Excited for a new experience!!!!!

I had the opportunity to meet with a director of Welcome Baby a program offered by Children's Service Society that helps new moms and families with questions, expectations of their new addition, ideas for games and activities and offer relevant information on community resources. This fall I will be doing my Practicum for my Family Studies major and since I will becoming a Family Life Educator this volunteer work is perfect to add to my experience. A lot of this I am familiar with because we had someone like this come to our home every month and help the girls close the gap in their development milestones since they were 2 months early. With all the help I received from that program or Parent to Parent program at the U of U hospital, it is now a passion of mine to help other families. I feel like I've always been someone who has wanted to help anyone who needed it especially loved ones and friends and now get to help other mothers who want help. I received my Home Visitor Guide and other information that I will be using and now just need to do my online training.

Today has been a great day. Woke up and got the things done for my unemployment insurance and had to call the Dws office. Got ready, and went to my meeting for Welcome Baby. My girls got to play outside with their Papa helping plant in the garden and play with the sprinklers and even a Home Depot run. I cam home made a nice salad for lunch and did some laundry. I also got a tall glass of water, turned on Pandora on the iPad and relaxed out in the sun. Was really relaxing. Girls and I had left over chicken, broccoli and rice for dinner and got them ready for bed, read stories and now picking up. The sun definitely wore them out and without a nap today they are sleepy and ready for bed early :) Now to my online training!!!!!

Enjoying time home with the girls with no school or work. Shall be short lived. Summer school starts May 7 and still trying to find me a job..... Cross your fingers for me

What a beautiful day......

What a week it has been without my parents home... Man is it a different feeling to not come upstairs and be able to talk to my parents. My girls come to me everyday and say they miss their Ju Ju  (Aunt Juli) but tell me she is a missionary teaching people, it is quite cute and yes I miss Ju Ju as well but now with my parents gone I hear 2 little ones tell me they miss their Ju Ju and Grandma and Grandpa. This trip for them has been great thus far but we have had the added bonus of Facetime (thanks Apple) and been able to video chat multiple days in a row which we have never been able to before. Its fun for the girls to get to understand where Paris is and for my parents to describe all they have done so far. Cant wait for them to get back. School semester is coming to a close. This weekend with an empty house, parents gone and girls with their dad is going to be filled with finishing the last of the many papers I have written this semester. A quiet house is exactly what I need to accomplish this. Still looking for a job. With school hours trying to find one has been quite hard and will have the availability for the summer but then will have the same problem with classes in the morning 3 times a week and also adding 9 hours a week for my practicum so we will see what happens there. It has been very nice to have 3 full days with just my girls this week. Doesn't usually happen but have really enjoyed it and getting to spend that alone one on one time with the twins

. Have been thinking about my last post and about sharing everything with my mission to become healthy. I decided that I dont want to be that public about it. I feel like its an area for people who dont have my best interest at heart to see a very vulnerable side of me so I have started my own personal journal and when a milestone or great progress has been made I will definitely share. I am trying to become healthy physically and mentally and change some things and be happy with my life and all the things I am grateful to have and to share.

 Received a letter from my sister last week and its crazy how much my little sister inspires me. When things are hard and I am  down she has always been right there to remind me that things are ok and picks me up when I am down on myself. I am so grateful for her and her love. It radiates all the way from Texas and can I add she sends such awesome envelopes. If you know my artistic sister you will know her quirky cartoon style pictures and love looking at all the cute drawings that are posted all over when we receive letters. Today is Beautiful and I cant wait to get to enjoy that. Happy Saturday Everyone:)

A new me......

So the last couple weeks have been all about school and trying to find a new job..... I have decided that as I am starting a new chapter in life with work Im starting a new chapter in life with myself. Since the beginning of this year I have started watching what I am eating, counting calories and working out more. I have never really been one to discuss my body or weight because I have been so embarrassed but have decided this is the year to do something about it. I have had this quest for many years and have done better at some things than others but really just want to get healthy and be happy with myself and for my family. I think that recording my progress is going to be more motivating and actually a good journal to see progress. I want to post once a month about progress, triumphs, hardships and everything in between. Things that have helped and thing that havent. So here we go starting next Thursday March 1st my written conquest of becoming a new and better self.

Can I just say that my lil sidekicks are just blossoming before my eyes. It is so much fun to see the growth and development in their thinking and learning skills. They just know so much and it is fun to sit down and pick their brain about different things. The funnest thing lately is what they learned about Martin Luther King Jr and that he had a dream and wanted everyone to be treated the same. They learned a song and love to sing it around the house and I bought them a book through a book order for them and to see the light they have for him at just 4 years old is just so precious. I love those little girls so much!!!!

Slowly Breaking.....

Last Friday I found out that I was going to be laid off due to my company being sold and the new company not needing me. Was very frustrated to not know the details of how much longer I had a job because everything was up in the air, and now this week am told by a co worker that Friday is my last day. No one from management has had the respect for me to tell me any of this and have relied on having a co worker who would inform me so that I actually knew. Having a family and no job is scary and hope that this is temporary and a change for the better since I have not really liked my job for months now. I found out a friend of my parents has Stage 3 Lung Cancer the same day I found out i was being laid off. I am so grateful for good health and that my family is healthy but I am just so over whelmed. I have an amazing family and mother who has positive words for me and even friends but I feel with this happening, 15 credit hours at school and just life that im slowly breaking. I hate feeling like this let alone blog about it but just needed a way to get this out. I keep so much inside and its not healthy to do that. I know things happen for a reason and all will be ok but just need a way to get out of this funk that im in.

......well I think I am done with this rant..... time will tell all

So I update my sister Missionary blog and not mine... I see a problem with that!!!

I am known for going missing for months and months on here but if I can update my sister's blog I can surely update mine. I am going a little batty trying to organize my life with work and school. I am taking 15 credit hours and working close to 30 hours a week and Im trying to find my balance. I know things are crazy but to think at the end of the year I will get to graduate and walk and get a Bachelors Degree makes it all worth it!!!! The Holidays were great! I had so much fun spending time with my family, my little family and Brandon's family. Def missed my sister but her phone call was great and she is so happy to be in Texas it makes it all that much better.Even though im super busy I have been finding time to let the crafty girl inside me out and making a lot of the fun things I see on Pinterest for my little home. My newest project is a reading corner for my girls. I saw a fun way to make a book shelf out of wood spice racks from Ikea but having gone there Saturday and seeing that they are over sold I need to think of something else to make the book shelf. I did get a fun rug and oversized pillow for the corner that Im excited about!! Im not that creative we all know this but I enjoy it and its my way to get away from my school and work time. Ive always been jealous of all these women I know that are so creative and artistic (my sister being one!) but I do what I can.



Well here is my first of hopefully many more posts to come for the time being..... this stressful day at work just got better with a little time out to blog :)

Ready for school to start.......

I never thought I would say this but I want school to start already...... This summer has been fun and full of family adventures now that I have dropped my sister off and she is gone its time to do work!!! I want school to start and get into my set routine again. It will be a bust routine but I love knowing what my days will be filled with. I am ordering the books I need this weekend and the only other thing to do before school starts is find me a new car. I think I have narrowed it down so hopefully not having to wait too long for that to happen. I am excited to start my Major classes. I have waited a long time for it and excited to be learning the things I want to now not just general requirement classes. Its also weird to think Ill be done with school before my sister comes home...im not gonna lie I am liking that ill be done first. I didnt think I was going to be able to say that seeing that my sis is almost finished. My little girls are so excited for their new class to start September 1st. I love that they are excited for school and how much they love the kids and people there :)

Sisters are put in our lives for reasons. My sister is my inspiration. She amazes me everyday and im grateful for having such a strong, intelligent, loving, passionate sister. Dropping her off at the MTC yesterday the only word to describe was quick. Get out of the car gave a hug and off she went. I hate that things are so amazing between us now and she is leaving but so excited for all the things that are going to come about during these next 18 months for the 2 of us. To think my little girls will be 5, def not gonna be little anymore!!!

Talking about my little ones..... life for them is amazing! I have said so many times they are now just little people and the more time goes on the more I see that in them. The things they come up with and say and the way they are is so amazing. I had 2 weddings to go to yesterday, my old roommate and my neighbor Colton's wedding. I took Layna with me to my roommates ring ceremony up in Midway and Cam went with my parents to Colton's Wedding and I met up with my family later on in the evening. On our way down Parleys Layna kept telling me how much she missed her sister. It had only been a couple hours but one of the most amazing things about my girls is the bond they have with one another. If one is sick, sad, or tired it doesn't matter the other wants them to be better happy and playing. They fight like all siblings do especially over toys but even so they wouldn't want it any other way. They love their sissy just like I love mine!!!

A pic from Colton's Wedding last night (Layna and Ash)

Ok so I really have a reason to be blogging now.....

I have really enjoyed this summer and especially since most of it has been with my family. Finally having my sister home from school and time to enjoy her before her big day (one week from today!!!)  It is nice to kinda get out of my routine of looking for things to do during the weekend outside the home and be able to be busy with whatever crazy adventure we decide to do. I am trying to do as much as I can for my family before sissy leaves because I know its gonna be a hard day. My parents are going to be wrecks!!!! Especially my dad they have such a strong bond. I am excited that I was appointed Juli's blogger while she was gone. I have started creating the blog and excited for what it will be about. All the stories and everything that is going on while my sister is serving on her mission :) We went last week and I took mission pictures for her. I was pretty proud since she is the photographer in the family. I had such a great day with her, I also took her down to Provo to a place she read in Food Network Magazine called Sammy's that is famous for their pie shakes..... it was a little dive of a place but it was fun atmosphere and the food was delicious!!!! I have missed having so many adventures with my sister and love the relationship we have now versus while we were young. I am so excited for her and know she is going to love these next 18 months...... Cant wait for this weekend, Juli's Firework party, farewell, and family time even with my own little family!!!

My goal is to blog every time I blog for my sister.... we will see how this goes with my first semester back at school full time and working :) Time to put my big girl pants on!!!