Job update

So it looks like I have a request to post about our job situation. Thanks Crystalee for the reminder! Clay did the job with the air force base here in San Angelo. He started about 3 weeks ago. HUGE pay cut, but what else can we do in this economy. We will make it work. As far as my job...I had that interview in October. I did NOT get that job. I was really disappointed, but became ok with it once Clay got his job. I did get another job I applied for. It is not an official teaching job. I am a teacher's aide in a math classroom. SAISD is a really hard school district to get into for obvious reasons. The first is that there is a pretty big university in town so they hire their student teachers. The second reason is that it is such a small town with no other school districts around competing for teaching jobs. Anyway...I took this job because they told me if I did this I will have a permanent job in the fall whether it is at this jr. high or at another. It works out because Elyse will be in Kindergarten in the fall and I will only have to pay for one child to be in daycare.
In other news...we have decided we need a bigger house. Our 1100 ft2 house is not cutting it. We are moving to a much larger home for only $200 more than what we are currently paying. We are renting it from a family in our ward who is moving to San Antonio. I couldn't be happier. The only bad part of this is that I have to be out of our current house on the 1st and we can't start moving in until the 26th. It should be an interesting next few weeks!
I was in Dallas on Tuesday night. My piano teacher called and asked me if I would drive with her. She had a friend pass away that lived in Denton and didn't want to go by herself. I really felt that I needed to go so a few hours later we were on our way. I was able to go home for the night. My brother just returned home from his mission about 3 weeks ago. He gave his report to the high council on Tuesday night. I was so happy that I was able to be there for that. The Lord truly blesses us!
Anyway...sorry about my super long post. I hope that answers any questions you all have had about our family!

Nap Time

This is where Madyson wanted to take her nap today. Looks like she was serious about wanting to sleep on her bookshelf because this is how I found her when I went to check on her. Too cute!!!

Trunk or Treat

We have had a whirlwind of a week! On Monday night we carved pumpkins for Family Home Evening! The girls had a ton of fun. We got some extra funny parts on video. Elyse and Daddy carved a witch on their pumpkin. When we asked Madyson what they were carving she said..."think of a word that rhymes with witch." It was hilarious. I know we are horrible parents, but we kept getting her to say it because it was so funny. Even when we tried sounding out the w for her she still didn't say it right. Fun Times!!!


Elyse and Madyson were the cutest fairies ever!!! I made their tutus. It was fun doing because nobody had their same outfit!!! I found shirts at Michael's for under $2 each! (What a steal!) Thanks Aunt Jessica for the suggestion! They get to wear makeup once a year...only on Halloween! They were really excited about that! This is before we left to go to the Trunk or Treat at church. They had a really good time seeing their friends. They had music going for dancing. Elyse spent some time with her friend Hannah dancing in the back of their truck. It was really cute!
I LOVE this picture!!! She is such a happy little girl!

Madyson at her school's Trunk or Treat. I had so much fun being there passing out candy. They kids were all so adorable! When Madyson saw me she came running to me and gave me a hug. It made my day! I decided to dress up and have a little fun.
Elyse with her friend Lindsey from her class.
Elyse had a really good time. When she walked out to the parking lot I could tell she was looking for me. I was dressed up so I don't think she recognized me until I called her name and got her attention. I love my daughters! I am so glad I was able to help with the Trunk or Treat and see them in action at their preschool! Have a Happy Halloween!

Again...

First of all it has been way too long since I lost wrote! The girls have been enjoying preschool. Madyson comes home singing songs that I haven't taught her! I love it! I have been enjoying my time alone. I am taking piano lessons and that has been keeping me somewhat busy. I enjoy practicing and just sitting and playing. It brings me peace.
We are out of a job...again! I am not sure how many more times I can handle this. Apparently the good Lord knows that I can so it happens again. Although I get the feeling it happened this time because we are supposed to be here in San Angelo. I think we have something we need to accomplish here before we can go. Not sure what it is, but it is a strong feeling that I get. Clay actually had a job interview on Monday that went really well. It is for the Core of Engineers here at Goodfellow AFB. It should keep us here 2 more years at least. They are doing background checks and stuff right now. I know that he will get this job. The only problem with that is it is a big cut in pay. So I am now job hunting as well. I have a substitute teacher orientation that I am going to attend tomorrow. I also have a job interview on Friday for an English teacher position at the middle school. I am really excited, but really scared at the same time. I haven't been in a job interview in 7 years. And it wasn't for anything professional either. I am really nervous, but hopefully it turns out okay. I am hoping they love me and I can start working by the end of the month! That would be awesome.
We are doing okay with everything! I am so thankful for the gospel. I am thankful that I have the promptings of the Holy Ghost. I feel him strongly in my life. Otherwise I would not be at peace right now. Everything will work out. This is just our challenge. I can HANDLE IT!

Preschool

My precious daughters!
Thanks Grandma Minson for the cute new outfits. Thanks Grandma Sherry for the Tinkerbell backpacks!!!

My 4 year old trying to make the same pose as Madyson. She is so cute and is growing up so fast!

100% Madyson's personality on camera!!!

The girls both started preschool today. They were so excited. So was Mommy until I dropped Mady off. Then I realized I wasn't ready for her to go yet, but I got over it REAL QUICK!!! I really think the girls need some structure and this was the best way to get that for them. I am also feeling really stressed at home trying to get us ready to move again. I was able to get the office pretty much packed. There are a few odds and ends that I still need to do something with. This will be good for me to have them somewhere 3 days a week so I can get some things done. I wish I were a better Mom and able to handle them and everything else on my plate. Honestly, I think this will help me to focus and be the mom that my girls need me to be.

Clay learned that his project finish date is October 20th. So we could be here in San Angelo until at least then. We still have no idea where we are going. I am trying to put on a cheery face, but it still makes me nervous on the inside. It shows on the outside sometimes as well!

Clay and I had a good weekend in Dallas last weekend. The BYU game was AWESOME! I am so glad we were able to go. We had a good time with the Hooten Family. The cousins all got to play together and of course we took cousin pictures. We stayed with my mom and dad so they also got to see Grandpa and Grandma Minson. My brother, Scott, and his wife Jessica came in on Sunday night and we were able to see them for a little bit before we left Monday morning. It was a great Labor Day weekend.

Elyse and Madyson! I am so proud of both of you! I know that you will do well and listen to your teachers! Please know that you are my pride and joy. I am glad you have this opportunity to go to preschool this year. Love, Mommy

Summer Catch up!

It has been WAY TOO LONG since I blogged last. I have been a slacker this summer. I guess I haven't felt like writing. No excuse! Here I am ready to go. This post would be way to long if I posted about everything so I guess I will do the highlights from the past 6 weeks or so.
We sold our house on July 23. Thank goodness! We were lucky that our neighbor across the street (who was renting) wanted to buy about the time that we were selling. It worked out so well I know that Heavenly Father was watching out for us! We LOVE San Angelo though! Our ward is great. We have made some good friends here and it will be sad to leave when we do. Good thing for technology!
The girls took swim lessons at the YMCA for two weeks. Unfortunately the last two times it was raining with thunder and lightning so they missed the last two days. They are both learning so well in the water! I was impressed with what they could by the end.
We spent a week in Dallas with my mom and dad. We had a great time there! The girls had so much fun playing with their cousin Tyler.
We are going to Dallas again this weekend. We scored some tickets for the BYU vs. OU game at the new Cowboys stadium. Thanks Grandma Hooten! Oh and thanks in advance Mom and Dad for watching the girls so we can go! Hopefully I will be able to post about that. My goal is to try and post a few days a week. If not once a week. I have been staying busy.
I took a little job babysitting a friends' kids while she is in school. It is only for two weeks. This is my last week. Her school started before the kids preschool started. They have been having fun with the girls. Our kids are the same age and get along pretty well. I know this post is pretty random, but at least I am writing stuff down.

Disneyland

Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Now to the Disneyland part of our trip!!! We had so much fun! We spent one full day there. It was plenty of time yet it wasn't enough time (if you know what I mean). We started the morning by riding rides. We arrived at the park at 8:45 and landed ourselves in Fantasyland! Dumbo was our first ride of the day!Elyse getting ready to ride the pink Dumbo!

Daddy and Mady getting ready to ride Dumbo!!!Elyse and Mady on one of the rides sitting together with Mommy and Daddy in the back!
Mady and Daddy on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride!

Dumbo is a MUST (for the little ones that is!) Elyse's favorite ride from all of that was probably Peter Pan. We rode 4 rides in an hour. Which was really good! After each ride she asked if she could ride it again. We told her there was a lot more rides that we needed to ride before we could come back and do them again. After the four rides we went and saw the Disney princesses. That for sure is a MUST for little girls! It was great! We waited an hour in line. After we were through Clay and I looked at each other and asked if it was worth it and both said that it was so worth it because of the look on Elyse's face. I will never forget that happy smile! I loved that they spent time talking with Elyse and trying to talk to Mady. Mady was a little shy of them. I wish I would have gotten it on Video Camera. I was more focused on the pictures. Not sure why? Elyse met Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Mulan. She LOVED Mulan! I think that was the highlight of the trip.Hooten "Princesses" with Sleeping Beauty!

I really liked Snow White with Mady. She was the only
one Madyson would go up to by herself!Elyse with Mulan. I think Clay took some better ones with his camera. At least I will have those for my scrapbook!

After the princesses we made our way to see Mickey and Minney. Here again you can't leave Disney without seeing the ones who made it famous!!! Elyse was really excited to see Mickey. Madyson was scared silly of him so we only got the picture of Elyse with Mickey Mouse.

Elyse happy to be sitting on Mickey's Chair in his house!Elyse playing on Mickey's Crazy Piano!!!

Mady and Daddy waiting to see Mickey. She looks excited...ok not really.
Elyse with Mickey Mouse! She was so excited to see him! Can you tell on this one?!?!Elyse and Minney Mouse!


Hooten Family with Minney Mouse! My favorite photo from our Vacation! Well, this may be the only family photo we have.

Minney was another story. Mady LOVED Minney! She even took a good picture with all of us in it! It was great! I bought a frame that will go perfectly with that picture! Elyse loved Minney's house and would have spent ALL day in there if I would have let her!

After that the girls were starting to get tired so it was off for a snack and to get Fast Pass tickets for Toy Story Mania. By the time we got the Fast Pass tickets Mady had fallen asleep. So it was off to give the girls and us naps!

We came back and weren't sure if we could use the Fast Pass tickets since it was way after the designated time and sure enough we could! Which was good and bad. Because if I would have known this I would have grabbed Fast Passes for all the popular rides because the park was ridiculously crowded by the time we came back.

Then it was off to buy the girls their Mickey Mouse ears of there choice. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of Mady in hers and it got lost between the Disneyland and the hotel that night. :(Elyse's Princess Minney Mouse ears! They even monogrammed her name for free!

Elyse like Toy Story, but not as much as the rides earlier in the day. We rode Autopia next. That was a fun ride! They even gave the kids there own driver's license. Elyse LOVED that!

We also went on...
*The Jungle Cruise (a nice break from the heat!),
*Pirates of the Caribbean (couldn't go to Disney without going on that ride! When the 1st movie came out that was our first date!) They even had Jack Sparrows character from the movie. It looked IDENTICAL to how Johnny Depp looked in the movie. I had to do a double take a few times! It was great!
* The Haunted Mansion (Elyse thought it was scary at first and then at the end she said it wasn't scary. I think it just scared her that at the beginning the lights went out and it was completely black inside.

The wait times weren't too bad for the rides. Clay and I talked about it and they actually have things for you to look at while you are waiting. Disney was a GENIUS! That is all I have to say!

Unfortunately we didn't make it on any of the big rides that I wanted to do. The lines for those were ridiculous! I didn't want to wait an hour and a half with a toddler and a preschooler. TORTURE! Next time they will both be big enough to ride them and that will give them something to look forward too!

We had a great time! When it started to get dark we went and saw the Fantasmic show! AMAMAZING!!! The girls were so tired by this time we put them in the stroller and found a good spot to park and watch the fireworks. They were both SOUND ASLEEP before the fireworks were even over! We went and sat under a pavillion. Earlier in the day Clay went and bought me a T-shirt (that was too small) so I needed to go back to the New Orleans area to return it. Clay stayed with the girls so that we wouldn't have to fight the crowds with the stroller. I brought back some Clam Chowder for me and Gumbo for Clay. We sat peacefully and ate dinner. It was totally a date night at Disneyland! It was great! We both looked at each other and decided we should where the girls out when we want to go out late and bring them with us ASLEEP!!! Granted it was 11pm PST and 1 am Central time. They were exhausted. After our yummy dinner we went shopping in Downtown Disney.

Clay had so much fun for not really wanting to take the girls yet! He spoiled them rotten! But we went to Disney and I guess that happens! It was a great day! I had so much fun with my little family! I love spending time with them! These are moments that the kids may not remember but Daddy and Mommy certainly will!!!

California!

Before I write about our trip I wanted to announce who won my giveaway for the cubes!!!

Da Ta Da da.... Rosie and Jessica! Congratulations guys! I just need you to email me with 9 pictures and tell me if you want them on photo paper or regular paper. Remember the regular paper causes it to smear,but it still looks way cute! Also Liz and Crystalee I need your 9 pictures as well so I can work on yours, too. The sooner the better we are still moving sometime between now and September and I would like that project off my plate before we move!!! Again my email is amber0684@yahoo.com.

Okay now for California pictures and stories!!! I am so excited to write all this down. It has been well over a week and I totally miss it! I would move there in a heart beat! Cross my fingers that some time with Clay's job we will make our way there!



Day 1 (Mon June 20)

The girls and I packed the car and headed to El Paso after I went to my successful Weight Watchers meeting. (Yeah for the success because I probably would have been more cautious on what I ate while on the trip.) We left San Angelo around 10 and drove 6 hours to El Paso where we visited Grandpa and Grandma Hooten for 1 1/2 days. We drove in and were greeted by Ashlynn (Elyse and Madyson's cousin!) We played in the pool all afternoon. And then Aunt Cari and Uncle Marshall joined us for dinner at the house after dinner. Our stay in El Paso was fun. The girls had a great time with their cousins Ashlynn and Bryson. I am so glad my girls have a girl cousin their age. It is sad that all the girl cousins their age live far away from us!
Elyse, Ashlynn, Madyson, and Bryson
The Hooten Clan!!!

Day 2 (Tuesday June 21)


The girls spent the day with Grandma while I went to the dentist, got the oil changed in the car, and bought a new phone. I wasn't happy about buying a new phone (neither was Clay) my phone has been acting funny for the past few months. Thanks to user stupidness but that is neither here nor there. I got a new phone and I actually like it better than my other one so hopefully I will have this one for the next few years. Clay would say FOREVER! It was a relaxed day. Elyse and Mady got to play with Ashlynn again. (Grandma watches them during the day.) We went to bed early to get up and make our 10 hour trek to California.

Day 3 (Wednesday June 22)

We left El Paso around 7 am. I realized earlier that this was WAY TOO LATE in the day to leave because of how hot it got in the desert! I had the sun directly on me for most of the trip. My legs and chest were sunburned after that! We stopped in Tuscon and ate lunch. We also stopped at a rest stop (not sure where), but they had AWESOME rock mountains. I had to take some pictures and some of the girls! (Top picture on blog)


10 hours later and we made it to our hotel in La Mesa, California just 20 minutes outside of San Diego in the mountains. We stepped out of the car at 4 pm Pacific Coast time and LOVED that it wa only 72 degrees outside! Now that is my kind of weather!!! We took a wrong turn when we were headed to the hotel and found a Dominoes was having a sale for $3.99 Medium pizzas. I was in LOVE right from the start. Who can get a $4 pizza in Texas?!?! We unloaded our stuff and then drove back to Dominoes to pick up a pizza. When we got back to the hotel. The girls and I had a "GIRLS NIGHT!!!" It was so much fun! I am sure that was the first of many more to come! I knew I LOVED having girls! We jumped on the beds! I know... a no no at our house, but Hey we weren't at home! ;) We then ATE pizza on the bed! AGAIN something we don't do at home! I think that is what made it special for us! I will remember that night for years to come! I had so much fun with my precious girls! We went to bed early Pacific Time not so early for our Texas time!

Day 4 (Thursday June 23)


The girls woke up SUPER EARLY! 5 am! It was partly my fault because I was awake and I turned on the light to read to try and go back to sleep. MISTAKE on my part! They were up for the rest of the day...well until nap time. I turned on a show and then tried to go back to sleep! After we got dressed for the day we called my new Sister-in-Law Jessica and made our way over to her house! We visited for a while and I got to hold my new nephew Bradley. I wish I had taken pictures of me holding him! He is ADORABLE Scott and Jessica!!! I did get a picture of Elyse holding him with my phone. It is not very good. Oh well. I am going to see if Jessica took a better one. Jessica was so fun to get to know! She has such a sweet heart! I am so glad that she is part of our family!!!

After we visited for a while we got our things together and all went up to Camp Pennelton to see my brother while he was "Working." In quotes because I don't think that we was really working. HA HA! We went and bought our discounted Military Disneyland tickets! Thanks again Scott! It was great not having to pay full price even if the discount wasn't great!!! We then went and had lunch. After lunch I went and took Jessica back to her house and the girls and I headed to San Diego to
Elyse's first small taste of the ocean. A much bigger taste came a few days later!!!

Elyse practicing her gymnastics on this brick wall. She was sooo cute to watch! I love this photo with all the boats in the background!


Mady playing on the playground at the park on the Harbor!

We then went and had lunch. After lunch I went and took Jessica back to her house and the girls and I headed to San Diego togo pick our Daddy up at the airport. We got there a little early so I drove around San Diego for a little bit. We were driving around the airport and happened to find a park on the beach near the Harbor. It was the perfect spot. We were less than 3 minutes from the terminal and had some time to kill so we got out of the car and played!!! Elyse had fun being on the beach for the first time. She wanted to put her feet in the water. She said it was cold. In my opinion it was FREEZING!!! Madyson would have nothing to do with the water. Nor would she stand still long enough to take a good picture. I did get one of her playing. What happened to warm water? Apparently not in San Diego at least not this time of year! She LOVED it though. We went and played on the playground for about an hour! It was then time to pick up our Clay.
We picked up Clay and started driving to Anaheim!!! Yeah for this next part! We surprised our girls (well mostly Elyse) with a trip to DISNEYLAND while we were there! She didn't have any idea until Clay told her at dinner once we arrived in Anaheim. She was so excited. She started dancing and yelling, "I'm going to Disneyland!" It was so CUTE!
After dinner we made our way to the hotel and settled in for the night. The hotel that we chose was called the Carosoul Inn and Suites right across the street from Disneyland. It was perfect! I will definately do that again the next time we go.

Just as a side note...this was also the day that we heard Micheal Jackson had died. My mom texted me. I was saddened by this information. I really thought he was a great performer no matter what his personal life was like! He will live on in his music that is for sure. It was interesting to read in my baby book that when I was born he was the most popular musician. But i guess he pretty much ruled the 80s!!!

Day 5 ( Friday June 25) DISNEYLAND!

This should be a post all in itself. In fact I think I am going to do that. I have already been on the computer FOREVER! I am going to take a break and make my next post just on Disneyland! Stay tuned! Hopefully I will be able to get that up sometime tonight!

Sorry for all those who were jealous of Boston

I am sorry for posting about us moving so early on. While I was away on vacation I found out that we are NOT going to Boston! His company sent us through a big loop! Oh well! So I am sorry for announcing it! We thought it was a done deal, but apparently not. I am slightly disappointed and relieved at the same time. I don't know how I can live THAT far away from my mom! Besides at least we are not moving in the middle of July! I am not even home from vacation yet! Just think of how crazy packing would be for me! So I am more relieved than disappointed. Hopefully next time we find out where we are moving it will be a for sure thing and I won't embarrass myself!

I have lots of pics to post from our vacation to CALIFORNIA! I will save that for a post all by itself!!!

This past week I had the opportunity to go to Girls Camp with our Stake. It was a GREAT experience. I went up as the craft lady. I had so much fun! They had some really neat crafts that they did. I really LOVED getting to know the girls in our ward. It was a neat experience going as a leader. I had a lot of time to observe because the craft was my only responsibility. These girls are so beautiful! I found love for each of them and I didn't even know them. I wish I could serve the youth of the church. Maybe that is why I loved it so much because I don't get the opportunity to associate with them very often.

We found out yesterday where we are going to be moving....BOSTON! I am stoked! I have NEVER been back east. I am really looking forward to it. I know the winters are going to be cold, but I grew up in cold winters. I must say I have been spoiled the past 8 years that I have lived in Texas. I am going to miss Texas. It is my home. I have been praying that the Lord would send us where he needed us to be. I am sure this is where we are supposed to be for the next two years.

I leave on Monday for California. I am really excited. I get to go see my nephew and my new sister in law! And of course my brother. We are going to Disneyland next Friday. I can't wait to take my girls! I promise there will be pictures to come!

100th Blog!!!! and a giveaway?

Really? I can't believe that I have hit 100 blogs. I am actually really proud of myself. Since this is basically my journal because a journal for me is nonexistent. Some day I will print my posts off and make a book.

We took the kids this weekend to see UP! What a way cute movie! We saw it in 3D. I am going to have to say that this is the way to go if your child will keep the glasses on. Elyse did really well with the glasses. Mady not so much. At least Mady pretty much stayed in here chair. We didn't have to take her out once! HALLELUJAH! I guess we can see movies a little more often now! After the movie we went to Sam's and got the kids a small big pool. A small pool meaning it just blows up, but it is fairly big. I can fit in it. So that is great. We are going to blow it up today and do some swimming this afternoon! It has been EXTREMELY HOT here this past week. We were at 106 on Saturday. Not sure what the temp got to yesterday. We stayed inside besides going to church in the morning.

Okay now for the drum roll please............

I am introducing my Father's Day gift and my 100th Blog GIVEAWAY. Yes you heard correctly! It doesn't necessarily have to be for Father's Day. In fact I don't think I can get it done in time for Father's day. I am leaving for Girls Camp on Wednesday and then going to California pretty much the day after I get home. So... On July 1st Elyse will draw 2 names for whoever wins this Cool Photo Cube! If you win I will announce your name sometime after that. I will need you to email me pictures for it though. You decide if you want the pictures printed on photo paper or regular paper. The photo paper makes it so it doesn't smear. I did mine on regular paper. The ink smeared a little, but I liked the look. It gives it an older look. You get to decide. This is also what I am doing for my Pay it Forward Homemade item. So if you were lucky enough to respond... Liz and Crystalee you will also need to email me pictures. I need 9 to be exact. One for each of the sides and one for the top part of the cube. I am really excited about this! Here is the email address to send me pictures. If you win I will remind you again. amber0684@yahoo.com

By the way this project was not my idea i got it from the following website...I feel I need to give this person credit because it is a GREAT idea. Check it out and you can make some too!

http://www.alphamom.com/holiday/2009/05/handmade_mothers_day_photo_cube.php

The past few weeks...

I still can't find my SD card. Elyse admitted to it yesterday. I couldn't tell if she is just taking the blame or if she really took it. I do need to write about what we did the past few weeks though. A few weeks ago we took the kids to Colorado. We had such a nice time! The weather was nice and cool. It rained, but usually it would start when we were finishing up whatever we were doing. We were not hindered in the least with our activities!!!
The first day was awful! I got soooo sick. I swear it was the flu. Clay didn't think so, but I had all the symptoms of the flu. It lasted a good 24 hours. I layed in bed all day the first day. So we didn't really do anything. It rained the whole day so it wasn't a big deal. The second day we went to Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs. It was absolutely beautiful. We packed a picnic lunch and then went for a hike. Dang! I wish i had my pictures. Oh well. After that we took the girls up to the North Pole ( a Christmas themed amusement park.) It was fun. Definately for little ones. Elyse got to go talk with Santa. She was excited about doing that. She asked for a real piano. Which Santa seemed to grant this to us a few months early!!! Yes we finally got our piano! I am so excited as was Elyse. Thanks to Clay's cousin Mike for giving his to us!
Saturday we went to Boulder to a Festival they had going on there. That was a pretty neat little town! We had fun just walking around.
On Sunday we went and walked on the grounds of the Denver Temple. I was so happy that the gates were open. We have been to the Dallas Temple when the temple was closed and the gates have been closed. There was quite a few people doing the same thing we were doing that day. I guess it made up for NOT going to church? We took some lovely photos. (which again I don't have). It was actually the prettiest day of all the days that morning. We also were bad and broke the Sabbath by taking the girls to the Denver Children's Museum. I know...at least we were spending time as a family. That was pretty neat. I wish that we had a children't museum here. I would definitely get season passes if we did. What a great place to take the kids when you want them to go play and explore!
Monday was Memorial Day. We drove to Fort Collins and went and drove around Colorado State University (Clay's Alma mater). It was actually a really nice campus. We headed back after that so we could get the Uhaul to load the piano. That piano was a bugger to load since there were only 2 guys and me. Thank goodness unloading it wasn't so bad. I didn't have to touch the piano! The missionaries and a few other people from the church came over and helped! I love our church for that aspect! (well many more aspects, but this is definitely a perk to being a member!) We have built in movers pretty much wherever we go!
We headed back home really early on Tuesday. We stopped in Dallas to drop the girls off with Grandma and Grandpa Minson. They stayed with them for a week. So I was childless for a week! It was wonderful!
Our anniversary HAPPENED to fall during this week so Clay and i took a much needed getaway to New Braunfels (just outside of San Antonio). We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast! The breakfast was sooo yummy. Definitely not weight watchers friendly! Oh well. We went to Schlitterbahn. We had a blast. We never made it to the temple because I completely forgot our temple clothes at home. I got side tracked with other things. I think that is how Satan gets us. I was side tracked with things that were important but I should have put those things off until I had packed our clothes. Oh well. It was nice being able to sleep in on Saturday. We went and had a couples massage on Saturday. It was awesome. Although Clay picked the girl over the big dude. I told him he was crazy. Afterward he said that he should have taken the big guy! Told you so! On Sunday we went and visited Clay's Ama and Papa who happened to be at there timeshare there at the same time. It was a nice visit. We had lunch with them and then we were off!
The past few weeks have been great. I am having a hard time being a stay at home mom. Especially when a lot of friends from college are geting jobs for this school year. I guess I want to work because I am fresh out of college and want to get some use in. I know someday I will just not now. For now I need to be content that I am blessed to be at home with my girls. Even though it is the HARDEST JOB ever! I feel like everywhere I turn there is a mess somewhere. It is very frustrating. Then it is frustrating when I lose things because my children have taken them. Anyway, my goal is to be more patient this week.
The next few weeks are going to be just as busy as the past few. I am going to girls camp next week as the Stake Craft person! I am really looking forward to go. Hopefully I will have some personal time where I can reflect and ponder my life without interruption of kids. I miss going to girls camp when I had those spiritual experiences as a youth. We are also going to California when I get back. The girls and I are driving to El Paso and staying there for a couple of days and then off we go to California to visit my brother and his new wife and baby! I am really excited. Did I mention we are also taking the girls to Disneyland. SHHHHH....they don't know. It is a surprise. At least until we get to our hotel which is just across the street. Apparently you eat breakfast in a room full of huge glass windows that gives a gorgeous view of Sleeping Beauty's Castle! I can't wait!

Oh yeah...we also have a CONTRACT on the house! It will hopefully close in the next few weeks! Thank goodness! We also got some insider news that we may be moving to Little Rock, Arkansas. Not as bad as I thought! It will be sometime in the next few months. So I will be packing yet again when we get back from Cali!

I am having problems has with my computer. There is no space left on the C drive for me to upload any more pictures. I think our computers days are numbered. Anyway...I am going to work some more on it tomorrow! If not I need to write down what we have been doing the past few weeks and will have to add the pictures later! Hope everyone is having a wonderful beginning of summer!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our 5th Wedding Anniversary! I can't believe that it has been 5 years since we got married. We now have two beautiful girls! We enjoy being married. This past year has actually been great! I think we are finally understanding each other! I can't believe it took 5 years, but I guess that is what you get when you only know each other a year before you get married.

Things I love about Clay:
1. He is my best friend! I have never had a best friend (very good friends, but never that one best friend)! I can safely say that Clay is definitely my best friend.
2. I love that he makes me laugh!
3. I love when he watches chick flick movies with me... (and cries :)
4. I love that he gives me everything that I need and want! He is a good provider for our family and is supportive of the decision we have made for me to stay home.
5. I love how forgiving he is! This is VERY important in marriage!
6. I love when he plays with our girls and makes them laugh! It is a joy to see him so close to them!
7. I love that he loves me for me! I have things I need to improve and he loves me through them!
8. I love that he is a faithful and worthy priesthood holder! He amazes me with his testimony and love for our Savior!
9. I love that he gives me WONDERFUL back massages! They are the best especially when I am sore from working out!
10. Most of all, I LOVE that he is an EXAMPLE to me. He makes me want to be a better person! He is my hero and my life.

Clay...I am so proud to be married to you! I love you very much. Thank you for making me a part of your family 5 years ago. It has been a tough road, but I know that it can only get better for us! Thank you for loving me and being an example to me! Thank you for being the BEST Daddy ever to our beautiful daughters. They love you so much! I am so thankful to you for all that you do for our family! Love, Amber Lee

Now that the mushy stuff is over it is time for me to head out the door. With NO kids we have decided to go to San Antonio for the weekend!!! Yeah...temple session in the morning, massages after that, and a day at Schlitterban Water park!

OLD NAVY 50% off already 50% off clearance!

I KNOW I need to post about our trip to Colorado. There is just so much going on! I will say that we had a great time and hopefully I will able to post and write about it in more detail soon! We got the piano loaded in the house last night! I can't wait to take my first piano lesson tomorrow! Who knows maybe in a year from now I can actually play in church!

I went to Old Navy yesterday and they are having 50% off their already low marked down clearance prices. Spent about $120 for $400 maybe more worth of clothes! The girls didn't need clothes so I just bought larger sizes and will use them for Christmas and for birthdays next year! As for me...well I bought some clothes that I can wear now! (Oh and don't feel bad for Clay...he got a few things. The men's selection wasn't as great as the womens!) Go check it out if you get a chance. It was a great deal!! I literally bought some stuff for .97!

Yesterday...a day from you know where!

Today is the day for our Colorado trip! Am I packed? No! And I still find myself at the computer blogging. Call me crazy We don't leave until tonight. I am such a procrastinator though. My two year old is driving me crazy as well. Yesterday was NOT a good day. Hence the reason why I am still not packed. I put Mady down for a nap as soon as we got home from the doctor and thought she was sleeping. I went in there an hour later and she has poop every where! I thought that she was out of that stage. Apparently NOT! She is ready to be potty trained, but I have been delaying it because of our Colorado trip. I guess after this week it is time I got myself into gear. Then after that I put the girls on my bed to watch Wall E so I could go mow the lawn. Well, that wasn't a good idea either because when I came back Madyson had gotten a hold of some wild flower seeds and spilled them all over my bed. I am going crazy by this point!!! To top it all off. The girls would not go to sleep last night. They played in there room until 10:00 last night. I went in there 5 times. Finally Clay put Madyson in the office in the pack n' play. She did not like it, but you do what you have to do, right? Needless to say, I am looking forward to our vacation to Colorado and the girls going to Dallas for a week after that! I think I am going to make the girls an outfit while they are gone. I found a really cute pattern last night at Walmart. It says it is easy...how hard can it really be? I think I will stay off the computer for the next week...afterall I am on VACATION!

sick AGAIN!

I can't believe I am almost at 100 posts. That is amazing for me even though it took me over a year to accomplish that! Elyse isn't feeling well AGAIN! We went to the doctor and she had a little bit of a red throat so they gave her antibiotics.I am glad they did because we leave for Colorado tomorrow and I don't want her to be sick the whole time. I am also not feeling well...UTI. I haven't had one since before Madyson was born. Clay will be calling his grandpa sometime soon so I can get some medicine before we leave. The drive will be MISERABLE if I don't.
We had a really good FHE last night on Tithing. Elyse started doing chores around the house for $1 a week. I know we are cheap. We traded her last night for 10 dimes so we could explain how tithing works. I think she understood. We will see next week how well she remembers. She is saving her money to buy a movie. We told her if she saved half we would help her with the other half. We are also having her put 20% into her piggy bank as well.
Madyson is as cute as can be! She has been in a stage where she doesn't like her hair being done, but since we have come back from Dallas visiting Granpa and Grandma she will let us put pig tails in her hair! She is so cute. The next time I do her hair like that I will post a picture.
We are really looking forward to our Colorado trip...not the drive though! We are doing it at night so that the girls will sleep in the car. The only problem with that is they are going to want to be awak on Thursday when Clay and i want to sleep. Oh well. I look forward to going to Colorado and spending some family time! We look forward to seeing mountains again!

June Srap Swap

June's scrap swap theme is Woodland Creatures. I decided to do this. Okay the picture is not that great, but you get the idea. I wasn't sure how realistic it needed to be. I thought that this would be cute, but I tend to think girly when it comes to stuff like this because I have two girls. Liz, let me know what you think. (My feelings will not be hurt.) If this doesn't work I will buy some stuff and probably still send this with something else. Anyway... I look forward to seeing what comes from everyone else!

house cleaning

This weekend we took another trip to our house in Celina. What a money hole that thing is becoming! As you know from previous posts we evicted our tenants based on numerous reasons. We had to go back this weekend to clean up. I thought for sure they would have cleaned a little when they left. Boy was I WRONG! I have NEVER seen a house so dirty in my life. How can you live like that? I should have brought my camera and taken pictures, but I didn't. Probably for the better. I don't want to remember my house being that way. Their dogs chewed the door jams, chewed a deadbolt, and scratched the heck out of the back door. As well as peed all over our carpets. If we rent this house again NO DOGS! We spent from 8:30 am to about 4:00 pm working. I cleaned the inside and Clay worked on the jungle of a yard! Just to give you an idea of how dirty the carpets were...I listened to the whole Hannah Montana soundtrack and half of the Police soundtrack while vacuuming. My arms are so sore from that. I think part of the problem was the vacuum. We borrowed my mom's vacuum and I have to say that was the HEAVIEST vacuum I have ever used. At least it is cleaned now! Still not ready to go on the market. The carpets look HORRIBLE! They were in the house for 2 months and the carpets looked worse than when we had the carpets cleaned after 4 years! After seeing this I realized that I do keep a pretty clean house. Not always organized, but at least it is clean! I am so glad to be home!!!

Is there an afterlife? YES!

This afternoon I was watching The View and the question was raised during Hot Topics, "Do you believe in an afterlife?" As the ladies were giving their answers it became more clear to me how many people really don't know the Plan of Salvation. I am so thankful for the knowledge that I have that there is an afterlife. I know that when we die that there is an afterlife. I am thankful for this knowledge. How scary would death be if we didn't know what was to happen to us? I know I would be scared to die. I am so grateful for a church that teaches clearly what happens once we die. I know that Heavenly Father is a just God. He is going to take careful considerations in how we are judged. One of the ladies on the View used to be a Jehovah's Witness and she said that only 144,000 people would be able to live with Jesus Christ. What an AWFUL concept. I know that through our faith and through our actions in this life and by receiving the ordinances that given way back to Adam and Eve we can live with our Savior and our Heavenly Father again. This topic really made me start to think how thankful I am for the restored Church of Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for Joseph Smith and his desire to know which church to join. I realized how important it is for me to teach my children those precious truths that we know and sometimes take for granted. Sorry about bearing my testimony. This is kind of my journal and I felt strongly I needed to write this down.

It feels like Christmas!

I made this (well 8 sets)...

and got all this... It came in the mail today! It was literally like Christmas! The anticipation was well worth the wait and well worth me making 18 cards! Liz you should have seen me tearing the paper to get into it! I am so excited! This will definitely get me back into the mood of scrapbooking! So worth it!

This also came in the mail with my other stuff. My friend Liz made this as part of her homemade gift to me. It is a 12 Days of Christmas tradition book. You should see the inside. This is super cute! I think this might be what I make my visiting teaching sisters for Christmas this year! I love this Give and Get thing going around! Now I just need to get in gear and start thinking of what I am going to make for my gifts!

As for an update on the family...we are doing well. Clay and I went to the Lubbock Temple with the Youth last Saturday! We had a nice time. I love the temple! I sat and watched the youth do baptisms for my ancestors. What a neat experience it is to know that my family who has been waiting for the gospel for so long that they can finally receive the ordinances they need to live with our Father in Heaven again.

Some friends and I did a Girls Night last Friday! We had so much fun. My visiting teacher/the sister I visit teach have birthdays around the same time and we decided we wanted to go out with some friends for our birthday. We went to Olive Garden to have dinner than came to my house for some Wii Fun! We played Wii sports and Rockband. Rockband was so much fun! I love the girls in my ward! It was so much fun getting to know them better! I feel like I have made friendships here that will last a lifetime!

As for the next few weeks we will be super busy! We are off to Dallas this weekend to go work on the house. We are getting it ready to go up on the market again. Next weekend we are going to Colorado to have a little vacation and to pick up my new PIANO! Yeah! Than the following weekend is our 5th Wedding Anniversary and Clay and I are going to San Antonio without the kiddos and spending some quality time together! I am so excited for the next few weeks! We are going to be busy, but it is going to be well worth it!

sick kids

I DO NOT LIKE when my kids are sick, but I sure LOVE to be needed! Call me crazy! Mady got sick last night. She was not herself at all. I rocked her for a while and then laid down with her on the couch. Honestly...I miss having a baby to baby. Oh well. The Lord will bless us when we are ready!

Weekend

Our trip to Dallas was NOT so exciting! Well besides seeing my parents and going to church it was AWFUL! It is really hard to see a house that you love and have lots of memories not look good when you go to see it. We honestly didn't even recognize our house. It has rained a ton in the area and when that happens you need to mow frequently. The yard looked awful besides the flowers that I had planted last spring. There were weeds growing like crazy and the side of the house looked like a jungle. The backyard was awful with a grill toppled over and charcoal all over the place. The weeds were growing like crazy back there as well. I don't think they had ever mowed the backyard. Not to mention how much trash was in the yard with cigarette butts and beer bottles. YUCK! I have pictures I will post as soon as my neighbor emails them to me. We were really disappointed with how the tenants were taking care of our house. They were 21 days late last month which was our deciding factor in getting up there. I am really glad we did. We found out they were unable to pay this month so they got their eviction notice and are supposed be out by Thursday evening. I hope and pray that Heavenly Father is mindful of our situation and will help us to be able to sell the house. That is what we really need right now. So if any of you know anyone that needs to buy a house please think of us in Celina!
Other than that everything else was GREAT! We got to spend some time with some of our neighbors. Thanks Ron and Anna and Darla for helping us with the yard! You guys are seriously AWESOME! We really appreciate your willingness to help us out and hurrying to do it as well before it rained! Darla if you read this: Thank you for lunch! You are so sweet.
We came home that night and had dinner with my mom and dad! Thanks mom for making such delicious lasagna and cake! The cake was awesome! Clay and I ate some last night after the kids went to bed.
It was also fun seeing everyone at church. We really do miss our ward out there. We love it here, but there is nothing like going home where you know most everyone. I still don't know very many people in the ward that we are in now.
I am trying to think positively and know that Heavenly Father will take care of us. We will more than likely be back again in two weeks to make sure the house is ready to be back on the market.

Excited!

I am so excited! We leave to go up to Dallas tonight. We are going to check on our house which has been rented out and we would like to go and meet the people who rented it. Clay also needs to do some work up there. The girls get to spend some quality time with Grandpa and Grandma on Saturday. This is a short trip I wish we could stay longer...oh well. We are going to go to church at the Prosper Ward on Sunday and then coming back home after. I also get to celebrate my birthday with my Mom and Dad! I turn 25 on Wednesday.

Circus!

Last night Clay and I took the girls to the Barnum and Bailey Circus for the first time! They had such a great time. We did also. Clay surprised me a few weeks ago and asked if I wanted to go. So we bought the tickets and went! When I asked Elyse what her favorite thing was she said..."the swinging lady." Elyse loved eating her cotton candy and snow cone as well! Madyson enjoyed the show, but she didn't want to sit down. At least she watched while standing. By far Madyson's favorite part was the Tigers. She sat on my lap and watched the whole part! Thanks Clay for the great night!

Facial hair...yuck!

Clay had this thing for about two weeks of NOT shaving! I couldn't believe that he would do it especially when I specifically told him that I HATE facial hair. But to know avail he continued to grow it out for about 2 weeks. This is what it looked like when he finally shaved. What makes it even more funny is that the night after he shaved I dreamed that he had facial hair again and I actually liked it. Hmmm... dreams are weird because I still do NOT like facial hair, but I still LOVE my husband.

Creative?

I have NEVER considered myself creative, but I might have to take what I said back. I joined a scrap swap group and have had a ton of fun creating and putting together our first months assignment. The assignment was birds.When I first heard that was what we were doing I didn't think I would be able to do it, but after some research online I came up with this. I chose to make two cards per person this time. I found a bird pattern online and came up with the rest myself. Not too bad for someone who says she's not creative. I had fun doing it even if it is not the most creative thing out there.