2011 In Review

Things have been pretty busy for us recently, and we have yet to take a family Christmas photo. *** Correction: we did take one at our ward Christmas party, but it was aweful. Jamey and I look bald due to the fact that the background was very similar in color to our hair and Addy was scowling because we made her stop playing with her friends to take a picture with us.***

This year has been fairly busy for us. As I look back on it, it doesn't seem like we "did" a lot, but it seems like we're always running like crazy. Life in general has just been busy.

Miss Addison is our little busy body. She is constantly doing something. She loves dancing, singing, coloring, making up games and just playing. She pretend plays by herself with her dolls and stuffed animals. She hasn't really had a comfort object since she was born, but that all changed in September. She got a Snoopy doll from her Nini and they have been inseparable since. She loves to create exotic recipes in her kitchen, most of which would be inedible. She is very loving most of the time, but can be quite defiant when she wants to. She loves to tell stories and make up songs. Recently, she has begun telling knock-knock jokes. She has quite an imagination and quickly changes from being a princess to a cowgirl to fighting a monster to planting vegetable seeds for her new recipes. We didn't enroll her in preschool this year because due to my work schedule, I wouldn't see her at all. We have been working with her at home and she is doing really well. She knows all the shapes and colors, letters and the sounds they make. She does pretty well at recognizing letters. She can write the entire alphabet and can also write her name and a handful of other words. She will be moving into the Sunbeams class in January and is devastated to be leaving nursery, but she ensures me that she will "try it and maybe she will like it". Let's hope so! She is eagerly anticipating April when she turns 4. It seems as if 4 is the magic number. She will be able to take dance and gymnastics classes here as well as go to pre-school at the "real school with the big kids". She is taller than most of the other kids her age, and loves to tell me that she's "growing up". We are really grateful for her little personality in our home!

I have continued working as an emergency dispatcher. I continue to enjoy my job working with Rangers and being able to assist park visitors during their emergencies or perceived emergencies. I worked on several large scale incidents. One of which was a large marina fire (http://azdailysun.com/news/local/article_c9d6948c-45a8-11e0-9e1d-001cc4c03286.html). I also worked on several fatalities. Those incidents were extremely difficult. In October, I became at Nationally Registered Advanced Emergency Medical Dispatcher. In short, I am now able to walk people through treatment/care over the phone. Some of the trainings we received were CPR and Heimlich Maneuver Instruction as well as Child Delivery! Let's hope I never have to walk someone through child birth! I am working towards getting myself on a more "regular" (6-2 or 8-4) shift instead of 2-10.

Jamey spent the first 5 months of the year in Tucson working at Saguaro National Park. In May, he came back to Page to begin his 3rd season at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. He was involved in several significant incidents, most of which he was the only Ranger on scene. One of the incidents involved him hiking up a slick rock slope to provide medical aid to a teenage boy (http://www.wayneswords.com/index.php/ww-bulletinboard/5-lake-powell-recreation/16865-life-flight-rescue-in-last-chance). The best news of the year came on December 1st when he was offered a position as a PERMANENT Law Enforcement Officer here at Glen Canyon. It was such a relief! We are so grateful that he will have continuouse employment, instead of working 6-months at a time. We are extremely proud of our Ranger, EMT, Firefighter! He starts his new career on January 1st!

Jamey has been off work since the end of October, and we have taken advantage of the time we've had to spend together. During this Christmas season, we are grateful for Jesus Christ and his birth. We are grateful for the time we have to spend with family. We pray that you will take time to ponder on the life of the Savior and the true reasons we celebrate Christmas.

October

October was a pretty eventful month for us. We started out the month with an air show. There were lots of small planes. Addy had a good time looking at all the planes. Later that day, we went to the park visitor center for Paleo day. They had a lot of activities to teach kids about dinosaurs. Addy has a bit of an obsession with dinos. Her favorite activity was playing paleontologist and digging for dinosaur bones.

One night on our family walk, we decided to snap a few photos.

We celebrated Halloween with a week of activities. On the Saturday before, we went to the library for a halloween party. They had lots of little kid-friendly crafts and games.

Addy wanted curly "Belle" hair, so we put curlers in her hair. It got super curly.

She wanted to take some pictures with mama, and she's in a weird phase where she won't smile normally in pictures.

On Sunday, we carved and painted our pumpkins.

On Halloween, we took Addy trick-or-treating with some of our friends. She was so tired from our week of events that she said she was done about 20 minutes into trick or treating.

She told us that her legs were tired, so Jamey had to carry her.

And then I had to carry her.

Addy isn't great at coloring, but she LOVES drawing. Here is a picture that she drew of our family. She was so proud of herself!

September

In September, we took some time off work and travelled to Colorado. It was such a great time. My brother and his family were able to come out from Kansas and my younger sister and brother were also there. While we were there, we ate way too much good food, spent far too much money and had a blast at the AFA/TCU game. Here are a few pictures from out trip (sorry the pictures are all out of order).

Had to throw in the picture of Duke!!!

The benefit of travelling overnight is that you get to see the sunrise over the mountains

Flying the flag into the game.

Addy and her cousin Dalton.... he is 9 months older than her, but a few inches shorter.

August

August went by in a flash. The first week, Jamey's parents were in Utah for our niece Skye's baptism. We didn't think we'd be able to go see them, but at the last minute, the stars alligned and we got two days off together. We decided at the about 11 on sunday night that we'd head up north in the morning. It was a quick trip, we got there on Monday afternoon and had to leave on Tuesday (Jamey had to work at 9 on Wednesday morning). Addy had a great time playing with her cousins and seeing Mamaw and Papaw. She hadn't seen them in over a year. Here are a few pics of our adventure. Addy and Papaw
Jumping Rope

Jamey and Jesse (doesn't he need one!?!)

Addy LOVED Jesse

Mamaw and the girls

We also spent a lot of time at the lake. We swam, built sand castles, and enjoyed some time in the sun on our amazing island raft.

Showing off her handy-work

She is getting so good at swimming, it's scary. She has a flotation device with removable pads. There is only one pad in the front and the back. It barely keeps her afloat, but she swims like a fish. I'm glad I didn't spend the money on swimming lessons.

My two loves!

July

July came and went in the blink of an eye. We started out the month with fireworks at the golf course. Addy and I met some of our friends and had a great time. Our month was filled with swimming, building sand castles, dress-up parties and fishing. We had a great month.

Addy's first fish! A 13 inch catfish caught on a princess pole.

Vegas

In mid-June we headed to Vegas to meet my family at my parents condo. It's only a couple of hour drive for us. We got there a couple of hours before the rest of the fam, so we just hung out in the condo. That night, we took the shuttle over to the Harrah's and then walked the strip. We were a little bummed that the Treasure Island show wasn't going on. The 2nd day, Grama, Nini and Tyty took Addy while Jamey and I went SHOPPING! It was great to hang out just the two of us. We didn't do anything too exciting, went to some pretty cool stores and then had lunch, but it is more than we usually get, so we enjoyed it. In the afternoon, we picked Addy up and went back to the condo to take her swimming. She is a little fish and had a great time. Later that night, we went back over to the Excalibur to meet my Grama and Uncle and Aunt. They flew in late that night and we only had time to say a brief hello before we had to head home. Jamey had to work early the next morning. It was great to see them even if it was only for a few minutes. I'm bummed that no one thought to get a picture though.

This picture makes my heart happy. There was a time when Addy wouldn't even be in the same room as tyty.

Poor Addy looks so pale compared to Grama who had just returned from a week in the Bahamas.

At least Nini and Addy have the same skin-tone.

10 Amazing Years

Jamey and I celebrated our 6th Wedding Anniversary on the 15th. It's amazing to think back on all that we've been through in the past not just 6 years of marriage, but 10 years together. We've started and finished college, travelled the country, lived in three states, discovered careers that we LOVE, and welcomed and amazing child into our eternal family.

2001

We started dating in January. Jamey was a senior, and I was a junior in high school. We were just two love-sick teenagers who couldn't imagine what the future had in store for us.

2002

Jamey went off to college. I was devastated when he moved to Utah, and in my overly dramatic teenage mind, my life was ending. He flew home to take me to my senior prom, then moved home two weeks later. In August, we both went to UNC.

2003

We helped his parents move to Washington. We visited most of the temples along our path to Washington. We visited his brother in Utah and road tripped to Canada. Jamey baptized and confirmed me a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in October.

2004

That summer we road-tripped to Texas to visit Jamey's brother and his family. I fell in love with my future-nephew Blake. In November, we decided to get MARRIED! We went to Utah for Thanksgiving and secretly picked out my wedding dress.

2005

Jamey proposed in march. In June we were married for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. I remember it like it was yesterday. We drove over night from Colorado to Utah. The next morning, we got up super-early, so I could get my hair done. Then, we made the trip from Logan to Salt Lake. Little did we know, they were doing traffic on I-15. I cried the entire way. I was so sad that no one in my family was able to come to our sealing, but I was so happy to know that we'd be together for time and all eternity. It was such a strange mix of emotions. We parked in the parking garage and ran to the temple. We got there a little late, but they kept insisting it wasn't a problem and trying to calm me down. We were getting checked in, and we realized that Jamey had left the marriage license in the car! He ran to get it and couldn't find the car. I was freaking out because it was taking so long. I joked that he'd gotten cold feet and left. He finally came back and we got the show on the road. While I was in the bride's room getting ready, I started to feel the sadness again as I looked around and saw all the other bride's with their mom's. My mother-in-law was there to assist me, and I was so grateful to her. I don't remember much of what was said during the ceremony, but I do remember the calming feelings I had as I looked at Jamey across from me. I felt the spirit whisper to me and was confident that I was doing the right thing. As we walked out of the temple, there was a crowd of people waiting to exit. It was raining! All the other couples were waiting for the rain to clear up. I remember seeing the rain and smiling. My mom told me growing up that when it rains it means the people we love in Heaven are watching over us. I was instantly comforted. I remember being so grateful that Jamey has been so devout in his convictions and wouldn't settle for anything less that a temple marriage. We stayed in Salt Lake City that night and woke up in the morning to make the journey back to Colorado for our reception and ring ceremony.

In August, Jamey went to Utah to work at Zion National Park. I was in school, so I stayed home. It wasn't the ideal way to start off our marriage, but it seemed to be a foreshadow of what was the come. This picture is at the top of Angel's Landing trail .

2006

I graduated from UNC! We started managing an apartment complex, and Jamey began working for the Forest Service.

2007

We road-tripped to Utah to meet Jamey's family for General Conference in April. In June, we road-tripped with my family to Florida for a week vacation. In July, we road-tripped to Utah for our niece's birthday. In August, we found out we were expecting our little Peanut.

2008

In April, we welcomed Addy to our family. It was the most scary and amazing day of our lives. Our world was turned upside down by this little one. I didn't fully comprehend what love was until I held her in my arms for the first time. In May, Jamey moved to Washington to start a new career with the National Park Service. Addy and I followed suit in June. In October, we moved back to Colorado.

2009

Jamey enrolled in the National Park Service Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Program in Rangely, Colorado. In May, he moved to Arizona to work at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. We couldn't find housing for me and Addy, so we stayed in Colorado. It was a rough year for us. We lived apart for more than 6 months.

2010

Jamey became a Nationally Registered EMT. In May, we all moved to Arizona. Jamey started his second year as a Park Ranger in the Dangling Rope District of Glen Canyon, and I started as a dispatcher. Addy went to a babysitter for the first time. She LOVED it!

2011

This year has been good to us so far. Jamey moved to Tucson for a few months to work at Saguaro National Park. He is back and working at Glen Canyon again. We are enjoying the few days a week we get to spend together. Our lives and jobs are crazy busy, and I'm looking forward to the fall when we have more time together and can travel. (this is the only picture we have with all three of us in it from this year).

Like all things important, the past 10 years haven't been easy, but the have definitely been worth it!