THE TYLER TIMES

This is a picture of my Cute little Grandma. It is a photo from a few years back, but every time I see it, i can’t help but crack up. She was miserable in that outfit. She was forced into it for a float in a parade, and she would be absolutely mortified if she knew I posted it for the world to see. I don’t care, I love it. A few weeks ago when Grandma took a turn for the worse. I was home visiting and we had to take her to the emergency room because of some complications. She was extremely uncomfortable, breaking out in a rash all over her body and swelling. It looked pretty bad. We were all so worried about her. After spending the weekend home, I had to return to my life Monday night. On Tuesday Morning, I called to ask my mom a question, and found Grandma had fallen and the ambulance was there loading her up right then. We found out that day she had broken her hip and she would have emergency surgery that evening. UGH! A broken hip?! It was our worst nightmare coming true. My Grandma is 92… she is no spring chicken!! We just didn’t know how she would fare through it all. It’s been almost 21 days, and is slowly recovering. She will be returning home next week in which she will require care 24/7. This is going to be a tremendous responsibility on my mom and her siblings. Grandma lives with Mom, so I don’t know how they’re going to work it out, but it’s going to be a long difficult road for all. I will be going home this weekend to help with Grandma. She’s so frail, and childlike now. Getting old is the pits.

On a lighter note, I know I’ve been terrible about blogging lately, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy!! Cub Scouts is always keeping me busy. I have to admit that my boys are adorable though, and they’re such good sports about everything. I can’t believe I’m admitting this, but sometimes I actually think I’m enjoying myself!

Ava has transitioned from sleeping in the carseat, to sleeping in her crib. She seems to enjoy being able to stretch and spread out, but sometimes I think she misses the cuddliness of the carseat. This girl is so dang cute, I love being her mom.

Chris went biking with his BFF awhile back. They had a good time, and Chris now has two annoying hobbies. Awesome.

I’ve also been extremely busy working on another ward party extravaganza. I didn’t get many photos of the actual party, but I think it turned out very well. It was an adults only dinner, and we wanted it to be a fun, kid free evening for everyone. We asked ladies to decorate the tables with whatever they had at home. It turned out soooo nice!! All the tables looked amazing, and although I’m not posting photos of all the tables, I was blown away by everyone’s creativity. It made the whole atmosphere fun and created alot of conversation! For food we had a huge Pasta Bar. A delicious White Alfredo Sauce, and I made the tomato marinara sauce. We had over 100 adults show up, so I had to make 6 crock pots of red sauce. Soo worth it though because it was delicious! Yummy breadsticks, and fresh salads on the side. THEN for dessert, Maryjane baked round assorted cakes to feed everyone! They were from scratch, and she and I sliced served the cakes wedding style to every single guest in the room. Yikes!! For entertainment we had Bro. Herasay do about 20 minutes of his stand up comedy. He had everyone laughing, and I got SOO many people saying…. “I’ve never been to a ward party where they had stand up comedy before!” Random? Yes. A good laugh, I think so. Everyone could tell he had a blast doing it, and he also was the host of our “Newly Wed, and NOT-so-Newlywed  game.” That was hilarious, and the contestants were such great sports! Everyone loves a couple that can truly laugh at themselves and do it in front of a crowd! THe night was a ridiculous amount of work, especially when it’s basically 3 women on the committee and all with new babies, but in the end it was totally worth it. Thanks to all who helped!!!!

We also had a surprise 30th Birthday for our Friend Eleisha. Seriously, she is probably the shyest person I know, so I knew she was going to hate all the attention. I think she did…. at first…. but then by the end, she had a great time. Matt showered her with tons of gifts, and it was obvious he put alot of thought in what she really likes. Soo…. great job!! Matt also unveiled the big kahuna gift. A trip to AUSTRALIA next month to see her friend!! Woo Hoo!!! Happy Birthday Eleisha!!!

It’s been a few weeks since I posted anything, so I figured I better get something up here. Life has been crazy. Ava is cute as heck, and growing more and more everyday. I love being home with her, and I’m lucky she’s such a good baby. Of course she has her moments of grumpiness…. but that usually only occurs when we’re out of the house. Unfortunately, I believe she has become the little Diva. She likes to eat only when she is totally comfortable, and there are no distractions around her. Apparently the world is a little too exciting, and she can’t focus on two things at once. Usually she can only be truly consoled by bouncing on the therapy ball, or sitting in our glider. She also loves bath time, and will sit in her little tub for as long as I will let her. It has now become a part of our nightly bedtime routine. Her formula change due to her milk allergy has gone very well. No awful rashes or irritation since, but it’s digested differently so it upsets her little tummy sometimes. Overall, she is progressing well, and living quite the life of luxury.

As for me, I am FINALLY beginning to feel good again. My excessive anxiety has started to diminish, and I am functioning much better. I can now relax, and simple tasks no longer cause me to have mini anxiety attacks. Ava is now waking up once at night to eat, and this is also attributing to my feeling better I believe. Her 2 month appointment showed her weighing a little over 9 pounds so she’s on the small side, but very healthy, so I’m looking forward to when she’s big enough to sleep through the night!

Chris and I are doing good. I feel like we’re now able to communicate again, and have moments of clarity. I still feel like Chris doesn’t really “get it”, and sometimes I really feel like he is living on a different planet or from a different universe or something. I talked about it with alot of my girlfriends, and they all agree and say the same things about their husbands so I think it’s pretty normal. I guess this is just part of the differences that separate men and women. I have to give Chris credit though, he is so cute with Ava, and she just thinks he is so great. She smiles at him, and cooes when he plays with her. It’s fun to watch them together.

Anyway, life does go on. I’m still trying to figure out this foreign thing called, “post pregnancy body”. Not too happy with it, and need to quit obsessing and start moving. I feel like every week gets easier and easier, and THANK GOODNESS for that!!! haha

Yesterday was Ava’s Baby Blessing. I don’t know, but I had been nervous about it, so when we finally did it… I was totally relieved! Chris did a fantastic job. Ava did good until the very end. The men were all saying how slippery her blessing dress was. Chris says that she started out in his hands, and by the end she had somehow managed to slither down the line and she was practically being held up by her feet…. that’s when they all said Ava started to cry. I would too!!! ANyway, we all had a good chuckle about it afterwards. Poor Chris by the end of the blesssing was so flustered his mind was totally blank by the end because of her slipping, squirming, and crying.

Some of the things Chris mentioned in his blessing were that Ava would have a love for Heavenly Father, that she would have a healthy body; and be strong in body and spirit. That she would have a desire to develop Christ-like attributes, and be a source of strength and an example to those around her. He blessed her that she would have a testimony and a testimony of the scriptures, and that she would seek to know and return to Heavenly Father and know His will. His last blessing was that she would enter the Lord’s house and be sealed for time and eternity to her family.

It was a really peaceful feeling, and I have to admit that I shed a few happy tears as I watched all the men in our family stand in a circle around our little girl. Listening to Chris give a blessing for the little girl he absolutely has fallen in love with. It was a special day for us.

All who attended: John, Shane, Maggie and Jeff, Anne, Emma, Belle, David, Mom, Mike, Vicki, Kelby, Karisa and Josh, and Kelby.

All who stood in the blessing circle: Chris, John, Jeff, Mike, and Josh.

After we had a luncheon with all the family that drove down to spend the afternoon with us. Thanks everyone for all your support to make this a really special day for our family!!!

On Saturday one of Chris’s little sisters Karisa, married her fiance Josh Christensen. We drove up early Saturday morning to make it to the ceremony. It was a huge crowd, and the ceremony was really pretty special.  There was a really peaceful feeling, and I hope that Karisa and Josh will even remember a little bit of advice the sealer gave. Everything that day was perfect. Vicki did a fantastic job pulling everything together, and I know that Karisa will always have wonderful memories of her special day.

Here are a few of the photos we walked away with that day…..

….waiting outside the temple for the happy couple to emerge….

After we left the temple to head to the luncheon, Chris and I decided to drive by our very first apartment since it was only a few blocks away. It was our very first place so there is a little nostalgia, but overall…. it is still the same gross apartment it was 8 years ago when we first moved in. The air conditioning didn’t work, the only heating source were the wall heaters that we had to make sure didn’t burst into flames in the middle of the night. The carpet was crunchy, and if you stepped out on the balcony…. you might fall through. Not exactly a dream home…. but when it’s about all you can afford…. it just doesn’t seem so bad…. sort-of….

That evening the reception was held, and it was really nice. The food was great, the music was great, and the company was great!

The Wedding Cake…

The Band…

And this is Ava’s reaction to the band….

It was a beautiful day for a beautiful couple…. and we wish them all the joy and happiness in their new life together!!! We love you Karisa and Josh!!

Chris and I met exactly 10 years ago in 2000, and here we are already at 2010. I love to relish in a few minutes of Flashbacks from the last decade. Here goes!!…..

The Nimmer’s hosted our Annual New Year’s Party. The food was great as usual, and it was the first party we’ve been to since Ava was born. Not as relaxing, and I think it will take a little getting used to…. but the Nimmer’s did a fantastic job hosting the party. We followed through with the annual tradition of the White Elephant gift exchange. Chris ended up with a crack pipe…. don’t ask…. and I ended up with a Hooters tshirt and measuring tape. Really high class stuff of course. I took a set of relationship help books from the 70’s and some Men’s Libido vitamins. Everyone always has a good laugh at these things. Thanks to all our our loved friends and family for a Fantastic Year, may next year prove to be as exciting as the last!

One year down…..

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

We also had breakfast at the Nelson’s house Christmas morning for those who weren’t visiting family. It was tons of fun, and the food was DELISH!!

For Christmas My mom painted a large canvas for Chris and I. We LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! She painted it about the time that I was ready to give birth to Ava, so it was a very happy and joyful time. That joy and time of celebration is definitely reflected in her art. We saw that the PERFECT place to hang it was above the crib of Ava’s room. I couldn’t imagine putting it anywhere else and I’m so happy thinking that Ava will always remember this painting that her Grandma created for her.

Thanks MOM!!! We LOVE it and appreciate your many talents!!! Love you!

This is my first attempt at making a video. I know it’s a little rough, but I’ve had my computer for about a year now, and I’m just now learning how to use it. So please bear with me as I piece everything together.

This video is of my pregnancy, and birth of our baby girl Ava. Don’t worry, there aren’t any gross pictures, just an excess of baby photos! haha

Christmas 2004

Wow, I can’t believe it, Chris and I have now officially been married a full 8 years now. It blows my mind to think that 8 years ago today, we were getting married in the temple, and beginning our lives together. Back then, things seemed so simple and laid out. Although we knew getting married was a huge step in our lives, and that it was also a tremendous responsibility to be so young and married, as scared as really we SHOULD have been…. we weren’t. I mean really, we were SOOO nieve…. but sometimes I think blind optimism works in your favor. From the very beginning, we had a plan, and we were going to stick to it.

Our Plan:

I was going to work as a pharmacy technician full time so that we could afford to live independently and pay our bills. Chris was in school full time and would be applying to pharmacy school. Upon acceptance we would move, and begin living the student life while postponing children until after graduation. We already knew at that point we were not cut out for parenthood quite yet with the rigorous schedule of pharmacy school.

As a couple, those first few years we were learning and growing so much that I’m grateful we postponed starting a family. Being married to a pharmacy school student proved to be challenging for me as a wife. There were many weeks that I felt so depressed. I was killing myself working jobs that sucked the life out of me, and then feeling lonely at home because Chris was so consumed with his school work. Luckily I had the perspective to know that it would only be temporary, and life at some point would resume. Chris on the other hand, spent hour upon hour studying for those dreaded 2 week exams. For 3 years we lived our lives in 2 week intervals. There would be days when Chris would go to school early in the morning, and upon returning home, would immediately begin studying until midnight and even later. There were especially crucial tests that I remember him staying up all night to cram for. Somewhere between the madness we purchased our very first home. That was so exciting. I couldn’t believe that someone actually gave us a loan to own property. It felt like such a grown up thing to do, and we could hardly imagine that it was ours!!! We also adopted 2 puppies… that was REALLY the beginning of our family. Man we love those dogs, and still reminisce about some of their early antics.

By the time Graduation came, we had matured so much as a couple. We had really perfected our working relationship, and had fine tuned the elements of compromise and sacrifice. Granted, of course we spoiled ourselves a little along the way, but we also made some major sacrifices too.  The next couple years would prove to be some of our best. Although we were never quite able to rid ourselves of the workaholic habits, we started to have a little fun and live in the world again. We finally made friends that we really liked, purchased our second home that we LOVE LOVE LOVE, worked and eventually opened our own pharmacy. I was working a job that I wasn’t qualified for but loved it, and they even paid me well! For the most part, we had miraculously stuck to the meat of our “life plan”, and we are happy where we ended up. The challenges along the way have only strengthened us, and helped us built a foundation that I know will prove to solidify our family in the approaching years.

And finally, to be sitting here after all that….. that blurry 8 years of love, work, sacrifice, and strength….. we have a little baby girl. This new chapter of our marriage has proved to be the most life changing, challenging, and by far the most exciting.  At almost 6 weeks, I can honestly say I am getting a handle on her. I actually feel like the easiest part of being a mom is taking care of her. The most difficult has been learning to juggle the rest of life WITH that little girl. I’m not always exactly sure where she fits in, and how to readjust from how we USED to do things, to how we do things NOW. I’m sure that will come with experience, but what a blessing she has been to us.

I guess we can pat ourselves on the back that we’ve made it this far. Eight years really is a long time, especially when you’re only 28. It really is something to be proud of, and especially when you can still say that you’re happily married. We are so lucky to be married to each other’s best friend. It’s funny because honestly, we really didn’t bother making friends until about 4 years ago. We didn’t need to…. we had each other, and that was always enough for us.  Now, it’s still us plus 2 dogs and a baby.

Happy Anniversary, I love you!!!