Disneyland

Jan. 8th Maggie turned 5.   That morning she baked and decorated her own cake (her idea).   About 3 o'clock we did presents.   She opened a princess nightgown and tickets to Disneyland.   She freaked out.   She started jumping up and down and screaming.   Super fun.   I told her our bags were packed and out the door we went.   We met Daddy at the airport and off we went.

We hit up Disneyland the 1st day and California Adventures the next two days.   It was a very long and exciting 3 days.   The first thing (actually the only thing) she wanted to do was see ALL the princesses exspecially Sleeping Beauty.   We stood in line for a little over an hour to see 3 unknow princesses in a castle.   To our pleasant surprise Sleeping Beauty was one of them.   The first day she was pretty much in a whirl wind of excitment.   She had a hard time deciding what she wanted to do next.   We did a lot of walking and taking it all in.   Her favorite ride was the Tea Cups.   She asked a lot to go back to the hotel and swim though.   She fell asleep about 5 o'clock on our way out of the park to go swimming.   We let her sleep while we grabbed a bite to eat and then headed back to the hotel to swim.  

Day 2 headed to California Adventures.   This was my first time here so we were all in the dark but we got a bunch of tips from some guy in the hot tub the night before.   (super helpful).   We LOVED day 2.   Our favorite rides were soaring over California, Cars, and Arial (we rode it 3 times in 2 days).   We never stood in line longer than 30 min for any ride.   It was the perfect time to go.   We booked lunch with the princesses at Arial's Groto and surprised Maggie.   It was super fun.   We saw Arial for the second time their and she remember her and even called her by name.   Pretty impressive!!   We took a break in the middle of the day to have a nap but Mommy was the only one who napped.   We headed back to the park in the evening.   About an hour after being their, Maggie fell asleep.   UGH.   Oh well we chose to stand in the longest line and wake her when we got on the ride.   It worked out perfect.  

Day 3 we went back to California Adventures.   It was a Saturday and we were worried the lines were going to be longer.   To our surprise, they were still just as short!!   She saw a couple shows and the parade.   We rode our favorite rides again and searched for new characters.   The characters were her favorite part.   She could search for them all day.   Again we tried to nap in the middle of the day but no dice.   She did make it all day without falling asleep though.   And she managed to swim later that night too.   She was a very tired girl.  

The next morning we had an 8am flight.   UGH.   We came home to zoey with the flu.   I'm just waiting for it to leak into the rest of the family.   We stayed Sunday at my mom's house so I didn't have to drive after such an early morning.   Zoey was sick most of the night but after being gone for over 2 weeks I made us get up and in the car to come home.   Boy are we all glad to be home.  

Such a fun birthday.   Maggie was the perfect age and was thrilled day after day!!   I can't wait to take Zoey when she turns 5!!

Thanksgiving

Ginger Bread Houses at the Condo in St. George

Zoey's House.  You can see she got into the frosting a bit too.

Maggie's House.  She did it Mostly by herself.  The red looks a little creepy.  That's my fault for buying it though.  I wasn't thinking creepy.  I was thinking red/Christmas.  I'll know for next year....Unless I forget.

Wheeling it up in St. George.  Check out those Shades!! Too Cute!

We did a little rock Climbing

And Some more Rock Climbing

What is she a Mountain Goat?

Discoveries!!

Stained red toes!

Sleepy Girls.

As you can see we spent the weekend before Thanksgiving in St. George.  It had rained quite a bit before we got their which made for some sweet wheeling.  The girls loved the sand and rocks.  The Wood family met us down their for a day and a half before we left to go North for the Holiday.  We swam and had sleep overs with our cousins, I'm the worst picture taker EVER.

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner at Kelli and Jason's house.  Super Yum!  Then we all split up for some Black Friday Shopping.

Saturday My mom, Me, and Maggie got all dressed up and went to the Nutcracker in Logan.  Maggie Loved it.  We went to a tea party before and took pictures with some of the dancers.  (yes I have those pictures they are just on my phone and I'm not sure how to get them off).  After we headed to the Olive Garden for some yummy dinner.  Jessi and Mackenzie also met us for the ballet and dinner.  It was a good time.

Home again to freezing temps.  Ugh.  So not ready for winter.  

Busy October

We have had a very busy and FUN October.  I know I should do separate posts for each activity but you are just going to have to see them all jumbled together.  So here it goes. 

Painting at Grandma's

Ice skating at the ice sheet

Daddy couldn't go so our Neighbor's Brother took Zoey for a spin around the arena.

We got about a foot of snow the first week of October.  I was freaked out for the winter but if melted and we have had a beautiful rest of the month. 

This is Maggie's first time sledding.  I know she is almost 5 but in Rawlins we didn't get snow that piled up, it always blew away.  She LOVED it. 

Not her first snow angel. 

Zoey was content to just sit and watch.  Not much sledding for her. 

This is the day after the snow in the state of Utah, Craziness.  We split from the snow and headed to the zoo with our neighbors.  Daddy went to Casper, WY to fix their power lines.  They had 6,000 people out of power for 6 days. 

Our neighbors Chance and Ella with Maggie and Zoey

The Merry-Go-Round is Always Maggie's favorite attraction.  She chose the tiger this time.  Zoey Chose the polar bear but the picture didn't upload and I'm too lazy to go back and find it. 

This is the Polar Bear, our favorite animal.  She is quite the entertainer.  Anytime people come up to the window she jumps right in the pool and swims around.  I am the worst photographer ever and this was the best picture I could get.  She would swim with her body pressed up to the glass then push off onto her back and float around in a circle and do it again and again.  It was so Cool!!  She would also dive off a rock and go to the bottom and push off with her body pressed up on the glass the whole time.  Her body would come all the way out of the water and her hind legs would be about the kids height.  Again SOOO COOL!!   

Carving Pumpkins. Zoey loved the gooey insides.

Maggie has Never cared for the gooey insides.  I was shocked she even cleaned her own pumpkin this year. 

Zoey couldn't get enough. 

Sledding at the sand dunes.  So much fun. 

Digging in the sand.  We also hooked the sled to the wheeler and pulled Maggie behind it.  She loved it, right up until she crashed.  It was a good one. 

Strawberry Shortcake and her little sister Apple Dumpling trick or treating down town Rock Springs.  (apple dumpling is ready for a nap)

More Halloween pics to come (when the holiday actually hits)  We still have a party at school and lots of trick-or-treating planned for Utah. 

Going to be a Zombie for Halloween if something doesn't change....

HELP!!  Zoey is the world's worst sleeper and I'm literally at the end of my rope.  Last night I fought her till 1 AM to go to sleep.  The worst part is yet to come though.  She gets up every night EVERY 40 Minutes ALL night long.  She demands all kinds of crazy things and is screaming at the top of her lungs.  She wants things like, my pillow, a drink, to sleep on the floor instead of her bed, to sleep on my floor, to have my blanket, to have a heating pad, a baby to sleep with, and on and on.  We don't give into her every whim, most the time she gets a spanking instead, so it's not like she has a reason to keep waking up and wanting more things, she didn't get the last things she wanted.  The later into the night (or earlier into the morning I guess) the crazier she gets, just screaming and screaming.  WHY does she keep waking up??  As much as I want to sleep a full night, this can not be good for her little body.  Also since she has started this, she has cut her 2 hour naps down to 40 minutes.  She is a hot mess!! I really don't know what to do with her right now.  In my opinion, switching kids from a crib to a bed is the second worst parenting "job".  Only second to potty training.  This has not gone well for either of my children.  I ended up locking Maggie in her room to get her to stay in bed, but that caused some serious anxieties for her. OOPS bad parenting choice.  But at this point I understand why I did it.  This can not go on, for me or for her (not to mention her Dad is less than thrilled with this issue). 

So if anyone has any words of advice, I would love to hear them.  I will try anything at this point.  After causing anxieties for Maggie we allowed her to sleep on our floor.  That went on for a long time.  It actually didn't bother me, but her pediatrician said it was a very bad choice and made me kick her out.  I even let Zoey sleep on my floor but she STILL wakes up every 40 minutes wanting things.  The one thing that would let her sleep through the night is sleeping in my bed with me, and that is NOT an option.  I know I said I would try anything, but I won't go there.  NO KIDS IN MY BED.  That's the Law!!

Someone please help!! I would like to go dressed as a well slept mother for Halloween NOT a Zombie!!

Zoey Turns 2!

Presents From Grandma Nessen

CHEESE!!

Birthday Dinner at Grandma Allred's

Pie with Grandpa Allrde

Waiting to blow out her candle

Strawberry Shortcake with friends

More Presents

Light up Lady Bug for night time

Zoey Had a great birthday.  We were in Utah while Daddy was hunting.  We had birthday lunch with both sets of Grandparents and lots of cousins/aunts and uncles. 

On Monday when we got back to Rock Springs, we took Zoey swimming at the rec and to Pizza Hut for dinner.  We had cake with the new neighbors that have become great friends. 

Zoey has had a hard couple of months (about 4).  I'm not sure if it is all the moving, just her age, or simply being the second child.  She is growing out of it a little.  We have less melt downs and scratching.  I think she is learning to communicate a little better.  Maggie is also starting to realize she instigates a lot of the issues and its her own fault she gets scratched, so she is more patient with Zoey. 

Zoey's favorite word is "self".  She is very independent and refuses help with anything.  She LOVES shoes.  Mostly Maggie's but she will try on anyone's shoes that are off their feet.  She eats very well.  We are always surprised at the things she will try and likes.  She learned to climb out of her crib around the first part of August.  She slept on a makeshift bed on the floor till Labor Day when we purchased the girls bunk beds.  Maggie loves them more than Zoey.  The transition from crib to bed has been much easier with Zoey than it was with Maggie.  She still gets up sometimes in the night but I can't complain for the most part.

On the 19th we also took her binki away.  It was my birthday and Brooks brought home breakfast.  He took her binki out of her mouth and set in on the counter.  When nap time came I told her Daddy had accidentally taken it to work in his pocket.  She went right to sleep without it.  Before he got home I cut the end of the binki off.  I slipped it to Brooks when he came in the door.  He told her it accidentally got cut at work and it was broken. She tried it a couple times and agreed it was broken.  She kept it around a couple of days till she decided to toss it in the garbage.  NO MORE BINKI!!! Yahoo.  Again this was much much more simple than taking Maggie's binki away. 

She wants to be a big girl and play with Maggie and her friends.  She wants to do anything her big sister is doing.  She is a little monkey and loves to swing on bars at the park.  She is quite the chatter box and almost never stops talking.  She repeats everything anyone says several times over again.  She likes to color but it often gets out of hand.  She colors a lot on herself.  She is not as brave as Maggie was but is getting braver, the older she gets. 

She has become quite the joy to have in our home.  I love to see the girls play together and be best friends.  She is still a little spit fire and a handful most of the time, but we are learning to roll with the punches and enjoy her. 

Happy Birthday Zoey Z  We love you!!

Good People

Last weekend I sold my car while I was in Utah.  It was quite the experience....The people were coming from Star Valley, WY.  They didn't leave till after 5 so it was going to be late.  I wanted to spend some time with Grandpa and Grandma Pete so I headed up to Fielding.  I thought I could meet the people at Riverside Corner and leave the girls with Grandma and Grandpa.  The girls were quite out of control.  Grandma suggested we watch a movie.  I sent Maggie to get a movie from the car.  Zoey followed her.  Maggie came running in and told me Zoey had broken something in the car.  (shocking, NOT).  I go out to find that she has torn my consul in half.  I'm not even sure how she did this.  She was running around the car I managed to wrestle her down and take her inside.  When I got the movie going I slipped outside to try to fix the consul before the people came to look at it.  LOCKED the car was Locked with my keys Inside.  Zoey must have been pushing the buttons while running around.  Grandpa was at the Utah State game so it was only Grandma and me with the two crazy kids.  The people were at LW's headed my way.  We scrambled to find a lock smith but only got an answering machine.  Luckily Grandpa got rained out of the game and came home early.  (thank you rain!!)  He helped me break into my car just in time for them to call and say they were at Riverside corner.  I jumped in my car without time to fix the consul and headed that way.  I was a bit frazzled.   We ended up taking $100 off the price for the consul and they took it that night. 

So now I was stranded in Utah without a way back to Wyoming.  (which really was fine because we really wanted to get rid of that car).  We have a friend that drives back and forth from Utah to Wyoming each weekend and I was able to bum a ride off him.  My mom and Jerry drove me to Echo late Sunday night and passed us off to him.  It was a little crazy but worth it. 

So here comes the good people part.....I have now been driving Brooks' truck.  Yesterday I took a load of totes to the storage unit.  I forgot to shut the tailgate and when I took the first turn onto the main road his tool box slid out of the back.  About three blocks down someone flagged me down and told me I had lost it.  I flipped around and started looking.  Nothing, it was gone!!  I walked up and down all three blocks searching for it.  Brooks headed my way too and we looked again together.  He found a big gash in the road with red paint in it and we knew that, that is where it hit and someone picked it up.  I couldn't believe someone had snatched it in that short of a time.  I was so upset.  I cried and cried and cried.  There was no way I could make this right.  I don't have money of my own or means to replace thousands of dollars in tools.  I was so frustrated.  Later I talked to my neighbor about it.  She said she is on the Rock springs classifieds on facebook.  I asked her to post that I had lost the tool box.  She didn't get to posting it till about 9pm.  She said about 2 minutes after posting someone responded and told her it had been posted on another site on facebook.  She registered for that site and got a hold of the guy.  He called Brooks immediately.  He met him at a gas station and gave him back the tool box.   He said he saw it and new someone else would pick it up and keep it.  He decided to pick it up and do everything he could to get it back to the owner.   Brooks offered him $100, but he refused to take it.  He just asked if we would vote for him during the next election and gave him a business card.  His name is Mark Baker and he is in the WY house of representatives.  All I know is we need these kinds of people in our government system.  He for sure has my vote!!  He has no idea what this means to me.  What a nice guy!!  I am going to make him a fresh peach pie today!!  Thank you for your honesty!! 

Honesty Pass it on!!

How did we add up to 24 moves?

Brooks and I added up all our moves a couple months ago.  I thought I would list them on our blog so we have them in the future.  (it's a shock we can remember them all now).  I'll put a couple memories from each place, if I can remember anything too.  So here is goes....

1. 686 South Main, Garland UT (October 2003) The house I was born and raised in.  My mom left for a job opportunity in Virginia and left us in charge of the house.  Big mistake, it started fire one night and burned down...oops.

2. 300 west 50 south ish, Garland UT (May 2004) We moved into a little 2+ bedroom rental after the house burnt down.  It had bright pink carpet in the living room and floral wallpaper.  The +bedroom was an extra bedroom you could only get to through the "master" bedroom.  I bought a kitchen table at DI and my visual measurement were way off (big surprise). When I got it home it was giant.  Brooks took a saw to it and cut out a section in the middle and we bolted it back together.  I painted it red.  I loved it.  Brooks not so much.  I think we left it in the house when we moved. 

3. Pagosa Springs, CO (May '05) This was our first move with the apprenticeship.  We were given something like 5 days notice till we had to report to work in a town we had never heard of.  We frantically packed everything we owned into a storage unit and only the essentials into a 21ft camp trailer and hit the road.  The 1st trailer park we stayed at only had a few spots and gravel down by a little river.  We only stayed a couple weeks, if that.  Our first Sunday there I cooked a roast in the crock pot because the kitchen was the size of a...well a 21ft trailer kitchen I guess.  I remember sitting at the table eating our roast and thinking "we can do this"!!

4. Pagosa Springs, CO trailer park #2 single wide.  Brooks found another trailer park up the canyon.  It was beautiful.  The owners names were Bob and Shirley, and they were wonderful people.  We also met a couple that sun birded their from Louisiana, Ken and Cordillia. Ken used to call me "little bit".  We had these amazing thunderstorms there.  The lighting was so bright it would turn off the censored light poles in the night.  The thunder was so loud in the bottom of the canyon.  We loved them!!  Bob had a really old single wide trailer at the trailer park.  It was furnished and vacant.  So we tried it.  It was straight up 70's.  Shag carpet and fringed curtains.  Yellow and green everything!!  The kitchen counters slopped so bad I couldn't put eggs on them or they would roll off.  Again we only stayed maybe a month this time. 

5. Pagosa Springs, CO Trailer park #2 Trailer #2.  We planned on staying in the single wide till we were moved again but we happened to find a trailer that was a good size and good price.  We had to buy a new truck to pull it though.  While we lived in Pagosa I worked at a a little coffee shop/trinket shop.  It was really fun.  The owners were great and it was fun to work down town with all the tourists. 

6.Pagosa Springs, CO Trailer Park #3. We moved into town to be closer to work and to have cell phone service.  One night this lady got in a fight over the phone and yelled over and over again "do you want me or not"  It was super funny to us back then.

7. Durango, CO.  (Oct. 2005)We lived in Durango during the winter.  Our first winter in a trailer.  It was cold and the pipes kept freezing and we flooded the trailer once (that I can remember) because of it.  I worked at Corral West.  We also got really into country dancing while we were there with our friend Shawn Hurravitch, another lineman from Montana. 

8. Springville, UT.  (April '06) After a year in Colorado we moved back to Utah.  Almost everyone at the trailer park were people Brooks worked with.  I worked at 7 peaks to pass the long days without Brooks.  He worked 7-14's.  It was horrible.  We lived by a frozen custard place called Yummies.  I gained at least 10 lbs while we lived their. 

9. Heber City, UT. (Aug. '06) Brooks worked out of Park City but we couldn't afford to live their so we picked Heber.  We loved it.  It is such a beautiful valley.  I worked at Curves and substituted at the high school.  We boated a lot that late summer/fall.  Nobody was on the lake at night.  Brooks taught me to back down the ramp and load/unload the boat.  It was the perfect learning place.

10. Coalville, UT. (Oct. '06) The company told Brooks if he would move to Coalville they would give him a company truck, so we did.  We lived right on a little river their behind a gas station.  I continued to substitute.  I worked for an English teacher who was extending her education, it became quite steady.  I loved the school system their.  We stayed for quite some time and I also ended up getting a job with DJ Inkers, a scrapbook company based out of Coalville.  I travel a little with my job and really enjoyed it for the most part. I think this was the longest we ever lived somewhere in the trailer. 

11. Beaver, UT.  (Fall '07) Brooks worked in Parowan, but there was nowhere to live their so we live in Beaver.  It was the fall their and very windy and cold.  I felt very cooped up after being able to work and get out of the trailer so much in Coalville.  The people were very unfriendly.  This was my Least Favorite place I have lived out of ALL of them.  I tried to work a little from home with DJ Inkers but that also ended up falling through.  I did a lot of sewing.  I sewed 3 rag quilts for Christmas gifts.  I also made my own wrapping paper and gift tags that year. 

12.  Hurricane, UT.  (Feb. '08) Brooks worked in St. George but we lived in Hurricane.  It was warm and a great relief from Beaver.  It was the Spring so the perfect time to live in St. George.  I got pregnant while we lived their.  I also lost the pregnancy and had a horrible experience with a Dr. down their.  And then I got Pregnant Again.  Yea when a Dr. says skip a month after a miscarriage, they mean that month NOT the next.  Who Knew??  Not us!  I also locked my keys in my car not once but Twice within the same 2 hrs while shopping in St. George.  Brooks was not happy!!  Pregnancy Brain!!

13. Delta, UT.  (Memorial weekend '08)We only lived out their for less than 2 weeks.  Our only week at church they asked me if I would be in charge of the food for a relief society party coming up in a couple weeks.  I said yes!! and a couple days later I had to track down the Relief Society President and tell her we were moving.  Nice One!!  We wished we could have stayed out their longer.  We really enjoyed Delta for the short time we were their.  This was our Shortest move (other than the trailer swapping we did in Pagosa). 

14. Coalville, UT.  (First Saturday in June, '08)Back to Coalville.  It was nice to be back because we were closer to our Dr.  I was quite sick and unable to work while we lived their this time.  Brooks "topped out" (finished the apprenticeship) while we were here.  This starts the beginning of looking for a job.  Our goal has always been to get on with the Power Company. Unfortunately these things take time.

15. Tremonton, UT.  (Dec. '08) Work slowed down so we took a month off.  We moved to Tremonton to be closer to family.  We brought Maggie home to this location.  We lived behind McDonalds in the worst trailer park that we every lived in.  I brought Maggie "home" to this location.

16. Draper, UT.  (Feb. '09) I didn't think I would like to live in the City.  But it had it's perks.  We vacationed in St. George with my parents while we lived here.  Before we left Brooks switched the propane. When we would switch it out we would have to "bleed the lines".  We would turn on the gas stove to bleed the air out of the lines from switching the tank.  When we got home Brooks opened the door to find the burner still going!!  He forgot to shut it off and it ran for 4 days while we were gone.  SCARY!

17. Bear Lake, UT. (May '09) Again we lived in Bear Lake at the perfect time of year (the Spring).  Brooks 4 wheeled all the time.  It was getting warm enough that we were able to boat a couple times too.  We loved it.  The Mountain Air, the trees, the quiet, it was a good time for us.  The trailer park where we lived had a little park where Maggie loved to swing.

18. Tremonton, UT  (July '09) Brooks got a job helping build the big line through Tremonton.  The Management was some of the worst he had ever worked for and he hated every minute he was their. He ended up leaving without another job lined out.   

19. 200 west 300 south ish, Garland, UT. (Jan. 2010) We rented another little 2+ bedroom house in Garland.  This time the +bedroom was up these very steep stairs in the "master" bedroom.   We used it as storage, it was actually really handy.  I painted Maggie's room pink and brown.  The room had two side by side closets with sliding doors on them.  I took the doors off one closet and put her bed back in it to gain us a little more room.  Maggie turned 1 at that house.  We also spent a Christmas their.  We hung our tree upside down from the ceiling so Maggie couldn't reach it.  I loved this little house!!

20. 1117 1th St., Rawlins, WY.  (May 2010) Brooks got a job with Rocky Mountain Power.  Rent was very hard to come by so we stayed in Garland till he found a place.  We ended up buying a house but couldn't be in it for a few months.  Living apart was hard so we found a little rental so we could be together. 

21. 2983 Shetland Dr., Rawlins, WY  (June 2010) Our first purchased house.  I loved this house.  Brooks bought it without me even seeing it.  It was 2000 sq ft. 3 bedrooms all on one level.  The kitchen was Perfect!!  Lots of windows and HUGE bedrooms.  We put the yard in ourselves.  We had a super fun playground in the backyard and lots of grass with a little shop.  Zoey was born while we lived their.  I loved the house but hated the location.  This was a very hard place for me to live.  Enough said.


22. Moved in with My Mom.  (May 2013) Brooks took a job in Rock Springs, WY to get us out of Rawlins.  Selling our house happened faster than we planned and we didn't have a place to go before we had to be out, so we moved in with Grandma for 6 weeks while Brooks lived in the trailer in Rock Springs. 

23. 141 north 4th west, Green River, WY  (June 2013)The 1880's railroad house.  We were lucky this things didn't fall down on top of us in the 6 long weeks we were their.  We really enjoyed the town and were glad to be living together but 6 weeks was long enough.

24. 1029 Elm Way, Rock Springs, WY.  (Aug. 2013) Everything in Rock Springs required a lease.  We ended up finding a 4 bdr split level house that needed some updating.  The owner lives out of town and was willing to trade labor for not signing a lease.  We did lots of updating.  A new bathroom, carpet in the entire house, paint, and curtains.  Maggie went to Preschool their and Zoey learned to sleep in a big bed.  The girls shared a room with bunk beds. 

And that is how you move 24 times in 10 years. To be continued we aren't done yet.