Long Past Due

               Ok, yes I am a slacker. It has been WAY too long since I last blogged. My only excuse is that I am pregnant and wasn't feeling well at all. But now that I am not feeling the morning (all day) sickness anymore, I thought I would write one huge blog with a lot of pictures to get caught up and let those following (all 15 of you) get caught up with what has been going on in our little household.

            Fist, we were pumpkins for Halloween this year, no not very exciting or original, but I got austin to dress up and we matched for our ward party. This is also the day that we decided to tell our families that we were expecting a little one sometime in June!

Brynlee loved helping Austin clean out that HUGE pumpkin (that never even got carved)...

        In November Brynlee had her first birthday! The big 1! By this time she had already been walking for three months and sleeping through the night for ten months! She has been such an easy baby! We love her more then life and can't imagine life without this sweet little girl in our life!

The cake was delicious! Brynlee got her own entire piece to eat with her hands and those five candles are supposed to be a number one (just in case you were wondering).

        December brought Bryn's first real experience with a Christmas tree. She loved the soft little snowman decoration and all the lights!

With December also came the long awaited for cruise. This was my first experience of a cruise, and can I just say that the Bahama's were the way to go! It was BEAUTIFUL! The weather was in the 80's. The water is as aqua blue and warm as anything you could imagine, and the food was superb! We loved the people we went with too! It was just such a wonderful time!

            Look at how blue that water is and how muscular my hubby is!

  We got a deal for snorkeling! And we rode in a glass bottom boat!

             

               That sea critter (I have no idea what it was called) but Andrew (the dark hair) was holding it and it was moving! And Butch (blonde hair) found his shell while scuba diving! It still had the muscle in it and we went to a place that cooked it and served it to him!

    The amazing Atlantis. Too bad it was $120 per person or we might have gone!

                                            Cute, bright town-homes!

                                                             Sea worm?

                         We too had something living in the shell we brought back. We just didn't know until I saw something crawling around my feet while in the shower. Yes, I screamed.

                                       I loved the towel animals! Super cute!

Patty- Cake!

Each new season of life brings different joys along with different challenges. We love being in Rexburg! The freezing cold morning that turn into the most beautiful fall days! Austin stays very busy going to school and doing homework. It is more then a full time job's worth! This renews our gratefulness we have for Spark and the amazing blessing it has been in our lives! I am also in school, taking one english class. Nathan, my brother-in-law watches Bryn on Monday mornings, and Lala (Kayla) watches her on Wednesday and Friday Mornings for an hour. It is hard to leave my baby even for the short amount of time, but I can not express how fulfilling it is to walk through the door and have her "run" as only babies can, and lay into my arms with a huge two tooth smile on her face! It's the best! She is also learning how to dance and it is the absolute cutest! I can say that because I am her mother and I can not try and convince you, so I will just tell you I have a cute baby! Her personality is starting to become more and more, well... hers. She is so friendly! The other day in church she walked up the isle, stopping at each bench to smile at each couple. She also thinks that when we tell her to "come here" it is the perfect opportunity for her to run and have us chase her. Playing "patty-cake" is a new fun game that she loves to play, along with hide and go seek.

She is so loving! When Austin is sitting doing homework, or when I am at the computer or in the kitchen, she will come and lay her head on our lap or leg. She gives kisses and loves! Her teddy bear receives the most kisses and hugs but we steal a few every now and again.










Bath-time is really fun! Or very sad... She loves to play in the tub most of the time.

And then there are other times when it is a very sad experience and she is glad when it is over.

Well next month Brynlee will be a year old! I can not believe that I haven't been pregnant for an entire year! It has gone by so fast with this little angle we have been blessed with in our home. I am so sad to think that some people would ever want to live a life without a sweet baby!

2 Years and We are More in Love Then Ever!

   That is right! We have hit the two year mark! Well, actually that was over a month ago, but between moving and finding a place to live, and starting school... you are now hearing about it. Two years doesn't sound like a very long time, but when I look back on life before I knew Austin, well it just feels like we have and should be together forever. I love being married. I would highly recommend it to all! It is for sure a marvelous step in the plan that our Heavenly Father has laid out for us. It helps us learn to care about others more then we do ourselves! It also helps us realize where we need to improve.

Ok, so now pictures! Austin picked me up at the Oakland airport, after being gone to family reunions in Idaho for three weeks. We spent a romantic, freezing cold evening in San Francisco.

           Can I just say that Bubba Gump's was DELICIOUS!!!

                                 The Golden Gate Bridge

                                 Rodeo Beach, it isn't sand!....

                                             But little pebbles!

                                               San Francisco from across the bay

    And the big redwoods of the north! This was a beautiful hike that was suppose to be 1 mile and ended up being more like 5! Don't worry though I was prepared in my flip flops to walk all the way to the top of the mountain!!!!

The Good Ole Outdoors

   And it is now August. The summer is almost done, once again! I can not believe that we are headed back up to our sweet Rexburg in a few short weeks. I was visiting with the ladies down here selling, and one of them said, "who knew we would ever be excited to return to Rexburg!?" This made me laugh because it is so true! Austin and I are always so excited to start another summer, and by the end of it we are so excited to start school. We feel very blessed to work with such amazing people. We both love everyone on our team, and I love Becky! We also have been blessed with success. I am so grateful I can stay home and be with Brynlee all day. She is my sunshine! I can not believe how big she is getting! She weighs 18.5 pounds, and is 30 inches tall! She is getting her first tooth and is also starting to walk! I find it so amazing watching her learn to do things with her little body. It is very rewarding and brings so much joy! I thought Austin and I were happy being our own little family, but there is no words to express how much true joy Bryn has brought into our lives.

   I know our floor looks super dirty in this, but it is just stained. That is what living in an apartment does for you I guess.
   Our July was full and very fun! We had Wendee and Emma come and stay with us for a few days when I got to use my sewing machine! I have used it by myself, but when Wendee comes I feel like I really get my money's worth out of the thing! We then flew to Idaho to the Graham family reunion!!!! I have never been to a week long reunion with 70+ people! I LOVE Austin's family! I feel so loved and that I belong. It was so beautiful up at the cabin as well.

                                                   Such a beautiful hike!

                                         Brynlee on Dad's back looking back at me!

                              Grandma and Grandpa Graham at Christmas in July!

                                                                           Oreos!

After the reunion, Austin had to fly back to California to work while I stayed to find us a place to live in Rexburg,... and go camping with my wonderful family at Warm Springs!!!!

               The powerless cabin,... not even running water! (Don't worry there is an outhouse)

                                                                       Hot Chocolate

                                           The face of a little boy after breakfast

              Don't ask me why she is looking at me like this already

The FREEZING COLD warm springs,... Yes it makes your bum go numb when sitting in a tube.