Dear santa,

Did your sled break down? Did you forget where I live? I am a little ticked that I did not get the simple request of a baby this year. Well, no baby yet and from the looks of things I will be going over the due date. I think i've just created a such a great place for this baby that he doesn't want to come. I tell him every night that he really wants to meet me, but he just stays put. Hopefully we will not go over the due date, but if we do we will be happy i mean really happy when he comes. It's time to give up this body suit.

Dear Santa,


I know that my due date isn't until January 5Th and I want a healthy baby, but I secretly would love to have a baby here for Christmas. I know that is a lot to ask and it's only for selfish reasons, but there isn't anything else I want. I have everything I need. An incredible husband, the best family and amazing friends. I am just really looking forward to meeting this little baby boy. If you can accommodate my wishes that would be so great.

thank you so much,


Erica

40 More days until my due date!!! I can't wait to meet this baby! I love feeling him kick. It's the best part of my day. I love talking to him while i drive to and from work. I love seeing braydon's face when he gets to feel him kick his hand. It's a priceless moment. It's going to change our whole life and I just keep thinking when he comes how did we ever survive without him? I feel so lucky and grateful that I get the opportunity to be a mom! I have wanted to be a mom my whole life. It is just what some people were meant to do and some were meant to do something else. I am so thankful for my parents and i'm so excited to watch them be grandparents. They will be so great and so helpful and i'm so lucky to have that. I am excited for my sibling I just wish that they would have babies soon, but no such luck maybe by my third child they will start to have kids. My dad just had knee surgery and will eventually have to totally replace both knees and i'm so thankful that he is doing ok. My brother ben started working with me after school and it is so much fun having him there. He is just so hilarious and it's pretty funny to watch him interact with people he doesn't know. He is a lot more shy then i am. Em is dating someone pretty serious and I like him a lot... i'm sure they are wedding bound, but I am apparently not supposed to say that so you didn't hear it from me!!! :)
Thanksgiving is such a great holiday, but for my little family it's some what bitter sweet. 7 years ago today we said our goodbyes and it just seems like yesterday. And i'm so grateful for the time we got to spend together even if some times were a little more rough then others. I still wonder when you will drive in the driveway and come home... silly thoughts i know. I'm so thankful that you are a part of our family and that we get forever with you and sarah. I'm so thankful that we know that we will see you again. How sad is it for people who dont know that. Well, I know how everyone is so sick of my blog pitty parties, but i hope you all have such a beautiful and happy thanksgiving.

Help!!!

So I need all the advice I can get from all the mommies out there... what is the most needed and wanted items, any advice for me as i'm approaching the due date sooner and sooner... I just want to get all the advice I can. I know i'm a little weird. Oh and side note I am loving the Christmas music and the girls at work are going crazy because I sing it all day. They won't let me play it so during my lunch hour I sing to it on my i pod. I am so excited for christmas not just because i love it so much, but because my baby will be here right after. I wish he could be here for all the holiday fun, but it didn't work out that way.

So my cute cousins Heather and Missy threw me my family baby shower!! It was so fun. I got the most darling gifts and it was so fun to get together. I stole this from missy's blog so you can see a few of the cute things I was able to get. My grandmother was so kind to let us use her house. This is making me more and more excited to meet my little man. I love presents, but for some reason I love baby boy presents for him then I do for my self. Thanks Heather and miss!!! I loved it so much and am so grateful for you both.

So we had a little celebration for my grandma's birthday this month! My grandma is actually doing pretty well. Some of you may or may not know that she is struggling with cancer for i swear the millionth time, but it's acutally number three. she is so brave and so positive. I feel so lucky that she is my grandmother. Well, for her birthday we each wrote her letters to tell her how she has impacted our lives and our testimony. We knew this would mean more to her then any present we could buy. Of course we bought her stuff thought. We found this darling brest cancer braclet at gardner villiage that we bought her and a whole bunch of pink items in honor of her and breast cancer month. How can anyone be as brave as she is? I don't think I would ever be like that if it were me walking in her shoes. Bravery is something I do not pocess. I went and had a piece of home made bread with her yesterday and tried to help grandpa cover his beloved fig trees to get them ready for the winter. We talked about everything. She is so funny and we talk about the most random things. She always talks to my belly which i think is really cute and fun. She is such a sweet lady and she's my grandmother and i love her A LOT!!

* here is a video my uncle grant and cousin andrew made for her birthday because they were unable to be there. It's darling! copy and paste it to youtube if you want to watch it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnkgU_XFsNY

jazz game, babies are here and an update

So yesterday braydon and I went on a double date with my siter and her boyfriend jon to the jazz game pre season opener! It was so much fun. We went to sky box had a quick dinner then headed to the game... where you know I had to get dip n dots because I LOVE Them. It was a blow out, but it was still fun to be there for a little group date. Jon thought it was the best thing of his life he was a little excited.






Dave and danielle welcomed their two baby girls presley and paisley to the world this week!! They are so tiny and adorable. I loved them even before i met them. I am so excited for their new additions and for their new adventure! Congrats mommy and daddy you made two stinkin cute babies. and i know cole is going to be the best big brother. Well, it looks like we only have three more months until our baby comes. I can't wait to meet him. Everything is looking good and he is growing at the right pace. I on the other hand have blown up, but isn't it worth it? WEll it is worth it to have a baby, but seriously i look pretty sick, but my nice husband tells me everyday that i'm skinny and beautiful.... what a liar!!!!!!!!! He is pretty good to me though. I am excited for conference weekend to hang out and relax. I hardly ever see braydon so it will be so nice to be together this weekend. I want to take a drive and go see the leaves. It is looking so beautiful outside.

Rain!!

I love the rain in the early fall!! I love that it isn't cold, but we still get some moisture. I love watching thunder and lightning. I am excited for fall and all the fun fall activities, but i can't wait til next fall because I will get to do them with my new little man and braydon. I got to spend a lot of time with my sister after her surgery poor sister. She had jaw surgery and i'm sure it wasn't that much fun for her. She is starting to have better days and better nights though. She had a rough first week. She looks really good. not very much bruising which is really lucky because everyone said she would bruise like crazy. Her swelling is starting to go down. I am glad we are on the road to recovery because it has been hard on everyone mostly her. My belly is growing and I feel really huge for being almost six months. I hope everyone feels that way about themselves so i'm not such a weirdo. Braydon has been so good though even though i never see him now that school has started. He tells me i'm skinny and that i'm beautiful even though I gave him a list of what he needs to say to me... at least he does it right???? Well, bring on fall and all the colors and festivities.

Sarah Jane

Oh sarah jane.... it seems like a lifetime ago some days and just yesterday on the other days. You were and still are so beautiful, so dang cute, and i'm sure still stubborn. Missing you isn't hard it's the being without you part I haven't mastered yet. It's hard to imagine what life would be like with you as a 16 year old girl. I'm sure we would be fighting off the boys and ben would be so annoyed that you would be in highschool with him this year. I sure do miss you a lot sweet girl and i'm totally ticked that you aren't around. And I won't get to see you hold my baby boy or teach him really naughty behavior. I hope you are having fun up there because we think it's pretty crappy that you aren't with us. Keep an eye out for us and help mom to find some sort of peace with it all she deserves at least that. missing you daily and loving you always!

It's a boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We had our ultrasound and What i've been feeling all along is true. WE are having a baby boy. I really didnt care what we were having, but I just wanted to know everything was going well. He has all limbs and his heart sounds good and everything looks good. We are so excited and can't wait to meet our new little man!

Is it a BOY or a GIRL???

I went to the Dr. today just to have my monthly check up, but of course braydon couldn't come so I have to have two appointments this week because he couldn't miss the ultrasound. So we get to go back friday morning and find out!! Today went great. The heartbeat sounds great and she says everything looks fabulous. I still asked her to listen for one more heartbeat, but she said i was to small to have two babies.... to small??? wasn't it just last week I was to fat? To small??? Say it again say it again.... YOU ARE TO SMALL was ringing in my head. That is right i'm not even thinking about two babies just the fact that small is just another word for skinny. ha ha. skinny it's just to out of reach for me at this point. I know she didn't mean skinny, but I could pretend for a few minutes. I would love people to tell me what they think we are having. And i will let you know for sure after friday.

So we had the wedding last week in the hot hot hot AZ! It was really beautiful. The sealing was FILLED with people who love them and it was really hot. Elder Kofford performed the ceremony. He did a great job he was so sweet to fly down there from utah. It was really neat because he sealed braydon and I. So that was a fun thing to share. WE had a luncheon after and then the reception later that night. It was really beautiful and it was mostly just our family hanging out in the corner because we didn't know anyone. Then it came time for the rockin dance party which i participated in the entire time. Yes people the pregnant lady out danced pretty much everyone. And you reading this know who you are. Poor braydon kept getting yelled at for having the mother of his child out there shakin her groove thing all night, but his response was you try and tell her she can't be out there... he's right it woudln't work very well. The night ended and the newly married couple drove off for their mini honeymoon. WE got back to Utah just in time to celebrate our 23 birthday. Which is really just another day, but it's a lot of fun to get presents and go to dinner as a family. Braydon could only come to dinner because he had a chemistry final the next day, but i was glad he came that long. We had the reception here last night and it was not a good time to get ready for it. WE had to do half inside and half outside in the covered area because of the chance of rain. It was fun to actually know people this reception and it was fun to see people we love. The night ended with a little dancing and then tired feet. All in all it was a great last week and i'm excited for paul and madison to start their journey and continue to grow in love. They are a beautiful couple. In 13 days we get to find out what our baby is!!! We are so excited and can't wait to know! It's just a really exciting time in our lives and we are so excited for this little one to enter our lives and make our family more complete.

Quick update

So summer is always such a busy time for everyone. This summer isn't any different. We have been doing a lot of fun things. Braydon took the first part of summer off of school and it was a nice change to get to be together a little bit more since we never see each other while he is in school. We go swimming every night at my parents house. It's just fun to be with my family in the warm pool with the beautiful sunsets. Four weeks ago we got to hear that babies heartbeat. It is so amazing and it was really fun for braydon since he isn't the one with the changing body the hormones and the feeling sick it's fun for him to be more apart of it. So we are to the 4 month mark and we are getting more and more excited everyday. I just see my friends as moms and i want that so bad. It really is a pleasure to watch their lives change and watch my friends grow up. Danielle is on the tail end of her pregnancy and I couldn't be more happy for them. I can't wait to see those darling girls. What a blessing to have two babies on the way. Cami is going to be a teacher this year.... how cool is that i really can't believe where life has taken us. Bridget is just off doing so many fun vacations and loving married life. We've been hanging out more with jessica. who i adore and i'm so happy for her jace and kellen. I know how special it is to have an enternal family. It's really crazy where life has taken us. It's funny. We don't talk everyday, but they are still so important to me and when we get together it's like we haven't been away from each other. I'm proud of them and where their lives have taken them. And i'm pretty sure they know how important they are to me. My dad's back is finally getting better. He is back at work full time and we are so glad that our old dad is almost back. It was a sad hard deal. he is so tough. Paul gets married in 18 days. Madison is in Arizona until the wedding and it's really weird having her gone we are doing all these fun summer things and it's not the same and it feels like our family isn't complete with out her. I am excited for their wedding i'm not excited to go down to AZ for the wedding in 106 degree weather. HOT!! Braydon is back in school so he has to fly down thursday night late and then we leave saturday morning. What short vacation. The fourth of july was super fun. We had our entire family over for a bbq and swimming then we went to the fireworks at davis high! I love fireworks they just are something i really enjoy. I am a little child i know. I know everyone's lives are so busy right now and i hope you are having a great summer!

My kids are back for a visit from??? Mississippi!!!!!!!! Jack, sophie, annie, and baby noah are back for 3 weeks! My mom sent me a picture text of them in the pool while i was at work and said they were leaving before i could get home. I begged for them to stay an extra half hour so i could see them. I just couldn't stand it and i told the girls at work I had to go see my kids! I walked out to the pool and almost started to cry! I've missed these kids so much. sophie got out of the pool and i hugged her little wet body. She is me and I am her she is a doll... yes i think i'm a doll too:) Then mandy's sister brought noah down. Oh my goodness he is so big I hardly recognized him. Mandy and Mike are expecting their 5th and final baby. I am so excited because he/she comes august they are being silly and not finding out the sex until the big day. Sorry i stole this picture from your blog it's the most recent that you have of all of them on it and i love the just woke up look. I love these kids so much and i'm so excited for the next three weeks. I just don't want you to go back!

Birthday wishes and taking care or baby and forever families!

So today is bubba's birthday. What a crappy day for a birthday it's raining and wet and cold and it's june. It's funny how birthdays are happy days for our family and then we wake up to such a gloomy day. I was sitting by my dad this morning since he is still struggling from his two herniated disks and i just thought as much as a miss bubba and sarah i am so grateful for their lives and the small amount of time we got to spend with them. I know they are taking care of each other and I feel so blessed that our baby gets to be with his/her aunt and uncle for the next few months. Laughing, playing, learning, and loving. I feel so comforted because even though our baby won't remember them here on earth our baby got to spend time with the some of the two most important people in my life. I must say i'm a bit jealous because what i wouldn't give to hear them and touch them and just love them on a more real level again. We are so lucky to have eternal families. Just recently two well four because i love their husbands too... my friends were sealed together. Jace and jessica were sealed to eachother first and that was so beautiful and magical and then they brought sweet kellen in. What a treat to see them become an eternal unit. David john and Danielle were sealed the week after to their sweet baby cole that they adopted in November. I know that this has been a long time coming for danielle and dave. I love that they can be together forever. It's really a tender mercy and miracle from above that we get to be families FOREVER. The veil is so thin and today i feel really lucky to witness and know of such miracles.

So it's official! We are going to have a baby. I am almost 9 weeks (this friday) We really wanted to wait until we were 12 weeks but my sister went through my phone and found my pregnancy test picture! Oops, but it was a really really hard secret to keep so in a way i'm glad it's out of the bag. We are so excited and can't wait. We are due around january 7th. Both our parents will be first time grandparents and we each have one set of grandparents who will be greatgrand parents. We are hoping this baby will be SPOILED! We are so scared excited happy and grateful. I am so excited to watch braydon be a dad. I know he will be so amazing. He is really nervous, but i just tell him a lot of men are like that. He will be just fine and i know that everything will work out. WE have such an amazing support system our family and friends are so good to us we are so lucky and this baby will be so loved!!

Memorial Day

So it's a little funny to me that there is a day to remember people who are gone. As though we have forgotten them the other 364 days left in the year. I know these pictures are really blurry, partly because they are old and partly because i scanned them really fast. Sarah, my sweet baby died i really long time ago, but i still remember how her laugh sounds and how when i would secretly wake her up from naps or in morning to ask her where everyone was and she would tilt her head and say donnnnnn know! I never knew why i felt like i always had to wake her up to see her and play with her, but i didn't and I don't think in her short life she ever got a full nap. And then she died and I know why I did that. So I could spend a little more time with her. I wonder everyday what she looks like as a teenager and what kind of music she would like and if my parents would let her get away with anything. I wonder how many scars she would have from a years playing and running. I wonder how different our family would be. We all changed so much from the outside i'm sure it's unnoticed but we are so different. I wonder how we could be the people we are today if she were still around. I know the answer, but is it to selfish to no admit it? I would rather be a different person and have her and bubba around. She was so full of life and really crazy. It's weird because hardly any of my friends and even my husband know her. They never got to be around this beautiful baby girl. How do you explain how silly she was and how fun she was? I miss that little girl everyday not just today. WE are so lucky that we can be with our families forever.

Bubba is a whole other story. Most everyone knew him and either feared him or loved him.... or loved to fear him. I am not sure. He was very handsome and like sarah he was full of life. He was crazy and funny and a "know it all" So he thought. The day before he left to go down to st. george him and I spent hours together which wasn't common where he would sit and talk to me about life and give advice. I hold that day very close to my heart we hugged and said I love you and that is the last time i heard him speak or saw him alive without the help of ventilators. I wonder about him too. Would he be married and have children? Where would he be living? Would he have hair still.... just kidding. I just wonder and i know it seems silly to dream or things that i know will never happen until we get to the other side, but I wonder why a mother had to bury her two children and why ben and sarah were best buddies, but he doesn't remember her and why paul had to say goodbye to his best friend and why my dad seems lonely in his eyes and why emilee never got to really be an older sister. The question why is a really easy one to ask, but it really is silly. We won't know why but the Lord gives us challenges and hard ache and blessings everyday. One day we will know WHY. So not just today but everyday remember the loved ones who went before us they deserve to be remembered. I love you and miss you everyday!!








This is a picture of sarah doing her "pretty girl" pose and then me and her swinging in a hammock while camping and then bubba and i sitting on the couch together and then bubba packing sarah on his back

Mothers

What could i possible say that would give justice to that way i feel about my mother, but i'm going to try.
1. She is so funny
2. She is a hard worker with her job and with her church calling and everything.
3. She loves my dad and he loves her
4. She allows me to call her 200 times a day and never gets mad
5. She loves the gospel
6. She loves my husband and is so good to him. She makes the best mother and mother in law!!!
7. She tells all of us that we are her favorite
8. She has had some hard trial losing two children, but if you just met her you wouldn't know because she is so brave and so full of life. She is a true example of endurance and overcoming any hard ache.
9. She is beautiful
10. She puts up with my craziness.

I could go on and on about all of her good qualities. She is my friend and my mother. I love her and i'm grateful that she is mine forever. I am so lucky our whole family is so lucky.

Next I want to mention my friends who are mothers you know who you are. I am so thankful for your example of what it is to be a great mother. You love your babies and they love you. You make it look so easy (i know it's hard) I am so proud of the women and mothers you've become. It is truly what you were meant to do. I love you!

Braydon got me an elliptical for mothers day. It's super nice and has so many great features. He is so good to me. I know i'm not a mom, but i can't wait to be one. That is really the only thing i've wanted to do. It's something my heart craves. I can't wait until i get to be one. For all you mothers and soon to be mothers. I hope you had a great day and you are all beautiful women and we are lucky to know you and follow your example.

Life is hard sometimes.

So these past couple weeks have been rather hard for me. And I just need to vent on my blog and i understand people have had way worse things happen to them and I know that. So I ordered checks from my bank and they never arrived. So i went in and had them canceled. Well, my bank had canceled the wrong number of checks. They canceled the numbers i was currently using. So I had all these stopped payment checks come back for ALL my bills. I went to the corporate office in Ogden and they said we know we made the mistake, but we won't be paying for your returned check fees. Ok that sounds fair right... no!! So one of the places that had a check come back was costco. Well, I get my card through my work and they put a block on my card so i couldn't use it, but not only did they put a block on my card but every single person i work with had a block put on their card. Oh it was so frustrating. So then 3 days later my tire blows up on the freeway. I mean it blew up all over the place. It was super scary. Since it was after hours it was almost 300 dollars to fix. Then this last monday i get a call at work from my bank asking if I had spent money or bought anything online in Israel. Umm.... no! So someone has been using my credit card at numerous places in Israel. FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!! So i'm pretty stressed at this point. because a lot of my bills just take money directly from my card and now i have to get a new one and a new account. So it's the end of my work day and I got to leave and to my surprise my car won't start not even with a jump. So I have a girl i work with.. bless her. Drive me down to auto zone to get a new battery. And i haven't the first clue how to put a new battery in, but that was my only option at this point. So I buy the stupid thing 200 dollars and i go back to work. We are trying to figure it all out and a guy in the building behind us asks us if he could help PHEW of course you can help. So he takes the old battery out and puts the new one in it's place. oh we are home free.... NO we aren't he dropped the bolts in the car and i started bawling! What am i going to do i have no bolts I can't hook this battery up. the poor guy was looking at me like i was a crazy person, but come on you just dropped all my screws inside the car. So we took rope and tied it down so i could get back to auto zone and get new bolt to fit. So i buy the bolts and return the old battery and they said when did you buy this. I said three years ago. Oh they we will give you your money back the man said. so I go back to the sales counter and they said "well, you bought this battery 3 years and 24 days ago so we can't give you any money back. Of course you can't with a week like i've had that would make total sense. I'm pretty sure something good is in store for me soon!!

Just Because

So it was just a normal day. I got up at 3 am because of course my body just has to get up at that time and i hung out in the living room for a while then i tried to go back to sleep and slept about 1 hour to get up at five to get ready for work. I got to work took care of all the dogs and opened up. It soon got busy at 8 when we open i wish i didn't have to get there before, but that is life. I eventually had to move to the back to get our two surgeries prepped and ready to go. I "knocked" down the first dog and we got his belly shaved (neuter and hernia repair) I was in the middle of scrubbing and hooking him up to the pumps when i girl i worked with said you got a surprise upfront. This is could mean a number of things. I have to smooth something over with our staff, smooth something over with one of your clients because my employees always seem to come to me because they say i'm a very good butt kisser, but i just say i'm really good at my job :) or it could be i need to talk to a salesman or something. So I went up front to find red roses. My husband sent me rose to work with a note that said i just wanted you to know i love you and i always think of you and i will be home late which is a norm since he doesn't get home til 11 or 12 every night. It made me smile and it made me feel so good. I'm so lucky to have my best friend in my life. I feel sad because some of the ladies i work with have really "hard" husbands who don't treat them well and who don't help around the house or with the kids and don't make them feel loved. They couldn't believe a man would just send you flower "just because" and it's the little things that count and they still don't believe that we didn't get in a fight or that he was just trying to make up for doing something wrong. The Lord has blessed me so much with a great family and a great husband.

My paul is getting married!!

My brother Paul is getting married!!! He ask madison today!! I've known for awhile now that they were getting married they have had it pretty much all planned, but i knew before they started planning. I had a dream about two weeks after i met madison that they were getting married. Paul just has never seemed so happy. She is totally different from all the other girls he has dated. She is so beautiful and smart and guess what I like her... well i actually love her. She has become one of my very best friends and i'm super excited for her to join our family and become a Belnap. Madison will tell you that she knew she loved paul when they went to the draper temple open house. Well, that is where he asked her. So we set up balloons and roses each of my family had written a note to madison telling her why we loved her and why were so excited for he to join our family. We attached them to red roses and then paul wrote a note to madison and attached it to white roses. She had no clue he told her he had to pick up a mission companion on their way to his mission Reunion and paul said he wouldn't be at the place for a half hour so they had time to kill so they decided to go up to the temple and walk around. WEll little did she know that the flowers were just around the corner and she of course started to bawl and he got on his knee and asked her. I am super excited for paul. He has been my best friend my whole life and i can't imagine him with anyone else and i'm so grateful he found someone who understands our special bond and still lets us be "twins" I can't wait for their upcoming wedding even if it is in Arizona. Welcome to the family madison! I love you both so much.

For all you "haters" She doesn't like people who don't like her "amazing voice" and she knows how good she is. This girl is named miranda and she is all over you tube you need to search she is fantastic!!! I haven't laughed this hard in a long long long time!!

Reasons why I need a vacation/cruise!

1. Even though it is starting to get warm I want the heat. I want to sit on the beach and relax read a book and watch the sunset over the water.

2. I need a break from real life. Work, cleaning, laundry, dishes, bills ect. It would be nice to get to spend time with braydon since we only really see each other saturday and sunday we are really really busy because of work and school.

3. sleeping in. I don't sleep well at all and it would be nice to not have to wake up and have any responsibilities.

4. You don't have to cook the food is prepared for you!

5. There is so much to do. Karaoke, comedy clubs, dancing, laying out, mini broadway plays, spending quality time with family and 1 am room service. It doesn't get better than that. Getting to relax and there is plenty to do.

This is only a few reasons why i want to getaway i am pretty close to having my parents convinced that it's a great idea too.

So Lately i have been trying to work on myself to be better... remember my new years goal? well, I came across this video off erin stock vail's facebook page and it penetrated my heart. I have a really hard time forgiving people. I trust you til you give me a reason not to and then it's near impossible to get it back. I have been hurt by people very close to me with their words and their hatred towards me. This video is a reminder that i need to forgive and be free. This video also teaches us to serve because it changes the focus off us and moves it to someone else and that is wad God does. Elder F. Enzio Busche was in my parents ward and i grew up with him. once as my teacher. He is so smart and so knowledgeable about the gospel. He is a convert and if you ever get a chance to meet him he has an incredible conversion story. The message i got from this video has made me inspired to be better. If you don't like serious or religious
videos move along to the next blog. It's not really for me to put this video on anyone else it's something that impacted me. I'm grateful for moments like that.

So these past few weeks have been really interesting. Last saturday I got the flu and that wasn't fun at all. Then monday rolls around and I have to be to work and i really didn't feel any better, but i had to be there. So I went and we were really busy, a lot busier then we've been lately which was nice in a way and bad in another. So we worked our butts off.After a 11 hour work day i had to drive up to Lds hospital to go see my grandma who had surgery on her knee because she fell two weeks earlier and she needed to get a new knee. Then, tuesday we were even more busy with 8 surgeries and a girl i work with left because she was sick and it kinda made me mad because she knew how busy we were and she wasn't that sick anyway. Then wednesday I went to ben's last season game up in logan and got car sick and that was just the best thing ever, but I wanted him to know i support him and that i really wanted to be there. It's important to him that we come. So i get to work on thursday still feeling a little weird from the flu and really no sleep, but ready to work. So we had to take x-rays of a really mean cat. We took a lateral and Ventral dorsal of the chest. A lateral is where they are on their side and a VD is on their back. So we took them, but the cat kinda moved on the lateral, but we wanted to run the x-rays to see and the cat was getting more and more pissed. Then we had to get blood from the cat and that was a joke. He was so angry at this point that it took three people to hold the cat and one to hit the vein. Well the dr. said that the lateral x-ray wasn't any good so we had to shoot it again. well we had a very upset cat and it wasn't very easy to get him on his side and kathy a girl i work with was hold him and she couldn't do it anymore so while she was still holding him I grabbed him and then she let go and went to grab a towel to wrap the cat in. while she was gone the cat kept trying to get out of my hold and was throwing himself all over the place so i had to let go and i did, but when you let go of a pissed cat you don't try and reach down and get it so i was trying to get out of the way and he lunged at me and grabbed my right hand with his sharp teeth. and i ripped my hand from his grip and there i was a bleeding mess. It got my palm and the top of my hand on the knuckles. I washed it to hard it hurt so it doesn't get infected because cats have such a weird bacteria called pasturella. It causes the area to swell and get very infected. So I went to the doctor right way and got on antibiotics. Hopefully it doesn't get infected. Right now it is looking good, but it hurts. I am thinking i really hope my week doesn't get worse. So friday i went to my grandma's and i took care of her for the day. We watched movies, slept (well she slept) talked and ate the food her neighbors brought. It made my week seem a little better by serving my grandmother. I am grateful i have the opportunity to do that for her since she has done so much for me and my family. Serving always makes you feel so great. I never really get to see braydon because he goes to school all day and some nights when he doesn't have to be at school til 11 he works at wingers to make a little money. So I really only see him on sunday. So saturday I hung out with my mom and then helped my grandma get a bath and i put her to bed. So sundays are always really nice because i get to be with braydon. We teach primary together and then we come home eat dinner and get in our sweats and watch movies. It's one of my favorite things to do! So all in all the week was a roller coaster and i'm hoping this particular ride ends soon so i can get on another one.

The truth about puppy mills!

I understand that not everyone loves animals and that is ok. You don't need to love animals to understand that this video is not humane and that puppy mills should be illegal. Most of my friends hate animals, but they know i love them... hello i work with them everyday. Puppy mills are cruel and disgusting i hate them. I got my sweet copper from Kansas. He was rescued from a puppy mill. He lived there his whole life and was only let out for breeding. He had rotten teeth, horrible ears, and was matted so badly he had sores on his body. I fell in love with him the moment i saw him. He is very afraid of men because he was abused, but he is doing so much better. He learned how to sit, speak and jump up. He knows when i say "get your toy" to bring it to me. I feel heartbroken that there are millions of animals left there to live their lives out and die in horrible cages without food or water never being able to touch the ground. I'm not asking you to love animals i'm just asking that if do or ever get one please don't buy one from a pet store!! And this is mostly about how much i love copper. I know most of you will this think this post is silly, but it's important to me so if you do don't read or watch it and most importantly dont comment about how silly or dumb you think it is because i don't want to know. Here are some picture of copper getting a bath, drying off, sitting with braydon, and him in his rain coat... yes i buy my dog clothes. I know i'm a weirdo.

Love love it!!!!!

Oh i just love ellen! She makes me so happy when i'm feeling down. And i know a lot of people don't like josh groban, but i love him. I used to sit in my parents study listening to him with my brother bubba. The song to where you are is really special to my family, but that isn't the point here. The point is she freaking rocks and i wish i could be funny and someone who makes people smile the way she does. I hope you enjoy.

Hello you single Gents

This stunning lady on the right is Tess. She feels as though i do not care enough about her because i haven't made a post well here it goes.

Tess is beautiful, very funny, and she likes boys. She makes me laugh a lot! She is crazy and very loud... seems a bit familiar right? Tess here you go. love you girl.

25 random things

1. I cry in the shower so no one knows when I cry
2. I like a clean house, but I hate hate hate to clean
3. I get hooked on certain food place and I go to them for three to four weeks in a row then I pick a new place and start the cycle all over
4. At my tiny house we do not have a bath just a shower and I love to take baths and so I go to my moms now and just take a hot bath, but I always shower after
5.I don’t sleep well at night I get up about 2 or 3 and that is that I’m up. And it makes me mad that braydon is sleeping so I move a lot to see if he will wake up and he never does.
6. I knew I would marry braydon when I was 16. he saved me after my brother died.
7. I love to watch movies at night with braydon, but since I hardly see him I’m stuck with tv shows… guilty pleasures as he would say
8. I don’t go to my siblings graves because I don’t like it, but if my whole family goes I will just stay in the car.
9. I had an imaginary boyfriend named pin when I was little because bubba and paul wouldn’t play with me.
10. I have the best friends and best family ever!! I think about them everyday and pray for them. They make my life better.
11. I do not like to cuddle that much, but braydon loves it mostly at night he likes to fall asleep cuddling. Lets be honest Erica would rather sleep… so I’m like no don’t touch.
12. I am a twin and I can tell when paul is sad or sick or anything like that. When he was on his mission I knew when he was sick and he never told my mom, but I would get letters or emails saying he was and I knew. It’s a weird twin thing.
13. I love going to lake powell with my cousins and family. Yes I’m very good friends with my cousins.
14. I cry when I see someone else cry.
15. I am terrified to sing or speak in public, but wish I could do musical and Broadway stuff. I love to sing.
16. I know a lot of secrets about a lot of people. Those who know me know that if they told me something and they told me not to tell I wouldn’t. You would die if you knew the stuff I knew.
17. I want to be a mom more then anything.
18. In high school I would rather have stayed at home then go to a party, but if it was a dance party I always wanted to be there… me and stomps belonged together I love to shake it and my friends know how much I love it.
19. I think I could win know the lyrics tv show. I can memorize a song really easily and I know a million songs.
20. I want to be on the crime against childrens task force. Yes I want to be a cop. I have wanted to do that since I was little.
21. I have really scary dreams a lot

22. Braydon and I read our scriptures in Portuguese every night and we say our prayers holding hands.
23. I’m afraid of the dark.
24 . I love going on cruises with my family. I would do it all the time if we had the time.
25. I am really big into trust and once you’ve lost mine it’s pretty hard to get it back.

Sleep over!

So this weekend we decided to have braydon's siblings and two cousins have a sleep over at our house. We picked them up last night picked up two movies "swing vote and kung fu panda" Then we picked up dinner and drove to our house. We ate our dinner got in our pj's and started the first movie. Swing vote was ok some parts were really funny, but all in all i don't think i really liked it that much. The kids said they were up to watch the next movie. I'm feeling very old at this point it's 10:30 and i'm thinking... i don't know if i'll make it through another movie without falling asleep so i said braydon are you tired. and of course he said no so he would stay up and then when it was over he would wake me up. Well, I stayed up and he fell asleep, but half way through all the kids were out so i shut the movie off and we went to bed. Well they woke up at 6 and wanted to go outside and see the horses and since i hate horses i just stayed inside and started on breakfast. regular pancakes and chocholate chip pankcakes eggs and juice. So i called the kids in when it was all done. We ate breakfast and finished the movie. We then played some games and we took them back home. It was a lot of fun to have people over since no one comes to our small house. I guess the kids had a blast and they want to do it next week... so i'm sure it will happen sooner rather then later. It was fun having them over. I love those kids so much.

So here is what we've been up to

* Date nights to some really good places

* We got new kids for primary since it's a new year and they are darling, but they are super shy. We love our calling and it's so fun to hang out with four year old kids at church. They are super funny and tell you stuff they shouldn't about their parents and tell really interesting made up stories.

* My moms birthday all she wanted to do was watch american idol and have take out.

* My mom is starting to walk yay mom!!!

* Going to ben's basketball games and making his girlfriend jackee hang out with us we really like her

* paul brought a girl home for the first time and she stayed the weekend. She is super fun out going and we really like her... yes i really like her. Her name is maddison

* Maddison and I went to bride wars together just us... anyone impressed that i did that?

* Doing some friend things I wish we did more friend parties and couple get togethers

* We hung out with jonny and missy til three in the morning one night just talking and laughing and didn't know what time it was. It's so fun to be with people you love.

* my cousin matt gave a great mission farewell talk on sunday. We are so proud of him.

* my grandma elen is now walking after she had a total hip done. She acts likes she is 30.

Exciting things that have happened!

* Danielle and Dave adopted a beautiful baby boy named cole! He is the most darling baby and he is so happy and everytime i see him I have to hold him. And even though i hardly see or talk to her i'm so happy for her and know this couldn't have happened to anyone more deserving. We are so happy for you!

* My cousin jen just got engaged to a really great guy named timm!! We are super happy for her and so excited for this new adventure.

* my cousin ashley is a teacher now and i'm know she is the greatest teacher and she deals with a lot of really interesting jr. high kids. She is really brave.

* My sister emilee has to have surgery on her jaw that will make her look completely different and the insurance won't pay for it... of course right and she asks everyday to look at her face so we don't forget it and to see if she sounds different because everyday her voice will chance because he mouth is so screw up.

* Braydon's best friend skyler married the most darling girl cambria. I feel like i've known her forever. She is just perfect for sky. She knows how to deal with him and he knows how to be sweet to her. We are so happy for them. Congrats you two!

* My friend kelsey jenkins is engaged to the love of her life chase duncan and gets married next month. WE are so excited for her.

Things in our life our really great! WE are poor happy and in love! WE are thankful for all the excitting things that are going on around us. And we hope things are going well for you too!

Today I went to a funeral of a 15 year old girl from parents ward. I went to high school with her sister Mellisa. Meg was such a beautiful girl who had such an incredible light about her. At the funeral when the family walks in and the congregation stands, I couldn't help but cry( and in a twisted and i'm sorry if this sounds horrible) and i couldn't help but feel so grateful that this was not my family and not us walking in behind the casket. I cried the moment I walked into the chapel. I feel so much sadness for this family, but in their hardship all they could talk about was how much peace and comfort they felt from the Lord. Instead of writing talks each sibling wrote a letter to their sister telling her about memories they remember about how great of an example she was to them, of her life changing light she had, or her faith. I didn't know her very well, but from what they were saying made me want to get to know the savior in the same way she knew him. President Monson came to her funeral. He said he read her obituary in the paper and had the spirit testify to him that he needed to be there. He gave a beautiful talk. He talked about paradise and how she is with heavenly father and she is ok. He talked about how in lives challenges we don't ask what if or why or how come. The lord knows us better then we know ourselves. Having lost a loved one it's so hard to not ask the why's or what if's. I feel like i have so much to learn from this sweet family. They are so brave. I wish I could be that brave. I wish I could have taught people to see and feel christs light. I wish i could have helped people the way that family helped me. It's funny how when people go through something so tragic and painful they are the ones who help the rest of us feel comforted. Megan's mom sylvie said that when they were looking for her while they were skiing she knew something had happened to her daughter, but she felt so much peace inside. And her dad found her and they both felt peace and that when she hit the tree she felt no pain. I am so thankful for the comfort and love the savior brings to people in times of sadness and pain. I am so grateful that familys are forever. I feel so lucky to have the gospel and to have the knowledge that he lives, he loves us, he knows us, and he will take care of us! I feel so lucky to know that my brother and sister are waiting in paradise for us with open arms. I think at times like these it gives us an opportunity to tell everyone in our life that we love them. The people in my life deserve to know that i'm grateful for you. I am grateful for your friendship and love. I'm lucky to know you. Tell someone in your life today you care about them. Because if you don't do it today sometimes there isn't a tomorrow.

High school basketball coaches suck!!

So my baby Ben is a Jr. in high school... I know he is getting so old. He is so handsome and so kind. Lately what my weekends consist of is going to his basketball games. He is such a good player, but what is the deal with high school basketball or high school sports in general? It's all politics. Ben is quiet and we works really hard, but he doesn't kiss the coaches butts so he doesn't play as much as he should. Only 3 jr's made it this year which is crap in itself. If the jrs do anything wrong they are taken out and benched until the coach remembers to put them. When i say remembers it's usually when I yell to put them in and i'm not quiet or kind about it. Ben should play he is so good and it's not just because he is my brother. It's not one of those things like on american idol tryouts where the really sweet spirits sing who really shouldn't, but they are told by their families how good they are. It's nothing like that. My brothers are just naturally athletic. Ben is such a sweet boy and he deserves to play, but the coaches play their sons who really shouldn't play before anyone else. It's so frustrating for these jr. boys who work so hard. I am proud of my baby boy working so hard and staying strong even when the coaches are so mean and yell at the players even when they do something right. I wish he wasn't so grown up and having girlfriends and i wish he would still hang out with me. He is one of my greatest friends. Love you baby!!

Happy New Year-2009

So I think everyone really wants to make really good, life altering, i'm really going to do it new years resolutions. I have made them and broken them in pretty much a day. People who do it are really strong because to be honest I don't think i've ever finished one of my new years resolutions. Everyone usually does the typical ones lose weight, get out debt, find true love... ect. Well losing weight probably not going to happen so maybe i should gain weight since i seem so good at it. We aren't in debt so I don't have to worry about that one. and I have found the love of my life. So things are looking pretty good for me right now. I guess i'm starting of 2009 right, but i think there is something inside all of us to want to do better and be better. so this year I want to be a better Wife a better daughter a better sister and a better friend. I am so blessed to have an amazing family who cares about me and who loves my husband and treat him kindly. I am so lucky to have such incredible friends who care about me and wants what is best for me. I think trying to be better person is pretty good new years resolution. So I am going to be better. Happy new year everyone.