My Walkie-Talkie

Elsie has been walking now for probably close to a month, but only in the past week or so has she started doing it a lot. She is now more likely to get up and walk somewhere than to crawl. She is SO cute. She is a really tipsy little walker! On Sunday several people came up to me after Sacrament Meeting (where she'd been walking up and down the aisle) and asked me what I'd given her to drink! :) LOL!

She is such a sweet, smart little thing! She's such a little talker! She now says HI!, Baba, Dada, Teetee (or kitty), and a couple of times she even said "Hazoo" when she saw Hazel. :) She also says Mama, but it has two different meanings -- either Mommy or that she's hungry. :) She loves to just jabber all the time! She also gives very good hugs and kisses. As soon as Nels gets home from work, she squeals, crawls as fast as she possibly can over to him, waits for him to pick her up, and gives him hugs.

She's a very personable little girl. Often when I'm holding her and doing something that she finds particularly interesting, like stirring a pot full of noodles, she'll lean around and put her face right in front of mine, look me in the eye and smile, then look back at what I'm doing ---- as if to say, "do you see what I see? this is so fun!"

I love my little Lady! She brings so much joy into our home!!

My LITTLE Girl

Hazel on her first day of preschool! - Isn't she cute?? What a fun girl. She's so excited!

One of the ALL TIME best days of my LIFE

Nearly seven years ago Nels and I met at BYU-Idaho. The first night that we met, we were at our ward "sweet-swap" at our now-friend Hannah's apartment. I was excited about the new guys in our ward (what single girl isn't?) and thought that the one sitting on the couch surrounded by multiple ladies was cute. --- But I'm not usually one of those girls that joins the throngs, so I decided to bide my time, seated across the room eating my brownie - where I got ambushed by his odd-ball roommate. I don't really remember much else about that night other than all of a sudden hearing Nels say, "I'm really sorry, I'm not very good with names, so I probably won't remember . . . " At that point, I piped up from across the room, "Well, you'll remember my name, because I'm cool!" ha ha. (Unfortunately I AM one of "those" girls!) Anyhow, at the time, he didn't remember my name, BUT he DID remember that I was cool. :) LOL!

A few months later after hanging out every once in a while (and after breaking up with . . . well Crazy) he started "coincidentally" walking past my bowling class, right as class ended. We'd chat on the way to my next class. Then I somehow started "not having" my next class when he would ask me to lunch. :) This continued for a couple of weeks. One day he stops by my apartment and asks, "So. I have to go to this really boring opera for my class . . . and if I bring someone, I get extra credit . . . do you want to go?" Ha ha! :) This was our first date. :) :) All through this "boring" opera I kept worrying about the intermission. You know, that long part where they do nothing, but you have to stay in your seats because you don't know when they're going to start again . . . and it's just the two of you . . . waiting for it to start again? The part where I always get kind of nervous - because I always get kind of nervous around people that I really don't know that well - especially one on one - my brain tends to freeze up and I feel retarded. Yeah, that part. Well, that part never really happened. Intermission came and went. We talked the whole time - I felt completely comfortable - and had so much fun at the "boring" opera (that I can't even remember what it was about).

A few days later, we were sitting in his big, blue van in front of my apartment --- he'd given me a ride home from class. (Actually my class ended about 1/2 hour earlier than his and was only about 1/4 mile from my apartment -- and it was about that far to the building where his class was, but HE had asked if I wanted a ride . . . how could I refuse?!) Anyway, we were sitting, talking, for a long time . . . there was this feeling there, that I can't even describe as anything but a glimpse of eternity. I could FEEL Nels -- who he was, is, can be. The incredible person that he is. I'm not really sure what I believe as far as the Lord "setting up" the person we marry --- it being this thing of "destiny" or whatever . . . but looking back on that moment gives me the one surety that I have that I have known Nels for a LONG time. That we DO have a relationship that extends beyond this life.

The past 6 years of our marriage have been the most wonderful of my life. I'm so thankful for the marriage that we share and for the blessings of the temple. It's amazing to me that we can truly say that we love one another more today than we did the day we were married. --- We seem to be a little haphazard in the way we do things, but our relationship is so steady, so sure. I can look back on the past 6 years and honestly say that there's never been one of those "tough times" in our relationship. We've had lots of weird little ups and downs (and all arounds :) in our life together, but not in our relationship. It's always there, it's always strong.



SO - for our anniversary this year (being on a Sunday) we didn't do anything too grand. Nels's sister and BIL watched the girls for us - we jumped in the van with no prior decision of WHERE we were going and took off --- FREEDOM!! :) LOL! We decided to "go somewhere we've never been before". :) Sounds exciting, doesn't it??! ;) We headed up into the hills east of Idaho Falls and just took a drive ---- a VERY L--O--N--G drive. We stopped at a little over look of a river valley and just sat on the rimrocks there and talked for a while and then jumped back in the car, continuing on the road we'd been on. We decided that this road probably . . . eventually . . . looped back into the Valley and so we'd just follow it around. Two and a half hours later . . . we finally came out of the mountains clear down by Blackfoot! :) It's a strange feeling to want to go home, but you've come a long way and you can't figure out if it's going to be faster to go back or to continue in the DARK forward. It was a fun little adventure and we now know where the town of BONE is . . . well, actually, I'm still a little unsure of WHEN exactly we passed through it - WHICH small cluster of 2 or 3 buildings is considered Bone, but we can say that we've been there. We also know where Blackfoot Reservior is. It was fun and it was nice to have a chance to just chat, uninteruptted, with my hubby for a few hours.

(Sorry guys, for another SAPPY post! It's not what I intended! - I just can't help myself !)

Random Pics

Elsie LOVES eating apricots with mi madre!

A LOT!

And dirt.

My sweet Lilie being my big helper in the yard!

A little Pick-Me-Up

Okay, okay . . . my last post was a bit of a downer --- we all have those every once in a while, right?!

Well. At the request of my cousin, Amber, I am here to share with you a couple of little somethings that picked me up out of the dumps last weekend. :)

I am not, in general, a yard-saler. (Like my made up word?) I think yard sales are great, but . . . I usually sleep in. :) Plus, most of the time looking through other people's garbage can be a little tedious for me. Well, last weekend, I decided that I was in the mood. So I packed the kiddos into the car and headed out. We stopped at quite a few and didn't really find anything great until the drive home, when we took a wrong turn and found a big rummage sale at a local Christian church. Look what I found!

The frame-less oil painting on the wall.

And this WAY cute yellow lamp!

Now, they may not look like much to you, but FIRST of all - I got each of them for FIFTY CENTS (!!!!) and SECOND, I love them. They seriously made my day! Especially when I was feeling so down about the current state of my house. - They both need a little tweeking - like a new shade on the lamp and a frame for my painting - but I'm excited!

Anywho - aren't they cute?! How could you pass up TWO great things ---- FOR A DOLLAR!? :)

Let's hear it for GENNY!!!

I'm officially introducing our newest blogger to the family!! Genny Moon (our little, single, childless individual of a sister) decided to join the blogging world about a month ago without telling anyone about it. I am here to officially pressure her into immersing her broken little self to the blogging world by convincing you all to comment on her blog.

gennymoon.blogspot.com

A little breather . . . or is it?

Is it a breather - or a break - if you feel like this is something that you NEED to do??? (((sigh)))

It's been a long summer.

Wonderful. Going, going, going summer. Wonderful. Busy. Short and Long at the same time.

Last night I figured out of the past 9 weeks, we have been gone 5 of those weekends -- and most all of those weekends have been long weekends, not just 2 or 3 dayers (Dayers???). (((sigh))) Every other weekend. The weeks in between, I've figured that we've had something planned both Friday AND Saturday -- all but one -- and that was like a month and a half ago. 

Nels got a new job. He is now the manager for the Media Department at a company based here in Idaho Falls called Melaleuca. He is also their main video guy and the "assistant/clerk" for the department as well. :) Needless to say, he's been a little busy and needs to have a "chat" with his boss.

Last weekend we had our second annual Moon Family Reunion out at the Merkley Farm in Duchesne. Nels was planning on making it. Melaleuca has their big annual convention in Salt Lake this weekend. Nels worked until 10:30 Wednesday and Thursday - till 3:00 am Friday - all day Saturday and all day Sunday. ----- He didn't make it down. ;) We got home Monday night. Nels was able to get most of Tuesday and all day Wednesday off (after 40 hours of unpaid overtime from the week before, you think he deserved 2 days off???). :)   He is gone now. Gone until Sunday - working his brains out again at the convention. --- His boss says that it's not always like this. :) --- I only half believe him. :) Convention time is crazy for everyone. 

Our SIXTH anniversary is Sunday. Nels will be gone most of the day. (((sigh))) --- They tried to talk him into working that day. :)

After finding about 3 Hobo Spiders in our basement, I got a wild hair and started remodeling our yard. --- Specifically pulling out the "spider bushes" (as the girls CALLED them) along the back of the house. I'll have to write more about this later --- in a different post. --- It's currently a mess --- and I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed right now with ever being able to finish it. --- I don't know how to do this. I can't finish it by myself. I've never done anything like this before. AGAIN - I CAN'T finish this by myself!!! Nels is GONE. (((sigh))) I think I could really use some help.  -- It seems like everyone is busy. (((sigh))) (It's been a long day.) BUT - it already looks SO MUCH BETTER!!! - Even torn up - as long as I can suppress the feelings of being in over my head - I still feel HAPPY when I look at my poor half dead, half lawn that has been run over repeatedly with a bobcat. My poor bush sitting on my half dead lawn, wrapped up in a wet sheet, waiting to be replanted. My sweet little curvy new walkway to the front of my house, that has to be watered for the next few days to keep it from cracking. My totally demolished back lawn that is mostly new fill dirt and about 100 blades of struggling grass that is now at least twice as big as it was a few weeks ago ---- it's amazing what ripping out a few (a LOT) of REALLY ugly bushes and several (six, to be exact) HUGE dump trailer loads of red lava rock can do! :) --- Even looking at all this, it makes me happy. (Mostly)

I've been cleaning all day. Washed the windows, mopped the kitchen floor. --- (Wait a second! Is that ALL I got done today???? After "cleaning all day"????) (((sigh))) I cleaned the kitchen - and the living room - three times. Dishes are done. Children in bed. A REAL dinner made and cleaned up. Sheets washing.

(Sorry, Amber! I really AM going to call you back -- tomorrow. I'm not dead. I just feel like it.)

I promise to write more about what we've been doing later. I'm not feeling creative. I'll write it down before I forget. Just not tonight.

You know I always thought . . .

that of all the ages that I would never want to go back to, it would be about 12-13. Well, this past weekend, I proved myself wrong! :)

My friend Clancy and I - along with a few other awesome gals, Maria and Carmen - went to the midnight release of Breaking Dawn! It was awesome! :) LOL! I cannot emphasize what a surreal experience it is to be standing in the midst of thousands of screaming teenage girls (and a few insane mommas)! :) And to top it off, Clancy and I made these amazing (and sparkly!) Team Edward shirts! :)

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You know, a couple of weeks ago, I can't remember what I was doing (probably sorting through pictures or something), but I started remembering what a fun girl I used to be. As any family members (or college roommates) can attest, I was kind of a nutsy teenager. --- (Okay, let's be realistic, crazy CHILD and TEENAGER.) --- At some point over the past 6 years, I've really grown up. I guess we all have to grow into our roles, don't we? But I used to be pretty silly. And then I started thinking . . . WOW, you know what, I don't know if I even have hardly any friends that really know that side of me. I think I just make friends with really mature people. -- (You know who you are and don't deny it! :) --- Then all of a sudden, it hit me. CLANCY is a fun girl - and nuts. I told Nels, you know, I haven't done it yet, but I think Clancy can bring out the crazy in me. This weekend it was proven. CLANCY is a NUT! 

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Anyhow, we had a fabulous time! It was fun to act like a silly little girl again! Thanks, Clancy, for helping me to bust out of momma mode for a night! :)

SO - how did you like the book?! I thought it was great! There were a few things that I thought were interesting, but for the most part, I REALLY enjoyed the book.  I'd love all your comments - just make sure that if you leave any spoilers to tag them with a big-ol' SPOILER ALERT for those who haven't gotten through it yet. :)