Trevor Andi and Evaleigh

New Year

2012-01-26T12:38:00.010-07:00

While its been almost half a year since I've posted, I'm back at it. Here is how our holidays and month have been.

Christmas was so much fun with a one year old. Somehow Evaleigh knew exactly what to do with presents and loved all her new toys. She is so much fun! We got to spend our first Christmas in our own home and then spend the day with family. What a wonderful time of year. Yes we were extremely spoiled and enjoyed every second of the holidays.

My favorite Christmas Eve tradition- singing around the Christmas tree.

The Anthony dinner and nativity. And new PJs!

My gift to Trev, a framed panorama of Lavell Edward Stadium, photography by FTAnthony himself :)

Her tired eyes, but a look that says "Can I open them all ?"

We had a friend party which was such a blast. Girls vs Boys is always over the top hilarious, not to mention the white elephant exchange (from which I immediately threw out my "gift").
We also started a new tradition of a Christmas Block Party with our neighbors. It was so fun to get to know them all better and to enjoy a hot cocoa bar.

Our after Christmas gift was finding out that we are having a healthy baby GIRL. I couldn't be more excited for Evaleigh to have a sister- they make the very best friends! We cannot wait to meet her :)
January has just flown by! Evaleigh and I still hang out together everyday in our house and have still been able to enjoy a walk outside now and then because we've had such great weather! She is learning so much, it just amazes me! She mimics any word that we say (which can be pretty funny with Trevor as her dad). Also because of her dad she loves to shake her booty to the music and litterally grabs her bum and dances. Its hilarious! She is such a happy girl and I don't know what I'd do without her. She is my little sunshine and she makes me laugh everyday! She loves to sing and have tea parties. She also loves books, anything to do with animals, and her baby dolls. She is such a little momma and will change their diapers, push them in their strollers, and put them "night night". I'm going to have to keep my eyes on her 24/7 or she'll be picking up and rocking her baby sister in a few months- she's may be a little too helpful sometimes.

Bailey still comes over 3x a week and they love to play together. Truman and Adelaide are also her favorite playmates and she loves to say all of their names "Tru" and "A-ee". She also loves to take Haleigh, Taylor, and Anthony's pictures and carries them around the house saying their names. She's got such great cousins!

Here are her 18 month old pictures (from a few months ago). She is such a ham!

Trevor is playing basketball again which we love to go to. He's also loving his ward bball and of course, cheering on the Cougs. He is doing great at his job and all of his hard work over the years has really paid off for him. I couldn't be more proud of him. He also got together with his good friends from the GKLMission
Together Trevor and I have been watching all the seasons of "Lost" on our brand new 55" tv. I don't know anything about tv's (nor do I care) but its pretty sweet. We are also reading a variety of books together in our spare time. We love our ward and neighbors and continue to stay busy with our callings as Elders Quorum counselor and primary teacher. Nursery is still a battle that we're figuring out together with our sensitive little Evaleigh.

We took a great vacation (and maybe one of our lasts for a while) to Vegas. Trevor had a work conference so we went along with him. All day me and Evaleigh looked at the animals, the MGM lions and the ones in the Rainforest Cafe. We also walked all along the strip together, to M&M world and CocaCola, and an arcade. We loved the Shark Aquarium at Mandalay Bay- Evaleigh especially loved the sting rays that you could reach down and touch (though neither of us did). It was so fun to get away from daily routines and be together as a family.
Once we were home it was business time. Evaleigh's sleeping habits had gotten out of control to the point where it was midnight before we could get her to sleep, with no naps and a very tired mom, dad, and baby who would instantly awaken unless sleeping in our bed. It started because she caught croup (which scared me to stinking death) but she wouldn't go back to her own bed. So we decided to switch her rooms and tried a toddler bed since everything was so terrible anyway. Nightmare for us all. But miracles happen! We followed the methods in a book to put her on a schedule and teach her to fall asleep without us. Though I've been so resistant until now, we were ready to try anything. Even though all 3 of us cried that first night, for the last week our little girl has slept 12 hours every night AND taken at least an hour nap everyday. It is so amazing! Our well rested and happy family is back.

Our Summer

2011-08-07T15:18:00.010-06:00

So its been FOREVER since I've updated. I've just had too much to say, and too little time to sit down and say it. But here's the reader's digest version...

Summertime:
We enjoyed so many fun summer things. We watched fireworks in Orem, AF, and the 4^th of July was like a never-ending shower of aerial fireworks. Trevor had too much fun lighting off a bunch of them! We’ve had lots of fun bbqs with both friends and family. Since we missed Strawberry Days, we went to the Draper rodeo. Evaleigh loved the horses and danced like a maniac. What an adventure it always is with my family with three little ones to keep us busy. And Evaleigh loved the noise of the parades we went to. July is birthday central for my family, so we celebrated by going to see HP 7 1/2. I admit that I was extremely disappointed in how Voldemort dies (seriously, just blowing away in the wind after 8 movies?!), but overall I loved it.

We found this cute little lake by my parents in AF, Evaleigh screamed like she was afraid of her lifejacket, but we enjoyed a picnic and wading.

Swimming to avoid the heat with Truman boy.

It is always fun when Karleigh and the kids are in town. We can’t wait for next year when they’ll be here to stay! Haleigh is in love with Evaleigh and it is the cutest thing! She thinks she can hold her still, but they're almost the same size! My little girl is so big, and she thinks she’s so cool when she goes up the ladder and down the slide all by herself. And sometimes up the slide. She is so independent and would go anywhere without a backward glance to see if we’re around.

Our house:

Here is our beautiful house! How crazy it is that it is finished already, and that everything turned out even more beautiful than we could have imagined. It is like a dream, being able to live in such a beautiful place. I still don’t think it has set in that this is our house! We are beyond excited and feel so blessed. Already we love our neighbors and think the area is so fun.This is how tired we feel after trying to move in, but we are celebrating with our “wine”, cheese, and bread!

Copy Cat Baby

At 15 months, Evaleigh is connected to my side, and literally if I put her down she starts to cry (which makes it very hard to organize a brand new house). But when she looks at me and says “Momma”, how can I resist? She has been copying me too, which makes me ever more careful of what I do and say. I was arranging some furniture, and then came my little girl pushing on the couch, the coffee table, and reorganizing the pillows. She’s such a good helper! She hands me all the silverware from the dishwasher to put away and will get out all the diapers when I’m changing Bailey. How sweet is she? I love her so much and can’t imagine life without her! She’s had a rough time changing her bed, and cries each night and wakes up too early. We were visiting my parents (where she’s lived her whole life) and she pointed downstairs which meant “take me down and put me to bed”. Poor girl, hopefully she’ll adjust soon. She has done amazingly well overall.

Evaleigh is learning new words! Just when the doctor had me all worried, she’s started talking like crazy! She can now consistently say Momma, Dadda, Ball, Dog, Hi, Up and Oh. But she reserves Momma only for when she really wants me to do something- she’s a smart girl and knows that I’ll do anything when she says it. This is her new face... where does she learn these things? I doesn't even mean she's mad; she's just experimenting new expressions.

She is such a big girl. When did she become a toddler? She runs everywhere and climbs on everything. She loves animals and makes all their noises. And she has learned all her body parts. She loves her baby doll, wearing my necklaces, brushing her teeth and combing her hair.She will drag me out of bed, holding my hand and leading around the house. When I feel tired or sick of getting tugged around I think to myself "How long will this last, where she actually wants to hold my hand?" And so I hold on tight to her and let her lead me. Its my favorite thing. She is so sweet and is always giving hugs to her cousins and kissing her baby doll.

Now

Well its back-to-school and it is still so weird that our lives don’t change; Just the weather, which I’m looking forward to exploring fun new trails in the cooler air. But I’m going to miss having my Mom so available to be with us. Trevor is playing softball and we look forward to it each week. And of course we are getting excited to BYU football in just a few weeks :)

Kauai!

2011-07-06T12:02:00.010-06:00

Needless to say... we LOVED our Hawaiian Vacation. 10 1/2 days together on a beach, relaxing, boating, eating, and swimming- with no work and lots of help with Evaleigh. It truly looked and felt like Paradise!
Here are some of the highlights:

The whole Hawaii gang :) The view of the Napali coast from aboveLuau!Hanalei Bay. So Pretty!

Hideaway Beach Waterfall jumping and swimmingQueen's BathOur 7 hr Napali Coast Dinner and Snorkeling Tour. Trevor took over 500 picts just this day- so you can tell I really had to pick my favorites ;)Ok, it was ALL amazing, so there's a ton of pictures. Enjoy!

Credit Earned

2011-06-11T19:57:00.005-06:00

So... this is for my baby. My Babe-ay not my baby baby. I don't give him enough credit for being such a wonderful husband. I love him and he is the most amazing dad ever! I get too forgetful when it comes to giving him proper credit for all the help he provides. I would be lost without him. Its my favorite thing in the world to see his little girl giving him hugs or when they have pillow fights or when he wears his shirt as a gas-mask while changing her diaper, or when he wakes her up early in the morning just because he's excited to play with her. He's the best :)

This is for all the things I say and then regret, and for all the things I don't say but should. Love you Trev.

Backwards Day

2011-06-04T22:34:00.007-06:00

So our little cutie learned a new trick this week; going backwards! She has been loving to walk backwards to end up sitting on Momma's lap, or backing away from strangers. Of course she loves going down the stairs, but has decided that it is so much cooler to go down frontwards on her bum (which scares me to death!). She's a little mixed up. Maybe its because of all the twirling she's been doing, which is the cutest thing you have EVER seen! She goes round and round with her jazz hands out.
We've been having fun in the sunshine, FINALLY, and now its mandatory to go on a walk everyday. She'll stand inside the door and pound on the door until I let her out and whenever its open she'll run out.
Trevor and I make bi-weekly visits to check on the progress of our house- everyday there is something new to be excited about! Check Trevor's facebook out for all the picts :)
We have had so much fun this long weekend with bbqs, shopping, walk-a-thons cheering on "Cleggs for a CF Cure", memorial day remembrance and Barry's, and ending with Jimmer time. That's right, we hung out with the Player of the Year (ha, only if you count watching him and saying "hi" at a bball camp). Fun stuff!
I did get to spend Field Day at Lindon Elementary and it brings back so many good memories- both of school there and working for 3 years. Here's a little beauty we found of my cute hubby and I on one such Field Day about 14 years ago. Who knew?

Tripple Whammy

2011-05-18T15:42:00.010-06:00

So I haven't updated in a long while... and this is the reason...
We put together a wedding reception for my cousin. It was A LOT of planning and preparing and it took forever to put it all together (till 3:30 am the night before!). But it turned out absoultely amazing! I couldn't be more proud. We were also surprised by a visit from the Tomlinsons who we can't get enough of and who absolutely dote on our little girl. It is so much fun every time they are here! And we were so excited to meet this little guy, Anthony :)Amidst this, I've been preparing for the days of days- Mother's Day, closely followed by our anniversary and our baby's first birthday.

Its hard to believe its been THREE whole years since we were married, yet I can't remember, nor can I imagine ever living without him.Trevor was so excited to combine events in order to get me something really nice. He did good! He picked out a major home decor accent (ya, brave huh!) to go in our new home- a metal tree hanging. It is beautiful (and from Costco, so how can you go wrong?) and perfect because our family motto is centered around the idea of strong roots, family tree, tree of life, branching out, growing up strong... (you get the connection).
I was also spoiled with love, attention, cards, and beautiful roses. And I did spoil Trevor with an appointment for a massage. For our anniversary we went out to Tucanos, which is our absolute favorite! We spent some time playing games and winning tickets at Provo Beach Resort then afterward we went to a movie. We took our time walking around The Riverwoods and enjoying the romantic music and hanging lights. We talked about all the fun and exciting things we have done over the past 3 years and look forward to the future. The best decision I EVER made was to marry Trevor. He is the most amazing husband and the greatest father. I don't know what I would do without him. It was SO good to be together all night, just the two of us.
That's not to say we didn't miss this little girl on her first birthday...

She had a party to remember! If you know me- you know I go SUPER overboard on everything I do or make, especially when it comes to parties. Evaleigh was so super spoiled with so much family there to celebrate with her. She is such a sweetie and literally the happiest baby I've ever seen or heard of. I feel SO blessed to be her mom and cannot imagine my life without her. She is my joy! Every little thing she does makes me smile.
All of Evaleigh's cousins were there together. She loves them SO much! Since her party Evaleigh has been carrying her toys everywhere and hugging them tight. She was so spoiled and just doesn't know what to do with so many fun things to play with. I laugh when I watch her playing with something then abandon it for another that caught her eye.
Evaleigh really doesn't ever get sweets at home, especially not a whole load of cake. So MAN did she dig in! It was all over, up her nose even, and she ate every single last piece while humming all the time. I love my baby girl so much and made her a very special book full of pictures and a poem I made up about every milestone throughout the year. It has been such a joy and blessing to watch her develop and grow this last year. My heart might just burst when I think of how big she is, but then I realize that every day just gets better and I enjoy every second!

Easter

2011-05-18T15:32:00.006-06:00

We celebrated a wonderful Easter together! We slept in late like we do every Saturday and Sunday (what a good sleeper Evaleigh is!) and got ready for breakfast. My Mom was the only one home since my Dad was at meetings for "Bishop stuff" so we went over to eat yummy strawberries and waffles at my aunt Delynn's. Then we hung out until church, where I taught the lesson in primary about the Easter story and was able to bear testimony of the divinity of Christ and His atonement and resurrection. After our church was over we were able to go eat dinner and be with family, and play some bocce ball. Then we went to my Grandma Casper's for brownies and an Easter egg hunt! Evaleigh loves loves LOVES Easter eggs so it was easy for her to hunt them down and put them in her basket. Her favorite thing this whole month has been pulling all the eggs off our shelf, dumping them out, opening and closing them or carrying them around. Who knew the simplest things would make her so happy :) It was a great day!

Here we are all dressed up in our Easter dresses; even Trevor got a new BYU tie:)

Camping

2011-04-27T19:51:00.000-06:00

Since before I was born my family has gone to Canyonlands for Spring Break and Easter. Finally I got the chance to take Trevor there and Evaleigh was able to enjoy it too :) Here's a little bit about our trip. So of course the first night there no one else in my extended family showed up so my mom and I had to sleep in our car. If it weren't for a dumb dog I could've slept soundly next to Trevor and Evaleigh in the tent trailer. Instead I was rocked to and fro by the wind and couldn't straighten my legs all night- it was awful.
Come to find out though my family had a worse night when their tire blew up (literally my cousin thought they were getting shot at!). They had to wait 4 hours on the side of the snowy canyon road for a new tire and the AAA to come from Park City in the middle of the night. Then once they were almost there, another motorhome lost the trailer and the car that it was towing. It was there one second, then they turned around to check on it and it was gone! Who loses a car and a trailer? Oh ya, my family. Always an adventure. Glady and thankfully everyone was safe.

Meanwhile we went hiking around our campsite is always beautiful (Easter Rock as we called it). Of course Trevor loved the view!
Elephant Hill is always the favorite part of the trip! It entails riding up a rocky mountain, or backing up it or going down it backwards. Its the most extreme 4-wheeling ever! There are no pictures that can really explain how intense it really is when you're standing in the back of one of the cars. And I didn't dare take Evaleigh on some parts, so we walked instead. It is pretty insane that cars can really make it over it. But the view at the end is always so worth it! The beautiful Conflluence, where the Green and the Colorado Rivers meet. And a little hiking and climbing on the lunch stop is nice too. But we'll leave out the part where we almost get in a fight with a Ranger who almost gives us three tickets and a nasty safety warning and lecture. We've been doing it since I was Evaleigh's age though, so we'll most likely keep doing it ;)Evaleigh hasn't really ever worn shoes so it was so funny to watch her try and walk around the campsite. She also had her first real experience with sunshine, rocks, and dirt (which she ate, of course). She really was just such a happy camper the whole trip!

I've have a lot of good times at Easter Rock and I was glad to make new memories with my own little family.

Can't Wait

2011-04-26T13:04:00.003-06:00

Eddie Bauer Highchair

So I've been waiting to get this little beauty for the last 6 months and we finally ordered it! Thanks to my mom for lending me hers till now, Evaleigh has used it well ;)

Kauai Here We Come

What could this picture of paradise possibly be missing? Me and Evaleigh, of course! We are so excited to make our first trip to the magical isles of the sea come June.

The Anthony Residence. So minus the trash cans and with a few color changes this little beauty will be all ours. July is the month (hopefully!) when the building will commence and we'll have a place to call our own. We are beyond excited!!

1 More Month Before 1

2011-04-19T18:13:00.010-06:00

Our little sweetie is getting so big that some days I forget that she is still not even one yet. She acts just like a toddler. Evaleigh's a walking maniac and once she figured it out that's all she's done. No more crawling- just wiggling, climbing, and trying to run! (You have no idea how hard it was to get a picture that wasn't blurry!) She's so sweet and is the friendliest baby I've ever seen. She watches other kids everywhere we go. Maybe that's why one of her favorite things to do is go shopping! She starts bouncing up and down and giggling right when I put her in the cart or stroller. She's also loved being outside since the weather has been nice and we go on walks whenever we can. Our little Evaleigh is so smart and is always figuring out how things work. She loves to play with my cell phone, thumb through books to read, and open anything that will come apart. And she loves to make messes! I just love her so much and am so grateful to be with her everyday.
We also got to celebrate with Truman on his first bday. Just look at that cute little party animals :)

About March

2011-04-06T15:01:00.007-06:00

It seems like forever since I’ve written about our lives. So here’s a quick look into our past month.

We celebrated my 24th Birthday! We celebrate in a very different way with a baby, and watching 2 babies that day meant there were no special “hooray for me” plans. I did have a Kinect party with my family and got taken to lunch by Trevor’s. And of course we ate out, too much. But Trevor spoiled me with the perfect gift- a Hobby Lobby gift card. I’ve already been there like 4 times in a week since there is now one conveniently located just down the street and I can shop guilt-free.

Evaleigh gave me a nice little surprise on my birthday- she got her first tooth! She hadn’t even really been bothered with teething pains so when I put my finger in there just to check I was caught off guard to find a tooth there and its neighbor on its way up.

We are so excited that little Anthony Tomlinson was born on March 31. We can’t wait to see the little tike in person, but for now video chat will have to do (or maybe plan a trip to Portland!?) Evaleigh now has 3 boy cousins and 2 girl cousins with one more on the way! They really are her best friends and they play so well together. Evaleigh is learning to respond to the talking cell phone and will chat with her cousin Haleigh. Its so cute!

We’ve had too much fun watching March Madness. Here’s a shout out to BYU’s own Player of the Year. Although its only been a week or two Trevor has already told me that he misses Jimmer so much.

my cute cougar fans

Thanks to my bro-in-law Thomas I’ve read a lot of fun books lately. Every book I read I tell Trevor all about it, so this time I decided to just read it aloud. So we loved The Maze Runner and are hurriedly reading through its sequel The Scorch Trials. There is no movie or media that can replace a good fun book.

Besides reading together, Trevor and I are addicted to one television show, The Biggest Loser. We don’t watch tv, ever, except for this 2 hr show- and only on dvr without commercials of course! Don’t ask how or why we started watching it, but now we are hooked.

Because our Bishop (aka my dad) encouraged our ward to have a media fast the whole week before General Conference I’ve enjoyed my extra time a little more and I’ve been more innovative. It was a good experience to get rid of the worldly junk and just read, play and create a little more. General Conference was wonderful, of course, its one of my very favorite times of the year. Too bad it was a blizzard here, because usually we spend the weekend outdoors and looking forward to spring. I can’t wait to take Evaleigh outside all day, she’s going to LOVE IT!

We’ve been loving life, seeing friends that we’ve missed and enjoying our families. We got to see my cousins from Missouri and are getting ready to plan a wedding for my other cousin. There’s always lots going on and we’re loving every minute of it!

First Steps

2011-03-10T12:54:00.003-07:00

She took her first steps just now. She was standing there and walked 3 steps to her daddy. She didn't even know she did it and was looking at us like we were crazy since we were screaming with excitement. She's such a big girl! What a good way to celebrate her 10 month birthday!

1-0 Mo.

2011-03-09T13:10:00.010-07:00

I am getting so big, just see what I can do!

If you say "hands up!" I throw my arms up in space

and then I clap, and make my oh-so-cute 'show off' face.

I can go anywhere I want. Very fast, not slow

and though I'm hesitant to walk alone, up the stairs I can go!

My mommy loves me so, and now I say her name

And "da-da" and "ba-ba" and "na-na-na" (to me its all the same).

I still have no teeth but my hair is growing now,

I can play all day with a ball if you just show me how.

One of my favorite things is to fill my mouth with food

And hungry or not I'm always in a cheery, happy mood.

Because of all these things I do, mom and daddy love me so

and are so proud that I am now on my month one-oh.
Evaleigh is really getting to be such a smart, big girl. She is copying things we do and has learned so many new tricks. She has shrunk because of all her moving and she's now in the 50% percentile, and very short and round. She's so friendly and loves to play with her cousins but is also content to play all in her own little world. She is also learning that she'd rather be quiet around people she doesn't know. She is such a sweetheart and everyday we love watching her grow!

My Loves

2011-02-23T14:01:00.003-07:00

We had a wonderful Valentine's weekend, celebrating L-O-V-E for 3 days! Trevor got me beautiful roses and took me out dancing and to dinner at the Olive Garden. I surprised him with cupcakes, chocolate, and sparkling cider. And this year our hearts have grown, loving this little one every second. We are surrounded by Love!
Trevor taught me how NOT to lead while doing the waltz and cha-cha. He's really got some moves! We even took "dance pictures" at our Stake Valentine's Dance.

In, now out

2011-02-11T12:49:00.006-07:00

My baby has finally been out in the world for as long as she was in the belly, 9 months!

Evaleigh has started to say “Dada” all the time. I don’t know why she says it- she doesn’t say any other babbling words. It might have something to do with Trevor telling her to “say Daddy” over a million times since her birth. I thought somehow “Momma” would still win out, but not this time. I swear when she’s really sad she’s saying “momma" because she knows I'll come to her. Even so, it is the cutest thing to hear her whispering “Dada” to herself over and over again when she thinks I’m not looking.

Evaleigh is a mover. Ever since she learned to scoot and roll this girl hasn’t stopped. She is constantly standing up, sitting down, crawling, and walking along anything she can hold on to. She’s still working on standing hands free, her record is 5 seconds. She is such a busy girl, and quick! One second we weren’t looking and Trevor found her on the bottom stair going up. Isn’t she too little for that? She’s active, and even when she’s being held she’s swinging her legs or bouncing. She also loves to dance. Whenever she hears music she starts rocking out! She can even be almost asleep and if she hears a commercial or song she'll start moving. When she was in my tummy we’ve called her Our Little Dancer. Who knew it would be so true!

She is such a happy baby and has finally figured out how to laugh! She will react with more than a “ha” when we play and chase her and she especially giggles when she’s tickled. Her favorite toy these days is an empty medicine tube of Airborn and she carries it with her everywhere. She is also fascinated by ears. She cannot fall asleep unless she's holding hers or mine and she even tries to taste them. Ha ha, this has to be the best age because she is so sweet and so fun (but not into everything).

Evaleigh has been really sick this week and it makes me so sad to see her suffer. And I suffer too because we haven’t had a good night’s sleep since who-knows-when! Its been months since she’s slept through the night and this week it hasn’t been more than an hour at a time. But my wild child has been extra lovey and so I love every minute of it. Too bad my broken, tired body can’t enjoy it quite as much as I’d like to.

We’ve all been a little sick around our house, stomach pains, migraines, fevers, and colds. But we’ve been treading through the winter months. Trevor is still playing bball and the way he talks “Jimmer” might be Evaleigh’s next word. It’s a fun time to be a cougar fan!

Sincerely Mommy

2011-01-21T13:59:00.002-07:00

I am loving Evaleigh a little more today. Holding her a little closer. Watching her every expression. Memorizing her smile. I am cherishing her today. And thinking that eternity doesn't seem long enough. I cried today for those who do not know this joy and for those who have loved and lost.

Ocho

2011-01-11T11:24:00.008-07:00

Our 8 month old is up to this these days...
+ Crawling so speedy its hard to catch her
+ Standing up by holding on to anything, pulling on drawers, and climbing on top of things
+ Picking up things that even I can't see (and of course putting them in her mouth!)
+ Helping her Mom with this baby; Bailey. Evaleigh kneels by my side as I change diapers, is SO curious about bottles, and will come over and give a concerned look every time Bailey cries. She's such a good helper and so friendly
+ Constantly climbing on me and crawling to me just for a hug and then wiggling free to play some more
+ Cheering on daddy as Trevor's new basketball season starts. And cheering on the Cougars too and going to her first BYU bball game
+ Eating everything! We give her a taste of everything we're eating but mostly she gets so excited when I feed her baby food (which is still only once a day at most)
+ Making noise. My primary class couldn't handle her "uuhhhh" (breathing in a huge breath and gasping) so I had to take her outside
+ Playing in the bath. She has learned how to really splash!
+ Playing (period).

This past month was so fast, especially with so much going on in our lives and the holidays. Evaleigh is constantly learning and its so exciting to watch her figure out something new. She is so smart and so active. Of course that means bumped heads and bruises (which breaks my heart), but she's tough. She is really thinning out too, though her thighs are still huge and she wears some 12 month clothes :) And though its hard to tell, Evaleigh has grown a lot of hair! She's so sweet and has the cutest personality; she is always happy. She was sick with a fever and cold a lot of the last few weeks, but she was still cheerful. We love her so much!

Tis the Season

2011-01-03T18:03:00.007-07:00

We have had a wonderful holiday season, blessed with fun, friends and family! Here are some pictures of our babies first Christmas and some of our Family Traditions.

We started the season off with a visit to the North Pole to see Santa on the Polar Express! Evaleigh even sat on his lap, she wasn't sure what to think of him. It is so fun to see that little kid enthusiasm again with my cousins.
We got the coveted tickets to see David Archuleta and the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. It was such a good concert! And though I hadn't ever seen or heard David Archuleta before, I became an instant fan. He seemed like a little sweetheart; I'm hooked. It was crazy traffic in crazy snow with three women trying to find our way around... and Oh so fun!

We celebrated with some great Christmas music, always one of my favorite things about Christmastime. Thomas brought us back to PG High for a sold out choir concert. It was so weird to be back in my high school, seeing old teachers while I was holding my baby and realizing that I'm a teacher now. It felt odd!

As tradition, we had the "adult" Casper Party at my aunt and uncle's. It is always my favorite! We have an amazing time being with family, giving gifts, playing games, and being reminded of the true meaning of Christmas. Truman and Evaleigh had their Christmas outfit on "What Santa doesn't bring me, Grandma will!"
We get a family ornament each year, and this year Evaleigh represented our 2010 with this cute block ornament with her name etched inside.

This Christmas we celebrated early so my sister's family could be there. It was so sweet to have 3 babies there celebrating their first Christmas together. Opening presents and eating avel skeevers is the best!

Christmas Eve meant Evaleigh's first movie, and 3 parties! Traditions included white elephant gifts, the nativity (starring Evaleigh as baby Jesus) and singing around the Christmas Tree. And of course new PJs!
Christmas with the Tomlinsons was so fun- Christmas morning they broke through their trap and could finally see what Santa had brought and Haleigh ran straight to... Evaleigh of course! The presents could wait until after she'd played with her favorite little cousin! Evaleigh's kitchen, her first dolly, and her trolley were the perfect gifts. Not to mention the handmade blocks and so many books that she loved! But somehow she found markers which ended up being her favorite new toy :)
One of the not-so-great days of the season was when Trevor went to the BYU bowl game. In over 3 years since Trevor and I started dating we've never spent a day apart. So it was a hard Friday night, Saturday, and Saturday night without him. I had a sleepover with my sisters to fill the gap and Evaleigh slept in my bed. Needless to say, I missed him much! This pict is from online- you can see Trev holding the neon signs I made. (coming soon)

Certificate of Completion

2010-12-27T18:58:00.006-07:00

We are SO excited because right before Christmas Trevor's dad finished all of his chemotherapy and radiation; he is officially done with all his treatments! Since the moment we found out about his cancer there have been tears shed, but mostly hope and happiness prevailed. I cannot express the admiration I have for Eric and for Linda who are so faithful, so loving, so courageous. I love them dearly and couldn't be more grateful for their examples to me and Trevor.

Completing her mortal life, Trevor's Grandma Anthony passed away peacefully last week. She is the spunkiest lady I have EVER met! She has no secrets, no shame, and no such thing as a quiet voice or dull moment. She was one to be remembered, and her funeral was more like a big party. We are all so happy for her to be well again, with her husband, son, and the mother that she never knew. How grateful we are for the gospel that tells us that we will see Grandma Anthony again, and that our family is forever.

Another Month

2010-12-10T11:48:00.007-07:00

Well, it is crazy, but Evaleigh is another month older. That makes lucky number 7!

This month Evaleigh loves to play with magazines, tear them apart, and eat them. She will crawl right to where my parents have a stack, grab one and rip it to shreds. And though I try, she is very sneaky about slipping the paper in the side of her mouth, even when her pacifier is in! Christmas is going to be her favorite day with all that wrapping paper! She already opened one of her presents under our tree when I wasn’t looking.

She’s crawling all over. And my favorite is when she crawls right to me and whines until I pick her up. Once she learned to crawl, she zoomed! And she isn't satisfied, because only a few weeks later and now she gets mad if she isn’t climbing on me or something else. Pretty much Evaleigh loves anything she can use to try and stand up with or suck on. This picture describes her exactly- She thinks she’s SO cool because she’s learned to pull herself up and stand.

Our little butter ball will eat everything. She’s liked all the baby food she’s tried (and I’ve started with the gross ones… no sweet orange foods or fruits yet even) and she is still nursing. Maybe only mothers understand it, but I will have a very hard time giving this up and since my little energetic girl calms right down to eat, I will continue.

Getting this little ball of energy dressed is now a chore, no more “playing dress up”. She starts kicking, rolling, and thrashing, then crying until I pin her down long enough to put some kind of clothes on her. Example: She received 3 shots at her last Dr apt, no tears. The screaming began only once I tried to put her onesie back on.

Since she was born I’ve never wanted to put her down. And even in the middle of the night I would just rock her and sing to her in my arms. Well… now she is having a hard time sleeping if I am not holding her. And so nap time means I drop everything until she’s asleep. And even then I do everything with one arm because once I try to lay her down, she wakes up and cries. Its getting better though, and I’ll get her trained! She still sleeps in late and no noise will wake her up once she’s out so I can’t complain. She’s just wants her Momma, what can I say?

Evaleigh has a new face. OHHHHH! She does it all day long and sucks in a big gasp like she’s laughing. She’s also started to just move her mouth up and down like she’s talking but makes no noise. So fun!This little girl is so much fun, we love her to pieces! Sorry to all y'all who see this blog... its all about her!

Thanksliving

2010-12-03T15:57:00.006-07:00

We celebrated a wonderful holiday, we feel overwhelmed at how many blessings we've been given. I heard something I loved in church this week. The speaker said how appropriate the progression of the holiday season is... Firstly recognizing our bounteous gifts and blessing and giving thanks (Thanksgiving), then acting with gratitude by serving and giving to others (Christmas), and finally we set goals to change our behavior to live in thanksgiving daily (New Year's). I like it!
We got to eat twice, once with my family and then with Trevor's. We were grateful, relaxed, and stuffed. And of course we watched football and played games!
I'm taking the babies for a spin around the gym!
We also did some fun Black Friday shopping- Walmart at midnight was nuts,but oh so fun :)

We had a great time celebrating my wonderful mother-in-law's birthday. I had been getting things ready for weeks and I think it was quite beautiful (if I do say so myself!) Just look at that cake! (though I can't take credit for that)

My Sunshine Baby

2010-11-28T16:16:00.005-07:00

The other day our sweet little girl was crawling on the floor and she had her face right in a late afternoon sunbeam coming in from a window. Since it was practically blinding, I moved her across the room. She crawled right back, laid her head down on that stip of light and there she stayed. She really is the light of our lives!

I recently found this little treasure of baby Trevor. If only I had a nickel for every time someone says "she looks just like her dad!"...

Family Photos

2010-11-15T20:26:00.009-07:00

Couldn't pick a few, so here's all my favorites! Thanks to Trent and Sheena for taking our photos, they are awesome (see more at sheenamanningphotography.blogspot.com). They turned out so good, considering how hard it could be to get a good shot with a baby;)

Happy Half Year!

2010-11-10T16:38:00.006-07:00

Length: 27" (80%)
Weight: 18 lbs 6 oz (80%)
Head: 41 1/2 cm (15%)
I know everyone says it about their kids, but they really do grow up so fast! I cannot believe my tiny little baby is already 6 months old... that's half a year people! Me and Trevor keep looking at her and the things she does and saying "She is like a real baby now!" (meaning she's not our little newborn who sleeps all day).
This is what our little sweetie loves to do these days:
* Play with her favorite toys (which include a new ball, princess dolls, Mr. Giraffe, and the Octopus)
One of her favorite games is to put a burp cloth over her face while she throws her arms up and down and kicks her legs. Then Mom takes it off because I fear she's suffocating... and she'll throw it on her face and start wiggling again.
* Give kisses (and man, she can suck face!)
* Sit up all by herself
* Lay on her side in a model pose. Its her favorite thing.
* Read Stories
It always calms her down and she loves to help hold the book while Momma reads to her everyday.
* Grin
She breathes really hard, grunts, and smiles from cheek to cheek but our little girl cannot seem to get the "ha ha"'s out. It is actually hilarious to watch her kind-of laugh. She smiles at everything and everyone, but especially Mom and Dad. She's such a happy baby!
* Eat rice cereal.
This was a hard thing for Mom to do and I've still put off anything but the cereal for now. We'll bring on the squash, green beans and carrots soon but I'm not sure I'm ready...
* Rock and Roll.
She has started to CRAWL a little. On her hands and knees she'll rock and take a step or two forward. She can already pretty much roll anywhere she wants to go (until she gets stuck under a chair or meets a dead end) but she's not full on crawling across the room, thank goodness! That will bring on a whole new adventure!
*Watch
Evaleigh loves to look at the world around her. She listens and studies everything she sees and thinks the simplest things are fascinating. It makes me look at the world in a whole new way, as if for the first time. She especially loves Mom's phone and Dad's ipod- all the bright lights and pictures.
* Bathe
She loves to get in the bath and I can't wait till she's a more stable sitter so I can fill up the bath for reals. She just loves to run her hand under the bathtub faucet and now and then sticks her whole head under! She might be a little swimmer!
Evaleigh is still our little baldy, but I can see a lot of little hairs growing. And I am actually kind of sad because she's not going to be our redhead after all. Total blond. Its getting pretty tough to keep hair bows on because she thinks she's supposed to eat them for some reason? And everyone that sees her says "She looks just like her daddy!" I guess she does... but she's beautiful and feminine too.
She sleeps through the nights, going to bed at 10pm, waking up at 7 or 8am to play for a while, then sleeping again until 11 or 12. I enjoy every morning by cuddling her in bed and sleeping in or getting all the housework done while I can ;) Evaleigh is sucking the life out of me because I'm skinnier than I've ever been. And no, I'm not glad about it because I don't feel strong (have you seen how chubby my baby is? and I have to lift her all day!) But as long as she's healthy, I'm happy.
Trevor does so much with her. He will help me out if I need to get something done during the day and after 5pm its Daddy's playtime. He's such an amazing Dad!
Ya, I write a lot.

Voting

2010-11-02T16:41:00.003-06:00

I wish everyone in America would vote. What a privilege it is to have choice and a voice in government. Teaching Government for 3 months really taught me to appreciate this right that we Americans have and I truly believe this system was divinely inspired by God.
I'm definitely not totally politically savy, but I believe that if you don't vote then you have to shut your mouth about the government since you're not doing your part to contribute and no one likes a complainer!

With my bro-in-law working around the clock for the last 6 months on the campaign I have to endorse "Philpot for Congress"! These two kiddos are supporting. And yes, they are holding hands. How cute!

All Hallows Eve

2010-11-01T13:30:00.007-06:00

We had such a fun Halloween, I have to say that it is probably my favorite holiday. Take it back, Christmas is my favorite, but its a close 2nd. I HATE scary things, but somehow I still love it and this year we did a lot of really fun things to celebrate the season!

We made caramel apples and carved pumpkins as a family. The apples we picked from the orchard and the pumpkins were right from a neighbor's garden, there's just something refreshing about homegrown goods. We had lots of fun and we took our first pictures of Evaleigh and her cousins in their animal costumes.

For our "date night" (with Evaleigh) we went on a drive around the Alpine Loop to see the beautiful leaves and to enjoy walking through Timpanogos Park and around the Riverwoods, including a walk through the Noni Gardens.
We went to the Lindon neighborhood "Nightmare Express". They have a train ride through a spook alley and they have treats and entertainment all around. I thought Evaleigh might not care about it or even get scared... but nope! She loved all the flashing lights and things to look at.

At the Holley Family party its always fun to see Trevor's cousins. And Evaleigh got a picture with all her 2nd cousins!
We loved our ward party this year, complete with a chili cookoff and trunk-or-treating. It was delicious and so packed that there was standing room only in the gym!

Our annual Casper family party was a success! We played fun games and ate gory food. And all my hard designing and sewing paid off because I won the costume contest! (And regrettably I don't think I got a good picture of my costume. Evaleigh, my little lamb was most always in my arms and Little Boy Blue was by my side.)

We topped off our Halloween with our friend party. We had so much fun playing a minute-to-win-it and eating lots and talking lots. Such a fun holiday!

Since Then...

2010-10-19T22:32:00.001-06:00

Three years ago I was called by a handsome boy, that I had a (secret) HUGE crush on and he affirmed that he was coming to pick me up for a date. He knocked on the door to the home of my childhood and I apprehensively walked out with him to his car and spent the rest of the night with him, not realizing that I would be spending every night the rest of my life and eternity with this handsome man! Our first date was very memorable, with Trevor recognizing that he had some Precious Cargo with him and showing me that he knew every word to the Newsies Soundtrack... I was hooked! Since then we've done SO much together, and if you read this blog you know what I mean. Trevor is my best friend, my husband, and now my partner in parenting. Through every stage I love him more!
We found this little surprise the other day and saved it in our fridge until this special day. Its tradition! And though we missed the whole 1 year anniversary thing, we saved it for our 3rd anniversary of the beginning of it all. You would think that 2 1/2 year old wedding cake wouldn't taste good... but it was delicious!

Rolling on to Cinco

2010-10-04T14:02:00.006-06:00

Each day I find myself amazed at how quickly Evaleigh learns. Only a few short months ago all she could do was eat and sleep and now each day is something new! Our little girl has such personality! Her tongue is out all day long if she is not making noise, smiling, laughing, and most recently if her toes are not occupying her mouth. I cannot take my eyes off of her, for besides that fact that I adore her, she has started to roll away! She rolls all over from back to from and side to side moving across the floor in circles. I usually let her go at it until she gets stuck on her tummy, too exhausted to roll over again. Her other nemesis is her toy rattle which she loves to chew on, but will then wail if she loses grip of it or can't make the target to her ever-open mouth. She is starting to grab EVERYTHING, which makes it so fun to put all her princess toys in front of her, but not so fun when a handful of Mommy's hair starts making its way to her awaiting tongue. Yesterday she even grabbed the whole tray of Sacrament bread! She is also determined to sit up. For the first time she sat all alone two weeks ago and is steadily learning to support herself. She has never put her head down and so now she is thrilled that her body can be up now too. We spend our days singing songs (that her Mom and Dad usually make up on the spot using familiar tunes,inserting her name in it), sitting on the porch listening to the waterfall (before the weather won't let us anymore), and hanging out with aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Evaleigh is my little Beauty! She is still round and hairless-though fuzz is growing like crazy, giving us one more surprise to see if she's really a red-head or a blonde-head? Each day ahead brings with it more excitement! She's decided she likes to be thrown in the air by her daddy (while Mom holds her breath in fear) and loves to hear him read her books. She is our little dolly!

It was hard to pick favorites, but here here are some picts from this month's photo shoot.

September

2010-10-04T13:43:00.009-06:00

Uplifted; that's how General Conference always makes me feel. Conference also is the chance to relish in the goodness of the ladies in my family. During priesthood session we had a Fancy Nancy party with fancy foods and fancy dresses. It was so fun!

Last week we became official members of Costco. This has been a lifelong dream for Trevor; so no more is there a need for us to sneak past the door nazis and through the back door to shop. Hooray!
I can never keep a secret from Trevor... ever. For his 26th birthday I tried to surprise him with presents,homemade gifts and breakfast in bed. Pretty much he saw them all before his birthday AND came walking into the kitchen, ignoring the note on the door to relax and sleep in for once. Ha! But we had a great time celebrating, watching BYU, and eating yummy steaks and together we enjoyed a great speech by Elder Oaks about our Constitution. We also got to celebrate with my Mom, Dad, and nephew for their birthdays this month. I'm so glad we have days meant to celebrate and spoil the ones we love :)Trevor passed out business cards and talked to people from Hong Kong while me and Evaleigh spent a very lovely day strolling around Temple Square. I enjoyed the beautiful gardens, visitors center, the pioneer house, and the church history museum. I learned a lot that day about all the little things gathered in that place and an appreciation for its rich history- and so did Evaleigh since I read her every pamphlet and plaque. We also got our picture taken 3 times by visitors and foreigners kept wanting to play with Evaleigh since they were missing their own grandbabies. We met up with the businessman to shop and celebrate his birthday (again) at Tucanos. It was a great day to be outside and to be together as a family.

Its also become a family affair to go watch byu football and Trevor's softball games. Evaleigh and I are quite the cheerleaders! Here are some of the other things we've been up to...PROJECTS I've been making for my baby girl; Song Book, Quiet Book, Family Photo Albums, and the Gospel ABC's. Plus we're getting ready for Halloween-making decor and costumes!

Typical day

2010-09-15T11:12:00.001-06:00

Evaleigh had a little cold, and we laughed SO hard when she blew her first snot bubble (poor girl). Well she also had some major leakage up the front of her diaper. As I was changing her soiled clothes and pulled her diaper off she decided she wasn’t quite done and peed all over! So I decided it was bath time. On the way to the bathroom she realized she also needed to spit up. Leaking out of all ends. But really, what a beautiful healthy baby she is!

one two three FOUR

2010-09-12T10:02:00.000-06:00

Weight: 15 lbs 9 oz, 75%

Height: 25 ½ inches, 75%

Head: 38 cm, 10%

Evaleigh just keeps growing and she gets more and more fun as she goes! She has officially learned to laugh and Trevor’s “Kiss Attacks” really get her going. She loves telling us stories and she doesn’t stop making noise. She is already learning to roll from back to front and can grab things and stick them straight into her mouth. Already too she is learning to scoot on her tummy- there is no such thing as lying still for her.

She is a mama’s girl. major. I can’t say that I’m sad about that, but it seems to upset her and those that are trying to hold her when I’m not around (especially if it means trying to take a bottle these days). Once I can get her to sleep, she sleeps through the night now and yes, I do miss her during the late hours. She is such a happy baby though, we are so lucky!

Andi: I couldn’t be happier being a mom, I get to hang out with Trevor, Evaleigh, and most days with Taylia and Truman boy. We cook, clean, and do PROJECTS! Most days I think to myself, “I can’t believe I get to do this everyday. I can’t believe this is what I’m supposed to be doing- its too fun!” I did do my first day of substitute teaching at Lindon Elementary and survived knowing it was only half day and Trev and Evaleigh were only a block away.

Trevor- He is still working hard and SO good at what he does. He is finishing up another fun season playing softball and I love going to the ballpark to watch. Its fall now, so football has started (enough said). We both still can’t believe we’re done with school and Trevor keeps coming up with “work related” reasons to go to the Marriot School.

We welcomed Bailey Clegg into our family, one more fun cousin for Evaleigh to play with. It shocked me how tiny she is and I hardly believe that my little girl was ever that small!

Evaleigh (4 months), Bailey (10 days), Truman (5 months).
Truman is trying to figure out what that blob of a baby is and Evaleigh is laughing- they are partners in crime already :)

Evaleigh went to her first BYU football game. And what did she think of it? (A pict is worth a thousand words…)

Disneylandia, part 2

2010-08-21T23:08:00.007-06:00

It seems like just yesterday we were vacationing at Disneyland, but we're back for part 2 a year later! Our baby was so good on the ride, sleeping, eating, and smiling the whole way there and back again. We spent 6 days on our vacation to California and had so much fun with Haleigh and Taylor who LOVED Disneyland and went on ALL the rides with us (they are so brave!). Evaleigh also got to go on 8 rides. Then we enjoyed a relaxing day visiting the Mission San Juan Capistrano, driving by the beach, and being with family. Here are some of the highlights...
1. We had a lot of good help taking care of our little one. Trevor and I had so much fun with her.
2. Splash Mountain, a classic!
3. I just can't believe they make lollipops as big as her head...
4. Evaleigh's first but not last trip to Disneyland, in her so cute Mickey outfit
And the beautiful mission (our header pict above) and our cutie girl.

Uintas

2010-08-21T22:40:00.003-06:00

Growing up I was always camping with my family- I first went to Canyonlands when I was 2 weeks old! So we decided it was time to go camping with our baby. We went fishing, ate delicious tinfoil dinners, and of course ate smores and told riddles.

It didn’t snow on us like last year, but we went through the craziest rainstorm in the middle of the night. The thunder was so loud it woke up the entire camp and the lightning was so close and bright. Luckily we were safe and warm in the tent trailer- Evaleigh didn’t even budge.

My grandpa grew up in the Uintas, living there in a cabin, so it’s always been a special place to me. Many of the lakes and a mountain are named after my relatives and I have so many childhood memories there. It was neat to be there with my own little family and to show Evaleigh around for her first time.

We went on a little hike, that turned into a longer hike... but stopped by the frog and salamander ponds. The kids were asleep (obviously) but Trevor caught one!

Here is Headquarters Rock where we leave secret messages to other family members about each trip.

And beautiful Provo falls! We have a picture here last year... and now Evaleigh is here to enjoy it with us.

Month Number Three

2010-08-20T14:06:00.011-06:00

I know babies change quick- but I swear this month Evaleigh has become a new girl. She’s bigger than ever (and I mean rolls) and she has a new big girl look. She thinks she’s a big girl too...she talks non-stop, laughing and goo-ing. And she only lets me cuddle and cradle her when she’s tired (which I fully take advantage of every second I can!) She won’t put her head down, ever! If she’s laying in her carseat she’ll look at her toes and if she’s laying on the floor she’s doing crunchies- she’s got to have tough abs! Being a mom is so exciting, I love watching as she learns to roll and move. I’m totally her cheerleader! My favorite thing was yesterday Evaleigh was laying in her bouncer and I put her arch toy in front of her. She stared at it intently, looking it up and down. Then she started wiggling towards it and touching the dangling toys with her hands. And then she pulled it… and SURPRISE! It started lighting up and playing music! She was SO happy and would cry when she couldn’t figure out how to pull it again. Eventually she got the hang of it and I’m such a proud mom!

This picture is so typical… She eats her hands all day long and smiles at everyone!I still feel like I’m playing dress up, she is such a doll! And her daddy looks good too. I’ve again been super sad to let go of the 0-3 clothes but have found that her 3 month and even some 3-6 month clothes are snug!Evaleigh is so loved by her cousins! She and Truman boy lay around together most days- yet I don’t think they’ve discovered each other yet. Here they are wit their Grandpa.

This picture totally describes Taylor and Haleigh with her… they ALWAYS want to hold the baby or touch her or kiss her or do ANYTHING with Evaleigh. Its my favorite!We just LOVE our Evaleigh girl. And I’ve decided its bittersweet how fast they grow. She’s not my tiny newborn anymore- but I wouldn’t trade it for her cute gasps and smiles. Everyday is a new adventure.

Ears Pierced

2010-07-30T14:22:00.002-06:00

July

2010-07-24T22:55:00.006-06:00

We have been quite spoiled with fun things to do...
We went to the Lindon pool with Karleigh and her kids and it was Evaleigh's first swim. She was startled at first but by the time we'd gone a lap in the lazy river, she was just great. And she looked styling too, with her $1 shades and swimsuit.
Trevor and I went with Tay, Stuart, and Missy and barely survived floating down the Provo river. It wasn't really dangerous (though there was some blood and bruises) but the water was freezing and our tubes did pop. It was hilarious! By the end of our adventure there were 5 of us on one tube.
For the kids we set up a Drive In with concessions and their very own cars. It was a blast eating treats and watching the movie outside and the kids loved it!
My cousin came home from his mission in TX. Tallon came home to meet 3 new nieces, 1 new nephew, 1 new cousin, and 2 new cousin's kids with one on the way... Its been baby central over the last 2 years in this family :) I love my cousins, they have always been my very best friends!

St George brought more cousins! We went to the Anthony family reunion, celebrating Grandma Anthony's 89th birthday and Grandpa Anthony's would-be 100th! We swam, ate, shopped, ate, watched movies, and celebrated! Elvis was there to entertain us all and we heard some great stories about Grandma Anthony- she's quite the blue-wig-wearing, wanna-be-stripping, yellow-car-driving lady!

Evaleigh-per

2010-07-20T14:37:00.009-06:00

2 MONTHS

Height: 23 1/2- 60%

Weight: 12 lbs- 60% (I love her double chin and chubby rolls!)

Head: 10 % (No matter what people say, it is not because of her headband- an inch of nylon in NOT stronger than her bones nor crushing her brains!)

She's on a schedule and I know when she needs to sleep, eat, and play. With her daddy its ALWAYS playtime, even at 11:30 at night when I want her to be sleeping. He loves to smother her in kisses, and hold her and toss her and make all sorts of faces at her... He can't wait for the day when she'll react more to the things he does.
Its my favorite noise in the morning to hear her feet kicking and then a huge gasp (her laugh). I poke my head in her room and find her smiling away. She's such a happy baby and smiles all day long. She got her immunizations and only cried for about 15 seconds. She's such a good girl!

I'm sure all moms think their baby is amazing- but Evaleigh is SO alert and active. She loves tummy time and can hold up her head and wiggle so much! She cries if she can't see what everyone is doing and she's starting to roll over on her own. And she's learning to grab and play with toys! I am already afraid for her to start crawling-she'll be EVERYWHERE! She plays so hard that sometimes she'll just crash and sleep for hours (she's still a baby afterall and sleeps a lot!) She got pooped in the middle of tummy time-face smashed, eyes half open, and mouth wide open...just like her mama when she sleeps.

Being a mom is the BEST! I light up inside every time someone says "She knows her mom" and my heart melts when she looks at me and gives me a huge toothless grin :) And crazy as it is, I'm already missing those middle of the night feedings when its just me and her. I never ever put her down and could stare at her for hours. This little cutie has her parents wrapped around her finger... and we don't even mind.

Life is Grand

2010-07-05T12:38:00.009-06:00

We have been having so much fun this summer, and our cute little girl makes everything that much more fun. We've been to the temple twice with her, hiking and fishing up the canyon, we've watched fireworks and parades and plenty of softball games and we can't get enough of the outside shade. We've also seen friends and family leave and we will miss them terribly. We are having birthday parties everyday- it is July again- and we're loving bbqs and Netflix. Evaleigh finally got to meet her cousins Haleigh and Taylor, who adore her already. Life is grand. Happy Freedom Day!
Most of our ward is made up of people over 65, so I have learned so much from their life experiences. So many of them have fought for our country and have seen the cost of freedom. Our next door neighbor is the most recent veteran back from Afghanistan with some amazing stories about God's hand in preserving freedom. Being a total history nut, I am especially grateful, and proud to be an American.
Evaleigh slept through the whole parade and most of the bbqs- typical for this little sleepyhead- but she sure looked cute!
Lost- seasons 1,2, and 3 (need I say more about how much we love Netflix?)

My cousin Ty Guy, Chelsey and Saylor left for medical school in Michigan and we are all missing them desperately. I know that he'll do great!

Friends from age 10, these boys have been through a lot. And no matter where we all go in our lives, they'll always be close. Good luck Matt and Cassie!
We went up as a family of 3 to go hiking and fishing up the canyon and I was amazed at how much harder everything is with a baby. So I tried my best to change her diapers and feed her in the great outdoors while Trevor fished. We made it a mile with the babe on my belly before we called it a day.
Evaleigh saw her first parade, fireworks (which she also slept through), and went bowling! She comes everywhere with me and it is so much more exciting thinking that everything is a first for her. She was left with her grandma as her first babysitter for the whole night- and it was SO hard on me, just thinking of her the whole night and missing her. We had tons of fun at the drive in- but when we got home at 2:30am I held her for a half hour even though she was already fast asleep. Trevor took a turn too... so ya we love her :)
My cousin Stig got married in June and so we got to go to the Salt Lake temple. He is so happy with Lacey and it was so great to be there with all my family. This is one of our first pictures with both of us and baby Evaleigh- our Eternal Family.

Blessing

2010-07-01T12:24:00.006-06:00

Evaleigh was blessed on Sunday June 27th by her daddy. It was such a special day- everything was perfect!
She looked like a porcelain doll, literally, since she's as white as snow and she was sound asleep the entire evening. Evaleigh wore my own blessing dress- it is One of the Three White Dresses I will see my baby girl wear throughout her life, so it was very special.

Her white blanket was handmade for us by our mum in Wales, the pearls added by her mama, her shoes from her Nanny, and the bracelet a gift from her aunties... she looked beautiful.

My mom, sisters, and I had been planning Evaleigh's little party for weeks and were excited that everything looked perfect- "like a wedding" some people said. She is just that special :)
Evaleigh with her parents, her Grandmas, Grandpas, Great-Grandpas, and all but one of her Great Grandmas
Me, Evaleigh, and her Grandmas whom she was named after
Trevor, the amazing man that he is, gave Evaleigh the most beautiful blessing and we were so blessed to have so many friends and family there to participate with us in the event. Thank you for all who attended- we are so blessed to have you in our lives!

Month 1

2010-06-15T14:18:00.009-06:00

I cannot believe my little baby is already a month old- 5 weeks and 1 day to be exact! It is absolutely amazing how time flies, and how much she changes. I treasure each second and try to memorize her face and notice each new "trick" that she learns each day.

I love to take pictures of my baby each day in her cute outfits and bows- I am super sad that she's almost grown out of her newborn clothes, but I stubbornly keep putting her into them. Sometimes it still feels like I'm playing dolls... then she cries and I remember that she is very much alive! She is more active than ever and kicks and punches whenever we set her down- then she laughs at herself because she knows that we are amazed at her. She looks all around now and is awake more each day. I'm just waiting for that first smile (when she actually knows she's smiling). She is so much fun and such a good baby- she lets us take her everywhere.

... Memorial Day at the Cemetery in Spanish Fork
... A 6 hour day in the car to Idaho and back. She braved the winds while we played games and went down the zipline and the waterslide.
... Shopping at the mall- which she better get used to- with the girls (and her twin cousin Truman).
... Trent and Sheena's wedding.
... A few trips up Provo canyon and lots of Nanny and Papa's yard- she already loves to be outside.... Trevor's basketball and softball games- soon she'll be his #1 fan.
... Her first day to all of church. She slept the whole time so I could teach primary.

Ya, we've been busy. Ya, we're having fun. And ya, it is still hard to be a mom. Whenever I grudgingly get out of bed in the middle of the night, I go into her room and see this...
and its all SO worth it! I love her little fingers, her toes, her long eyelashes, her perfect little ears, and all of Evaleigh down to the very last strawberry-blonde hair on her mostly bald head.

5.10

2010-05-25T15:00:00.000-06:00

Yes, May 10 is our baby's birth day, but it is also our Anniversary, and yes it will also fall on Mother's day every few years... is there a better day?
Since our 2 years of marriage Trevor and I have grown together- we are a family, we are best friends, and he is my everything. He made it through living with a pregnant woman, and he is handling it wonderfully living, sleeping, and working with a newborn at home! I couldn't ask for anyone more perfect! He takes such good care of "His Ladies".

These two are my LIFE! I am so grateful to be with them for ETERNITY.

Birth Day

2010-05-25T14:07:00.006-06:00

I felt my first ever contraction Sunday morning at 4:15 am, Mother's Day (how appropriate). We waited until 4:00 pm to go to the hospital, just to get sent home with instructions to come back when contractions were stronger and closer together. We didn't follow that advice, but at 3:00 am Monday I couldn't take the pain and so even though contractions were now further apart (about 14 minutes!) we went back to the hospital. The nurse asked, "So you think you're in labor?" We both said "No, just need some pain reliever, please." Quickly she assured us that I was in labor and that I was being admitted that moment to labor and delivery. All I have to say is HALLELUJAH for epidurals :) I spent the rest of the night sleeping peacefully, pain-free, listening to my baby's steady heartbeat. (This was in contrast to the other 3 women giving birth un-medicated who were literally screaming "help me!" all night...) Around 11:45 I felt pain which bothered me so I asked for the nurse and so she checked and said "Oh, there's the baby's head!" It was easy sailing from there, and it would've been quicker if we hadn't had to stop and wait for the Dr. to drive across town to catch her! 12:36 pm she arrived and my world changed.

How can I answer when someone asks, "How do you like being a mom? What's it like?" I almost cannot reply. There are no words to describe it...miraculous, beautiful, amazing, breathtaking, wonderful- they are all inadequate. And maybe its because the whole experience, every day and every second with my little baby is just too dear to my heart to truly express. I have never felt such joy as when I hold her close, watch her sleep, and when our eyes meet. I know I was born to be this little girl's mama and I LOVE her!

Evaleigh Linda Anthony

2010-05-13T15:59:00.004-06:00

Born Monday May 10th, 2010 at 12:36 PM
7 Lbs 4 Oz
18 in

We just wanted to add some pictures, lots more to come. -Trevor

Patience

2010-05-07T11:12:00.004-06:00

Still Pregnant...
I hope this weekend brings us a nice surprise- our baby girl! I have had a really comfortable pregnancy and I guess she agrees because she just doesn't want to come out! I am definitely learning patience because I believe that there is nothing more disappointing than watching with anticipation for 9+ months, excited to meet the little one who has been wriggling inside you, and then watching that day of countdown come... and go... and keep on going. Ok, so its only been 3 days past the due date, but trust me it's been a very LONG 3 days. For the first time last night I finally said the words "I don't like being pregnant anymore" because its been just that much harder to move and get comfortable, to sleep through the night, and now even to walk! I hope that our little one comes soon! I'm venting, yes. I'm complaining, hopefully not too much. I still love feeling her move and having her so close and I know that I'll secretly miss that when she's in the crib and not inside me. She'll be here soon (next Tuesday at the latest since I'm scheduled to be induced) and I know she's worth the wait! And as the newest little mama (my sister) reminded me- its just the beginning of a lifetime of her trying our patience :)

April Update

2010-04-28T14:22:00.005-06:00

Yes, Trevor graduated! I am so amazed at how good he's always been at studying- he is so dedicated to doing his best. Since December he has learned even more at his job and I admire how he always works so hard. He is still constantly reading and studying, and his love for learning is just one of the million reasons why I love him. I will also be walking on Friday morning at UVU (unless our baby decides to come early...) It is so fun to reflect on all the experiences and work we've done through the years and to know that WE DID IT!

I had fun being a substitute teacher at Lindon Elementary for four days- I got to see all my old kids and they were just as funny and cute as ever. (I think they were all a little shocked by my belly though- baby has grown a lot since December!)
We've been trying to finish all the small details on our baby's nursery and yet there always seems to be something more to finish, put up, or clean. Here are some of my recent projects:
I officially have less than a week left till Baby's Due Date, but we're hoping for anytime really. The Dr.'s done his part to help it along- so for now I'm a "Lady in Waiting" (as the Dr. calls me). We are just SO excited to meet our little girl that we already love so much! Baby Truman is excited to meet his cousin and soon Evaleigh will have another little girl cousin to join in the fun (we're so happy for you Loch and Jen!)

We've been enjoying lots of sports- Trevor is playing for a softball and basketball team. It is so fun to watch him and be surrounded by friends and family. And yes I too keep reading books in my spare time- I just finished my "Sci-fi nerd book", Ender's Game. I loved it! And we finally got a library card, which we'll be using a lot. We've also spent lots of time outside and we are getting excited for gardening season and the bees :)

Graduation

2010-04-22T11:41:00.002-06:00

Announcing the Graduation of

Forest Trevor Anthony
Marriot School of Management
Brigham Young University

and

Andreona Anthony
McKay School of Education
Utah Valley University

Trevor has received multiple scholarship awards while attending BYU. He will be graduating with a Bachelor of Science, with an emphasis in Finance.

Commencement April 22, 2010

Andi will be graduating with an emphasis in History, Secondary Education. She will be receiving a Bachelor of Science, with Honors.

Commencement April 30, 2010

New Mama

2010-04-14T20:40:00.002-06:00

My big sister had her baby last night and welcomed the first grandchild to the Clegg family (and the first great-grandchild)

It still doesn't seem real that she has a baby... and that I will have my own soon! It is too crazy to wrap my head around. But OH I'm so excited! I wish I could be in Cedar City to see the little guy with my own eyes... but I'll just have to wait for him to come up once he can meet his cousin. He's so adorable (check out at all that -blonde- hair), I love him already!

Baby Evaleigh is on her way, only 3 weeks from today till D-Day. All our Dr's visits show signs that she's getting prepped and ready. Every step of growing a baby inside has been a MIRACLE. The way she started so small and is getting so big, the way I feel her move and can see her little feet poking through, and how much I love her and how she's already my best little friend. I cannot imagine anything better than being a mama.
I saw a woman at the Dr's today, quite pregnant and waddling, with other little kids around her. And there were little pieces of pretzel stuck to the back of her shirt (and she had no idea). That's a mother! Can't wait for those days...

Recent joys of the belly:
*For the first time, I'm having to get up in the middle of the night to empty the bladder that my baby girl has now started to smash.
*In order to get out of bed I have to use all my arm strength against my dresser and pull myself up.
*I started walking funny and Trevor asked "Are you waddling?" I said "NO!" and haven't done so since- there's really no need, I guess I was just getting lazy.
*It is getting just a little bit uncomfortable to move around a lot and harder to sleep comfortably through the night.
Really though, I cannot complain at all! I've been so active and able to do so much with baby in the belly so far, so whats another handful of days? I am actually measuring really small too, but we had a recent ultrasound to see why and Evaleigh looks big and healthy- she's just hiding inside me well.

And we had to have one last CELEBRATION for her! We had so much fun talking and laughing about everything baby. And yes, we gave the boys a chance to realize how "fun" it is have a big belly. Thanks Karis for planning such a fun night!

The recent Easter weekend was so wonderful, with General Conference coinciding (which we got to attend on Saturday morning). What an amazing event to help us all remember how families can be together FOREVER because of the Savior's atonement and resurrection. I was overwhelmed with gratitude to my Heavenly Father for sending so many messages straight to me and Trevor about family as we plan and prepare to bring a special spirit into our home. I feel so blessed to be guided and directed by God through living prophets.

Marzo

2010-03-29T15:36:00.002-06:00

With March Madness going on, I filled out my annual bracket to discover that I am an amazing guesser. I was in first place for a long time on pure luck! We've watched a lot of games lately and its so fun. Trevor showed off his own mad skills finishing his rec ball season in the championship game. 2nd place ain't bad- especially when you hit 2 threes in a row and a half court shot at the buzzer ;)
Alex had his farewell Sunday and left for TX Fort Worth Wednesday. I have never met anyone more prepared or ready for a mission. I don't know if its ever something you can really "prepare" for, but he has such a strong testimony and a desire to serve- he is such an example to me. He will be amazing- he'll work hard and be obedient and love the people. Another successful Elder Anthony is on his way. (And we sent him out in style! literally piling into the back of the truck and jumping in and out to say our goodbyes at the MTC)

Again, I have to mention my kids. My 120 juniors and seniors at Lone Peak were so much fun! I literally laugh everyday with them and we teach each other as we go along. I have LOVED every second of it and feel like I totally lucked out on my student teaching experience. Its a bittersweet event, we had a party, but part of me is really not happy to be celebrating the end of teaching. It has been everything I hoped it would be, and more, and I plan to keep that passion for education alive and my foot in the door.

Can I get more spoiled?... but somehow its happened! My 23rd birthday was a weekend long celebration! I got to spend the day shopping with Trevor, going to eat at my favorite restaurant (Mi Ranchito) and seeing a movie with my family, concluding with cheesecake for dessert. Then I got treated to the cutest birthday song in Primary and a celebration with the Anthonys and the Casper family. Phone calls all day, games all night, and a tower of presents- how could it be better? I feel overwhelmed with all the love that I feel for the wonderful family I have. THANK YOU! Its been so fun to see everyone lately, from Cedar to Oregon!

Bows for Baby

2010-03-26T16:00:00.002-06:00

I am getting more excited than EVER for our little girl to arrive! I can hardly stand it, how much I love her already! I talk to her all the time and LOVE that I can feel her constantly moving and grooving inside me- she's already our little dancer. I can't believe how quick its coming and how soon she'll be here! (only 40 days!)

I feel sometimes like I'm still just playing dress up- its crazy to think that all these tiny clothes will be on my own little daughter soon. And she's already a girly girl like her mama since I've officially made her 26 bows and most of her wardrobe is pink. Yes I've MADE these bows- its one of my favorite things to do lately for Craft Day and I've worn almost all of them already... we're sharing everything these days!
We had such a fun baby shower and our little girl was spoiled (again!). It was so fun to see these crafty ladies with their amazing talents- quilting, crocheting, and embroidery galore. The Holleys/Anthonys always have fun stories too and it makes me laugh at motherhood already :) Its amazing how many people love us, and her, already. We are SO blessed!

Our February

2010-03-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

Now I know:
The definition of rule of law, filabuster, indictment, subpoena, due process of law, social contract, how to control 25 teenagers in a room with a stink bomb (not kidding), and how NOT to handle a lock down situation without a key (good thing it was a drill!)... The list could go on and on! From student teaching I'm learning SO much that I never knew I never knew. I hope my students are a little bit smarter than me now that I've taught them more than I actually know.

Our baby girl is growing bigger and bigger! I swear I double in size every week! We are now working on her nursery, which as much as I thought I'd never choose it, is pink Pink PINK! Oh well... she's a girl, right? To be honest, I LOVE IT! And we love our baby SO much, its ridiculous! We can't wait for her to come!
We just found out my brother and his wife are having a baby and we're SO excited for them. My mom's been begging for grandkids for years- and now she's getting 3 at once!
We had a WONDERFUL family baby shower for my sister and I. We were so spoiled- THANK YOU to everyone who came!

We celebrated Valentine's Day (I know its been a while...) by spending all Saturday and Sunday together. We shopped, ate out, went to the BYU bball game, ate dessert, watched movies, played games, watched the Olympics, made cookies. I also got my wedding ring shined up and it is as BEAUTIFUL as it was when we got engaged 2 years ago (on Feb 9). There is nothing better than doing "nothing" in particular with the one you love! I have the BEST husband in the world!
Trevor is still working hard and playing hard. I've LOVED going to watch him play basketball twice a week. He's also my go-to-guy for anything Olympics since he'd found a new passion for our ipod touch and all its apps. Trevor's family caught the fever and we all went ice skating- well, I watched (darn this pregnancy thing, jk). He was also called this week to be the assistant ward clerk in our ward- a huge job that he'll do awesome at! And I got a calling too- after 11 years I'm back in primary with 9 five year olds. Oh, its so fun!
February has just flown by. We're enjoying every free second together and living up our last few months of being just two (and a half). We feel SO blessed!

Our Busy Lives

2010-01-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

January has flown by! Its been such a fun time full of changes to keep us busy so far.
Trevor is loving his job and is such a professional businessman- it surprises me sometimes when I overhear when he's on a phone call with "his people" in China or when he's out to lunch with some clients. Wow, he is so impressive!

Somehow Trevor still has time to snap some amazing photos- like this one of our temple (now only about 3 blocks away from our home)!

My "work" is going well too. I can't believe how different high school is from my perspective as an old and mature, married and pregnant 22 year old. Ha ha! Ok, so it wasn't too long ago- but OH MY how things have changed since high school! But I loved high school and hope that these kids I teach are loving it too. I've been racking my brains to try and make 17 year olds care at all about Government and Citizenship... and I'll keep doing my best. I got lucky because my teacher is totally chill and helpful, the kids are great, and so far its been really low stress (hooray!).

Our baby girl just got spoiled! We spent our vacation day at Park City shopping at the outlets where we couldn't resist the frills and good deals :) She is our little dancer already- At our check-up it was such a struggle to hear her heart because she just wouldn't hold still! She's moving and growing like crazy- I think people can FINALLY tell that I'm having a baby and not just chubby from the holidays. We put the crib together and can't wait till in 3 more months she will be sleeping in it! We also got an amazing gift from our Mum in Wales... absolutely BEAUTIFUL blankets for our precious baby.
And of course we still have too much fun together! We've enjoyed baby showers and basketball games, movies and smoothies. This weekend we even got to celebrate my aunt's birthday playing at the gym (a total flashback of all my long hours at tumbling classes and teaching gymnastics). Too bad my chubby tummy -or my husband- kept me from doing anything more than jumping on the tramp as a precaution for baby. But nothing can stop us from laughing and loving it all.

Top 29 of 2009

2010-01-04T21:33:00.004-07:00

2009 was our first full year as a married couple- and wow what fun we had! It was hard to narrow down our favorite moments, but here they are in random order...

1. Telling Trevor about the two little pink lines, meaning baby's on her way
2. Watching a nail-biter game end in a BYU victory over Utah
3. Realizing that there will be no more textbooks to buy, ever!
4. Every moment of our 2 week long vacation- Disneylandia, wedding, balboa bars, and our niece and nephew.
5. Watching Alex open his mission call.
6. Realizing our baby will have a cousin just 20 days older than her
7. Getting a job offer!
8. Sending out the last batch of 120 missionaries (who can now speak Spanish thanks to Trevor)
9. Avoiding the swine flu
10. Watching softball games in the summer sunsets
11. Camping!
12. Thanksgiving- the last day I've vomitted
13. Celebrating becoming a quarter century old
14. Late night rockband parties
15. Losing a mountain on our hike in a summer snowstorm
16. Games every Sunday night (even Killer Bunnies)

17. The Anthony backyard- the bees and volleyball games
18. An end to our car nightmare (actually it continues...)
19. Doing family history work, and learning we're related
20. A bittersweet goodbye to my little kids at Lindon
21. Gaining a sister-in-law
22. Strawberries n' cream in the rain
23. 2 new temples
24. Seeing our names forever in stone at the Lindon Aquatics Center
25. Riddles and Cirque du Soleil- celebrating our one year anniversary
26. Hearing my dad speak as new Bishop of his ward
27. Finding out my sister and I will be student teaching at the same school
28. Feeling our baby girl kick "mom" and "dad" for the first time
29. Finishing unpacking in our new house

2010 will bring some of our lives greatest changes (maybe ever) - no more school, real jobs, baby girl, new home, and who knows what else. I'm so glad to have my best friend with me every step of the way. Welcome New Year!

Holidays

2010-01-04T20:39:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful holiday season! We got to spend lots of time with our families. We saw lots of movies. We ate lots of food. We gave/got lots of gifts. What could be better?

We enjoyed white elephants, Christmas parties, Christmas dinner, nativity, and singing around the Christmas tree! We were so spoiled and blessed to be surrounded by our family!
Then Christmas night we boxed up and moved all our belongings into one room. THANKS to all our family who helped us move everything so it was a smooth transition. We've spent forever organizing and unpacking since then.
We went with Alex to the temple. I forgot how beautiful my temple is! We now live about 3 blocks from the Mt. Timpanogos temple. And a wonderful surprise...while finishing our session I saw my cute grandma working there :)
We got so excited about Harry Potter that Trevor reread number 7 in 2 days and I'm in the process.
We played the wii and Mario Bros.till we were sore.
We had such fun at our New Year's Eve party- food, friends, games, and fireworks!
We went to our new ward. What an experience we're in for- to be the only people under 65 in all of Sunday School. We have so much to learn and such great people to learn from.

What a wonderful vacation!

Baby Girl

2009-12-29T10:35:00.003-07:00

We love our little baby girl, soon to be arriving 5.5.10!

Letters from Lindon

2009-12-19T11:47:00.003-07:00

As I finished my last full week of work at Lindon Elementary, I got quite showered with compliments and cards. These kids are so darn cute and I will miss them a lot! Here are what they wrote to me in their letters...

*marrchismas (Merry Christmas)
*miss andey thake you for hellp me with doing my werk with me (Mrs. Andi, thank you for helping me and doing my work with me.)
*to mis andie I will is you you are cined (To Mrs. Andi, I will miss you. You are kind.)
*dear mrs andi i love you
*Dear Mrs. Andi We will miss you You're going to teach High school.
*By Mis Andy I hope I see you agen I hope you have fun.
*mrs cani, You're nice I love you thank you Vanessa from (she's never called me Andi- and she likes to do backwards writing...)

After three years with such fun little kids it will be quite a change come the new year to be with high schoolers! Wow, they are only 4 years younger than me...

Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2009-12-08T12:52:00.011-07:00

*Oh my goodness, this is going to be a quite an update... We have so much good news!

Thanksgiving was wonderful! Still stuffed from our 2 dinners. Early morning shopping was hard- we're getting old or something? My family is crazy (adults included) and love games- so yes we busted out a parachute :)

Trevor's dreams came true- BYU beat Utah (and he stormed the field)

Classes are coming to an end! We both finish all our classes next week, its such a weird feeling to be done, DONE! But yahoo!

*We're still anticipating...

CHRISTMAS!! Its the most wonderful time of the year. Both of us have sisters coming home for the holidays and we can't wait! We've already enjoyed decorating, shopping, the neighborhood bonfire party and our ward Christmas party!

Dec 21, when Baby Anthony becomes a "he" or "she" rather than an "it". Make your guesses now!

*Our New Home...

We're moving to American Fork to live in an apartment in my parent's basement. We'll be close to LONE PEAK where I'll be teaching for the next 4 months! And I passed my PRAXIS test so I can graduate and teach (which was pretty much the hardest thing in the world- try memorizing EVERYTHING about EVERY civilization from the beginning of time until today!) Now we'll be close to TREVOR'S NEW JOB! He gets to keep working for his internship as an employee at IndustryPRo- Trev is AMAZING at it! We're super excited about these things and for all the new adventures that await us in the upcoming year!

Gratitude

2009-11-10T14:54:00.004-07:00

There is NOTHING that I am more grateful for, than to know that Jesus is the Christ and that I am a member of His church. This video expresses all my tender feelings and binds me through love to these great men who lead us today. Enjoy :)

Sweet Surprise

2009-11-03T14:43:00.005-07:00

What a pleasant surprise I found the other day... Since we took our bridal pictures I have never seen all 500 (or whatever ridiculous number it was) that our amazing photography, Trent Bates, took for us. So just now, a yr and a half since our wedding, I've discovered my bridals! There are a lot of amazing pictures that are just too fun for me to look at. I'm sharing my favs.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm really not a serious face kinda girl (most of the pictures were of me and Trevor laughing at each other!)... but some of these just remind me of a magazine! Trent's amazing. And of course I'm partial because I love the building and my dress. So fun!

Happy Haunting

2009-11-03T13:44:00.006-07:00

Where did October go? Who knows! Sadly this year we didn't do much haunting (no haunted houses, scary stories, gingerbread houses, or pumpkins!), but we did end with a Shabang. Trevor came to my work and watched the school Halloween Parade and then that Friday night we had a family party. My family is seriously the best- who else would play such crazy games like musical chairs, bingo, and charades (and we're all adults!)? Ya it was awesome! I had two little cousins get baptized on Halloween morning so that was so wonderful, Trajan has been SO excited about it! Trevor even got me to watch two scary movies, which is amazing (only since I'd seen both of them before and had made up my mind that they weren't going to scare me this time). Since I was pretty much sick all weekend my family helped so much to help us get ready for our party. We had so much fun with all our friends!

We went to the most amazing murder mystery dinner- it was so much fun! I was the Queen and Trevor was the inventor of tennis!Since it will be our last chance, me and my mom were twinners at work- Christmas elves! I made my costume and threw it all together the night before.

Ya, we're Salt and Pepper shakers!

Hairs Cut

2009-10-23T15:31:00.002-06:00

So my dad always used to say that he got many hairs cut- and really a haircut is not just cutting one hair. This is my sad experience with my many hairs being cut yesterday.
I was so excited to finally have my head off the pillow and away from the toilet that I was going to get a trim, a dye, and bangs for a nice change. BUT the crazy lady chopped off all of my hair that I have been so loyally growing long!!! I cried and cried all day yesterday. I honestly don't know what in the world the lady was thinking- I even brought 3 different pictures to show her exactly how I wanted it to look. When I got in my car I felt the back of my hair- there was none. Literally three inches on the top. I cried, I screamed, I was a wreck. So no one say anything about my hair or I might burst into tears. I have really tried my best to restrain emotion and keep from cursing and doing something really evil to the women who stole all my hair...

FIRST COMES LOVE...

2009-10-19T18:45:00.006-06:00

As my amazing husband has displayed in the post below, it was two years ago that we first began to fall in love! What a wonderful adventure it was...

THEN COMES MARRIAGE
We have been husband and wife for 517 days and every second of it has been glorious!

THEN COMES THE BABY IN THE BABY CARRIAGE
Yes, baby Anthony is on the way! What a wonderful adventure we are in for...

YES! I have finished my first trimester, so
YES there's a foreign body growing inside mine. (which is still so crazy to me!)
YES we've seen it- and its heartbeat, and
YES it made our hearts skip.
YES I've been ill for the last 2 months, which means
YES I've forgotten what its like to feel "good".
YES it was very planned for, and
YES we can't wait to hold it in our arms!

Two Year Anniversary

2009-10-19T10:18:00.004-06:00

To: Andi, you're hot

Two years ago today on October 19th, 2007 was our very first date! We went to the UVSC vs BYU hockey game, ate at gandolfos, had shakes at the Malte Shoppe, and then watched an episode of The Office. We have pretty much seen/talked to eachother every day since. You are amazing and I love you

Trevor

Road Trip

2009-10-13T13:47:00.005-06:00

We took a road trip this weekend to Cedar City to visit my sisters, then on to Vegas and the BYU game. It was a fun trip for the most part... but I was very very carsick and hardly enjoyed that part. Go Cougs!
We stopped by the Temple and Freemont street, and of course In-n-Out. We played riddles and games with the fam. (sorry we didn't take many pictures of the trip...)

Sew fun!

2009-10-13T13:40:00.003-06:00

It is done! With (MAJOR) help from Trevor's mom I completed my first real quilt. It may not seem like much, but it was a long process! The hardest part was laying out each fabric square so that they looked good.... then I sewed the squares together in strips then into a square...then sewed diagonally...then sewed boxes. And it looks beautiful! I just love making things- from scrapbooking, to sewing, to decor and more.

Fooz-Ball

2009-10-05T16:59:00.000-06:00

One of the BEST things about going back to school and watching the leaves change colors means its time for football! Its been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and Trevor's too. So we've already been enjoying 3 of our favorite teams.

*We went back to our high school to watch the PG football team dominate. It was a whole new experience since my days on the sideline 4 years ago... new turf field, new bleachers, new parking lot, new rec center, and a whole new addition to the school! Wow how things change!*Trevor is on an intermural flag football team which he loves and which I love to watch.*We still love BYU through and through!
This fall has brought lots of fun things along with the football games! We went on the Alpine Loop to see all the beautiful leaves changing colors and stopped by a farmer's market in Sundance. Trev took some amazing pictures of the nightime sky on a late night adventure to Heber. And we also LOVED General Conference- its my favorite time of the year! Its so great to be with family and enjoy the words of the prophets. We're staying super busy and loving this season of our life.

B-day Boy

2009-09-25T16:43:00.003-06:00

Wow! Quarter of a century... that's pretty dang old! Yes, Trevor turned 25 last week, but he's still just a boy at heart. For his "birthday party" we went to the BYU football team devotional, to Los Hermanos for dinner, and then had the best peach shakes (YUM!). What a great way to celebrate- surrounded by friends and family :) And of course he's been playing with his "toys" since then... an AMAZING new camera (gracias Anthony's) and his books of useless facts. And he'll be sporting his new cleats at his football game tonight. Trevor is just too much fun! I'm so glad he was born and so glad we get to live together forever as best friends. I LOVE YOU and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Taking Care of Business

2009-09-25T15:30:00.001-06:00

I wanted to do a quick post about how hilarious my job is! I work in a special ed classroom everyday with 1st to 6th grade kids. I've worked with some of these kids for 3 years now and it still never gets old. This is what keeps it fun everyday...
My name has been changed from "Mrs. Andi" to "Canni" to"Mom", and an occasional "Grandma"?? I've seen pencils in places they should never be... down the pants and up the nose- and after mentioning those it makes me sick to say-in the mouth! We are always finding half eaten erasers on the floor. A 6th grade boy asks me how to say the word B-R-A. Another boy cannot say PITS- the word is PIST right? Another needs to be holding his dog chew toy in order to write a complete sentence. A caution to everyone out there... never ask kids to find rhyme words for "truck". Between constant snotty noses, sneezes, and candy bribes, my job is quite entertaining. Everyday is something new and the kids are so fun! Who wouldn't love it?!

We are also very excited because Trevor has been given a couple of opportunities to get back into the work force. After his first 2 days at home I thought he was going to go crazy! But school has filled his time and he's loving his internship. With amazing options for the future we are very thrilled to be back in the market. He is going to do amazing things!

Trevor not only takes care of literal business, but he's been taking such good care of me... (though he'll probably be embarrassed of this part). He's been taking care of dirty dishes, laundry, toilet cleaning, mess and more mess. I've been sick lately so he's picked up a lot of slack- he's so WONDERFUL for all he does!

Auntie Andi

2009-09-06T14:32:00.006-06:00

I absolutely love being an aunt. The first time I officially hung out with Trevor's family while we were dating, it was his nephew,Taylor, who full-heartedly welcomed me to the Anthony family (by cuddling with me during a movie!). Since then we have had SO many more adventures with our cutest niece and nephew! And they are here again-which always means tons of fun!
*Pirate Land. Arcades, fantastic food- totally love it!
*Swimming at the Lindon Pool
*Evening BBQ and orchard view
*A trip up to our favorite Big Springs Park up the canyon
*Yahtzee!
*Hike to Battlecreek Falls- beautiful!
*The BYU game

And I am absolutely thrilled to become an aunt once more. My sister is having a baby!!! the first grandchild and great-grandchild in the whole Clegg family :) Love you already Bunker Baby!

Change is in the Air

2009-08-21T15:03:00.004-06:00

Some big changes:

Trevor and I will both be saying goodbye to our jobs next week. For me, its a more welcome and less-drastic change (same hours, only made up of little kids at work and college kids at school) but for Trevor its the end of an era. Trevor is Mr. Missionary. Since 2003 Trevor's life has been mtc, mission, spanish, mtc. He loves the gospel and espanol and he has absolutely loved his experiences. I know he'll miss it. He has been such a wonderful example and teacher for so many of the Lord's servants. And I love him for it!
End of Summer Already?? School is almost starting and for Trevor and I it is our last "back to school". We are both graduating this year! What will we do when there are no more sharpened pencils, binders, and notebooks to buy? While we are both excited, we are a little sad to be ending our wonderful summer. But that is one of the great things about being married to your best friend- you never have to say goodbye. You live, eat, sleep, breathe, and PLAY together- no matter the season! So our adventures will continue...

Weekend Weather and News

2009-08-19T12:00:00.005-06:00

Anyone missing a mountain? We lost one for about 4 hours in a snow blizzard this weekend! Ya... snow! My family is extremely fond of the Uintas since my Great-Grandpa and my Grandpa lived there and worked there. Many of the lakes are named for my Grandpa and his sisters and the highest mountain in Wasatch County is named after my great grandad- Mt. Cardwell. That is the missing mountain. Trevor has been very few times to the Uintas so we were very excited for a day trip with my parents. We stopped at the beautiful Provo Falls and then we parked our car for our hike up Mt. Cardwell. As we got out, a MOOSE came walking up to us. And then the male came following after her. It was crazy how close they came! A fun way to start the day... Our hike began and we walked until it started to hail. "Better than rain!" we said and continued on our way. Then it turned into "What's a little snow? I'm not cold!" (despite only wearing our tennis shoes and sweaters) Then we came to the Rock Field. It was very dangerous, especially in the wet and cold but Trevor was jumping across it like an elf! Finally the snow was so crazy we had to dust ourselves off every 30 seconds from the inches of snow, so we decided to turn back. We walked and walked. No Mt. Cardwell. No end to the rock field. We were lost. We climbed up and down, and finally the snow began to lift and the mountains appeared out of the fog. We were saved! We found our Mt.- and boy were we on the wrong end of it, nowhere close to it. But wow, what an adventure! As we finally found our way to our car (4 hrs later) the sun was shining and we were able to enjoy the views of the beautiful lakes nearby (in our crusty and sopping clothes). Crazy weather!
That night, after a warm shower, we had a great night out with all our friends. The Wives!
Bee Keeper. We love to look at the bees, to sit and watch them fly in and out of the hive by the hundreds. At our request, Trevor's dad opened the hive full of thousands and thousands of bees, so we could see the honey-making process. It was so neat!

Lindon-ite Pride! I loved growing up in Lindon and love that the Anthonys still live there and are so involved (Trevor's dad is even on city council!). We love being from "a little piece of country". We saw the BEST fireworks of the year at Lindon Days this year. We were right underneath them! Trevor got some AMAZING photos :) (again with the hoodies in August?)

Animal Lovers

2009-08-10T09:53:00.008-06:00

Ok, let it be known that Trevor and I are NOT animal lovers. We have no desire to ever have a pet in our home nor do we care for animal rights or agree with treating your animals like humans and clothing them or anything of the sort. We're just not pet people. But this weekend we would've fooled you all.

We went to the Zoo! My Dad really wanted to do something "as a family", so we went mini-golfing (for free!) and to the zoo. We missed you, Loch and Jen!

If you haven't been to Liberty Land... you've gotta go! Its sad that we're all bundled up in sweaters in the middle of August!

We saw lions, tigers (eating lunch), and bears, oh my! And this cute 9 day old giraffe (that's already 6 ft tall and 100+ lbs). We also loved the bird show and the elephants and rhinos and the singing monkey AND... all of them :)

Early this year my sister got a puppy. It shocked us all! She keeps everything in her house in tubs, and cleans fanatically -her home looks like a museum. So it surprised us all that she'd have a dog roaming around. But Ace captured our hearts- even ours! (despite the fact that he almost sent me to the hospital because of my allergies one night). He's the only puppy I've ever loved. So this is our tribute to "man's best friend". Sorry Ace that you lived such a short life, but you were dearly loved.

2 Wheels are Better than 4

2009-08-03T16:49:00.009-06:00

My grandma had 2 firsts (proving no matter your age there's always more to experience in life)...
*She wore something pink for the first time EVER! (since "Redheads never wear anything pink. It just doesn't look good." Maybe she forgot that in my lifetime she's never had red hair)
*And Rode a Scooter! (she's been begging Trevor to give her a ride all summer so when we showed up, she jumped on. She was apprehensive but after the ride she claimed "oh, why, that's not scary" like she was never worried about it at all.)
Trevor decided to impress me by taking apart our entire scooter- all the nuts, bolts, electrical wires and all just to change a lightbulb. Garret helped- its boys being boys. Trevor put it all back together, with a new headlight and a fixed blinker light. What a man!

We are also super excited because we FINALLY got a new car! So now we have options and a way for both of us to get around during those wet and cold days. We think our new audi looks sweet :) So maybe sometimes 4 wheels are better than 2?

Our Heritage

2009-07-24T13:30:00.002-06:00

Pioneers! I love talking about my ancestry and my pioneers who had such faith. This year we have a new view on one particular ancestor, Thomas Richmond, because both me and Trevor can claim him. Yes its true, me and Trevor are officially 5th cousins once removed. (and just in case you're weirded out- DON'T BE! Realize that almost anyone is a cousin once, twice, or three times removed from everyone in Utah) Me and Trevor have loved learning more about genealogy and one day we just noticed that we had a connection in our lines. His family LOVES this ancestor and always talk about him. My family has never even heard the name till now. Crazy!
While in California our lesson in Sunday School discussed missionary work. To add enthusiasm, it was mentioned that the first ever baptism in England was determined by a foot race to the water to see who could be baptised first. I leaned over to Trevor and said, "Henry Clegg was second!" (my great... grandpa). And as I sat there, remembering the story that I've heard throughout my child and adulthood, a feeling of love swept over me. How grateful I am for Henry Clegg and ALL my ancestors who sacrificed so that now I live a blissful life. How truly lucky we are. Happy Pioneer Day!

Disneylandia

2009-07-24T13:14:00.005-06:00

Vacation Part II. We flew from Oregon to California and met up with Trevor's parents and brothers for the week. We were finally able to see Harry Potter 6 (which me and Trevor were DYING to see, especially since we'd read the book together the week before AND had our own harry potter party, complete with butterbeer, wands, and quills)! Sunday was so fun because I got to meet many of Trevor's cousins and aunts and cousins-once-removed and see parts of Trevor's childhood memories- even his dad's childhood stomping grounds. Monday was "DISNEYLANDIA"!! Don't ask why but we could not stop saying Disneyland without a high-pitched mexican accent? I haven't been to Disneyland since 1996, so almost everything was new and exciting to me. We went on all our favorite rides and just loved all of it! All 20 1/2 hours. We were pooped by our 3rd day, and decided to hit up the beach instead. Once again, we hid our white and delightsome skin in pounds of sunscreen- and I got not a single burn :) The boys LOVED their drip sandcastle, and I tried to help. By the end we could see it down the beach and groups of people were posing by it for pictures. We got REAL Balboa bars on Balboa Island and stopped by the Newport Temple. Of course we ate lots and shopped lots. What could be better than good food (I'm convinced Coco's is a family favorite now, though Winchell's gets some credit), shopping, roller coasters, princesses, movies, and family? Nothing. Thank you Anthonys. We are finally home and back at work (yes, even though today is a real vacation day) after our 9 day vacation.

In the Clouds

2009-07-24T12:53:00.007-06:00

Oh the magic and mystery of flying! I am SO grateful for those two crazy Wright brothers who helped modernize human flight. A 13 hour drive became a quick nap and a safe landing in Portland thanks to them.

We had SUCH a fun time in Portland with our cutest niece and nephew and celebrating with our good friends. We have tons of pictures- and aren't they worth a thousand words? I'll just be brief on my comments about what a wonderful vacation we had, our heads in the clouds instead of at work.

The beautiful Rose Garden with Haleigh and Taylor.
These kids love parks. Every time they jumped or hung or swung I was paranoid they were going to fall and kill themselves, but of course they were professionals (what a stress mess I'll be as a mom!)

We went swimming, and pretty much flaunted our whiteness (its sad when you are whiter than baby skin). It was a blast teaching those kids to swim and be brave in the water.

We also went to the Farmer's Market- the BEST cherries I've ever had, period.

Multnomah Falls- the LONGEST 1 1/4 mile EVER! Uphill, taking turns holding a 3 yr old. It was quite the accomplishment! and (given) it was beautiful.

Something borrowed, something new and blue... It was a beautiful wedding for Trevor's friend Spencer and his bride Kelsey. We knew the bride and the groom (a crazy connection!) so it was so fun to be there for them. They were so sweet and it was a day full of fun. Eternal marriage to your one and only is the greatest blessing on Earth!

When we got back, Taylor was crying and Matt told us that Taylor had just prayed that "he wouldn't be sad when Trevor and Andi leave". SO CUTE! We'll miss them too, and hopefully see them soon! Thanks Karleigh and Matt for being so fun, for taking us everywhere, for giving us your home, and for the late night chats ;) Love ya!

Stars and Stripes

2009-07-09T16:28:00.005-06:00

I LOVE the fourth of July, its got to be one of the BEST holidays! The party started for us at 11:00 Friday night where we met up with the gang for games and treats along the parade route. We got drenched in the 15 min rainstorm (at 3 am!) and barely slept, waking to see the hot air balloons bright and early. We were so lucky to be able to visit Trevor's family and my Casper family for bbqs, games with my Clegg family, more food, more bottle rockets with Trent, and the grand fireworks with my Grandma. Wow, we were on the move all day, all on 4 hours of sleep. How lucky are we to be surrounded by so many friends and family!

Trevor and his brothers play some wicked volleyball. I'm his #1 cheerleader!

Me and my sisters LOVE America's Next Top Model. Therefore... we are showing off our modeling skills while multiple cameramen snapped photos. Dorks. And yes, we are all matching- family tradition!

We played some sweet Boccie ball, our new favorite game.

Fireworks, of course. Men are such little boys!

Fastforward

2009-07-03T16:29:00.002-06:00

Here’s what we’ve been up to, I’ve been too busy/tired most days to update. So here's our life on fast forward.

I'm loving Softball season! It was finally hot at the last game, and not freezing. Trevor just has so much fun and I love to watch him play. Plus we get lots of good girl gossip time in on the bench :)

Who would've thought I'd enjoy hiking? Not me! But we've loved going up Rock Canyon and I got my first taste of Hobble Creek too. It has been a blast to watch Trevor searching for dinosaur fossils and rocks to add to his collection. We've skipped across creeks and even found our own little cave. We were even there when life-flight helicopter landed within yards of us- you wouldn’t believe the wind!

We were able to go to the Manti Pageant and it was so fun. What a beautiful temple! I am always awestruck when it comes into view. We were super prepared this year with bug spray, water, and cash for funnel cake. Good time and great company!

I've been on a cooking kick. I have tried a bunch of new recipes and me and Trevor vowed not to eat out, at all, for a whole week. It proved harder than we thought, but now I've got some great recipes under my belt.

We got to see Jon and Carrie (and future baby) back from TX. And since we're crazy about games, we learned a new one... 5 Crowns. It was so fun to see them.

Trevor is reserving any blogger sites he thinks might be corrupted by antis- so check out our two new blogs (listed on the side). We're hoping to promote positive information about the Book of Mormon so any suggestions would be great.

Raid against our ant invasion! My wonderful husband is my hero once more, as he jumped out of bed at 6:30 am to rescue me from the intruders. (FYI, I’m not a wimp about insects- there were tons! All up our door and wall and I was half asleep and late for work.)

Back to Classic

2009-06-26T08:11:00.009-06:00

Trevor and I randomly got free tickets to a concert at Usana. All we knew is that it featured a famous violinist. After speaking to my dad, we realized he is actually REALLY famous and that his orchestra was fantastic. We were psyhed to go. Though the amphitheater was filled with an older crowd, we absolutely LOVED the performance! I've always been a classical music nerd- since my piano days- so it was an amazing night. What can we say- we loved it! And we were singing opera the whole way home. It was so refreshing to hear REAL music, talent, and melody. It was beautiful.

Busy Bodies

2009-06-22T11:01:00.012-06:00

Again, this past week was PACKED with fun stuff to keep us busy. It was the week for family time :) I have another LONG list of all the amazing things me and Trevor got to be a part of this week. And I have pictures! Lets take it day by day...

Monday: For family night with the Anthonys we saw "Up" and played games at Chucky Cheese.

I had to hold back the tears in this movie- it made me realize how much I love Trevor and know that our love is forever. I suggest all to see it- its really not a kids movie afterall.

Tuesday: Trevor went to Wyatt's Bachelor Party and played laser tag all night. I had some girl time (shopping!) with my mom and Missy, and my aunt who is in town from New York.

Wednesday: Strawberries and Cream, YUM! We were super prepared for the crazy weather and so the non-stop rain during the rodeo was no big deal. It just added to the fun :) We LOVE the rodeo and go every year as a family. This was only Trevor's 2nd time, but he's already into the tradition. We have the coolest video of a little kid sitting in front of us that was TOTALLY busting a move to the music- its hilarious. Almost the best entertainment of the night.

Thursday: I left work early to go to the temple and help last minute preparations for the WEDDING. At home to find that Trevor was deep cleaning our house, and cutting his own hair to get ready. How cute is he? It was one crazy night, but we had fun sleeping over and staying up late.

Friday: Bright and early we went to the Salt Lake Temple for Wyatt and Cindy's wedding, which lead to the wedding luncheon, which continued with a mexican fiesta, including dinner, dancing, and cake in the face. Trevor and I are very proud of how we covered their car with paint and streamers.

Saturday: The stress is over. We relaxed one last day with everyone before they left for home and enjoyed JDogs, and The Mayan's food and entertainment.

Sunday: Happy Father's Day! We got to visit with our AMAZING dads, some Canadians, and the whole Clegg family. I'm so grateful for such wonderful fathers and for Trevor, who will someday be the best Dad! Its officially Summer, so I hope the weather got the memo.

The Joys of June

2009-06-15T11:55:00.006-06:00

So Trevor remarked the other day... "you haven't written on our blog at all this month". Only once. I guess that stems from the fact that I'm at a computer for much of my 40 hour work week and so when I get home I'm sick of the screen. But truly we have been doing so many fun things, though pictures have been slacking. Trevor and I come home each night and play and play and play! We watch movies (like crazy!) and have been having so much fun with our sisters in town. Karleigh and the children are here from Oregon so we've been doting over them for a week and a half. Marisa is here for the summer, and Taylia came up this weekend too for a little rock climbing and fireworks! This is a list of all the fun things we've been up to this past week- and its still the beginning of summer!
Bridal shower for a new sister:) A steal of deal, MODEST dress for the wedding ($23!!). Sliding into second, and Trevor getting some manly battle wounds from softball. Ordering books online, again a steal, and anxiously looking forward to actually getting something in our mailbox. The monsoon we almost witnessed, and all this rain (Trevor loves every kind of weather). Stretchy skin. The Oqquirh Mountain temple, DAZZLING! Rock climbing up Provo's hidden treasure- giving Trevor another manly foot wound. Parade of homes- visualizing Trevor and I's wildest hopes for the future. High school bands and beauty queens in a rainstorm. STUNNING fireworks- worth the cold and wet. Shopping for shabby chic. BBQ and a puppy surprise. Quilting, my first attempt.

Body Movin'

2009-06-01T13:01:00.010-06:00

We've have a lot of fun things going on lately... and I wanted to share. It feels so good after 9 hours in a 12'x12' office to go outside and get moving after work each day. I'm loving summertime!

Softball Games, every Friday night.

Going up the Canyon- 3x in one week and a campout planned for this weekend. Fires, food, and hiking.

Biking the Lindon Heritage Trail- I'm STILL saddle sore. Literally it hurts to move.

The Lindon Aquatics Center- WIPEOUT! Ya, it hurt. On my first attempt I lasted longer than Trevor, but I was too beat up to try again- so Trevor dominates in these. (My favorite part is when he slips AFTER he's done.)

Walks through the cemetery. Scooter rides. Sunglasses.

Ward BBQ. The BEST meat ever, and badminton (again).

Summer Catch Up

2009-05-26T10:47:00.005-06:00

Summer is upon us... finally! It is so nice to feel warmth, it is so nice not to have to worry about homework! Me and Trevor have been so blessed to be able to have full-time jobs this summer to save some extra money... thanks a million Emily! So we work all day and play all night- its great! Despite the early hours, we both get to come home around 5 and spend the rest of the day playing and being together. Here are just some of the things that we've been up to lately (and sorry we've been slackers at taking pictures).

Baby Saylor was blessed on Sunday- she looked adorable. And I got to hold baby Morgin the whole time. I was in baby heaven! And we got to see the Holley family to celebrate Alex's graduation. It was so much fun to see everyone and to catch up.

Our parents always provide things for us to do... We painted the Anthony's deck (which included a paint war and volleyball for the boys) and worked in their garden. I've never planted a garden, nor have I even tasted half of the vegetables that we planted. Its always a new adventure and I'm gaining quite an education about flowers, trees, and Bees! My family is also working on their yard- we've spent a couple weeks digging, using the man tool, and being "glue girl" while installing a sprinkler system into soil covered in rock. Pure rock. Its on its way though! And my dad is seriously AMAZING- the best example of a hard worker. He hasn't stopped working on this house since the day it started construction- in 2007.

My mothers got skipped on their credit since we were off celebrating our anniversary, but I LOVE YOU! I am SO blessed with the most amazing mother who raised me, who I can tell everything to. Who loves me and supports me through all stages of life. Who is sentimental just like me. Who loves us just to come over and play Rockband. Who is the most dedicated teacher I've ever met. Who is the greatest example to me! And to my new mom, Trevor's mom. It is amazing how much we are alike- we just match. She has done so much for her family and has raised Trevor to be the man he is today. We owe so much to her, thank you.

We got to celebrate Memorial day up the canyon yesterday. I've been so excited to go up there to enjoy nature and build a fire. We finally got to use one of our Christmas presents and we played badminton all night. It is so BEAUTIFUL! Its like a whole new world only 20 minutes from our house. We are so spoiled. We live right next to the cemetary and it is absolutely overflowing with flowers. It is likewise beautiful!

Watching Time Go By

2009-05-20T17:27:00.005-06:00

It started because of a watch. A lost watch. A watch hidden in a garage, in a tub, inside a box. Trevor was looking for an old watch that he had before his mission because after misplacing his current watch he thought he might wear that one again. Great idea! Except who knew where that watch was? Absolutely no one. But that wouldn't stop Trevor! He went through his parent's garage to find some tubs labeled "Trevor's stuff". We have a few tubs like that at our house too. He spent all morning going through these tubs. I came home from work for a lunch break and saw the Disaster Area. Our entire main floor was covered- literally I could not see the floor- with papers and odds and ends and photos and who knows what! Our whole storage had to be pulled out just to get to the tubs so I couldn't even go up and down the stairs because a mattress was laid across it. I couldn't believe the mess- so I took a picture. As I did though, Trevor said "No pictures! You are not going to blog this!" But I am... minus the pictures.

The treasure hunt had begun. All evening I watched Trevor sort his "stuff" and categorize things and organize them into boxes and plastic organizers and back into tubs. It was so much fun! We spent the night going through his treasures. They were sooo fun! I got to see Trevor from a new perspective- his whole life story told by himself as a 5 year old, a junior high student, a teenager, a missionary. It was so cool to see the things that he had drawn, created, and written as well as pamphlets and pictures from all the places he has been. Its amazing how time goes by. Old friends, same friends, old hobbies, crazy fashions. Its crazy to think that we've already been through so much and now we're old and married- (ok I know we're not old, but still!) It really made me sentimental and reminded me that I need to enjoy EVERYDAY! Time goes by so fast.
Trevor was just such a cute little boy! On his preschool paper his answer to "Why I am special" was " I was sent from God from heaven". I think we could all learn from the wisdom of 5 year old Trevor.

Trevor did by the way find the watch. He did by the way clean our entire house (without prompting from me)- even every pillow was in place and everything spotless. Isn't he great!

Trevor changed his mind (I think he's proud of his mess!) So here it is.

Anniversary

2009-05-12T16:53:00.004-06:00

We were so excited to celebrate our anniversary, for a miniature 2nd honeymoon where we could relax and leave all the stress and care at home and enjoy being together. Thank you Uncle Sam for providing us with enough tax return money to splurge and enjoy a wonderful weekend together!

So- a 6 hour drive is a long way without a radio (since our car doesn't have one), but thanks to Trevor's brother we had an ihome for our ipod. And we had RIDDLES! It entertained us for at least 6 hours on the way down and back. (If you don't know the yes/no riddles you should look them up online, they're fun!) We were able to crash a party at my sister's house and then head down to St. George where we stayed up late talking with Trevor's aunt, uncles, and grandma.
The St. George temple is absolutely stunning- white as white, with grass green, blue sky, and red rock. I love it! There is no better way to celebrate our marriage then by going to the temple together!

There is always drama! So, we got separated from each other and barely missed the session but we eventually found each other. And though Trevor remembered his tennis shoes this trip- he forgot his Sunday shoes and flip flops, so people were looking at him a little strange. We were also surprised by seeing our the Toblers from our ward, it was neat.

We enjoyed Sam's Town, with its sea food buffet and mother's day brunch buffet- yum! We watched movies, went swimming and took the shuttle to the strip. We saw Cirque du Soleil- Ka. It was absolutely AMAZING. Everyone needs to see it in their lifetime. We did some shopping at the outlets (I know- what a great husband huh!), watched the Belagio fountains, went to Fremont Street, saw the lions, and all that fun stuff. It was so great to just spend every second of the day and night together.

Year One Of Eternity

2009-05-11T19:37:00.005-06:00

The best day of my life, no, of my eternity. One year ago, in the Holy Temple, the House of the Lord Trevor and I were sealed for TIME AND ALL ETERNITY. I cannot think of anything in the world better that that moment, both of us smiling from ear to ear, giddy with love, staring at our "spouse" for the first time. Pure bliss!

I never thought it could be get better than that, but with each day I love my husband more and more. It is amazing how much my appreciation for him grows. He is my everything. There are few words that can truly describe Love like this; forever, unconditional, eternal, together, one.

Under the Sun

2009-04-26T15:03:00.004-06:00

Spring is finally here! Though its been quite wet lately, we have thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine. We busted out the scooter, the softball mitts, and the smores. We enjoyed a little hike up Rock Canyon, preparatory to our weekend adventure. To celebrate the end of the semester we decided to be spontaneous and go to Cedar City for a long weekend. We left Thursday evening and enjoyed the night playing games with my sisters. Although he is adorable, Ace (my sister's Yorkie puppy) made me desperately sick- so we spent the rest of the weekend outdoors. Trevor and I decided to go for a drive up Cedar Canyon just for fun and we kept driving, and driving... and ended up in Bryce Canyon. Who would've expected that? But it was AMAZING! Though ill prepared, in flip flops and without food or water, we survived on a gallon of water and a package of M&Ms from the lodge. We hiked all around the beautiful formations, it was really one of the most awe-some places I've ever been. I was definately out of shape, but we hiked all afternoon, up and down the canyon... best of all, holding Trevor's hand the entire time. We only met one other set of English- speakers there, the rest were from Europe- it really made me appreciate what we have in our own backyard! It was so romantic to be with my cute husband all day in such a beautiful place. It was also a testimony builder- Heavenly Father really loves us to create such a beautiful Earth just for our enjoyment. It was a nice break, and a great way to start our summer!

Trevor took some amazing pictures! 225 to be exact!

He is Risen!

2009-04-14T21:56:00.005-06:00

“Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!” (D&C 128:23)

We did all sorts of joyful celebrating this weekend! We did some egg dying Saturday, then woke up early to hear my Mom give a talk Sunday morning. Trevor surprised me with a new softball glove and ball (I swear he's trying to convert me into a sporty girl) and he'll be receiving the Joseph Smith papers in the mail within the next few days :) My mom spoiled us with swimsuits, scrapbook supplies, a BYU dartboard and candy! We all had a wonderful family breakfast together, though we missed my dad busy being Bishop.

We missed Trevor's family too, and we're green with envy, because they are spending Spring Break in Philadelphia and New York.

We really have a lot to be grateful for, especially for the sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ. It fills our lives with hope and joy as we remember that He is Risen!

Refreshment

2009-04-07T21:31:00.004-06:00

Ahhh... conference weekend. I am always amazed at the amount of comfort and refreshment I feel after I hear from the Lord's prophet. I expect to be uplifted, but the Lord truly exceeded my expectations and blessed us with an overwhelming sense of His love and His spirit- how blessed we are! We looked forward to this weekend for many reasons: 1) its the only day besides Thanksgiving and Christmas day that Trevor officially doesn't have to work, 2) Trevor had a mission reunion where he was finally eligible for the Kentucky Cookbook from his President's wife (for married missionaries only), 3)We get to be with family, 4) Its a weekend for eating, 5) We get to hear the word of God!

Trent had an art show this weekend at the County Health Building (you can still check it out) where his photography's displayed. He's so amazing!

The Spanish Zone. President Packard said "They disbanded the zone, but not forever I see". They all just love each other so much!

We went up to the Conference Center despite the rain, and despite not having tickets. Amazingly, we found a premier parking spot and after only 10 seconds of soliciting we found tickets- on the main floor right in the center! It is so neat to be surrounded by such love and fellowship in the Conference Center, everyone there is trying to feel the spirit. It was wonderful!

Two-two Times the Fun

2009-03-30T19:15:00.004-06:00

Yep, I'm 22! While I've been claiming it for months already, but I finally had my birthday Saturday and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I feel a sadness at having to give up my lucky number 21- what an amazing year! I'm hoping the double two will bring twice the fun and excitement over the next year :)

I was completely spoiled this year, I honestly cannot list all my amazing gifts because it is outlandish and somewhat embarrassing. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I got to celebrate with the Anthonys and then with the Cleggs too, two times to fun! Theater room and chocolate fountains... yeah we're off to a great start for year 22.

Early morning we went to Mimi's Cafe for some amazing French Toast! My family surprised me and showed up too

Trevor and I spent the day at the Festival Colors at the Hindu temple in Spanish Fork. It was quite an experience! After the initial gagging and crying from the colors, it was fun, beautiful, and permanent- my hair is still pink!

Spring's around the Corner!

2009-03-18T17:42:00.015-06:00

Yeah!! I'm on Spring Break, so no school for me for from Thursday until next Tuesday (exactly 12 days!). So I've gotten to relax a bit and spend some more time working with my little kids at Lindon... they are too fun. And me and Trevor have just played :) It has been a wonderful week!

We began the weekend hearing an apostle of God! (how could it get better?) Elder Jones of the seventy and Elder Cook came to speak to our stake on Saturday and Sunday. Oh it was sooooo wonderful! We shook his hand, twice, and even sat in the very front row of the Provo Tabernacle. It was truly amazing! I feel so blessed to be a part of the true church. His message was so full of hope and optimism, we have great things to accomplish. And I LOVED hearing the message of FAMILIES over and over, I love it! I love my Trevor!

We sadly went to our last rec basketball game this week. The team seems to revolve around comebacks, only this time there wasn't enough time to catch up. Trevor is so amazing! I love watching him play... and I have to brag that he made 6 threes and over 26 points in one game!

We went for our first scooter ride of the season- I love the warm wind and my pink helmet! (I got to wear shorts and no jacket, I hope it lasts)
I got to celebrate St. Patty's Day with a bunch of crazy kids, eating punch, cookies and playing hangman- and I get paid for it :) Then we went on a late night escapade to
the Cheesecake Factory...mmm, need I say more?

LIFE IS GREAT!!

Even if you didn't want to know...

2009-03-15T22:25:00.008-06:00

♥ What are your middle names? Trevor and Felicia

♥ How long have you been together? since we got "serious"- 1 year 4 months

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? hard to say, we knew of each other for years, but it was only a couple months after the single's ward that we started dating

♥ Who asked who out? Trevor asked me out

♥ How old are each of you? Trevor 24, I am almost 22

♥ Whose siblings do/did you see the most? Its a pretty close tie- we go over to Trevor's a lot, but every weekend my sisters are here we hang out

♥ Do you have any children together? No, but someday!

♥ What about pets? No way, ew gross.

♥ Did you go to the same school? Ya, who would've thought... elementary, junior high, AND high school

♥ Are you from the same home town? Ya baby, we are Lindon-ites through and through

♥ Who is the smartest? Trevor thinks I'm the smartest girl he's ever met- and I think he's a genius, so?

♥ Who is the most sensitive? both of us, we're totally sentimental!

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? probably Costa Vida or Brick Oven with our families

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? Mexico

♥ Who has the worst temper? Probably me? Just because I get easily frustrated and he's more patient.

♥ Who does the cooking? Moi

♥ Who is more social? Trevor is more approachable and outgoing- it takes time for me to feel comfortable around people (but then I'm a chatterbox)

♥Who is the neat Freak? I LOVE to clean our house, but Trevor has his own type of organization too

♥ Who is the more stubborn? We both are, its always a draw

♥ Who hogs the bed? I always cuddle Trevor onto one side of the bed :)

♥ Who wakes up earlier? Its about the same, depending on the day. We are major nap takers.

♥ Where was your first date? We went to the UVU/BYU hockey game then to the Malte Shoppe and then watched the Office.

♥ Who has the bigger family? Trevor has 4 siblings, 2 in-laws and 1 niece/ 1 nephew and I have 3 siblings and 2 in-laws.

♥ Do you get flowers often? Not as often as when we were engaged, but we've found more meaningful ways to show our love

♥ How do you spend the holidays? We trade off between our families, its been really hard to try and fit everyone in, but we have been really lucky to do both!

♥ Who snores louder? Trevor sometimes snores, but not often

♥ Who goes to bed first? We almost always go to bed together, even if he has homework I wait because its too lonely to lay there without him

♥ How long did it take to get serious? Our first date was in October, and in January we decided to get married

♥ Who eats more? Its hard to say- Trev can eat a lot but I have to snack every couple hours

♥ Who does/ did the laundry? I do

♥ Who’s better with the computer? Trevor is

♥ Who drives when you are together? We always try to trade off since we both hate driving, but mostly Trevor will

Adopted In

2009-03-08T17:01:00.004-06:00

I have realized how VERY lucky I am to be a part of Trevor's life. This weekend was a real reminder to me of how amazing Trevor is, and how many people love him! Even since our first couple dates, his friends have adopted me into their circle and made me feel loved too, it has been SO wonderful! So I just want to say THANK YOU to all of Trevor's friends and their wives for keeping the friendship alive.
Thanks to Trent for setting up our relationship, for being our entertainment, our photographer and our music man.
Thanks to Spencer for always bailing us out- when the scooter dies or our microwave explodes- and for all the game nights.
Thanks to Garret and Emily for finding us a place to live and saving us a seat each week at church- and for all the other times we stop by and talk and talk, we love it!
Thanks to Lanky and Karis for the fun Yuba trip and for saving our bball team so often- and for Karis being my fellow cheerleader at the games.
Thanks to Matt and Kassie, Todd and Rachel (my fellow teaching girls :) and Trevor's business-school buddies ), Rich and Mari, Lane and Sam, Curdle, Myer and EVERYONE ELSE that we just LOVE, we cannot name you all!!
I cannot say enough thanks to Trevor's mission friends (who we went to lunch with this weekend) for helping Trevor become who he is and for acknowledging his help in your lives.
Thank you for loving us, we are grateful for you!

Baby, BYU, Birthday, Ball, Bishop

2009-03-02T18:47:00.004-07:00

This was a weekend of craziness, I felt like we were running from one thing to the next! Oh and it was SO FUN! My sisters came up (maybe in response to the blog:) ) and so we just played and laughed. My cousin Chelsey is having her first little baby, a girl name Saylor, within the next two weeks. So of course we all celebrated with her- including brunch and baby-food tasting (ya gross!)
Me and Trevor would never miss our chance to go watch BYU's biggest game of the season- a vengeful game against the Utes. Ya- we both lost our voices. Victory is sweet!
It was so much fun to see Trevor's brother Wyatt at his surprise birthday party! Cindy, my future sister-in-law, had planned a fun party with all his friends and family.
My cousin Travis is leaving for the MTC Wednesday, so we got together and, as usual, played ball. Ok, most of us attempt to play while the boys play. I did ok at dodgeball and jump rope:)
Sunday morning, my family gathered for a very special occasion. My dad was called as the Bishop of their home ward in A.F. The crazy part is that he's never been to the ward- not once! He has been in a BYU stake, so he's never met anyone nor even been inside the church building! The Lord sometimes works in mysterious ways. My dad is one of the most AMAZING men I've ever met and I honestly feel spoiled to be his "favorite daughter". I love him so much and know that he will be amazing in his new calling. My mom too! Who knows what we'd all do without her support.
I had really just been missing my family- my cousins, aunts and uncles, so it was SO good to see everyone, and to have so many things to celebrate!

Tag 6x6

2009-02-25T20:56:00.007-07:00

I was intrigued by my 6th pict in my 6th folder... this is what I found!
This is Trevor and I last January in ViVA LaS VegAs with "the year of the Rat" exhibit behind us. (don't ask our the pose? we're crazy ok.)

Sisters!

2009-02-25T20:19:00.003-07:00

I just needed to tell my BEST FRIENDS how much I love and miss them (how can you live in Cedar.. its too far)! I have been absolutely inseperable from them since birth... My childhood consisted of copying everything my two older sisters did. We did everything together- we slept, ate, bathed, and played with our zillion dolls together. Mostly we played pretend, which included more than "house", we had a laundromat, restaurant, a pioneer wagon and brick house in the field behind our house, and our own business, TAMES. We almost believed we had real magical fairy powers, princess adventures, christmas in july, horse races, and of course amazing imaginary husbands (who would've thought Trevor would be even better than I could imagine?) and babies! Whoa ya, we were intense.
When pretend turned into real life, we didn't stop our togetherness. Into the teen years we shared everything, our bedroom (yes all 3 of us!), our clothes (we still do) and our hobbies- we all did dance, gymnastics, beauty pageants and cheerleading- not to mention staying on the honor roll. My sisters were my support, my secret-sharers, my late night gigglers, my tear comforters. My best friends.

I've never cried harder than the day Taylia left for college- I can thank our cell phone "family plan" for keeping us sane. Driver's license? Who needs it when I go everywhere with Marisa anyway! It takes all three girls to plan the Trip of a Lifetime- and all to survive it! I had it too good living in Cedar, feshmen year, sharing a room again with my sisters. Leaving the MTC knowing we won't be together for another 18 months...almost unbearable. Having them in the sealing room at my wedding and knowing I can be with them forever is too beautiful!

Some people think we look alike... but I don't see it? Growing up (ok and even now) no one can tell us apart- I've been called "Taylia" too many times to count. Sometimes around the house I was called Tay-miss-andi.

Though we're now Anthony, Bunker, and Clegg girls, we will always be"the Clegg girls".

Our Love Day(s)

2009-02-18T22:13:00.007-07:00

Weekend Getaway? So, maybe its not your typical Romantic holiday (unless you count cuddling close with 6 people in a car for 12 hours, EACH WAY!), but it was such an AdVeNTuRe! We've been wanting to visit Trevor's sister and her family in Portland for forever, so we decided to take our long weekend and GO! We got his whole family to come for the trip which made it 6x as fun (but we missed Wyatt and Cindy)! We spent the weekend driving... but also doing lots of neat things!

We spent VALENTINE'S DAY at an awesome museum- we got to be chemists, engineers, artists and even saw an amazing Da Vinci exhibit! The kids went crazy there- it was so fun! Then Trevor took us on a blind drive around downtown Portland, amazingly we didn't get too lost, and we found his favorite place- Powell Books. We are nerdy about reading, so we were in heaven... 3 stories high, and an entire BLOCK for Books! Ya, it was Awesome! For our Date Night, we doubled with Karleigh and Matt. We ate Mexican food and stopped for dessert at Coldstone- it was scrumptious! Then we Played with the children (the CUTEST kids EVER!) while watching the Dunk Contest and movie after movie. My lover boy surprised me with another gift, and I made sure to have chocolates for him in the suitcase ;)
On Sunday we enjoyed driving to Cannon Beach. Anyone seen Goonies? Yup, we were on that beach only days ago... and can you believe it was Sunny! Jealous...? It was BEAUTIFUL!

We also had some fun/not so fun family affairs. My cousin Travis had his Farewell Sunday... he's going to the Portland mission! (crazy huh!) Missy survived SKYDIVING!!!,though I still think she's crazy for doing it ;) Alex got accepted to BYU for the fall! We're all so proud and excited for him. Look out- three Anthony boys at the Y all at once!
This weekend Grandma Anthony also went in for open heart surgery. We LOVE you! We pray that recovery goes well, she is an AMAZING, SPIRITED woman!

One Year Ago

2009-02-09T17:16:00.003-07:00

Today, February 9, is the day that me and Trevor got engaged- one year ago. Oh how exciting!!! Just thinking about that day makes me giddy;) After a lifetime looking for each other, Trevor and I had finally made it official that we would spend forever together with a BEAUTIFUL ring. That really had to be one of the best days ever! My amazing husband is still romancing me- and when I got home from work today he had set up our engagement video he'd made for the proposal so we could watch it together again today- oh and don't forget the dozen roses!!! I also got my ring all shined up and looking as great as it did one year ago. What a wonderful husband!

Writer's Cramp

2009-02-08T15:20:00.005-07:00

Well, I know I'm not really a "writer" but lately between writing papers for school, blogging, and journaling I feel adequately proficient. My mom has always said "You are such a good writer!" and encouraged me to sign up for creative writing classes and English Honors throughout the years). I could just never believe that she wasn't biased in her praise, but hopefully I am making her proud! As a New Year's Resolution, the Clegg girls (my sisters, mother, and I) have decided to create children narratives about genealogical events and stories. Our project is to compile these writings, along with pictures, into a storybook for our (future) children. I was slow getting started but I've decided to put my writing skills to use. Yesterday I spent literally hours pouring over family history books and then rewriting them as if for a child. The fact that I am hopelessly sentimental and a total history nerd quickly had me rivetted by the amazing stories of my ancestors. As I was reading I had to pause and say "Wow, I have a great legacy!" I am so grateful for Eternal Families and for the great examples of those who have come before. Taylia has also caught the vision and has recently sent me her draft of a children's book for editing about multi-culturalism- soon to be illustrated and hopefully published. How amazing huh! Although we may not be professionals, whatever Mom's been saying to us over the years has at least given us the confidence to try. Thank you for that!

Gaining an Education

2009-02-05T17:07:00.002-07:00

Go Wolverines! Ok, now that I’ve shown loyalty and support to my school, I feel free to say whatever else I want about it. Trevor has so much pride in BYU, and don’t get me wrong, I love it too. But its not for everyone. I, in this case, am everyone. Since our very first date (the byu vs uvu hockey game) Trevor and I have shown our true (school) colors and just as that game ended in a tie, likewise our educational egos are in a draw. I’ve decided to share with my cute hubby and all other Cougars the education they are missing out on. Oh ya, its an education all right!
This is my list of things that you’d never see on BYU campus that make school interesting…

As I go to class from my car (yes, I can almost always easily find a parking spot ;) ) I have options… 1. I can walk indoors across campus to stay out of the elements, or 2. I can enjoy the (momentary) sunshine outside without meeting the awkward passer-by gazes of 100s of other students, or worry about cars buzzing by or 3. I can take the Shuttle Bus which now stops at every building. As class begins, my professor walks in with her crazy curly gray hair bouncing, as well as her mini skirt and sleeveless blouse swishing – this is where education comes in handy, Look away, quick! Later in class she puts in a plug for the upcoming symposium- the real Greek kind where everyone sits around talking and drinking (oh, but she’d never recommend “Utah beer”, only the “good stuff”). As I’m trying to figure out what my International Relations teacher is saying through his heavy Kyrzikstan-ian accent and a fight breaks out over Obama- yes with chest bumping, cuss wording, and a “lets take it outside”. I continue throughout my classes where my history teacher teaches about a 9/11 government conspiracy theory- oh wait he teaches at BYU too… I stop in the new Library (UVU’s pride and joy, with a surprisingly few number of books inside it) and pass by a pack of students taking their smoke break, interesting people. Yes, lots of interesting people at UVU- even men who have facial hair, heaven forbid! I print some papers for Free! And continue on my way, pass a very nice girl with purple hair, to hear Old Dude teaching me about historiography using the terms “dig”, “baba’ girl” and talking about how “a brotha’s gotta do what he can to get by”. So true!
Yes, everyday I gain quite an education… I have learned to distinguish truth, appreciate my values, and come to love and accept those who are different from me. Go Wolverines!

Spiritual Splendor

2009-01-28T18:49:00.005-07:00

I was just reminded by Alyssa's blog about the amazing blessings of the temple and I've been meaning to share our wonderful experience at the Draper Temple.
We were so lucky to go to the open house with Trevor's family, which was just such a blast. We were there for about an hour and a half before we actually started the tour since we had handicap access. As such we were escorted to the behind-the-scenes workers rooms, so we got more than the regular tour! We looked at every room and between the four Anthony brothers almost every door and cupboard was opened just to peek inside ;). It was such a BEAUTIFUL place! It went silent as we all walked into the Celestial room- it really seems like it is heaven on earth. I am so excited to go there again after the dedication to feel the spirit after it has truly become the House of the Lord. What a wonderful blessing it is to be able to go to the temple and be close to our Father in Heaven, to receive knowledge and power, to be with our families forever! We are blessed.

I also wanted to include a small bit about Elder Wirthlin, whom I have just absolutely come to love throughout my youth. I am sad that he is gone, but will never forget his amazing spirit and words...
"I know why there must be opposition in all things. Adversity, if handled correctly, can be a blessing in our lives. We can learn to love it. As we look for humor, seek for the eternal perspective, understand the principle of compensation, and draw near to our Heavenly Father, we can endure hardship and trial. We can say, as did my mother, 'Come what may, and love it.'"