Team Tunell

Christmas 2011

2012-01-06T18:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas was fun this year. We did a lot of activities together, some with family and some with just the two of us. On Christmas day, my sister came down from Phoenix to spend the night. We had our Christmas dinner (famous Tunell "Goldenrod Eggs") then opened presents and played games. We watched "Miracle on 34th Street", and just had a pleasant time! Sean received the boardgame "Ticket to Ride", the 7th season of Home Improvement, and the Truman Show on Blu-Ray. Sean gave me "Soul Surfer" on Blu-Ray (I love that movie!), and lots of chocolate so I stop eating the chocolate chips. ;) Emilie gave us some new card games, and she received a CD and some DVDs. The best Christmas present was when my mom sent me several of my favorite children's books, like Ferdinand the Bull, Sammy the Seal, and Danny and the Dinosaur. She also gave me two of the best Max Lucado books: You Are Special and Because I Love You. And all the time spent with Sean was some of the best we've had.

The day after we went to Safford to visit Mom, Steve, and Ian. Derek and Loren came too. :) We played lots of games, ate out, and went on a little hike on Mt. Graham. Leo and Lily were with us in Safford (for the last time- Lily has unfortunately digressed in her housetraining...sigh...) but they sure enjoyed that hike! Leo even swam in the icy river water!

Overall, it was a great vacation, and a great start to the new year. We have already learned so much in the few weeks of 2012, and look forward to many more opportunities to go where He wants us to go. :)

2011 Family Pictures

2011-12-18T21:57:00.000-08:00

After at least 3 years, we finally updated our family photo! (About time, especially since Sean has facial hair and I am now a short-haired brunette.) We only have a few available (one of which is now at the top of our blog) due to copyrights, but enjoy what we have. More posts to come!

First Date Anniversary - 5 Years

2011-11-21T22:04:00.001-08:00

The weekend of November 11, Ian came to stay with us when Mom and Steve went to Sedona for their 5 year anniversary. Our first big activity was hiking Picacho Peak followed by ice cream at Dairy Queen. It was a fun, intense hike! And it was the same activity Sean and I did for our first date on November 13, 2006. Both trips were worth the view ;)

That night we had pizza and watched a movie, and Saturday Sean and Ian did projects followed by Carl's Jr for dinner. I managed to hurt my back so I just chillaxed for the rest of the day. It was a lot of fun! It was great having Ian with us. :D

:) Schmile!

November 13, 2006

November 11, 2011

November 13, 2006

November 11, 2011

Happiness = Lots of Snuggles :)

Catch Up Four part 2

2011-07-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

Our campground was just past the official Havasupai Falls, shown in the picture at the top of the blog. On our way we passed "New Falls" which will be featured later, and on Friday we traveled to "Mooney Falls", also amazing. We swam and jumped and climbed and took it all in. The young men were awesome- made friends with several of them. It was neat to get to know the other half of the youth. I usually only get to know the young women. The hike out was the hardest. We left at 3:30 am so we wouldn't get caught hiking in the hottest part of the day. We made it out by 10:30- a lot faster than going in. I surprised myself with how well I did, especially since I came away with two blisters on each foot and a swollen right knee. Sean kept up right behind me and constantly told me how well I was doing. He helped me out a lot. It was so awesome to experience this trip along with him- wouldn't have been the same without him. :) Go Havasupai!

(And Go Team Tunell!!!)

The river next to where we set up our tent

New Falls

My 2nd waterfall jump at New Falls. The first "jump" I

had to have one of the young men push me,

but this time I managed to jump on my own.

(Sean jumped too...or rather, insisted on being

pushed. Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture

or video :( )

Sean clearly intimidated by the warning sign

In we go!!!

Hehehe...totally worth the risk.

What we had to climb down and up

to get to the waterfall. Kinda scary

but pretty cool!

Beautiful Mooney Falls

Nate Price, Dave Omer, and Sean

The Leaders...and Us

The Crew at Mooney

Playing in the waterfall! So amazing!

(I had a walking stick to help me out due to

blisters on both feet)

We got to snuggle behind the waterfall, too!

(Not pictured....obviously)

A good shot of how high up we were, and that's

about halfway up!

VICTORY!!! WE MADE IT!!!!

With my boys McKay and Sayre Stewart

(their sis Taylor was one of my amazing YCLs)

We all survived!

We rock socks and awesome sauce!!!!

Catch Up Four part 1

2011-07-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

#6: Hike To (And From) Havasupai Falls (July 13-16)

Sean and I had the extraordinary privilege of going with several young men and their leaders from our stake on their High Adventure trip to Havasupai Falls in the Grand Canyon. It was a backpacking trip- something I had never done and really wanted to. I was a little nervous but I am so glad I went. It was the hardest thing I've ever done and I pushed myself farther than ever before, and it was worth it! Part 1 shows pictures of us getting ready to head out, the first part of the hike including the native American village just before the campground. Part 2 will show all the cool stuff we saw and did once at the falls. It's definitely something we will do again!

The whole crew before the drive up on Wednesday

Thursday morning at our camping site. We camped

by the side of the road Wednesday night. It was

so cold but so beautiful out there!

The crew before descending into the canyon

"We goin' in there?" "Yup."

All geared up and ready to go!!!

Taking a rest- such beautiful views!

On the road again!

The Village

The LDS Church in the village- how amazing

is that? You really can find the church anywhere-

even in the bottom of the Grand Canyon!!!

Catch Up Three

2011-07-18T11:13:00.000-07:00

#5: 4th of July

This year, we had a very unusual but wonderful 4th of July. Almost a week beforehand, we volunteered to have a couple and their baby, who were moving in to the ward, stay with us until their rental house was ready. Their names are Squire and Jamie Hepworth, with baby Lincoln. We had a great time! They are so fun! Anyway, Emilie invited us to her place in Phoenix for a BBQ, a pool party, and fireworks. (Who could resist that?) So we went and the Hepworths came along. It was such a great day! :) And the fireworks were awesome.

Happy Birthday, America! God Bless!

Catch Up Two

2011-07-18T10:41:00.001-07:00

#3: Hangin' at the Tucson Rodeo

Neither Sean or I had been to the rodeo, and the rodeo grounds were literally just down the street from our project house (this was in February). So we went! Why the heck not, right? We had a really good time...I think I had too much fun :P It was pretty darn neat! Sean took more movies than pictures but this one I had to get. This little boy is too cute!!!!

#4: East Valley Mormon Choral Organization (EVMCO) and Collin Raye

My sister, Emilie, is part of a volunteer all-LDS full choir and orchestra in Phoenix, and this year, their Memorial Day concert had an amazing guest star: Collin Raye. If you know country music, you know who Collin Raye is. If you don't....I cry for you because he is amazing, not just as a musician. I was blessed to be able to meet him after the show and he is the most generous man ever. He acted like he would have spent all day with each fan if possible. His emotional outpouring during the show made it clear he loves God and this country. I loved every minute of the show. :) Oh, and Collin Raye singing "Amazing Grace" accompanied by bagpipes = awesome.

Myself, Collin Raye, and Emilie

Playing Catch Up

2011-07-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

Holy cow...its been FOREVER (seemingly) since we last posted anything to our blog, and we've been busy! Time to play catch up! I plan on doing a few small posts rather than one ginormous one. :) Enjoy the comings and goings of Team Tunell!

Catch Up One: Projects

The Mickey Mouse Bathroom

A while back I decided I was done with the rubber ducks, as much as I love that song, and Sean found the blue color quite tacky. So I set out to transform it into my first (yes, there will always be one wherever we go) Mickey Mouse bathroom!

The Dining Room Table

Our table is one we inherited from Sean's family. He had that table for most of, if not all, his growing up years. It was in great condition in terms of sturdiness but had been pretty beat up, especially on the table top. Since we planned to re-do the dining room floor, I thought we had better have a nice looking table to go with it. So I set out on my first furniture refinishing project! It didn't turn out perfect, but it looks pretty good for a first timer!

Ta-Da!!!

Backyard Saga, Part 2

2011-04-08T17:17:00.000-07:00

Today, we went to Civano Nursery and Ace to buy more things to beautify our backyard, mostly plants. We also bought tan and brown pavers, though those will come later. Here are some "before" and "after" pictures of our apple tree, and then of all the plants we put in today. Enjoy!!

Before

After with Gorgeous Blossoms!

Can't wait until it's done!!!!

It Is Finished!!!

2011-03-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

Well, the time has come! In January, Sean and I purchased a house on auction to fix up and resell. And it's finally done! Unfortunately we didn't take before pics like I thought, so enjoy how great it looks now and just use your imaginations. We don't have a buyer yet, but hopefully now that its done, we will soon. We have a buyer for the van (hooray!) and are beginning a few projects at our house that I'll post about later. For now, enjoy the awesomeness that is our Project House!!

Ta-Da!!!

Inner Tube

2011-01-03T20:25:00.001-08:00

Sean here,

Yeah, the random pictures of wheelbarrow tubes probably didn't make sense. Well, Last fall I was hauling some cut limbs from our tree with the huge thorns into the back yard. The next time I wanted to use the wheelbarrow, I realized the tire was flat, obviously from the thorns. Ace didn't have any tire liners (which seems ridiculous to me, out here in the high desert), but I did something indigenous. I cut a ring out of the wheel side of the old tube, and slid the new tube inside of the old one. It's working great so far, but I haven't been driving it over any thorns. That made it possible to haul the rocks and dirt to plant the apple tree! Today I bought some drip hose and hardware to hook up the new plants to the current drip system. That's going to make plant maintenance far more convenient!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T22:01:00.000-08:00

I know- its been a ridiculously long time since I've updated this blog. Sean changed his password for a short time so I was unable to log in as regularly. Well, I will do my best to give you all an update.

Life has certainly been a whole lot better for us than before. We still hit speed bumps, but we are so much happier and closer. I'm personally grateful for a new year to make things even more wonderful. Thanksgiving was fun. We had Mom, Steve, Ian, Grandpa and Grandma Tunell, and my sister, Emilie, over. We're so glad you all came! Good food and good company- just a couple of the many things to be grateful for!

Christmas was also a fun time. We were at Mom's house for Christmas morning, and Aaron and Vicki and Co. plus Grandpa and Grandma joined later. It was a nice time. I succeeded in getting Sean gifts he actually liked this year! (Bonus points for me!) He received a wireless sensor bar for the Wii, the "original" Star Wars movies on DVD, and a repair manual for his car. He, being the fabulous husband he is, spoiled me with all 3 Anne of Green Gables movies, a Muppet Christmas Carol, and a new bookshelf for our bedroom. Thanks for Loren for the wonderful book I already finished- its a new favy! The only sad thing was not having my puppies with me on Christmas morning...I know I'm weird. :)

I was also able to have a slumber party with 4 of my girls from camp. We had a ton of fun. We stayed up until 3 am, watched Three Amigos (did not realize how much cussing there was- geez!), Stardust, and various ridiculous YouTube videos...all with a healthy side of chips and soda. :) I sure love those girls. I feel blessed I was able to serve with them and learn from them.

The new year means a lot of projects around our house. Decorating, landscaping, and so on. We bought a Gala apple tree to plant in our backyard, as well as a Jessamine honeysuckle plant, a Rosemary plant, and a bay leaf plant. In the spring we hope to plant a dwarf peach tree opposite our tangelo. Its so exciting to see the backyard take shape!!! Its going to be pretty when its finished.

Today we learned we've been released from our church calling as nursery teachers. We've taught for over a year and a half (which is a long time to spend with 2 year olds). We're sad yet relieved, and are anxious to see what other things the Lord will ask of us! But we sure will miss those special little spirits we grew to love as we served them.

I haven't really started them yet but I have a lot of projects I'll be working on until school starts, most of which involve decorating and organizing the house. Oh, and scrapbooking...that'll be fun.

Anyway, we have a lot to be thankful for, both good and bad experiences, and a whole lot MORE to look forward to. We're even playing around with the idea of going on a cruise this summer for our 4-year anniversary, but we'll see!! Love you all and enjoy the pictures we have!

Our new tree near the designated spot

Prepping the area to dig

Soaking to make digging easier

The tree is in!

Making sure its vertical

Ta-Da!!! Success!!!

Sean replacing the tube on our wheelbarrow

tire. He's becoming quite the handyman!!

At the slumber party with some of my YCLs.

This is Taylor attempting to get through the

doggie door. (Tells you how hyper we all were.)

Many bruises were formed as a result...I love this kid.

Is it legal to have this much cuteness in one room?

SNUGGLES!!!!

Just Doin' Stuff

2010-09-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

Well, life has been interesting to say the least. Sean and I were separated for a while but are now back together, trying to take things one day at a time. Part of that involves doing fun things together like hiking to and exploring Coronado Cave in Sierra Vista, climbing rock formations in Texas Canyon, and having a lasagna/chocolate chip cookie baking party. There's a light up ahead for sure. :) Thanks for all your support and prayers.

I had to scale a pretty small ledge to get there

Sean riding the "Cave Dragon"

Beautiful Texas Canyon

That was a tough place to get through

I have conquered the mountain!

Hmm...yumminess in a pan...

Hungry yet?

Other Fun: Leo and Lily

Lily staring down the chocolate cake...

Snuggles!

I found them this way after I got out of the

shower. They've never done this before.

So cute!!!

It's About to Get Hairy...Literally...

2010-08-25T13:17:00.001-07:00

Well, as most of you know, due to some complications, the boys were removed from our home a few weeks ago. At first, it was difficult. However, with prayer, fasting, and attending the temple, we have learned that this is Heavenly Father's plan, and all will be well, both for us and the boys. We know he will watch over them, so we're at peace with everything. Still, keep them in your prayers, as well as their birthmother, as this is very hard for her to endure.

On a happier note, I succeeded in getting back into the Veterinary Technology program at Pima Community College. It was quite a miracle, actually. I had rejected the program offer, due to the adoption. So, after all this stuff happened, I thought I would inquire about possibly being in the program this fall. I didn't want to sit around "moping" for a year- I would've gone insane. I e-mailed the Department Head, fully expecting him to say "I'm sorry, we're full. Try again next year". Instead, he said, "If you register today, I can re-instate you back in the program." I was flabbergasted...seriously amazed. What a blessing from the Lord! I'm still in awe of it.

Anyway, today was my first day of classes. I will be taking four classes this semester for a total of 13 credits. And my class of 26 was basically told: several of you will not make it past the first semester; some of you will not graduate the program; you will spend more time with your classmates than your spouses/significant others; and this program will consume your life for the next two years. So...if you don't see much of me for two years, please don't take it personally. I just really, really, REALLY want to succeed at this and its going to require everything I have-mentally, emotionally, and physically. So life is going to get BEYOND interesting. I hope to talk to most of you soon, but honestly...don't count on it. :P Love you and thanks for all the prayers and support!!!!

Chillin' with Aunt Loren

2010-07-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, Sean's sister Loren came to visit us. The boys absolutely loved her, and she had a great time with them. We went to see "Despicable Me" (so cute) and had dinner at Chick-Fil-E. Overall, a great time. Loren took some super cute pics of her and the boys in the car. She was brave enough to squeeze between them in the backseat. We're excited for her next visit!

Chillin' on the couch (Alex now knows ALL his letters

and enjoyed showing Loren his skills)

Gangsta A. Lex

'Sup?

New Car!!!!

2010-07-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

We are getting a minivan and joining the ranks of Mormon families. It's off of Ebay, and we're getting it for a total of $10, 470 after fees. Its a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan, really good condition (used to be a fleet vehicle). It has the "stow and go" seating, MP3 jack, cruise control, all kinds of nifty features...hehe...Anyway, I'm going to Phoenix this Friday to bring it home. Can't wait!

First Day of School!

2010-07-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

Monday was Alex's first day of kindergarten. He loves his new school clothes, and loves his new teacher, Mrs. Jung. We were able to enroll him at Mesquite Elementary in the Vail School District, which isn't our district but is the best one in Arizona. What a blessing! His day wasn't fool proof...first, he wasn't "allowed" to eat his lunch because he was supposed to eat at home before leaving. Oops! He was a good sport about it though, and they did have a snack time. Then, there was confusion about which bus he was supposed to ride on, so I had to go pick him up. What a trooper! We're workin' out the kinks. Anyway, here's some photos:

Mr. Handsome to the rescue!! (Complete with Iron Man backpack)

His class board

The room was super awesome

Guy Smiley :)

Adventures on the Homefront!

2010-07-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since an update. We've been super busy- learning, growing, and having fun (for the most part). The boys and I (Erin) have been going on a lot of play dates, allowing all of us to make new friends. Our new fabulous friends are the Lorenz's- Andy, Claudia, Jakob, and Cederick. The boys love playing together, and so do the parents! It's been really neat getting to know them and learning from them.

Alex has started karate and he loves it so far. On Monday he'll start kindergarten. We're excited because he has an awesome teacher in a great school. Can't wait to see how he progresses! He does really well with family prayer and scriptures, and he is such a great helper at home. And he's very patient with Sean and I as we learn this whole "parenting" thing. :)

Connor was learning some sign language, and has since started using more words. He repeats nearly every word we say, and its cool to see his speech improve. He loves to smile and be silly- he's such a ham. He's caught on to folding his arms for prayer time and is very enthusiastic about being involved in family activities.

One of my very favorite pictures

Three of the most handsome guys on Earth!

(and they're all mine...hehehe...)

At the park

Boys + sticks = Fun

Visit with Grandma Hunt

Alex and Connor

2010-05-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

Well, everyone- we're back!!! And we had a great time. We're pretty pooped (driving 14 hours in one day will do that to ya) but it was worth it. We'll be heading back in 2 weeks to bring our boys home. Hooray!!

Our first day we met them at McDonald's for breakfast then went to the park for lunch and to play. Their mom and others siblings were there, which was fun. But I think the best day was Wednesday when we took them to the Dallas Zoo. Their mom was unable to go with us and it worked out very well. The boys really relaxed and opened up. They bonded with us very well, even the 2-yr-old, and it was pretty neat stuff. Both boys, first the older one (Alex), called us "Mom" and "Dad" right from the get go. Connor followed his big brother's example. After the zoo, since their mom wasn't home yet, we hung out at the hotel and watched cartoons to relax after all the walking. Connor and I got into a tickle fight which was really fun.

Their birthmom was really surprised at how well they bonded, especially Connor. He was much more open and outgoing than she had ever seen him, which was neat for us to hear.

Here's some pictures from our fun day. Can't wait for two weeks to be over!!!

Alex and Erin

Alex and Sean

Handsome boy

Mr. Curiosity

Feeding the Burros

"Look, Mom- birds!"

Cutie Pie

Connor Bear

Nephi's Ship...and other fun.

2010-05-04T15:33:00.000-07:00

Well, since only a handful of folks read this, I will go ahead and "get to the punchline". (No commenting on Facebook until I do.) Right now, we are in the process of becoming approved with an adoption agency in Dallas, Texas that will allow us to adopt two little boys, ages 2 and 5 (they're brothers). Both Sean and I, as well as the birthmom, feel very good about moving forward and so far, things are falling into place. They probably wouldn't be home with us until the end of June, but that's fine. We'll be plenty busy until then! So the cat's out of the bag! We're pretty stoked!

For those who may worry that we are "rushing into things" or that it's not a good idea because we've never been parents, etc, I have a story from the Book of Mormon to answer your concerns.

1 Nephi 17- Nephi Builds a Ship

Read it. :) Nephi had never built a ship, but the Lord asked him to. So he did! And the Lord showed him how. He was not left to figure it out alone.

Long story short: We feel like we've been asked to "build a boat". We've never done it but if we have faith, and "go and do", we're going to be just fine.

We'll definitely keep you posted!

Backyard Saga, Part 1

2010-04-28T17:46:00.001-07:00

Well, our backyard isn't quite finished, but at least we have our turf down. And now we have pictures! Hooray!

The dogs LOVE the new yard!

And here's a picture of Sean and the pups:

Love ya'll!

The Unpredictability of Life- Don't Ya Love It?

2010-04-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

"The only thing predictable about life- is its unpredictability." Yes, that's a movie quote, but one that fits our current situation very, very well. I don't want to delve into details right now, until we know more information, but big changes may very well be coming to the Team Tunell Headquarters very soon.

Last night, for the second time, we watched the movie "The Blind Side", and once again, I was inspired, strengthened, and touched by the example of the remarkable woman named Leigh Ann Tuohy (played by Sandra Bullock). She followed her heart and her intuition, though it made no sense to anyone else, and by so doing, she found her second son, Michael. And though his biological mother, who could not care for him, would always be his mother, Leigh Ann was his "mama". I hope I can be like Leigh Ann- full of faith, charity, and strength to do what she knows is right, come what may.

We'll keep ya'll posted. :)

Things are Lookin' Up!

2010-03-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

Well, we're happy to announce that things are looking up, particularly in the adoption arena. For one, we have an awesome new caseworker named Hannah Rawhouser. She's from Phoenix, but she'll be taking over the Tucson adoptions. She's solely an adoption worker, and its great to have someone so dedicated on our team. She's given us ideas and feedback, and generally helped us feel optimistic about it all. Her biggest suggestion was signing up with a website called Parent Profiles. It's the #1 site that birthmothers look at to find potential adoptive parents. She's seen a lot of good results with it, and we have some characteristics that work in our favor (young, no children yet, etc), so she's pretty positive. We're so excited! Of course, who knows what will happen or what Heavenly Father has in store for us. But come what may, by golly, we'll love it!

Three Years and Counting...

2010-03-11T17:48:00.000-08:00

This Saturday, the 13th, is our three year wedding anniversary. Where on earth has the time gone? Well, I don't know about the time, but we went to Sedona, AZ for a little anniversary trip. We received a free 3 day/2 night hotel stay by going to one of those "I'm not going to buy anyway" timeshare presentations, so we took advantage of it. Leo and Lily stayed in a kennel in Tucson and as cute as they are, it was nice not to worry about them.

We arrived Tuesday night and didn't do much. We watched the new "Star Trek" movie that the front office had for rent. It was pretty cool- I think I'd rather watch it edited, though, and went to Sonic for dinner. We attempted to go bowling, but all the leagues were there, so they wouldn't let us in. We resorted to playing arcade games for 45 minutes before heading out. Not the most fun we've ever had, but not bad.

Wednesday was the busiest and best day. First, we went to the Out of Africa Wilderness Park. There was lions, tigers, bears (say it- you know you want to), zebras, giraffes, several species of antelope, wolves, a rhino named Boom Boom, and a funny camel named Humphrey, and the list goes on! It was so neat! It was better than a zoo because the animals were in a more natural environment, and at the end of the day, we got to follow the meat truck and watch them feed the predators. We discovered the one thing that makes hyenas laugh (by the way, a hyena laugh is absolutely hilarious)- is food. When the hyenas saw their chickens, they chuckled like they had just won the lottery. Good times. And the panthers and tigers made happy noises in their throats. Love it.

The most memorable thing was I kissed a giraffe. And I don't mean "kissed a giraffe on its furry noggin". I literally KISSED a giraffe. On the safari tour, we were each given a carrot to feed to Pilgrim, the lovable giraffe. One of the ways we could give the carrot was by placing it between our teeth, and Pilgrim would take it from there. I couldn't resist! Giraffe kisses aren't that bad, actually. Kind of like a giant cat...hehe. Another cool thing was the "Tiger Splash" where a white tiger and a lioness played with their handlers. The tiger LOVED the water and would leap into the air to pounce on inflatable balls tossed into the pool. So cute!

That evening, we went to the Blazin' M Ranch. It was Old Tucson and the Gaslight Theater rolled into one. There were little western shops, Sean and I tried our hands at roping a calf dummy, and our favorite thing was the photo shop where we dressed in old style western clothes and got our picture taken. I'll scan and post it when I get a chance. It's pretty awesome. I'm in a showgirl outfit with a feather boa, fishnet stockings, a derringer pistol in one hand and a stack of money in the other. Sean was one good lookin' cowboy poker player, with his revolver in one hand and shot of "whiskey" in the other. Fantastic. After that, we had a "cowboy style" dinner with barbecue meat, baked potatoes, cowboy beans, coleslaw, biscuits, and lemonade. Then we were entertained by the Blazin' M Cowboys, kind of a folk singing group, along with their crazy hillbilly friend, Otis, who was my favorite. What a great night! We went to bed exhausted but all smiles.

On our last morning, we took a short hike and saw some neat sites of Sedona. Then we hopped in the car and headed home. We voted this trip our best trip ever- look forward to going back and doing more! Enjoy the pictures! (We bought a cheap digital camera at Wal-Mart so we'd have something for our trip. It worked pretty well!)

A cute little cafe we discovered

Otis the Hillbilly- he's fantastic!!

My cute cowboy (the one not wearing the hat)

The Blazin' M Cowboys!

The way to a giraffe's heart is through his stomach...

Pilgrim kisses!!

Kebo the Giraffe LOVES red cookies- and he's not afraid to show it.

Humphrey the Camel! He ran along with the tour bus and bounced around like a puppy.

A tiger waiting for his supper

Seven Pools, with natural bubbles. Beautiful!

We love Sedona!

Wow...it's been a while...

2010-02-03T17:41:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the lack of post-age, folks...our camera decided to break during Christmas vacation, and so far, I've been unable to fix it. Lack of pictures = lack of blog posts, because let's face it: posts are more fun with pictures. But, I'll give ya'll an update anyway...

Sean is now in his 2nd year with Raytheon and doing well. He's developed more of a "gung-ho" attitude toward his work making him feel and be much more productive. This makes for a much happier hubby when he comes home (hooray!). He's still working on the Eternity II puzzle with Aaron. Apparently it was NOT solved last year, so they have another year to solve it. (Good luck, guys!) He's enjoying his at-home projects, too, which include enlarging our patio and installing artificial turf. Hopefully by February's end we will have a pretty nifty looking backyard started!

I'm at home now- no work (aka no stallions out to eat me) and no school (my program doesn't start 'til the fall, and I can't even apply until April). So that means lots of reading, lots of projects, and lots of trying to stay busy without losing my marbles. So far I've put up several vinyl wall lettering sayings, such as "Celebrate family...friends...life" in the kitchen, "Love is spoken here" in the bedroom, and "Somewhere beyond the sea" in our bathroom. The one I'm most excited about is "Rubber Ducky, you're the one" which is to go in the guest bath...hehe... I also have a very challenging goal of training both our dogs in preparation for the AKC's Canine Good Citizen Test, where they will have to go through a series of tests involving "everyday" situations. If they handle these well and with control, they are deemed as good citizens and given a certificate to prove it. I know it sounds kind of silly, but it will actually be a lot of work. It will also be good to KNOW, not just think, that our dogs are well-trained and well-behaved. That's about it there...

Other than that, not much to report! Leo and Lily are doing well, though Lily is still working on house training. It's been hard with it raining so much because she doesn't like to go out on the wet ground (dogs are so silly...but I guess I wouldn't like to go potty when its raining, either). She also isn't as vocal as Leo, which means she's not very good at "asking" to go out. I'm going to try to train her to ring a bell (jingle bells hanging from the door knob) and see if that works. If not...well, I'm going for a dog door from Craigslist. Better than having to shampoo the carpet every week.

In other news...Sean and I have started to doing Irish step-dancing together. It's been fun so far! We also had a recent adventure involving a vacuum cleaner. We won a free carpet shampoo from the Kirby people at the home show. Of course, when they came, they did their sales pitch, too. The vacuum was the Kirby Sentria, and cost over $2000. But its supposed to last like 20-30 years. The vacuum is awesome (the suction power is ridiculous), it converts to a shampooer, and has all these nifty attachments. Anyway, we saw it as a good investment and decided to buy one. Now here's the rub: we found a used one on E-Bay the next day for $400. Can you guess what we did? Yup! Returned it and went for the E-Bay one. Lesson 1: Always check E-Bay first before committing to something that costs a lot. We got it last week and it works great. So we didn't really lose anything. That's always a happy thing.

Again, sorry about the posting delay. I will try to do better in the future!! Love you all!

Happy New Year (and a belated Merry Christmas)!

2010-01-01T08:26:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already 2010...personally I think its just preposterous, but nobody asked me. Anyway, our Christmas was very busy, very eventful, and very fun. We took a week and half long road trip to Utah and Idaho to visit family and friends. My sister Emilie, who lives in Phoenix, came with us...I guess technically we went with her since we took her car, but oh well... Big events include: a family "reunion" where all 5 of my siblings were together for the first time in probably 10 years or so, along with all the grandkids (craziness); the wedding of Tyler and Amanda Banks (formerly Amanda Murphy, Sean's cousin) *note: they are so cute!*; spending over 7 hours with my best friend since sixth grade playing Wii, watching Stardust, and eating pizza (just like old times...minus the new technology); taking Sean to see Avatar on his birthday then walking home in freezing temperatures (after getting ice cream, of course); having a fun game night with my "brother" Alex and his wife, Skye...her and I totally kicked the boys' butts at Disney Scene It; doing sealings with my dad, sisters Janae and Emilie, step-mom, and Sean, at the very end of which I collapsed (didn't quite pass out, but close...low blood sugar and bent knees, anyone?)- that was exciting; going to dinner with my sisters and Sean afterward and being absurd the whole time while quoting movies- so cool to do that with my sisters, especially Janae since I don't see her much; playing Apples to Apples with my dad's family and making him laugh really hard (that's rare); and watching my sister's 8 kids open presents on Christmas morning. They received some pretty neat stuff but the best was little 2-year-old Gabe's red Wiggle car. He carried in EVERYWHERE and all we heard for the days following was "The Wiggles!" in Gabe-speech (at least that's what we assume he was saying). So cute.

New Year's involved a long game night with our friends Chris and Melanie James and Ben and Ashley Pearson. We played In A Pickle, Golf (with cards), and Carcasonne, and we also watched the New Year's Eve episode of Mr. Bean. My friend Alicia gave me several Mr. Bean moments on DVD because we used to watch it as kids all the time- they rock my socks.

Leo and Lily stayed home this year. My good friend Kim house/pet sat for us, and the dogs had a great time. They are getting along much better now and we are blessed to have such good pups. Lily got a haircut like Leo's and she is even cuter than before (I know- I didn't think it was possible either). I would post pictures but our camera has decided to stop working until further notice. Luckily I do have a few pics from our trip to share. We hope you all had a safe, happy Christmas and you have a wonderful New Year! Love you!

p.s. thank you all for the wonderful gifts!

The bridge being built across Hoover Dam

My best friend Alicia and I

Lauren, Anina, Olivia, Emma, Molly, Zosia,
Noelle (my sister), Elijah, Kadin, Gordon (my brother),
Evan, Gabe, Richie, and Hannah (Heather was perpetually
hidden behind Gabe and Richie)

My sister Janae does the world's best fish lips

Here we all are!
Back: Brad and Brandon
Front: Emilie, myself, and Janae

Attempted Family Photos

2009-12-12T20:07:00.000-08:00

While my mom was visiting, she agreed to help us with our family photos. We tried- oh we tried. And we succeeded with one fairly decent picture...maybe two...anyway, we'll definitely take them for a long walk before we try again!

Jingle All the Way!

2009-12-05T09:55:00.000-08:00

At our ward Christmas party, Sean was part of a barbershop quartet that sang an amazing rendition of Jingle Bells. It was so awesome! I managed to get it on video- Enjoy! It's also on youtube @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BwOHUPUkHU

Certified!

2009-11-19T13:26:00.001-08:00

Hey, ya'll! (I love saying that) We just received word that as of November 10th, we are officially certified to adopt by the state of Arizona. How amazingly cool is that?? Of course we are adopting Lily the cocker spaniel. Depending on some test results, she will be home the week after Thanksgiving. It's exciting to build our family- even if we start with dogs and then work our way to children (haha). We've always been a slightly unconventional and rather spontaneous family anyway- don't see that changing anytime soon. We'll keep you informed! Love you all!

Sweet Little Lily

2009-11-15T09:33:00.001-08:00

We've had Lily for two overnight visits this week, and she's doing so good, we hate to take her back! But we have to for right now. She's really smart and learning how we do things around here. Aaron and Vicki came over with the boys last night and she did really well with them, too. Hooray! Here's some cute pictures I took of her this morning- she sure loves to cuddle!

Cancun and other "spontaneous" adventures...

2009-11-09T10:25:00.001-08:00

I love life...I'll just say that right now. It's too grand of an adventure to be missed!!!

As most of you know, Sean and I recently took our official honeymoon in Cancun, Mexico. We had a bit of a bumpy time getting there (bad weather, flight delays because of plastic clip-on Emergency Exit signs), but once we arrived, we had a blast! We went boogie boarding, which I had never done; we went biking, kayaking, and of course, swam a lot. The food was pretty good, and getting all the non-alcoholic pina coladas and strawberry daquiris we could handle was pretty awesome, too. One activity was me painting my own ceramic statue of two dolphins swimming together. The guy put on the lacquer and personalized it- pretty sweet!

We have other fun news (and no, I'm not pregnant so calm down):
1) We won the lottery! The doggie lottery, that is. We were on a list to adopt a cocker spaniel named Lily, and because the other person wasn't interested, we got bumped up on the list. So she's our girl! She will be coming tomorrow for a two-night visit, and we're excited. She's such a sweetheart and we think she'll be a great addition to the Team.

2) My mom will be visiting from Dec 9 to Dec 17, and then she will be riding up with us to go to Utah for Christmas, along with my sister Emilie who is in Phoenix. While she's here, she and I will be attending Emilie's big Christmas concert in Mesa called "Sing We All Noel". It looks fabulous- you should go if you can! It's Thursday, Dec 10 at 7:30 and tickets are about $14/person. (Okay, enough advertising for the sis...) The dogs will NOT be coming with us. A good friend of mine will be house/pet sitting, so everyone wins! Also while Mom is here, we will be going to the Gaslight Theatre's Christmas show, "On the Road to the North Pole" (Mom and Em love it so its kind of a Christmas gift for them to go). So December will be busy, with finals and trips and visits...and new four-legged children. But it will be grand!

3) I recently learned that Fiddler on the Roof will be coming to Tucson Music Hall in February. The best part is that Tevye will be played by Topol, the original Tevye from the movie! Hard to believe, but true! It's his "Farewell Tour", and they are going to only a handful of cities in the U.S. So, since I had some money saved up from my last job, and Sean and Emilie love the movie, and I'm liking it too (only saw it for the first time recently), and since I'm really good at being spontaneous...I bought tickets. Yes, we are going to see Topol play Tevye live, and I managed to get front balcony seats....this is going to rock! I love Broadway!

And 4) This isn't exactly good news, but kind of. Our adoption papers finally went to the courts, so hopefully we will be certified by the end of the year. We'll keep you posted.

Okay, NOW I will post pictures...(pics of Leo and Lily coming soon!)

We're here!!!!!!!!

The view from our room

Ta-Da! Our fabulous studio

Shaving cream and traveling don't mix... :P

I found a live star fish- so fun!

The Lagoon

Who's that handsome guy? Must be a tourist.

Ridin' the waves! (Sometimes...)

Chillin' at the beach

The pool at night...so pretty!

Chichen Itza!

Ancient Tic-Tac-Toe...looks like somebody won.

A Mayan temple (and us)

Our ocean view via bike ride

We found this sandy area that had thousands,
maybe millions of tiny seashells. I had to collect
some of course!

Sean was asking how to say "boat" in Spanish.
The waiter wasn't sure what a boat was, so
Sean held a napkin above his hat to illustrate.

Painting my dolphins

Of Grooming and the Gaslight Theatre...and Hiking...oh, and Painting, too!

2009-10-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

This week has been pretty fun....we finished painting the master bedroom. It looks pretty good!

(sorry if the pics are a bit fuzzy...no flash and slightly shaky hands...)

On Thursday morning, I gave Leo a hair-cut, commonly called the "cocker cut" (see picture). I think he looks oh so adorable, and if I keep this up, we will save almost $150 a year by not taking him to the groomer. Gotta love it...(even though he's not a big fan)

Last night, we went to the Gaslight Theatre with Loren and Austin. Austin had never been and he had a blast, which I think says a lot about a person. Anyway, the show was "Cronan: The Barbarian", and it was by far the funniest show I've seen there. We all laughed so hard...and the cast did, too. In one scene involving a centaur, the main actress on stage was laughing so hard she couldn't speak for like five minutes...it was fantastic...If you get a chance to see it, totally go- its there until Halloween (Oct 31).

This morning, Sean and I went to Pusch Ridge in Oro Valley for a little hike. It was fun, and of course, watching Leo explore and chase rabbits was half of the entertainment. Afterward, we went to Arby's for lunch, mostly to visit my friend Min who's the manager. Good day so far...Sean is leaving on a business trip this week until Friday, so spending all this fun time with him will sure help. I don't think we've been apart for more than a couple days, so I'm really going to miss my honey bear.

In other news, I got a D on my first chemistry test, but because I kick butt on quizzes and HW, I still have an A in the class...figure that one out...anyway, if I just keep trying, I will survive this semester!

And...let's see...oh! Sean and I are hoping to adopt another Cocker Spaniel. It's not official yet but we're really praying we get to be her family (we're on a list right now). Pima Community College's Vet Tech program (the one I'm trying for), gets animals from local shelters for the students to take care of. At the end of every semester, they find the animals permanent, loving homes. I think its a pretty cool system. Anyway, right now they have this absolutely cute female cocker named Lily. She's a golden color with amber eyes and a brown nose. And her personality is so much like Leo. She's a snuggle-bug, very sweet but very excitable, too....she's basically a golden, female version of Leo...although he could chase a ball till he fell over and she'd rather snuggle. We feel like its the right thing, especially for Leo...he just needs a friend, and Sean refuses to get another cat...anyway, keep your fingers crossed!

This isn't Lilly, but its kind of what she looks like, only her tail is docked like Leo's and her coat is more of the top length all over...just to give ya'll a visual. Real pictures coming soon!

Sean also bought me a new ring....it's not quite what I was expecting, but its the thought that counts, right? It's definitely unique...

Color Makes Me Happy

2009-08-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

So here are some pictures of the final paint job, especially showing the red color, Autumn Sunset. We're really happy with it. I also included some cute pictures of Leo- he was practicing to be the next Underdog...love you all! (p.s. I got the job with the horses...yay!)

Our beautimous kitchen!!!!

Lovely tan and red...

Super Leo!

He looks just like a little kid dressed up as
Superman...I love this dog...

Snuggles with Sean...aaawwww....

Livin' the Dream

2009-08-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

So this weekend has been really busy, but fabulous. (And it's only mid-Saturday!) Yesterday (Friday), we had our adoption homestudy. It went really well. We expect to be certified by the end of October. It could be sooner, but we'll see. After that, Mom and Loren came over to help me paint our main room. We got a lot of it done. My two colors are "Nevada Tan" and "Autumn Sunset". I'm starting on the sunset this afternoon. So that's super exciting. It just makes it feel more like home. Around 5, Aaron and Vicki came over with the boys and we all had pizza to celebrate Loren's birthday. It was fun being with the fam. This morning, Sean is working on a project with Aaron. They are trying to solve the "Eternity II" puzzle, which I guess is so challenging that, whoever solves it wins $2 Million...good luck, guys! I went to live my dream today. I was "hired" (it's pending but I'm pretty positive I got the job) to work at a stable near Tanque Verde and Pantano. I would go there in the evenings 4 times a week to bring in the horses. I would be paid $10/night which would go toward a riding lesson once a week (an hour lesson is $40). So I get to work with horses, learn how to care for them, and learn to ride...if you can't tell, I am so excited...it's the best!!!! I start classes this Wednesday. Apparently there is a waiting list for my program (Veterinary Technology), so my goal is to take Equine Science classes and work with horses until I can start the program. If our kids come first, at least I'll have the knowledge to teach them about horses and how to ride...which is a big goal of mine, too. Life is good!!!!!!!!

p.s. just a few painting photos...enjoy!

Taping the walls is fun to do...

Isn't this fun????

Sean caught Mom in her "zone"...

Gives new meaning to the term "smiling cheeks"-
Loren and I had fun with this one...

Families Supporting Adoption Conference

2009-08-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

This last weekend, Sean and I went to Phoenix to attend an adoption conference sponsored by FSA (Families Supporting Adoption). It was a great experience. We'd been to one before, focusing on open adoptions and birthmothers. This conference focused on several topics, and we attended a few workshops. Some topics we investigated included trans-racial adoption, foster care/older child adoption, infant CPR/care, and the various "adoption options". During the foster care workshop, Sean and I both felt impressed by the Spirit to look into foster care. We are still researching and praying, but we may look into becoming licensed to do foster care. It won't affect our adoption certification at all- in fact, that certification will help. Anyway, if we don't do foster care right now, we would like to someday. We have also being very impressed to look into the adoption of older children from the foster care system, ranging from infants to teenagers. Who knows where Heavenly Father will lead us, but we are looking forward to every step of the journey. Love you all!

I'm IT!!!!

2009-07-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

It's my turn....so here 'tis:

5 things I was doing 5 years ago
1. Getting ready to graduate high school
2. Working my butt off to get my Personal Progress Award
3. Dating Mr. Mucho Wrongo
4. Saying good-bye to my best friend Pumpkin (my childhood dog)
5. Trying to figure out how to find Mr. Right/where to go to college

5 Things on my To Do List
1. Be a Mommy!
2. Not be afraid of the word "bikini" or anything like unto it
3. Learn to make feijao (Brazilian beans and rice- Sean's favy)
4. Paint the interior of the house
5. Organize the house!

5 Things I would do with $1 million
1. Pay off our house and then buy the kind we really want
2. Have funds for kids started (it all depends on how many kids we have)
3. Have our retirement money
4. Finish my degree
5. Buy a horse (see #1...the house goes with the land which goes with the horse)

5 Places I have lived
1. Pleasant Grove, UT
2. Orem, UT
3. Idaho Falls, ID
4. Basehor, KS
5. Tucson, AZ

5 Things I want to be Doing in 5 Years
1. Being a full-time Mommy
2. Paying off our house
3. Being everything that Sean needs me to be :)
4. Not being afraid of me
5. Having fun with my family

Sentence: 3 Weeks Confinement

2009-07-21T16:08:00.000-07:00

I came home from class yesterday, and Leo was acting strangely (I mean, more than usual)- random yelping, couldn't go potty, walking with his back legs together (and the later discovery of messes in the bedroom because he couldn't control himself)...all symptoms that his previous spinal disc disease had come back to haunt him with vengeance. We suspect the tile flooring in the new house as the culprit. Even so, Leo got the end of it all. He is on 3 meds for 10 days, and confined to his crate for 3 weeks. For those of you who know Leo, you can imagine how hard that is/will be. So it's been another adventure...

On a happier note, our adoption homestudy is scheduled for August 21, so hopefully we will be certified by end of September, maybe sooner. We're so excited! Thanks to everyone for their help and support during the certification process. We can't wait to move on and look for the rest of our eternal family!

I'm doing well in my college algebra class so far. I have a midterm tomorrow, and I hope it goes well. Sean is working on project ideas since work is slow going at the moment. And, life is just busy busy! Love you all!

4th of July Weekend

2009-07-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the 4th, we went to Sierra Vista and camped for two nights in Carr Canyon. The campground was called Ramsey Vista, and it was so pretty. We went on about three hikes, spent time reading and playing Golf (with cards, of course), and as always, laughing at the antics of our hyperactive pup. A new camping favorite I started was campfire pancakes- yes, it can be done! And they are so good! Enjoy the pics!

"Pancakes cooking on an open fire..."

Beautiful scenery

Rocks n Ropes

2009-06-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

Today, as a belated birthday present, Sean and I took Ian (along with Loren) to Rocks n Ropes. It's an indoor rock climbing gym here in Tucson. There were some issues with the parental waiver for Ian, so while we waited on that, we went get lunch at Chick-Fil-A and saw UP! in 3D. Then we finally went to Rocks n Ropes. We climbed for three hours, and it was SO much fun. Here are some pictures:

Ian and Loren getting ready to climb

Ian taking on an advanced climbing wall

Sean's turn!

Ian aka Spiderman

I swear I got to the top...

Loren was amazing- she zoomed up
those walls so fast!

Ian belaying- he did great!

The Mogollon Rim

2009-06-19T21:23:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Sean and I took a scenic 6 1/2 hour drive up to the Mogollon Rim (pronounced Mo-ghee-on). Its north of Prescott, and its absolutely beautiful. We will definitely be going back- although, now that we've seen the scenic route, we'll take the faster one through Phoenix next time. (Thanks for the tip, Steve!)

We only spent one night, but our two days were amazing. We hiked and of course took pictures, especially of Leo. He was in heaven...he loves camping. On Saturday, we took a drive further up the mountain to East Clear Creek, which is a beautiful creek that runs for several miles. We hiked along it and Leo swam after sticks every chance he got. It was fantastic. We are planning another trip to Ramsey Vista (near S.V.) during 4th of July weekend. We have been bit by the camping bug...I hope our kids like trees and dirt because they'll be around them a lot!

Words do not do what we saw justice, so here are pics and videos. Enjoy!

A portion of Roosevelt Lake...so beautiful!

This is the awesome bridge we crossed

Our campsite...amazing, huh?

Tall trees....

Leo waiting for someone to stop taking pictures
and throw the stick

Water break!

View from the Rim...wow....

Leo taking a break after our hike

East Clear Creek

These flowers grew on what looked like rosebushes,
and they smelled exactly like roses, too!

Leo found a stick that was as tall as me, and
it became his absolute FAVORITE stick...

Divine Intervention

2009-06-18T16:48:00.000-07:00

Today was absolutely insane...first, as I was leaving to go to work, my car decided to die. Luckily, I was just down the street from our house, so I ran back and got Sean to give me a hand. It turned on again then died almost immediately . The next time it ran for about 30 seconds and gave out. I succeeded in turning it on and driving it back to the house, at which point it...can you guess?

Anyway, long story short is I called a tow truck and took it to get fixed. The mechanic called me this afternoon and said it was running fine, no results on the electrical tests, etc. In other words, there was nothing wrong with my car at all...NOTHING. So I've been pondering: why on earth it would die five times in one morning? It drove home like a dream. I had a co-worker follow me home just in case, but not a single issue.

I truly believe Heavenly Father had His hand in it...we'll never know, but its possible if I (or Sean) had left at the usual time, something bad could have happened to one of us. Again, we'll never know, and that's probably something to be thankful for. He truly does watch over His children, and I for one will not forget it. Love you all!

The Many Adventures of Leo

2009-05-23T18:56:00.001-07:00

Recently, we bought a new used camera. It's a Casio Exilim, and its super nice. So we've been taking pics and videos like crazy. Here are some videos we captured of Leo:

One of our projects was to hang tennis balls in
the garage to help us park our cars while leaving plenty
of room for other stuff. Leo couldn't understand why
the ball was on a string where he couldn't get it...but
oh he tried...

Sean and I were attempting to take a family
photo with Leo for our online adoption profile...
and Leo wasn't in the mood.

Here's the photo we decided on, minus the pup:

A Day for Mothers

2009-05-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may not know, Sean and I are planning to adopt. We are about 1/3 of the way through the adoption certification process. Yesterday, Sean and I went to an 8-hour Adoption Academy in Phoenix, which is way to receive the necessary training required by the state. We both felt it to be an incredibly spiritual and uplifting learning experience. Also, we found out that yesterday was National Birthmother Appreciation Day. Therefore, our entire training was about open adoption, birth mothers, and the different kinds of adoption (special needs, trans-racial, etc). It was amazing. The first panel consisted of two teenagers who were born by different women and adopted by the same couple. They both have incredibly open relationships with their birthmothers, and it has blessed the lives of all involved. Sean and I plan to have an open adoption, unless the birthmother wants semi-open or something else. We gained a testimony of open adoption yesterday. If you have questions, we'd be happy to share!

The second panel was two young women who had given their children up for adoption. They talked about how the open adoption had helped them heal and move on. They knew they had made the right choice in a family for their child. These young women truly give so much...so if you know one, give them a hug!

I was reflecting today on all I learned at the Academy. I was also thinking about Mother's Day and what it means to me, even though I do not yet have my children with me. (One thing they mentioned yesterday is that there are children meant for OUR family. So we are not looking for a baby, we are looking for OUR baby...what an amazing thought!) Anyway, I wrote a paragraph that is connected to this quote from President Monson:

"One cannot forget mother and remember God. One cannot remember mother and forget God. Why? Because these two sacred persons, God and mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are as one."

While an adoptive mother may not assist in the creation of a child's physical tabernacle, she does, with the Lord's help, bring an eternal family into being. An adoptive mother works, seeks, studies, and prays to find those special spirits which are hers alone to nurture. A mother, by birth or adoption, has an incredible capacity to love. In times of trial and weariness, they can call upon their Father in Heaven for that love to be increased. All mothers sacrifice- physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The Lord will always uplift and sustain mothers so long as they seek Him in the rearing of their little ones. There is no greater form of service, even selfess service, than motherhood. I believe mothers can be so selfless because of the divine attributes within their souls.

Happy Mother's Day to every mother- biological, adoptive, birth mothers, grandmothers, and every woman who makes a positive difference in a child's life...

Home Schweet Home

2009-03-31T09:34:00.001-07:00

Honey! We're HOME! It's official. We moved in last night with the help of Grandpa and Grandma, Aaron and Vicki, the Evans family and the Beals from the Camino Principal ward. Thank you so much to everyone who lent a hand! We couldn't have done it without you!

So far we are enjoying our house. It's still an adjustment- doesn't quite feel like home...it actually feels like we are on vacation, but I'm sure that will change soon. Leo is having the time of his life because we can throw the ball more than five feet. He's a very happy boy. Right now we are just waiting on our appliances and trying to figure out the odds n' ends of our home. But we have plenty of time for that!!!!

Come visit!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-19T08:18:00.001-07:00

More Pics of Our New House

2009-02-23T17:39:00.000-08:00

Sean and I went to look at the house yesterday. (He hadn't seen it yet, mind you...talk about faith in your spouse) But he loved it as much as I do, so we are full speed ahead! Our camera only works indoors, so I was able to get a few good shots. Here they are:

The Stove! No more sticky burners!

Our little nook for pictures n' stuff...

Our master bedroom...its big...

Zee Kitchen leading into the living room...

Breakfast Bar...

Living Room....movie central!

The Laundry Room...
(Good-Bye, Laundromats!!!! Forgive me
a cruel chuckle...)

Our super awesome pantry!

More living room...

I am seriously in love with my kitchen...just FYI.

Ladies and Gentleman....we have...A HOUSE!

2009-02-21T14:41:00.000-08:00

We got a call from our realtor this afternoon and the latest house we put an offer in for is ours! We got it!!!! We don't have very many good pictures, but they will do. The house is on the other side of the freeway from Aaron and Vicki, so we'll be in their ward. (Just so you guys are warned) And...let's see...we are offering $135,000. The house is 1,789 sq. ft. and was built in 2006. So, its not a bad deal! We're excited! The planned closing date is March 24th. Woohoo!

Stats:
3 beds, 2 baths
Ceramic tile, carpet
Needs a fridge and a W/D
It's close to the freeway, but with the door closed, you have to try really hard to hear it. So, not too bad. Its tucked into a little cul-de-sac. :)

One of the smaller bedrooms towards the front of the house

The 2nd bathroom, I believe...

My Kitchen!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love it!

The outside!

P.S. Sean said that whoever comments first on our blog
about the new house wins a special dollar store prize...so hurry!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T11:58:00.000-08:00

We hope you all had a fantastic Valentine's Day. We sure did! We took a trip to Picacho Peak and went for a hike. For those of you who may not know, that is where our first date was. We didn't go all the way to the summit because it was too difficult/dangerous for Leo, but he sure had fun, anyway! We only hiked about 4 or 5 miles there and back, but Leo probably went 6 or 7 because he ran back and forth multiple times. Our camera still isn't working properly, but here is a picture I was able to get of my boys:

Afterward, we went to our Dairy Queen and had some ice cream. Then as we drove to the freeway, Sean saw the sign for the Ostrich Ranch, so we decided to go! It was $5/person to get feed, but it was worth it. We got to feed deer, the ostriches, and some cute little donkeys. We also got to hold cups of nectar in our hands and feed lorikeets. The animals were all so gentle, except for the ostriches...they were a little...pushy. You'd think they'd never eaten a meal in their lives- crazy birds. One tried to eat Sean's hand (luckily they have no teeth). Sean has bad luck on our trips to Picacho...the first time he got bit by a squirrel, this time he got bit by an ostrich. Poor guy.

For dinner, I secretly ordered a Papa John's heart-shaped pizza and broke out a bottle of Guarana. According to Sean, nothing goes better with pizza than Guarana. Then he gave me this beautiful pop-up card that he made for me. A big red heart pops up that says "I Love You". My hubby is just cute.

Of course, now today is downtime day. Sean is sick with some sinus cold, and though we thought he was over it, I think yesterday's adventures made it hit harder. But that's about it for now! Love you all!

Holy Toledo!

2009-01-17T18:49:00.000-08:00

I think this is THE longest streak we've ever gone without updating our blog. One reason is the shutter on our camera broke, so we haven't been taking pictures, which means the blog was moved to the back burner. I guess I'll put what pictures I can and write the rest...just use your imaginations if you need to!!!!

First) Sean graduated!!!!!

Oh joy! He's now an official graduate. According to his degree, which he got in the mail today, he graduated "cum laude", or "with praise". I'm so proud!!!!

My handsome stud in his choir boy...I mean,
graduation, outfit. :P

One proud wifey!

Awesome Mr. Steve there to take pictures
and take a nap so Grandma wouldn't feel
left out!

The whole gang there to celebrate!

Second) He is now officially working for Raytheon!

He enjoys his job thus far and really likes his team. A few of the guys are LDS which is neat. Obviously he can't really tell me what he's doing, but he spends quite a bit of time in a lab. Sounds pretty official to me!

Third) Last night as a date, Sean took me to the Macaroni Grill for a nice, romantic dinner. Personally, I thought the food was better than Olive Gardens, but that's just me. Then he had me close my eyes and he drove me to the lookout on A Mountain where you could see the whole city. It was beautiful! He may be a goober sometimes but my Seaners sure is wonderful. (I may be biased but its fun!)

And Fourth) We will soon be putting in some more offers on a house or two! This doesn't mean we are BUYING two houses, its just whichever one accepts our offer first! We found one at Wilmot and Valencia we really like. Even Sean really likes it, and that's saying a lot, considering every other house was simply "It's nice". We'll see where that goes. We're super stoked!

I think that's about it for now...we recently bought Paper Mario for the N64 and having fun there. Leo is naked again (he gets naked about twice a year) and he looks SO much better, although its sad when he has no fro.

And......we are now teaching the CTR 7 class instead of the Valiant 8, which we taught for the last two years. So far they are a great class and we're excited to teach them for as long as we can!

Hope everyone is well!!

Bye, Jack

2008-12-01T12:58:00.001-08:00

Well, today was a very sad day at our house. Jack has gone to live with Heavenly Father. He was getting declawed, and after the procedure, they took him off the oxygen and his heart stopped. They tried to revive him, but with no success. The vet is very confused since he was a really healthy little guy...I feel guiltier than all get up but I'll be okay. He drove us nuts but he will be missed very much, especially by Leo. They were best buds. Here's some pictures of our Wacko Jacko.

He had an obsession with any type of bag...

And he liked to sleep in really awkward
positions...but that's why he was so cute.

He liked to hide in blankets, too...he was so curious
about everything around him.

This is also a very difficult time because Leo is not doing well. He has a diseased disc in his spine and he has been put on strict bed rest for 3 weeks. No walks, no runs, no chasing the ball, just being tied to a leash and given drugs. So that's been hard. I sure hope some blessings are coming because I don't want to cry again for a while. :)

p.s. I found out just a bit ago that Jack died because he had a bad heart. So, if he didn't die today, he would have in a year or so, and probably in pain. At least this time he was sleeping.

"Look out below!"

2008-11-26T19:16:00.000-08:00

Today was Sean and mine's day to just have fun. First we went to this little secondhand movie/video game store that we had credit for and got some "new" video games and DVDs: Gauntlet Legends and Donkey Kong 64; then Finding Nemo, Hook, Cool Runnings, The Other Side of Heaven, and The Legend of Johnny Lingo. I also bought Night at the Museum for Sean as a gift recently, so our movie collection is growing, slowly but surely. We played Gauntlet Legends for a few hours, then went to Rocks n Ropes and did some indoor rock climbing. And boy do our fingers hurt!!!! But we had a ton of fun. Here are some pictures:

(Sorry no climbing pictures. We were belaying (spotting) each other and couldn't let to go to take them!)

See most of you later, and Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Team Tunell

2008-11-15T09:16:00.001-08:00

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

A House?

2008-11-13T19:03:00.001-08:00

So, there is a pretty darn good possibility we found OUR house (go ahead, sing it: "In the middle of our street".) Seriously though. Its an already built KB home, two story, two car garage, in the neighborhood we wanted...super super nice...it just needs to be cleaned. The former tenants/renters left garbage and junk everywhere (including the fridge but we have a hose) but there is no damage to the house at all, just garbage. Once thats gone it will be BEAUTIFUL. They are asking 135,900, but considering all the mess, and that its a pre-foreclosure and the bank will want to get rid of it, our realtor is pretty certain we can get it down to 120,000 maybe even 110,000. We'll see! But its awesome. Sean will come look at it with me on Saturday but its kind of like when I met him: When ya know, ya know!
Wish us luck, especially with the loan stuff. We'll see where that goes!

Here's a photo of the outside. Obviously they didn't have ones of the inside but I promise its awesome.

Crash Bang Boom

2008-11-08T13:37:00.000-08:00

So, today (Saturday) I got in my first car accident. It was exciting...sort of. I'm perfectly fine- just a jammed finger, but Wall-E...well, he's not doing so hot. The ironic thing is I was turning into the shop to get his CV Boot replaced. Looks like he won't be needing that now! (Sorry, no pics right now)

What happened was this:

I was on Grant Road, attempting to make a left hand turn onto Columbus to get into the BrakeMasters there. The light turned yellow, and every body coming slowed down...except one lady. She had PLENTY of room, so I made the turn before the other light changed, assuming she would slow down like every one else. I don't know if she accelerated to make the light or what happened, but suddenly, she was right there and bang. The left corner of my car is totaled, and poor Wall-E was bleeding antifreeze...he's such a good little car, too. I got a ticket for "Failing to Yield at a Yellow Light", even though I wasn't the one speeding and being retarded but oh well...I should be nice but I'm shaken up right now so whatever. We'll see what happens! I might contest the ticket in court but I may just pay the $170 fine. I was going to spend about that much to replace the boot anyway. The interesting thing was that a lady who saw the whole thing said she was surprised when I got out of the car...I guess Heavenly Father doesn't want me home just yet.

Again, I'm just fine...just wanted to let ya'll know!

Good Times in San Diego

2008-11-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

Well, we're back! We took a little three day vacation to San Diego so Sean could attend the International Telemetering Conference. His group received a 2nd place award for the paper about their senior design project. He also was able to present their project to several people attending. It was really neat. I was so proud!! But since the conference stuff wasn't really pressing, we took the liberty of having lots of fun too. We went to the infamous San Diego Zoo, the gorgeous San Diego Temple, and Mission Bay beach. And when we were in our hotel room, we watched Home Improvement. What a better way to get away? Here are some pictures and videos. Enjoy!
(Note: I thought Tucson and Phoenix drivers were crazy until we went to California...wow...)

Sean and I at the beautiful beach...it was a
perfect day!

This is a cool rock we found. It had a piece of
seaweed literally growing out of it...it was
attached. Pretty funky!

Good job, Team Creation :)

Sean working on our sand turtle

Here I am working on our turtle. I was in charge
of one end, Sean of the other. Of course, he
decided to be funny and give it a butt. We removed
the butt after this picture but it was still pretty funny.

The pizza we ordered through room service
(room service...whoa!) It reminded us of the pizza
at Zachary's.

The temple! Pictures do not do it justice.

The baby giraffe...he was so cute! His horns
were fuzzy!

Cute koala bear

Cute couple

There were so many birds! These two were
some of the most colorful.

This baby chimp was so cute....he's sucking
his thumb. :)

The baby orangutan was hilarious. He was
wrestling and doing somersaults all over the place!
He reminded me of the Gorons in Zelda that roll
around to get places- he did just that! Here he is
coveting my juice.

This was the "head orangutan". As you can see,
he's massive...looks like a rug. It may be hard to
see, but he had this thing with pinching a part of
his face while he slept. When he'd use his hand to
brush away a fly, he'd come back and pinch the
same spot. Must have been OCD...oh, and his hands
were the size of Sean's foot. Maybe bigger.

This crazy lady was posing for the
cameras...this is just one of the poses she did.

We almost didn't see this frog! He looks just like a
leaf, and his underside is brown just like the branch.
Isn't that cool?

This peacock was wandering free around the zoo

Ka from Jungle Book (didn't know he lived in
San Diego!)

A giant elephant made from a bush. There are
two of these facing each other at the zoo's entrance.

Isn't life funny?

2008-10-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

So, one minute, we were super excited and hoping for John Deere. Then last night, we felt a little uncomfortable with the idea, thinking we should take Raytheon's offer and stay here. We prayed so hard last night, wanting to know what we should do. Well, our prayers were answered! Sean received a call from John Deere this morning saying they didn't have an offer for him because he was "too laid back" during the interview. I know my Sean, and he is not laid back when it comes to his career. So we feel like Heavenly Father had a hand in it. We're staying here with Raytheon and our family and friends! (yay!) We both feel good about it...I think John Deere seemed like an adventure, but I guess if we want adventure, we'll go to Disneyland again. (Just kidding). I think we'll have plenty of adventures. Since we're staying, I think I'll continue my education and work on some sort of degree pertaining to veterinary science, and we'll start the adoption process to get our family started. You just have to love that Heavenly Father knows everything!!!

Just in case you didn't have time to read all of that- we're STAYING!!!!

John Deere

2008-10-19T10:51:00.000-07:00

Sean's trip to Moline, Illinois to interview with John Deere was pretty neat for him. He took a lot of fun pictures and some pretty funny videos, too. His interviews went really well, and the word on the street (or what was told to him by the engineering manager) was that John Deere could accommodate every one who had come out for the interviews. So we're still hopeful but no word yet! He got an offer from Raytheon, but, honestly, we want the Deere.

So here's a little account of Sean trip, plus some super cute photos of the pets in the car as we drove up to Phoenix!

Oh...sad puppy.....cute guy, though.

We LOVE this one...Jack sleeping on my
emergency brake. (Looks pretty comfy, huh?)

The Chicago O'Hare Airport
(Sean said it was like a train station-
very cool)

Lady Liberty...made entirely from
Legos....so awesome!

The John Deere deer
(or, as Piglet says "Oh d-d-d-dear, dear!)

An indoor park at the John Deere
complex...all those trees and stuff are INSIDE.
WHOA.

This tree looked like it was raining rose petals-
Sean said it was SO gorgeous there...

Sean and a ginormous harvester

OOOO- its SHINY! Those little yellow-seated
things are lawn mowers (vroom vroom)

The Mississippi River...and picnic table.

One of the nicer houses in that area :) So, if we
moved, we probably wouldn't live in a shack...

More LOVELY scenery of the Midwest during
the Fall. (They have seasons- how exciting!)

This has been ranked by us as
the world's coolest toilet ever.

Sean is sad to leave....(Actually, the story is he
wanted to bring one of these rootbeers home for
me, but he couldn't take it on the plane...)

Thats all for now, folks! We'll keep you posted!
(When we know, you'll know, you know?)

Craziness!

2008-10-01T17:26:00.001-07:00

Hey, everyone! Sorry that its been so long...life has gone from hectic to just plain nuts! For starters, Sean has a job interview in Illinois with John Deere in a couple of weeks. We're super excited. They are flying him out and putting him up in a hotel, which is kind of neat. The only drawback is if we decided to take the job, we'd be moving to somewhere in the Midwest. So, we'll see. He has been going to career fairs and applying for jobs like crazy. Hopefully after October the madness will die down and we'll have some clue what we are doing after graduation. At the end of the month, we are going to San Diego for a Telemetering Conference where Sean's senior design group will be presenting their project. (Almost free vacation- woo hoo!) Of course, both of us working and going to school doesn't help. I'm SO glad this is his last semester...we'd go crazy if we kept this up! (Leo and Jack probably would too) We hope everyone is well. (Sorry about your helmet, Noah...it doesn't look like much fun)...and we'll be seeing most of you during Thanksgiving and Christmas! Tons of love!

Jack and Leo

2008-09-14T08:45:00.000-07:00

So we finally have the videos and pics of our two boys havin' fun- enjoy!

p.s. Thanks to everyone who came to the Gaslight with us last night- it was a blast! (Sorry that Grandpa and Grandma had to leave early- get well, Grandma! We love you!)

Jack discovered the fun that only exists inside
the blanket...

Now he's curious about the camera...

Jack in the Box

Sibling Rivalry

Jack playing "Keep Away" with Leo's bone

Fun Videos

2008-09-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

Sean and I have had a fun couple days, even though school has been crazy. We attended a Brazilian exhibition at the UA for date night, and Sean got some awesome footage of a Brazilian dance/martial art called capoeira. He also got some videos of Leo and Jack playing...now we have proof! Enjoy!!!

An amazing guitarist named Guilherme Vincens....

Sean said he felt some fuzz on his lips, and
was trying to see it and get it off...he's so goofy.

Sean wanted to see me do the walrus with
my French fries...and I couldn't resist.

A couple guys doing capoeira- so cool.

(The videos of Leo and Jack coming soon...we
need to lighten them.)

Weekend in Safford

2008-09-01T19:57:00.001-07:00

For Labor Day weekend, we took a lil' trip to Safford to visit Mom, Steve, and Ian. And as luck would have it, Loren surprised everyone by showing up on Saturday. So we had a fun weekend full of movies, card games, video games, and food...typical good ol' fun at Mom's. On Monday, we went to Texas Canyon and had a picnic with Mom, Steve, Ian, Aaron, Vicki, Owen, Noah, Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Dick and Aunt Donna (who were visiting from California). Sean, Ian, and I went to climb the rock formations they had there. Leo went with us, and I still think he's part mountain goat. He climbs rocks like no body's business. Jack was at the picnic too. He was just sitting there on his leash, completely calm, like a dog who had been there, done that. Our cat is just a little weird...even when he sleeps:

Not too sure how comfortable that would be...

Leo loves snuggling with Sean, even if he has to
squeeeeeeze into the smallest space to do it.

Leo and I (and Ian's hand) enjoying the view
from atop a big rock.

School...oh boy...

2008-08-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

So school starts this week, and so far, its not looking too promising. I caught a bug from either Noah or Owen (no worries, Vicki- I'll be fine). Sean and I are looking forward to school and yet we will miss the freedom of summertime. We're so glad its almost over! (At least for Seaners) We've had a terrific summer, filled with fun with family, friends, and as always, good food! We couldn't be more happy with how things have gone, and for all the good changes that have come in just a few short months. :) Here are a couple pics we took recently- the cutest ones are of Jack and Leo snuggling...and people think dogs and cats can't be friends...phooey.

Ooooh snuggles...

Aren't our kids just adorable???

Cuteness and Fluffiness All in One!!!

PUSH POPS! I don't know if many people
remember these, but they used to be my favy,
and we got some the other night just for fun! Of
course, now they are Spongebob instead of
The Flintstones, but still yummy! As you can
see, Sean was VERY excited.

Just Stuff

2008-07-30T08:41:00.001-07:00

Okay, well, first off, I renamed the cat. He is still Jack, but not Black Jack. I renamed him Jack Jack Attack, after the crazy baby in The Incredibles, because he is seriously a spaz. It's hard to explain. You'll just have to trust me. His latest trick is being like Leo. We bought him little balls with bells inside of them for him to chase around the house. He likes to carry them in his mouth around the house, like Leo does with his ball. And when we throw Leo's ball, both of them chase after it, but Jack veers to the side at the last second so Leo can bring the ball back...our pets are psychotic. Seriously. Here's some recent pictures of Jack, as well as Sean's crazy sunburn. It was a lot more red than the pictures show. I haven't been able to give him a real hug all week!

Love you all!

He had a sunburn all the way down his back,
and all the way down his chest and stomach.
And yes, we used sunscreen! I promise!

Last Friday, we got the tail end of the latest
hurricane in Texas. It's kind of hard to see,
but it was raining like crazy and the wind was
the worst I've seen it here in AZ.

Heeeere's Jack Jack! I tried in vain to get a
picture of him carrying the ball, but he would
not cooperate, so this was the best I could get.
Down below here he's snuggling with Sean.

Finally- a name!

2008-07-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note: our new little guy is doing well and having fun. He and Leo are still not quite used to each other, but slowly getting there. Also, I let Sean pick his name, and he decided on Black Jack, or Jack for short, and it fits!

The Newest (and Littlest) Team Member

2008-07-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

Well, some of you may have heard...Sean and I are getting a kitten! It's really for Leo, because he's so lonesome all the time, and that will only get worse once school starts. So I'm pretty excited for my puppy because now he will have a friend! This little guy is already playful with dogs and has tons of personality. He's already been neutered and had his 1st shots- and he's free! The family really needs to give him away because they are allergic. (Long story) Anyway, here's a picture. We bring him home tomorrow. Yay!

He has some extra toes (see his paw there?)
Sean is still deciding on a name for him.
We'll keep you posted!

Pure Joy- Caught on Camera

2008-07-12T21:54:00.000-07:00

Sean finally was able to capture Leo doing his happy dance on the couch with his squeaky toy...sit back, relax, and enjoy the show that we see almost every day:

Now you can see why we like this dog so stinkin' much!

"License and Registration, Please!"

2008-07-12T21:35:00.000-07:00

This week was full of excitement. Erin bought her new car Wall-E but didn't have a license. Monday she was promising that by sometime in August, she'd have it. I said, "Uh, I don't think so. More like Wednesday!" She didn't think it was possible, but she's a good driver, and we drove around together in the evenings. She even went on the highway at night, which she was afraid to do (even though after she realized it was a piece of cake!). Wednesday morning she went in for the drivers test and did a near-perfect performance, except not completely stopping at a right turn on a red light (automatic failure : ( . So, we returned Thursday morning... Here are the results!
Day 1: Marching to her Doom!

Day 1: Waiting in suspense.

Day 1: Trying to feel confident.

Day 1: Still feeling nervous as the inevitable approaches.

Day 1: Speaking with the nice old lady.

Day 2: Signing the dotted line.

Day 2: Victory... Look out World!

For Love of the Game

2008-07-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

We all know how much the boys of the family love their video games. Well, tonight Sean was playing Zelda: Majora's Mask, and he wanted a snack. But, he didn't want stop playing. So he ate Doritos with one hand and pushed buttons with the other. When that proved tricky, he utilized another body part: his nose.

But wait, it gets even better. He can play Zelda
SONGS with his nose! Check it out!

Monsoon Scenery

2008-06-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

When we took Leo for a walk last night, Sean took some pictures of the clouds and mountains with a monsoon storm rolling in, and they turned out pretty well! We also got a pic of my new car, Wall-E...I'm so excited!

My cute little car :D

Tucson sunset + rainstorm = beautimous!

More gorgeous clouds

Oh so pretty

I actually took this one from our window-
double rainbow! The one on the left is kind of
hard to see but its there

Big Surprise

2008-06-28T15:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Sean called me at work and asked me to meet him at the Park Place Mall at 5. But, we had a dinner appointment at 6:30, so we went with 4:30. So, at 4:30, I showed up. When he got there, he handed me the Mp3 player and the noise canceling headphones. When I had that piece of gear on, we took a big blue t-shirt and blindfolded me. Then (I found this out later), he put a sign on me that said "I'm in for a BIG surprise". Finally, all suited up, he led me through the mall, up an escalator (blindfolded and wearing flip flops- that was scary!), and into a movie theater to see...Wall-E!!!! I was so excited, and the movie was totally cute. It had some sad parts, but it was hilarious too. The cute way Sean did everything made it all the better. I love my Sean!

I think I set a fashion trend....

He kept leaving me to do things, and that freaked
me out! This time, though, he happened to be taking
a picture. You can image how awkward I felt walking
through the mall looking like this, but I guess a lot
of people thought it was cute!

Wall-E and his Rubix cube...so cute!
Now I definitely want to name my car
after him!

Pam's Special Day

2008-06-21T18:14:00.000-07:00

Pam was baptized tonight, and it was neat. Sean and I had the privilege of speaking, and Pam's testimony was wonderful and from the heart. :) We are so proud of her!

Me, Pam, and Sean before the baptism :D

Jamie, Johnny, Sondae, Pam, me, and Sean

Campin' at the Caves...Again...

2008-06-21T17:56:00.001-07:00

This weekend we went to Peppersauce Canyon again, where we usually go. Only this time, our friends Johnny and Sondae, his family, and Mom and Ian came with us. We had a blast! We all got very dirty, especially Leo, and even little Jamie went into the caves with us. Take a look!

Sean carved this in a tree the first time we
came here- E (Heart) S (Infinity)...only an
engineer would use the mathematical sign for
infinity

Sondae and Jamie chillin' in the hammock

Nina (Johnny's mom) and Mom hanging around

Sean and a clean Leo puppy....but that wouldn't
last long...

Oh, so cute!

Packin' up before heading to the caves

Leo wanted to help pack up, but a lack of
opposable thumbs prevented that...

Our lil' trusty car...he needs a bath too.

I love taking pictures when no one's looking...

In the cave! Left to right: Grumpy, Sondae,
Nina with Rosa, Becky, Ian, Mom, me, and Sean
(Johnny is behind us with Jamie though you
can't see him)

Leo's feet got ridiculously dirty...he had these
mud clumps attached to his feet that made it
look like he had ten extra toes per foot- he
did not like that!

Now here's the whole gang! Left to right:
Grumpy, Becky, Mom, Jared with Rosa, Johnny,
Sondae with Jamie, Ian, Nina, Sean, and me (Leo was busy
making friends with other spelunkers)

That's Life!

2008-06-11T10:09:00.001-07:00

Well, until the really nifty events start to happen, we'll just post pictures of odds n' ends about life in our lil' neck of the woods. A lot of exciting things will be happening soon- our friend Pam is getting baptized, we'll be getting another car (more details very soon), and next week is the grand camping adventure of us, the Hughes, and the Hunt families in Peppersauce Canyon! Then we'll have some good blog action! TTFN!

Leo snuggling with his bone...(wuv...twue wuv)

Leo has got to be the most patient dog in the
world- seriously. We put a sheet over him and
he just lies there, perfectly content.

We fixed our bikes last Sunday. Now we both
have flat-proof tires! (Look out, world!)

The engineer overseeing productions

A picture of us and our tire sealant...one big
happy family. :) Compliments of Frank.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is Frank, our
basketball playin', Brooklyn hailin', muscle man
of a neighbor. He's such a funny guy. If you ask
him 'What's up?", he will show you his biceps and
say "This is what's up." (And now Loren has a
picture to remember this by...haha)

Max

2008-05-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

Sean's old dog, Max, is living with Mom and Steve now. Sean had so much fun with him when we went to visit! He's a great pooch...but I'm not fond of the hair- it makes me sneeze. Leo had a lot of fun with Max, especially at the hot springs. They'd swim together, and when Max would howl, Leo would bark. So cute!

Snowflake Temple trip

2008-05-23T21:35:00.000-07:00

Labor Day weekend, Sean and I went to Safford to visit his family. On Friday, we made a trip with Mom and Steve to the Snowflake Temple. It was a beautiful drive, and the temple was worth it! They only do four sessions a day, so we only stayed for about an hour all together, but it was still nice. Afterwards, we took pictures outside. It was really windy and really cold...you will never see my hair like this again...just a guess.

Betcha didn't know I'm Donald Trump's little

sister, did ya?

MOHAWK!!!!!!!!! (I so totally rock, dude.)

Now THAT is hot....

Poor Picked on Puppy

2008-05-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when Sean throws a
blanket on the dog...we're lucky he is so patient.

Them Dirty Boys

2008-05-10T17:10:00.000-07:00

Last night, Sean and Leo went with our good buddy Johnny Hughes to the Father and Son's campout. It was at Peppersauce campground, which happens to be Sean and mine's favorite spot. Of course, they went to the caves and got absolute filthy. But they had SO much fun! I think it was really good for Sean. He looked a lot happier than I've seen him for a long time. I missed him, but I think some time away from each other was a good thing...it made us appreciate each other all the more. Here's some pics of them dirty boys!

Dirty puppy!

Poor Leo had big dirt clumps between his toes

Nothing like a dirty father and son

Still hot even when he's covered in mud...

Johnny proudly showing that he
is dirtier than our car...

Sean's Big Day

2008-05-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

I know this post is about a week late, but better late than never! Last Thursday (May 1st) was Sean's Senior Design Day. It's when all the graduating (or almost graduating) seniors show their final projects to judges. Sean and his group have been working really hard the past two semesters and their project turned out great! (In other words, it worked) I'm super proud of him and he is sure is relieved to have it done. It was also a treat because some of the family came to see his project. Mom, Steve, Ian, Eric, and Kim came up from Safford. My sister Emilie was visiting from Phoenix, but she was here because we went to the Michael Buble concert. If you don't know who he is, I suggest you find out. So it was a blast! We went to lunch with Eric, Kim, and Emilie to Zachary's Pizza...mmm good! Thanks to everyone who came and hope to see you again soon! Here's the pics:

Sean and Ian (awww....how cute!)

The mighty scanner...and the "groceries"

Stuff I don't understand...but it looks pretty!

Oooo....shiny!

Sean and their spiffy project board

My handsome hunk in his awesome red tie...
sorry, ladies...he's mine.

Our "son" Leopold

2008-04-25T21:36:00.000-07:00

We've been able to capture some cute stuff on our camera of Leo, including some special moments with his "daddy"...we like our fuzzy son.

The Plague

2008-04-23T19:50:00.000-07:00

Well, its finally happened...the end has come...(before you panic, let me explain). You see, before, Leo was the one who was obsessed with the magnets. He took them everywhere, he slept with them- would not let them out of his sight. I'm sorry to inform you all that Sean, yes, our beloved Sean, has succumb to this horrible addiction. Here's a recent photo to illustrate this sad news:

Sean, we'll certainly miss you being normal...wait- was Sean EVER normal? (Love you, sweetie)

P-A-R-T-Y? Because we had to...

2008-04-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

Just kidding! We had a blast, whoever was able to be there. Our apartment was the fullest its ever been- 11 people, including baby Jamie. So, there was: Mom, Steve, Loren, Ian, Jason (Loren's boyfriend), my sister Emilie, Johnny, Sondae, Sean, and me. Quite a crowd...but we had good food and Sean finally got to play his card game "Bang" with everyone. He's been waiting to for weeks. We can't play it together because its not a two player game. Hopefully he's satisfied for a little bit...but I wouldn't count on it. I think the craziest thing that happened all night was 1) Johnny and Steve knew each other. They had both lived in El Frida (one horse town type of place). Steve had been Johnny's Scout Master once upon a time and they knew each other's families. 2) Steve and Sondae are apparently related. We aren't too clear on HOW yet but according to Steve, they are! What a small world, huh? I got a kick out of it. We were so glad to have everyone here and for all their love...hope to see you again soon! Love ya!

Oh, and not that people didn't know, but I'll say it anyway. Sean's older brother, Aaron, and his wife Vicki welcomed a new baby boy on Saturday. Of course, from the picture we saw he looked more like a toddler. This kiddo is one big baby....but I guess its genetic to have 9 lb babies. Uh-oh...where does that leave me? (gulp) His name is Noah and he has a big brother named Owen who's two. Congratulations, guys! We are super excited to visit this summer!

Picture of Jamie

2008-04-12T18:29:00.001-07:00

So, I finally got a hold of our camera...Sean had it all along, goofy boy. Anyway, I was able to get a picture of our friends' little girl, Jamie Lynn. They still don't know if they're going to call her "Jamie" or "Jamie Lynn"...its a trial period at the moment. Either way, she's just a cool baby! She smiles whenever you sing music from the movie "Robin Hood". Her mom watched it a lot when she was pregnant and now it makes Jamie laugh. I think that's awesome! For example, I went with them to Jamie's doctor appointment. The poor little kid was NOT happy. We just wouldn't stop picking on her and she had to have no clothes on and it was cold- so, of course, she made use of her lung power. After she was all clothed again, she was still fussy, so to calm her down I sang "Rock-a-bye Sheriff, just you relax." She gave me a big smile. Then when I sang "Dum dum dum dum, dum dum dum dum...." she let out this big laugh...and she was only 5 days old. It was the funniest thing ever! So, in case you couldn't tell, I like this kid. Here she is!

General Conference

2008-04-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

We can sum up General Conference into one word: wow. It was just- wow. Absolutely amazing...there were, as there always seem to be, talks that we needed to hear, especially as a family. It was so exciting to hear President Monson speak and see the change that has come over him. Maybe its just us, but it seems he looks more weighed down yet he also speaks with more power than ever before. It's like the new mantle he has as the Prophet has revealed a new side of him, and we were just captivated every time he spoke. It's going to be neat to see him as the President of the Church. We hope you enjoyed it, too!

Jamie Lynn Hughes

2008-04-03T08:55:00.001-07:00

Last night (April 2) was quite an experience for me. I witnessed my first live birth...very exciting. My friends Sondae and Johnny Hughes welcomed their first child, Jamie Lynn, into the world last night at 8:24 PM. She was 6 lb. 11 oz. and 18 1/2 inches long. She's beautiful, even though at the moment she has a conehead...we love her anyway. I always thought newborns were wrinkly and red, but Jamie was pink and soft...a little messy, but pink! I was impressed. :) Apparently, Sondae's labor was deemed the "labor from Heaven". She was only in labor (at the hospital) for about 10 hours. She got an epidural so her later contractions didn't affect her. But the crazy part is she only had to push for 22 minutes, or through between 7 and 8 contractions. Most women, so I'm told, have to push for 1-2 HOURS. This kiddo wanted to be here...she was scootin' on down, helping mom out. Anyway, Sondae said during the whole thing "This is fun!" I never thought I'd hear labor be described that way...

So we're all really excited. It was a good day/evening. Sean and I are hoping to go visit them in the hospital when Sean gets out of class tonight- we'll see. He had to finish an important paper last night, so he hasn't seen Jamie. No pictures yet, but when we get one, I'll ask if I can post one here. We have another niece! Not biologically but that's okay.

Leopold! Leopold!

2008-03-30T20:42:00.001-07:00

For those of you who don't know what the title means, look up Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny Opera on YouTube or something...you'll see. But for now, its in reference to our dog, Leo (whose full name is Leopold) Anyway, we have told several of you about his devotion to two special little things- his magnets. He loves to play with them, and we finally captured this beautiful relationship on our camera....enjoy.

Leo has this thing about pushing the magnets
off of the couch, then staring at them for several
minutes, as if to say "Why did you leave me?"

And now, our final and main event...the long-
anticipated movie of the year...The Magnet Dog

Job Stuff

2008-03-24T12:38:00.000-07:00

Just a quick lil' side note...we had mentioned to a lot of people about the possibility of Sean getting an internship with APS in Phoenix (the power company). Well, it looks like they aren't interested after all, even though they went nuts over him. There is still one job he applied for that he hasn't heard anything on, so the whole thing still is a slight possibility. But, more than likely, we'll be in Tucson for quite a while, until we figure out where heavenly Father wants us. For now, its just school, savings, and stuff. I'll be looking into getting a part-time job with a veterinary clinic as a receptionist. So that could be fun- we'll see! I hate all this not-knowing stuff. It drives me nuts!

Disneyland ROCKS!

2008-03-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

We're back! And we had an awesome time! I don't even know where to start, really. We rode quite a few rides, such as Indiana Jones, Tower of Terror, Grizzly River Run, Splash Mountain, and Space Mountain...to name some of them. We saw some neat shows like Muppet Vision 3D, Aladdin the musical, and Turtle Talk with Crush (the turtle from "Finding Nemo"). The turtle one was for little kids, but it was really funny and we loved it...we recommend it highly! We also went to this "Animation Academy" where a Disney artist teaches you to draw a Disney character in such a simple way that anyone's looks good. Of course, we got some awesome pictures with some awesome characters. We also got these pins that say "Happy Anniversary" with Mickey and Minnie on them, so we were told Happy Anniversary about a billion times. We went shopping, too. We each had $50 to spend on whatever souvenirs we wanted. And, as you might have guessed, I spent all of mine, and Sean spent about $20. Its that darn female gene that gives us the urge to just buy stuff! Anyway, Sean got a Mickey mug and an antennae topper for Elmo that's Mickey with a pirate bandana and an earring. I bought a Minnie mug to match Sean's, a really cute cap (you can't see it in the photos, but the hat has little embroidered Mickey heads all over and a silver button on each side with Mickey on it), and two little figurines of Mickey and Minnie. We also got our Splash mountain picture...maybe someday we'll be able to scan it and post it...maybe. We watched the fireworks and saw "Fantasmic" on our last evening there- both were awesome, especially Fantasmic....we recommend that one, too. All in all, we had the best time! We didn't want to come home and be responsible again! After Disneyland, we spent a couple days with Uncle Dick and the gang. We had a great time with them, too. I'm sure we'll go back again, but, until then, here's some photos! Love you all!

In front of the big Mickey

With Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse

Sean and Erin...Destiny!

Sean was jealous of my hat, so he made his own!

Sean, Minnie, and Erin

Erin, Mickey, and Sean (yay!!!!)

Sean and his Mickey Cupid pose

Us at Minnie's Wishing Well with some
random child....

On the Disneyland Railroad

Now THESE are superheroes!!!

Take that, Zurg!!

On the shuttle, headin' to the hotel

One Year- YAHOO!!!

2008-03-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

Well, folks...we made it! Honestly there were a couple moments we weren't sure if we would but somehow, we survived, and we're happier than ever. :) Even though our anniversary will be spent doing homework (always exciting...), it's all good because the real celebration will happen next week. (Yay!) Thanks to all our family and friends for helping us out and helping us learn to work together better. That's just one more awesome thing about the Gospel- it helps you in ways nothing else can! (Three cheers for temples!) Anyway, life is good but the same. We're just slowly getting ready for our grand adventure...laundry, cleaning the house, shaving the dog...the usual stuff. Sean applied for an internship with APS (the power people in Phoenix) last night. He had completely forgotten to apply, and here we were, waiting for an answer. We think the Spirit helped out because when he was on there last night, it said the deadline was March 14. Talk about a close call! So, we'll see what happens, but, chances are we may be up in Phoenix this summer. We'll keep everyone posted! Oh, and tomorrow is a grand day for me because...Leo is getting a haircut!!! He's so gross right now...I honestly don't like to snuggle with him. He's just a mess, so I am thrilled that soon he will be naked. Naked dogs are fun dogs. :)

We did it!

2008-03-07T16:14:00.001-08:00

So, for those of you who don't know, which is probably just about everyone, we bought a puzzle at DI of Mickey Mouse, except the entire picture is composed of tiny scenes from all different Disney movies, like a mosaic. You can kind of see it from the picture of his glove. It was a little tough, but we did it, so here it is!!!

P.S. 10 days 'til Disneyland!

E.T.

2008-03-06T06:44:00.000-08:00

So, we had a funny little incident this morning. For background, I'll inform you that yesterday I had an extremely intense kickboxing class, and now it really hurts to walk...therefore, I have to waddle, like ET. So, I mentioned to Sean that I felt like "ET" and he said "you are E.T." He got a big kick out of that and I just glared at him....of course trying not to laugh at the same time. He's a stinker but I love him. We also learned just how paranoid he can be if he wants to. For example, when I woke up, I could not move my legs because they hurt so bad. So I said "Honey, I can't move my legs". Apparently, he started to freak out because in his mind, that was the same as "I can't feel my legs" or "I'm paralyzed", so he was totally ready to take me to the ER. I felt bad, but I had to laugh at him anyway. We have learned again just how dysfunctional we are at communicating...sometimes its hilarious, sometimes it not...

"M-i-c-k-e-y-M-o-u-s-e!"

2008-02-27T20:12:00.000-08:00

Hopefully the title gives everything away...yes folks...the Happiest Couple on Earth is going to the Happiest Place on Earth...yee-haw! We are so totally excited because its actually happening! We got a packet in the mail with all our information, our passes, really cool Mickey Mouse luggage tags and stuff. We kind of feel like little kids, but luckily, that's totally okay. So, we'll be out there March 17-20, and then on the 20th, we'll head to visit Uncle Dick and Aunt Donna and the fam. It will be neat because I've heard about these people but I really have no idea who they are. That will be much fun! Other than that, life is just a-going. Sean and I are both working hard in school and in figuring out where we go from here. We both feel really strongly about Teach for America, but the latest place we are looking into for that is North Carolina. There's a possibility that Sean could get a summer internship when he's not teaching out there. We'd be near a place called the Research Triangle, where I guess some bigger companies like IBM have major sites. If he can do that, every one wins because he'll still be able to use his engineering skills, which will help will job hunting later. We both feel really good about this and that it would be an incredible opportunity for our lil' family...especially while its still just the two of us. Well, in other news, I'll be earning some money cleaning my friend's house, and unfortunately I already "spent" it, but it was a worthy cause, in my opinion. I decided to take my sister Emilie to see her favorite singer Michael Buble, who will be in Tucson at the end of April. What's family for, right? She's had a tough year and she's been a tough cookie, so I think she's earned it...plus this way I don't have to get her a birthday present for like 10 years (just kidding, sis). I hope everyone is doing spectacular, but if not, at least pretty good :) We love you all and hope to see some of you soon!

Valentine's Day

2008-02-15T14:52:00.000-08:00

Well, this Valentine's Day was our first being married. We actually celebrated on the thirteenth, because it was also our 11-month anniversary (Sean called it 'Anni-Valentine's') and we both had homework to do Thursday. Anyway, I have to say that Mr. Sean officially earned himself "Prince Charming" status this week. If he ever tries to say he's not romantic, just laugh at him.

So, on Wednesday night, he came home in a hurry and put on a shirt and tie. I was already dressed up and ready to go. I kind of knew we were going to the Olive Garden because we had received a gift card for Christmas, but what I wasn't expecting was the surprise when we got there. Sean had gone ahead of time and put balloons, a box of chocolates and a card on our table. I didn't know I'd married a romantic! Usually all the cutesy ideas I have to come up with, but wow, he proved me wrong. After dinner, we went and saw the movie "Enchanted", which was totally cute. That was our Valentine's, and it was the best ever.

Of course, I couldn't let him have all the fun. So the next day, I bought him a couple of balloons, wrote little messages on them, tied them to my rubber ducky, and left them floating in the bathtub, so that when he went to take a shower this morning, he had a little surprise. I think we both had two much fun with this holiday. I wonder what wacky ideas we'll come up with next year...

Other than that, we are doing really good. School is crazy for both of us, but we're happy!!

Lovin' Life!

2008-02-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

So far, life is goin' pretty good for our little twosome. Crazy things just keep happening, but most of them good! School is going well. Sean's falling a little behind but he's working hard to catch up. He's making plans to learn all kinds of things to help him with his future career goals, and we're both looking forward to Teach for America next year. We got the other half of my Pell grant check, so, it looks like Disneyland just might happen for our anniversary...we're flippin' excited! I really, really, really like Mickey Mouse...and Sean and I really, really, really want to run around like 6-year-olds with a first grade crush. (At least I'm not the girl who flushed his crayon down the toilet! If you don't know the story, ask him and he'll be happy to tell you) Anyway, I'm sitting here trying to figure out what else I can tell you. Since that method isn't working, I'll just have to post again later! We love you all!!!

School, school, and more school!

2008-01-20T15:46:00.000-08:00

This week will be the beginning of a lot of "fun" for us. I start classes (Sean started last week) and this is the first time we'll both be in school full-time, at the same time. We're not sure how its going to work but we'll figure it out! For Sean, school is so far, so good. It's too early in the semester to tell, but we all know he'll do great, so he couldn't fool us if he tried. I'm a little interested to see how my classes will go, since some are online classes. I never done an online class before...it should be interesting.

In other news, we got a new couch! Well, not really NEW, and we didn't buy it. We actually found it. We were taking Leo for a walk, and just before we got home, Sean saw a couch in front of the construction dumpster. Sean has this habit of taking perfectly good things from the trash and bringing them home...anyway, he was right about this. It's in perfectly good shape, has a nice beige color, its really comfortable AND its long enough for Sean to lie down on. (I told him that this means I can actually make him sleep on the couch now, even though I don't think I would...) So, we drove out little car Elmo over, picked up the couch, flipped it over onto the back of the car, and Sean slowly drove back to our apartment, with me trotting behind, holding the couch in place. It was pretty funny stuff.(Sean wants to add it was my idea...) Luckily, we weren't far. So, we swapped out the couches and plan to give our old one to DI (where we bought it in the first place, oddly enough). That was the Tunell Adventure of the week. Tune in next time....

Oh, and I should mention this before Sean says anything...I successfully beat Starfox64 all by myself. Now, this may not sound like a big deal to some of you, but I was pretty stinkin' proud! So I guess I'm officially a Tunell now. Next up- Banjokazooie.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-03T15:14:00.000-08:00

Hello, everyone! Welcome to 2008! Isn't it crazy that last year is over? It went by way too fast. Well, I'd thought I'd pitch in about our Christmas and New Year's celebrations. We spent Christmas in Utah and Idaho, mostly with my family but we did visit the Petersons and the Murphys, and we had a blast! We ended up renting a car and driving along with my sister, so that saved us some money. We got some pretty neat gifts, too. Sean gave me a scrapbook kit (book included) and I've been going to town with it. He also gave me two Calvin & Hobbes books, and my favorite book by President Hinckley called Standing for Something. He also gave me a book about Sister Hinckley, so I was happy! I got him the August Rush soundtrack (great movie- a must see) and the Perfect Pushup, which are push-up handles that help you get more "umph" out of your push-ups. He really likes them so far. As a family, we received Ratatouille, Happy Feet, three new Christmas CDs (Manheim Steamroller, UoU Singers, and Josh Groban), a beautiful picture of the Mesa Temple from Chris, and "Snog", a book about love filled with quotes and adorable pictures of puppies. For the New Year, Sean and I went to Chris and Steve's. We had a blast doing the usual (eating, watching movies, and playing video games). We also had lunch with Grandma and Grandpa Tunell, which was very nice. Oh, I almost forgot! We were able to go to Chris and Steve's sealing at the Mesa Temple. It was very beautiful and the Spirit was very strong. It's nice to be able to go to those types of things and be reminded of things we missed at our own wedding. Speaking of which, we received several pictures from our wedding that my friend Alicia took. I didn't even know she was taking pictures! I thought she had gone home! So they are definitely treasures. I guess the last bit of news, which is very exciting for us, is today we found out we've been approved for AHCCCS health insurance! So now next time I'm "dying" which I seem to do alot, I can actually go to the doctor! How exciting is that? So we're pretty darn giddy about the whole thing, and are hoping to celebrate tonight. Anyway, that's our world right now! Soon we'll both be in school full-time and we'll be super busy, but we'll keep you posted anyway!

White Christmas....in Tucson!

2007-12-10T18:51:00.001-08:00

Ok, so we didn't get REAL snow, although its predicted there will be four inches not far from here. But we did get a little but of snow with hail mixed in with it. Two years in a row of snow...yay!!

'Tis the Season!

2007-12-09T20:03:00.000-08:00

Even though Christmas isn't quite here yet, the Spirit of Christmas is everywhere you go! We love it! We received presents from a few family members (Aaron and Vicki/Mom and Steve). We opened them the other night because, well, as Sean likes to put it, we don't have parents around anymore to stop us! The gifts were all wonderful- thank you very much! Sean gave me a scrapbook kit he had ordered, with the book to go with it. It was perfect and I'm so excited to start putting our first memories as a family together into one place. (Yeah!) Well, this week, Sean and I have our finals. Tuesday I will be done, then Sean on Thursday. After his, we're going to the temple, then off to the "churrascaria" or Brazilian barbeque. It's our "school is finally out" party. Sean has been wanting to take me to this place since we met...first it was watch UHF...now that I've done that, it's eatin' time! As far as the babysitting gig goes, I watched little Logan for the first time on Friday. It was pretty tiring but I miss him! It will be neat to have him here more regularly and to be able to get more used to him. He's a really good baby though. He loves to smile and "talk". Sean likes him a lot, too. But Leo does not. He's very nice but he's very jealous. Hopefully he'll get over that pretty soon. I mean, when we have one of our own, they'll be here ALL the time. So far, so good. Again, we look forward to visiting many of you this holiday season and love you all. We'll be sending out cards with new family photos, so keep an eye out!

School's Almost Out!

2007-12-02T15:03:00.000-08:00

Well, here in the Tunell house, we're busy....studying for finals. Sean actually has a lot more studying than I do for this semester, but I'm thinking next semester will be different. He's hung in there and we all know he'll do great (don't let him tell you otherwise). Not a whole lot of new things are happening at our house. We did get our Christmas tree...it's fake but it has lights and ornaments, so it's valid! I posted a picture but it doesn't do the actual thing justice. We have the presents from Aaron and Vicki/Mom and Steve under it, so it looks very official. (Thanks for the gifts, by the way!) Also, there is a big possibility that next semester I will be babysitting for 40 hrs a week, Tuesday through Friday, 7-5, and taking night classes. My really good friend, Min, has to go back to work for a while, and I'm the only person that is available and that she really trusts with her son. His name is Logan, and he's 10 wks old. He's SO cute!!! Anyway, the first test run is this Friday, just to make sure we click okay, and all that jazz. We'll keep you posted! I hope it works because it will give me a mild crash course in what its like to be a mommy, so when that happens, I'll know what I can expect more or less. Sean is excited, too. He'll be at school or work most of the time, but he really likes baby Logan, and Logan loves our Christmas tree! He loves staring at the lights. Anyway, enough babbling. I hope you all have a great holiday season and wish you the best!

Thanksgiving!

2007-11-25T15:01:00.001-08:00

Well, our thanksgiving was wonderful! We spent it with Sean's mom and step-dad, Steve. His son Cody was there as was my sister Emilie. We had so much fun! Thanksgiving dinner was absolutely delicious. Steve made a glazed ham with pineapple and cherries (yum!) and sweet potatoes. Mom's crescent rolls were amazing, too. Other than that, we spent most of our time playing Guitar Hero and the New Tetris. Sean pretty much always won, the little stinker, but occasionally Mom became the conqueror. We watched "White Christmas" and "UHF", and the family had fun while Sean and I picked on each other (out of love, of course). We would have loved to stay longer but- duty calls! I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving day and we are excited to see some of you at Christmas time.

p.s. I have changed it so anyone can comment on our blog, not just people with a Gmail account. Just be sure to hit "Other" rather than "Google User", so you can just leave your name. Thanks again for visiting! Love you all!

The Poll

2007-11-18T08:11:00.000-08:00

Ok, so, I realized after creating the poll that there was a fun quoting movie I forgot to list! So, the "other" is Robin Hood, the Disney version...it's a definite family favorite. Today is exciting for us because its the Primary program. Our kids have worked so hard and they are going to be awesome!