2012!

Our new year started out very well! Brett was not laid off! We have breathed a HUGE sigh of relief and said many grateful prayers! Unfortunately, they are talking of another layoff in March. But we are hoping and praying that Brett finds another job before then, and if not, then we will hope that Heavenly Father intervenes in our behalf a third time. Brett gets online and checks for jobs everyday when he gets home and asks everyone he knows if they've heard of anything. Our faith and his diligence will pay off.
This past year seems to have gone by so quickly! I can't believe that Hunter is a year and a half and going to Nursery. The first day was a breeze, but the subsequent Sundays have not been so easy. Once he's in there and I am gone and he figures out that he can play and color, he LOVES it! It's just the drop off that is rough. Today I could hear him screaming from the Primary room, which, of course, broke my heart.

Hunter seems to learn more each day. I am amazed at how smart he is, and how observant. He really picks up on SO much and I love watching him. Even is he drives me a little crazy. I sometimes think we are a little too similar.
Brett has continued to work hard and be a good example to me and to our son. Hunter tries to imitate him all the time. I love that my little boy wants to be just like his Daddy. Brett also became the primary teacher for our ward's Gospel Principles class, and I have really enjoyed watching him leran and grow in the gospel through the lessons he teaches each week.
I have been a busy Momma. Just staying home and taking care of Hunter, the dogs, and the house, has been a thousand jobs in one. One new development of last year: my friend, Lindsey, and I have started an online shop where we hope to sell hand made baby blankets and other accessories. If we can make a nice profit, that would be great, but just starting to crochet more and trying my hand at new things is great as well. The site is http://stitchesoflove.bigcartel.com/ .

And that is pretty much our year in review.

How Time Flies!

This time last year I was adjusting to the life of a Mommy. And I must say that I am still making adjustments. Hunter turned 1 last month. I can't believe it! I no longer have a baby. I have a toddler. And he is a handful! But, we love him. He is so funny and entertaining. And has very little paitience, just like his mother. We had his birthday party a couple weeks ago, and Grama and Grampa got to be there! We flew down to Texas the last week of May to my baby brother's graduation and then drove back up with them. Toby is now living with us until school starts and he can move into the dorms. He'll be here for a year, then he will leave on his mission. It's only been a week that we've had him here, but I think he is going to be a big help. When he's not working, of course.
In September, Grama is going to fly Hunter and I out to Texas to stay with her for a while and help get her house ready to sell and just to hang out and spend time. Of course, we all know she just wants her little grandson all to herself. And who could blame her? He is pretty neat! I'm so glad he has such a good Grama and Grampa. He had a ball with them while we were there and they were here. Especially with Grampa.

Anyway, I have mostly just rambled. Not much in this entry makes coherent sense. I am tired.  Here are some pictures.

Time for an update?

Well, I have no idea what to say tonight, but I decided it is possibly time for another blog entry...maybe.

OH!!! Hunter took his first two steps 3 weeks ago! And he hasn't really taken any since. But hey! It's a start! I am really hoping that he either is walking by the time we go to Texas for my baby brother's graduation, or that he finaly just GOES while we are there. I think that would be AWESOME for my Daddy to get to see. Of course, we will be driving back to Utah with them and they will be visiting here for a bit, so I'm sure he will have plenty of time.

Trip to Texas: The last one we will be taking together as a family. Around November/December my dad will be stationed in Florida (more than likely), so other than when Hunter and I go down and stay with my Momma for about a month or so, it really will be the last trip we all make to Texas.

Brett and I have decided to become consultants for a company called Shefreliance. It's basically food storage items. And they are reasonably priced. Brett is really going to be the one doing the selling. He has the perfect personality for it. I am just too shy and self concious to do that sort of thing. Anyway, my mom sent us a bunch of stuff from the site to help us get our food storage built back up, and I checked out the webiste and decided I liked it, and my mom has actually tried alot of the product and she says it is actually pretty good. I remember when I was growing up, all the stuff my parents had in our food storage was kind of "ucky". I don't really recall ever liking much of it, so having "yummy" items in my emergency supply of food sounds great! And then Brett looked into it, and we decided it would be a good way to suppliment our income and help us get out of debt. SO. If you are interested, here is the website : http://www.shelfreliance.com/. Head on over and take a look. Brett is the one that REALLY knows all the details. He still needs to sit down with me and help me fully understand how it all works. But it really is a worthwhile investment. I promise!

Well, now that I've "plugged" our "business", I think I'm going to call it a night!

Home Improvements

Getting very excited for the next few weekends. This weekend we will be heading to Sutherlands to buy paint so we can brighten up our dinning room and hallway walls and have something other than white baseboards, because I am lazy when it comes to cleaning them. Sutherlands' brand of paint is buy 1 get 1 free for the next little while, so we are taking advantage. Cannot wait!! I thought I liked the dark brown walls, but they are just too dark and depressing. It makes it seem like the walls are closing in on you, and there is NEVER enough light. We are also going to be measuring the square footage of our home to get new siding. We are putting it on ourselves. Had to make a claim with our insurance, but oh well. The aluminum siding is NOT quality and the wind is just too crazy to have that stuff on our house. We've lost multiple pieces. Hopefully we will have enough money to do the whole house. Especially considering that we are waiting to buy the siding until April 16th. It's Sutherland's anniversary sale and if you go between 4am and 7am, everything is 20% off. Definitely taking advantage of that!!!

This past weekend, Brett's dad and brother, Cody, came and helped us put the baseboards in Hunter's room (FINALLY). We had hoped we would have enough for the computer room too, but no such luck. Once we get a new vent cover for the hallway we will be able to finish the ones in the hallway. I think we will wait to do the computer room once we are ready to move Hunter into it, since we will hopefully be having another baby next year.

Also, this past weekend, I got the yard mostly cleaned up and ready to try to bring our grass back to life! Hopefully it works this year. Last year the problem was me, but hopefully I will be better this year. I also got most of the shingles and nails picked up from when we tore them off our roof last summer. Kinda late? Yeah, I know. It was hard with a little baby then. He never napped very long, so I didn't get much done, then it got cold and snowed. But he has gotten lots better, and will even sit and play in the playpen while I work. Anyways, I have a little bit more to clean up, but it will get done very soon. Then we can start pulling the car up rather than behind the other one.

And now, other than this quick break I took to write this, I am busy cleaning. But I think I'm going to have to take a break from that too, because Hunter is Freaking!

Coupons

I REALLY want to become a "couponer". I watched a show the other night about it with some friends, and there were people that bought like $300 worth of stuff and only paid like $6. I would LOVE if I could do that! But all the coupons I get are for things that we really don't need or use. Bleh. And sometimes, even with the coupon, the store brand is still cheaper. Yeah, so I have a dream, but will probably never achieve it. Actually, if I could find coupons for baby things and meat for every time I go grocery shopping, that would be AMAZING! That alone alone would help lower my grocery bill by AT LEAT $20.

He's a Biter

Hunter thinks it's funny to bite me. He grabbed my foot last night while I was on the phone with Brett, and today while I was on the phone with my mom, and bit me! Little snot. I don't know what brought it on all of a sudden. When I pick him up and give him loves, he bites my shoulder. Could it possibly be because he just had a tooth break through the gums today? That would be my guess. He is getting better everyday at standing without holding onto anything. I keep waiting for him to try and take just ONE step! I'm so anxious! I would like for him to be walking before we go to Texas, so he can show off to Grama and Grampa. I think that they would enjoy that. I know that they are looking forward to driving back with him in the truck with them. My mom already informed me that those are the riding arrangements, "My carseat, my rules." Some doesn't miss their grandson, do they??? Haha.

I guess I can just go ahead and turn this into a "Hunter Milestone" entry. He is also starting to develop a bashful side. There hasn't been any stranger anxiety so far. He is just starting to smile bashfully rather than boldly like he use to. He also has quite the little personality. Wait, let me correct that statement. He has quite the BIG personality. And he LOVES to be heard. He yells and jabbers. I just love it!! I have been blessed with such an angel for a son. And he's not that bad looking, if I do say so myself!

Stress!!!

We received some bad news last week. Brett's job is going to be laying off 2/3 of their workforce. They don't have the funding to continue past July with all 300 employees. For those who don't know, Brett is working for Energy Solutions on the uranium tailing clean up down by Moab. He works at the disposal site. He started there in July of 2008 as a Laborer and is now an Equipment Operator and is on the site's Safety Committe and Behavior Based Safety Commitee. Which looks good when they evaluate everyone for continued employment or layoff. Hopefully, he ranks high enough in their little ranking system that he will stay. We will know for sure starting in July, when they lay off 70% of those that will be laid off. The rest will be notified in August or September. I  have prayed and cried over this quite a bit. For the most part, I feel calm reassurance. So I take that to mean either, 1) his job is safe. I mean, afterall, he has impressed the bosses and moved up alot, or 2) his job isn't safe, but everything will still be ok. I'm hoping for the former. Plus, if he does get to keep his job, he will no longer be on the night shift, which I will LOVE, and he will be able to ride in the company van and only pay $20 or $30 a week as opposed to that much every 3 days or so. That will save us a lot of money. UGH! I hate not knowing what is going to happen. So prayers would be MUCH appreciated. And if he does lose his job, I hope he finds another one before November, because December is when we are planning on adding to our family, and I REALLY don't want that plan to be derailed!!!