Felix Family

FUNNEST SUMMER EVER!

2011-08-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

I think all of us are guilty of getting too comfortable and complacent in our present situation at times. We start getting used to our personal routines, responsibilities, jobs, and whatever else we are consumed with in life. A problem that can occur is that we stop pushing ourselves to do more and we can forget about those things that we love doing.

I think mothers, especially, can get caught in this trap. They have so many responsibilities and spend so much time doing things for others that they can forget about themselves. This can be admirable at times, but mothers (fathers, students, teachers, etc.) must not forget the things they need in their life to make them happy.

To be honest, Ethan and I reached a point where we forgot how to get out and have fun together. Like REALLY HAVE FUN :-) Trust me, we have gone on lots of dates and have had a good time but it was usually in a 20mile radius. You know how it is with a child- you aren't able to go out alone without finding a babysitter and sometimes they're hard to come by. It's like we kind of accepted the fact that we were stuck at home and couldn't get out.

FALSE!

This summer has proven that to be a false statement. We most definitely are NOT stuck at home with a child and we most definitely CAN do a lot of things with/without Wyatt! We have done so many fun and adventurous things this summer and it has made us SO HAPPY! We found ourselves doing activities we did when we were dating and it was a blast. Similarly, the two of us have been able to do things by ourselves with some of our personal friends and that has made a huge difference as well.

I think I have smiled and laughed more this summer than the past two combined! (School was probably a huge factor in this too. This is the first summer the two of us haven't had to worry about school). Either way, this summer has been the FUNNEST SUMMER EVER!

Here's some of the things we/I/Ethan did:

BRIDGE JUMPING

I did a lot of things with my girlfriends this summer & it helped me release a lot of my cooped up energy! One of the things we did was go bridge jumping and it was sweet. I haven't gone bridge jumping for a few years now so it was a thrill!

Random Games & Girl Time:

This is at Smith Park- I have made many visits to Smith Park for free lunches, basketball games on the asphalt, visiting with friends, and doing random stick poles this summer haha. Ethan let me have a lot of girl time and I am so thankful for it. I was able to do some pretty spontaneous things and it has recharged my energy and need to HAVE FUN! All these fun times have done so much for me. After all, I'm still only 23 yrs. old.
(A HUGE THANKS TO ALL MY SINGLE LADIES)

White Water Rafting:

Although Ethan was outnumbered by women on this trip, we had a BLAST! Even despite the fact that I almost died in the water. (A slight exaggeration, but I really did get thrown out of the raft and went under the water about 3 times before I was pulled back into the raft.) This was probably the most thrilling thing we did this summer; thanks to Chalyse and her Dad :)

Rexburg Rapids:

We have spent a lot of time in the water this year and Wyatt is really starting to like it. Our Dad treated the whole family to a day at Rexburg Rapids and it was a lot of fun. Ethan LOVED taking Wyatt around the park and on the tube. They really are becoming such good friends and I thoroughly enjoy watching them spend time together.

SPLASH PARK:

I go to Porter Park AT LEAST once a day but usually two times a day. I love it because Wyatt loves it. He can just run free and play on the playground, draw on the sidewalk with chalk, or play in the water when he gets hot. This is "Wyatt's time" during the day. He loves the water.

DANCE FESTIVAL PARADE:

We've gone to a lot of activities put on by the town. One of which is the farmer's market, and we go there every Friday together. At this parade, however, it rained HARD and it was cut short, but we still had a great time.

MIDNIGHT FUN:

We rode Segways for the first time together! Ohhhhhh man this was fun! Ethan and his friend even went through the Taco Bell drive through with these things. So funny. We've definitely become more closely related to night owls this summer.

5 YEAR REUNION:

I got to plan my High School reunion with some of my long lost friends. This was a treat. The actual reunion turned out to be a success after a lot of hard work, and it was so fun to see my classmates again and talk about what they are accomplishing in life.
(Kaylie Walker, Ashley Siddoway, Me, Kim Dangerfield)

PETTING/PLAYING w/ ANIMALS:

This particular picture was taken at our county fair. Wyatt freaked out when he saw all the animals :) He got to pet a cow, rabbit, horse, sheep, duck, and a chicken. Wyatt and I have also spent a lot of time at the Nature Park feeding the ducks our moldy bread Ha-ha. Wyatt even rode a horse for the first time this year. Way to go lil' buckaroo!

CAMPING:

We've made it a tradition to go camping at least once every summer as a family. We look forward to this every year and this time did not disappoint.

ROCK CLIMBING:

This was Ethan's adventure this summer. He has never been rock climbing before, let alone repelling off a cliff. He went with the guys. He said at the top of the cliff when he was getting ready to repel downward, his leg was shaking uncontrollably. He was so scared but when he came home and told me all about it, he said that everyone called him a pro. Way to go babe.

TUCKERED OUT:

This is just a representation of how much playing we've done this summer. Both Ethan and I have joined Wyatt for his daily nap because we, too, needed a nap.

Trips to the Temple:

This summer we've gone to the temple a lot and Ethan has also brought his camera to take INCREDIBLE pictures of the temple. I love the temple.

OREGON TRIP:

We just randomly decided to pack up our bags and head to Oregon for a week with our friends, Tyler & Jamie! We are so glad we went because we had a ball. We went hiking & tubing, ate delicious food, watched a few movies in their amazing theater room, and Ethan even got to fly a helicopter! WOWZERS.

WATER PARKS & REUNIONS:
Luckily, we were able to make it to all of our family reunions this time. Of course, we ended up playing a lot of games (minute to win it, human checkers, fishing, scavenger hunts, fireworks etc.) and of course, ate a lot of delicious food. This picture is of us at Siera Pool down in Utah and Tanner, Mom, Dad, and I had a one length race to the other side. Tanner beat us all . . . even the champion swimmer, Jill. (We know you were going easy on us Mom)

"FSHHHHH!"
We named our fish, Voldemort.
I die every time I say, "Ethan, it's time to feed you-know-who." HA!
I bought this fish because Wyatt's two favorite movies right now are "Nemo" and "Shark Tales." Plus, all of his bath toys are underwater creatures, so he's kind of into the whole aqua family these days. I was so gitty and excited to surprise Wyatt with his little Beta fish. I got the same thrill I used to get when I went doorbell ditching. You know, when you ring the doorbell and leap off the porch to run behind the bushes. . . and then you wait for the family to open their door. Well, the waiting behind the bush was the same feeling I had as a watched Wyatt walk into the kitchen only to find a REAL FISH swimming around!

He totally freaked out with joy! It made me so happy :) He could not stop looking at it. This was the best $4.00 I've spent in a long time.

FLOWERS & THE OUTDOORS:
I am seriously so sorry for all these yellow balled flowers that Wyatt has plucked from my parents front yard. He just can't help it (ha-ha) they look like bright yellow balls and they are right at his reach! This is actually something we're working on with him because every flower or weed that he sees and likes, he has to go pluck it. Weeds=fine, but flowers=not ok. I've sure enjoyed these moments when he runs up to give me a pretty flower though :)

CHALK:
Ok, Wyatt has this thing for drawing on himself when he picks up chalk. He also loves to draw on other people's faces, so be ye warned! (Thanks to you-know-who...no, not Voldemort our fish, but the other you-know-who, you know who you are HA) Chalk really is the coolest thing though. I wish I would have invented it so I could have millions to spend right now.

Truth is, I've really enjoyed drawing on the sidewalks with chalk too. My favorite thing to do lately is to draw a huge, silly looking face on the walking path at Porter Park and then sit back on the tables or grass 30 ft. away and watch people's reactions while listening to their comments. I laugh so hard. One little kid said, "Woah! Look at that guy. He's cool!" Then his friend said, "Dude watch out! You're stepping on his face." Hahaha One of my favorites is when I drew a bicycle on the path and underneath it I spelled, "SLOW DOWN" in BOLD print. Every biker that rode over it ended up reading it and literally SLOWED DOWN! Hahaha so funny! Now you know what I do to entertain myself. Maybe next time I'll write "Scream if you're happy" and see how many people really do it. (Hee-Hee)

BBG KING:
Hello stud muffin.
Look at that cutesie dutesie apron Eth is wearing. Every time he wears it, someone makes a comment without fail. We have been hosts of many BBQ's this summer because we enjoy throwing get togethers. We've enjoyed having family & friends over to our humble abode to eat some good food. I love how food brings people together.

WATERFALL:
This was our latest venture into the mountains last weekend. Now when the weekends come around, instead of instinctively going to red box and staying at home... we do things like this :)

I know this is a long post but trust me, I could've put a lot more pictures on here. This summer has been marked as one of the funnest summers I've had in my life so far and it is one that's going to be hard to forget. I love making memories :)

Gone Campin'

2011-08-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

We've decided that camping is going to be one of our family activities. Every family has their specific hobbies they do for fun--my family was in to music, Ethan's was in to hunting and ranching--but the Felix's will be

CAMPERS!

This year we took another couple with us, Justin & Hayley Marshall, and they introduced Kelly Canyon Campground to us. It was fun traveling to a new area we had never been to before since we usually go to the same spot every year (haha). The spot we picked was perfect.

I think Ethan and I could be very happy living in the outdoors together.

Can you guess what I asked Wyatt to do?

Yes, I asked him to smile and say "cheese" and he gave me his classic look

He LOVED sitting in these camp chairs.

Our two crazy friends from TEXAS. I think we can all expect nothing but craziness from Texans. These two are a hoot together and we laughed our heads off with them around the camp fire after Wyatt zonked out.

Great people. Great friends.

Everywhere we go, Wyatt has to find a flower or weed and PICK IT.

(Sorry that half your ball-like, bright yellow flowers are gone from your garden Mom & Dad . . .

it was you know who.)

I turned around after scavenging wood and this is what I saw.

HOLY CUTENESS!

Wyatt totally felt like he was helping Ethan cut the wood and Ethan was as thrilled as Wyatt was. I love these moments.

Dun, dun, dun! Little Wyatt was caught creeping amongst the rocks in attempt to sneak up on his mother who he THOUHT was still sleeping. To his dismay, mother startled him when she jolted up and tried to grab him through the tent. The poor little guy jumped off his feet and ran off. HA!

I concur. You HAVE to take us camping again sweetheart.

Call me, "COACH"

2011-07-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

There are a few specific things I've wanted to do while attending BYU-Idaho, so I created a little bucket list for myself while I was a freshman. Here are some of the things I wanted to accomplish or do while being a student here:

*Be an EFY counselor
*Get a boyfriend :)
*Experience my first kiss
*Take on a high church calling
*Move out with random roommates
*Go on a cruise with all girls
*Give tours of campus
*Be in a class with Aubrey
*Attend cool concerts and plays
*Become a teacher
*Take on leadership opportunities
*Make the Symphony Orchestra
*Befriend someone seriously in need
*Participate in sports on the competitive league
*Go on lots of fun and crazy dates
*Get married in the temple
*Take a religion class from Dad
*Learn how to take tests
*Graduate with a grade point average higher than a 3.5
*Take a cooking class
*Be an I-team leader
*GRADUATE WITH A BACHELOR'S DEGREE
and
BE THE HEAD COACH OF A GIRLS COMPETITIVE B-BALL TEAM

I've successfully accomplished the majority of this list so far and only have a few more to check off my list. I didn't know if I'd ever make this dream come true to be a head coach or not, but I made it happen! I knew it was a unique opportunity for me to be a head coach here on campus because we are a church school. I knew this experience would enrich me socially, physically, mentally, emotionally, and most importantly, spiritually. Plus, I didn't have to worry about getting fired if I did a bad job or not! That's the greatest part about this university . . . it's a training ground. BYU-Idaho provides so many opportunities for us students to learn and take on leadership positions. All I had to do was sign up for the job :-)

Of course, I couldn't have done this alone, so I asked Ethan, Chalyse, and Staci if they would be on board with me to do the job. All three of them agreed- YES! So this is how it went for the season:

HEAD COACH
Ashley
ASST. COACH
Chalyse
ASST. COACH
Staci
BABYSITTER :)
Ethan

(Chalyse, Me, Staci)
Oh I love these girls! It was so fun being able to coach and be around my two great friends again. Both Chalyse and Staci helped me so much throughout the season and they gave me the support I needed to make this experience a success. We had a lot of fun together--THANKS GUYS!

LADY BRUINS
These are the amazing girls I got to coach:
Back Row: Me, April, Myra, Shandy, Sam, Jacquie, Staci, Chalyse
Front Row: Annalise, Annie, Kenzie, Maddie, Shantell H, Shantel T.

You can just tell from the smiles on their faces and the looks in their eyes that they are all good girls. I couldn't have been blessed with a greater group of girls to coach. With all their different personalities and examples, they ended up teaching me a lot throughout the season.

Before the season even officially started and before I knew who my group of girls was going to be, my mind started going crazy with ideas. I was thinking about practices, drills, team bonding activities, spiritual thoughts, plays, rules, expectations, and everything! I was losing sleep already! After thinking long and hard, I finally decided that my main goal for the season, no matter who was put on my team, was to teach the reality and significance of exemplifying Christ in all that we do--even in a game of Basketball. Sounds crazy and dumb for a basketball team? Ya, sure, some people might think so, but they can think what they want. God should be the main focus in everything that we do.

This is why I chose this for my personal goal as a coach. I wanted to help them understand this. Too often we get caught up in the things of the world and with athletes especially, sometimes they/we get so caught up in the game and winning that we don't remember what's truly important.

"True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior."
Boyd K. Packer

All I wanted to do was to help them UNDERSTAND as best as I could. I knew that if I could do that, and even help just ONE of them understand this about exemplifying Christ in basketball, I knew that they would change their own attitudes and behaviors for the better. I knew the spirit would then do the teaching for me.
Some other things that were neat about this experience is that we were to focus on our weaknesses and expose them to one another. I've discovered that there is great wisdom in doing this. This is the only way we can become better people; no matter how hard it may be at times. So to help accomplish this goal I decided to have the girls each keep a personal journal for themselves. They brought them to every practice, they wrote daily goals each day, they sometimes answered specific questions that we asked them to think about, and they wrote periodic reflections as well. At the end of two weeks, we would gather their journals and read them.

This was probably my favorite part of the whole experience because of a few things A) It allowed me to get to know them better as individuals and players, B) It provided a time for them to ponder and think about themselves and to write those thoughts down, C) It allowed us coaches to help expose their weaknesses to them and provide suggestions on how to make them strengths, and D) we were able to give them compliments and praise on what they were doing well. I truly believe that through using these journals during the season (along with some other things), we were able to be taught by the spirit more and we became more united as a team. This is why our team got so much more out of the season compared to some of the other teams in the league. We grew a lot as players and individuals.

It's interesting that most of the things I learned throughout this experience have very little to do with actually playing Basketball. Don't get me wrong, I did learn a great deal about coaching, motivating, planning, subbing, plays, drills, teaching, explaining, and more, but these other lessons I've learned are the things that have made me grow most from this experience.

A few of the things that really stood out to me were these:
1) Coaching is harder than it looks and seems. Even though the game comes naturally to me, coaching wasn't so easy. I didn't sleep well most nights because I was too busy thinking about the girls and the plays and the other teams and what else I needed to do for them etc... It definitely takes practice and dedication to do a good job.

2) To be a true leader, you must lead by example. When you're in a leadership position, you can have a great influence on those you are over. You can set the mood, you can help change attitudes, and you can take time for teaching moments. "Teachers can tell but cannot teach, until they practice what they preach."

3) Spiritual needs first: I've realized that when I put CHRIST first in everything I do, he blesses me and helps me achieve the desires of my heart.

4) Motives: have you ever thought about what your motives are before doing something? Have you ever stopped to think, "What is my motivation for doing this?" Most people, probably don't, but the next time you decide to do something you should try it. I've found that if I think about WHY I am doing something before I do it, I discover if I'm doing it for the right reason or the wrong reason. It keeps me humble and on the right track.

5) Being an instrument: I know the Lord uses us to be His instruments in this life. He can best use us when we have prepared ourselves and are living righteously. He puts people in our path throughout life when we need to learn something or when we need lifting. For some special reason, these specific girls were all put together on the same team--and it wasn't just a coincidence.

6) Effort in = Effort out: as a coach, I noticed that when I gave my full effort and all the energy i possessed into coaching, I learned a great deal more and was more successful with the girls. The few times that I did not plan out a practice schedule or when I forgot to a personal prayer beforehand, things didn't run as smoothly and we didn't get as much out of it as we could. I could see, firsthand, that the girls who tried as hard as they could to be a leader, write in their journals, practice B-ball skills, and to make it a good experience, were those who got the most out of the season.

7) Helping others: I can see now, why coaches have assistants. I could NOT have done this job alone and been as successful with it. We need to realize when we need help. I also couldn't have done it without the help of Ethan. Ethan agreed to help me out because he knew how badly I wanted to do this. He sacrificed a lot of his time so that I could do this and I am so grateful for his support throughout the season. (With this, I realized that if I am to do this in the future, I'm going to have to decide if coaching is worth being away from my family so much.)

8) The power of LOVE: I just keep realizing more and more that Love is the most powerful force on earth! Love makes us do incredible things; love makes us happy; love makes us act differently; love makes us strong etc. When I came to love and care about these girls and when I tried to show that to them, I noticed that they did it back to me.

I know a lot of these things I learned seem random and totally not connected to Basketball, but that's what makes it so neat. I didn't expect to get these things from the season, but I'm so grateful I did. Being a coach has taught me so much about myself and about how I can help others.

I had a blast dressing up for our games and trying to give pump up speeches (haha), I enjoyed the stress that came with figuring out who to sub & when to sub, I learned how to cope with bad sleep at nights, I enjoyed preparing for practices and games, I looked forward to our spiritual thoughts before practices and the discussions that followed, and I LOVED getting to know each of the players. I've really come to love these girls and I'm actually quite sad that the season is over and we are all going our separate ways. I'm grateful that they were in my life this short period of time and for how they have helped me and made me happy :) This has been a highlight of my BYU-Idaho experience and I will never forget it.

Wyoming on the 4th!

2011-07-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

What do you do in Wyoming?

Well, let me show you....

Please notice the gorgeous background which just so happens to be the backyard Ethan grew up in. The whole time we were in Star Valley I just felt so free and relaxed! It's quiet and peaceful everywhere; I love it.

We enjoyed the outdoors!

Yes, and of course the GUNS. The guys had to go have their manly-man time together "shootin' them guns ups on the ranch."

OF COURSE WYATT... thanks again for such a lovely version of "cheese!"

There were lots of grandchildren running around getting wet from the hose and muddy from the dirt, yet look at this face. . . Wyatt loved it!

There were lots of cowboy boots and cowboy hats of all different shapes, sizes, and colors :) When you're a male on the ranch, you gotta have a good lookin' pair of boots with a hat to top it off.

Wyatt stole Papa's hat for a while and we HAD to take a million pictures of him with it on, of course. SO CUTE!

Fortunately for me, since Ethan enjoys our camera so much, I get to be in a lot of the pictures now! Most of the time it's the opposite way around but I'm loving how I get to be seen in the action with Wyatt. I want my little boy to know that I bathed him most the time, that I dressed him every morning, that I ran around in the dirt with him, and that I made him laugh hard. He'll be more likely to believe me if there are pictures to show him :) Great picture taking babe. Mmmmmwa!

Ahhhhhh, here's my boys. The handsomest boys I've ever seen and they're all MINE! These two spent a lot of time together this weekend and it was really fun to watch the two of them. Wyatt learns a lot from his Daddy :)

If Ethan could do this every day, he'd be in heaven. I love seeing Ethan like this because HE loves it so much. It's always fun when we get to go to Wyoming because we get to do all of THIS

TO BE CONTINUED...........

Wyoming on the 4th!

2011-07-07T21:02:00.000-07:00

We ended up doing so much for the 4th of July and all of it was so fun!

We finally took family pictures with Ethan's family and I think they will turn out so cute. (I'll post the HUGE family pic of all of us when they get developed)

Unfortunately, one of the children in the clan would not stop crying the ENTIRE time throughout the picture taking process . . . ugh, so annoying. What's worse--it was our little guy. HA! I tried so hard to sing in his ear, tickle his underarms, bounce up and down, and even promised him gum when we got to the house, and nothing would work. I guess there's no match for fatigue and hunger. I know when the pictures come back, Ethan and I will just start laughing at the site of our screaming child amidst all the oth

er smiling faces. Can't wait :-)

Eth caught a great shot of his beautiful sisters--I love these girls.

(Hannah, Melissa, Mamma Jan, Marie, Michelle)

I absolutely LOVE these pictures of the little boys and the men in Wyoming. No doubt these little tykes will later end up like their Daddy's someday :)

There's something about seeing these men on horses walking up the dirt road that makes me happy. Seeing a Father with his sons doing something that they all love is so great to me. I guess I just love seeing men do manly things together and spending quality time together.

What a neat picture--thank you for posing horsies.

(Ethan, Pappa Hyde, Cody)

Can't be a Wyoming experience without a little bit of four-wheelin' and razor ridin'! Michelle let her little kid excitement out when she drove this thing haha- so funny!

And of course the horse riding for the little kids. It was fun watching Wyatt get wide eyes as the horses orbs made contact with his. He wouldn't stop making his hilarious horse noises every time we saw one :) Man, horses are beautiful animals aren't they?

The funniest part is that Wyatt didn't especially like riding on the horse. He only went around the circle twice and that was good enough for him. It still made for a great picture though!

This is Ethan's eldest brother, Justin, holding the newest addition to our Hyde family--his son

FIREWORKS!

Out in the cold :)

This is the first time I've celebrated the 4th of July with Eth's family, and I must say I was impressed with their firework fun! They actually got some of the HUGE fireworks to shoot off so it was really cool. We had a lot of fun as you can see.

Okay, but I HAVE to share the funny thing that happened.... So some of the guys were in the field lighting all the fireworks. All was going well and there were some very large fireworks in a row, and then all of a sudden there was a break in the

action. (After one firework malfunctioned and headed straight for the house, and one landed 30 ft. away from Ethan's face haha!) From the field we heard, "Don't worry! We got one more firework, we just can't light it."

So they moved behind us onto the road and all of us were sitting with anticipation for the grand finale firework.... we're all staring at the dark sky, waiting..... waiting....... waiting....... and then there it was! Hahhahahahha I don't even know how to describe it. It sloppily shot into the sky, leaving a trail of squiggly orange sparks, and when it reached its highest point, there was a little POOF, and like three small streams of red and white dropped down from the sky and disappeared in like .2 WE LAUGHED SO HARD! I

t was the most pathetic firework to end on haha. Ethan and I were dying.

POND FISHING

This was so much fun! We had like 4 tiny fishing poles for kids that we used to fish in this pond. All the little kids took a turn, with their parents help, and ALL OF THEM CAUGHT ONE! It was so cute to watch them catch the fish and then scream with delight. All of us cheered really loud when each kid caught one-it was exciting for them.

So cute :)

Eth was so happy that he and Wyatt caught one together-- WYATT'S FIRST FISH!

Wyatt was so excited about the "FSHH" in the water, but didn't really know what to do when it was out of the water haha.

This was such a fun activity to do with the kids and it definitely turned out to be a success! That night we fried up all the fish and ate em' too. That's how you do it up at the ranch.

Ok........... I CAUGHT ONE TOO! I was just as thrilled as the kids were! I've only gone fishing a few times in my life and the last time I went I was very young, so this was a big deal for me. I got so excited when I felt a little tug on the fishing pole- I said, "Effie I got one!" just like a little kid. It was also quite funny trying to reel the crap out of that tiny fishing pole to get my fish in haha. This catch just made my day.

Don't worry, we measured each fish to find out who caught the biggest one. I was almost positive that I had caught the winning fish, only to find out that I got beat by my two year old niece hee-hee. How appropriate.

I always love getting together with family for holidays; especially the 4th of July. I love getting into my patriotic spirit and I really get emotional every year when I think about it. I love singing the songs about our country and I realize how blessed I am to live here in America. It was a wonderful weekend full of family and love. That's what it's all about.

WHAT AN AWESOME 4TH OF JULY!

Man, I love Wyoming.

This is what I get...

2011-06-16T08:43:00.000-07:00

I keep trying over and over to get a good picture of Wyatt smiling for the camera, and this is what I get every time...

Where in the world did he get this from?

PLEASE WYATT- CAN YOU JUST SMILE NORMAL FOR ME ONCE :)

BEACH

2011-06-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

CALIFORNIA PAR-TAY!

2011-06-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

"Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to Ashley, Happy Birthday to me!"

Yes, I took the liberty of buying myself a plane ticket to go to Cali. This was the best decision I ever made :) I got some scholarship money as a reward for my good grades at BYU-I and decided that for once in my life, I was going to treat myself to something big and fun! SO I DID.

This is worth reading-

Getting myself to California with an 18 month old did prove to be somewhat difficult though because of the following:
1) I had a lot to carry and a lot of energy to control
2) I didn't know that I had to have Wyatt's actual birth certificate with me in order to prove his age, so I had to wait at the desk while Ethan tried to send a fax.
3) In the meantime, (while the flight lady was taking care of the other passengers and while I had to wait there until I could get my ticket) Wyatt decided to take a large, runny, odorous poop. I was holding him at the time and discovered later that the poop had leaked out of his diaper and on to my jacket and arm--lovely. My arm smelled like smeared poop.
4) Because he was poopy, but I couldn't change him until I got past the gates to the bathroom, all these little kids around us were plugging their noses and whining, "Ewwww Daddy. . . something stinks!"
5) The flight lady tells me that I cannot use his immunization record as proof of age and that I must indeed buy him a ticket. I started to cry.
6) I had to buy a ticket for $100.00 (We don't HAVE $100 to pop out like that)
7) All the people behind me were concerned for me because I was in tears but they were also somewhat anxious for me to hurry it up so they wouldn't miss their flight.
8) When I was finally able to change Wyatt's diaper in the bathroom, the intercom chimed in, "Attention all passengers traveling to Long beach, California.... we are now beginning the boarding process. We will start with priority boarding for all those in a wheelchair and for those who have small children. Please come to the gate immediately." All I could do was roll my eyes and say, "Welp, that would be us Wyatt." (I still hadn't gone through the security yet)
9) Security: Wyatt was screaming the whole time, my jacket smelled like poop, I didn't have my liquids in baggies so they got annoyed with me, they had to do a special test on his water bottle which took a long time, and I had sweat rings already because of all the stress that was consuming my body.
10) I make it to the gate (I was almost the last person to board) and I got a good seat but then Wyatt wasn't feeling good. He was whining and flopping around all over the place. Luckily, he did sleep the entire flight though.
11) All I wanted on the flight at that point was a nice refreshing drink . . . oh, oooops, allegiant air doesn't provide complimentary drinks. Perfect.

That was the end of my nightmare. I was so happy to see Aubrey's smiling face as she pulled up to the airport to pick me up. I was tired, frustrated, and just needed someone to cheer me up. After telling her the story, I was able to laugh about it and move on. That was quite the ordeal.

Once I made it to Aubrey's apartment complex, I was able to do this.......

We went to the pool twice while I was there and we had a great time. It felt so great to have the sun's rays sink into my skin. I could feel my tan getting on haha.

I thought Wyatt would be stoked to get in the pool and float around, but it ended up being the complete opposite! He didn't want to step foot in the water. It took me about 20 min of coaxing and gentle enticing to get him to step in the water. The only reason he ended up getting in was because of this boat floaty thingy. Even then, he was a bit skeptical about the whole thing.

Ahhhhh, it's so nice going to the pool :)

Jay and Wyatt actually warmed up to each other quite fast and they had a blast playing together. Of course there were moments when there was biting, hitting, pushing, screaming in each other's faces, stepping on each other, stealing toys, and much more, but altogether, I think they liked each other. Look, they even had matching pajamas!

This little pumpkin is one of the main reasons why I decided to fly to California. She is already 6 months old and I had never seen her before--I really wanted to see the darling little thing. Kate is a doll and she is such a good baby! I was surprised at how well she acted and how she was able to entertain herself all the time. She would smile at the simplest things too.

One of the cutest things ever was to see Jay make Kate laugh and giggle. He didn't have to do much to get her to respond with giggles. It was SO CUTE!

Brett was very busy with school and work, but I'm so glad he got to come hang out with us a few times during the trip. He's a great Daddy. In this pic we went to a little park area and ate dinner. Aub and I got free meals at Chick Filet because we are both mothers and that was their little deal for the weekend. We felt so cool.

Okay, this picture says it all right here. I made so many wonderful memories with Aubrey and her family this trip. At one point in Disneyland, I was even brought to tears I was so happy. I'm not joking either, and NO I am not pregnant! I seriously cried because I was overwhelmed with happiness while in Disneyland. I guess it truly is the "happiest place on earth".

I'm so glad we went to
DISNEYLAND!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS PLACE. I feel so magical and happy whenever I go there. It's like all your worries fade away and disappear while you're in there. I love how it's tailored to children and to the little things that make us happy in life.

See! Look at how happy this tiny little Mickey Mouse sucker made them! Both Jay and Wyatt loved everything about the park. Aubrey and I had a lot of laughs as well. It was definitely one of the longest days I've had in a long time but it was so worth it. All the kids zonked out in the middle of the day and Aubrey and I were able to relax and visit while walking around together.

Things I'll remember about this Disneyland trip:
*Jay threw up as soon as we walked through the doors to downtown Disney
* I started crying during the Mickey Mouse show for the kids (ages 4 and under)
* Aubrey was so intense at shooting the targets in the Buzz Lightyear ride! (She smoked me by like 1,000 points!
* EVERYONE & THEIR DOG would stare at Aubrey and her kids as we walked by. NOBODY thought to look at me or Wyatt . . . nope, everyone stared and smiled at Aubrey and her kids. It was a little disturbing, but we all know how gorgeous Aubrey is so it's no wonder why they did.
* The ghetto caterpillar ride that lasted .2 seconds--Wyatt didn't even like it hahahaha
* Waiting for 30-40min just to see Mickey Mouse in his house. Wyatt was SO EXCITED!
* Jay went potty in the middle of Disneyland and the toilet was right around the corner
* Walking around at night trying to find some sort of treat in Disneyland when we were dead tired. We spent 30min walking around and never ended up getting anything ha.

*MY FAVORITE: World of Color Show*

Aubrey & I dropped the kids off at home and ate dinner, then turned around and went right back into Disneyland to try and catch the new light show they've created this year called, "World of Color".

We arrived and parked the car with only like 7min to spare until the show started. We were both so tired from walking around all day, but Aubrey was exhausted and her legs were killing her. I said, "Let's run Aub!" She protested and tried to hold me back but she eventually gave in. WE STARTED RUNNING THROUGH DISNEYLAND DODGING ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WERE COMING AT US.

When I was behind Aubrey I was laughing so hard because of how funny she looked! Here we were, two young mothers, in flip-flops, running through Disneyland to try and catch the show. Hahahaha I couldn't stop laughing at Aubrey and I. I was having so much fun. We had to run, then stop, then run, then stop, over and over again because we both had side aches haha.

We made it to the gate and continued to run to the area where the show was at. We made it just in time. The only problem is that there was no room to sit anywhere. We had to squeeze ourselves into this tiny area. We noticed a sign that said, "Wet Zone" and we both decided it was probably just the mist that would get us so we stayed put.

The show started and it was AWESOME! Aubrey was so happy because I was so happy to be there and so was everyone else around us. After about 5 min of normal showcasing, we then understood why it was marked "wet zone". It started out with mist, as we suspected, but then it got heavier and heavier. Mist turned to droplets.... droplets turned to rain...... and rain turned into constant gushing HA!

We were both getting drenched with water and we had goosebumps all over our bodies from the chilly air. We couldn't stop looking at each other and laughing our heads off! Our hair was beginning to stick to our foreheads, our mascara was smearing, our clothes were soaking wet and the show was still going. There was nowhere we could go, and nobody to hide behind. It looked as if we had hopped out of the shower. I was laughing so hard. I couldn't stop thinking about how much fun I was having that very moment with Aubrey. Us two sisters getting drenched together- priceless.

When the show was over our arms were slippery from the water and we had to do a little waddle because it felt like we had peed our pants. That's also when our aching muscles began to throb. Aubrey could hardly walk and kept saying, "Oh my gosh, I can't move," and then we would both start laughing again. Anyway, I could go on and on, but what a fun night that was!

THE BEACH!

(I took this lovely picture, Thank you very much :)

The beach was also a blast except for the fact that Jay pooped his pants and Aub had to throw away his underwear. Oh, and that Wyatt would not take a good picture with me. So Jay got to wear his sweatshirt/jacket as pants to keep him warm- it looked so funny.

Aubrey and I watched the dumbest show ever while we were there. There were these guys that said they were dancers and stuff but they did hardly any dancing. They just entertained and made people laugh. It was the biggest waste of time, but we laughed about it after.

Aubrey is usually never caught in the action on camera when she's doing all her loving motherly actions of love. I captured quite a few while I was there though. I know how that goes being the mommy. Ethan is in all sorts of pictures with Wyatt while they play with toys, take a bath, and go to bed, but I'm hardly ever in them because I'm the one taking the pictures!

What a cute family :) We celebrated Mother's Day together and it was a great day. Aubrey is an amazing mother.

Thanks to Brett for having this ready for us when we woke up :)
So thoughtful.....

I'm so glad that I treated myself to go on this week-long trip and it was very much needed. I had so much fun while I was there. I loved the weather especially. Thanks sis for being such a great hostess and for playing with me--it is a vacation I will not likely forget.

Snow without FAIL

2011-06-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

Every single year on the morning of April 29th, I slither out of bed with an anxious heart, hoping to find bright, sunshine rays shooting from the sky. . . and every year I have woken up to this:

S
S--N--O--W

Talk about ho-ho-ho-rrible timing. I really thought that this was the year I was going to get my good weather wish, but who am I kidding? It's Rexburg we're talking about here. Despite this minor disappointment, my day still turned out to be wonderful.

My family decided to take me out to breakfast since this was the only time we could really get together with all of our crazy schedules, so we went to the cute diner place out past Wal-mart. The food was actually really good! My mom gave me a basket of goodies and dear uncle Tanner surprised Wyatt with his own little present........

AN EXTREMELY LARGE AND IN CHARGE CHOCOLATE EASTER BUNNY
As you can see, he didn't quite know what to do with this thing haha

Ope! But he soon caught on :)
Tanner just about chucked up his lung because he was laughing so hard at Wyatt! Which in turn made all the rest of laugh our heads off. (I wish I would have got a picture of Tanner laughing) It truly was a hilarious sight, as you can see.
So thank you, Tanner, for that nutritiously healthy meal you provided for my son :)

Here is my cute basket of goodies. My family is so great and so thoughtful.

Tanner: thank you for the crystal wine glasses of which Ethan and I will gladly drink to our hearts content! Tipsy baby-- woop, woop!

Maddie & Mom: thank you so much for giving me "Disneyland Dollars". Thanks to you I was able to buy Wyatt a small Mickey Mouse at Disneyland.

Dad: thank you very much for the Birthday breakfast. It was so good!

"
Ethan also surprised me with a scrumptious new pulled pork sandwich recipe that night. He took the time to make me a delicious dinner and it really meant a lot to me. Thanks pimpy love.

One year older and wiser too--can't you tell?

My birthday was a different day because I actually spent half my time studying for the PRAXIS test. I have to pass these tests in order to be qualified to student teach. It's kind of a BIG deal. I've been studying long and hard so I sure hope I pass!

This year I decided to treat myself to a very fun vacation trip to.........

CALIFORNIA

Hats off to the GRADUATE!

2011-06-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

APRIL 8th, 2011

Brigham Young University--Idaho announces that

Ethan Richard Felix

is a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Business Management
with emphasis in Finance and Entrepreneurship.

It was a big day for Ethan and he had the most important people in his life celebrating it with him. We were surprised and truly humbled by the amount of support and the many encouraging words that accompanied this occasion. The majority of Ethan's family was able to make it to his ceremony as well as some of my family. We enjoyed a fun get together in our tiny apartment beforehand and joined in celebration after the ceremony was over. Although this is only a Bachelor's degree, it is still a very big moment for our family.

Picture: Justin, Stephanie, Hannah, Marie, Ethan, Cody, Ashley, Pappa Hyde, Mamma Jan

Another cool thing about this beautiful day was that Ethan's graduating class was the second group EVER to have their graduation in the new BYU-Idaho Center. Our mini Conference Center :) It is a truly amazing addition to the University and an incredibly impressive building. The magnificence of this building openly invites the spirit and warms the hearts of all who sit in these comfortable red seats. This dedicated building has definitely helped the University become more united in its divine purpose. I feel so blessed to have such a building so close.

Awwwwwww, Mr. Luke Owens. (Refer to older posts for more details on Luke and Ethan) This kid is Ethan's greatest friend growing up and he can never stop talking about what a great kid he is. Now that I know Luke, I second all of Ethan's remarks. Luke is a stud and I'm so glad he is Ethan's dear friend. They graduated high school together, seminary together, and now college together. What a neat thing to do with a best friend.

It was also fun having my Dad dressed in his robes as a faculty member too. They got to wear their robes together and it was cute :)

WEEE- HEEEEEEEE! I'm GRADUATED!

A very proud Wifey!

I love this picture of these two. These are my chums forever.

This is Wyatt reading what he wrote to Ethan on his card. HA!

Once again I was brought to tears on this day because of how proud I am of Ethan. College is a lot of hard work and it takes an extreme amount of dedication. Too see Ethan walking in his robes was a wonderful sight. This was one of the happiest and funnest days I've had in a long time. WAY TO GO EEEEFY!

What Ethan will miss about college:
1) Meeting people, making friends, and hanging out with those friends
2) Rubbing shoulders with awesome teachers
3) The food- he loves the crossroads :)
4) Networking- meeting influential people
5) Walking around campus with thousands of other students passing by
6) The "business"
7) Learning
8) Being on top of the world
9) Listening to general authorities on a general basis
10) Being a college student

A Great Honor

2011-05-18T14:54:00.001-07:00

Many are familiar with the man, Newel K. Whitney, but are we all familiar with some of his attributes and characteristics as a person? For many of us, probably not--this includes me. I was interested to find out more about him when I received news that Ethan was nominated and chosen to receive the "Newel K. Whitney Distinguished Award".

Ethan, along with the other students shown above, was given this award for a very special reason. These are some of the sharpest kids to come out of the business department in BYU-Idaho for the Graduating class of 2011. Here is the description of the award as listed on the program:

"The Newel K. Whitney Award is in memory of the early church member who used his gifts, talents, and means to build the kingdom of God. Whitney was innovative, frugal, and honest--a true entrepreneur. Additionally, Whitney was able to improve his business yet remain loyal to the Church despite hard times. 'He was a successful businessman, a presiding bishop of the Church, a prominent civic official, and a notable member of his community.'"

"This award is given to students who have displayed similar traits that Newel K. Whitney possessed. Specifically, students are honored for their character, diligence, and desire to build the kingdom of God. Selected students are those whom the faculty feel would represent the Church, University, and Department as an exemplary employable quality graduate."

As I watched this very moment shown above, tears started slipping down my cheeks. I was so proud of him. It made me proud to be his wife as well. To marry a man that exemplifies the kind of qualities that Newel K. Whitney possessed is far more valuable than marrying someone who is filthy rich or extremely popular.

We don't always get publicly recognized or even thoughtfully praised for the acts of service and work we perform for others, and we don't always need to be. Our motivation for doing good things should never be to receive praise. But every once in a while, when we receive a little recognition for the things we do (besides just hearing it from a spouse or Mother) it sure helps solidify the purpose behind all the good deeds performed. I couldn't agree more with the attributes that Ethan possesses in relation to Newel K. Whitney.

Ethan has always been one who looks out for other people. He is always searching for ways he can help somebody. He does not search to be the center of attention because he knows that's not important in life. Ethan has never been anything but honest with his dealings with other people, especially with his businesses. Ethan wants to be remembered in this life as someone who did great things for other people. He wants to be remembered for his character and what he did for others. Ethan has been given many unique gifts in this life and he uses these on a daily basis to help those around him and to help build the kingdom of God. Ethan served as a faithful counselor in the bishopric for our ward and proved to be an influential student at BYU-Idaho for those he associated with.

Ethan, you should feel proud of who you are as a person and who you are becoming in this life. Keep it up sweetheart-- I love you.
As always, thank you Mom, Dad, and Tanner, for supporting Ethan and coming to his award ceremony. We appreciate all other family members who sent wishes and comments our way and we want you to know that your constant support means so much to us. Thank you.

The Story of Christmas Past......

2011-02-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

Long, long, ago, when the Felix family used to keep up on their blog posts, there was a happy time of great joy. It was the time of year when snow drifted from the sky, colorful lights shone throughout the city, pine trees decorated living rooms, sweet carols were sung, and presents were strewn about the floor wrapped in plaid, check, poka-dot, and stripe. The Christmas season was alive and well in our hearts and we celebrated it humbly this year.

Money was scarce, time was evaporating, and our hearts were filled with the Savior's love. Our hearts were touched and softened as we took care of 3 stray cats during the freezing winter months. We invited more families into our home and gave more thanks to those people and things around us. Although we didn't spend money on gifts for each other, we were given more than we could have asked for. We were truly blessed and were given so much despite our humble circumstances.

We learned one very important lesson this year, "What goes around comes around," and "Do unto others as thou wouldst have them to unto you . . ." Last year we had more money, more time, and more ability to give to others and bless their lives. Last year we did the 12 days of Christmas to a family who was in need. We delivered some small baskets of food to other families so they could have a Christmas meal of some sort together etc. Now, that role completely switched and we were the recipients of kindness, love, and the spirit of Christmas. We were truly humbled and brought to tears at the many acts of love that were thrown our way.

Two separate families did the 12 days of Christmas to us, both sides of our family spoiled us with gifts that were very much needed, and the three of us enjoyed the few gifts we could manage for one other. It's amazing to think that this was one of our favorite Christmas seasons out of all, and yet, we had hardly anything. Perhaps that is why. Christmas is not all about the presents and Santa Clause fantasies . . . it's about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It's about all the characteristics that he possesses: love, patience, kindness, long suffering, guidance, mercy, peace, healing, service, faithfulness, and so much more! We felt a lot of love this Christmas season and we tried to give a lot of it too. It was a wonderful Christmas this year.

Here are a few pictures of our Christmas past in 2010:

Wyatt's first experience with Santa :)

Wyatt was so excited about the toys his Grandma's gave him! Look at that face.
Also, Wyatt had that bow on his head all night hee-hee.

This was the first gift we opened as part of the 12 days of Christmas...
We had a lot of fun with these as you can see.

These were our Christmas ornaments we got for each other this year. Since we played together on the same co-ed Softball team on campus, we decided these would be fun ornaments to have.There are a few things I wish to remember about this year's Christmas experience:

#1: A couple quotes or sayings I heard,

"It's not about the presents under the tree, it's about your presence here next to me."
-Eva Cassidy-

"When all you've got is nothing, there's a lot to go around."
-Prince of Egypt-

"Never take Christ out of Christmas." (By writing x-mas)
-Marie Parkinson-

#2: The wonderful time we spent with our family:
We went sledding together at the Hydeaway Ranch and we had so much fun! Ethan and I had a hard laugh when we tried to sled down the huge hill and both of us ended up biffing it hard. A whole gust of piercing cold snow plastered my face as I was swooshing down the hill. I laughed so hard through my painful tears.
#3: How blessed we are: we have truly been blessed with so much this Christmas season. Many people reached out to us and helped us when they probably didn't even know that we needed it. the Lord has been very mindful of our situation(s) and He has blessed us because of our faithfulness in paying our tithing. We have food on the table, a roof over our head, financial aid to finish our education, clothes on our back, a very happy and joyful son, and we're livin' on love. Sometimes we don't know how we're going to make it, but somehow we always do with the Lord's help.

#4: Our trip to Arizona to visit Nana and Aunt Melissa: details and pictures found on another post.

#5: The stray cats that we took care of and fed outside our apartment: we have never felt bad for any of the stray cats that roam around our complex until this year. We have lived here for 3 years and so have these cats. This year, these kitties are on their 3rd generation. There were three cats in particular that found refuge among our rumage outside.

1) Black Cat= "Miner" since he's black as coal I thought of a coal mine and named him accordingly. Miner was a good cat. Very friendly to humans, but nasty to the other cats because he was in charge. If we placed food outside, Miner always grabbed it first and often stole the other's food portions. Notty, notty. I actually had to gently kick Miner a few times so the others didn't starve.

2) Orange Cat= "Julious" I named him this because he reminded me of an Orange Julious drink I've had before. Yummmm. He, on the other hand, was not so yummy. This cat would scurry off anytime we tried to go near him. He was the selfish one that only cared about his own safety and health. If miner was the King of the crew, Julious would be the Prince--he was second in command.

3) Grey & White Cat= "Tri-pod" Ohhhhh dear Tri-pod. What a poor little fellow. He would be the pheasant of the crew. Unfortunately, Tri-pod got his name because he only has 3 legs. Sad, I know. My heart was set on this little guy and I tried so hard to fight of the others so he didn't get beat up. I had to specifically stand outside in the freezing cold one night for about 15 min (without a coat on) to fight off the other two kitties from stealing his tuna fish. I stood there the entire time throwing kicks and making hissing noises at the others to warn them to stay away from my Tri-pod. This poor cat does pretty well on his own, but he sure knows when to scurry to avoid future lacerations of his limbs.

Although most of our neighbors hate these cats and have complained about them the entire winter, we could not help ourselves in helping them. I had a change of heart toward these cats this year and I have no clue why. All I know is that it felt good to help them survive the winter and provide shelter for them. I believe we helped keep them alive and that made me feel warm and fuzzy. Sadly, our owners have set out traps now to catch these little ones and have already successfully caught Miner. It broke my heart to think that they don't give a lick for them and are probably going to kill it or something. Rude. Anyway, can you tell my heart goes out for them?

#6: Our Savior, Jesus Christ and the Spirit of Christmas: I really felt the love of my Savior more than anything this year and my heart was full of love for all people, creatures, and things. I really felt the spirit of Christmas and hope that will stick with me in years to come. That's really what it's all about. God gave us everything that we have and without Him, we are nothing.

BLACK FRIDAY MADNESS!

2011-02-06T16:01:00.001-08:00

Michelle, I know you told me not to post any pictures of you, but TOO BAD!

So check this out, these are two of my darling and crazy sister-in-laws who drank 5 Red Bulls and ate an entire package of fruit snacks and tootie fruities an hour before Black Friday shopping began. Ok. No, not really. They would never do that. They get crazy enough without any of those delicious stimulants, so they just came as is. HA!

They dragged me with them (and I'm so glad they did!) at 11:30 p.m. and I was headed to my first Black Friday escapade. It was frr frr frr frrrrreeeeezing outside so we had to bundle up in out snow clothes to stay warm. I thought I might fall asleep in the car on the way to Walmart, but Michelle and Marie were so gitty I was too entertained to close my eyes. Hahaha!

We decided to hit up WALMART first to get toys for the kids and DVD's for the men. I had never done this before, but let me just tell you . . . it was INSANE!

This picture doesn't even begin to portray the busyness of the store and the crowded isles. Look closely at this picture and you can see how many people are backed up and in line for the dumbest things haha. We were so high on excitement!

By the looks of it, do you think it was worth it?
HECK YES IT WAS!
I think I got 15 movies for Ethan and I for under $50.00 bucks. It was so awesome. Some movies were only $1.69 and I was dying. Read at the bottom and I'll tell you my story...

Unfortunately, the three of us got split up at some point during the madness so it was every woman for themselves! Marie pretty much died after some psycho lady ran her over with a shopping cart! Not even kidding. Marie got knocked to the ground and her shoes have track marks on them. Her life was in danger, all because of the silly Toy Story 3 action figures. Marie, I'm glad you risked your life for your children's happiness.

Similarly, Michelle suffocated in the claustrophobic movie arena. She bent down to get a DVD and a whole swarm of people surrounded her in .2 Her eyes got wide, her hands started shaking, and she started to FREAK OUT. Her adrenalin kicked in and she was about ready to push somebody off their feet. So funny!

As for me, I held my own and joined in with the pushing and shoving. Some group of kids tried to cut in line and I pushed my cart till it hit one of theirs so they couldn't cut. I was thinking, "Oh HECK no! You aren't budging in front of me!" I had to laugh at myself at how serious and competitive I was getting with the whole thing. Once I reached the DVD center I just pushed myself in between people and put as many DVD's in my basket as I could. The whole time I was laughing at myself and at everyone else who was going crazy.

Somehow we all managed to meet up again and began the elimination process. We each told one another our stories and almost peed our pants from laughing. After Walmart we headed to the outlet mall to search for baby clothes. By this time it was 1:30 a.m. and I was shocked to see all the shops full of people. Out of all the things we bought I highly recommend going to "The Children's Place" and "Osk-Kosh" stores because everything was 50% off Well worth the money spent. I got Wyatt some snow boots for $12.oo bucks. I was so pleased.

What a wonderful adventure we all had together that served to be a great bonding experience too. I came to love Marie and Michelle much more after that experience. It was especially fun because all the children were gone--I got to see the two of them how they really are instead of in "Mommy Mode". This was refreshing and fun to see them so gitty and silly. I loved it.

I RECOMMEND SHOPPING ON BLACK FRIDAY TO ALL.

Even if you don't have many gifts to buy, go with some family members and have an exciting experience together. You'll be glad you did :)

Thanksgiving in Park City!

2011-01-02T19:40:00.000-08:00

We decided to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with Ethan's family this year and it was a gas. We were fortunate enough (thanks to Justin) to stay in a cabin/house on the hillside of Park City for a few days. This house was huge with enough rooms to fit the entire family. It was so great to all stay in the same house together and to see each other in our most prettiest hours :)

The women traditionally spent hours in the kitchen making scrumptious dishes and over the top recipes and the men spent a lot of time at the pool table together. Pappa Hyde showed the young bucks who's boss every time. It was fun to watch the boys play and it was really funny when Ethan and I challenged one another. Kids were running a muck, mothers were trying to stay caught up with the messes and dishes, dads were taking naps and eating our food, and all of us were enjoying one anothers company. I love how it was relaxing and laid back.

Here are some pictures of what the cabin looked like and what we did while we were there:

We went and walked around main street for a few hours. They had all sorts of fun stores here that we really enjoyed. Ethan was in heaven with this store.
HE LOVES HIS HOT SAUCE.

My personal favorite was the fur store. It's kind of funny that I love animals so much and yet I love seeing them mounted and dead too. That's a little odd.
(The other sad/funny part about this store is that there were protesters standing across the street yelling things like, "No more fur! No more fur!" They were very much against fur coats and materials that came from animals and were bellowing all afternoon. We laughed because we walked into this store right after we got finished talking to them on the street. HA)

Of course we had to check out the authentic cowboy boot store!
They had some crazy and insane boots there--Ooooo-weeeeee.
(Snake, elephant, hippo, alligator, armadillo etc.) Not to mention they were $10,000+

Who eats like this?
Seriously, we are so blessed.

This was probably my favorite part of the whole weekend. The entire family sat gathered together with a delicious feast at our fingertips. The entire 10ft. long table was covered with food (plus we had pies and salads in the kitchen still) which made us all realize how truly blessed and spoiled we are. All of our hearts became thankful and we all possessed an attitude of gratitude at this point in time. It's like we all came to the realization of how much we all have--most importantly, that we have each other.

We went around the table sharing what we were most thankful for at that time. An abundance of love filled the room, tears were shed, and the spirit was with all of us as we shared our love toward one another and our individual families. I was very touched. It made me realize, once again, what a wonderful blessing it is to be part of the Hyde family. My love for each of them increases each time we get together and I am so grateful for the love they show me in return. I'm so glad I married Ethan so I could get to know such amazing people.

All in all, we ate till we were bloated, we cleaned till it was spotless, we laughed till our tummies hurt, and we enjoyed each other as much as the rabbit loves his Trix. This was one of the funnest outings I've had so far with the Hyde family :) We had a blast!

"There's so much to be thankful for."

Quarter of a century old!

2010-12-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

Everyone needs to know they are loved.
I made a book of the 25 people who love Ethan most.

Eth bought himself a new leather jacket in which he looks very handsome in :)

Not a flattering picture at all.
We stuffed our faces at FAMOUS DAVE'S restaraunt!

Is it even possible for two people to eat all this?

We recommend this place to everyone.

Every kind of BBQ imaginable. SO GOOD!

We had some fun with Wyatt today... he laughed so hard when we put this thing on his head.

Ethan's Birthday (November 8th) was a very fun day for the both of us. We spent many hours alone together doing fun activities that really helped strengthen our relationship. I worked very hard to get all my homework done in advance so that I could set this day aside for me and Ethan to enjoy together. It payed off to work ahead and we were able to go to Idaho Falls together after my last class.

The ride down was so fun because we just talked about a bunch of things and listened to music together. We realized how nice it was to be alone together and spend some time without Wyatt. We love Wyatt to death and we enjoy playing with him, teaching him, and watching him, but I have realized the importance to spend time alone as husband and wife as well. It is wise council from our leaders to go on a date at least once a week with your spouse, without the children. It helps you remember why you are in love with each other and it helps bring some of the butterflies back too :) I love it when those come back to me.

Ethan could not calm his craving for delicious cuts of meat, so we went to FAMOUS DAVE'S in Idaho Falls to eat lunch. WOW. I had never been there before and boy was I impressed. We ate like true Americans and ordered the largest dish on the menu, "Feast for Two". (In reality this meal feeds four people easily and maybe even six people!) Ridiculous, I know. We had chicken, ribs, steak, fries, potatoes, beans, corn, Cole slaw, and drinks. Every piece of meat melted in our mouths and we were salivating the entire time we were eating. This was one of the best meals we've had in a long time. Ethan was in heaven with all that meat on his plate. Mmm, mmm, good.

Then Ethan wanted to go walk around and look at some stores. Ethan just loves to look at things and act like he's going to buy them. He likes to dream about owning a big screen, a trailer for his pickup, and a hunting dog etc. It's cute. SO NATURALLY, we went to Sportsman's Warehouse and he acted like he was interested in buying a gun so that the guy would let him hold all the cool ones; he checked out all the camo outfits; he looked at all the fancy knives; he spent lots of time checking out the gun safes and much more. After about 30min I wasn't so interested, so I decided to go hide somewhere in the store and play HIDE and GO SEEK.

I hid in a camper trailer thingy with windows that I could look through to watch him mosey around the store. I sent him a text, "Come and find me lover boy." I soon as I sent it I got as gitty as a blonde going out with the quarter back. I don't know why but I just got so excited and gitty and even got butterflies. I guess it was the kid in me again. Ooooo Ethan's going to come find me! Hahaha. Anyway, I kept sending him hints like, "I'll give you a hint, I'm over by the camo." This absolutely killed me because the entire store was filled with camouflage outfits, gadgets, tools, and whatever! I was laughing so hard to myself. I thought I was funny. I continued with another hint, "You can find me near the animal heads." Again, I died laughing in the camper because every inner wall of the store was covered with animal heads. I guess what was making me laugh so hard was thinking about Ethan's reaction when he read my texts. Thinking that he would read the text, look up to find the animal heads, then realize that I could be anywhere because the whole store had them, and thinking of him rolling his eyes and chuckling to himself at how stupid I was being, made me so gitty. I was seriously dying.

The other hilarious part about this is that people that walked by could see this random girl sitting in a camper all by herself and laughing her head off. Not to mention that a sign outside the camper said, "Please do not let children play in the camper." HAHAHAHA! All of that put together makes a pretty hilarious situation. Many times I could see Ethan walking past in the distance and I would laugh so hard. What made me laugh is that he was trying to act like he wasn't looking for me--he was just looking around in the store. He was trying to hold back his smile too. He was trying so hard to NOT give me the gratification of playing this game. I was dying. When he finally walked past the entrance to the camper and saw me giggling and grinning from ear to ear, he gave me a huge smile back along with the rolling of the eyes. I pulled him into the camper and we exchanged a few kisses :) Aaahhhhhh I felt like we were dating again. Yanno, all the silly little things you used to do to flirt with each other in hopes of getting a smooch at the end. Perhaps a little immature of us, but I sure enjoyed it and it made me remember why I fell in love with him.

After that we went to Ross and bought Ethan and new snazzy leather jacket and Wyatt a winter coat. We also checked out Best Buy to look for a new camera. All in all we just hung around Idaho Falls and enjoyed each others company. We had a really great time together and decided we needed to do this more often. Oh, and we recommend Famous Dave's to everyone.

When we got home we played with Wyatt for a while and he was a hoot, as usual. When he went to bed I decided to give Ethan his Birthday present I made him. Not only was I working on all my homework the week before, but I also coordinated with all our family members to write Ethan a little love note. It just so happened that all the adults put together equaled 25 people which is exactly how old he turned. What a coincidence. So I took every note that everyone wrote to him, decorated each individual's page personally, and compiled all of them into a book entitled, "The 25 people who love you most!" It turned out exactly how I picture it and I was very pleased with Ethan's reaction.

There are times when all of us need to know that we are loved. There are times when the kind words of a loved one or a family member makes all the difference in the world, or makes you remember why you love them. There times in all of our lives where we need to take a second and tell the ones we love WHY we love them. For Ethan, on his birthday, this meant more to him than anything. He was brought to tears as he read each letter of love and appreciation and he said, "I'm going to keep this by my bed." This was one of those times when these kind words of love meant a great deal to him. I thank you all for taking the time to contribute to his book. It meant so much to hear from each of you. This gift was well worth the time, money, and effort to put it together. Thank you all!

To sum it all up: IT WAS A WONDERFUL DAY SPENT HONORING and LOVING ETHAN!

Ethan is a unique, loving, and generous person. He made me feel like a million bucks while we were dating, and he still impresses me with the things he does at home and the things he does for others. His personality is inviting and he can make anybody feel good. There was one characteristic I knew I had to have in a husband and it was this: A man who can make me laugh every single day. Thankfully, Ethan has lived up to this requirement and does it successfully each day. I don't think we have gone a day without laughing since we've been married. I love to laugh. Ethan is an incredible father who takes great pride in his son. I know he would die for me and Wyatt if he had to and I would do the same for him. I'm so glad I married Ethan Felix.

Still in business everyone!

2010-12-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all!

We know you're all trying to think of meaningful presents to give your family, friends, and loved ones, and WE WANT TO HELP.

Ethan has continued his canvas wrapping skills and is running his own business on the side. His prices are cheaper than any company or store around--you will want to go through him; trust me. He has improved the quality of the wood he uses which has increased the quality of the canvas wraps. He loves this job because it makes other people happy and he enjoys doing things for other people.

Pictures are one of the best ways to capture memories, express one's self, and beautify and brighten up a home or spirit. We are trying to spread the word around that Ethan is still doing this because we want to help people save money, especially for Christmas.

Please check out some of our standard prices here on the side toolbar of this blog. If you are interested in obtaining a canvas picture please reply to this post and leave your contact information, or email him directly at ethanfelix@itsgraphics.com

We hope to help you give meaningful gifts to those you love this special time of year and beyond. We thank all those who have worked with us thus far and hope that we hear from more of you.

Trying to Catch Up . . .

2010-11-29T13:35:00.000-08:00

I know I am totally behind on these blog posts, but I finally found a little time to relax. School is insane these days, but I love it. I'm just glad that I've been able to celebrate the holidays :)

HALLOWEEN
I've set the bar pretty high for myself throughout the years when it comes to dressing up, so I couldn't wimp out this year. To be honest, I was struggling to find something to wear but finally remembered a costume I wore in high school one time. "Hello Queen Amidala."

Ethan, on the other hand, got the hilarious idea to dress up like a Scottish man. Instead of a kilt, he dealt with extremely short, shorts. Let me tell you, he got a lot of funny looks.

Then there's Wyatt who got stuck with wearing this bird suit which someone gave us from DI. See, Wyatt has no freedom of choice on this matter really. So while he is in this state of non-verbal communication, Mommy and Daddy are going to enjoy this control of choosing for him :) Didn't we do good?

"He can fly, he can fly, he can fly!"

Ello mate! Nice legs!

My cute little birdie. Literally, at one time, you were an egg. Now look at you! A cute little birdie who needs feeding and nurturing until you can learn how to fly yourself. For now, we will teach you and help you learn the things you need to know to survive and enjoy the ride. Then when the time comes, we will watch you soar to new heights and smile at you while you take your journey. Until then, we will be huddled together in the same little nest for quite some time :)
I LOVE IT.

We had a total BLAST the night of Halloween because we had a poppin' ward party. We actually had a ward DJ with speakers, lights, food, and decor galore! I did not hesitate to walk up to the dance floor by myself to start dancing. Sure, everyone was staring at me trying to figure out who in the heck I was while also pointing fingers at me because I looked ridiculous, but hey, they eventually figured out that I didn't care!

The whole night Ethan and I were dancing together and with Wyatt at our feet--he like the music too. We did the cotton-eye-joe (are those the real words?) the Monster Mash, Thriller, and much, much more. I haven't had that much fun in a very long time. I was having so much fun that my face paint was starting to slide down the side of my face, if you know what I mean.

Ethan made me laugh because at one time, everyone formed a circle in the middle of the floor where people could show off their stuff. I nudged Eth and told him to do it. He said, "No! I can't dance." I just laughed and said, "Oh yes you do." He then skipped out to the middle of the floor and started doing his ridiculous dance moves. Everyone was laughing; some because of the moves, others because of his scandalous shorts. I was laughing at both.

The fun part for me is that I went to the middle of the floor and did "The worm"! I haven't done that since high school, but I was so pleased that the move stayed with me. I got a lot of loud cheers, just like the good ol' days. It made me happy :)

By the time we got home, all three of us were exhausted. We tried to clean ourselves up and ended up going right to bed. What a FUN HALLOWEEN! It's so worth it to dress up. It's so worth it to stay out and party a bit. It's so worth it to have fun.

Halloween can be a gas if you make it a gas.

Kids bring true JOY

2010-10-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

FUNNY PICTURES!

"Scrubba dub, you did WHAT in the tub?"

2010-10-24T20:13:00.001-07:00

I was gently easing Wyatt into the tub when he started to pull some interesting faces.

He was just standing there in the water and I was watching . . . waiting . . . waiting. . .

He started to grimace and grunt and then I realized what was going on-- OH NO!

NOT IN THE TUB!

(Copy and paste this link and watch the video http://www.terrisfp1.com/flash6/bath.swf it's worth your time, I promise!)

Sadly, I had to clean it up with my hand. SICK!

Stinky Feet #2: Are you kidding me?

2010-10-16T07:28:00.001-07:00

DON'T AIR OUT YOUR FEET IN A CLASSROOM!

This will be brief because I do not wish to dwell on my frustration of the situation.

Yes, I had my second encounter with someone with stinky feet. It happened in the same exact class as my first entry.

I was so excited when I sat down in my chair this time because the "stinky feet girl" was absent! Woo-hoo! Fresh air for me today! It seriously made my day and I was ready for the 60 min lecture filled with normal aromas.

My excitement was crushed because of another horrifying smell. Noooooooooooo! This can't be happening! Why is it still here?

Again, I thought and was almost 100% convinced that it was me because how else could that smell still be here? Why else would I be smelling such an awful smell again?

Frustrated and very confused, I began to search my surroundings once again to find the culprit. Then I saw it. There, sitting directly in front of the first stinky feet victim, sat another stinky feet victim. ANOTHER GIRL HAD TAKEN OFF HER SHOES TO LET HER FEET AIR OUT! Oh. My. Gosh.

I couldn't believe it. I started chuckling to myself because I had reached the point that I was so mad at the situation that it was funny. You know how that happens sometimes and you can't help but laugh? That is all I could do to relieve my frustration. I rolled my eyes, released a few giggles, and proceeded to breath through my straw the entire rest of the hour.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY WYATT!

2010-10-03T07:29:00.000-07:00

Wyatt is officially a year old now. He was born early Monday morning on Sept 21, 2009 at Madison Memorial Hospital. I can remember that day very well. I remember how I felt the first time I saw him all hooked up to tubes and machines. I remember thinking, "Is this how most births go? Is this normal for me not to hold my child right after he's born? Should I be worried for him and his condition?" All sorts of thoughts ran through my head when he was first born. I remember how tiny and wrinkly his entire body was-- it was like he needed FRAGILE stamped on his chest. I remember having to leave Wyatt in his incubator many times so I could go to my class on campus--that was torture. I remember lying in my bed at home with Ethan the first night and I balled my eyes out because Wyatt was not home with us yet. I could already feel that something was missing; his sweet spirit was missing. I remember waking up early before my alarm went off because I was so anxious to head up to the hospital and see Wyatt before I had to go to school. All of these vivid memories still linger in my head as new memories are being captured day by day. Our family has been through a lot this past year and it has definitely brought us closer. It's so hard for me to accept that he's a year old already. Wow.

We had a mini celebration for Wyatt on his Birthday which consisted of nothing more than: a family get together, a small birthday cake, the Anderson family birthday rendition, a few presents, one candle, smiles and laughs. It was simple and perfect. After all, he won't remember it anyway ha-ha.

He did enjoy looking at his little candle though. He likes fire! We thought maybe he'd see the frosting and dive in, but the opposite happened. He didn't even want to touch it! We had to help him get dirty.
This is about as excited and thrilled as he was about getting messy. He actually cried quite a bit ha-ha. All of us had a good laugh.
The frosting did not come off well at all in his bath and he didn't like that much either. I had to scrub really hard--not pleasant. This was the dirtiest bath he's ever taken. The water was disgusting when we were through.
Wyatt is quite the character these days. Look here: he is peeing like a man! Not really, but it sure looks like it huh? We were all dying of laughter. Wyatt has the incredible ability to make us laugh and make us happy. I hope this stays with him the rest of his life. Wyatt's life has given us life.

We want to thank everyone for sending birthday wishes and gifts his way. Although he didn't understand how to unwrap his presents and didn't get that these toys were HIS, they will all come in handy. We had a fun time celebrating his birthday and giving him lots of love. For me, his birthday was full of much pondering and memories. I was very reminiscent the whole day, thinking about all the memories I have of him already. It's still so hard for me to accept that he's a year old. We love this boy!

Stinky Feet

2010-09-15T10:34:00.000-07:00

Ok. I HAVE to share the experience I just had in my Special Education class on campus:

I sat down in my seat, like usual, and proceeded to try and learn every student's name in the class. (This is an assignment. We have to learn EVERYBODY'S name. I'm not a fan.) So I stared at the seating chart and rehearsed names in my mind. Class began shortly after.

As my teacher began to talk about the material, a very fowel smell entered my nose. I thought some idiot next to me let one go and it was a one time thing so I just winced and tried to hold my breath for 30 sec. I began to breath normal again and the air was fresh; however, only for about a minute. This horrible stench kept blowing my way about every 5 breaths I took. I got a little worried. Why? Because I thought it was me.

I decided to perform the classic and sneaky armpit smelling trick. . . I acted like I was scratching my head while I leaned slighty to my underarm and took a wiff. Aawwwww, a refreshing Degree deoderant fragrance that I love. Thank heavens! I smelled good there. (I thought about keeping my nose next to my armpit the rest of class because that seemed to be the only relief I could get from the disgusting smell around me. Then I decided, that might not be good for my reputation.)

In my mind I checked off my armpits, "Yep. They smell good." Then I decided to bend down and act like my shoe needed tying, so I leaned down and started to sniff my jeans. I thought that maybe I had worn my jeans one too many times and they had started to stink? Funny, I know. Once again I could smell only good smells coming from me. My only last thought was, "Is it my breath? No, it couldn't be. I don't think any mouth could produce such a smell as what I was smelling." So I came to the conclusion that it indeed, was NOT me.

The next 5 minutes I was observing those around me and looking at what they were doing. Most everyone was normal. Still, the horrid stench entered my nostrils. Around this time, the smell had intensified a few notches. I just kept thinking, "OH MY GOSH! That reeks! Who is the one stinking up the room gosh dang it?" I knew it wasn't me, but yet I still wondered if it was me because I seemed to be the only affected by the smell.

I had just about given up on the matter when I glanced over at a crazy girl to my right. I looked her up and down--not knowing exactly what I might find--and discovered these Egyptian looking sandals laying on the floor next to her desk while her feet were perched on the rack under the desk in front of her. The paint on her toenails was flaking off, she had a few toe rings, and they were not pleasant looking. That is where it was coming from! HER FEET STUNK SOOOOO BAD! Her disgustingly molded, sweaty feet were not where they should be, (attached to her sandals) and they were stinking up my bubble of fresh air!

I should have known that it was someone's stinky feet. The stench was a mixture of body odor and urine..... that's the only way I can describe it. Ya, be grateful you did not have to smell it for 60 minutes in class, unable to escape. For some lucky reason, I discovered that the airflow from the vent was blowing directly toward my seat, which is why I seemed to be the only one that was effected by it. Uggghhhh. For the rest of class I tried everything I could to NOT inhale her stinky feet smell. I put my nose in my sleeve, I tried leaning all the way forward in my seat, I tried turning the complete opposite direction, I tried to take in less breaths, etc . . . The only thing that worked was if I placed my index finger directly under my nose so that I could only smell my finger. (Which happened to smell like banana's because I fed Wyatt this morning). Still, that was a better smell than those feet of hers! So the rest of class my finger was stuck under my nose. It was like breathing through a straw.

I wish this girl could read this so she would know NOT TO TAKE HER SANDALS OFF in a classroom of students. When you wear sandals your feet stink. End of story. So to those who took the time to read this, just think about that before you decide to take off your socks or shoes or sandals :).

Ashley

GONE CAMPING

2010-09-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

Free digital scrapbooking design generated with Smilebox

Family, isn't it about TIME?

2010-08-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

T.I.M.E.
Together In Making Eternity

This is our family motto and it was that TIME of year again to gather together for our second family reunion. This year our activities didn't always go as planned and at the right time, but together we got through it all with a lot of laughs and fun memories. That's what it's all about.

We began our reunion with a celebration Choo-choo train to help get us in the mood. Each of us were given a tile with our family motto written on it and then the party began!

We enjoyed our first night at the Playmill theater where we watched, "The Foreigner" starring the short, overweight, hilarious actor, Christian. He had us all rolling in our seats with laughter! Then our first spin of the night hit us..... our dear van broke down. Yes, it broke down and there were 10 adults that needed to get back home to our children with only one working car that seats 5 people. Hmmmmm? What to do?

With our little darlings at the mercy of the babysitters we decided we had to do what we had to do. Five of us sat in the regular seats with seat belts, while the other five of us crammed in the back trunk together and traveled the hour and a half ride home with low oxygen levels and sleepy eyes.

Ok, that's not all entirely true. OF COURSE we didn't all cram into the back of the trunk. That would be pure stupidity, although it was tempting. So yes, the car did break down, and yes, we were 1 1/2 hours away from our children, and yes, it was 10:30 p.m. and yes, we made the smart decision to have the mothers and such ride home. Yanno how you have to widdle away those who are least important or valuable (hahahaha like if you were on an island and you had to decide who was most important to keep alive or who would be ok to let go... ya, that's kind of what we did.) So naturally, the mothers and fathers were first to board, then grandma, then the youngest. Tanner and Dad stayed overnight in a hotel there and came back the next day. Not really because they were the least important--heavens no-- just because they were willing to stay back and let the rest of us go. All made it home safe and sound.

Grandma & Grandpa, Jaxon & Megan were all sung to since it was their anniversary, but Megan was the lucky one to get called up to the stage with the energetic men who sang to her.

A lot of bonding time took place in many different shapes and forms.... even big and small :-)

FAMILY PICS
AND
FAMILY FUN!

Family Dance Off!
-with glow sticks-

Meat Cook-off with the men

Headfirst into the water................

...............at Rigby Lake

Nature Park anyone?

There were many more amazing pictures that I wanted to post about, but it was too hard for me to decide. Grandma and Grandpa put a lot of planning, effort, money, and TIME into our reunion and it all payed off. These few days that all of us spent together flew by way too fast, but every moment spent was worth the TIME. What another great, successful family reunion.
A big thanks to you Mom and Dad.

Until next TIME....

HS Softball Reunion- STATE CHAMPS

2010-08-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

Although your teammates, friends, and classmates move on and start new lives, somehow the friendships still remain. The memories you have with each other, all the laughs, jokes, pranks, tears, and triumphs are forever stored in a little box inside your brain. The times that friends stand up for each other, the times they show their love and concern for your well being are the things one always remembers. At least, that's what I always remember about my friends.

These 5 gals below are some of my dearest friends from high school. Together all of us won the first State Softball Championship for our school in 2004. We each got the huge rings, television coverage, and bragging rights :) That was a memorable time for all of us. Now that all that is in the past, we decided to get together to catch up with one another and see what we're all up to. I was amazed at how quickly we started to reminisce and laugh about past times. Although not all of our team members were able to make it, the 5 of us still had a great time and missed the rest! Hayley Smith, Whitney Howard, Me, Taunja (Hill) Poulson, Kassie (Benson) Crapo

We all tried to look bad and sporty like the good old days in this pic. We are showing off our jersey numbers.
(ME- short stop, KASSIE- 3rd base, TAUNJA- catcher, HAYLEY- 1st base, WHIT- 2nd base.)

I had such a great time with these gals and I still love them all no matter where we all go. I'm grateful for their friendships and I had a blast talking about the past. (It's sad once years go by because we all get more flabby, out of shape, and slower with our age. That's why it's so fun to talk about the days we were buff, strong, fit, and young(er). It's always fun to remember the All-star years.) I had a blast!

Mahogany Mohawk

2010-08-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

Ethan went almost two months without a haircut and pretty soon his dark black locks started appearing in the shower...... time to snip, snip, snip! Sooooooooooooo we decided to have a lil fun while we were at it.

Check out this first hairdo: Hello Ace Ventura!

Look at the reactions we got from family when we showed them the MOHAWK!

FUN, FUN, FUN!

zzzzZZZZZZZZZ

2010-08-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

I have been puzzled many times because of this lovely position. I decided to try it myself . . . boy, what a sight. I quickly discovered that it was not as comfy and cozy as it looks. Still, Wyatt continues to cramp himself in this position when he takes his nap.

Hey, one great thing that's come of this is I can pick him up and slide him under the bed when company comes over. That way the house doesn't look so dirty :)

Elder Bednar . . . 20 feet away

2010-08-09T14:25:00.000-07:00

I don't really know if camera's were allowed, but I made sure to turn off the flash and cover the little red light that comes on before I took the picture. Don't worry, he had no idea.

Anyway, I had the wonderful opportunity of attending the BYU-Idaho devotional for Education week and the greatest part about it was hearing Elder Bednar speak; he is one of my favorites. The second greatest thing is that I got to SING in a combined choir for the musical number at the meeting! We sang, "I Need Thee Every Hour," which happened to be one of his favorite songs. Aaahhh, even better. I was told that Elder Bednar loves things to be plain and simple, (good thing because the choir I sang with was pretty anorexic if you know what I mean? Not many people participated and some of us barely knew how to sing).

Perhaps that is why it was so special. Perhaps that is why Elder Bednar wiped a few tears from his eyes after we sang. Maybe this experience was to be a lesson to all who participated in the music and more . . . To sing hymns to the Lord, you do not have to be professional and knowledgeable in every aspect of music. You do not have to be uniformly dressed and part of a specific group. You do not have to have a name. You do not have to have years under your belt. The Lord loves all and any who are willing to sing praises unto Him. Singing is a special way of saying a prayer to God and sometimes a more beautiful way. I love to sing and make music.

D&C 136:28

"If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing,
and with a prayer of praise and Thanksgiving."

The spirit surrounded me as we sang and I felt so happy. I am so glad that I CHOSE to be part of that little choir. I didn't have to, but the opportunity was given to those in my stake and I jumped on it! These kind if opportunities aren't always so easily acceptable and available.

Last but not least, I waited in the forever long line, waiting and anticipating when it was my turn to shake his hand. All of these comments and thoughts were running through my head and I naturally just wanted to give him a hug (the guards made sure to keep saying, " No hugs. Only hand shakes, and NO questions." haha I guess it was for a good reason.) as I inched my way closer and closer, a strange feeling came over me. I can't explain it. Along with a forceful gust of the spirit came a calming and plain feeling inside me that made me realize that yes, he indeed is a man of God, but he is also a normal human being like you and me.

We all have the potential to be something or someone great in this life.

Fun at the Hydeaway Ranch!

2010-08-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

This last week we finally took the time to travel to Star Valley to be with Ethan's family. This trip was very much needed and was way past due. The following pictures are just a glimpse of all the fun we had with family and grand kids! It's always a good time at Ma and Pa's house . . .

Ethan was preparing Wyatt for his real horse ride later that day.
(I have a feeling that Wyatt is going to be a lil' cowboy)

This is Sterling. He had a make-out session with his Popsicle, HA!

For Grandma's . . . this is what's called "Heaven"

Wyatt and Hudson enjoyed the swing together. Unfortunately, this moment didn't last very long.

Isn't this the cutest little button in the world!
(Marie's daughter, Macey)

"Is this turtley enough for the turrrrtle club?"

The mother's of the group took all the kids to a fairy tale exhibit that was set up in town. They had all sorts of story books, games, costumes, and activities for all the kids to enjoy. It was so fun to watch the kids eyes light up!

Dayton, Prescott, and Camden were pretending to eat at the King's table together while Michelle domestically served these little Prince's.

I tell ya, it doesn't matter where we go, Wyatt will always get his practicing done.

Mamma Jan and Steph enjoyed making shoes together and were so cute. They really got into it whether they meant to or not ha-ha. I had to giggle.

When we had a bit of down time, Ethan took our family through the hills and trees of his humongous backyard on the Razor. I always love riding on these machines, but the Razor was especially nice because we could take Wyatt with us. He loved it!
(Despite his facial expression here.)

And so did Daddy.

We laughed our heads off on the way down the mountain when we discovered that Wyatt had fallen asleep. I think it was a combination of getting beat up all day from his cousins along with the continuous, bumpy ride of the Razor. Isn't that cute?

These three get along really well. Wyatt loves laughing and smiling at his Papa. I think it's because of all the happy wrinkles on his face :)

I love animals. They are incredible creatures and I can't wait til I can talk to them in the next life.
(Hey Daddy, remember what I asked you for on my Birthday when I was little?)

All the little guys look up to their Uncle's and Papa. You can tell by the boots on Camden's feet and his cowboy hat on the ground. Here, you can see how intently they were all watching Ethan while he smashed a hornet to bits. The boys were so excited and followed him around the whole time with amazement. So cute.

Floor Bonding--A new kind of bonding.

This is my favorite, most beautiful little niece Ashlynn. I claim her as my own.
Why? You may ask....

Well, here's one answer.

Wyatt's first real horse ride. Yeeeeehaw!
(He actually had no clue what was going on.)

SUMMER FUN!

We let Wyatt experience the warm, fresh air of summer one night while he was naked. He's never felt more free in his life :) BTW this picture was taken the night of the brush fire and this is what it looked like outside. Very dark and gloomy, yet colorful and pretty all at the same time.

Let me just say that I am SO RELIEVED that I have a 7 week break from school! My brain has been able to relax and the stress level has gone WAYYYYYY down. As a result, I am a happier person and I have been able to do some really fun, outdoor activities. I love summer!

CHEESE!

2010-08-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

SAY CHEESE!
Now if this didn't make you smile..... I don't know what will :)

FYI: I'm still the same person

2010-07-27T05:36:00.000-07:00

When change comes into your life, it can be hard at times. Sometimes you become insecure with yourself or down because you aren't comfortable with the new situation. Maybe you become a little sad because you don't know if you're doing the right thing? I'm sure all of us have felt this way at some point in our lives. I, myself, have gone through a huge change in my life and have tried to cope with it the past 10 months. It was the right thing to do and I'm so grateful for the change that came our way on Sept 21, 2009 when Wyatt was born, but with that came other changes for me.

I finally came across something that gave me some comfort. I don't know who writes these articles but I was sure grateful for these words:

Remember the line in the old camp song, "Make new friends, but keep the old"? A fine sentiment, but both can be tricky when you're a new mom. If you sign up for baby classes, visit the library for story time, or just hang around the playground, you're likely to connect with some other moms who share your (totally normal!) need to discuss diaper duty and sleep strategies.

But prebaby friendships can hit a rocky patch during this transition time in your life — and that's perfectly natural, for lots of reasons. Your interests have changed (did we mention diapers?), and the time and energy you once had for socializing is now usually reserved for your baby — or your bed, so you can catch up on your sleep. If you've left your job or put it on hold, you're now removed (both physically and emotionally) from your circle of work buddies. Also, and most unsettling, some of your unmarried or childless friends may be uncomfortable around you now that you're one of the mommy set. They may feel that you just have less in common, or they could be envious of your new situation. Sadly, some of those friendships may not survive the arrival of your baby.

To preserve the ones that will, make sure to let your friends know that you are still (mostly) the same person you used to be, and that you still care about more than just baby stuff. Make time for them on a regular basis (even if that's just once a month) for lunch or a drink (without baby in tow). At first, stick to familiar topics — the shared interests that brought you together. You needn't make mention of the baby off-limits; good friends will always want to know how your little one is and about your new life. Just don't let baby talk monopolize the conversation.

If, despite your best efforts, a friend still seems distant (or worse, views your baby and your new life with distaste), let the relationship lapse before you get any more frustrated with your former pal's disinterest. Don't write off every baby-wary buddy, though. You'll likely find that friendships that seemed strained after your baby arrived will renew when those women (or men) have their own kids.

Whattoexpect. com

I value friendships and relationships like I value honesty. One should always be honest and never tell a lie, especially to those you love. So, let me be honest for one second . . . to all of my dear friends, (you know who you are) I want you to know that I still think about all of you. Although we don't hang out all the time like the good old days, your friendship to me is the same and you will always be in my thoughts. I'm still the same old Andy from high school and I still enjoy girl talk and having a good time, so if you ever are around and want to hang out, let's do it!

Now understand, this is not for anyone to bestow pity on me or to say, "Oh Ashley, I'm so sorry you feel this way." NO! I just wanted to share that everybody goes through change and everyone has to learn how to cope with it. I'm still so young (22) and still have so much energy and crazy ideas rolling around inside me that sometimes I still need my young friends to help me let it out :) There is my thought for the day.

Ethan's 2nd Update

2010-07-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Just thought that I would give everyone an update about my life again, since a couple of people said that they don't hear enough from me. 2 MORE TESTS!!!! That is all that I have left for this semester. Well that is all that I have for my big classes for my undergrad. I still have 2 classes (religion & english) How can I forget a religion class? I am the son a religion teacher and a son-in-law to another religion teacher. That is pretty embarassing.

Anyway here it goes. I have never been so busy in my life than these last 2 semesters. I have loved it. I honestly love to work. I am one of those weird guys that love to be busy because it helps me relax. Don't ask me how, but it does. I want to thank all of those that have helped out Ashley and I with Wyatt this semester. We do apologize if he was being a little stinker at all. he definitely gets that from his mother. haha

Right now as soon as the semester is done there will be a couple of things that is going to happen with the Felix family.

Go camping
horse rides with dad
put more time into the canvas picture company
work more with the window washing company as well
Family reunion (Anderson & Hyde)
Teach Wyatt how to walk
Get my trigger finger ready for hunting season, (got to have my wife massage it)
Who knows what else.

I have been very blessed to have this window washing company. It has helped us out so much. I will be working more for that now that I don't have any things to hold me back. (LIKE SCHOOL) It has been very hard to put all of my efforts into that business because I have been going to school full time every summer for the past 3 years. It has been very hard for me to put all of my focus on them, but not for long.

Also Wyatt has figured out how to do the army crawl and he is going everywhere. He is a character. He is just growing into a little man.

That is all for now.

Stadium of FIRE!

2010-07-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

Our 4th of July celebration was really fun and eventful this year. The greatest part about the weekend is that Ethan and I completely forgot about homework and decided to leave all our worries and studies at home so we could enjoy the holiday together with our family.

This year my Bestor family reunion was planned on this weekend and so was my Anderson family reunion. We ended up doing a little bit of both and it was fun to see all of my many cousins. Ethan went early Friday morning to Utah where he worked on getting houses in order for our window washing business. I rode down with my parents and Maddie and Tanner. It was surprising because we did very little talking the whole ride down and a whole lot of singing and dancing! It was so much fun :)

My parents agreed to drop me off at Hannah and Logan's house (Ethan's sister) and what's funny is that I called Ethan on the highway to see where he was and if he was already at Hannah's house . . . turns out he was like 200 yards ahead of us on the freeway! Ha-ha. He slowed down to 55 mph or so and we kept chuggin along until I saw Eeefie in our good ol' Bonnie all by himself on the highway. To be honest, he looked like an old man and I was laughing really hard at him. What are the chances that we happen to be at the same place on the highway together? Wow, what a coincidence.

We spent Friday night with Hannah, Logan, and Chase and we had a really fun time with them. The sisters prepared dinner while the men cooked the meat and helped us out. We had delicious BBQ with them and talked and laughed. That night we played with our babies, talked some more, watched some fireworks out their back porch and then went to bed late after watching some pranks on "The Office". A great night.

July 3: We woke up, got beautified, and went to a car show in town where there were all sorts of neat cars, tents, food, games, and more. We enjoyed walking around in the sun. Then it was goodbye to the French's and hello to the Bestor's.

Wyatt & Chase in their PJ's

Scrubba, Dub, Dub in the Tub!

They were cute in the car together

Grandma and Grandpa were so generous this year to all of our family. They bought each and every one of us tickets to STADIUM of FIRE! I can't believe they did that for all of us; they are amazing grandparents. Before the fiesta, we all enjoyed another BBQ together in my grandparents back yard where we talked, laughed, took pictures, hugged, and sang songs like: "Shoe Fly Pie" together. Oh how we all love that song :) Grandma Phyllis wants all of her grandchildren to sing this song at her funeral. Anyway, after the BBQ we headed to the Stadium of Fire celebration. Thankfully, Gramps and Grace were kind enough to babysit Wyatt and Ella for us so we could enjoy the night together child free. It was really nice to be honest and I am so grateful for their generosity and sacrifice for not going. They truly do have big hearts; especially for their family. Thanks Gramps and Grace.
We got to ride with Uncle Kurt and Aunt Petrina and that was a treat because we hardly get to see them, let alone talk to them. We really enjoyed our time with them. The whole celebration was Awesome. There were: dancers, lights, fireworks, music, flying colors, jets, patriotism, love, laughing, glow sticks galore, camera flashes, Carrie Underwood, snuggling, and more! I had so much fun dancing to the music and waving my glow sticks in the air with my Dad and Ethan. Eth kind of had a hay day with the glow sticks haha.

The celebration honored the scouting program and inside the program there was an award printed on the page that read: "Proud to be an Eagle Scout"
Every male in the stands that was an eagle scout was asked to stand up and be recognized and applauded by holding up the small poster. Ethan, Ron, Tanner, Uncle Lon, Michael, Taylor, Robbie, Dave, and more all stood up and were honored. It was pretty cool.

All of the girl cousins together!
(Well, the ones that were present. Erica sang in the huge choir at the celebration)

She sang her favorite song, "My Temporary Home".
She said it is technically and musically her best song she's written. It's a good one.

We were the only ones out of our family that could make it this time, but we all had a lot of fun!

(Ethan, Me, Dad, Tanner, Maddie, Mom)

Sunday was spent with my Dad's side of the family. We had an inspiring talk/lesson/thought given to us by the Rick & Tiffany Sorenson family after having sacrament meeting at Grandma Anderson's church. Then we ate a big lunch together and mingled for hours with the whole family. Ethan and I challenged about 5 of my really young cousins to a game of soccer. Eth and I against 5 little kids--they beat us. What a great way to end the day; be humble. Then we drove home that night and went to bed happy and free people. Aaaaahh the things we are all blessed with.

I love the 4th of July because its one of the only times of the year that we really come together as a nation and think about the freedom's we so frequently forget about and take advantage of. I love all the patriotic songs as well and I am compelled to cry almost every time the songs are played at the 4th of July. I'm grateful for the nation I live and for being blessed with such a wonderful family. I'm eternally grateful for those soldiers who have fought for our freedom's and who are currently fighting for our country. We owe so much to them. I thank them for their sacrifices and for their courage. I hope and pray that I may always have enough courage to stand up for what I believe in and for those I love. I have learned that,

THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE ARE WORTH FIGHTING FOR!

I'm proud to be an American and I am proud to live in the country of opportunities. Our Founding Father's were truly inspired from above and led by God to bring about this great nation and our Declaration of Independence. I love this land, AMERICA.

Experimentationemanciation

2010-06-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

I've been trying a few new recipes lately and they have turned out pretty well. I'm that much closer to being a domestic goddess. The top dish was a delicious pasta dish with peppers, onions, spaghetti sauce, italian sausages, and lots of seasoning. We both liked it a lot but it did produce some gaseous fumes later on......if you know what I mean?

Then, one Sunday, we decided to try these "Cornish Game Hens" which turned out amazing! It was so fun to have my very own juicy hen on my plate. The funny thing is, we decided what we're going to do in the near future. We want to have a MEDIEVAL DINNER with some friends of ours, just for kicks and giggles! We will have everyone dress up like knights and ladies, we will have our own family shield to represent ourselves, we will have a glorious dinner with all finger foods and these Cornish Game Hens for the main course, and then we will joust and play medieval games till wee hours of the night. What do you think? Anyone interested?

You may think I'm joking and that I'm poking fun, but in reality, I'M FOR REAL! I pictured the whole thing in my mind and I got so excited. If anyone wants to be a part, make a comment on this post. haha

What's your anti-drug?

2010-06-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

Although I am about a week late on recognizing my husband as being a wonderful Father to Wyatt, I wanted to thank him just the same. Here are some pictures that show a glimpse of the kind of father Ethan is to Wyatt.

They spend time in bed together :)
Ethan usually spends time with Wyatt in the morning waking him up, or at night when he gets home from school. This time is precious for the two of them.

Sunday and Monday nights are Daddy's time to bathe Wyatt. Ethan is really cute with Wyatt in the tub. I know Wyatt loves this change since Mommy usually does all the washing.

On Sundays these two are so cute together in their Sunday outfits.

Wyatt is fascinated with Daddy's body parts and face especially. Wyatt is always wanting to grab Ethan's cheeks, glasses, nose, and lips. It's fun to watch.

This is Daddy playing with Wyatt while Mommy gets dinner ready. This is one of my favorite pictures of these two. Wyatt is totally posing :)

Wyatt and I are so lucky to have a Daddy like Ethan. I know that Wyatt will look up to Ethan in all that he does and I'm grateful for a husband who takes pride in his kid. I smile when I see Ethan and Wyatt with their cowboy hats on in the kitchen reciting the words to "Ringo" or dancing and bouncing to "Bananza!".

I laugh when I turn the corner and Ethan is dancing for Wyatt in his high chair. He looks so ridiculous haha.

I stand and stare with adoration when I enter our bedroom and Ethan is teaching Wyatt about the trees, plants, and birds that are sitting outside our bedroom window.

I giggle when Ethan talks to Wyatt in Spanish . . . especially since Wyatt looks at him like he's crazy!

Ethan is a wonderful and determined person who wants to be a good Father and example to his children. I'm grateful that I married such a wonderful man who I know will take pride in what he teaches his children. We love you Daddy!

I'm also very grateful for my own Father, Ron, who has been a consistent and valiant Father. My Dad has taught me, "When life gives ya lemons, make lemonade!" He's taught me to, "Suck it up!" He's taught me that, "When the urge to procrastinate comes upon you . . . put it off." He's taught me many more things that have been influential in my life and I thank him for it. He has always been my #1 fan and he continues to be. I love you Dad. Thanks for being such a righteous Father. You are a very tender and loving man; I love it.

I am also very grateful for Kevin, a.k.a. Pappa Hyde. He has been such a great example to both Ethan and I of how to put the gospel first in our lives and to always WORK before PLAY. He is a very smart man who is full of common sense. He teaches me something every time we visit and he has taught Ethan more lessons then can fit on this page. What wonderful Father's Ethan and I have. We are very blessed and we appreciate the love our Father's continue to show us.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL THE HONORARY FATHER's OUT THERE!

Update on Ethan's Life

2010-06-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

I decided to post a few things about me right now. I just thought that I might just let everyone know what is going on with my life a little bit. First off just wanted to say that being a father is the COOLEST thing in the world. Many of you know that Wyatt looks like my wife and her family, but all of you he has my personality. ahahaha VERY LAID BACK!! I like that a lot.

Well here are a couple of things that I am doing right now.

I am in my last big semester right now. I missed 2 classes (english & religion) so I have to do online classes. But I will be graduating in 2 1/2 years. That was pretty cool to see that. Usually it takes about 4 years to get a bachelors but I beat the system. I was pretty excited about that. I want to move on to bigger things. My semester is made up of my Finance Emphasis. It is pretty intense, but I love it. I have always loved numbers. I have enjoyed this semester a lot, but it is very time consuming. I start homework about 1 1/2 weeks before it is due, and don't finish until the night or day of the due date. That is pretty annoying.
My IBC company "Off the Wall Canvas" is still going. I decided to take it over because we needed some extra money. I have enjoyed it a lot but it does take up a lot of my time. I have not been able to buy my own tools yet, so I am one of those guys who borrows from other people. I feel so bad. It is a lot of fun. If any of you would still like any of your pictures done on canvas then let me know.
The next thing is window washing. Yes finally after all this rain it has started. I am looking forward to getting outside and doing some work for a change. I have been working at Big 5 but just put my two weeks in because it is time for windows. Hopefully this year will be a good one. We are trying to move into the Utah area because it would be easier for me to extend the months a little bit longer. It is a little bit warmer down there.

Any way that is just a couple of updates. There is much more but I need to study for a couple of exams tomorrow.

8 Months in counting...

2010-05-31T21:07:00.000-07:00

What's new with you...

You finally learned how to roll over both directions! You've always hated "tummy time" but now that you've learned how to get off your tummy you are much happier; therefore, mommy is happier. Sadly though, you won't get to hear me sing your song, "Tummy time! Tummy time! Every little baby loves tummy time" very much anymore. I know you're going to miss that.
You love playing PICKABOO with us. I sneak under your hair chair so you can't see me and wait until I can see your little body leaning forward in your chair . . . then I know you're trying to peak and find where I am. Then I POP up and scare you back into your seat. HA- you giggle your little heart out. Daddy does it too but he usually does it behind the couch. With the couch you try and climb up it to see where he went; so cute.
You have learned a new word my son, and it makes Mommy so happy. This is what you blabber all the time, repeatedly, "Ma, ma, ma, ma, ma, mama!" Oh ya baby! I knew you were a momma's boy! Sorry Daddy. Hee, hee, hee.
I have to tell you Wyatt, I love looking at your backside--it's true. Not only do I love your tiny bum, but I love looking at the back of your head for some reason. It's so cute! Your head is so perfectly shaped, your cowlick (sp?) is a piece of artwork, and you just look like the cutest little man.
Your newest trick! You can finally sit up all by yourself on the floor! You've been working at this for the past month but now, by George, I think you've got it! It's quite convenient for me actually because I can set you down to play with yourself. Ahhhhhhh.
One thing that keeps you occupied throughout the day is watching, "Baby Signing Time". It's so hilarious what I do to you haha. Let me tell you... so I sit you down on your bum and I build a barricade around you made up of couch pillows. This way, if you do happen to fall, you have some nice cushions to break your fall and protect your big head. Then I place toys all around you and in front of you so you have lots to choose from. Then I just let you play :). This usually entertains you for a good 30 min or so. You love it and it's so fun to just stare at you.
For bath time you like to stare intently at the drain. You like the sound it makes when I pull the plug and you think it's fascinating. Sometimes you even try to stick your little fingers clear down it--which I think is disgusting considering the moldy things that grow down there--but luckily you are too small to reach far down.
Wyatt, you must know that you are a smart little boy. You are learning when you are "all done" with eating and are ready to get out of your high chair. Mommy is teaching you sign language and this is the first sign you understand. Cool, cool!
You give me the biggest and most excited smile when we look in the mirror together. I'm not quite sure if you understand that you're looking at yourself yet but you like it just the same.
Lastly, you know that Daddy and I are cooky and silly. We dance in front of you often when you're hanging out in your high chair and you make us feel like a million bucks. You are the best audience to dance for and you think all of our moves are way good. You just sit their and watch us with a BIG smile. We love to entertain you :)

You are growing so fast and I can't believe how interactive you are these days. I try to stimulate your brain every day, I try to take you outside and enjoy the outdoors every day, and I try to sing and read to you every day. We spend a lot of one on one time throughout our long days together and although YOU won't remember these precious times, they will be fond memories tucked away in MY brain forever. I enjoy every moment I have with you and I thank God for you every day. You make me happy and you make life enjoyable. I'm so grateful that you are healthy and strong and are developing as you should. You have a wonderful character about you and I can't wait for your next stage and development. Each one brings new experiences and more laughter. Love you Wyatt!
Someday you will read this excerpt, or else I will read it to you.

Our last graduate and baby, Maddie

2010-05-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

CONGRATULATIONS MADDIE!

I can't believe this actually happened. Maddie is now officially graduated from high school. Is she old enough to be doing this? Is she really going to college in the Fall? Is she free to go date around now and meet oodles of people? This all just doesn't seem right, but it's real. As Maddie would say, "Wait . . . that's not real."

Maddie has been a wonderful little sister. She is a beautiful girl with many talents and she's friends with anybody she meets. I was told the other day that a handicap boy in her grade at school absolutely LOVES Maddie. All this kid can talk about is how cool Maddie is and how nice she is to him. I guess she signed his yearbook this past week and afterwords, he went running around showing all his teachers how Maddie had signed his yearbook. This meant the world to him and he wanted everyone to know that Maddie was in his yearbook forever. Maddie took the time to reach out to someone who is more commonly rejected by others and made him her friend. I'm sure Maddie has made an impact on many kids in her class, one way or another. Although high school is a joke, I know Maddie has been "real" to a lot of people and they will remember who she is the rest of their lives.

Since my parents were gone on a cruise I got to REPRESENT for the family and I went to all her concerts and things. Maddie, you did SO GOOD playing in your orchestra concert! I was very impressed with how well you executed your solo's. I don't know who was better in high school, you or me, but you sure kicked my trash as far as not messing up in your final concert ha. I remember I had a huge solo and I messed up pretty bad. I was way embarrassed . . . and I had the most retarded hair ever. Ugh, what a joke.

It's so weird that Maddie is going to college now, but I'm excited for her to grow up, mature, meet new friends, and get away from all the drama. Maddie dealt with a lot of drama that she didn't deserve, so college should be a relief; hopefully. College for me was full of fun times. I definitely lived the life and I loved it. There are still some times I reflect upon my year living out and I wish I could go back. Why? Because of all the "hanging out" I did with gals and guys, for all the checking guys out on campus and trying to be friends with everyone, I miss hearing about parties and just popping up randomly wherever it was, I miss the stage when Ethan and I were dating too. All the butterflies I got when he'd call my cell phone, how shy I used to get when I talked about him to my friends, I loved holding his hand around campus because I felt "cool" that I was taken HA! I miss him coming to my apartment and eating breakfast with me on the front steps, the long rides and talks we had in his truck, going out to the dry farms and talking under the stars, going out to eat when I didn't have to pay a dime, all the notes he used to write me that said things like, "Good morning sunshine, you look beautiful!" or "Pretty flowers for a pretty . . .?" (he would make me finish the sentence and say "girl") and "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me etc..." For the lunches we had together every Thursday up at the temple where we'd eat pizza and sandwiches--he always felt cool and his workers always teased him about eating lunch with me. He used to come to my Volleyball or Basketball games and cheer me on big time! He'd yell so loud for me and try to get my attention while playing. I acted like I hated it, but inside I was thrilled :) I miss him tickling my hand in the car while driving because he couldn't keep his hands off me; he liked me so much. Most of all, I miss him taking me on crazy dates and always sticking to his motto of, "GO BIG, or go home!" Those days were amazing and full of so many laughs and tears of joy. I've never felt closer to a million bucks than when I dated Ethan. Most of my memories of college are with Ethan and I am so grateful I got to experience the things I did and make friends with so many people. I have these fun times and great memories to look back on forever. Sure, if I could go back I would change some things and try to do even more activities and such, but I'm happy with what I experienced and who I fell in love with :) Now I'm married to one of the funniest men on the planet and I have a darling little boy--life is good.

So Maddie, I wish you luck with your experience in college and want you to know that if you ever want a girls night together, or if you want to talk about boys (for real this time, because dating is from now on, FOR REAL) then you know where I am. I will always be here for you and I'll be rooting you on miss Maddie. I love you and I'm proud of you. You are a wonderful young lady who is envied by many. Keep living right and being an example and you will be a lighthouse to all those who meet you. Once again, CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATE OF 2010! I love you so much Mammy.

Talent or just plain weirdness?

2010-05-28T15:53:00.000-07:00

I have discovered that I can be an odd duck at times. Maybe this isn't new to you, but still, I have just realized this lately. Why? Because of the ridiculous way I tend to communicate with others. Here is an example:

1) I was texting my sister, Aubrey, a few nights ago and asked her how her dinner tasted that night. (I had given her a new recipe to try and wanted to know how she liked it.) Here is our textation.....conversation:

Me: So on a scale of 1 to 10: one being dragged through a pile of mud with maggots and leaches attaching to your body, and ten being brought to the pearly gates of heaven . . . where did dinner fall? Aubrey: Oh Wow! Ha! I would say the consensus would be an 8! Very tasty! For me tho it hasn't sat well in my tummy :( it was good going down but I don't feel too hot right now.
Me: Good! That is a wonderful consensus mine sister . . . I was thinking that could be compared to a hot day on the beach enjoying the birds and the waves. Then, unfortunately for you though, your body seemed to have burned profusely from the suns rays. I'm so sorry :( ETC...

2) This time I had just spent 2 hours revising and editing a paper for Ethan and I wrote him a reply email with the edited paper attached to it.

Ethan's email: I love you here you go.
My response:

Eth-dog,
Yo, yo my home skillet. So check it out . . .your home girl just spent 2 hours revising that junk (it's not really junk haha) and some payment is in order fool. Hook me up with a flick tonight and you got yourself a deal for real. Fo shizzle my nizzle. This chick made you sound like a million bucks yo--she knows how to REP-RE-SENT! Hollah!

Keepin' it real, livin' in the streets,
Your pimpy love, Ash-dog

I had one hilarious textation with Ethan about a month ago in which I talked like I lived in the 1800's. It was probably the best example I had of my interesting verbage haha. I'm sorry I do not have it to share with you, but I'm sure that I'll have plenty more in the near future.

So until our eyes shall once again gaze into the depths of each others souls, I shall bid thee farewell and mine heart yearns for your happiness. May ye be blessed for reading the epistle of Ashley.

HAIR--be gone!

2010-05-16T18:58:00.000-07:00

AFTER

BEFORE

For those of you who know me, you know that when I say, "I'm going to cut my hair short this time..." I never really do it-- until now. I finally did what I said I was going to do for so many years! Yes, I know it's not super short still but hey, I think it's definitely an improvement :) I have to say "Ewwwwww" because whenever you look at a before and after photo of yourself, you realize how incredibly homely you were before haha. That's how I feel with the picture above, (not to mention I didn't do my hair that day anyway which makes it worse). I am so pleased with my haircut and I'm lovin' how it looks in the morning when I do it. Ladies, it really does make a difference when you do something to change your look or improve your outfit, or beautify your eyebrows or nails etc... You don't have to go all pricey and extravagant or anything, but just a little somethin' can really brighten your countenance. I feel more confident in myself and I enjoy looking in the mirror a little bit more because of this change. I think every woman needs to do something like this when they get a little down on themselves or when things get stuck in a routine 24.7 I encourage you ladies to make sure and do yourself a little primping up when you need it :)

It's been kind of funny this past week because I will run into someone and they say hello to me, smile at me, wave at me, and look at me, but they don't know who I am ha-ha. It takes them a moment before they realize it's me with my hair cut short. I just chuckle and then we start talking about how different I look. I don't think it's like a night/day difference at all, but you definitely have to do a little double take when you first see me. Anyway, I love the hair so far and thank goodness it's not too hard of a hairstyle that I can style it myself. So for you people who have been waiting for me to really cut my hair, (specifically Megan, Aubrey, Mom, Maddie, Kayle, and Chalyse) there you go... I did it! Thanks Lizzay.

"Cry me a river" JT

2010-05-16T18:15:00.000-07:00

This probably looks familiar to most of you. For me it was a surprise-- I've never had a problem with onions until just the other day. I was just chopping away and then all of a sudden the tingly sensation overpowered my eyes and the tears just dripped from my eyes. I had no control over them and it was really weird. It actually hurt pretty dang bad and I pushed on my eyeballs so hard to make the pain go away. Pretty soon the mascara was running down my face and I looked like the fat lady off of Mulan haha. (Sense of dig.....nity) Just a tip: I found out that the very center "core" of the onion is what makes you cry, so if you can remove that out of the way, things should go a little better. I still love onions though.

Woo-hoo . . . 22

2010-05-01T22:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me!

The actual day of my birth was a glorious day for the world, I must admit. I was probably the 53rd baby out of the 247 baby girls that were born that year with the name Ashley. I feel honored that my older brother Jaxon named me after his girlfriend in grade school. I guess that's why I've always been his favorite sister :)

Sadly, I was the baby that put my Mother into depression, but hey, I turned out alright . . . right? I've now been alive for 22 years. Every year that goes by is wonderful, but I'm already starting to dislike Birthdays. Not only are they less exciting because hardly anybody knows about your Birthday like they did in elementary school, but you don't get the same parties and spoiledness as you do as a kid. Now I miss all the presents my Mommy used to give me haha

On the day of my Birthday, April 29th, the day was like any other day really. I didn't feel any different and I had to go to school, clean Lovell's, do homework, and Ethan had to work that night, so it was hard for it to feel all exciting you know? Anyway, I was graced with some nice cards from my family and friend, including a $5.00 McDonald card to buy me-self a LARGE chocolate milkshake, and a $5.00 card to Jamba Juice, and $20.00 to do whatever I please, a CD mix of songs, and movies from my husband etc.... I actually love the more simple gifts like the card to McDonald's. To know that family and friends are poor (just like we are) yet they still find something to give on a special day really makes me smile :) Gifts are not measured by their amount or size, but on the thought and the love that comes with it. I'm so grateful for all the little things I received. It did make me feel loved.
Ethan knows that I absolutely LOVE watching movies, so of course, he got me some for my Birthday. He bought me WALL-E, Robin Hood, A Goofy Movie, Loony Tunes, Tom and Jerry, and one more I forgot. We decided that we wanted to start collecting child appropriate movies for Wyatt and the rest of the fam that will come later on . . . I love Disney movies!

While Eth was working at Big 5, I was invited to eat dinner with my parents, Maddie, and Tanner at home; how fun that was. The dinner was delicious and the company was the best. I specifically liked the going around the table tradition we have as a family :) (You all know what I'm talking about) I've missed that now that I'm older, so it was nice to do it again.

After dinner, Maddie and I decided to bond together and hang out for fun. We headed to the Rex and got tickets to the show, "The Last Song". For those of you who haven't seen it, I think you should. I will admit, I predicted every single thing that happened in the movie because it was predictable and a bit cheesy, but it had a really good message to it. Both Maddie and I were brought to tears together . . . we balled together . . . and laughed together . . . and all alone . . . we were the ONLY 2 PEOPLE in the entire theater! Hahahahahaha we both died laughing. No, but seriously, it's a good movie, unless of course you are anti-Miley Cirus, then stay far away.

On Friday, Ethan and I celebrated my Birthday together in Idaho Falls where we ate out at one of my favorite restaraunts, "Olive Garden". We both splurged and I ordered something scrumdiddlyumptiousousness... It's called the "Mixed Grill" and I savored each and every bite it was so good. Whitney Howard got to be our lovely waitress and she recommended it; good job whitter. After that we rode home together and watched the "Prestige" on our very own surround sound. It was a pretty chill Birthday, but I enjoyed the time alone with Ethan :)

Oh and I definitely can't forget the wonderful, happy, bonding time with WYATT! Oh how I love this boy :)

A Blizzard in April...welcome to ICE-BURG

2010-04-13T10:20:00.001-07:00

This has happened before. Spring began to shine through the winter season and I got very excited for the fresh air, flowers, sunlight, warm weather, swimming, bike rides and more! But then I had to come to grips with myself and remember that this is Rexburg a.k.a. Iceburg. I could not get my hopes up too soon--and for a good reason. Just this week, down came the snow, down came the cold weather, (more like a mini blizzard). Since I had prepared myself for this expected storm I decided to make some good out of it. I bundled Wyatt up in his snow outfit and headed to Grandma's house to take some winter pictures. Look what we got!

If these aren't the cutest pictures you've ever seen, then I don't know what you're looking at! HA

See everyone, you can always make some good out of a not-so-good situation :) ( I'll try to remember this quote if it snows on my birthday this month. That would damper my spirits on my special day.)

FuN ViDeOs!

2010-02-19T09:47:00.000-08:00

"Wuv...twoooo wuv........mowage!"

2010-02-18T11:39:00.000-08:00

There are some who completely despise Valentine's Day, and there are others who anticipate and dream about it for weeks. For some it is a difficult holiday because there is no "significant" other to celebrate it with. Some have lost a loved one recently or have just broken up from a relationship, while others are leaping with joy because they were given their first rose or perhaps received a really BIG kiss! I can understand why others also feel inadequate on this day because they cannot show enough love for their spouse, mother, father, grandmother, son, daughter, brother, sister, caregiver, friend, you name it. It can be a bitter sweet holiday for many and I can see that. HOWEVER, it is all about how you look at it.

True, it can be pretty depressing to not have a lover to share this day with, but I know for a fact that everybody loves SOMEBODY. Instead of dwelling and moping about the hatred and frustration you feel about Valentine's Day.... maybe try to think about those who are most close to you that you love. I've had to shift my way of thinking on this very subject because I used to resent this holiday a bit.....

I never had a boyfriend growing up in high school and honestly, I never really felt pretty enough for anyone to think about giving me a true Valentine or even like me. It was also hard to see my two sisters receiving Valentine treats and gifts, when I didn't get anything. (Not to mention my sister was in JR.HIGH when she got her first lovey dovey lozness). To add to my jealousy, my two brothers had their own little girlies in which they bought a rose or a card for etc... Then I would come home from school and there sat a beautiful, large bouquet of flowers from my Dad to my Mom and the two of them would kiss in the kitchen. I just wished I could be a part of it sometimes. I always secretly wished that someone would like me and send me a rose or something cute like everyone else.

I had most of these feelings while growing up, but I realized that I needed to look at it in a different way. Valentine's Day is ultimately a celebration of LOVE in general. I believe there are four kinds of love: Romantic Love (which you share with the one you're attracted to) Family Love (a very close relationship and love with those you live with throughout your life; more deep than a friendship love) Friend Love (the way you love your friends and care about their happiness and well being; not quite as strong as family love) and ultimately, Our Savior's Love. Of course, this kind of love is the only one that is perfect--the only one that lacks words to describe it. The love our Savior has for us, and the love we should give Him in return, is the most important. I feel that before we can truly learn to love others we must first come to love Him. He will teach us HOW to love those we come in contact with in our lives.

So, no matter which category you fit into--whether you love it or hate it--I think this holiday is a wonderful excuse for all of us to think about those we love; whoever it may be. These two men/males/boys are the closest people in my life right now and I hope they each know how much I really do love them!

I made the mistake of telling Ethan that I wasn't a "flower girl" while we were dating. He had given me flowers for the first time in Feb of 2007 for Valentine's Day before we were even that serious. It actually took me by surprise when he had decorated my room with a bubble machine, flowers, and a picture of him in a frame ha-ha. I realized that he must really like me :) FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, SOMEBODY REALLY LIKED ME AND THOUGHT I WAS WORTH A DOZEN ROSES! I was truly flattered, but somehow later on in our relationship, I told him I wasn't a flower girl. Bad mistake. I didn't receive any flowers since I had said that until this year. I secretly told some of my friends that all I wanted from Ethan this year (to know that he loved me) was a simple flower. This was all I wanted. I don't know why? They just shrivel and die after a few days anyway. Despite that fact, that was all I hoped for. (Probably bad of me to expect something. Oh dear)

Anyway, on Friday when Ethan came home, he entered the same way he always does and he greeted me the same way he always does. I was on the bed with Wyatt and in the other room. Ethan mentioned nothing about a surprise on the table or anything and just acted like nothing was different, and so did I. A couple minutes later when I turned the corner to go into the kitchen . . . there sat the most beautiful arrangement of flowers on our kitchen table. I froze. All I could do was stare at them. Ethan was in the same room playing with Wyatt and acting like nothing was going on. I stared for a good minute before Ethan looked up at me with a proud smile and realized that I was crying. Happiness and love filled my entire body and the only way it could escape at the time was through my tears. I stood there and gathered myself together so I could say, "Y y you got me fff ff fflowers!"
That was pretty much all I could say at the time, but when I had settled down I made sure to plaster him with kisses galore! *wink*

Thanks Eefie

p.s. I think I am a flower girl now :)

My Mother's Hand

2010-02-13T12:54:00.000-08:00

My Mother's Hand

When I came down from heaven above,
God gave me a special command.
He told me to pass His love on to YOU,
So I touched my Mother's hand.

From the very first touch, I knew in my heart,
You'd lift me and help me to stand.
When times were rough and I needed some help,
So I grasped my Mother's hand.

I've watched you close and followed your steps,
You're the leader of my band.
You've pointed the way and kept me in line,
So I watch my Mother's hand.

Through all these years you've built me up,
With words as my number one fan.
My head is held high--I believe in myself.
All because of my Mother's hand.

And now I'm a mother and have my own child,
I know that I can withstand.
All the trials and fears that will enter his life,
I now mimic my Mother's hand.

Although I am gone and have led a new life,
There is one thing I still demand.
When I need your love--my Mother, my friend,
I can reach for my Mother's hand.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!
I love you

Who ever said, "Sleeping like a baby?"

2010-02-09T13:35:00.000-08:00

We have no idea why Wyatt was sleeping this way? He wasn't crying before he fell asleep or anything. I felt so bad every time it happened though because it sounded like he was in pain or sad. I couldn't do anything to comfort him--I don't even know if comfort is what he needed! Weird. Whoever said that they "sleep like a baby" must not get very good sleep ha ha.

All laid up my friends... COME VISIT!

2010-02-09T11:42:00.001-08:00

I apologize for the lack of info on my family's life right now. I have a good reason though. About a month ago I experienced my second knee surgery and have been laid up for quite some time. Yes, surgery number two.
Why, you may ask? Well...I don't know. All I know is that the first surgery failed and I'm re-living the nightmare of last year all over again. I thought I was through with crutches, pain pills, elevating my leg all day long, lack of sleep, armpit rashes, greasy and unwashed hair, baths instead of showers (with my leg hanging out of the tub), soreness and whatever! The hardest part is reliving it again.

All the many hours spent at physical therapy with the old people... this is the hardest part. Not only is my competition full of wrinkles, broken limbs, missing teeth, lack of hair, and stinky perfume, but they are all at least 30+ years older than me! I sit down on my bicycle next to my 65 year old competitor and put on my game face--who is going to win the race? Which one of us will be able to make our legs move one complete cycle on the bike without crying? The race begins and sadly, the old geezer to my right usually wins. This is what it's come to for me.

ON THE FLIP SIDE....

I spend my days and nights on my king sized bed with my son right next to me. We get to bond 24.7 and I love it! Wyatt is probably getting way more stimulation then he should be, but boy he seems to like it. Many of you have asked, "How do you take care of him by yourself?" It's simple really. As long as he's on my bed, everything is under control. I change his diapers, feed him, play with him, dress him, and take care of everything on my bed. Once he falls asleep I get up on my crutches and do things myself like: making myself some lunch, doing the dishes, checking e-mails, writing letters and thank you cards, watching movies, picking up odds and ends and whatever else I can manage. How wonderful is that? I get to spend all day with my little boy with hardly any interruptions.

It has been so wonderful watching my son grow and reach his milestones. His newest accomplishment is using his hands to grab things, and occasionally he'll even draw it to his mouth. Wyatt is in the beginning stages of all this, but I it is so fun to watch him discover what his hands can do. Something else, Wyatt has started to LAUGH and it is so cute. Of course, Grandma Anderson can make him laugh the hardest, but I'm starting to catch up. He's a growing boy with chipmunk cheeks.

Thankfully, I have some really great neighbors and a wonderful family nearby to help me with everything. Many of my ward members have so willingly brought us dinner, volunteered to watch Wyatt, and they come pay me visits all the time. My mother especially has been a great help during the daytime with all my errands and physical therapy trips. Then, my dear husband, who helps me at night even though he is dead tired from school and work. Not once has Ethan complained about having to wake up and get Wyatt in the night if he needs to feed. Every time Ethan goes in to see Wyatt I hear, "Heeeeeyyyy buddy! Good morning..." and it just warms my heart. I want to thank everyone who has helped me with this surgery; it really means a lot to have people who care about me and want to help.

Grandma has been such a great help to me and Wyatt this past month. Wyatt loves his Gramma!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2010 here we come...

2010-01-11T09:24:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
2010

Party Hardy! Wow, it's a new year already; I can't believe it. What have I done in one year's time? Hmmm, I finished two semesters in college, I recovered from surgery, I got pregnant, I turned the wonderful age of 21, I got my first body piercing (haha jk), I was called as the 2nd counselor in my ward Relief Society, I made it through another year of window washing, I watched the last of the Anderson sisters participate in Jr.Miss, I watched two more sessions of Conference, I wished my brother off on a mission, I attended many of my friends weddings and showers, I went camping for the first time in our marriage, I attended my family's very first family reunion, I got certified in Wilderness first aide and CPR, I experienced our first Father's Day for Ethan, I made a float and entered in to be part of the Rexburg parade, I played in a softball league with Ethan during the summer, I had a girls party with the Hyde family, I went to Lagoon, I went grouse hunting for the first time in my life, I had my first baby shower, I was introduced to Braxton hicks, I bought my first crib, baby clothes, Binky, diapers, wipes, car seat, rattle and more! This year I had my first child. And this year has been one of the happiest years of my life :) I can't wait to see what the year 2010 will bring my way......

Ethan and I were fortunate enough to travel to Arizona and back in one piece. Wyatt was amazing and slept pretty much the entire way and hardly gave a fuss. ( I think something is wrong with him? j/k, but he is a very good baby so far.) We got to spend the New Year with Grandma "Nana" or Mary Lou, and our Aunt Melissa. They were ready for us when we pulled up and spoiled us rotten from the moment we walked into the house. You notty little ladies :)
The other fun part about the trip is that Ethan's sister Hannah and her family got to come up too! This made things even more fun. The entire living Felix family was together this trip and it turned out to be a treat. (Logan, Hannah, Chase) We're so glad we could coordinate the trip with them.
In the backyard of their darling home, two huge trees full of Grapefruit and Oranges are rooted in the ground. They produce so much citrus delight that we ate oranges almost every morning. I cannot tell you how great it was to walk outside, whenever we wanted, and pluck a fruit off the tree at free will. They were so delicious too! No sugar needed to be added at all. Wow. We took home an entire duffel bag + some home with us. So here we are underneath one of the scrumptious trees. Aahh, what a cute picture.
COUSINS!!! These two little guys aren't aware yet, but they are going to be best buds when their brains start to realize who the other one is. Wyatt and Chase are only 6 days apart from each other and they are going to reek havoc when they get older. Look at em' just chillin' there.
On our way to Grandmama's house we passed over the Hoover Dam. We could have stopped and parked the car to see the entire drop and stuff, but after waiting an hour through traffic, I didn't want to. Instead, I got a great picture of the enormous bridge they're building across the canyon. To be honest, I don't think I would drive over that bridge...that would be for stupid people who like to come as close to death as they can. That is not for me. I know that pictures sometimes don't do justice to what the thing actually looks like, but believe me, this thing is huge!
Another new face for Wyatt: this is Uncle Levi (Ethan's older brother). Levi spent a lot of time with all of us at the house and we all had a good time talking to each other. He even treated us all to dinner at McGrath's restaurant where he works. Oooo the coconut shrimp and Cajun chicken I ate was to die for. Thanks Levi.
This is Ethan's half sister, Mary. We had the privilege of visiting her home where she taught me how to make a wicked Steak Salsa, Guac, and Green Chile. We worked together and things went pretty fast, but the reward in the end was well worth the time and work by golly. That was the best stuff I'd ever eaten! She even let us take some home with us. Yummm.

You gotta love these kind of pictures. Baby boy smiling up at his great Grandma Nana. Wyatt loves Nana so much and was a good little boy every time she held him.
Here's the whole Felix/Davis clan: Front- Melissa, Wyatt, Nana, Chase, Hanna Back- Ethan, Levi

Grandma and her two little ones :)

Okay, this picture was just funny because this grapefruit was bigger than Wyatt's head! haha I laughed so hard and had to take a picture of it. I think Wyatt was a little offended by it or something hee hee.

Altogether we had a wonderful time! On Christmas Eve night, everyone was wanting to just go to bed. Are you kidding me? I was not going to stand for that kind of attitude, so I made everyone stay up and watch the ball drop with me. We played some cards, talked, and had a much funner time staying awake together. (The funny thing was, as soon as the ball dropped, everyone else stood up and said, "Well, good night." and slid off to bed.) We also celebrated Christmas with Nana too and boy were we spoiled. Wyatt got some neat blocks that I'm excited for, I was given a blender of which I absolutely LOVE and have made a smoothie almost every night since, and Ethan got a lot of good lookin' work clothes ( suit and tie stuff) shoes, a telephone and much more. We are so grateful to Nana for everything she did to make this trip possible. We couldn't have done it without her. WHAT A WONDERFUL VACATION!

New Faces and Holiday Fun!

2010-01-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful Christmas vacation we had as a family! First, we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Ethan's family in Star Valley Wyoming where we had a wonderful time with the family. The children acted out the nativity (which was hilarious) and I played some carols on the piano. Christmas morning was definitely an adventure watching all the boys rip open their presents and scream with joy. I love seeing the happiness and joy of the season. It warms my heart. Mamma Jan and Pappa Hyde sure did spoil us this year... we thank them so much for the much needed gifts they gave. We had a wonderful holiday this year!

Also for the holidays, Wyatt got to meet a lot of new faces he's never seen before. On our way to Arizona, (to go visit Ethan's grandma) we stopped at the Bestor home where Wyatt met grace and Grandpa for the first time. Kristin and Bill were there too so Wyatt got to meet their whole family too. Then we stopped in St. George and stayed with Aunt Carrie, Uncle Lon, and Sara Clara where all of them adored Wyatt. Sara and Aunt Carrie held him the entire time we were there and kept fighting over him ha-ha. Surprisingly, Wyatt handled all the new faces really well and loved being held by anyone and everyone.

This is probably my most favorite part of Christmas (above). I spent quite a few hours making these cute wooden picture blocks for Ethan for his Christmas present. I enjoy and appreciate homemade gifts much more than store bought gifts, so I thought I would do the same for Ethan. They mean so much more to me because of the time, effort, and love that is put into them. I was thrilled with these because they are not only packed with some of my favorite pictures of us, but they also made for some great decor in the house! In years to come I will continue to make blocks for each of the children and put their pictures on them too. I think it will be a wonderful family tradition.

We sure do love the Henderson family!

Aunt Carrie and Wyatt :)
(he looks like he's trying to punch someone)

Bill, Kristin, Kayla, Will, Ethan, Me and Wyatt

Our wonderful Grandparents! Rollis and Philly :)
Wyatt's GREAT grandparents

Grandma Phyllis helped bath Wyatt while we were there.

CHRISTMAS MORNING 6:00 a.m. Ethan's holding Wyatt and I'm holding baby Chase.

This was such a cute picture--sorry it's so dark. Wyatt stared at the Christmas tree lights for a long time. It was so cute to watch him smile and kick his little feet in excitement.

This is Dayton and Ashlynn who proudly took on the roles of a Shepherd, (or as Dayton thought, "I'm a ninja!") and the beautiful virgin Mary. They all did such a great job that day. All the parents were proud of course.

Despite the many gifts we received, I want my Heavenly Father to know how grateful I am for the many gifts he has given me.
I thank thee for:
*The birth of thy son, Jesus Christ, and that he was willing to die for me.
*The prophet, Joseph Smith, who sacrificed so much to restore this church on the earth and for all the prophets that have followed him.
*The spirit, which guides and directs me each day.
*A loving and wonderful family who has loved me from the very beginning and supported me in all my many activities.
*Two amazing parents that have protected, loved, and taught me so many things and have loved me since the day I was born.
*An amazing and humorous husband who has made my life worth living.
*A healthy and strong body that functions properly and supports me.
*A beautiful and healthy son that has brightened up my life and made Ethan and I so happy.
*Everything I have been given and blessed with throughout my life. For the many talents I've been entrusted with, the many friends I have made, and the many spiritual moments I've had.

For everything that I have, I thank thee.

A baby blessing already!?!

2009-12-17T10:54:00.001-08:00

Baby Blessing: DECEMBER 6, 2009
I can't believe it. I've already had a baby blessing for my own child..... what!? How can this be? Where did the time go? What happened to my baby boy who was 5lbs 9 oz. Better yet, what happened to all the nights of continual sleep? All of them are gone and part of the past now. My son will never be a tiny little guy again. He will never wear NB diapers anymore. He has already progressed and made it to size 1 diapers. That may seem like a silly thing to think about, but it's really a big deal. His little bottom is growing.

Sunday ended up being a wonderful day full of family, friends, and happy attitudes. I can't explain how fun it is to get your child ready for an event such as this. It's one thing to get nervous, anxious, or exciting about a piano recital, basketball game, or giving a talk, but it's quite another thing when it's your son's big day. I wanted him to look perfect for his special day. I wanted him to be fully fed and happy when he was brought into the middle of the circle surrounded by men. It felt just like I was going to a dance or something, except I just prepped him up instead of myself. Wyatt got to wear the same outfit my brother, Tanner, wore when he was blessed. The whole outfit was so cute and fit him rather nice. One yellow stain from baby Tanner added a nice touch and later that day, Wyatt decided to add his very own special smear to the outfit as well. He pooped right through his diaper and it got all over the cute little outfit. Oooooops!

The actual blessing was beautiful. Ethan did such a great job and I was so proud of him. As I listened to the words that were spoken I couldn't help but shed my happy tears. I was thinking about my little boy and how special he is; how much he means to me. There's not a better sight in the world than to see the backside of a bunch of men in a circle when they're using their priesthood power to bless a little child. How grateful I am to have a husband, father(in-law), brothers, and family members who hold this priesthood and can use it to bless others at any time. The Lord has blessed his sons with the gift and authority and I'm so glad to be a part of it. Altogether, the blessing was wonderful and the meeting was spiritual. Both Ethan and I were able to share our testimony to our son for the first time. What a wonderful day!

"Did ya see me Mommy....did ya see me today? I was a good boy while Daddy was holding me. There were a lot of big people staring down at me in the circle. I don't know who they were, but I know that they love me. I felt special today Mommy."

Grandpa Hyde holding his newest little grandson's. (Only 6 days apart)
Wyatt & Chase

Thanks to everyone who was able to make it to the blessing, and we appreciate those who tried to come, but had other obligations. We still love you :) The support means the world to us and we really do appreciate it. Family is what it's all about!
Back row, from L to R: Dane, Dayton, Marie, Logan, Ethan & Wyatt, Kevin, Jan, Maddie, Ron & Azeley, Megan, Taylor. Front row: Hannah & Chase, Me and Courtney, Jill.

A special thanks to Mom (Jill) for throwing a delicious lunch before the blessing :) Thanks again to everyone who participated in the circle and for the families that joined. We love you all!

Baby Wyatt 7-11 weeks old

2009-11-13T09:04:00.000-08:00

An update on Wyatt:

Wyatt is starting to "track" things; however, he constantly looks up to the sky, clear off to the right and left side, and off into the distance for some reason. It's kind of funny, but we're wondering why?
Wyatt has grown out of his NEWBORN clothes and diapers!
He weighs 10 pounds and is super L-O-N-G.... 22 inches already.
He snorts like a little piglet. When he gets crying (which doesn't happen very often) he snorts multiple times- so funny :)
Wyatt hasn't peed on his face for over a month.
Wyatt has begun to blow out of his pants. He is getting oh so powerful with his S-bomb explosions. (You can guess what the "s" stands for hee hee)
WYATT HAS STARTED TO SMILE ON PURPOSE!
He is experiencing his first cold. Mommy has to use the booger sucker all the time now.
Wyatt is completely, 100% off "the shield" now and eats directly from Mom.
Wyatt is learning Shakespeare--thanks to Mommy always reading it to him for her class.

Below are some pictures from when he was 7 weeks up till the present:

He's already practicing his basketball skills.
"I'm a baller. Check out my Jordan's."

2 Month old picture with teddy

Wyatt's first smile(s). This was not on purpose though. Probably just having a dream of a chocolate milk factory or something.

One of my favorites: As you can see here, his wrinkles are starting to fill out and he doesn't look so much like an old man. Plus, he loves to be naked, and I love to play with him naked ha-ha

He looks so grown up here

These are Wyatt's humongous hands. I'm definitely going to teach him how to play piano & basketball. Can't wait.

FUNNY!

Wyatt has started to open his eyes really, really wide. I think he was watching a scary movie with Dad at the time.

We are having so much fun with him and are learning a lot! He is starting to stay awake a lot more during the day and it's so much fun. Anyone is welcome to come visit; he loves visitors.

Hap, hap, hap, Happy Birfday! (NOV 8)

2009-11-13T08:59:00.000-08:00

Ethan's birthday landed on a Sunday this year, so I decided to plan a couple of activities for him that weekend. On Friday the 6th, we had a huge BUNKO party with eight other couple friends from our ward. We had pizza, fruit salad, drinks, cake, and prizes! We all had a really good time and this was Ethan's first time playing the game. (We only got to be partners once though)
On Saturday night I arranged and called 6 of Ethan's guy friends to meet up at Applebees to enjoy "HAPPY HOUR" and half off appetizers together. You know, "Girl Time" but with guys. (They just don't like to admit that they like to have that time together too ha-ha) When Eth walked in the door after his two hour "guys session" he was grinning from ear to ear. He loved it.
On Sunday we enjoyed sleeping in together, but the rest of the day was just like any other Sunday. I let Ethan open his two little presents that I could afford to get him: an 8-pack of red gatorade and a package of socks. Not much of a gift, but that's why I tried real hard on planning his other two activities and surprises for him--those were also my presents to him. That night we went over to my parents house briefly where we read Birthday Cards and ejoyed dinner and cake at the end. Even when there's only a few Anderson's at home, we still go through our famous Happy Birthday Randition for the birthday victim. That night we just relaxed together.
Hope you had a wonderful birthday Eth,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART!

24 reasons why I love Ethan:

1. He is crazy and weird like me; we do whatever comes to our mind no matter how ridiculous and embarassing it is.

2. He makes me laugh EVERY SINGLE DAY, without fail.

3. He looks handsome in any color. Even pink.

4. He knows exactly how to calm me down when I get frustrated or over-excited.

5. I feel safe when he's around.

6. He knows how to work hard.

7. His imagination and ideas are fascinating and impressive.

8. He serves people all the time and he loves it.

9. He has introduced me to Mexican Food which has become my new edible love.

10. He's the most amazing grocerie organizer! Every time we go to the store, my job is to unpackage the goods and Ethan will then grab a chair, sit down infront of the fridge, and proceed to place all the food exaxtly where he wants it. He actually does a really good job too.

11. He explains things too me that I don't understand in a nice, loving, and helpful way, without making fun of me.
12. He loves to go out to eat as much as I do.

13. He takes care of Wyatt for me when I'm at school. He is a great father already and offers to take shifts late at night when I need to go to bed.

14. He knows how to laugh at himself, like when he impersonates the chunky kid off of the goonies ha-ha. Makes me laugh every time.

15. He takes constructive criticism very well.

16. He constantly thinks about what he can do for other people and how he can help them.

17. I love it when Ethan randomly says to me, "Ashley, I want you to take this money ($2.00) and go buy yourself a shake. Can you do that for me?" He knows I love shakes and he says this when he wants to do something for me, but just doesn't know what to do.

18. He listens to me when I have my emotional breakdowns and constipations.

19. I can ask him for a blessing any time.

20. He laughs really hard when I "pooter" or "poof". That makes things fun :)

21. He is an amazing speaker! When he gives a talk or a lesson it just blows me away.

22. I love it when he will actually let out his emotion. Like when we watch touching movies together and he'll look over at me to see if I'm crying. (Which I almost always am) Then he laughs at me and says, "I almost cried." That's good for Ethan ha.

23. He thinks my ideas are good ones and he handles my bossyiness very well.

24. Most of all, I love him because he loves me. It feels so good to be loved. He was the only person that ever made me feel pretty. He was the first person to look past my strong body and personality and recognized the person I was on the inside. Thanks Eth.

I love you more than Wyatt loves milk... and that's a lot.

Hahahahahahahahahhaa

Halloween Fun!

2009-11-02T20:34:00.000-08:00

We started our Halloween fun on Monday night with my parents for FHE. We had a great time carving pumpkins and taking pictures of Wyatt in his dinosaur costume. On Halloween day Ethan and I dressed up again for our ward party, but this year I had to come up with something fast... I didn't have as much time as last year to come up with something, so I just found some odds and ends in my closet. I came up being a mime. The only problem was: I couldn't keep my mouth shut! So I didn't play the part very well, but still enjoyed myself and all the weird looks :)

We were also invited to a mystery dinner party at a friends house and got to dress up in completely different outfits. The dinner was amazing, the game was a blast, and we really enjoyed ourselves. I discovered that 5-6 hours away from Wyatt was much too long!

MIME FACE

These are two of our very good friends: Garrett & Jessica Pace. They actually won a prize for their costumes.

This is Darla. She has some issues. Jeff and Darla decided to finally come and meet Ronald. He's been wanting them to show up for a long time. They came to wish Dad a Happy Birthday in their own special way haha

Mom carved a pretty sweet "Trick or Treat" pumpkin.

I outlined the pumpkin character and Eth did the wonderful carving job.

Look at my Dad's pumpkin. If you aren't laughing yet, you should be. This is a total reflection of my Dad's drawing and pictionary skills. Sadly, nobody really wants to be on his team because we all have such a hard time figuring out what he drew. No offense Dad, but you know its true. Thanks for the laughs though!

Awww, the whole family together for Wyatt's first Halloween experience.

Mom and I tried really hard to create our own background for a cute picture. Wyatt did pretty well through the whole shoot, but this is about as good as it gets. Babies don't understand the smiling and holding still concept yet.
(Look at his huge hands! They are always spread out)

What a cute little Dinosaur :)

Welcome Home WYATT!

2009-10-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

Wyatt decided when it was time to come home. Seriously. See this large tube taped to his face, well, he decided to rip it out of his nose on Tuesday. He was done with being fed through a tube. This was his way of saying, "Hey you stupid nurses, I don't need this tube anymore... I'm ready to go home! Go and get Mommy and I will show you!" Ha-ha That's my boy :-)

In his excitement to come home . . . Wyatt wet himself . . . on Daddy.

This is the little crib Wyatt stayed in for a few nights on his own; no tubes attached. (Some of his information is on the blue paper in the back if you can see it)

Before he could come home, Ethan and I got to spend the night with him at the hospital in a room as a "test" shall we say. They wanted is to act like we were at home and to handle things accordingly. They were just there in case we had questions or needed help. We enjoyed ourselves and did just fin by ourselves too.

Grandma came to visit that night- she couldn't help herself. We could see Grandma's house out of our hospital room window; it was funny.

Ethan took over and gave Wyatt a bath.

We had a lot of snuggling time together on the bed. We were so excited to finally have him to ourselves, it was hard to stay away from him and put him in his crib... so we put him with us.

His first car ride went really well- he slept through the whole thing HA

We were so ready to get him inside for good.

When we walked through the door, this is what we found in our apartment. Some dear friends of ours (Nate & Marlice) had put up a little Welcome Home Sign for us and hilarious sticky notes all over the house. It was a fun little surprise. Thanks guys!

This is Wyatt's sleeping quarters. We don't have a crib quite yet, but to all of you who are worried (you know who you are) STOP. We will have a crib very soon. In the meantime, a laundry basket works just fine.

Enough Said.

This is one of the latest pictures of him. He's already gained quite a bit of weight and you can see his cheeks and jowells starting to fill out. He is feeding on a schedule 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 etc... and it's wonderful! What I've learned from this whole experience is this: there are goods and bads, pro's and cons to every situation... we must simply choose to focus on the good. You can always find the good in every situation if you take the time. We are so happy to have him home now. Thanks to all of you and your prayers!

We Love you WYATT-

WELCOME HOME BUDDY