Father's Day

Jamey is coming home on Wednesday, and we are celebrating Father's Day a few days late. I cannot think of a better dad for my little Addy. He is so amazing with her, and she loves him so much.

Here are some pictures of Addison with her Dada (they are all out of order).

Father's Day Projects

For Father's Day, I wanted to get Addy involved in the gift instead of just buying him something and saying it was from her. First, we made him a "World's Greatest Dad Hands Down" t-shirt. We made him one last year, and he wore it all the time. This year was more fun because Addy loved the paint. Jamey already got the shirt because it was hanging in our closet and when he came home and surprised me, I totally forgot it was in there and he found it. He always has a way of ruining surprised.

I stole this idea from my friend Katie. It was such a great idea, I just had to use it. Jamey will probably despise me for it because he thinks we have waaaaayyyyy too many framed pictures in our house already, but I was thinking maybe he could put it in his office or something. I like it so much, I might just make a "MOM" one for myself.

Lastly, I found a whole bunch of fishing stuff he bought last time we went to Cabela's. Apparently, he put it in an unmarked box in storage. I am going to wrap it up as a gag gift.

Jamey made the news...

Well it was just NPS news, but I guess it still counts.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (AZ,UT)
Two Boats Burn And Sink At Wahweap Marina

Dangling Rope district ranger Laurie Axelsen and park ranger Jamey Brazell were returning from patrol just before midnight last Friday when they noticed flames from one of the boat docks at Wahweap Marina. The rangers immediately radioed park dispatch and went into action to isolate the fire by removing surrounding boats from the two boats that were ablaze. An NPS fire crew soon arrived on scene with a fire engine and a fire boat; they were supported by units from the Page Fire Department. The blaze was brought under control within approximately 30 minutes. Two privately-owned, 37-foot cabin cruisers were lost in the fire. The actions of the rangers and the quick response by firefighters prevented additional damage to the docks and other boats in the marina. Aramark is conducting the clean-up associated with the fire. Coconino County is leading the investigation into the cause of the fire. The incident commander was Shawn McNally. [Submitted by Brian Sweatland, Public Affairs Officer; Brent McGinn, Chief Ranger]

The article doesn't mention some of the details that Jamey told me about, but it's pretty good. Apparently my brave (and very irresponsible) husband rushed into the flames to cut a boat loose so it didn't catch fire also. I told him to never do anything like that again.

He's pretty proud of himself, so I wanted to share with all of you!

4 years ago....

Jamey and I were sealed for time and eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. It was a beautiful experience. As we came out of the Temple it began raining. For me, this was a sign of comfort. Growing up, my mom always told me that when it rained, it meant that our loved ones were watching down on us from Heaven. In my heart, this was a testimony that Heavenly Father knows me personally. I was having a hard time with the fact that none of my family was able to be there with me, and this showed me that I wasn't alone. I am so grateful for the blessings that come from the temple ordinances, and the opportunity to have an eternal family.

Washington Fun

June 3-8 Addy and I went to Washington for her Uncle Corey's high school graduation. I was pretty apprehensive about flying with her because she is a little wiggle worm. She did great on the flights, and I was so glad for that. On the way out, she slept on both flights. I got her a little backpack/leash, and you would be amazed at the dirty looks that I got in the airport. I wanted her to be able to walk around during out layovers and this was an easy and safe way to do it. One mother who had a daughter about Addy's age did tell me that she thought it was genious and asked where I got it. Maybe the others just don't have kids or like to chase their kids through a packed airport?!?

While we were at Jamey's parents house, Addy's sleeping schedule got all out of whack and she hardly slept at all. This resulted in a whiny, tired little girl. I was curious to see how she'd react to Jamey's parents. She took to Mamaw right away which I figured she would. Papaw and Corey were another story. Once Papaw took her outside (her favorite thing to do) he won her heart. She never did take to Corey. This is probably because he's TC. He won't act goofy with her or make faces or any of that stuff. He just wants to hold her. Hey, at least she didn't cry when he looked at her like she does with Uncle TyTy.

Our trip was very busy. We got there on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, we had Corey's senior awards ceremony. Addy and I played outside because she couldn't sit still and kept screaming. It wasn't a pleasant experience. On Friday, Corey and a few other seniors from his ward had a combined graduation party. It was fun and there was tons of good food, but I spent most of the time chasing Addy around and trying to keep her off the stairs. Corey graduated on Saturday. Addy was amazing and sat still for the whole 1st hour. She started to wiggle in the last 10 minutes, so I took her outside. I was able to see Corey and his band perform. They were so good. I'm really proud of him, he's an amazing guitarist. We also saw him get his diploma. I figured Addy would get wiggly right before this happened so I'm glad I got to see it. On Saturday afternoon, we went to 3 more graduation parties. Each house that we went to had steep stairs and I wondered if anyone had ever heard of a "ranch style". This kept me busy trying to deter Addy from climbing the stairs. We stayed in a hotel on Sunday night and flew out bright and early at 6:45 Monday morning.

We had a great time with Jamey's family and were sad that he was unable to join us.

Here are some pictures of our trip. Sorry there are a lot :(
Addy and NiNi in Washington Park in Denver the day we got back.

Addy on the swings

Addy and NiNi

Addy and Papaw playing fetch with CC

Addy and CC (of all the toys, she wanted to play with CC's dirty ball)

Addy with a cake for the mules.

Trying to pet Molly.

Her response when I asked, 'Addy where are the mules?'

Checking the mules out

Addy and Mama on the hammock This was the closest thing they had to a swing, and she loved it.

Addy and CC

Addy and Uncle Matt's puppy Rex, at NiNi's house.

Addy and some dog at the graduation party.

She found the kitty.

Her 'scrunchy' face

Addy and Mamaw

This picture pretty much wraps up the whole week- her whining and me exhausted

The fam after the graduation

Accomplishments

My brother-in-law is graduating high school this weekend, and it's got me to thinking about things. I remember during my senior year when they had us fill out things like "where do I see myself in 5 or 10 years". I saw on a friend's blog that she listed all of her accomplishments and thought it was a great way to see how I measure up to my expectations.

2002 (18 years)
Graduated high school (May 2002)
Started college at UNC

2003 (19 years)
Got baptized (October 5th)

2004 (20 years)
Had a lot of fun, but no notable accomplishments

2005 (21 years)
Got engaged (March 12) and married (June 15) my high school sweetheart and love of my life

2006 (22 years)
Graduated college (May)
Got my 1st REAL job

2007 (23 years)
Worked like crazy
Found out I was pregnant (August 6)

2008 (24 years)
Gave birth to Addy (April 13) 4 days after my 24th birthday
Moved to Washington (June 3)
Moved back to Colorado (October 1)

2009 (25 years)
Sent hubby off to Ranger school
My baby turned 1
Planned a move to Arizona
Decided to stay in Colorado
Will celebrate 4 years of marriage in a little over a week!