Beach Baby!

Earlier this month we traveled to California for some fun in the sun with our friends KC & Sally and their little girl Maycee. KC and Sally made sure we didn't miss a thing! We visited a number of beaches, and we discovered Gracie LOVES the beach and the ocean.

It was her first trip to the ocean, and I'd say she looked like a California Girl with those blue eyes and blonde BLONDE hair! She ran right up to the ocean at Newport Beach and sat down. Whoops!



I tried my first "Cheese on a Stick" on the Santa Monica Pier and my first "Chocolate Covered Frozen Banana" at Balboa Village.


Playing on the Beach!


So I had to take this picture because "Fun Zone" is a bit of joke in our family. Back when Jody and I were at BYU, we were selected to travel to Peru with the Broadcasting department to help film a series of documentaries. On the overnight flight to South America, I was sitting next to Jody rocking out to my headphones. I turned to Jody, who looked bored, and said (in what I thought was a normal speaking voice.) "It's the FUN ZONE over here in seat 26 B!" Turns out I YELLED that...overcompensating for my loud music. People on the plane woke up to see what the Fun Zone was all about....and it was quite embarrassing. It was funny at the time. Maybe you had to be there! :)


Thanks California...we'll be back to visit soon!

So Much Personality at 15 Months!

Gracie is 15 Months TODAY! She's moving and running all over the place. She makes me laugh everyday. Here's what's new with her at 15 Months...

Taller Pigtails. Her Hair is growing more and more everyday.


Playing at the park! (She loves the wood chips!)


Longing for the wood chips!


Necklaces! She puts them on...takes them off. She even wears them during her bath. Why sacrifice fashion during bath time...right?


Sometimes it gets complicated....


We love you Gracie.
Or as Jody calls you..."Grace-Of-Base"!

Lots of Love to Go Around...

Many of you know that during my Pre-Jody years, I occasionally called Valentines Day "Stupid Cupid Day"! This year, there was nothing "stupid" about it. Jody and three of his friends surprised all the wives with a Valentines Getaway to Bear Lake.

We stayed at the Tait Family Cabin in Fish Haven. You can tell the boys really thought this one out.


They had some serious V-day decor, with a rose by each of the ladies' plates and a note from their man! They made us a delicious dinner. From appetizers to the chocolate cake dessert...we were loving every bite! KC wrote up the menu. It was quite clever. If you didn't think crackers could be "flirtatious" or Spinach Leaves could be "sexy" - You're wrong! The menu said it - and it tasted perfect!


The Boys: The guys: K.C., Jody, Roommate Jeff, and Tall Jeff.
(Didn't know the Jeffs had these descriptions before their names until this trip. I have so much to learn about Jody still!)


The Girls: Natalie, Brittany, Sally, and Chiante


The Babies: Maycee, Dreyden, Gracie


Jody and Tall Jeff went sledding/tubing behind the 4-wheeler in the cold snow, while the rest of us stayed inside the cozy cabin.


And Valentines Day was extra special - because it included Gracie. She adds so much joy to our lives!


Thank you to the guys for taking the time to plan something so special for all of us girls. We had a blast staying up until 2 a.m. laughing at all the crazy stories everyone had to share.

And Jody...sure our relationship isn't perfect - but whose is? We are a great team. You complete me, and I love and appreciate you.

It Could Save Your Life...

I have a new appreciation and gratitude for Carbon Monoxide Alarms. Earlier this month, I came home after a day of errands with Gracie to our smoke alarms screaming. Immediately, I made the assumption that this was a malfunction. There was no smoke in the house, so clearly the alarms had gone off by mistake. When I got on a chair to silence the alarm, I saw that our alarms are both Smoke AND Carbon Monoxide detectors. I felt terrified realizing there must be CO gas in our home.

After a few anxious phone calls, the Lehi Fire Department showed up to test our home. They concluded it was unsafe to be inside, and we were evacuated. The next few hours were filled with visits from the paramedics, Lehi Police, and Questar. (Talk about getting to know your neighbors - just have a flashing fire truck arrive in front of your new house!) :)

Questar Gas determined the CO gas was coming from our furnace. He read levels at 4,000 ppm of Carbon Monoxide inside the furnace. (70 ppm causes a headache, fatigue and nausea. 1,000 ppm causes a coma after prolonged conditions, and levels above 4,000 ppm causes rapid death.)

We never expected anything like this to happen. Who does? Right? Especially with a brand new furnace. However, you never know where there might be an unsafe distribution of CO gas because it's colorless and odorless...and also deadly. Carbon Monoxide can build up in fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces, ranges, water heaters and room heaters; also engine-powered equipment such as portable generators and fireplaces...So PLEASE, check your current CO detectors. Make sure they are working properly. If you don't have some - buy them! I saw them at Costco yesterday for 30 bucks! Well worth the investment. It's frightening to think what would have happened if we hadn't had working alarms. We feel overwhelmed with gratitude. And we're perfectly fine now. The furnace has been cleaned out, equipped with new orphasis valves, and checked and re-checked. Our home is again safe, and we have thankful hearts!

Four Years and Loving It!

Jody and I celebrated our Four-Year Anniversary on February 4th. We went out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. (So Yummy!) Thanks Jeff and Lacey for watching Gracie while we went out!

It sounds trite...however the time really has just flown by! We've been through a great deal in the past four years, and there's no other person I would want to share the rest of my life and eternity with other than you Jody!


Cheers to us!

This picture was taken shortly before we were engaged. Who are these much younger looking people with no dark circles or tired lines under their eyes??? Come back...I beg you come back! :)


Thanks for an amazing four years sweetie!

Home Sweet Home!

It's official - We found a new home! After three months of searching - we found the Perfect House to call HOME!


We've been emptying dozens of boxes during the past week, but we're starting to get settled.


Our new home has room to grow, and sits in a neighborhood full of little kids ready to become playmates with Gracie. Little Gracie loves our new place. She's spent the past week checking out every inch of the house from every angle.


Really...I mean EVERY ANGLE!


We feel very blessed to make this Home "Ours". It is double the square footage of our Missoula Home with an unfinished basement. We have three bedrooms upstairs and two and a half bathrooms. It's fun to look back over the past four years of our marriage. From a one-bedroom apartment in Murray...to a quaint 700 square foot home in Butte...to our bright red house in Missoula...to THIS...our new Lehi Home - We're grateful...and sick of moving. I think we will stay put for awhile! :)

Master Bathroom.


Living Room & Kitchen Area.


Gracie running laps around the Kitchen Island.


There is a five-acre park behind our house. It's really nice to not have homes built directly behind us. I'm sure the park will be hopping with kids come summertime! And now we need visitors - so let's get together!

Winter Needs the White Stuff...

Winter just wouldn't be the same without that fluffy, slushy, cold, wet and white stuff we call SNOW! So far this winter we have found good use of the Snow. To bring in the New Year, we celebrated at Papa and Gwama's Cabin in Fish Haven, Idaho. Gracie went on her first sledding ride there!


Papa Tait was in the driver's seat - pulling the sled.


Also while at the Cabin, we decided to venture up the canyon with Greg and Kylene for some more intense sledding! Cuffy even went for a ride.


We love a good Winter Wonderland.


And what would Winter be without a Frosty to sit in the yard until Spring comes!?! We named him Clarence...Clyde....Leon...Okay...we couldn't decide on a name. But he still looks so good.


Thanks dad for letting us borrow the sprinkler tube and heads for our snowman's mouth. And he's wearing safety glasses - It's dangerous out there!

Christmas Just Wouldn't Be The Same Without...

That energetic feeling that makes you just want to explode with excitement. Or in Gracie's case...what appears to be a "Christmas Coma"!

Matching Pajamas for Christmas Eve. And yes...Gracie - take some lessons from your Mom. I realize I look REALLY lively in this picture. We'll blame that on the egg nog!


Our Family!!


This year for Christmas, we gave a piece of Montana to both mine and Jody's parents. The log bench we are sitting on, in this picture, is from some of our Pine Trees that dotted our yard from our home in Butte!


The Perfect Winter Wedding! Jody and I were able to attend the Salt Lake Temple and see my former college roommate Amelia sealed to her husband Christopher.


Yummy Christmas Dinner!


A Trip to "Christmas Street" to see all of the Lights! Temple Square at Christmas Time is also a MUST. We did go this year - but have no pictures. Nothing is quite as beautiful as viewing the Nativity in front of the Temple!


And Stopping with Kylene and Greg for Scones and Hot Cocoa at Winder Farms after seeing the Lights!


Christmas Parties with Good Friends. Here I am with Ashley, Annika, and Emilee at a festive dinner Emilee planned. She even crafted these amazing homemade decorations and name tags. (Even the babies had name tags in front of their assigned highchairs...so cute!)



Dressing Up Like Elves!


Our Own Little Elf!


We had a beautiful Holiday Season. It was a blessing this year not having to drive away from family after Christmas was over.