Bradley Family Times

Christmas 2011

2012-01-10T18:50:00.001-07:00

Since I am extremely terrible at keeping everything updated, here is a quick update from Christmas. We went home to Southeast Idaho for Christmas and spent time with Blaine's family. The kids received soo many presents it was ridiculous!! Everything from dolls to clothes it seems like. I had a pretty good Christmas as well! My in-laws bought me a sewing machine which I am excited about using! Now it just means that I have to learn to sew!! LOL!! In other news, Blaine graduates in June with his Associates degree is Computer Aided Drafting and Design. Hopefully he will be able to find a job in Southeast Idaho so we can move back since my dad has given us permission to take over his house. Now the fun begins!! Here are some pictures from Christmas that will show how much fun the kids will have for a while!!

Chaise's first birthday

2011-10-10T17:56:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, October 8, we celebrated Chaise's first birthday with a few friends. We had a nice BBQ dinner since it is the last one that we will probably have all year. We made him a birthday cake which he got all over himself in true one year old fashion!! It was so fun to watch him go to town with his little cake. He ended up having to go into the bathtub soon after!! I think he really enjoyed it! The only thing that would've made it better is if we would have able to have family over for it, but at least he enjoyed himself! Grandma and Grandpa sent him a birthday box in the mail full of all sorts of goodies so at least it wasn't a complete loss without the family! Not a whole lot else has happened here in the Bradley family.

New School Year

2011-09-02T07:30:00.003-06:00

With the start of a new school year, I thought that I would take the opportunity to update my blog. I am not very good at keeping up with it, but I am trying. Melody started Kindergarten this year. She absolutely LOVES it!! In Nampa, they do all day every other day Kindergarten so she goes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and every other Friday. She really enjoys every bit of it. I cannot believe that she is old enough to be in Kindergarten already. I was able to keep my paraprofessional job at Centennial High School. It is not teaching, but at least I am able to be in the schools. Really, the job is not all that bad. I enjoy working closely with the kids and it gives me some great experience working with the special ed kids. I truly treasure this experience and feels that it makes me a better teacher in the long run. It is amazing what you can learn when you are thrown into a situation like this. I will try again next year to find a job when I know where Blaine will be going, but if I can't find one I will go back to school and get my master's degree in Business. That way I will be able to help Blaine out with his drafting business that he wants to start. Well, hopefully I can keep this up! We shall see!

Fourth of July weekend and update

2011-07-20T15:04:00.004-06:00

For the fourth of July weekend this year, we went home to Southeast Idaho since Blaine had his 10 year class reunion. While we were there, we decided to stay for the parade, which my dad was in, and go to the fireworks show in Idaho Falls. The show there is always so impressive. It was nice to be back home even if it was only for a little while. Now we are just in the process of trying to get Melody to start Kindergarten. I cannot believe she is old enough yet to be in school already! Time sure does fly! Emilie had to be put into speech because she was not forming enough words to make a sentence and the doctor thought that speech would help her. She has been in for a few months now and already there is a dramatic improvement in her speaking skills! Chaise is still trying to figure out how to crawl. He tends to think that sitting is so much better so he doesn't quite move as much. Oh well. That will come in time. Blaine has only got one more year of school left and then we will figure out where we will end up! I will post some pictures that we took while we were home for the fourth. I will try to be better at keeping this thing updated! I am the worst ever!!

Blaine's popsicle stick bridge

2011-06-03T22:27:00.003-06:00

You may be wondering what a popsicle stick bridge is doing as the title of my blog, but let me tell you, it had been a headache from day one of this quarter!! Blaine was taking a class called Materials and Processes and they were required to create a bridge using only popsicle sticks and elmer's white glue as their final project. Blaine did a little bit of research and decided that he wanted to do a particular design that he thought would hold up well. It took him around 60 hours total to completely build it and then tonight he had the opportunity to test it and see how much it would hold. His class had set up a sort of pot luck type of thing where they all brought food to share. They made a big party out of it. His bridge was the second to last to be broke, but when they started putting weights on it, it surprised us all at how much it would hold. His bridge ended up being able to hold 401 pounds before it crashed to the ground. It was pretty impressive. His was the highest in weight it could hold. The second one came after him with 376 pounds. Here are a few pictures of his bridge being tested and the final amount.

Good news!

2011-04-12T11:19:00.004-06:00

We finally found a place to move into! It has been quite a trial staying in a hotel room with 5 people sharing two beds. So glad to be done with that! We found a place in Nampa that we really liked and for not much money. There truly is someone looking out for us during this terrible time.

Trials and more!!

2011-03-24T15:34:00.002-06:00

Well, I think I have begun to realize that in order to be truly happy, you must first go through a lot of hard trials. Our family recently has become homeless due to circumstances beyond our control. We are currently living in a small 2 full bed hotel room and depleting the savings account that we had worked so hard to save up. We are in desperate need of a house, but no one seems to want to rent to us and we are not that bad of people! We were stuck in a bad situation and have now to pay the consequences. We were evicted from our home, not because we were behind in rent, but because we had chosen to do the month to month term. Our landlord has told us that is ok to do and then they turn around 3 months later and kick us out without so much as a warning! We end up finding out afterwards that they are looking to sell all the rentals so they needed everybody out. That really sucks on our part. They sent the notice on the 1st of March that we had 30 days to get out. 2 days later, we served court papers and a notice to be out by the 12th. Where we had originally thought we had 30 days then turned into 10. We are desperately hoping that something will turn up eventually! We have applied everywhere and everyone seems to rent to someone else for some reason. I am tired of living in a hotel room and just want to be able to call a palce home again!! Any and all prayers would definitely be welcomed and appreciated!!

New beginnings

2011-03-02T18:08:00.003-07:00

Well I have been reading some blogs lately and I came across one that my friend Nancy does. I have been reading her posts on her weight loss journey and decided that I would try that as well. I started Weight Watchers this week and I am hoping that I start seeing some real results. I want to thank Nancy for being the inspiration that got me started doing this! We will see how well it works and with the Lord on my side, I might be able to succeed!!

I got the job!!

2011-02-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

Well after almost one full year of not being able to find the teaching job of my dreams I finally landed a part time teaching job teaching freshman and junior english at Centennial High School! I am so excited to finally be able to do the thing that I love most of all-teaching young minds! I had almost given up hope that it would ever come, but with a little faith in my Heavenly Father and a lot of praying and fasting, one miracle did indeed happen. My boss (the principal) offered me the job as well as allowing me to keep my paraprofessional job for the other half of the time. It is so exciting to finally be allowed to use my talents.

Chaise's blessing

2011-01-11T12:34:00.003-07:00

WOW!! I am really terrible at this whole blog thing! Well here it goes I guess for 2011! We as a family decided to go home to Rigby for Christmas and while we were there, we decided to have Chaise blessed in the home ward since so many family was going to be in town. It was great to have that many people at the blessing. We had a nice lunch afterwards and just enjoyed each other's company. We were able to witness Martha being sealed in the temple to her husband. Blaine is so proud of her as am I! Way to go Martha! Since it is a new year, I will try my best to keep everyone updated on the lives of the Bradley's!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-25T21:57:00.003-07:00

Well, the time has come yet again and although I am horrible at this whole blog thing, I figured I would post a few of the pics that we took this morning. The kids woke up to a fantastic Christmas getting everything they wanted and had asked Santa for this year. Melody was so excited last night that she would not go to sleep! We finally convinced her that Santa was not going to come while she was still awake so she finally drifted off to dream land. Christmas turned out really nice for our family even with the rough patches we have had the last few months. Melody got her Vtech laptop that she wanted and a Tag reader that she absolutely loves! Emilie received a fun little doll house that she has not stopped playing with and Chaise received a fun little play mat that he seems to enjoy. I received my new can opener that I wanted and Blaine got his wok that he has been wanting for a few years now. Our kids were sooo spoiled this year!! I hope that everyone had a great Christmas!!

Birthday

2010-11-18T08:42:00.003-07:00

Well, I figured since I turned 27 today, I ought to catch up on a little blogging. I have so busy that this poor little blog gets forgotten. I want everyone to know that I am still here and alive. As far as an update is concerned, Blaine is almost done with his second quarter of school and still passing with As and Bs. I am very proud of him and what he has done. I am currently working at Centennial High School in Meridian as a teacher assistant. While it is not the job I was hoping for, it is a step in the right direction. It is a lot of fun and I do not have to go to all the meetings! Anyways, I figured I would give everyone a short update on my birthday. Love you all!!

Chaise William Bradley

2010-10-12T15:08:00.003-06:00

We recently welcomed a new member into our family. Chaise William Bradley was born on Friday, October 8 at 9:58 in the morning. He weighed 6 pounds and 14 ounces and was 20 inches long. Delivery went well. I had him c-section so there really weren't too many things that could go wrong with it. He is very healthy and sleeps really well, especially for a newborn. He is such a sweet little guy. Rarely does he cry or make a fuss. Only when he is hungry does he make any noise. He is quite a blessing to our family.

Blaine's schooling

2010-08-31T10:39:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I know it has been a long time since I have posted anything. With the new move and trying to find employment, time has been short. We moved to Boise and are temporarily living in a trailer until we can find something better and more suitable to live in. We only have a six month lease so as soon as it is over, we are out of here! I have never wanted to live in a trailer and hate every minute I stay here. Well, it was for the best so Blaine could go to school and get his degree. He just finished his first 12 week quarter. He did very well! For having just barely graduated high school by the skin of his teeth, he is getting As and Bs in all his classes! I am so proud of him! Chaise is due to be born on October 8. We have the c-section already scheduled so that will make it nice. Blaine's parents are going to come down and watch the girls for us while we go to the hospital. Since Melody and Emilie were both born c-section, I have no choice now but to have this one that way as well. Right now, I am currently working part time at Ross since I was unable to get a teaching job for this year. I have my name in the substitute teaching pool here in Boise and hope to be able to pick up more work through that as well. WithLabor Day coming up, we are planning a visit to Rigby where my in-laws are planning a baby shower for me since I will be having a boy this time and have no boy clothes! I hope to see all my friends there!! Well, time has got away from me again. I will try to update more often, but will definitely post pictures of the baby when he is born!

Ultrasound

2010-05-19T17:19:00.002-06:00

Well we had our ultrasound yesterday and were thrilled to find out that we are having a baby boy. We have been waiting a long time for this and we are so excited. We are going to name him Chaise William. Here are a few pictures of him taken during the ultrasound. Sorry it is so short, but I jsut had to share my good news.

Melody's End of Year Dance Recital

2010-05-18T10:28:00.004-06:00

Well, Melody had her last and final dance recital of the year. Now we can just concentrate on getting packed up and ready for moving. She had so much fun this year in dance. It is definitely something that we will continue in the future. It was held on Saturday, May 15 at Century High School gym. It was a lot of fun to watch. Melody received a medal for attendance, which she is very proud of. It was so funny, Emilie started dancing along with everyone else there and thought it a lot of fun to copy all the dancers. I think we might just have two dancers in the family even though Melody swears that she wants to be a cheerleader. I guess we will have to wait and see if she grows out of that or if she still wants to be one later on. Here are some pictures that were taken of the recital. Hope everyone has a great summer!!

College graduation

2010-05-11T10:17:00.002-06:00

Well, I finally made it!! I finally graduated from college with my bachelor's degree in Secondary Education. I will be certified to teach English in grades 6-12. Saturday, May 8 was the big day and it was only supposed to last 2 hours. It lasted for 2 1/2 and my kids seemed to be pretty well behaved throughout the whole ceremony so that is good. My dad had a big graduation party at his house on Sunday with sloppy joes and other goodies. I only had one friend come and a few family members, but that is to be expected since it was Mother's Day. Oh well. Now I have come to the part where I will be looking for a job in the Boise area since Blaine will be starting school in June. We have a busy month ahead of us, but we are determined to make it through. I have an ultrasound scheduled for next Tuesday so we can maybe see what is we are having this time. I really hope it is a boy!!! Anyways, that is all for now. I will post pictures of my graduation outfit. Happy summer everyone!

2010-05-03T18:41:00.003-06:00

Ok. So I noticed it has been a while since I posted anything so I thought I would take the time to post some updates and some pictures of Melody's dance competition. The school year is just about over and I will be graduating on Saturday. Hallelujah!!! It has been a long time coming and I am way more than excited to finally be done with the schooling. My dad, I think, is even more excited about it than I am. He is planning this whole big get together and things and can't seem to hold in his enthusiasm. It is great that he has something to look forward to.

Last month, Melody had a dance competition in Blackfoot. There were four kids from her class that went to the competition. They all received trophies just for participating. Melody was more excited about the trophy than the actual competition. That is a four year old for you!! Anyways, at the end of the school year, and the end of my college career, I thought it only fitting to post a final college update. I will be posting pictures and another post later of the actual graduation ceremony. Good luck everyone on finals and congrats to those of you that are graduating!!

Emilie's 2nd brithday party

2010-03-29T18:22:00.006-06:00

Emilie turned two on March 25 so we thought we would put on a birthday party for her on Sunday where all the family could be there. Grandma Bradley made a birthday cake shaped like a teddy bear. She loved it! Grandma and Grandpa Bradley gave her a learning toy and a teddy bear that matched her cake. Grandma and Grandpa Stoltenberg gave her a purple teddy bear. She loves both! So fitting fo her since she just loves stuffed animals of all kind. Great Aunt Louise was there as well. She bought Emilie a nice new outfit and a book. We invited some friends over as well. Neil and April Green broght their two little kids, Leiannah and Aiden. Melody just loves playing with Leiannah. They brought Emilie a nice little stuffed puppy dog. It is so cute. Overall, I think it was a great party. She had a lot of fun and loved her presents. Then again, which kid doesn't like presents!! It was a fun time.

More March madness!

2010-03-19T16:36:00.003-06:00

Well there is yet another in March that we have to celebrate and a few more yet to come. Today is Blaine's 27th birthday! It is crazy to think that he is 27 already! I want him to know how much we all love him as a family and that we think he is just the greatest!! We love you DADDY!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Happy Birthday David!!

2010-03-15T20:40:00.002-06:00

I know I haven't been posting in a while. I have been extremely busy getting ready for graduation and such. I just wanted to take this time to wish my brother David a very happy birthday. He has not been home for his birthday in about 4 years so I hope he knows that we still think about him and love him lots. He turns 24 on the 16th. So even though this post is very short, it is filled with the best of intentions. Happy birthday David from all of us here in Idaho!!

The growing family

2010-02-08T20:17:00.002-07:00

Well, since I have not updated my blog in a while, I thought it high time I did so. With a month into the semester, I am loving the student teaching. Too bad I don't get paid for it though! The kids are sure not making it very easy though. While the student teaching is fun, it is a lot of hard work and time. It takes so much time to make sure my lessons are prepared correctly and make sure the grading is done. I know I have sure enjoyed every minute of it. Now on to the title of this post. Our family conjust continues to grow everyday. Melody is getting so much older and more independent. It is so scary to think that she is 4 already. Where does the time go? And little Emilie just isn't so little anymore. She will be 2 in March and I still remember the time I brought her home from the hospital just as if it were yesterday. Today, I went to the doctor and discovered that I am pregnant again. This will make child number 3 and we are pretty excited. I am due around the first part of October so that will be fun. It will be a definite change going from 2 kids to 3. We are very excited, however! I hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day! We love you all!!

Start of semester update

2010-01-15T23:35:00.002-07:00

Well since the semester started, I thought it was time to do a little updating to the blog. I am into my final semester of college! YAY!! I never thought I would make it here and yet, here I am! I am doing my student teaching at Pocatello High School and loving every minute of it! It is an absolute blast working with those kids and seeing how their minds conform to the lesson plans I organize for them. The downside...I have to get up early every day to make it there by 8:00. Oh well, it could be worse. I am just excited that I will be graduating in May!! Blaine will be starting school in June at ITT-Tech in Boise so we will be moving there at the end of May. That will be an exciting change for us. Sorry this is so short, but it is a quick update for our life for now.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T20:34:00.005-07:00

Well another Christmas has come and gone. The kids were so excited this year, especially Melody that they woke us up at 6:30. Melody received a lot of barbies this year. That was the one thing she said she really wanted this year. The whole family got a Nintendo Wii and Wii Fit from Blaine's parents. It is a really fun new toy. We are all having lots of fun with it. Emilie received some Barbies as well as some new baby dolls, which is good since she loves that sort of thing. They both received some new clothes and Melody received a hoodie with Cinderella on it from Blaine's cousin Tami. She loves that thing! Everyone came over here on Christmas Eve for dinner and then we all spent some time at Blaine's parents on Christmas Day. My dad made the girls a table and chairs set that they can use to eat off of or play on. It is the coolest thing. We all really had a great Christmas and we hope everyone else did as well!! Hope everyone has a fantastic New Year and hopefully 2010 will be even better than 2009!! We love you all!!

Melody's Dance Recital

2009-12-20T22:12:00.002-07:00

Melody had her first dance recital last night. It was the Christmas recital. She was able to get dressed up in her costumes and she really had a great time! Almost all the family was there to support her in her first ever recital. She did really well also! I am so proud of her. She is an excellent dancer with a love for the sport like nothing I have ever seen before. It is amazing to watch her grow and mature.

Melody's 4th birthday party

2009-12-08T10:21:00.003-07:00

Melody turned the big 4 this year!! We threw a little party with some of the family and friends. Grandma Bradley made her a barbie doll cake that turned out beautifully!! We has pizza and cake and ice cream and Melody was able to open presents. She received a barbie doll with new clothes from Grandpa and Grandma Bradley, a new Tinkerbell outfit from Aunt Louise, the movie Snow White from Mom and Dad, and the Chutes and Ladders game from her friend Robyn. She even received some money in the mail from Karen Hill and a dry erase marker board from preschool. She had so much fun. We tried to make it a good birthday and it seemed to turn out okay. She loved blowing out her candles and opening gifts. Now to get ready for Christmas!!

Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T12:12:00.003-07:00

I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what our country is about. I am proud to say I am an American. My brother has been fighting for our country since he joined the army 6 years ago. I love him so much and am proud of what he has become. I miss him as do the rest of us, but he is doing what he thinks is best and I could not be a more proud sister. I want to take a moment and thank him for his service as well as my friends who have been in the military. Murissa, my best friend is just now getting done with her service and I am proud of her for what she has done. I am greatful for all my other friends that are in the military and want to tell everyone Happy Veteran's Day. Our country would not be what it is today without these men and women protecting the freedoms we enjoy. So while my brother will not be home for Thanksgiving or Christmas, and he will not be reading this, more than likely, I want him to know how proud we are of him and how much we truly love him and pray for him everyday. So to everyone there: Happy Veteran's Day!!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T17:11:00.003-07:00

It is that time of year again for trick or treating and ghouls and goblins. This year, we could not decide what to dress the kids up as. We went to some stores and found a couple of really cute costumes that we liked so we bought them. Melody ended up being Ariel and Emilie went as a cute little red devil. I dressed up as a witch and Blaine took out his old missionary tags and went dressed up as a missionary. Real original, huh? We went to the ward trunk or treat and it turned out really well. We got so much candy there that we wanted to call it good, but we decided to go visit a couple other places as well. We went up to Karen Hill's house and to some other friends that ended up not being home anyways. We have so much candy now. At least the kids had fun. There are also some pictures of the pumpkins we carved on Friday night as a fun family activity.

Homecoming 2009

2009-10-04T11:05:00.002-06:00

melody was in the ISU Homecoming parade this year with her dance team, so we decided we would go and watch her in it. It was a long parade, but Emilie did well and loved seeing everything go by. Most of all, she LOVED the candy. Melody came closer to the end on the float her dance team made. She loved being able to wave at everyone. She really thought it fun. She has always wanted to be in a parade. Now that she is in dance, she will probably be in quite a few of them. It was a little cold, though in the morning. We had to bundle her up in warm clothes that she ended up taking off by the end of the parade route. Blaine's parents came down to Pocatello to see Melody in the parade. She loved it so much, she wants to do it again next year. Some of the pictures here are of Emilie as we were waiting for the parade to get to us.

Emilie is finally walking!

2009-09-28T08:58:00.002-06:00

Well as the title says, my little Emilie is finally walking. It has been a long, hard road getting her to walk as she seems to be too stubborn to do anything that others want her to do. She finally took the big step and just started walking everywhere as if he could walk the whole time. We even have in therapy and they even said they have never seen anything like that. She has so much control they said it is hard to tell that she hasn't been walking for a while already. She can even stand up in the middle of the floor without holding on to anything which is always the hardest. The little turkey could really walk all this time and never had a desire. At least now she can walk and play outside without too much trouble and wearing her pants out!! What a relief it is to finally have her up on her feet!!!!

Labor Day weekend

2009-09-11T19:24:00.002-06:00

For Labor Day we went up to Rigby and Idaho Falls to spend some time with the families. We went to a BBQ at Blaine's aunt's house. It was really good. After the BBQ, Blaine's mom cut his hair and trimmed off Emilie's bangs since they were so long they were making it hard for her to see. The kids were able to take a decent nap there before going to my dad's house to visit. We had a great time being able to visit the family. On another note, Emilie started physical therapy last week officially. The therapist said that she could be walking by the end of the month. That is a good thing since she is getting way too heavy to carry. Everything else seems to be going quite well. I will try to post more later, but with school, it is hard to find the time to post blogs.

Update!!!

2009-08-19T21:56:00.004-06:00

Well school is getting ready to start up again so I thought I would write a quick update. Thankfully this is my last year. I will be graduating in May. YAY!!!!!! Getting there has a been a long and unending process, but at least the end has finally arrived. Kids are growing up so fast. Emilie is still not walking yet, so they are having to put her in physical therapy because they are afraid that she might not be using the muscles and is losing the strength in them. What an ordeal!! Melody is excited to go to a new school. We are going to be taking the kids to Odyssey preschool and daycare. It will be a change, but hopefully for the better. This semester is going to be an interesting one. I have four high level English classes, the last ones before graduation, and I will still have to be working to pay the bills. Oh well, life goes on. I hope all is well with everyone else!!

Camping trip 2009

2009-07-20T10:46:00.002-06:00

Blaine and I went camping with a few friends up to his family's farm. It was a lot of fun, although I wish a few more could have come. We went up Thursday and came back on Sunday. We all had a great time and Melody was able to make a new friend. My friend April's daughter, Leiannah loved hanging out with Melody. They were attached at the hip. Wherever one would go the other would follow. It was the cutest thing!! We all played a few games and got a little bit rowdy. We played so long into the night that we almost became really loopy. It was crazy how funny everything was at 1 in the morning!! April brought up her loaded dice game which is a drinking game. We all either had lemonade or water in our cups so it made for an interesting morning the next day. All in all I think it was really fun. I would be nice to do that again!!

4th of July weekend

2009-07-07T20:28:00.002-06:00

We had a crazy, busy fourth of July weekend. On Friday, we spent the day moving into our new apartment across town. That took all day. Luckily, we sent the kids with Blaine's parents so we did not have to try to walk around them as we were moving. They really loved going to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Later that night, we decided to take a break from the moving and went up to Rigby to pick up the kids and ended up staying the night at my Dad's place. It was so nice of him to let us stay there. On Saturday, we were able to go to the parade and see my Dad as a clown riding in a purple jeep. Melody thought that was great that Grandpa was riding in a purple jeep. She got to see him that morning getting ready and putting on makeup. She really thought he looked funny. It was neat to see my dad in the parade. After the parade, we decided that we were just going to come back home and start unpacking and get the last few items over that were left at the other apartment. We had originally planned on going to the fireworks in Idaho Falls, but decided that we might make better use of our time by unpacking our dishes and cleaning the old apartment instead of waiting until Sunday. We got all moved in and are still working on getting unpacked, but that will come with time. The pictures are just some of the rooms and the backyard of the place we moved to. We absolutely love it!! Even though we did not get to see the fireworks (because the kids were so tired they crashed when we finally got home for good), we were able to accomplish a lot with our move. Now comes the tedious task of unpacking that will probably last for a while.

Martha's wedding

2009-06-30T18:26:00.004-06:00

Blaine's youngest sister just got married on Saturday. Friday, though, we were worried that we would not be having the wedding outside since it rained so hard. However, it was beautiful weather and all went well. The decorations turned out lovely and the yard of the Mason residence was done up all nice in order to accomodate this wedding. Melody was a flower girl and was pretty cute. Not that I am biased or anything!! She did pretty well with throwing the petals on the ground. Blaine recorded the wedding ceremony on the video camera so that Martha could remember that day for the rest of her life. The reception was lovely. Blaine's mom made the cake and it turned out wonderfully. She is so talented that she was even able to make Martha's wedding dress, Camille's bridesmaid dress and the two flower girl dresses. If only I could have that talent!! Even though it was a long day, we felt the wedding went pretty well. Blaine and I bought Taylor and Martha a room at Destinations Inn in Idaho Falls where they were able to stay for the night. They rode off on a motorcycle before meeting up with their car and driving that into Idaho Falls to the hotel. They seem to be pretty happy and we wish them the best!!! Congratulations you guys!! We love you!!

Update!

2009-06-25T13:19:00.002-06:00

So I am really terrible at this whole blog thing and I apologize to everyone for that. For a quick update on the family I decided to write. Blaine's youngest sister Martha is getting married tomorrow to a guy named Taylor Mason. They seem to be happy so that is good. Blaine and I are moving into a new place that is a little better and a lot cheaper. It has a nice big backyard for the kids to play in and it is in a very kid-friendly area. It is at the end of a cul-de-sac so there is minimal speeding and noise. We will have a garage to use and everything is on one level, which makes it really nice for Emilie to get around. Plus we can still take our cats with us which is a huge bonus. I do not like moving, but this move is for the best. I hope all is well with everyone. I will try to keep up with all the blogs I have to post.

A very Happy Birthday Wish!!

2009-06-16T08:48:00.002-06:00

I wanted to take this opportunity to let Natasha Hill know that I wish her the best birthday ever!! She turned 24 today and is one of the best friends any girl could ever ask for. She has the best family that would do anything for you and not even think about it. The Hill family has become my second family. Natasha is a beautiful person both inside and out and I am honored to have her as a friend. She is my best friend and I am thankful for that. Hope you have the best birthday ever Tash!!! We all love you!!!

Tami and Matt's wedding

2009-06-04T20:07:00.003-06:00

I am so behind in the posts lately so I will try to catch up. On May 16, Blaine's cousin Tami got married to her best friend Matt in the Idaho Falls Temple. It was such a beautiful reception. I was one of the bridesmaids so I helped with a lot of the preparations. Her reception was held at the Colonial Theater in downtown Idaho Falls. It was wonderful. Matt even wrote a song to sing to her at the reception. It was the sweetest thing!! They went to Hawaii on their honeymoon and really seemed to have a great time!! I am glad that Tami has finally found some happiness after all the heart aches she has been through. Congratulations you two!!

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-11T19:27:00.002-06:00

Well since it is the day before Easter, we decided to take the kids to the Easter Egg hunt over at Ross Park. They both seemed to really enjoy it. Melody loved picking up the eggs off the ground and putting them in her bag. Emilie thought it was fun to see all the different colors that were on the ground. They had some pretty fun prizes for the kids who picked up the prize eggs. Melody and Emilie got a bubble set. They sure love seeing the bubbles and pooping them. The easter bunny was there at the hunt so we decided to get a picture with Melody and the Easter Bunny. Emilie was not cooperating at this time so we just left without getting her picture, but there is always next year. They both had a great time and got tons of candy!! It was amazing to see how much they actually got!! We will definitely do that for them next year!

Emilie's first birthday party

2009-03-21T21:53:00.003-06:00

We celebrated Emilie's birthday on the 21st of March with the family. Her birthday is not really until the 25th, but since the 21st was a Saturday we decided to do it then. Grandma Bradley made the cake. She made a Bugs Bunny cake and it was very cute!! Not everyone in the family could be there, but that is completely understandable. We put in one candle for her first birthday and blew it out. We had stripped her down to just a diaper so that she could get dirty without staining her clothes. She absolutely loved the cake!! She grabbed the whole piece and started biting into it like there was no tomorrow!! She was in seventh heaven. She, of course, had frosting smeared all over her, but that is the fun of it. We opened presents after getting her cleaned up. Aunt Tami and Louise gave her a toy train and a new outfit. Mommy and Daddy gave her a book that teaches her how to read. Overall, it turned out great!

David's Homecoming

2009-02-22T11:07:00.002-07:00

We had a pretty fun and busy weekend this past weekend. My brother David returned home from his second tour in Iraq so we went to meet him at the airport. My dad called all the media and had channel 8 and the Post Register there to greet him. Among those, there was also the VFW. It was so nice to see that he had a great homecoming. We had a great family dinner afterwards and my dad decided to take my brother out for some relaxing time with him. It was so great to see him home!! He will be home for a month when he will return to Texas for a couple of months before going to Kansas. My family is planning on doing a barbecue for him in a couple of weeks where we will invite anyone who wants to come. It really is very nice to see him again!!

Life Update

2009-01-21T13:51:00.002-07:00

We have a pretty interesting couple of weeks since moving back to Pocatello. We got unpacked mostly. There are just a few boxes left to be gone through, but other than that, mostly done. On our first Sunday in our new ward, Melody was going from Primary to her class and they all stopped to get a drink of water at the fountain. While there, Melody put her fingers in the vent with the fan going. It cut her fingers up pretty good and she was crying. The Primary President came out and got us and we ended up going home one hour early. We got the bleeding stopped and bandaids put on and now she is favoring her hand. She will not let us get anywhere near it, but at least we got the bleeding stopped. We also had some good news come into the family. Blaine's cousin Tami got engaged on Monday night. We are excited for her. She is marrying her high school friend Matt Perry. He is an awesome guy that treats her very well. We are so glad that she found someone worthy of her. School has started up again and I am staying pretty busy. I put in my application for student teaching this semester so that is something I am looking forward to and nervous about as well. I hope all is well for everyone else.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-28T10:54:00.003-07:00

We all had a very good Christmas this year. We hope the same can be said for everyone. On Christmas Eve, we went to the movies with Blaine's family and saw "The Tale of Despereaux". It was such a cute movie and the Melody seemed to enjoy it. We decided to go look at Christmas lights on our way to their house for pizza from Papa Murphy's. We went down the usual Candy Cane Lane and saw many lights there and along the side streets as well. We made it to Blaine's parents and spent the the rest of the evening eating pizza and talking. We came home and opened our usual pajamas on Christmas Eve so that the kids had new pajamas to sleep in. Christmas morning was a blast. Melody woke up and saw that Santa had left her some cool presents. She ripped open her presents and was pleased to discover that Santa gave her Princess stuff. Everything from bed sheets and a comforter to a Cinderella doll with clothes and accessories and a Color Wonder book with the princesses in it. She was so happy. Emilie was more interested in eating the paper than in anything else. She received a train that pops balls out the back. She thinks that is funnest thing to crawl after. She was given a spin and learn top that has animals and numbers and colors and everything. She loves it. Her other favorite toy has to be her phone that she was given. This little toy cell phone is just right for her to put in her mouth and she is happy! We had dinner here at our house with Blaine's family and we all played our new board games we received for Christmas. Blaine and I bought Monopoly world edition and Blaine's mom had Phase 10 Twist. It was a lot of fun!!

Tag

2008-12-09T15:08:00.003-07:00

8 Things
8 T.V. shows that I like to watch...... (in no particular order) 1. House 2. Grey's Anatomy 3.Bones 4.Iron Chef America 5. American Idol 6. Biggest Loser 7.Law and Order 8.Jon and Kate Plus 8

8 things that happened yesterday....... 1. wrote a paper 2. it snowed 3. went to school 4. had FHE 5. had subway 6. looked at apartments 7. applied for housing 8. got on the internet

8 favorite places to eat... (no particular order) 1. Olive Garden 2. Chuck-a-rama 3. Sizzler 4. Subway 5.Pizza Hut 6. Applebees 7. Senior Iguanas 8.Texas Roadhouse

8 things I am looking forward to...... 1.finishing this semester 2. Christmas with my family 3. moving to Pocatello 4. graduating 5. getting a new car 6.snow for Christmas 7. eating dinner 8. Sleeping

8 things on my wish list...... 1. money 2. a house 3. to be thin again 4. kids to be quiet 5. a happry holiday season 6. a digital camera 7.peace and tranquility 8. more time in the day

8 people that I tag....... 1. April 2. Laura

Melody's 3rd Birthday Party

2008-12-02T09:34:00.002-07:00

We had Melody's birthday party on November 29. Her birthday actually isn't until December 3, but since all the family was home we decided to do it on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was jsut a small party with family. Grandma Bradley made her a beautiful Disney princess castle cake that she absolutely adored. She wanted to keep all the figurines, but Grandma wanted them back to make another cake in the future. Instead, Grandma and Grandpa bought her Cinderella figurines to make it all better. After opening those figurines, she did not even want to finish opening up the rest of the presents. We gave her a dress for her birthday since she really needs them and was able to find one that matched in Emilie's size. They looked so cute when they were put in their matching dresses. Aunt Tami gave her a dress and a toy that she absolutely loves. It makes a bouncing noise so it is starting to get a little annoying, but that is ok. She was given another dress by Great Aunt Louise and a hat and gloves set that fit Emilie instead. We had Papa Murphy's pizza and cake and ice cream. I thought that it turned out pretty well.

Thanks to everyone!!

2008-11-20T14:59:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say thank you to all who made my birthday a special one!!! I was feeling pretty old so the wishes really made my day!! Blaine took me out to Olive Garden for lunch for my birthday. It was so sweet. To top it all off, he made them bring me some pie and they started singing to me. That really makes me feel special. My mother-in-law made me this HUGE cake that is big enough, I think, to feed an entire army, but it sure is good. I just wanted to make sure everyone knew just how much I appreciated all the birthday wishes. And thanks to Tasha and her family for that lovely tribute, even though I really didn't deserve anything that spectacular. It sure made my day though!! I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

We had a relatively uneventful Halloween, but Melody was sure excited about it. She has been wanting to wear her costume for a couple of weeks now. Grandma Bradley made her a Cinderella dress and Melody sure loved it. Since Cinderella is her favorite Disney princess, we thought it fitting for her to go as Cinderella for Halloween. Emilie was waring a costume that Melody wore only it was turned inside out. We bought this costume at Toys R Us a few years ago and it is reversible. On one side it is a unicorn and then yuou turn inside out and it becomes a bunny. Since Melody wore the unicorn side out, we decided to turn it over and put Emilie in the bunny side so she is wearing the same costume without being the same thing. It worked out perfectly. Melody had a lot of fun trick-or-treating. We just walked the neighborhood and she loved it. Since Emilie was too small to understand it, she stayed home with Daddy as handed out the candy to the trick-or-treaters.

The start of a new school year

2008-09-04T19:06:00.001-06:00

Well here we are at the start of another school year. Luckily, I am almost done. After this semester, I will be down to 2 more. YAY!!!!!! I will be starting my internship in the Fall of 2009, which I am very excited about. It has definitely been a long time coming. Melody is finally potty trained and Emilie is rolling around all over the house. She is trying to crawl. She gets up on her hands and knees and then kind of falls forward as if she is getting a shove in her bum. It is the cutest thing in the world.

Emilie and Melody are both enrolled at the Early Learning Center on the campus of Idaho State University. Melody really loves her teachers and all the kids that she gets to play with. She always asks if we are going to go, but I have to remind her that we do not go everyday, just every other day.

I have quite the work load this semester. I am taking 15 credits, which is 5 classes. I have a Medieval Literature class, an Old English class, an English Senior Seminar class, a Special Education class that is about including everyone in the classroom, and a litercay class that teaches how to teach students to learen and read. It is going to be a hard semester, but hopefully a rewarding one as well.

My brother is supposed to be coming home on leave aroung the end of the month. We are all pretty excited about that. We are all pretty anxious for his safe return. All in all it is going to be a pretty interesting couple of months.

Twin Falls Open House

2008-08-25T09:04:00.000-06:00

We went to the open house of the Twin Falls Temple. We took Natasha and Trysten with us for a chance for them to get out of the house. We met up with Blaine's family while we were down there since we thought that they might like to come as well. Melody sure likes going to the temple. It was so beautiful. I really liked going to the open house. The landscpaing was awesome. There was a fountain out front that was spectacular. We were able to take pictures when we were done with the tour so it was a lot of fun.

Family update

2008-08-12T13:30:00.000-06:00

Well we have made it through most of the summer without too much trouble and now Melody is fully potty trained. Having only one kid in diapers is nice. I am sorry to everyone that I have not kept up on this blog, but I promise I will try to do better. Everyday is a new experience to me and sometimes I do not have all the time to do what I would like to do. Thanks to everyone for their patience as I struggle through working out the kinks in this site. I am still trying to figure it all out, but I am getting there as I am still a work in progress. Updates: As I already said, Melody is fully potty trained, Emilie is starting to roll over and scoot across the floor. Blaine has a very good job once again, and I am preparing to go to school again. What an uphill battle we have had all year!!! Maybe now we can see light at the end of the tunnel. I know we will make it through the rest of the year!!!

Potty training ups and downs

2008-07-20T18:16:00.001-06:00

We are currently undergoing the daunting task of potty training. Melody does great most days, but hasn't quite figered out the number two part yet. There are days however, that try one's patience and these pictures show examples of that. We were at Grandma's house and she had an accident, but the ingenuity of Blaine and Martha together came up with the idea to put her in a grocery bag so that she could be taken home without any problems.

Emilie's Blessing

2008-07-02T17:18:00.000-06:00

We had Emilie's blessing on the 4 of May. It turned out really great. Her dress was beautiful and we were surrounded by family and friends. It really was wonderful.

The birth of Emilie Joy

2008-03-28T15:36:00.000-06:00

Emilie Joy was born on March 15, 2008 at 9:24 a.m. She was born through a C-section since Melody was born that way, we decided to go ahead and do it on all of them. She weighed 6 pounds 15 ounces and was 21 inches long. She is the newest member of our family. Melody just loves her new baby sister and won't let anyone touch her or look at her.