Marathon

I have decided to try and run a half marathon. Through some convincing and talking with Sommer and then Becky I have decided to give it a try. I started running today and boy did I realize how out of shape I am in. At the same time, it felt good to be so tired and know that I am working those muscles that I haven't worked in years. I really feel like I need to get my body in better shape and working order. I am attempting to run the half marathon in Leavenworth in October. I am so grateful to my husband for his support and encouragement through this. It is going to a be a challenge but I feel happy to know that I am doing something new and doing something for myself. I will keep updating my progress in training on here and hopefully come October, I will be ready to go!:)

Another Great Weekend

I find myself finishing another wonderful weekend that I would like to share. I have found that this has been a great summer so far and I look forward to it continuing. Friday evening was nice to do some much needed power shopping with Ty and Issy. We did the Costco, Target, Safeway run and got all the stuff we needed to stock up our house. We then came home and hadour now weekly game night with the Simon's next door. We had been stuck on Ticket to Ride and Settlers but we decided to go with Phase Ten. I think we might go back to our other two games next time.:) Saturday was a great day as well! We first got the whole house really clean which was so nice. We got all the laundry done as well. We then headed off to the ward BBQ. That was nice to eat and visit with some of the members of the ward. We have found that it has been nice getting to know new people outside of Sundays because church can be a little hectic. Especially since Ty and I teach the CTR 5 class. Then Saturday evening we had a chance to go out with some new friends we have made in the ward. Their names are Sommer and Ben Reynolds. We went miniture golfing which was so fun! I actually got a whole in one but was to busy chatting with Sommer to see it make it in. We then headed to Red Robin for some late dinner and good conversation. We love making new friends and are enjoying getting to know the Reynolds. Today we went to church and as always were entertained by our primary class. They were so full of energy today which was so funny. Issy is finally loving the nursery and doesn't cry anymore when we leave her in there. It is such a blessing. We then came home from church and had dinner with my dad at the Simon's. It is so nice to be able to switch off with our neighbors on dinners. It is also a lot of fun! We had a treat and the Mathers came over on a walk to visit and we all got our camping chairs out and chatted outside for a couple of ours. It is so fun to meet new people and we so blessed to live where we do. All and all I say it was a great weekend again!:)

Visiting with Mary

Our good friend Mary Conley was back up here visiting from Utah and she was so nice to pay for a bunch of us for lunch today at Coho's. It has been a while since I had seen Mary and as always it was so nice to see her! We sure miss her family!

The Blessing of Adopting

I was watching a special on primetime last night about adoption. It followed two girls as they delivered their babies and gave them up for adoption. It then showed three years later and what everyone was up to then. I sat and cried through the whole thing and all I could think about was our sweet Laura. She carried our precious Isabella for us and found us and gave us our daughter. I know that there is a plan for everyone when it comes to having children. I am so grateful for the process of adopting and the blessing that it brought to us in our lives. I believe in adopting, I trust in it and we are living proof in our family that it is right!:) I love Laura for her sacrifices she had to go through. I am grateful for her! She will always be a part of our family! We look forward to that day when again we will get the call or email that we have been chosen again for adoption and are able to bring another beautiful baby into our home.

Being Outside

Since we have been living in our house, I have realized the blessing of having a yard to run around in. Isabella loves to be outside doing whatever. I was so happy to see this morning that the sun was out again after a week or so of clouds and rain. Issy is showing great promise in becoming a great athlete which makes us her parents so happy. It is so fun to be able to teach her all the sports and she is now mastering not just saying ball but saying, "Soccer Ball" or, "Baseball". This has made my day! I got these great shots of her with her sporting equipment today. Isabella also loves her bubbles. She laughs and always wants to help blow them. One of her favorite things to do is just run. She loves to run with Taylor(her neighbor) and I love it because it tires her out for nap time. I too love to be outside and it makes it ten times better to have my daughter to share that joy with her!:)

The benefit of good neighbors!

So I am so grateful to have such a wonderful neighbor in Jen Simon. How fun is it to have a great neighbor who turns into a amazing friend! Like she says in her blog, we love to do a lot of stuff together. What a blessing! It is nice to know there is someone to count on when I need something. What would we do without the Simon's and my buddy, Jenilicious! :)

We also feel grateful to have the Jones move in around the corner. How funny is it that we moved from the same apartment complex to living a 100 yards from each other. Like Jen says in her blog, Heavenly Father knows when and where to place people in our lives. We are so blessed to have Erin to count on as well!:)

I love my life and I love where I live. I feel so blessed!:)

My Weekend

I had a wondeful weekend this weekend and I wanted to take the chance to share about it to all of you. It started off Friday when Erin J and I were able to go over and visit Erin C and her little baby boys. That was such a special treat to be able to just sit there and hold those adorable babies and chat with Erin and her mother. Later that night I was able to go and spend some time with Dayna, Michelle, Becky and Amanda. It had been such a long time since I had seen those girls all together. What a nice time it was to catch up and thing about times back in the good old Cougar Mountain days. We missed you, Wendy! Saturday was a nice day because I was able to go and shop with my hubby, Jen and Nick. It was nice not to have to worry about Issy for a while as she was with my parents. We were able to have lunch and get some things for Ty. He is a hard guy to shop for and to have time to shop was really nice.:) We are also so grateful to have such wonderful neighbors and friends. Later that evening we had a nice time hanging out eating pizza with the Lathrops, Hadleys and Simons. It is always nice sometimes to sit back and relax and have conversations with friends.:) Today we were fortunate enough to return to our old stomping grounds at the Cougar Mountain ward. It had been a good 4 months since moving out here to the Snoqualmie Valley ward. We were able to be there for Brock Olsen's farewell. He is a young men that Ty worked with in Young Men's a few years back. He has grown into a wonderful young man and is going to be a great missionary. The talks that were given by him and Tracy Day were very spiritual and I felt blessed to have been there. We were able then to go to my parents for lunch and all my cousins were here to visit. We all have such a good time getting together and it reminded me that I need to keep in better contact with my extended family. After that we went over to Brock's open house and that was fun to talk with other people we have not seen for a while. As I was driving home this evening I realized how blessed I am to have the family that I do. I am also blessed to have such wonderful and treasured friends. I also know that without the gospel none of these blessings would have come about in my life. I am so grateful and happy!:) I hope you all had a wonderful weekend as well!

ISSY WENT POTTY!

I just had to share with everyone. After a week of Isabella just sitting on the potty, she finally went pee in the potty. She sat down on her little potty this morning and the next thing I know she is smiling and I could hear her going. She smiled so big and I was clapping and she knew I was so happy with her. :) She then wanted to wipe herself and she helped me flush all her pee down the toilet. I know it is still a long road until the potty training is complete but this is a day that I will never forget. Who would of thought that a few years back I would be so excited to see my little girl go potty! Being a parent is awesome!:)

Some Old Pictures

I was looking through my photos online today and found a bunch of old pictures in there. It was fun remembering all those good times. I wanted to share these pictures with all of you. Some of you are in these pictures and might remember these times.:) Love you all!

She's the Man

I have decided to blog about one of my new favorite movies, She's the Man!:) My neighbor Jen introduced me to this great movie. It is one of the more funny movies I have seen. It is one of those hidden treasure movies. I suggest everyone see it. Since I have watched the movie Jen and I have found ourselves laughing a ton at the lines in that movie. There is one great line that totally relates to me that says, "I have a strict no ruffles policy". There are other great lines such as "Word G-MEN!" and "Yo Bro, Brotha, Brethren!" The most classic character in the whole movie is Eunice. She is the classic geek of the movie and she has one of the greatest lines in the movie that says, "I am going to be the best lab partner you've every had!" Needless to say I get a kick out of this movie and you all should see it! It is the best!

Daddy's Girl

I have found that in the last few weeks or so, Issy has become a total daddy's girl. Every morning she wakes up and says, "Mommy, where did daddy go?" It is the cutest thing. I always respond with he is at work. Then a little while later she will come back with the same question. Then the minute we here the door opening in the evening, she screams in excited and runs toward the door saying, "Daddy, daddy!" Last night I walked into our computer room and this is what I saw(1st picture). Issy loves to watch Ty play his computer game. She laughs at it. The other two pictures are from the 4th of July and just shows you how much love there is between them. Moments like these are more precious than anything else I could ask for. I am a lucky woman!

Hawaii

I just looked at my calender and realized that in exactly three months, we will be in the sunshine of Hawaii. I can't wait to relax with my hubby and hang out with our good friends the Simon's. Life is great!:)

First Potty Experience

Over the weekend Ty and I bought a potty for Isabella. Over the last few weeks she has been asking us over and over again about the potty. We figure we might as well go out ang buy one. Since we got it she has been sitting non stop on it and just doing nothing. I get the feeling this potty training thing will last a while. Yesterday Ty and I went into the bathroom and this is what we saw. As you can tell we were amused a ton by this. I don't know where she got this from? Hee, hee!

My Friends

I have been blessed with some amazing and beautiful friends. I wanted to share some pictures of all of them with you!:)

Our Little Girl

Isbella was born on May 19, 2005. We are so blessed to have adopted her from a amazing girl who was led by the spirit to find us. What a blessing she has been in our lives. She just recently turned 2 and every day she is learning or saying something new. Just this last weekend she has started learning all the words to Hot Potatoe from the Wiggles. I love being a mom!

Our Home

Ty, Issy and I purchased our first little home last fall. It took a good four or five months but it was finally ready for us to move in on March 9, 2007. We love living up here on Snoqualmie Ridge. We couldn't of asked for a better neighborhood. We love that there are so many members of the church that live so close. Also there are so many parks and some good restaurants and store close by. We feel blessed to have the Simon's live right next door to us. What a blessing. It feels so good to finally own something. What a wonderful time for us.:)