bad.

When I finished, I climbed all the steps up the hill to the tower and was able to see the whole city. I remember taking deep breaths and letting all that stress out. I could finally enjoy myself. Then I walked down thorough Chinatown, went shopping at Union Square, and back to the train station to get back to San Jose. It ended up being a pretty great day.

I tag Kari, Shana, and Lori S.

Someday I'll be a great blogger.

2008-10-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

I've been a pretty lazy blogger for about the last year. I want to be better. I'm a little intimidated because you are all so stinkin funny. But I'm not very good at writing in a journal either, so I think I should do some kind of documentation of our life. Here are some fun pics from our summer.

Yes, this is my darling baby. It's amazing what a screen door and a snotty nose can do for you. Poor thing inherited my big teeth. This was our hike to Table Rock Mountain in Eastern Idaho by the Tetons (see them peeking up in the back). We hiked with Andy's parents to the top of the flat mountain above the snow. I did this as a teenager and thought it was great fun. This time I almost died. It is about 11 miles straight up then straight down. I guess I should actually start working out so I can be in shape for these kinds of things. Maybe someday.

My little sister Desi got married to Peter in August. (Sorry Des, I didn't get any pictures of you and Pete- Meg has them all). This pic is all the Bramwell grandkids in front of the Idaho Falls Temple. Aren't they darling? We had the reception in my parent's backyard. It was so beautiful. Once we got it all ready, my brother Mark took us out on his boat. He's pretty much my new favorite sibling because of his boat. We just went out on the river behind my parents house so we were always on the lookout for giant logs floating down. But it was a blast. I tried knee boarding for the first time. I got up and did great until I tried to cross the wake too fast. I got about 1/2 inch of air, panicked, and biffed it. Andy did awesome skiing.

Dinglehopper?

2008-09-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

Last night I told Maren to eat some rice with her fork. She looked at me and said, "Dinglehopper?"

"What?"

"Dinglehopper."

Then it struck me. Are we watching too much Little Mermaid? Skuttle calls a fork a dinglehopper.

We love red haired princesses.

Twos!

2008-09-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little princess is already 2! Maren has made our lives so much more exciting. Everything is more fun with her around. She loves learning about the world around her. She is starting to use sentences. "Grandpa, Grandpa, Where are you?" "Wait Dada, I'm comin.'" "Dada, Look at Maren."
Maren LOVES food. She loves sour things- she'll suck on a lemon. She loves pickles. She even ate a jalapeno pickle. She kept telling me that it was hot, but I thought she just meant that it was a strong taste. I finally started eating one myself and had to spit it out because it was so stinkin' spicy. By then she had already finished hers. Maren loves being outside. Her favorite thing is to pick produce when it is still green. Strawberries and tomatoes. She eats those too.

Maren also likes "Time-outs" Sometimes when she is playing around the house, I'll find her in her corner playing time-out. She will sit there for a while and fake cry. It's pretty funny, but hard to find something that is an actually punishment for her.

We love Maren and we finally decided to keep her. She has been a wonderful baby and is turning into an even sweeter little girl.

Summer Pics

2008-07-01T15:52:00.001-07:00

I'm too lazy to try to put these pics in order and get the writing to be under the correct pic. So here is our summer so far. Thanks Greg for the new gate for our fence. We couldn't have done it without your expertise and power tools

Happy Birthday Brooklyn. Maren LOVES your new toys. What pretty girls!

Happy Birthday Grandma Painter. It was so much fun to see great family and tons of my cousins and their kids. Now Maren is enjoying the same traditions we experienced...pinatas and fish ponds.

Hogle Zoo was great. We saw the baby giraffe that will be making it's way to Boise when it grows up. Maren was especially fond of the Meercats. They were up pawing at the glass at her. They soon became fast friends. Grandma and Maren asleep on the way home. How sweet.

Maren singing "Daddy comes home"..."pat his cheeks"

Maren and Daddy licking up the cake batter from his Birthday cake. Like two peas in a pod.

We love books (especially reading them naked), our neighbor Mason, our cousin Brooklyn who has an obsession with "mee-mees"

I just got home from my 10 year high school reunion. What a blast. These are my girls. Don't they look great? I'm wearing some of my tallest heels and I'm still super short. What would I do without you Kari? After the dinner we all bought a bag of candy and went to Tracy's house and pigged out and gossiped about all the juicy news we found out about everyone. I was really hoping for more, but everyone seems to be generally doing great. I had a lot of fun seeing friends with whom I didn't keep in touch. Most everyone is married and has at least 2-3 kids. I need to play catch up.

Hostessing

2008-06-26T21:35:00.000-07:00

Sunday night we got back from SLC. We had a great weekend celebrating Grandma Painter's 80th birthday party and a trip to the zoo. (Thanks Suzanne!). Andy is taking a Tax class and had a test to take before his Monday class. So we stayed up until about midnight and then hit the hay. I wake up at 12:45 and asked Andy, "Did you hear someone knock on the door?" He just kind of grunted. A few seconds later there was a definite knock on the door and then the doorbell rings.

"Great. Someone is making sure that we are still on our trip and they are going to rob us blind." So we open the bedroom window and yell down "Who's there?"

"Am I at the right place?" a teenage girl steps back so we can see her. My burglar fears vanish, but I'm wondering what party is this girl going to on a Sunday night and why she would think it was at our house. All the lights were out. Then she says, "this is Alynn."

"Alynn!?!" I'm the biggest idiot I know. Alynn is one of my high school friends. She asked me earlier last week if she could crash at my place on her way to Utah. With all the excitement of our trip, it had completely slipped my mind. She was planning on coming much earlier that evening, but she got held up and her phone had died.

So I run down in my pink fuzzy bathroom and unlock the door. The house was trashed, but I at least had clean sheets on the guest bed. Phew. It was so great to see her and catch up. It's been 4 years since we've seen each other. What a welcome she got!

Anyway, if you are planning on staying at my house, call me every day for a week, or tell me to write it on my hand with a sharpie.

Lakers vs. Celtics: The Rivalry is Back

2008-05-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

Frozen burrito

2008-05-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

Maren usually finishes eating lunch before Andy comes home for his lunch hour. Yes, he comes home for lunch and it is awesome. Maren loves to mooch off of Andy when he is eating. First it was yogurt. She gets a big bite of it and as soon as she has it down she says "mo Mo MOMOMO" (more more). Then she got distracted for a few seconds until she realized that he was eating a Banana. "NANA!!!!" she screams. So she eats half of the banana. Please remember that she has already eaten 3 chicken nuggets, 2 giant strawberries, cooked yams, an oreo and milk for her lunch. She can't possibly be hungry. Then Andy starts digging around in the freezer. Before she knows what he is getting out, Maren goes, "want some some some some some some some" until he hands her a rock hard frozen burrito. She looks at it, takes it, puts it in her mouth, takes it out and says "cold" and then puts it back in her mouth and sucks on it for a while. I couldn't hold the tears back I was laughing so hard. What a funny nut this girl is.

Yikes

2008-05-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

It's been too long. I'm too lazy to get up and get my camera to download pictures, but I thought I better write something so I can get back on the bandwagon. Let's see. Busy season is over. Andy's back. He took out part of our fence and put in a gate. What a man. Thanks Greg A. for your expertise and your power tools.

Maren is LOVING the warm weather (actually we are freezing today, but it has been warm) She loves: prwetty fowers, beedees, wahwah, and ewww worms. It has really made me appreciate all the little things that God has put around us just to make us happy.

We have a Robin's nest in our front tree and two little finches in our birdhouse on the back fence. Andy named them Paige and Parker Panda after the characters in Maren's new favorite flick "Go Potty Go!"

She's a champ at the potty. We aren't really training yet, but she loves it so far. We've had about 6 poos and 3 pees! She is happy with just getting stamps on her hands as a reward. She thinks it great.

Andy is on 2 city softball teams. He's doing great. We are only fair weather fans, but when we do go we have a great time. Maren has her own camping chair and loves hanging out with Avery G.

Mom's here watching Meg's kids for a few days. We've been having tons of fun. Today we went to the Y for swimming. It was such a blast. Maren is quite a water baby. I dunked her a few times and it didn't even seem to faze her. Our pool's opening this weekend, but we are to big of sissies to go out when it's this cold. Maybe in a few weeks.

That's our charmed life in a nutshell.

Angie

BYU

2008-04-30T13:58:00.001-07:00

Going to Women's Conference at BYU. Call me if you are going to be there!

Another Great Giveaway!

2008-04-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

***Sorry for the confusion, you need to post your favorite's on EMILY's blog

Here is another great giveaway. This one is from my friend Emily who just opened up her Etsy shop: Sass & Savvy Jewelery

Here are the rules of the Giveaway:

1. Visit Sassandsavvyjewelry and choose 3 items that you like.
2. Make a comment on Emily's blog with the 3 items you liked.
3. Make a post on your blog with these rules including the back links (if you don't have a blog then just follow rules 1 &2).
4. All entries must be received by Saturday April 26, 2008 midnight MST.

Scripture Marking

2008-04-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

I got my old set of scriptures when I started seminary. I didn't really plan this, but for each time in my life has a different color. High school was red. College was green. MTC Yellow and Mission Blue. It is interesting to see which scriptures had meaning to me in each phase of my life.

A few years ago a got a new set of scriptures and I'm in search of a good scripture marking system. So far I've just been marking them in red. I got some colored pencils today and want to do different topics in different colors. What topics would you choose? I'm thinking: Yellow: Christ, Blue: Salvation-like baptism and repentance. What else? How do you do it? I don't want to end up with every page colored in red...not very helpful.

ModBod

2008-04-16T11:19:00.000-07:00

My Friend Janelle is giving away a free ModBod tee. Check it out on her blog.

Funny Maren

2008-04-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

New Button Shirt

Funny Face
Last week we got snowed on. I made that snowman with a ladle. I was really proud of myself that I didn't have to get my hands cold.

P.S. Maren picked out her hat.

Home Keeping #2

2008-04-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

Be like Rachel Ray and keep a garbage bowl or bag on the counter while you cook. Then dump it out when you are done. It will save you 1,000 trips to the garbage can.

More Rigby

2008-04-10T21:25:00.001-07:00

Idaho Museum.

4-Wheeler ride with Grandpa B. and Brooklyn
Feeding cows

Maren and Rosie

P.S.

2008-04-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

P.S. My new card is Citibank which has some pretty sweet rewards itself. Be sure to pay it off in full every month!

Nordstrom

2008-04-10T14:10:00.000-07:00

A quick shout out to Nordstrom. I used to have a wonderful Nordstrom Visa that would send me lovely gift certificates ever so often. I ended up cancelling it because there is no Nordstrom in Boise. Sniff, Sniff. But I had one gift certificate left that expired in February's. I thought I would call and test my luck. Who would have guessed that they accept expired certificates?! Here comes my Clinique eyeshadow!

Template

2008-04-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

I finally learned how to change the background to my blog! It is so much fun I'd almost rather do that than actually blog. But I'm keeping you readers in mind, so I'll actually write something. Be sure to enjoy the zebra as you read on.

We really enjoyed Easter this year. Maren was such a doll. Her new favorite word is "annie," which of coarse means Candy!...Jelly beans to be specific. Grandpa did a great job at playing Easter bunny.

My sister Megan and I decided to ditch our husbands and head home to eastern Idaho with our kids. Both our husbands are accountants busy with tax season. (only 1 more week, Yea!) Here are the six grand kids on my side of the family. Maren amazed me today. She remembers all their names!! We were at Gringo's in Rexburg where my little sister Lexie works. When we walked in I saw a lady that looked familiar. It was Sister Strong and my Mission President!!! I can't tell you how wonderful it was to see them again. My mission has been a big part of my life. It felt good to be able to report to them how well I've been doing...Found a good husband, married in the temple, a darling baby girl, and I finished my education. The Gospel really does help us make decisions that will lead to a happy life. Last week our youth did mini-mission prep. Croatia was one of the missions they could be called to. So I got to talk about my mission, the country, the people and the food. It was a lot of fun. One kid said that he was sure that he would get a real call to Croatia some day. I hope he does. Either way I felt good that he thinks it's as cool as I do.

Home Keeping

2008-04-04T15:41:00.000-07:00

My hobby lately has been finding better ways to run a household. Those who know me know that I have a lot to yet learn about keeping a home, but I thought I would share with you a few things I've picked up. I'll post things as I think of them.

When you are cooking, clean as you go. Fill the sink with hot, soapy water so you can wipe up spills and wash your knives and pots as soon as you are done using them. It takes only 2 seconds. Then no clean-up after dinner!

My Little Princess

2008-03-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

Maren found the dress up box today. She pulled out her Halloween costume and we put it on her. She wore it for over an hours and loved it. She kept going to the mirror to check herself out.

Unfortunatlly lunchtime came and we had to take it off. What a sad face!

The great Egg Hunt

2008-03-15T21:09:00.001-07:00

Our neighborhood had a little Easter egg hunt. It was a lot of fun. Maren and I have been practicing for it around the house. I've put a raisin in each egg and hid them. She loves it so much we've been doing it several times a day.

At the hunt today we only got two eggs. (She isn't a very fast runner.) I swear all the eggs were gone within 20 seconds. We would have only gotten one, but Grandma W. was willing to reach her arm through the fence into someone's back yard for a wayward egg.

Tricks!

2008-03-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

Maren is like my little puppy dog. I give her a command and she does it. Okay, so maybe it's just with her cute tricks and not the important things like not pooping in the tub. But here are some cute shots from today.

Book Review

2008-03-06T21:20:00.000-08:00

I love reading and I've been meaning to post this forever. These are the books I've read the past few years and my thoughts about them.

The Secret Life of Bees
By: Sue Monk Kidd's
Stars: ****
A white girl in the South is welcomed in by three older black ladies. It's been too long so I don't remember the details, just that I liked it.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin
By: Harriet Beecher Stowe
Stars: ****
A must read. Very heartbreaking and very inspiring.

Romeo and Juliet
By: Shakespeare
Stars: ****
Probably the best romance ever.

West Side Story
By: Arthur Laurents
Stars: ***
This book was published with Romeo & Juliet as one book. It was fun to read them together. They have a lot in common. Young love.

The Piano
By: Wladyslaw Szpilman's
Stars: ****
I read it in one day because I couldn’t put it down. Very graphic depiction of the lives of Polish Jews during World War II. A true autobiography.

Puddin’ Head Wilson
By: Mark Twain
Stars: ***
A really short fun read with a good moral to it.

David Copperfield
By: Charles Dickens
Stars: ***
Excellent book with a good story. I think I needed more action. It gets pretty slow in spots and it’s pretty long. But I’m very glad that I read it.

The Spirit Catches You, and You Fall Down
By: Anne Fadiman
Stars:** (if you are a nurse it gets ***)
A Hmong girl with epilepsy. The family’s cultures clashes with Western medicine. Excellent. After I read this book, I actually had a Hmong patient with epilepsy. They did a lot better than the family in the book. I wasn’t very interested in the history of the Hmong people, so I skipped those chapters.

Robinson Crusoe
By: Daniel Defoe
Stars: ****
Excellent. A must read. Stranded on an Island for 24 years. I loved every page of it. It has action and lots of deep insights.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
By: Maya Angelou
Stars: * (First half of the book gets ***)
It started out so cute. A little black girl in the south helping out at her Grandma’s store. But later she goes into a detailed account of how her mom’s boyfriend molested her. I really think this should be taken off the high school reading list.

Cry, the Beloved Country
By: Alan Paton
Stars: ***
Set in South Africa. I learned a lot about the struggles that S. Africa faces.

A Tale of Two Cities
By: Charles Dickens
Stars: **
Set during the French Revolution. It was good, but it didn’t grab me up.

Fahrenheit 451
By: Ray Bradbury
Stars: **
Very unique. Set in the future, exploring what would happen if all books were burned. It was good, but I wasn’t nuts about it.

Catch-22
By: Heller, Joseph
Stars: **
WWII fighter pilot trying to get out of flying missions. It’s pretty witty, but also has pretty bad language and a bit vulgar.

The Hiding Place
By: Corrie ten Boom
Stars: ****
This was a fabulous book and a true story. Set during WWII, Corrie set up an underground to help Jews find safe houses. A must read.

Twilight, Eclipse, & New Moon
By: Stephanie Meyer
Stars: ***
These were fun books to read. A little slow at times. The desire for wanting what you can’t have keeps you turning pages.

Persuasion
By: Jane Austen
Stars: ****
I saw the movie first and loved it. I loved the book even more. You just can’t go wrong with Jane. I love love stories.

oops!

2008-03-02T20:43:00.000-08:00

I meant to put these recipes on our new ward recipe blog, but here they are on mine. Enjoy!
www.meridian2.blogspot.com

Coffee Cake

2008-03-02T20:41:00.001-08:00

Coffee Cake
Martha Grace

***This is for an 8X8 pan recipe but you can double it and put it in a 9X13.

Batter:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk
1 egg

Topping: (don’t’ forget to double this too if you double the batter)
1/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp firm butter (do not melt this or it won’t work)

Heat oven to 375. Grease pan (8X8 for single batch, 9X13 for double). Blend all batter ingredients. Beat vigorously for 1/2 minute and spread in pan. Mix topping together separately and sprinkle on top of the batter. Be careful not to overload it in the center or it will sink. Bake 25-30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted comes out clean.

Cinnamon Rolls with Ice Cream Glaze

2008-03-02T20:40:00.000-08:00

Cinnamon Rolls with Ice Cream Glaze
Angie Wycherly
yields 12 rolls

1 C. warm water
1 egg
3 C. flour
¼ c. white sugar
3 Tbsp. instant non-fat dry milk powder
1 ½ tsp. salt
5 Tbsp. Butter, softened
1 tsp. active dry yeast

Place ingredients in bread machine in order suggested by the manufacturer. (Usually wet inged. On bottom and dry on top. Yeast goes in last). Select dough setting.
Or you can mix it up like bread and let it rise.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat dough into a rectangle.
Spread with:
½ cup softened butter
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
½ C. packed brown sugar

Roll up and press edge to seal. Cut into 12 rolls and place in lightly greased 9x13 in. pan. Allow dough to rise until doubled in size. Bake in preheated oven 350 deg. For 20-25 min or until golden brown.

Glaze:
1/3 c. butter
½ C. vanilla ice cream
½ C. packed brown sugar

In a small sauce pan, melt butter. Add ice cream and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 min. Pour over cooked rolls.

After you roll them out, you can let them rise in the fridge over night. I tried it and it really worked! Mmmm. Breakfast!

I know this looks hard to make, but it is really easy and really, really good!

Easy Crust-less Quiche

2008-03-02T20:38:00.000-08:00

Easy Crust-less Quiche
Julie Johnson

1 pkg chopped broccoli (I use ham instead or in addition to)
¼ c. chopped onions
¼ c. fresh sliced mushrooms
1 C. Colby cheese, shredded
1 C. milk
¼ biscuit mixes (I used pancake instead)
3 eggs
1/8 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Prepare broccoli and onions according to broccoli cooking directions. Drain. Place cooked broccoli mixture in a lightly buttered 9 inch pie plate. Add mushrooms and cheese. Combine remaining ingredients in blender; blend until smooth. Pour over broccoli mixture. Bake at 375 for 25-30 min or until firm.

Jimmy Dean’s Sausage and Egg Breakfast Pizza

2008-03-02T20:37:00.000-08:00

Jimmy Dean’s Sausage and Egg Breakfast Pizza
Pam Bigelow

1 pkg Jimmy Dean pork sausage
1 can (8.5 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 c. frozen hash brown cubes, thawed
4 oz (1 c.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 eggs lightly beaten
3 Tbs. milk
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
3 Tbs. each diced red and yellow pepper (optional)
¼ c. thinly sliced green onions (optional)
2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375. In large skillet, cook sausage over med-high head, stirring frequently until no longer pink. Separate rolls into eight triangles. Place in ungreased 12 in. rimmed pizza pan with points toward the center. Press together, seal perorations and form a circle 1 in. larger in diameter than pan bottom. Turn edges under to make a slight rim. Sprinkle cooked sausage over crust. Top with potatoes. Add peppers and/or green onions if desired. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Stir eggs, milk, salt and pepper in small bowl; pour evenly over pizza. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake 20 min or until eggs are set and crust is golden.

Pam’s notes: I use Maple sausage and 4 eggs to give it more umph! I don’t use the parmesan cheese.

So many friends

2008-02-27T20:59:00.001-08:00

I was playing around with templates today and accidentally erased my blog links. I redid them today (they needed updated anyway). Please check and make sure you are there. I'm not sure if I got everyone. If I missed you, please let me know. And don't feel bad, just know that it is due to my lack of organization. Love you all!

Bad Habits, Birthdays, Friends, and Sunshine

2008-02-13T21:32:00.000-08:00

I admit, Maren has learned this bad habit from her Mom. It is scary how much she picks up on by watching me. I probably need to watch myself a bit better or she is going to learn more bad habits! ps. Check out her cute ponytail.

Happy Birthday to Me! I had a really great 28th! I got silky PJ's, a fuzzy robe, chocolate, a new pillow, clothes, piano music and a piano lamp. I'm ready for this TLC. And check out this strawberry cheesecake. Mmmmmm.

We were so excited to have our friends from San Jose, Eliza and Brent Turner, stay with us. Whenever I move, I wonder if I will ever see my friends again. So it was great to spend some time with the Turners. Maren loved hanging out with her new friend, Jacob.
I think our winter cold spell is over. Maren and I had so much fun in our sunny backyard.

It's been a nice break

2008-02-06T20:33:00.000-08:00

Here is my catch up post. I put up a lot of pics and they all got mixed up. Sorry they aren't sequential. Andy's brother Ben got married in early December in LA. We had a great time going to Disneyland (thanks Deborah for the hookup!!) and on the beach. We had a great time at the Bramwell's for Christmas. Andy and I found out how fun it is to be on the parent side of Christmas. Maren totally raked it in. I went to Rigby again a few weeks ago with Maren. I'm officially a Tax widow as Andy is busy, busy, busy, so he got left behind. All of my immediate family was there. We had such a blast tubing in fields behind the truch. Although Mark slid into the side of the truck while it was moving and Desi tore her snowpants, no one was injured!

4 years of bliss!

2007-12-20T20:53:00.001-08:00

It's been four great years since we've tied the knot. They have actually been wonderful. When I was engaged, so many people told me how hard it was to be married and how aweful the first year is.

They were all wrong. We have had so much fun together.
Who doesn't love a kissy pic every once in a while? Shana did my wedding hair. Isn't it awesome?

Thanksgiving!

2007-12-20T20:44:00.000-08:00

I'm playing catch up. I read all of your blogs, I didn't post much, but I love you all and I'm so happy that you are either prego, have a new truck, finished school, etc.

Thanksgiving is first. Andy's parents took a great trip to Guatemala, so instead of having Thanksgiving in Boise, we packed our bags and drove to Utah to be with Andy's brothers and their families. We had such a great time. Dinner was wonderful, football was great, BYU won their game against Utah. (ha ha Audrey) Shopping was fun. Temple square lights were amazing and a great kick off to the holidays. Maren survived in spite of being the only girl amid 5 bigger boy cousins.

The kids spent the whole weekend dressing up in superhero costumes. This is Maren, the batbaby.

More good things

2007-11-20T20:13:00.000-08:00

This morning, Andy got up and walked over to my side of the bed and opened the shades. Giant snowflakes were twirling down and all the grass and rooftops were covered in snow. I love the feeling of being in a warm bed when it's cold outside. There were a bunch of kids behind the house making snowmen and forts. I love the snow. Love it, love it! Maren loves it too!

Another good think that I forgot to write last time was that I won a drawing online for a pink diaper bag. It even has breast cancer ribbons on it. So super cute. Thanks "pinks and blues" and thanks Brit for the link. I told you I want to be just like you!

Today was grocery shopping/prep cooking day for Thanksgiving. I've never made such a beautiful pie crust in my life. Wow. It is beautiful. I also made cranberry apple jello, sauteed onions and celery to put in my Stove Top to make it feel like it's homemade. I made some killer chicken salsa stuff to put on Nachos for the football games. (Go BYU and BSU!) A funny tradition the Bramwells have that I'm going to pull over to the Wycherly's is cranberry sauce straight from the can. You have to get it out of the can in the original shape, set it on a plate, and it's ready. Not pretty, but it's one of those strange traditions that have no origin, we just do it because that is how it's always been done.

Good Things

2007-11-16T21:29:00.001-08:00

There have been a lot of good things happening lately...lots to be thankful for.

Tonight we cracked out the old Christmas lights to see if they still work. Maren was in heaven. She would point at the lights and say "peetee" (pretty). She is going to make the holidays so much fun!

Maren had her 15 month appt today. 2 shots. She has jumped from 5% in weight to 50%. This girl loves to eat. Dr. G said that she loves it when Maren comes in because she is the healthiest baby she sees all day. Maren even pointed to all her body parts for the Dr. It was so cute. Except when she was asked where her eyes were, she pointed at mine. She also pooped in the bathtub for the first time. Gross! I never thought I would have to use my fish net again after Angelo II died, but I found a new use for it. Bless Andy's heart. I got "hose the baby down" job while he had to disinfect the tub and the toys. yuck. It made me very grateful that I'm not a single mom. Could you imagine getting the baby cleaned up and in her jammies and then still have a tub of poop to clean? That would really stink. Yeah for teamwork.

The missionaries gave us a visit the other night. Whenever I see them, I miss my missionary days, but I'm so glad that I'm not in their shoes. It was so hard, and so fun. After just a few minutes of talking with them, I could tell that they were good missionaries, very sincere and wanting to work hard.

I'm getting a lot closer to my goal of running a tight ship. I've pretty much have budgeting, managing papers, grocery shopping, laundry, and cooking under control. I'm still working on keeping the house clean, but it is getting a lot better. It is amazing how much happier I am when my house is clean...I've already made hair bows for my hair bow group and Christmas cards for my card group. I finally have enough time to do things that I want to do.

Wednesday night we got free tickets to the Boise hockey game. They were the cool tickets to the suite all catered. So we went with a few friends. G&G watched Maren. I don't know what it was, but it felt like the good old days when Andy and I were dating. Not worrying about the baby, hanging out on a weeknight. Maybe it was when we all crammed into Fish's car to go to the coffee shop, The Flying M, down the road. Our friend, Ben Wilson, has a bunch of his art up there and we wanted to check it out. It's pretty cool stuff. (check out the link on the right to his website). I have absolutely no artistic talent in me, nothing really creative. It used to bug me, but then I realized that my purpose in life is to be the person who appreciates it, not create it. What good would it be to have art around if there wasn't anyone to appreciate it.

Here are some more cute pics of the cousins. I call these, "Happy Babies in Jail."

p.s. Appreciating art is just a small part of my purpose in life, it's not the only reason I'm here.

Happy Halloween!!

2007-11-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone. This year Maren wanted to be a Fairy Princess. Isn't she a doll?

We have play by play pics of all the action.

First, she got all dressed up and we drove to G&G's house.

Then we got out of the car.

Walked down the sidewalk

Trick or Tread Grandma and Grandpa!

One fairy princess you don't want to mess with.
ps. I looked at all your blogs. Your kids were cute too. I was just to lazy to comment on all of them.

Tagged!

2007-10-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by my friend Brittany.

So, here we go....6 things most people don't know about me.

1. I consider myself a cowgirl. I know I don't really look the part, mostly because no one wants to see the trunk in a pair of tight cowgirl jeans. But I grew up riding horses around the farm and up in the mountains. We always had baby cows to feed before and after school. We had to teach them how do drink milk out of a bucket, so you dip your hand in the milk, (mind you it's 6:00 a.m. and -20 degrees) then let the baby calf suck your hand. Then you try to shove it's head down in the bucket while it continues to suck on your hand with it's slimy rough tongue so it can figure out where the milk is coming from. My moment of fame as a cowgirl came when I was about 9 or 10 during the stake rodeo. They turn a baby colt out in the arena and let all the kids out there with their lassos. You guessed it, I caught the colt and got to keep it. Yee-Haw!

2. I'm pregnant!

3. I hate technology and it hates me. I actually love it, until it stops working for stupid reasons.

4. I love all food except pie cherries, baby corn, and green olives.

5. I have a pretty strong stomach. Of all the disgusting bodily fluids I've dealt with as a mom, nurse, and working at my dad's vet clinic; the only think that really bugs me in the sound of suctioning snot or saliva from someones mouth/nose. It really makes me gag.

6. Just kidding about being pregnant. :)

Now I'm tagging: Jana, Shana, Meg and Alynn.

Eat Dirt!

2007-10-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Maren and I had a hard time. She wants to walk so bad, but all she can do is make it to the end of the couch and then shout out "ma-ma ma-ma ma-ma," in the most pitiful voice you have ever heard to have me come rescue her. Yesterday she didn't want to be held, she didn't want to sit and play, and she was frustrated that she couldn't walk. She would cry for me, but didn't want me to mess with her, so what do I do? We took a tour of the whole house, played on the bed, read LOTS of books, went for a walk, everything I could think of to keep her from driving me nuts with the neediness. The breaking point was when I was trying to make dinner and she was mad that I left her in the family room. So I came and got her and set her on the counter while I was trying to open a can. She picks up my darling New Orleans spoon rest and throws it on the counter. It breaks in half. I call Andy, to tell him that he needs to come home. He can't make it for another 30 min. Augh!!! So what do we do? We go shopping. Kohl's is only 1 mile away. So what does Maren get for being a baby? A new skirt and dress. Spoiled.

Today was the exact opposite. She was a doll all day. We played with blocks, she walked behind her Dora bike. She took a 3.5 hr nap. Ahhh, life is good again. The best part was when we went out to pick tomatoes. She sat on the patio and played with rocks from the bottom of empty flower pots. Who knew that was all the girl needed? Rocks and dirt from pots. She was so happy and it was such a beautiful day, I left her out there and came inside to make pink cupcakes. I could see her from the kitchen window and checked on her every few minutes to make sure she hadn't asphyxiated on a rock. Here she is in all her glory.

Winners!

2007-10-24T20:59:00.000-07:00

Big shout out to Jana F. and Brittany E. for their great comments in helping me keep my house clean. We're getting there slowly, but surely.

How clean is your house?

2007-10-18T21:12:00.001-07:00

One of my goals this year as a new mom/homeowner is learn how to "Keep house." I want to get a system down so I feel organized and not like I'm going to lose my head. I'm getting pretty good at a lot of things like budgeting, grocery shopping, and laundry. But one thing I just can't figure out is how to do my cleaning. I've tried little jobs everyday, but then it's never all the way clean. I tried to get it done in one day, and I've never been able to do it. There are just too many distractions, mostly just Maren. She doesn't like it when I'm not paying attention to her. So how do you do it? Any great advice? HELP!!!

Monday for FHE we went with Andy's parents to the Catherine Albertson Park. It is so beautiful there. The leaves are all changing colors. We wanted to do some pretty family pics, but it was just a little too dark, and I had a huge zit and hardly any make-up. Ahhh.

My Brown Bag

2007-10-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

Tonight was Home, Family, and Personal Enrichment night. (I write it all out because I'm the leader). It was such a good turnout and we had so much fun. We did a little getting to know you night and cookie swap. 95% of us have moved into the ward within the past 5 years. Before that, this area was just farm land. So we have a lot of friendships to build. We each had a little brown bag and filled it with things that describe us. It was interesting to see how people would say, "I'm kind of a boring person." But then they would continue to describe all of these amazing, interesting things that they do. One lady in my ward is going to be on Oprah! Keep an eye out for Jill with her doctor question, it hasn't aired yet.

It got me thinking about the things I've done, I do, want to do, and definitely don't want to do.
Things I've done:
Been a farmgirl
Cowgirl
Vet Tech
Waitress
Missionary in Croatia
Became a wife
Got my degree in Nursing
Worked as Pediatric Nurse
Had a baby
Never got a speeding ticket
I won a horse by lassoing it during a rodeo when I was about 10. (one of my greatest accomplishments)

Things I like to do: even if I'm not great at them.
Play with Maren, and feed, dress, bathe, kiss, hug, go on walks with, teach, and entertain her.
Blog
Bargain Shop
Play Piano
I'm trying to learn the art of running a household.
Budget
Take pictures
Learn about fashion
Decorate
Make jewelery- I never wear it though
Hang out with Andy
Have people over
Making bread
Learning to cook
Clean
Yard work
Work on my calling
Reading classics
Family History
Organizing
Knitting (I'm REALLY bad)
Stalk my classmates for our class reunion next summer

Things I wish I do
Exercise
Play sports well

Things I'm glad I don't do
Diet
be on the Oprah show
work as an RN (although I want to when the time is right)
Scrapbook

That's all for now.

Pirate Park

2007-10-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

The highlight of today (besides getting my floors mopped) was going to Pirate park with Maren. It's real name is Settler's Park, but the jungle gym looks like a pirate ship, so all the kids refer to it as pirate park. It's less than a mile away, so we cracked out the stroller and walked over there. It was such a beautiful fall day. We had a lot of fun. Maren can even go down the baby slide all by herself.

Maren takes after her mom. A HUGE Oreo fan.

She has also mastered her "Cheese!" smile.

2007-10-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

Yikes, It's been over a week. In order to blog more often, I think I need to open up a little bit more to you all so I have more to write about in here. I'm a little bit shy because I had no idea how many people check this blog. I added a site counter less than a month ago and I've already had over 1000 hits! So, who is watching me?
I used to be an avid journal writer in my HS days. I have over 15 of them. No one has ever read them. I didn't really write in them for other people to read, mostly I just needed to organize my thoughts, write down my feelings and sometimes vent. So I'm realizing that I'm having some issues making my thoughts public. So for now, you will have to suffer with the everyday things. I think I'll save all the juicy stuff for my journal.

Andy is out playing ball with his homies, Maren is down for the count, so I' have time to write. Lucky you. Here are my everyday things....the nitty gritty...I'm even going to tell you what's wrong with my nose.

Monday, Megan and I took a trip out to Nampa to go shopping. Not the first place that one would think of to go shopping, but they have build a pretty spiffy shopping site....Costco, Target, Michaels, Kohls, Marurises and more all on the same street. Last week, Costco had the most darling rocking horses for only $35. I try to not be an impulse buyer, espically at Costco, so I didn't buy it, but instead talked to Andy about it...the perfect Christmas gift for the Mare-Bear. So on Monday Meg and I went there...no more ponies. sniff sniff. But they will be getting more in a few weeks. Great customer service there.

Then we made our way to Target. I have some beautiful molding around my back door in my dining area. I decided to put plates up there because it is a little bare. So I've been on a hunt for the perfect harvesty plates and I finally found them. Harvesty but not too harvesty. I'm not computer saavy enough to put a link to a pic of them in my post, but it's there on the side.---->

Tuesday: Mr. Piano tuner came. Yes, Andy bought me a Piano a few months ago for Christmas. I know it's a little early to be getting Christmas presents, but BSU was having a sale on their practice pianos, so we snatched up a gently used one. It's beautiful and I love it. Props to Dunkley Music for the great service.

Today: Took a trip to see Dr. Swarz. (I have no idea how he spells his name) He is my new ENT doc. For the past few years I haven't been able to breathe through my nose well. I finally got fed up with it and went in. Come to find out I have a deviated septum. This really doesn't explain why I can't breathe because it has always been deviated. But I'm also all swollen up there (lucky guy gets to look up my nose). I've been on a steroid spray for the last month and it is helping. I've slept a lot better that I have been. It's great. My favorite part was that Dr. Swarz wears that headband with the metal circle on it. I've never seen a real doctor wear one. I almost laughed when he came in.

I'm finally caving into the fact that Maren is going to be a once-a-day napper from now on. I've really been trying to put this off, but I'm sick of hearing her whimper through second nap. So now she has to stay up till at least 12:30 in the afternoon. So far it is working pretty good. Three hours yesterday and 2.5 today. It's been nice to get out first thing in the morning to run errands and then let her crash in the afternoon.

Thanks for letting me write my novel.

Weekend in Salmon

2007-10-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took a road trip to Salmon Idaho. I've driven through a few times as a kid when traveling to trailrides up in the mountains, but I've never stayed there before. Why Salmon? One of Andy's clients is retiring and invited us to his party. The party was fun, we didn't know very many people there, but the food was good and it was held at the Elks Lodge. (not a lot of places in Salmon for a group of a couple hundred to meet). I've never been in an Elks Lodge. I'm not really sure what they do there, but there were a lot of really nice elk heads on the walls.

The drive to and from was absolutely wonderful. It is a small windy road through the mountains of Idaho along the Payette and Salmon rivers. The leaves were all changing colors and we even saw a little bit of snow. We saw mountain goats, chipmunks, falcons, a little squirrel. We also saw tons of deer, they weren't in the mountains, but in the cow pastures eating grass.

On the way home, we took a detour up a small canyon near Clayton to an old ghost town called Bayhorse. It was a mining town in the 1880's. The cool thing about this town is that my great-great-grandparents were miners there for several years. It was fun to see the little main street and know that over a hundred years ago, my ancestors were there. There were a lot of little houses, some kilns, and some little stores that were still standing. It was a neat experience.

The Sawtooth mountains from Stanley.

Best Friends!

2007-10-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

Maren and her cousin Brooklyn are becoming fast friends. Brooklyn is so great to push Maren around on her car. They also know how to give loves. Aren't they the cutest?!

It's so rough when you can't keep your shirt over your big belly.

Women's Celebration 5K

2007-09-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday, a bunch of us participated in the Women's Fitness Celebration 5K. It was pretty crazy, there were over 12,000 women there. This is looking towards the Boise Capitol from the Depot.

The last stretch is lined with men in tuxedos and shorts...and a moose.

The highlight of the event, was seeing Jared. You may ask, Who is Jared? He is one of the most famous people I have ever met. He even signed my t-shirt a few years back. Jared is the Subway Jared who lost a lot of weight eating their subs. We were too lazy to wait in line to get a pic with him, but I caught him later texting on his cell. I could be a real paparazzi.

Teresa, Carolyn, Me, Meg, Jamie and Holly. Yeah! We did it! Check out our hot tats.

Little Shop, Little Shop of Horrors!

2007-09-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

Andy's new job (well, not so new, he's been here for a year already) has been awesome for getting us free tickets. Our latest outing has been a visit to the Idaho Shakespere Festival to see "Little Shop of Horrors."

It is in outdoor amphitheater up in the Boise foothills and a wonderful setting for an end of summer evening. I saw the movie version probably 15 years ago, but I only remembered that the plant ate people, not much else, so I was excited to be reminded of what it is all about. The music was wonderful, the acting great, the plot was a bit cheesy, but clean. We had a great time.

So now I can add this to my list of Boise experiences along with

Boise Burn: arena football

Boise Hawks: baseball

Western Idaho State Fair

Staying in a cabin in McCall

McCall Winter Festival

Eagle Fun Days

Idaho Sampede: basket ball

Bogus Basin: Snowboarding

Zoo Boise

Bronco BSU fundraiser

Women's fitness Celebration 5k

BSU Football and basketball

So now all I need to do is float the river. Anyone know of any other fun things to do in Boise?

Time out for Women

2007-09-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Andy played Mr. Mom for a day so I could got to Time Out for Women. Carolyn (Andy's mom), Megan (my sis), Cheryl & Nikki Wilson and I all came together. It is an LDS women's conference sponsored by Deseret Book. I was really excited to go because they had an awesome line-up: Jane Clayson Johnson, Mary Ellen Edmunds, Stephen E. Robinson (he wrote Believing Christ), Chris Stewart, Sheri Dew, and musical guest Kenneth Cope.

Some parts were your cheesy LDS women power, "you are beautiful and wonderful!" but as a whole, I was uplifted and rededicated to the gospel and my life as a mom and a wife.

Here are my favorite quotes:

"If we LDS women don't hold up the title of Mother, I don't know who else will."

"Just a Mom? No way, I am a Mother."

"How will these girls know what it is to be a women of God unless WE show them? They won't get it anywhere else"

Rise and shout, the Cougars are out!

2007-09-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

Another season of Football begins. I didn't grow up watching sports much at all. Andy, on the other hand, played football, basketball, and baseball in HS. He LOVES sports. I learned a trick from Emily V. that if you ever want to get your husband's attention, you just have to say "ESPN" and immediately he perks up and wants to know what you have to say.

We bid on some awesome BYU tickets at a Boise State fundraiser during their silent auction. I guess BSU fans aren't real big BYU fans because we were the only ones to bid, so we won them. I have to admit that I love going to BYU games, I am amlumni and I love seeing Andy so giddy.

We had a great Labor Day weekend in Utah. We got to visit family, eat out with the Van Dykes (I know the rest of you are all jealous!) and go to the game. We had great seats and enjoyed the free food that came with our tickets and the the victory was sweet.

After the game we picked up Maren (thanks Jer and Jessica for babysitting) and drove to Rigby to see and bless the newest addition to the Bramwell Family: Evie Espiransa Bramwell

Isn't she a doll?!

2007-09-13T20:44:00.000-07:00

This is Maren's fist camping trip. Our ward went to Given's Hot Springs for swimming, magic shows, hotdogs, and teenagers running around holding sticks with fireballs on the end of them. I was kind of worried about how she would do during the night, but we were able to put the pac-n-play in the tent and I kept her up until 10:00. And she went right to sleep. This is her the next morning. Check out her hot new boyfriend, Dagen. He is 4 days younger than Maren but about 3 times her size. Yep Ethan Elmer, Check out the competition.

Happy Birthday Maren!

2007-09-13T20:30:00.001-07:00

Maren celebrated her first birthday August 14. It's amazing to me what one year can do to a little kid. She is the sweetest little girl ever. She loves to sleep, eat, read books, riding in shopping carts, her dad, blankie, binki, and kitty. She also had a strange obsesison with dogs. I was even in a craft store the other day and Maren starts barking and freaking out. I turn around and sure enough, someone had their dog in the store. So I find myself going up to strangers all the time asking if my baby can pet their dog. They think it is hilarous.
Her birthday party was a lot of fun. Grandma and Grandpa Wycherly were there, along with Megan, Billy, Brayden, Brooklyn and Desi. Even some of Desi's friends came.

Her cake was Juniqua from her favorite show "The Backyardagains." It's pretty much the only show she gets to watch because I can't stand the annoying voices on all the other kid's shows. So I figure I'd enjoy myself while Maren still can't voice her opinion and limit her to just one show.

Check out her rocking hot sunglasses from G&G W.

Maren's New Tricks.

2007-09-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

Catching up

2007-07-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, since no one liked my 72 hour kit entry, we are back to posting pictures. This is what we've been up to this summer.
Zach Bramwell show's off his killer rowing skills in a horse trough...the ultimate of white trash boating.
Hiking in Island Park
Yeah Yellowstone!
Maren's first time on the water. (with Grandpa and two of her aunties Desi and Lexie
More Yellowstone

Teeth!
Peachfuzz!
Happy 4th of July

Maren LOVES the pool!

72 Hour Kit

2007-06-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

Recently, it seems everywhere I go I'm hearing about emergency preparedness and making 72 hour kits. It's happening so much, I'm starting to get paranoid that some disaster is going to happen. So I've started working on getting a 72 hour kit put together.
Last week I bought 6 gallons of water. This week it's food. Here's my list. Let me know if you have any great ideas.

www.fema.gov
www.redcross.org
www.providentliving.org

Breakfast:
Granola Bars
Pop Tarts
Oatmeal
Juice

Lunch
Tuna and crackers
Dried fruit
PB and J on hard toast
Canned chicken

Dinner
Canned soup
Cup o Noodles
Canned Veggies
Spam (just kidding- I'd rather starve)

Snacks
Beef Jerky
nuts
Gum
Candy

Formula and baby food for Maren
I think we would survive.

Lexie's HS Graduation and G&G Bramwell's House

2007-05-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

Angie's little sister, Lexie, graduated from Rigby High School. We are so proud of her. She is the last to leave home and is off to BYU-I. Good Luck.

We had a great weekend at Grandma and Grandpa Bramwells. Full of 4-wheeler rides, mowing the lawn, chasing cows, sleeping in the RV, visiting graves, and planting eggs in grandma's magic garden. (when the eggs hatch, you get a toy car or some money)

Okay, I admit I've been a lazy blogger.

2007-05-03T21:58:00.000-07:00

I've just been reading everyone's blogs and have really enjoyed seeing how you are all doing and I realized that you really haven't heard from me for a while. Granted the most exciting thing going on in my life is Maren, so I post pictures of her and feel like you guys know what is going on.
So this is my life
Maren: she is doing awesome. She is still just a skinny little bird, but she loves to play, sleep and eat. We have so much fun together. My neighbor started Stroller Strides in our area. I totally reccomend it for new moms. It is a workout in a park with your baby and stoller. I did it two days ago and I'm still sore. It's great socialization with other moms. Maren loved being outside and watching us be so silly while I was doing lunges all over the park. Too bad they are held during her morning nap, so we might wait to join when she is bigger.

I love our new house. We have really enjoyed the warm weather and working in our yard. I've been planting flowers, made 2 planters for the front door, and started an herb garden. Andy's parents are letting us share their garden- I'm so excited for red potatoes! I still have a lot of decorating to do. It is amazing how full our 2 bedroom apartment was and how empty our house is now. I've been slowly filling it up. I really want a ceramic chicken for above the cabinets.

Andy is watching the Warriors/Mavericks game. They keep showing shots of San Francisco. We both miss the Bay Area so much. What a great time in our lives. It is such a beautiful area with so many fun things to do and so many great people. We will always remember it as a sweet memory.

Andy still really likes his job. We survived tax season. It really wasn't as bad as I was expecting. They hired 2 part-time ladies to help out and they rocked. I'm so grateful that Andy has such a good job that I can stay at home with Maren. I miss working a lot, but it would break my heart to leave her to go to work. When she is older and when I'm ready, I might go back part-time. Eventually I would love to teach. I just taught first-aid to the YW going to girls camp. They were really getting into it.

Oh- something that is a bit overwhelming for me is that I got called to be Home, Family, Personal Enrichment leader. I'm like the baby of our ward and I don't feel like I know what I'm doing. But I guess that's how the Lord works, he likes to stretch us to help us grow. Let me know the fun things you've been doing in your ward for enrichment. I would love ideas.

I think that's enough blabbing for now.

Andy say hi.

More Maren

2007-05-03T21:34:00.001-07:00

one minute of giggles

2007-04-11T21:01:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter

2007-04-11T10:38:00.000-07:00

Maren loves living so close to Grandma and Grandpa Wycherly. We got to celebrate Easter at their house. Maren slept while we colored eggs, but she was up just in time to eat candy. This pink bunny was Maren's first Peep. She stuck his ear in her mouth and after 10 seconds, the whole ear was gone!

Going....going....

Gone!!
She also had a great time finding Easter eggs with the help of Daddy and Oscar the Grouch.

Happy March Madness

2007-03-28T20:53:00.000-07:00

Maren and the family have been watching a lot of college basketball over the past 3 weeks. Maren's Mom got a perfect 4 out of 4 on her Final Four picks. Daddy only got 3 and Maren only got 2 (she had Kansas winning it all). Mom's got Florida, Daddy's got UCLA, and Maren's become a big Georgetown fan. She thinks Roy Hibbert is going to dominate Greg Oden on Saturday. Daddy keeps telling her she's crazy.

But it begs the question, who ya got? Hibbert or Oden?

Maren's Tricks

2007-03-26T11:19:00.001-07:00

I love green!

2007-03-06T19:03:00.000-08:00

I started making my own baby food. It's actually pretty easy and fun. My favorite part is the awesome colors that homemade food turn out to be. This is actually frozen peas, cooked, and run through the blender. I do a whole batch and freeze them in ice cube trays then put them in ziplocks. It's nice knowing exactly what she is eating.

6 months and still growing.

2007-02-28T11:27:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to organize Maren's clothes. All 13 tons of them. I was about to put her Christmas dress away, but I realized that I didn't take any pictures of her in it. So we had a little photo shoot on the couch today.

And the photo shoot ends when she pees on my blanket.

Party Time

2007-02-20T15:17:00.000-08:00

Maren's first tub party. She loved bathtime with her cousins Davis and Carter.

Visit from Elder Dallin H. Oaks

2007-02-19T21:15:00.000-08:00

After 17.5 years in the Stake Presidency, Andy's dad was released from his calling as Stake President - yeah!!! The best part was that Elder Oaks was the visiting General Authority and stayed at Andy's parent's house on Saturday evening.

Andy, his parents, and brothers had root beer floats with Elder Oaks on Saturday night and spent about an hour getting to know him and listening to his interesting and funny stories. He is really a very kind, friendly, caring and a "real" person. He is so warm and greeted everyone by saying a loud, "Hello family!" when he walked in the door on Sunday afternoon after the conference. We enjoyed listening to him during the Saturday evening and Sunday morning sessions of the conference. We also enjoyed having Sunday dinner with him before he returned home. He personally said goodbye to each of us and said, "Goodbye friends!" as he got into the car. It was an amazing experience to be so close to an apostle and the spirit that he carries with him uplifted us and reconfirmed our testimonies of his divine calling. Truely a one-in-a-lifetime experience!

Elder Mead, Sister Mead, Elder Oaks, Mom Wycherly, Newly Freed Dad Wycherly

Here we go again!

2007-02-12T20:38:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to me! Check out that beautiful cake my honey made me.
Two of the best presents I received was a new camera (Yea!) and a manicure/pedicure. I guess black is the new cool polish color.

I've been stuffing my baby full of rice cereal, carrots, yams, peas, bananas, peaches and even prunes. I finally got a double chin on her, but I'm still working on her bird legs. She definitely didn't get her legs from her mom. That's for sure!

P.S. Be very cautious with the prunes. I haven't ever had to change her clothes so many times in my life. ewww!

It's official

2007-01-30T20:02:00.000-08:00

After completely dismantling the camera and getting shocked a few times, Andy pronounced the camera dead. RIP. So in the meantime, more old pics.
So all you photo buffs, I'd love to get some input on cameras. (hint hint Janelle, Tanners, Sara p., and Hillary)

Wycherly Family Portraits

2007-01-23T21:30:00.000-08:00

My camera is sitting on the counter now, all 6 screws undone, and the back plate off. Yep, I think it's dead. Andy is going to play around with it when he gets a chance, wish him luck.

Until the poor thing gets revived, check out the Wycherly Family.