Rachelle's Shower

Last week, I had the opportunity to help plan and attend my sister in law's bridal shower. I was super excited about it and was grateful to be a part in planning it.  You see, she's getting married in Hawaii in less than 2 weeks and I cannot be there.  I've known this for a while, but the closer to the wedding it gets, the more sad I am. I've been blessed to have the opportunity to take her engagement pictures, design her announcements and this week, I am so excited to take her bridals.  It doesn't change the fact that I still feel sad about not being at the wedding. It pretty much sucks. But, as my mother in law always says, 'it is what it is'.

Ok, enough about all that, here are some of the pictures from her shower.

Carmen and I decided to write down things Rachelle says as "Things she will say on her wedding night." Basically you pick random things the bride-to-be says while opening her presents, then you read it at the end of the shower. Well, we read it prematurely while it was mixed company in the room and it definitely wasn't as funny as it could have been, nonetheless, she said some REALLY great things. HAHA.

Sisters

These girls just love eachother so so much.
Currently, their favorite things to do together are:

playing in the sandbox 

running around the neighborhood

playing dress-ups

coloring

playing at the park

staying up talking in their bed

riding their bikes

watch movies with popcorn

Last night, as Nate put them to bed, he kept hearing them talk and laugh. Well, it got really quiet so he went up to check on them and as he looked into their room without them seeing him, he noticed that they were sitting up in their bed, facing eachother and just talking quietly. As they chatted to eachother they were touching eachothers face and just being so sweet. Its moments like that I melt over.

Kitten's Galore

First off, our neighbor got kittens, and my kids are SMITTEN. They don't really remember when Scratch was a kitten, so this was all new to them. Every day for a few days, they would bring the kittens over to our house for a kitten-playdate. They are super sweet and the girls had so much fun with them.

Second, they rescued a little kitty. We weren't sure what kind of cat it was, because it had a VERY unique look, but it was so sweet. It was very lethargic and sick looking when we first took him in, but after some water and cooler air, he perked right up. We tried to take him to "The Pet Medical Center" and that was a mistake. They wouldn't even look at him. I refused to just leave him outside because first, he wouldn't leave our doorstep, and second, he was just not well. Plus, he was de-clawed, s he was obviously someone's new pet. He came home with us, slept on our bed for the night and the next day, the pound came and took him to the shelter. If he and Scratch got along, I would have kept him for sure. He was so sweet.

Hailey was so sad to see this little guy go but hopefully his family found him.

Color Me Sweetness

A few weeks ago, my mom was visiting and we took the girls to Color Me Mine.  I've been there before, but the girls haven't and they absolutely loved every minute of it. You get to choose your porcelain piece, then you get to just paint away. The only problem is, you have to wait a few days before you get your finished product back. A few days to children might as well be a lifetime. Addy asked me EVERY day where their plates where. Well, the day finally came, and we went to pick them up. They were so excited to have their artwork in their little hands.

Disgruntled Neighbor

I got yelled at this morning.

We have a new neighbor. Well, sort of new. She's been here for a few months, but we all know that she basically is disgruntled. I've heard stories from other neighbors but never really saw for myself till this morning. A while back, I got an email from a friend warning me that she's a little crazy and doesn't like anyones animals in her yard. Well, I was grateful for the warning, but still hadn't really had any of my own run-ins so I hadn't thought about it much.

So, we're getting ready to leave, the girls and I when Hailey runs inside and is frantic because she says 'a mean girl is hitting scratch.' (Scratch is our cat-and a great cat at that.) So I go outside to see this person going after our cat with a huge stick. Scratch runs across the street to our house and is sitting on the porch by us when she starts waving the stick at us from across the street. At this point, the girls are scared. I'm trying not to laugh because I cannot believe someone could be so crazy.  I tell her that i'll put him inside, to which I did, and the entire time i'm putting him inside and walking my kids to my car, she's YELLING at me at the top of her lungs. Half of which I cannot understand. So I continue to hurry in my car, and make the u-turn to head the other direction from which I was parked, to see her slam her front door at me, then peer out her window and glare like you would not believe.

Now, I understand some people just don't like cats. That's ok. But REALLY? He is the sweetest cat ever and i'm not the only one in this neighborhood with cats, that's for dang sure. I just don't understand why people get so stinkin' disgruntled. I can't tell  you how many times I have gone outside and found dog poop in my yard when we don't even have a dog! But I don't go outside yelling at people and waving a stick around to ward off bad spirits or something. Sheesh!!!

My girls are so so so scared of her now and keep asking me if we can move so we don't live by her anymore. haha. It was a bit of a traumatic morning.  I guess there has to be ONE in every neighborhood, right?

Really? On the Weekend? Why?

I'm sitting here listening to an unfamiliar sound, but one that makes me oh-so-happy.


Backup a couple days, and this is what happened. We got a text Friday night that our basement was flooding. Again.  The last time this happened, I fixed it. Yes, me. All by myself. I was proud. This time, it was out of my control. The water heater busted a leak. Those of you who are homeowners or know anything about this KNOW that it's not a cheap fix. 


After researching this till my eyes popped out and worrying about our tenants that live with us, I was just about to the end of my rope until I asked my neighbor if he could by chance be of assistance.  He quickly agreed that he could help and I have to admit, hearing those words gave me immediate comfort. :-)  After telling him of the quotes we had received, he laughed. He agreed that between $1500 and $7000 was QUITE redonculous.


The sweat on my forehead began to recede as he made me feel a little more calm about our situation. So, after using my in-laws house to shower the last couple days, I'm happy to say that we got a new tank, one we are happy with and now I can clean my dishes that have been sitting in the sink since Friday and bathe my children. And myself.  


You never realize how much you rely on something till it's gone. 


I'm just grateful to be surrounded by awesome neighbors and friends. I cannot even describe how grateful we are for that.


I really shouldn't get myself over-excited till it's actually done being installed. Which is what's going on right now. I really should be offering some assistance to Nate and Joe, but instead, I sit here typing away and listening to that unfamiliar sound of changing out pipes. Music to my ears.

Princess Festival 2011

I have to do a little backtracking... My mom and I took my girls to the Annual Princess Festival Held in Utah County. This happened in June. The 24th to be exact. I realize it is now well into July, but that's what happens when you have five million things going on right after another. So, here we go.


The long awaited morning finally came and the girls woke up already in Princess Mode. They could not keep their excitement contained.  All I can say is that it's a good thing that I signed them up for the morning session because if we didn't go till the afternoon, that would have been torcher ALL morning long.


This year it was held at Thanksgiving Point and I have to say, even though it was magical with the shrub maze to find Alice in Wonderland and the 12 dancing princesses in the cave, I liked it MUCH better when it was in Lindon at Hatfieldadelphia. But, we didn't let that stop us from having SO. MUCH. FUN.


Upon arrival, they got little princess nametags to put on and everywhere they went, everyone referred to them as Princess Hailey and Princess Addy. So cute. Enjoy the slew of pictures.

They were so exhausted by the time we got home. It was super hot that day and running around outside being princesses is definitely tiring. But FUN!

Little Star

I'm not really sure how to begin this post. I knew I wanted to write about this, but I never really knew what I wanted to say. I still don't. But i'll try.

I have an uncle. Uncle Dave. Since I can remember, we've had this little connection. We don't talk much. We haven't seen much of each other since my family moved from California, but there's always been that little something. That little spark that each time you DO cross paths, you just can't get enough of each other. That's how it's always been with my Uncle Dave. Since I was a little girl, he just made me feel like I was SO special to him. The feelings were mutual.

Almost a week ago, we got a phone call that his little boy Kaleb  who would be 2 in August, had climbed into their above-ground pool and drowned. Although I've only met Kaleb once, I'll never forget holding him and hearing his sweet story from his mom of how he came into this world.  I'll never forget how much his daddy adored him. I'll never forget how snugly he was.

Since hearing of this news, my heart aches. My heart aches for my Uncle Dave. My heart aches for his mom, Kaliko.  My heart aches for them and for the many others who have suffered similar losses.  I wanted so badly to go and give my uncle a big hug. To be of support in this sorrowful time. I wish I could have.

It's times like this especially that I am grateful for the gospel and the promise of Eternity. I hope they know they are loved. I hope they know of the many prayers of comfort that are extended. I hope they know that I love them. I hope my Uncle Dave knows that I love him. And I think of him often.

And to you, Little Kaleb... You will be missed. What a perfect meaning to your hawaiian name: The Star. What a great way to remember you when looking at the night sky filled with bright stars. I'm grateful to have known you for the little time I did.

Kaleb Ray Kahoku Martin

'The Star'

Aug 2009-July 2011