Spring

Spring is trying so hard to come! This week has been so beautiful. Gracie has been my little side-kick everywhere I go. We've had a great time. Yesterday we had a great "Happy Un-Birthday" party with her cousin Ellery, and a friend Carly. They kept me in stitches the whole time. They dressed up, danced, ate cake and ice cream, made necklaces, and watched a movie. Good times. Ellery kept saying, "This is the best birthday party ever!" I'll post pictures a little later. By a little later I mean, in a couple of months:)

Its been awhile-

Well, it has been awhile since I've written anything. It seems like so much has changed in the past couple of months.
Jake, Gracie, and I were able to spend a weekend down in St. George for Jake's "small" hobby. It turned out to be a crazy busy weekend but we had a great time. Jake was finally able to fly his planes with Jay. That is a pretty huge accomplishment. I was able to hang out with my sister Timi Joy, and with Jay's fiance Joy. I had a great time with both.
The week we got home I got a phone call from my lawyer...the 10th district court made their decision on my case, all in my favor! It is still a long way from over but it is a giant step:)
In the same week I got a call from my dad. He told me that my Mom had found a lump during her annual check-up and had to go in for a biopsy the following week.
We found on the next week that she has breast cancer. I still cannot wrap my mind around this. My Mom doesn't get breast cancer. It has been hard to come to terms with this info.
The day I found out about my Mom I was SO sick. I think I had type b flu. Cold chills, fever, cough, hit by a bus feeling. Yuck. That lasted all week long until it turned into a sinus infection which caused 1/2 of my face to swell up to look quite "Who-ish" Jake, my dear sweet husband kept referring to me as "Sariah-Lou-Who" But I really couldn't argue with him. The day I woke up looking like a Who was Friday the 13th. Also my baby sister Faith's wedding.
The wedding was wonderful. I still can't believe my baby Faithy is all grown up and married. She and Jame's seem like a great match. Everyone had such a great time. I love getting together with my family. Jake was so wonderful. He came down to my parents for the family dinner and only made a handful of comments on my appearence. What a stud. Then he went rock climbing with Erika and her boyfriend. Next time I get to go!!
Faith's reception turned out so great. We were loving how casual everything was. The decorations were so cute! And oh...the cheesecake was to die for. Yummy.
Anyway, this is way too long. Now that Faith is married, we are preparing for Timi's wedding which is in a couple of weeks. After Timi's wedding, Mom goes in for a masectomy. No fun.
Since I don't want to end on such a downer, I'll relate a Gracie moment. She's full of those funny things.
Today when we got in the car after church I asked her how nursery was. She told me that Julian, her best friend pulled down his pants to show her his new red dino undies. So she pulled up her dress and showed him her cute polka dot undies. This must stop at this age. I cannot handle this when she is older:)
Grace to Jake today; "Dad, do you think I'm an odd little girl?" What a character:) We have so many laughs with her around.
Sorry this is so long! Maybe I can keep up with this now.

Crazy times

We are getting ready to leave for Missouri tomorrow and we have so much to do! We are excited to get this trip underway. Probably me more than Jake, he hates the drive. I LOVE being in the car for so long. Gives us a time to just chill with each other and answer all of Gracie's questions and concerns. I don't remember if I wrote this or not in another blog so forgive me if I did...a couple of weeks ago when we found out that Monique and Tom were not going to Missouri Jake made the mistake of saying to me joking "Monique and Tom don't love us, they are not going to Mo this year." Gracie overheard him and the next day just started bawling. When I asked her what was wrong she told me she was sad that Tom and Mo don't love her anymore. :( I had to turn around because I was laughing so hard. She was so distressed.
Monique, since you are one of the two that read this blog...enjoy your new found peace. I don't blame you a second for staying home. Enjoy your "new" home with your very own little family:)
And Ann-Marie since you are the second person who reads this blog-have a fantastic trip! Don't worry about Brad:) Weather permitting we will be there on Sunday to help you brave the Moberly ward!
Merry Christmas everyone!

Mom, are they Jewish?

This is Gracie's most recent favorite question. We were at the store and she just started asking if certain people were Jewish. After she asks about random people she will get more specific and ask about people we actually know. Jake taught her to say "Peurto Rican Jew" except Gracie pronounces it "Pork and Jew" So the ward missionaries are over the other night to meet Jake and Gracie asks me if they are pork and Jews. That girl makes me laugh!

Gracie paints herself

Gracie loves painting and doing anything 'crafty'. This afternoon we painted our pictures and then I went in to wash out the brushes. When I came back in Grace had painted her face and her hands bright blue! I love it. I just had to laugh because she was so excited to show me her creation. Her face is still bright blue, she just had to show Dad when he got home. He laughed as well:)

Yesterday Gracie walked in the room with my purse and says; "Mom, I'm going to San Diego, California. I'll be back later. Love you Mom! -Then- Hi Tom, Hi Monique, Hi Mya! Want to go to the beach?" She has quite the imagination.

Home is the best-

Gracie and I have been home for a whole week now. What a wonderful week!! We babysat for two weeks in Park City. That went well. The kids that we hung out with were great. I took another babysitting job the same day that that job ended. So Thursday morning we dropped one set of kids off at school, took one mom to the airport, got back just in time for the next mom to get in from the airport, Grace was able to squeeze in a nap, take a History exam, then off to pick up a next set of kids, guitar lessons, piano lessons, Jake's done with work, Charity arrives with kids, Michaela, Mark, Seth, Levi, Elaina, sigh...dinner...clean-up, Erika and Ellery come over to visit. So that was an idea of how busy we all were:)
It was great weekend with all of my siblings here, just jam packed. Jake was a saint and he took Gracie while all of my sisters and I went to get facials, manicures, and scalp massages. It was awesome!
Mom's party went well. She walked in about 5 minutes early for her surprise party. Kinda surprised us instead of the other way around. But it was a fun night.
Jake and I are coping with Gracie reverting back to two year old behavior. She's decided that she wants to be potty-trained again because her best friend is. So she just goes the bathroom wherever!! Aaaaaaahhhh:( Frustrating.
For my funny Gracie story of the blog....Gracie wanted to go home with Jake one night while I was in Park City. So I was bringing her over to Jake's work and she was asking me if we were going to Dad's work, when I told her that we were she said; "Mom, are we going to Harm and Evils?" Well the job site is Cam-Harv's so I thought that was what she was saying. Tell about 1/2 hour later I realized that she was referring to when we say prayer in the morning and ask that "no harm or evil will come upon dad" Funny kid! So she does listen to prayers.

"It isn't scary Dad, no bears are coming!"

Yesterday Ann-Marie Marchant came over to play with us. We had such a great time visiting with her. She suggested that we go on the Heber Valley Railroad Haunted canyon ride. It was awesome. This is Gracies version of what happened last night.

"A train did hit a car and it did go right into the water. Crocodiles. Last night, hmmm..Ann-Marie going on a train. We did go'ded in the car and say bye-bye, and all those people were waiting to get on the train. The train Toductor (Conductor) said 'All aboard'. Monsters came in, girls were screaming. There was two werewolfs coming in and out and in."

Pretty much that is the evening in a nutshell according to a 2 year old. The train ride lasted for 35 minutes, the announcer was telling these stories the whole ride up and as he told them we would pass the people outside of the train. Then the train stopped and all these people dressed up as various things came on the train and terrorized/teased all of the kids on the train. Good times!