Thomas Trio

Island Park 2011

2011-07-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

My family LOVES Island Park, and they usually go there once a summer. I myself don't always love the great outdoors and I really don't like roughing it. So this year when they said we were doing trailers not a cabin I was not diggin the idea. But, I wanted to vaca with the family so we took Grandpa Swenson's trailer and ruffed it. I'm soooo glad we did because once we got there we had a blast and I would have to say it came close to the topping my list of best Andrews vacations ever.
Poor dad, this trip really wore him out. He couldn't go on any longer!! (What a WEIRDO!!)

Fun in the river. Dave & Lando did some bridge jumping! Good Job Boys!After a long trip of riding 4Wheelers to West Yellowstone we decided to jump in a stream to cool off. We weren't by the trailers for our swimsuits so we improvised and went in our unders. (That's why you get a pic with most of our bodies in the water...didn't want to scare ya)

We always ride into Yellowstone and this year I convinced my dad to stop at the "Hot Pots". Thanks Dad!! Weren't they awesome??

You can't vaca in Island Park without 4Wheelers and we went a lot this year. Tess loves to "go so fast". We discovered that taking her for a 4Wheeler ride was a great way to get her down for a nap. I rode from West Yellowstone to Isalnd Park with her snoozing in my lap.

We found snow on one ride. Pompa thought it was fun playing in the snow in July and got himself stuck. Luckily Gam was there to bail him out with her winch. Gam loves to spoil Tess and this trip she bought Tess a Dora fishing pole. Tess loved it and while the boys went fly fishing the girls went fishing with Dora. We had a great time and I realized that it doesn't matter where we go for vacation as long as my family comes along we always have FUN!! Thanks guys for a great time!!

The Never Ending House Guests

2011-06-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

When it came time to leave California, we were homeless. Dave and I searched Cache Valley for a house to buy and in the end we decided to build. With no house for us to move into, Grandpa Mo and Grandma Jan were kind enough to take us in. Tess loved it!! She thought living on a farm was the ticket. We had a lot of fun times in the few months we lived with mom & dad.

Mom pulling Tess with the 4Wheeler

Daddy helped Tess build her first snowman! Welcome back to Utah...snow in April.

This spring was so cold and Easter was no different. But we braved the weather and Eastered at "Little Moab". We had lots of fun 4Wheelin, rolling eggs, and spending time together.

With all of the good times we had, we also had a some some struggles. About a week after we got to Utah we found out our Grandma Andrews had cancer. It was hard to see Grandma get sick, but our family rallied together, worked together, and made it through Grandma's passing together. We all loved Grandma very much and will never forget the great memories we have of her. Our house isn't built yet, but, for mom & dad's sake we didn't want to be the never ending house guests. For now we are living in an apartment in Logan and anxiously awaiting our new house!!

Goodbye Cali, Farewell Friends!

2011-04-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

After 5 months of putting off our move we said goodbye and left for Utah. A lot of the changes John Deere brings our way have been easy and we haven't looked back, this was not one of those times. The friendships we made in Cali were so dear to us. Even though we will be living closer to our family in Utah we felt like we were leaving parts of our family in California. We love all of our friends in Riverbank and will always be so grateful for the friendship and support they gave to us while we were there. I wouldn't have made it without these wonderful girlies!!!

Kara and Jess know how to throw a going away party, and we definetely partied like some rockstars!!

Yosemite

2011-04-01T23:28:00.000-07:00

During the 2 years that we lived in Cali Dave has constantly mentioned that he wanted to go to Yosemite National Park, and I have constantly been finding excuses not to go. But, Dave is a pretty persistent guy and 2 days before we moved we took a trip to Yosemite. In Dave's defense it was well worth the drive. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it only took a few hours to get there and it was actually pretty cool.
Tess giving the bear some "bones"Dave celebrating his victory....he finally got us to Yosemite!

Monterey Bay

2011-02-28T18:14:00.000-08:00

Monterey Bay Aquarium has been on our list of things we want to do while we live in Cali, and because we are leaving soon we took a long weekend in Monterey and had a great time.

On our way there we took a pit stop at Casa de Fruita. They had a train, a playground, and Tessa's favorite...a merry go round. Dave took Tess on the train and it broke down half way through the ride. It was super far away and he and Tess had to walk back. Needless to say we got a refund.

Tess loved the aquarium! She really enjoyed the starfish and wanted to grab them all. They had the coolest exhibits; sea horses, jelly fish, sea otters, etc.

Of course you can't go to Monterey without a couple of beach days. On our way home we spent the afternoon in Santa Cruz, playing on the beach and scoping out the board walk.

Lookin Good!

2011-02-28T18:02:00.000-08:00

All of you mom's out there know how hard it can be to get yourself ready. One day Tess would not leave me alone and I gave into her whining. I put her in the sink and let her play with the makeup so that I could have a minute to myself. By the time I was done Tess had fixed herself up too. She was very impressed with her work and I must say, "what a pretty girl!"

Round Two

2010-12-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

2009 Round 1....Goes to Santa

2010 Round 2....Goes to Tess!!!

What a difference a year makes!!

Giddy Up Tess

2010-12-19T16:36:00.001-08:00

One afternoon while Tess and I were in Utah we helped Grandpa Andrews sort off some cows that were ready to calve. Tess had a blast and LOVED riding Ruffles! Unfortunately I didn't have my camera. But a few days later we went to watch Uncle Landon rope and he let Tess ride Charlie.

She thinks she has to ride like a big girl; all by herself, and if you try and hold her she will tell you "NO". She's figured out that if you kick the horse it gets them to go, and that you have to hold the reins. It's fun to watch Tess grow up and try to be so independent.

This is Tess telling Pompa, "No" when he was trying to hold her.
Apparently Pompa listened and Tess got her own way

Uncle Lando in action

We had a lot of fun at the ropin and by far Lando had the best fan club around.

No Tricks & Lots of Treats

2010-12-15T21:02:00.000-08:00

October was a crazy month for us!! On Tessa's B-day Dave's boss calls with the news that we need to move to Idaho. Apparently this is NO TRICK, John Deere wants Dave in Twin Falls. So, we took off to Idaho to start looking for a house. While we were there we took Tess to a corn maze.

After the house hunting we drove to Utah for a visit. While we were there we carved pumpkins and had a contest. We all voted and Lando took the prize!

After we carved pumpkins it was time for some TREATS! Tess, Bowser, and I all dressed up as pumpkins. Tess loved her costume and showed off all night long. We started at Grandma and Grandpa's trunk or treat, visited Great Grandpa & Grandma Andrews house, handed out candy at Lando and KK's house, and ended the night and Grandpa and Grandma Thomas' house. Tess got lots of candy and was pretty worn out by the end of the night.

We really wish that the moving news would have been a trick!! But, for now we need to focus on the many treats we have.

Our Buckaroo Just Turned Two!

2010-10-19T06:59:00.001-07:00

Our sweet little Tess just turned two!! To celebrate we threw her a Cowgirl party. The party was lots of fun and Tess had a great time with all of her friends. She loved the stick horse race, got super excited opening presents, hated the candle on her cake and wanted nothing to do with the pinata....at least not until the candy fell out.

Good friends...Liv and TessTess wanted nothing to do with the candle on her cakeHooray for presents!!
Cute Girlies
What's a party without a little tantrum??I had a lot of fun decorating for the cowgirl theme...

State Fair 2010

2010-09-26T20:53:00.001-07:00

Every September growing up our family would take cows to the Utah State Fair and this year was no different. The past couple of years I haven't been there but this year Tess and I spent some time in Utah with the fam at the fair. Dad and Landon have worked really hard on the cattle and it paid off for them. They did really well and we had a really fun time!

Grand Champion Ribbons and Trophy!! Good Job Guys!
I was totally trying to be lazy and not work...but, my mom ratted me out and told my dad I had brought work clothes with me. Just kiddin, it was fun and the boys thought me and Kayla did an awesome job.

Me and Lando workin hard.

Tess finally warmed up to Uncle Landon and now she loves him to bits!

While we were in Utah Tess got Granny to play in the play house. Good thing Granny is such a good sport. (I think Granny Jan would do just about anything for Tess)

Birthday Vacation

2010-09-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

Dave surprised me for my birthday and planned a trip to Pismo Beach. We started off with lunch at Monterey Bay then cruised down Highway 1 to Pismo. Highway 1 follows the coast and is really beautiful.

Lunch in Monterey

Cruisin down the coast

Dave was such a sweetie and booked a fabulous room that had a balcony overlooking the ocean. Luckily for us it was a great room because Tess got sick and we spent a lot more time in the room than we had planned.

Tess resting and trying to get betterWe tried to do a few fun things while Tess was feeling okay. One activity Dave had planned was a tour at Hearst Castle. It was really neat and had a lot of amazing things! That night we walked on the beach and went star fish hunting. We found a few but of course I didn't have a camera.

The last day we were there Tess got a lot better and had a great time playing in the sand.

My hubby is so thoughtful and I love him so much! He planned a great trip and we had an awesome time. THANKS for the best B-day surprise.

Go Cubbies!!

2010-08-22T22:58:00.000-07:00

While we were living in Iowa we totally became CUBS fans, games at Wrigley stadium were awesome! Being in Cali makes it hard to get to Cubs games. Last week they played the Giants. so, we drove to San Francisco and cheered on our team. Giants stadium was great, right on the water with an awesome view. We were brave and took Tess with us. I was worried but she did really well. We wore our Cubs gear and got heckled by all the Giants fans. The Cubs lost by one run but we still had a great day! Tess and Dad riding BART to the game.

Fish Lake Camping Trip

2010-08-05T18:54:00.000-07:00

While Tess and I were in Utah we went camping at Fish Lake. We used to always go there when I was a little girl and I loved being able to take Tess. Grandpa Mo worked really hard taking care of all us girls and we had a great time.

Tess got busted playing in some mud puddles. She was drenched by the end of it.
Great Grandpa Swenson and Tess got confused on who's hat was who's.
Grandpa Mo had a hard time building fires every night. He tried to blame it on the wet fire wood, but we all know it was really his poor boy scout skills. HaHa.

Fiesta Days Fun

2010-08-05T11:24:00.000-07:00

Spanish Fork City celebrates Fiesta Days and as family traditions go we partied down. (Dave was in Germany and missed out on all of the fun.) First, Gramps and Granny took Tess to the carnival and she LOVED it!

Tess throwing a fit, she did not want to get off of the motorcycle ride.
The morning after the carnival Grandma Thomas and I got up super early to run the "Speedy Spaniard 10k. We both did super awesome! I ran it in 1 hr. 3 min. and Grandma ran it in 1 hr. 7 min. My mom and dad were super cute and made signs to hold while they cheered for me at the finish line.
After the run we watched the parade, Barbequed at Great Grandma Swenson's, then finished the day with the rodeo and fireworks.

Tess got new cowgirl boots and Wranglers for the rodeo and I was so excited to get some pics to send to Dave in Germany. But, Tess would not cooperate and needless to say the boots never made it in the pictures. Oh well, picture or no picture she was the cutest cowgirl at the rodeo. (Atleast to me)Great Grandpa and Grandma Swenson work really hard to make Fiesta Days fun for our family and we have a great time every year. We love them both so much!

July 4th

2010-08-04T16:35:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to have Granny Jan visiting us on the 4th of July this year. Our primary had a parade for the kiddos and mom and I transformed Tessa's wagon into the best float ever. After the primary parade we drove to Half Moon Bay to escape the heat and enjoy the beach. Tess got her clothes super wet half way through the day so we improvised and let her wear my jacket. (Please don't think that I let my kid look this ghetto in real life) We had lots of fun playing in the sand and relaxin!

Hogle Zoo & Utah Too

2010-05-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

Dave had some traveling to do so, Tess and I do what we do and headed to Utah. We had lots of fun as usual! Here are some highlights:

-Picnic with granny & gramps at the "This is the Place" monument.
-Gramps & Granny treated us with a trip to Hogle Zoo.... -At the zoo we discovered Tessa's obsession with carousels. Gramps is such a softy he kept buying Tess tickets to ride so he didn't have to see her cry. -Tess rode on the loader with gramps. It's funny, I remember doing the same thing with my gramps! I don't have any pictures to post but I also got to go visit my BFF Mandy. We have both been living all over and it's been really hard to catch each other. But, we finally got to hang at her new house in Vernal. Friends and family definitely make my trips to Utah good ones!

Car CRASH...Cozy style!

2010-05-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

Dang that cozy coupe!! My mom was pushing me like a crazy lady, the cozy has no seatbelts, and I flew out the door. I ended up with a little road rash on my chin. But nothing that a band aid can't fix. First owie down...many more to come.

Before a band aid....Sad face
After a band aid...All better!

December to Remeber

2010-01-12T18:08:00.000-08:00

This December was so much fun and crazy busy. Granny Jan cam to visit while Dave was in Germany. While she was here we wen to SanFran, played at the beach, then went to the zoo. We went to Utah for Christmas and our family is always great at planning fun stuff to do while we're there. My mom threw an ugly sweater party and then dad took us to see the lights on his hay wagon. The men were pretty good sports for wearing their ugly sweaters!

This year Grandpa Mo got busted giving Tess Coke...Naughty grandpa!!
Christmas day was so much fun for Dave and I because Tess actually cared about her presents and loved playing with them.

After Christmas we hung around Utah and the fun continued. We pulled out the 4-Wheelers and took Tess sledding for the first time. Dad & Mom took us all to dinner at the Myan then to a play at the Desert Star Playhouse.

Tess loved playing with her cousins Bailey and MaKenna, we wish she could see them more. So far the Thomas family is full of girls and they love playing together!What a great month it was definitely a December to remember!

Home "Sweet" Home...Literally

2009-12-19T22:44:00.001-08:00

My friends totally rock and Megan decided to throw a "Gingerbread House" party. I'm totally a lazy mom so I bought the pre-made one and we just decorated it. Well, I decorated it and Tess walked around,ate all of the candy, and tried to attack the other kids houses. By the end she was on a total sugar high and I was feeling pretty good about my abilities as a decorator. (If only it was that easy to decorate a real house). Being home @ Christmas time is always fun, we're leaving for Utah in a couple of days. But, until then we literally have a "Home Sweet Home"!

Dear Santa

2009-12-07T22:32:00.000-08:00

Dear Santa,

You are very scary and I think it would be best if you do a fly by with my presents this year. There is no need for you to come in and enjoy cookies.

Sincerely,
Tess

Tess spreading a little Christmas spirit at the ward Christmas party!

Family of Oz

2009-11-17T22:01:00.000-08:00

We had a really fun Halloween this year. First we celbrated by attending an "adult" party the night before Halloween at our friends the Florence's. When I say "adult" party I don't mean anything dirty by it... it's just that we don't get to do a whole lot without Tess and it was kind of nice gettig a babysitter and hangin with some adults. On the night of Halloween some other friends, the Paces threw another party where we ate and then went trick or treating.

I made all of our costumes this year and I think the Wizard of Oz theme turned out pretty well. Tess was the cutest Dorothy in Oz and Dave was the sexiest Tin Man around. Bowser showed no interest in being ToTo but had no other choice.

The "girls" having a good time with no kids!! Thanks for the good times Kara.

ONE Fun Day!!!

2009-10-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

Our baby girl turned one! We had a super fun party at Grandma Jan and Grandpa Mo's house, where the whole family helped us celebrate. Tess had a rockin time eating her birthday cake and she got lots of fun presents. Tess has brought so much joy into our lives this past year and we
can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays with her.

Back in Cali we took Tess to Coldstone in her new wagon she got from grandma and gramps. She loves icecream and snarfed it down.

The Aunts & Uncles in Logan sent Tess flowers & balloons...THANKS!!

Happy Birthday Lindsy!!!

2009-08-27T21:47:00.001-07:00

Well this is Dave and this is my first attempt at pushing the keys on this post(Lindsy doesn't know it yet), so I hope it works. Anyways today, August 28 is Lindsy's birthday and I just want to wish my wife Happy Birthday!! She's the best wife ever and does such a great job of taking care of our family, I don't know where I'd be with out her, and watching her with Tess these past 10 months I know she is now and will continue to be the best mom. Well I don't want to rattle on here to much, but Happy Birthday babe!!! I love you!!!

California State Fair

2009-08-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

This past Friday my gal pals and I took a quick trip to Sacramento for the State Fair. It was so much fun and the kids did great! It got a little hot, try 105, but we survived. Thanks for the fun trip ladies!!
Tess enjoying a power nap at the fair

Island Park & Yellowstone

2009-08-15T20:46:00.001-07:00

It's family tradition to vacation in Island Park and Yellowstone every summer, but Dave and I haven't been able to go for the past five years. Needless to say we were stoked to go this year. Our cabin was rockin, the food was the bomb, and the company was the best!! We had so much fun. The boys got up way too early to fish every morning, while the girls slept in and chilled in the hot tub. We went on lots of fun 4-Wheeler rides, rocked out on guitar hero, watched videos, shopped and went to Footloose at the Playmill in West Yellowstone, road rafts down the river, and enjoyed good old fashioned family bonding!

Since we are so close to Yellowstone we always take a day trip. We started out by swimming at a place called Fire Hole. There is an awesome "natural" water park there, Dave was brave and tried it but I totally wussed out. After that we traveled to Old Faithful and the lodge, picnicked at the lake, and then got rained on. Rain and all the trip was a blast and we hope we get to go again next year!!

Beat the Heat

2009-07-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

It has been so hot!! Our AC has been running non-stop for the past week. Dave and I decided to hit SanFran this weekend and get out of the heat. It was awesome over there with temps at 67 degrees! Relief at last!!! While we were there we picnicked on the beach and hit the zoo.
Tess was obsessed with this bird, I could not get her to look at me for a pic. If the bird moved Tessa's head would move, she loved it!

It was so nice and cool in San Francisco but, it is still sooo hot here. Today me and my gal pals took the kids to play at the Ripon Water Fountain. I thought that Tess wouldn't like it much, but , to my surprise she loved it. She was so cute. She would try and grab the water, stick her face right over the spout, and then the water would shoot up and drench her. I was positive she would scream but instead she loved it.

Home Away From Home

2009-07-10T21:56:00.000-07:00

Whenever we go back to Utah I refer to it as home. Dave always reminds me that we are home and that Utah is our parent's home. And, while I know he's right, it just seems so homey while we're there. We know where all the "locals" go, we run into people we know, and most importantly our fam is there. During the entire month of June we left our home in Cali to spend time at our "Home Away From Home"....aka Payson. While we were there we did tons of fun stuff! (Well, poor Dave had to work most of the time, but he got to have a little bit of fun.)
We went golfing a lot, stayed @ my Grandpa's cabin,shopped @ Garnder's Village, Bowled on my brother Landon's B-day, and got a chance to see Dave's brother John. He's been on a mission and luckily he came home while we were there. Spud and Michael, Dave's brothers, bought some bees and a hive. While I was there I got to check it out. There were bees all over! Spud got stung once, and I was totally brave and stood right by the hive.
Tess loves staying at my parents house. They already spoil her; she doesn't have as strict of schedule at their house, she gets to ride on the lawnmower with gramps, and grandma Jan gives her tons of loves.

Of course it wouldn't be home without some farm stuff. Tess got to feed the cows with Gramps, and even funner she got to go on her first horse ride! Uncle Lando was roping and he let us tag along. By the end of our stay it was time to gather the cows and babies from the mountain and bring them into pasture. We got lucky and found all but 2 on the first day, we had to go back a few days later and find the stragglers.

During our stay in Utah we took a quick trip to Iowa. Dave had to work and I tagged along. We had a great time seeing our old friends and hanging out in our old stomping ground. I really loved living in Iowa and it made me a little homesick being there. Again, Dave had to remind me that Cali is home.

By the end of June I finally realized that it doesn't really matter where we call home, as long as we stick together then home is where we're at!

Sneak Peek

2009-06-28T14:14:00.001-07:00

While we were in Utah Tess was lucky enough to have my very best childhood friend take pics of her. We don't have all the pics yet, but, the three we've seen are awesome!! Kiley did a GREAT job and if you live in Utah I highly reccomend her. http://www.mackenziekileyphotography.blogspot.com/

Until we get the rest please enjoy the sneak peek!!

Summer is Here

2009-05-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

Dave and I are trying to get used to the Cali heat. It is already soooo hot here and it's not even June. I'm not complaining, yet, because we have already had tons of summer fun. A group of us got together and went to Half Moon Bay. The men golfed at the Ritz Carlton, and the gals and kiddies played on the beach. We had a great time and Tess put her feet in the ocean for the first time.

This last weekend we also had good times. Dave ran the 5K race in Oakdale and me and my gal pals Karen and Kara took the kids to the Oakdale Chocolate celebration, after that we all went and cooled off by swimming, and then we had a BBQ at our house. Busy day, but lots of fun. Dave and I have been so fortunate to meet such awesome people out here, they have truly made living out here soooo much better!

Reno, Cows, and Fun!!

2009-05-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

I know I'm slow, a couple of weeks ago we met my family in Reno for the Angus show. If you know my family at all you know that a lot of our vacations are centered around cows and horses, but we do find time to do other fun stuff too.

Our hotel was the BOMB! They had tons of activities to do right there. Dave, Mom, Dad, and Kayla were brave enough to ride the swing. This thing is no typical swing, it is 180 ft. tall. They strap you into a harness, haul you up, then let you free fall down. Lando and I both wimped out but it sure was fun watching everyone else be scared.

After the swing we rode some GoKarts, and then hit some balls at the hotel's driving range.

We all lost a little bit of money at the casino, we blame it on the dealer named Jing!! YOU SUCK JING! Tess got to wear her cowboy boots and Wranglers that gramps gave her for Christmas. After this pic you will all say "Wrangler Butts drive me Nuts"!

The trip was a blast, can't wait til next year!! Thanks for the good times mom and dad!!

Easter

2009-04-28T20:01:00.000-07:00

I thought I better get the Easter pics up before May. Tess looked soooooo cute in her Easter dress and Grandma Jan gave her lots of fun presents! We missed being with family and the good times we usually have at Grandma Swenson's Utah Lake parties. Tess and I both got new Easter dresses, good excuse to buy new clothes.

Tess loved playing with the presents from granny. She was very into the bubbles. She can now sit on her own!! We are very excited.

First Day of Spring

2009-03-21T00:32:00.000-07:00

The sun was out and shining today so we took Tess out to experience her first day of Spring. She had a lot of fun at first but as you can see by the end she was getting hungry and grouchy.

Whoop, Whoop, Anoop!!

2009-03-17T21:40:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, American Idol is one of my most favorite shows. Last week one of the contestants took a lot of guff that I felt was very undeserved. Anoop sang "Beat It" and got ripped apart for it. I felt really bad because I thought it was pretty good.
Tonight Anoop sang one of my favorite songs, "Always on My Mind" and ROCKED the house down!!! I was so stoked for him and hope he continues to be a rock star. He might be the underdog but in my opinion he could go all the way!

Saturday Spelunking

2009-03-14T22:15:00.000-07:00

Does this title make me sound smart?? Spelunking is a fancy word for exploring caves, at least that's what Wikipedia says. Anyways we took off this morning for the foothills of the Sierra Nevada's to go on tours of 2 different caves; Moaning and Mercer Caverns. They were both really awesome and we saw cool cave formations. We had a great time and ran into lots of fun little towns along the way. We ate and shopped in Murphys, California. It was a total tourist town full of hippies and granolas. Dave and I fit right in, J/K. The pics we took don't really do these caves justice, check them out on google, they rocked.

Home to a Jungle

2009-03-06T11:20:00.001-08:00

Dave had to go to Florida and work for two weeks and so I again went and stayed in Utah. I can't lie and say that I love this new move and job but, I will say that it is nice to be closer to family. Tess got to visit both grandparents and I got lots of time to hang out with the fam. Dave was super busy and didn't really get a chance to do a lot of tourism. He did get a chance to go to Bush Gardens and ride the roller coasters.
When we got home we pulled up to a jungle! Our yard was insane, there were weeds everywhere and newspapers all over the lawn. The inside of the house was just as bad. Yesterday was beautiful weather and Dave took advantage of it and mowed down the jungle. He did an awesome job and now our neighbors won't be angry with us. I slowly but surely got the inside under control and our house is now inhabitable again.

Happy 30th Sweetie!

2009-01-30T21:22:00.001-08:00

Dave's 30th birthday is tomorrow and I thought it would be a great chance for me to brag him up a little. For those of you that know him you already know he's about the nicest guy you'd meet. But, in addition to that he has made the past 13 years of my life the bomb! I can't imagine life without him and I'm looking forward to the next 30 years. HAPPY BIRTHDAY sweetie, you're the best husby and dad in the world!!

Jelly Belly's in the Making

2009-01-24T20:46:00.000-08:00

Today was kind of boring and rainy so Dave and I decided to take Tess and tour the Jelly Belly factory. The tour was totally awesome and we got tons of free samples. Dave's favorite flavor was Jalapeno, and mine was Cake Batter. We love Jelly Belly's but, we're usually too cheap to buy them. Lucky for us the gift shop sells the rejects. These rejects are called "Belly Flops" and way cheap. We totally bought an enormous bag and now have Jelly Bellys to enjoy for many days to come.

Escape to Alcatraz

2009-01-19T13:09:00.000-08:00

My parents decided to escape the cold and the cows to come and visit us in sunny Modesto. We have been having beautiful weather with most days being somewhere in the seventies. With the weather being as awesome as it was we decided to take a day trip to "The Rock", aka Alcatraz. We had a great time and Tess was a very good girl. She pretty much slept all day and gave us a chance to see the sights.

Probably the best entertainment we had all day was the "Bush Man". This black man would stand behind some leaves and when innocent ladies would walk past he would jump out of the twigs and scare them. Then he would yell, "I bet this was your first time in a bush with a black man". He was hillarious! A little crude, but very funny.

We all had lots of fun during their visit and can't wait to see them again soon.

Bowser Shenanigans!!

2009-01-07T20:02:00.000-08:00

Bowser is up to his old tricks once again. In an attempt to be a good "stay at home" wife I made cookies today. Later tonight we went out shopping and returned home to find a trail of half eaten cookies that led us to the scene of the crime. Bowser had jumped up and snagged the towel the cookies were cooling on, then he pulled them to the ground and devoured them. In all he ate about two dozen, and in my defense I hope he has a tummy ache! I think this is Bowser's way of rebelling against a baby in his house.

Trail of Evidence!!

Trip to Utah

2008-12-17T20:21:00.001-08:00

Our family took a trip to Utah for Thanksgiving and had an awesome time!! I got to visit for almost 3 weeks. Dave had a business trip in Germany and instead of staying in an empty house I decided to stay with my parents while he was gone. While I was there we did lots; shot clay pigeons on Thanksgiving, blessed Tess, watched the Spanish Fork light parade, went to the BodyWorks display in SLC, Tessa showed us her first smile, and we took some family pictures. WOW we were busy!!
Dave also had a busy couple of weeks but his were spent working instead of playing. While he was in Germany he attended training sessions on the forage harvester machines, and then had to train the customers on the same material. He went to some castles, and toured a few places but mostly stayed busy with John Deere stuff.

Didn't I Just Leave the Hospital??

2008-11-21T11:54:00.001-08:00

Please excuse my excessive hotness in this pic!!

I have officially spent more time in the hospital in the past month than I have in my entire life!! Monday night I got a really bad stomach ache and the next day I was getting my appendix out. After being in the hospital when I had Tess and now with this visit I am officially a hospital pro. I am no longer afraid of needles, and I.V.'s and the nurses probably know me by name.

I must brag about my husband a little, he was the best Mr. Mom anyone could ask for. With me being in the hospital he had to take care of Tessa all on his own, and he did rockstar! He brought her to see me everyday and even put a matching bow on her every time. The nurses thought he was the cutest dad ever, and I would have to agree. Kudos to Dave!!

Man Night

2008-11-10T21:08:00.001-08:00

A new Bass Pro Shop opened up right when we got to Modesto and Dave has been wanting to go ever since. Up to this point I have been able to use the excuse that I didn't want to expose Tessa to all of the germs. Well, time is up and Dave got his MAN NIGHT. We trecked all through the store, tried on some camo apparel (I bet you can't even find me in the pic below), and Dave made a Christmas wish list. Dave found the baby area and we then argued about whether or not Tessa needed a "baby camo" outfit. Luckily, I won that argument and Tess will not be sporting any camo onesies. Once we got home Dave finished up the Man Night with Monday Night Football. Help quick, I am in desperate need of estrogen!!!

Our Little Pumpkin!

2008-10-31T20:13:00.001-07:00

Because Tess is still so small, Dave thought of stuffing her in a pumpkin. I'm all for carving pumpkins, so I went along with the idea, and in the end she turned out pretty cute. Other than that our Halloween was pretty uneventful. I am excited to announce that we have FINALLY found a house and in one week we will no longer be living in an apartment! This apartment living makes me feel like I'm in college again.

New Arrival

2008-10-25T23:23:00.000-07:00

She's finally here! After 37 weeks our little Tessa Lynn decided to make her debut. She was born on the 15th,weighed 6lbs. 3oz. and was 18 1/2 inches long. We love her more than anything and we're looking forward to our new life with her.

GO GRIZZ!!

2008-10-07T22:27:00.001-07:00

We left Iowa on a good note. Right before we left for California Dave's softball team, the Grizz, took first place in the league! Dave was super stoked, considering they ended last years season in last place. So GOOD JOB to the Grizz for not only being the CHAMPIONS of the league but also for your significant improvement. As a spectator I must admit they were much more entertaining to watch this year.

We arrived in California yesterday and so far so good. We went grocery shopping today and we were both a little shocked by the prices. (This is weird, WalMarts don't sell groceries out here. We had to go to some random grocery store) Overall I think we will like it here. I'll keep you posted when I have more to tell.

Summer Fun

2008-09-09T10:19:00.001-07:00

This summer has been crazy! Between traveling, house hunting, and visiting Utah I haven't had a chance to post any pics of our summer fun.

The summer kicked off with a girls trip to Europe. My mom and I had a blast traveling between London, Wales and Ireland. We became pros at handling airport chaos, surviving 3 days with no luggage (who knew hotel shampoo could wash undies so well), and making less than 5 star hotels managable. Aside from all the crazy European stuff we had an awesome time. We had a chance to see all of the London attractions, watch Wicked, travel through lots of different castles, and most importantly I got to spend some time with my mom.

Can you believe they still use phone boothes?

This hottie playing the guitar in Dublin, Ireland is the closest thing my mom and I will get to our "P.S. I Love You" fantasy.

After the trip with my mom I spent about a month at home. During this time we celebrated the 4th of July with our friends the Walker's and Dave did an awesome job running in the Moonlight Chase.

At the end of July I flew to Utah and spent 6 weeks visiting family. While I was there we stayed very busy. My mom threw me an awesome baby shower and baby Tessa got lots of great gifts, my grandma treated all the girls with a trip to St. George where we watched Les Misrable, we weaned calves, I had a super fun birthday, and we got rained out at the Labor day parade.

To end the summer Dave and I went to California to find a house. We spent 4 long days going through lots of houses and finally found one to make an offer on. After all of that house hunting we decided to take some time off and spend a day in SanFrancisco. We had lots of fun at Fisherman's Warf and Dave found a crab on the beach. Looking back we had a super fun summer and it helped us pass the time until the baby arrives

Cali Here We Come!

2008-07-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

Exciting news came in today. Dave was offered a promotion with John Deere and we will be moving to the Modesto, California area this September. We are super excited to be living within a 10 hour drive to Utah instead of the 22hours we now drive! Dave is even more excited because he will get to be working in the agriculture division of John Deere instead of the construction. Iowa has been a great home for us, and while we're looking forward to moving back the the West coast we will miss the down to earth attitude that comes with the people in the midwest, and the great friendships we have made here.

Martha & Rachel Better Watch Out!!

2008-07-18T16:10:00.000-07:00

Adjusting to my new life as a "stay at home" wife has definitely taken some adjusting on my part. I'm such an organization freak that something as simple as ironing Dave's work clothes has now been turned into a full blown system! I have taken my obsessive behavior away from teaching and now turned it on to our home life. (Dave is getting scared!!)

With no job and no baby (yet) I find myself wondering what to do. My boredom has inspired me to become DOMESTIC LINDSY!! Martha Stewart and Rachel Ray better watch out. Included in this blog are just a few of the craft projects I have taken on, and if I do say so myself, I think they turned out pretty rockstar. I'm sure after the baby comes I will be overwhelmed with poo and spit up but, until then I will try and give Martha a run for her money.

A few homemade quilts for our little one.

Daddy's Little Girl

2008-06-19T17:30:00.000-07:00

Ultrasoud day is finally here and we're excited to announce the baby is no longer an it, but a her. Dave was so excited that he went on a shoping spree to none other than John Deere and our little one will now be sporting John Deere Pink. (I think she is already Daddy's Little Girl)

Below is a pic with descriptions, because if you're like us we had no idea what we were looking at.

Now the hard part is waiting for her arrival. Hope you enjoy the pic of baby Thomas.

GOODBYE SCHOOL, HELLO EUROPE & BABY!

2008-06-05T08:30:00.001-07:00

It's funny how much can change in a year. Last year at this time I was praying for a job interview, and now I am saying goodbye to students.

Ten years ago I set a goal to become an ag teacher, and now I've done it. As many of you know I was determined to make being an ag teacher happen, even if it meant putting off other life events. Well, now that I've done it I am happy to say that I accomplished my goal and am now comfortable closing this chapter in my life and moving on to a family. NO REGRETS!!

Now that school is over it's time for summer to begin, and what better way to start it off than travel in EUROPE with my MOM!! We will be leaving for Europe this Monday and are going to have a blast. No men, jobs, or worries; just 2 girls traveling Europe. (Let's hope we make it without our men there to help us with directions) We'll post pics when we return!

Did my pants shrink at the dry cleaners??

2008-05-21T06:23:00.000-07:00

During my morning routine yesterday Dave and I witnessed an event that made pregnancy more real to me than anything up to this point......

MY PANTS WOULD NOT BUTTON!!

I knew this day would come but, when it does it's kind of hard to handle. For now I'm thinking that the dry cleaners must have shrunk them.

My aunt Nola and mom think I should post pics of my belly as it progresses. The idea seems fun at my expense, but, when you see the pic of this random ladies belly on the Internet I think you will agree that preggo bellies are best left for private eyes only! (And never in bikinis!!)

Note: This pic is not me!!! I would never subject myself to this humiliation.

THE NEWS YOU"VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!!

2008-04-18T10:11:00.000-07:00

It is hard to decide when to make your official "public announcement" about this. But, after 11 weeks of waiting here goes..... We're having a BABY! Our due date is November 7 and we are really excited! Dave didn't believe me at first, he was even questioning the plus sign. But, we went to the doctor last week and got to hear the heart beat. That was really AWESOME and made us feel more like there was really a baby in there.

I'm not going to lie, most of you that know me know that I tell it like it is. I do not love pregnancy! It has officially ruined my love of pizza, bacon, and just recently Wendy's. Foods that I have loved my whole life have lost their 1st place standings because they are much less tasty coming up than they were going down. Pregnancy has however, taught me to love Gatorade and smoothies. Everyone keeps saying after your first trimester you'll feel better and I am definitely hoping that they are right.

Smells are the worst and I now keep the most sanitized fridge in the world. (Well atleast Dave does) Dave has been awesome to cook and keep the fridge non smelly. I know he's hoping the barfing stage is gone soon too. He is sick of doing all the cooking. I don't have a belly yet, and we won't find out what it is for 9 more weeks but as soon as we do I will let you know. If you have any cute names please send them our way.

Saturday Well Spent

2008-03-03T11:57:00.000-08:00

Frequently as an ag teacher I work Saturdays, and this Saturday was no different. But unlike the typical Saturday of planning lessons, watering greenhouses, and grading papers this Saturday was spent taking students to compete at the FFA District Contest. I had a student participating in the Creed Speaking Contest and our Chapter's Secretary's Book was also being judged. As a "newbie" I didn't go with dreams of winning, but simply not embarrassing ourselves. But, much to my surprise the Creed speaker I was training won!! I was so STOKED!! This means he is moving on to compete at State Conference in April. Our Secretary's book was 3rd and is the alternate for competing at State.

Whoever said, "it's the little things that count" was right. Lately I've been struggling to stay positive about my job and a boost like last weekend has given me the enthusiasm I needed. So for now I say "Bring It On", well at least until the excitement wears off. I'm sure lots of you have bad days, or weeks like I do and I hope that you too will have a surprise that gives you the gas to keep going.

Snow Week & Introductions

2008-02-07T08:06:00.001-08:00

As a teacher in the midwest it is common to pray for snow days. And, about once a year you are blessed with one. This week us teaachers must have been doing too much praying because we are having a snow week, not day. Because of the boredom brought on by our snow week I am officially becoming a blogger. Bare with me because I'm new at this, typically our lives are uneventful, and I am not a superb writer.
Our family is made up of my hottie husband, me, and our strappingly handsome schnauzer named Bowser. My husband is the bomb and as mooshy as it sounds I love him to death! It is so cliche but I'm proud to say that we are high school sweethearts that made it! We have dated since I was 15, went to college together, faced dissapointments together, celebrated life changing events together, moved across the country together, and in the end we are still TOGETHER!

"Husband"

My husband is a fun loving guy that keeps me sane, and reminds me that life isn't all serious stuff. He is proof that if you work hard enough you can make your dreams come true. He is an engineer for John Deere and worked really hard to be there. Not very many people can say that they love there jobs, but he can. Other than John Deere he loves hunting, stroganoff, helping on his families farm, and playing Guitar Hero.

"Me & The Bowser"

I am completely opposite of "husband" in the easy going department. I can, at times, be a slight "Drama Queen". Aside from being a drama queen I try to be an Ag teacher and FFA Advisor. While I don't feel old enough to teach high school it's what I spend most of my time doing. This first year of teaching has been crazy busy! I would love to sound like a diverse and interesting person that has lots of awesome hobbies but for right now I have to say that most of my energy is devoted to being an FFA Advisor.

Our dog Bowser is hyper to the point of annoyance, and we have nobody to blame but ourselves. We kind of sucked at the whole dog training situation. Bowser is addicted to garbage and on occassion drags it around the house so we will have a welcome home present. Bad things aside we love him and his snuggles.

That's us. Boring at best, but happy as ever!