BEEN WAY TOO LONG!

It's been way to long since I last made a post. Who knows if anyone even reads this, but I thought I should make a post since I have videos and pics on here from when Maddux was a tiny baby. Well, Peyton is one now! OMG, time goes by way too fast. And...we are moving into our first house! Woohoo! I can't believe it, I thought we would be stuck in apartments forever!

...AND I THINK THE NEWS IS OUT BY NOW!

So the world knows now, Skyler made it "Facebook Official" before I had a chance to breathe, but we are having BABY NUMBER 2! We are due May 30th. We are excited, a little worried how two will be. However, Maddux is older and is understanding and is taking this all well.(At least until the baby comes home and he realizes the attention is not all funneled to him!) When I am feeling awful, which is ALL THE TIME, he will leave me alone and play with his toys, I love it! I feel like if he was any younger I'd have more whining and neediness to deal with. I was talking with a friend of mine and she has 2 boys that are the same distant apart as my kids will be and she made a good point. Next year Maddux will start school and I will have alone time with the baby that I wouldn't get otherwise. That will be great because I love that I have had these 3 years with Maddux all by himself and really got to know him. Really, when do parents ever get to give their children so much attention when others come along? This will never happen again, so I am so glad that I got to spend so much time with my CONSTANT companion. (I mean, he even had to go to my OB appt today!) Hopefully he, and I, will handle sharing me between THREE people!

So anyway, that is the latest around here! Well, Skyler's business is booming so I could talk about that, but that is not nearly as excited as a new baby!

NYC!

We went to NYC at the end of September! Just us, NO Maddux! Luckily I have a great friend who has 4 great boys that the monster just LOVES, along with a great mother that helped us so we could live it up in NYC! Of course, I forgot the real camera, but luckily Skyler had his phone and these are some of the shots we got! This was a real adventure for us! One of the days we got caught in a CRAZY HEAVY rain storm and our umbrella broke, so the two of us ran in the rain looking for a place to get a new one! We ended up having to go buy all new clothes because we happened to be staying in Staten Island that day and needed to get up to the Bronx for a Yankee/Red Socks game...which got rained out! At the end of our trip, Skyler had booked a dinner for us that was completely out of our comfort zone, but a zone I would not mind being in one day! He thought it was 5 courses for 2 for $115. Not so much. Try per person! Eek! But, it was fun! Totally did not bring the right shoes, so did NOT do all the shopping we wanted to do because we were so drained. But one day, after learning from this trip, we will go back!


We went to a small WTC memorial. These pictures were so overwhelming.


They had quotes like these everywhere. Took everything to hold back the tears for these people.


Outside the building, across from ground zero.


The new Yankee Stadium


The Famous Bull!


Pollock


We found some art work in the MOMA that Maddux did himself! Crazy! ;o)


Van Gogh


Gorgeous building- NYC Public Library


Took this just before some angry usher told us it was illegal and we'll get kicked out if we do it again!


We went here and to Ellis Island where Skyler found a ship manifest for one of his ancestors!


In Honor of Michael Scott!


We missed the OCCUPY Protests by a day! We were in the airport waiting for our flight when we heard that the protests started the night before!


We went to church in the Manhattan building. Totally cool and insane how the minute you walk in the city sounds are GONE!


Little Italy has an annual week-long street fair that takes up MANY blocks and streets. It was insane all the people and vendors there! (I guess it "used to be" run by the mafia...)


I DID NOT eat this. But Skyler LOVED it!


My yummy home-made/street-made gellato


Is anyone really surprised my husband wanted to eat here for lunch?


WE went to the Empire State Building at night and saw the city all the city lights. It was beautiful!


Where we could have been if we didn't go to our super nice, super expensive dinner!

THE BEGINNINGS OF DECORATING/ORGANIZATION...MOSTLY ORGANIZATION

So, we are ALL moved in and love, love, LOVE the new apartment. It is just so nice to be in a quiet area, and up high enough that we can have our windows open all the time and not worry about the people walking by and the noise from the cars. I think I am probably making our last apartment sound like a dump, which it wasn't. It worked. It was fine. This one is much better though! I think I was supposed to move into those ones though, for two reasons. So that Skyler and Logan Moore (Amanda Summerhays'husband) could become friends and we could all be close friends and second so that I could meet and become great friends with my friend Karen Wynder.

Anyway, I had to give up a few things for this nicer apartment and nicer area. For example, the second bathroom, a closet in Maddux's room, extra cupboards in the kitchen and a BIG laundry room(for an apartment). BUt the fact that I can leave my apartment and take my child for a walk around a little lake, feed ducks and geese make it all worth it. Plus, I get a very nice size garage for storage of what doesn't fit or what I don't want in the apartment.

So, I have had to get creative for storage. Here are some pictures of what I have done.

I don't have many drawers and I needed a place for my kitchen towels and rags.


I thought this was cute, got this idea(and the jar idea)from Karen!


This is to make up for my lack of cupboard space. This is in the closet where the washer/dryer go.


We got these in Idaho from some friends to use when Maddux was a baby. It makes a great armoir and makes up for the missing closet in his room(which his technically the Den)!


His clothes fit pretty well in here. A little tight because Grandma Kathy LOVES to go to Gymboree! But I am not complaining!


I have not fastened a rod to hang the clothes on in the bottom right locker. I made a rod out of old wire hangers and electrical tape. There are holes on the sides of the lockers I ran them through and then bent the ends to keep them put. It seems to work!


We got this dresser and used it as a changing table when he was born. It's just a cheap Kmart find, but in our move to Colorado the bottom drawer totally broke. So I ripped it out and decided to not throw it away, but use these old fabric basket drawers I had from my single days. It holds his socks and shoes. I love it and he knows right where to find, and PUT AWAY his shoes!


I saw this at Clairie-Poo's house when we visited Utah.



This is in my bathroom. We downsized and only have one bathroom now. I thought it would be awful, but it really isn't as bad as I thought it would be. My linen closet is not nearly as big as my old one, however I am making do and this is one way I am making it work. I have had these baskets for years! I got them from IKEA back when I was single. I just have kept them because I love them and I ALWAYS have a use for them.


Finally, the living room has the pictures up, but that is about it.


When IKEA opens, which is supposed to be next month I hear, I am going to get curtains and more goodies to decorate the house with. (I have already gone through the website to see what I want!)

Okay, this is it for now because I am tired. ;o)

MOVING!

We are moving in about 3 weeks! This was really a split decision since we got the notice, less than a week ago, that upon signing a new 12 month lease our rent would be raised, for a second time, $35 dollars or $135 for month to month. Well, our place is certainly not worth it, especially since we are RIGHT next to an extremely busy road. We got this place in the beginning because it was just under $800 and discounted because of the noise from the road. Anyway, now it's $100 dollars more than when we first came. So, Skyler got mad. Made some phone calls, tried to get them to work with us, but they wouldn't. So...we found a MUCH better place. I LOVE it! It is in a GREAT area and I can actually leave my apartment with Maddux, not have to scream at him over the noise of the cars, not panic that he is going to be hit, and not have to walk as fast as I can to the car to avoid the "high class" smoking men's stares. Although it is sudden, I CAN'T WAIT!

There is only ONE downside to the new apartment: ONE BATHROOM! BUT, there are so many good things that I will deal with it! It's really great because they pay for our cable, give us a garage, and have front door trash pick up!(Skyler loves that one) AND, it is cheaper than our apt now! We are also moving back into his home stake and into the ward of our good friends, The Smith's. However, he is the Bishop, so I highly doubt we will be able to hide from callings or speaking! ;o)

Here are some pictures from the apartment's website. You can get an Idea of the inside.




I don't think I will have them put red on the wall. My friend gave me the idea to paint the wall around the fireplace and leave the fireplace wall white. I think I like that...


I am having a hard time packing because all I can think about is how I am going to decorate this place. My friend Karen, www.karinaink.blogspot.com, is so stinking creative and her house has so many good ideas that she has inspired me to be more crafty. I can't wait for garage sale season to see if I can find some hidden jems to add to my house. I figure this move will be the perfect opportunity to revamp my little place of living, whether Skyler likes it or not! I figure, I am the one here all day, so I might as well LOVE it! ;o)

Some update...Skyler's business is going REALLY well. I feel very blessed to have found a man that is motivated, passionate and determined to support his family. He loves his work and we are finding out everyday that it really is more about who you know rather than what you know. Seriously, his business is doing so well because he knows SO MANY people and those people refer others to him and so on. We are very blessed and can only pray that this continues. This is crazy, he is getting so much work that he went through BYU-IDAHO and got an intern for the summer! I'm not sure when she starts, but I'm just glad has someone to help, because I have enough to do as it is!

Anyway, I will update once the new place is all set up!

FOUR YEARS AND COUNTING!

Well...Skyler and I have now been married for four years! We've had our moments, but it has been wonderful! I feel very lucky to be married to a motivated, hardworking, gospel oriented man, and most importantly my BEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WORLD! So I thought I would put up some pictures of us and our growing family over the years.






















I love my honey and I'm looking forward to the next four years + some...or a lot, like ETERNITY! I just feel so lucky and love him so much I had to tell everybody!

I LOVE YOU SKYLER! FROM NOW UNTIL FOREVER!