That was ROUGH!

Started writing a Facebook post, and thought it might be a bit too personal.. Then I thought about a blog, and again, maybe a bit too personal.. but somehow, writing it out feels better.. and since I know there are MANY out there going through the same thing.. I am not going to worry about 'too personal'.. this is my blog, and those who chose to read it care enough, I hope.. to listen to the not so great things too..

This Christmas was HARD. Beautiful, happy, and I got spoiled rotten.. I got to be at my Mom's with my Jake, my sister and her hubby, my little brother, my parents and grandparents who were in California for a few months.. But two little things were missing. Little B and Kailee Bug. Wow, was that HARD! Who knew a 2 year old and a 4 year old could make life THAT much sweeter? Lots of changes this year.. Linds and I are now married.. The guys were with us last year, but this was our first Christmas married.. No McMurdie family party on Christmas Eve.. that was weird. First Christmas of my whole life not going with the McMurdie side on Christmas Eve.. I understand why, the family is out of control HUGE, and you don't really get to talk to anyone other than your immediate family, but weird, none the less.. We didn't open a single present until after noon.. Which is weird.. We're an early rising, open all our presents before breakfast family. So to wait until after Church and breakfast seemed a little strange.. But mostly.. we were missing two little girls who have stolen all of our hearts! Seems that's all we could talk about.. wondering what they were doing, if they were excited, if Santa had come, all of it! Linds and I were trying to keep each other positive.. Since it was just as hard for her.. Luckily, our next 'off' year, we'll have her little baby to keep us company! :) Grateful for that!

We were lucky and got to talk to Brooklynn and Kailee within an hour of each other.. Brooklynn got a princess tent for her mommies house, and oddly enough, so did Kailee :) We thought that was pretty cool! The girls talked to us for a minute or two, but were so busy having fun with their new toys, that we seemed more of an annoyance than anything.. I get it.. but it was HARD! Last year seemed rough, we didn't have Kailee.. But Brooklynn was there to distract us a little bit, and we were able to get Kailee for the afternoon.. But we had decided around the first of the year when planning holidays with Angie, that we'd try to get the girls on the same year, so we went one more year without having her.. And we also talked about letting the person with the 'on' year, keep her for the whole holiday. Which I know is the best decision.. for everyone. But our off years are going to be ROUGH!

I went up to bed a little earlier than Jake on Christmas Eve. I didn't want to upset him in anyway, and I needed a minute to myself. I laid in bed wondering if Kailee was already asleep.. thinking about how excited she had to have been, and wondering what she'll think Christmas morning. I shed a few tears.. Of happiness, and a little selfishness. I missed her. A lot! I couldn't help but be overjoyed that she was a part of my life..  and that next year would be AWESOME! But a little part of me was SO sad that it meant that every other year would just feel empty. I am so grateful to have the relationship I do with Angie. I know that every year, her and I can talk about how much fun we had, and also how hard it was.. And that we can get each other through the 'off years'. I am not naive enough to think that it won't be even harder for her next year.. it will.. And I hope Jake and I can always be understanding enough to help her through it on her 'off years'. Because the on years, are that much better!

On the positive side, IT'S CHRISTMAS WEEK FOR US! :) We get to celebrate TWICE!!! Merry Christmas week, all! :) We get the girls for the whole weekend coming up, and Santa will be to Grandma Merrilee's on Friday night! We are SO excited! We get 2 Christmases this year!

So grateful for the strong support system that we have.. It keeps us positive, it keeps us excited! Thankful for my mom, Linds, our grandparents, and Angie for making this as easy as possible on us.. As hard as this year is, next year will be TOTALLY worth it! Kudos to those of you who live this same life.. For staying positive and getting through it the best you can.. I know I'm the 'step parent', so it should be easiest for me.. and I can't imagine how Jake and Angie feel.. but I hope to be both of their biggest supports.. It's HARD! I may have underestimated that part.. But I know that neither Jake and I, nor Angie will ever take our Christmas with Kailee for granted! And she will grow up one lucky little girl! And we will cherish every second we have with her..

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! And now, the REAL Merry Christmas week for the Black's and the Andrus'!

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

I LOVE this time of year! I always have.. I am as excited now as when I was a kid! When I think about Christmas time growing up.. I always think of my mom and her AMAZINGLY decorated home. The Christmas candles we ALWAYS had going, the Christmas music she would play, and all of her cute decor that COVERED the kitchen, living room, family room and the basement. She went all out with Christmas.. some would say over the top, more than a year or two... or five.. And last year, being her first Christmas as a grandma, even more so! But besides the presents, there were SO many fun things she did for us over the years to make our holidays special..

I remember one fun thing she did after a tramatic year of Lindsay getting one less present than I did.. Linds has always been this CRAZY, outgoing, fun-loving, turns-to-a-brat-in-the-blink-of-an-eye-girl :) Though she's grown out of that last part, Linds has always loved the attention and presents! Well, after a rough year, my mom switched things up.. No more names on presents.. The next year, they were numbered.. and we didn't know until Christmas Eve what our 'number' was.. The next year it was the Rugrats characters.. And, yes, Lindsay was Angelica ;) Ha ha! She did wrapping paper, and several other fun things to disguise who's were who's.. Then for the last maybe 7 or 8 years, NO names on presents for the three kids.. It was a really fun way to slow down the day, take turns and PAY attention.. because that gift that is being opened, might be yours! :) Somehow, Riley opened a bra or girl underwear EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR! We've always had to take turns and watch each other open, but that took it to a different level! SO fun!

My mom has always made Christmas so special.. Not just the presents, or the amazing decor.. but in every way.. The traditions, the spirit in our home, and the constant reminders of the real reason for the season.. I sure hope that some day, my kids feel that way too.. Now that I've entered a new phase in life, the part where Jake and I are responsible for those memories and the traditions of the holidays.. it brings a new joy and deeper happiness to my heart than the excitement of being a child waiting for my gifts from Santa ever could.. I am so excited for our Christmas with Kailee and our first Christmas as a family..

The last few years of my life have been far from religious, but they have absolutely been spiritual.. And when I think about this season and all that comes with it, there is no way that the feelings that I feel could come from presents, Santa Claus, lights, decorations or a Christmas tree. It is so much more than that. To me, it's about family, the ones I love, and my knowledge of something greater than any one of us could imagine. A Savior's love that has no limitations or judgement.. No care of color, race, religion or sexual preference. A pure love that only He could understand. I pray this time of year, that those are the things I can teach my children.. Just like my parents did for me. 

Merry Christmas to you all.. May we take this special time of year to celebrate all we are blessed with!

My amazing husband!

I know every woman thinks she has the best husband... but really... TRULY, I know I do! At least the best husband for me! I don't know what on earth I did to get so lucky, but I am SO very glad he chose me :) I have been thinking a lot lately about ALL he does for our family... I have found that it's come up in conversations a lot lately and it hit me that my kids, especially my girls, will really need to hear this someday. I don't know if blogging will be cool in 2025.. but I don't care :) This is my journal and I want Kailee, and those babies that haven't made it to earth yet to know how much I love their Daddy. So here it goes.. I'll just list my favorite things about him.. in no particular order

10. He helps clean up dinner. Every night. Seems like lately, he's done it by himself.. every night. He cleans up the dishes, puts lunches in containers, starts the dishwasher and washes gross pans. I even hate to do that... and he does it with out a single complaint! SO lucky to have so much help! He's even made a dinner in the last week (and TWO Breakfasts')! Best grilled cheese and tomato soup I've ever had! ;)

9. He does laundry. Often. A lot. Okay.... almost always. :) That includes sorting, washer to dryer, folding, hanging up AND putting away. His clothes, Kailee's clothes and even mine... Seriously! He does laundry! And he even does it well! Lucky me!

8. He makes me laugh. Hysterically... at least once a day! I have never had a man make me laugh like he does! He knows when (and when not) to tease me... and has the BEST personality and sense of humor.. He keeps me laughing, Kailee laughing, and really, anyone who is around him! Love that about him!

7. He brings out a side of me that no one else could. He MAKES me talk, he makes me open up, he makes me get it all out. I am so grateful for that. I've never, EVER been able to communicate like I can with him. And it makes me happy that he feels the same way about me. We have our disagreements, and we talk through them ALL. We get it all out, and move forward and upward. So very grateful for that..

6. He blows me away with his musical talents. Last night for example.. I am watching Kourtney & Kim Take New York and he grabs his laptop, guitar and headphones (wonder why?! :)) and just starts practicing. Anything and everything.. I love that he can sing to us, and encourages us to sing. I have a recorded version of him and Kailee singing She is Love by Parachute. Talk about melt my heart! I love to hear him sing and can't describe how proud he makes me when he picks up that guitar! I love it so much! One of the proudest moments of my life was hearing him sing at my sisters wedding. Such a special moment for our family.. Then our wedding.. The song he had recorded.. the same one that he played when he proposed. Beautiful. Amazing. And PERFECT for us :) So grateful to have such a talented man as my soul mate :)

5. He knows how and when to apologize. Seems small, huh? Its not. At all. This has been HUGE in our relationship. Not just the fact that he can apologize, but that he encourages me to. Another area he makes me better! I'm not very good at the whole 'sorry' thing!

4. He thanks me.. for EVERYTHING! We are lucky enough to go to bed together every night. Brush our teeth and climb in the sheets at the same time. What a blessing this has been. We don't go a night with out a little cuddle time and it does WONDERS for me.. And each night.. he'll softly touch my face and tell me thanks for dinner. Or for cleaning up. Or for his lunch. Or for making him so happy. Or for something I did for Kailee. Seriously, he thanks me for everything! To know that he TRULY appreciates me and acknowledges all that I do (or try to do), makes even the worst most exhausting day worth it. Love that about him!

3. His drive. He wants to be better at everything he does. He wants to be the best at everything he does. He has more drive that anyone I know. That was a big thing for me. Someone who wouldn't be satisfied to just get by in life, or take the short cut and the easy way out all the time. He is so motivated and driven to have more, do more and be better. So sexy! :)

2. He is the BEST daddy. His main concern in this life is giving Kailee all she needs and deserves. And most of the time, everything she wants :) He is so good to get down and play with her. To draw with her, paint with her, play Princess Fishing, play Candyland a gazillion times, and even wrestle with her. :) I love to listen to him make her laugh.. which ALWAYS leads to his cute giggle! :) I feel really lucky and blessed that in our special situation, I got to see him be a daddy FIRST... I never will have to worry what he'll be like, or if he'll be patient or how he'll discipline. I already know how he will be. And it's such a blessing to know that my kids will have a wonderful dad who shows them love and teaches them right from wrong.. Gives me so much comfort for our future..


1. The man treats me like a queen. He makes me feel special, different and important every single day. He loves me, likes me, adores me, pampers me, spoils me and tells me every day what I mean to him. At least once every day he tells me I'm beautiful. He makes me feel beautiful. He makes me feel like I am something and I'm worth something. He makes me happier than I have every been in my life. He loves me with his whole heart, and I've never had a love like that before. I didn't believe in fairy tales.. or true love.. or in having a soul mate... until I found mine :)

I love you, Jake. You make life worth living and every day wonderful. You are the reason behind my smile, and my only hope is that I can make your life as good as you've made mine!

I am so glad you chose me! XoXo

Pinterest

Been awhile since I posted. If I had to guess, I'd say it was the day before I discovered Pinterest? Just a guess. ;) My life has been full of my two loves, work and making/cooking things I've found on Pinterest.. Okay, really.. I am devoting an ENTIRE post to that damn time-sucking, make-me-crafty, make-me-throw-out-old-crappy-recipes, you-can-make-anything-for-much-cheaper, here-are-a-million-dream-kitchens-that-make-me-hate-my-apartment-even-more website. :) No, but really. GREATEST. WEBSITE. EVVVER.!

Quotes? They're on Pinterest. Make up/Clothing/hair ideas? They're on Pinterest. Recipes for a sophisticated meal? They're on Pinterest. Recipes for a quick and easy dinner? They're on Pinterest. DIY EVERYTHING? They're on Pinterest. Decorations for every holiday and season? They're on Pinterest. Dream home ideas? They're on Pinterest. I could go on, and on, and on, and on, and on and on on on.. This website is PHENOMENAL!

My sister in laws were talking about it awhile back.. Once before the wedding, but I knew if I checked it out then, my psychotic, stressed out, psycho-ness would multiply by 10. Thank goodness I didn't do it. My  fiance at the time, and even more so, my mom... would have broken up with me.. :) I finally checked it out one day, at work. OOPS? And didn't really get it. Cool stuff, sure. But didn't spend much time ACTUALLY looking into it. Then one day, I did. Pretty sure I have had it pulled up ever since. On my phone, at work in between running reports (and sometimes when I should be doing something else... Sorry Ryan and Mark), every 'lunch', and on the lap top at home. This website is my favorite! Screw Facebook! :)

My obsession has become slightly ridiculous. I threw out a (maybe made up?!) stat to my husband about football (the stupid Patriots), and he came back with a snide "did you get that from Pinterest" comment. :) It was kind of funny. Even though sadly, it may be all that I have talked about for the past few weeks. :) And I love that I can send my mom a link, and she'll say.. "I saw that this morning"! Let the obsession spread! :)

To ANY of you reading this that haven't checked it out yet. Comment with your email address and I will send you an invite. Really, it will be the best thing that ever happened to you! :) I know it's in my top 5 favorite things in my life right now! :) Yes, babe.. You're still number 1!

Besides Pinterest life has been... ? Just kidding, life has been wonderful! Jake and I are adjusting to married life and all that comes with it. Love going to bed next to him and waking up to him every morning.. He really is the light of my life and my soul mate. Lucky me :) Kailee is as sassy and hilarious as ever! She cracks us up daily and says and does the funniest things! We're all really looking forward to our first Thanksgiving as an official family! Holiday posts and pictures to come! :) Have a wonderful and very Happy Thanksgiving.. I am grateful for so many things, especially all of the wonderful people I have surrounding me. XoXo

Our Perfect Weekend!

Our weekend started out on Thursday.. sort  of :) Thursday's are our nights with Kailee, so it always feels like that's when our weekend starts! She was the CUTEST! She's been really attached to me lately, no complaints here! So it was no surprise that she wanted to help make dinner! She gets to do all the stirring and I follow along, with my OCD, and wipe around the bowl.. that is if I can get to it before she licks it! It doesn't matter what it is.. she will lick it! Funny girl!

I love that she 'likes' to spend time with me.. and hope it never changes! :) She's such a good little girl and SO much fun!! After dinner was over Jake and I RAVED about what a good job she did.. :) She was beaming and then said, "My dinners are REALLY good and yours are just a little bit good, huh Lacy?" Little stink! :) Too funny!




Friday we got to do one of our favorite things in the world as a family.. we got to hang out with our Joey, Linds and little Miss B! We love that family SO much and always have such a good time! They were taking me to dinner for my birthday since life had been WAY too busy before to get together.. We had an amazing time just hanging out! Let the girls run around at Gateway then walked over to Macaroni Grill for some yummy dinner followed by some frozen yogurt back at the Gateway to end our night! Here are some of my favorite pictures.

Look at these two! I could just eat em both! :) So cute!

I love this.. and it truly shows their relationship.. Kailee showing Brooklynn the ropes! :) Brooklynn literally does and says EVERYTHING 'Tayee Bug' says or does. It's the sweetest thing! :) Love that they will grow up cousins and the best of friends!

Haha! Isn't she the cutest?! I love this little thing SO much!

Love him! Best husband in the world! And isn't he so handsome?!

Our walk back to Gateway.. :) They had so much fun! So sweet! Best little buds!

 

 

ICE CREAM TIME!!

The Blacks! :) Doesn't that cute face say it all?! Such a wonderful night! Thanks guys! We love you!

Saturday morning.. 6:43 am. I wake up to a sound I think is the blinds in the family room and the sliding glass door. PANIC! I wake Jake up, cause Lord knows he didn't hear it! Ran out there to see what was going on with my pounding heart.. slightly paranoid of being robbed or the house broke into.. Well, it wasn't the blinds at all! It was Kailee. Playing with all of her jewelry in her room. She said she just wasn't sleepy anymore! What?! We ran the crap out of you last night, you fell asleep in the car, woke up so you could watch a movie and didn't fall back asleep until 11:00! About an hour after your daddy! Good thing Lacy stays up! ;) She was up a couple of times in the night.. first time -had an accident in her sleeping bag, in her new princess tent, ON the bed.. (yeah, that was a fun clean up!) Second time- wanted to watch a movie.. at 3 am! Since we don't watch movies that late, daddy went to cuddle her. Long story short, the little monster was up at the crack of dawn.. Daddy was still SO sleepy, and I knew we had a busy morning.. So I got up, saved her from her 'not tired anymore' state, and we headed to the grocery store.. She's started this new, "I wish".. thing. Like after washing her hands in the princess bathroom, " Lacy, I wish I had a princess MIRROR".. Apparently the shower curtain, hooks, soap dispenser, toothbrush holder and rug aren't enough.. we need a princess mirror?! what!? :) So the whole time grocery shopping I heard this.. "Lacy, I wish I had ____" yep, fill in the blank! Odds are, if she saw it.. she 'wished' she had it! She cracks me up! She was so good with all of my "that would be so cool" and "I wish I had that too" that I let her pick a treat at the end. Anything in the store.. she of course, chose the sucker bottle with sugar to dip.. Perfect. She was on a sugar high for the next 30 minutes! :) Silly girl!

Saturday was going to be another busy day, of course.. Jake and I headed to the Y game, and Kailee got to go with her mommy to her cousins birthday party.. So we were all happy! After a Y win and a sugar high party, we picked up Kailee and had a surprise for her.. Grandma and Grandpa were with us :) She was SO excited to see my mom! So sweet! :)  She sat with Grandma at lunch, and Grandma carried her in the restaurant, GRANDMA, GRANDMA, GRANDMA.. Grandpa was lucky and 'got' to carry her out... basically, Jake and I were nonexistant for the next couple of hours! When they dropped us off in Lehi to pick up our car, needless to say, she wasn't very happy when we told her we weren't going to their house.. we were headed home. Poor thing fought back the tears with all she had.. So sad, but so sweet! My parents are the best grandparents! :) It's been so fun to watch them interact with the girls.. they love them so much!! After that, we got to go to Grandma Andrus' for Grandpa Rogers birthday.. We hung out with the fam for awhile and let Kailee and Maddy play.. So fun to spend time with both our families, all in the same day!

Sunday we were so excited to spend the afternoon with our friends Jamie and Ava and Anton, Justina, Afton and Preslee. :) We got to go to the Zoo for a few hours! We had so much fun! Those 4 girls get along so well and were all so good! Kailee was nervous on the way there that the alligators might be out of their cage.. after some convincing, she was really excited! She had painted a picture for Ava and couldn't wait to give it to her :) Fun, fun day! Looking at animals, laughing at the girls and eating ice cream! Great weekend!!

Check out that smile! :) love her!

Checkin' out the monkeys! :) Love her pose in this! Such a girl!

They had so much fun here! They pretended they were holding their breath underwater and would pop their heads up gasping for air! Too cute!

Ice cream time! BEST ice cream cone I've ever had! I wanted 2 :) I think everyone else liked them too! :)

So hard to get 4 little girls to look and smile at the same time! But these are some of Kailee's friends! :)

 

Family day at Hogle Zoo :)

Such a fabulous weekend! Cherishing every moment and memory with our little family.



My Favorite Obsessions!

Taking some inspiration from my sister here and going to go through a few of my favorites! Some of them funny, some corny, and probably some that are a little bit ridiculous..  But hey, they're MINE.. so it's okay, right?! :)

#10

Keeping Up with the Kardashians



Why? No clue... Besides these girls crack me up, they are crazy dysfunctional but they love each other so much!! They all have such different personalities.. It's the craziest family I've ever seen and for some reason LOVE that they just throw themselves out there for the world to see! Khloe is freaking hilarious, Kim is a HUGE brat and Kortney is boring! Haha.. Something about how dysfunctional they are mixed with their undeniable love for each other just sucks me in! Weird, but I LOVE THIS SHOW!


#9

Olay Soap



This stuff is AMAZING! Love the way it smells, love the way my skin feels and it's the ONLY thing I will put on my face.. I love, love LOVE it! If you use the regular Dial or Irish Spring (like I did as a kid.. until I introduced my mom to this), you have GOT to try this! Makes a world's difference! You'll love it, I promise!



#8

Cooking



Not so much baking.. but cooking! I love trying new things, tweaking favorties, and stealing ideas from friends, family and fun websites! I love all aspects of cooking.. The grocery shopping before, the preperation, the smells and finally.. sitting down to EAT IT! But by far, my most favorite... when Jake and Kailee like it! Nothing better than the satisfaction of feeding your family and feeding them well.. I must've inherited this passion from Grandma Jeri & Grandpa Myron who both loved it too! :)



#7

Fall



Everything about it! Cooler temps, beautiful colors, amazing smells, and FOOTBALL! :) I love the first hoodie night, layering of clothes, boots, and scarves.. Fall fashion might be my favorite! Love waking up on Saturday mornings to the sound of College Game Day, watching college football ALL day, and cuddling up on the couch!.. Plus, there is just something about being back on a schedule, turning off the a/c and cracking the windows.. Such a peaceful feeling!  Favorite time of year! :)



#6

Chips



Damn these things! I could eat chips EVERY SINGLE DAY! And sometimes, I do! Chips and dip, plain chips, flavored chips.. I don't care.. I LOVE them! So bad for me, I know.. But they are my favorite! I don't crave chocolate.. I crave CHIPS! And they go quite nicely with my next love... football!! :)



#5

Football

  


Loooove me some football! :) BYU games have such a special place in my life.. I went to my first game at 2 weeks old (yes.. 2 WEEKS!) and have missed few home games since. So many fun memories over the past 24 seasons and am SO lucky to carry them into the rest of my life.. Since BYU football is one of Jake's obsessions too! And one of the reasons we connected so quickly. I knew my football! :) Then there's my Steelers! Jake and I don't quite agree on the NFL aspect of football.. But I think this picture speaks for itself, yeah?! :)

#4

Baby Lotion

Love this stuff! I use it after every shower and LOVE the way my skins smells! Does have to be Baby Magic though, not a big fan of Johnson's. Little harder to find, but SO worth the search! I swear by the way it keeps my skin soft and smooth! I've even got Jake using it! He uses it after every shower too, and kissing his baby lotion cheeks? YUM! I love that Kailee will grab it after her tubby time and then ask me to smell her cheeks because she knows I will smooch attack them! :)

#3

Lipgloss

I've used this stuff since 8th grade! I use it before bed, every morning and allll daaaay looong :) You will never catch me without it! I've got a tube in my car, in my desk at work, and always in my purse. And a stash at home just in case I ever lose one :) I know the shiny, nude-colored, lacquered looking lips aren't really 'in' anymore, but I don't care! I LOVE this stuff!!! I have ordered it by case once. Yes. This is an obsession post ;)

#2

My Blanklet

Yes, blank-let. Or wobbie, or blankey... :) Yes, I'm 24. Yes, married. Yes, I sleep with it EVERY NIGHT. And, YES, I take it everywhere.. I love my blanklet, and sadly, don't have a picture of the actual one. It's pretty worn out. Some like to call it a rag (MORGAN!), but it is not. It's my blanklet. ;) Don't be fooled by it's appearance.. it smells amazing (like Febreeze and perfume) and it has to be touching my face while I sleep.. I love my blanklet and I don't care who knows! :)

#1

These Two

These two beautiful, funny and loving people are my WHOLE world! They make my life and everything else in it, perfect. They love me unconditionally and have shown me what life is really all about. I could do with out all the rest, as long as I had these two. Knowing I have them makes life worth living and is the reasoning behind every choice and decision I make. I love them with all of my heart, I love that they are my family, and I love that they are what I get to come home to for the rest of forever! I love you Jake and Kailee and can't wait to see what the future holds for the three of us! XoXo

Fun Weekend! Lion King 3D, BYU Game & Andrus Family Halloween Party!

　

We decided Friday night we wanted to take Kailee to see Lion King in 3D.. It had been YEARS since I'd seen it and I forgot how stinkin' cute that movie is! Kailee loved her glasses and was SO funny wearing them. I still can't believe I didn't get a picture of it! I even had my camera with me! Dang it! She loved the glasses, left them on the whole time and was SO good during the movie.. And every time the 3D would take effect, she would look at me with this amazed look on her face and giggle! Too funny! She is at the funniest age and says and does the funniest things! She would move her glasses up every time she needed more popcorn J apparently, she couldn’t see the popcorn with the glasses on her eyes?! So cute! We loved watching her reaction to it all! Before the movie started, I took her to the bathroom. What is it with kids and talking SO loud in the bathroom stall?! I remember hearing kids all of the time and thinking it was the cutest thing.. and it is, but some of the conversations are a little awkward! J this particular story was about the "Booger Monster" that her uncle Randy showed her. And her mommy told her if she kept eating her boogers, the Booger Monster would grow in her belly. I giggled, and she went on to tell me that one time she had some boogers running down her nose and she licked them, like this.. and TOTALLY did the licking of the upper lip thing! I almost died! I heard a few ladies laugh and did my best to hold back so she didn’t think I was making fun of her! It was tough! She had NO clue there were others around.. and probably didn’t care! During the movie, I noticed her getting a little big restless. She stood up, looked at me, and YELLED (or at least it seemed since it was so quiet in the theater) "Lacy.. why does my bum itch?!" Jake and I couldn’t help but giggle with this one.. She is so funny! I did get a few pictures of Jake and Kailee driving the arcade car before the movie. Apparently, Kailee can’t drive any of Jake’s vehicles... EVER! J She did choose a cute car though, so I’ll give her that!!

　

Saturday Kailee got to have a sleep over with Grandma Andrus while daddy and I went to the BYU game. We love our Cougs and the time we get to share with my parents, and Ammon and Amber who have season tickets with us. This time, Austin came with Ammon.. Amber is pregnant and those night games are rough on her sleepy body! We had lots of fun though, and BYUwon! We met up with my parents before for some yummy dinner and got to ride with them.. had to snap a few pics of us all blue’d out! J Fun night! Late night, but fun!

　

Sunday, we had a fun Halloween party with the Andrus'. JoLene makes holidays a lot of fun for the kids! We decided we all wanted to dress up this time... of course, by 'we'.. I mean Kailee and I :) Jake just got told what to do! Good thing he loves us, huh?! I had an Indian costume I wore a couple years back.. and Kailee has been OBSESSED with Pocahontas for the last little bit so I thought it'd be perfect! Jake got to be our John Smith J Well, my John Smith. She wanted her John Smith to be Brock J ! Found the cutest Pocahontas costume on Disney's website and conveniently enough, University Mall has a Disney Store so we stopped before the game Saturday and got the costume (and matching shoes J ) for a steal! I was so excited! She LOVED it and looked so stinkin’ cute! She got to hit a piñata, go ‘fishing’ for cute Hello Kitty socks, painted a pumpkin and got the $(*@ scared out of her by her dad.. He borrowed Josh’s gorilla costume and scared the kids.. Well, he did more than scare Kailee. I’ve NEVER heard a shriek like that! I couldn’t stop laughing and felt TERRIBLE at the same time! She was pretty clingy the rest of the night! J And she told me to make sure daddy "never EVER does that again". Sad, but so funny! Here's a few pics of our fun day!

Pocahontas and the BYU Knight :)

 This is where she hid from the Gorilla.. hahaha. So sad.. hahaha!

 Maddy and Daddy takin' a whack at the pinata!

 Evan's turn!

 Austin pitches to Josh.. Still doesn't break!

 There we go! And yes.. that's my husband. Stealing candy from kids..



 Cutest little bum ever! :) haha! Loved this!

 Pocahontas Shoes

 All the grandkids! :)

 Our little fam..

 Halloween Cupcakes.. and Aubrey's birthday candles :)

　Fishing for Halloween prizes with Grandma! She's pretty excited, can ya tell?!

We had such a great weekend! Now that life has slowed down (sort of??), I love sitting back and enjoying all of these moments and the memories they create! J



Welcome to... married life? Blogging? What!?!

First off, if you would’ve told me a year ago I’d be starting a blog full of lovey-dovey, mushey, kid friendly posts, I’d have laughed at you.. But here we are and what a beautiful life it is! I will start out by introducing ‘us’.. Not sure how much actual posting Jake will do, but it’s his blog too! J

Jake and I met on September 4^th, 2010 and were married September 24^th, 2011. From the day I met him, I knew he was the one. I had never EVER felt more connected to another person in my life. We started out as ‘friends’.. though I don’t think either of us ever saw the other as a ‘buddy’ ;), and a short month later were beyond inseperable.. He loved my cooking, made me laugh, loved football, and was the best kisser! J And man, do we do a lot of kissing!! It took him FOREVER to kiss me for the first time, but I don’t think we’ve stopped since J Just 2 ½ months after we met, we were talking after a concert.. I knew I was in love with him, and had known for a little bit.. but was AGAIN, patiently waiting for him to make the move.. well, there came a point when I couldn’t hold back one more second. I remember thinking to myself.. I must REALLY love him because at this point, I don’t care if he says it back. I HAVE TO SAY IT. And I did J Luckily he said it back, and we’ve said it 3 million times since.. J I love that man with all of my heart and can’t believe how happy he makes me! At somepoint, every single day, I take a second and think about how TRULY lucky I am to have him.. and all of the events that brought us together.

We couldn’t have met at a better time in either of our lives. Jake was recently divorced, living on his own, and a little lost. To him, he was figuring out who he really was and what he really wanted for the first time in his life..He was becoming the man HE wanted to be, not who everyone around him wanted him to be. Me, I had FINALLY found myself. I wasn’t going to be a back up plan anymore, or date guys who I knew didn’t deserve me.. I was finally worried about ME, and my happiness and just enjoying my friends, my job, living on my own and being young! I was done with dating all together at least for a year or two.. or so I thought! We met, understood and loved each other very quickly.. J We met after BYU’s opening football game against Washington September 4^th,and made sure exactly 7 months later when we planned our big day we wouldn’t be interrupted by a game.. A big screen TV at our reception seemed a bit tacky, so we checked the schedule before setting a date J . Lucky for us, they had a Friday game in September.. So the 24^th it was! And that folks, is how we knew we were meant for each other! Thank you BYU football for being a big part of meeting the true love of my life! And thank you babe, for being the first guy to love and appreciate my passion for football.. and all sports for that matter! That’s one thing we love to do together.. watch games.. Doesn’t matter what team or sport, ESPN is always on at our house! He’s even got me into watching baseball.. which I NEVER thought was possible.. Go Braves!!! J We love to do just about anything..as long as it’s together. We love our date nights.. in or out, hanging with our wonderful friends, eating out, and shopping!

We also love to be with our families and are truly blessed in that category. Jake has 4 brothers who couldn’t be more different, or more charming men. And lucky for me, I came towards the end of the pack.. so I am blessed with 3 beautiful and absolutely lovely sister in laws! And of course.. 3 nephews – Evan, Hayden and Grahm.. and 3 neices – McKaylie, Maddelyn and Reagan, whom I adore! So proud and lucky to be a part of this family.. Roger and JoLene, my new inlaws, must’ve done something incredibly right in the parenting category.. because they have 5 of the greatest men I know for sons. Lucky me J We love our time with the Andrus side and look forward to holidays and Sunday dinners..

And my family, who we love to spend time with as well.. camping, hanging out, BYU games, whatever.. we have so much fun when we’re all together! My sister Lindsay was married a month before me, so as most of our life had gone.. we got to share ‘weddings’ or at least the planning of them. I love her more than anything and we have evolved from fighting sisters, to the best of friends. I tell her EVERYTHING and miss seeing her everyday.. She married the older brother I never had and now one of my best friends.. Joey. What a great guy! My parents couldn’t love Jake and Joey anymore.. But I’m not sure what they love most.. the boys and the way they treat us.. or the little princesses they brought into our lives.. J Brooklynn was my first niece and I love that little girl so much and can’t wait to smooch her cute cheeks everytime I see her J She loves her "Dacy" too, which I never complain about, she is absolutely gorgeous and freaking hilarious! And there’s Riley boy.. best little brother in the world who loves us much more now that we brought the boys into the fam! He’s the sweetest and most talented kid.. who’s not really a kid anymore. He has the funniest sense of humor and Linds and I have always adored him.. and Kailee and Brooklynn seemed to follow suit, they both have MAJOR crushes on him! Their little cheeks get red anytime he talks! J

We are truly blessed to have the families we do.. and are even more grateful that we could be apart of bringing two amazing families into one..

And FINALLY…

The real reason for this blog.. Kailee Bug J This little girl has NO idea how much she is loved! She is the life of our home and every other weekend just isnt enough! We love her so much and watching Jake be her daddy was something that made me fall even more in love with him! He is the best daddy and so hands on.. He will play any girl game in the world with Kailee and I and is always our "Prince".. Kailee just tunred 4 in August and loves EVERYTHING girl! If it’s pink or has a princess on it, she’s all over it! She loves wearing dresses, watching a movie before bed, playing games (where daddy ALWAYS cheats!), the words "Lacy…guess what", her friends and cousins, lipgloss, fingernail polish and REALLY… anything girl! J She’s insanly dramatic, riduclously funny, and has the worlds biggest heart! She is always making sure everything and everyone is okay.. Me, Jake and her sweet mommy especially. She is definitely the oldest child and the caretaker.. Love that about her! Since we were engaged, she’s been talking a lot about weddings and wants to marry her cousin Brock J ! She loves to go swimming and is absolutely fearless. I never could have imagined loving a child so much that wasn’t mine. Boy, was I wrong! Though she has an amazing mommy, I feel so blessed to be a part of her life and pray everyday I do all that I can to show her and teach her about life, love, happiness and the beauty of being a woman.

This, my new family, these two beautiful people.. are my whole world! That’s what life is all about, right? The people you can call family. So blessed to be starting out on this journey with the two loves of my life! Welcome to our perfectly crazy life!