Welcome to Texas

Poor guys...this was the weather on Monday...the first day of the summer!
Gotta love those crazy southern summer storms!

We made it!

safe and sound to Texas! Brooklynn with no surprise was an angel on the airplane (So glad we flew). She slept for half of it and just played for the other half. Many fellow passengers commented to me after we landed about how well behaved she was. What a sweetheart. Paul drove with Mr. Shane straight through... a 24 hour drive. I was a nervous wreck for him but I do trust him. Anyways, after dealing with some drama over the weekend and getting all the guys out here, I think everyone is now settled in...us included!

Now it is pretty much B and I for the summer...we see daddy very little, but are extremely appreciative of him and his hard work. We are really optimistic that this summer will be a successful one and Paul and the office will meet all their goals. It should be fun too as we have family and great friends out here with us! We hope that we get a few visitors this summer as well!

I'll be sure to keep everyone updated! We love you all! Thanks for all your love and support!

Brooklynn ready for church on our first Sunday here in Texas.

A few crazy weeks

In case you haven't noticed
I have been MIA for some time now.
The last few weeks in April were intense
and had it not been for my mom...it would
have been a nightmare!

We packed up our condo, closed on our house,
moved into our new house,
Paul did training in Cali,
I finished my finals and we left to Texas!
It was emotional but bearable...
thanks only to my mom.
I love you so much!

So yes...
I am officially a college graduate
AND
we are officially home owners!

Paul literally waited around our new house til we got word that funds
had been wired and recorded...
he then moved in from the garage all our big furniture items
and left straight for Texas.

A big shout out to all our family and friends who helped
with our move!
We really, really appreciate you
and those who offered as well!

We endured...maybe not well, but at least we endured!

Happy, happy Brooklynn traveling back to Utah after cousin
Violet's blessing in California.

Saying good-bye to Grandma after 2 weeks of bonding!
We all miss you already mom!

Brooklynn signing "more"

Brooklynn showing us how big she is...
"SOoooo Big!"

What a nerd!
But a cute one...I must admit!

"I don't know"
And my how she loves mommy's silky PJ's.

What a silly girl.
She was such a trooper those last few weeks.
I missed her every moment I was away at school,
but always knew she was in great hands!

On a more personal note,
I have to say thank you to my parents for pushing me to finish school.
While I did it kicking and screaming at times,
it does feel absolutely amazing to be done
and know that I accomplished something great
and finished what I started.
Now I'll have no regrets.
So thank you... I love you forever and for always!

Thank you also for your help with our house
and helping us not only with this move,
but all the ones prior as well!
We are so blessed with amazing families!

Hunting for Eggs

Easter

We were fortunate enough to spend the Easter Holiday
up in Logan with the Giddings'.
They were also generous enough to welcome my mom and sister
to join us in the festivities,
since they were in Utah helping me with packing and finals.


First of all, it was a beautiful day!
It could not have been any better for an easter egg hunt.
I just wanted to lay on Mama and Papa's lawn and take a nap!
Mama and Gran were so thoughtful and took
so much time preparing for that day...
we really appreciated it!
Great entertainment, amazing food, and even better company!

Brooklynn had 12 eggs to hunt for and she found them all!
(with a little help of course)
The candy went straight to mom and dad,
but Brooklynn didn't mind...she only wanted the eggs anyways.

We were so glad to see Gramps and spend some time with him!
He broke his foot just before coming out
and was such a trooper...
even after Brooklynn fell on top of it! Ouch!

Brooklynn was spoiled again (no surprise there)
from Mama & Papa and Gramps & Gran...
both gifts came with us to Texas...
This little radio which she absolutely LOVES to dance to
and the cutest Lamaze baby doll you've ever seen.
Thank you so much!

Cousin Tayler was so nice to help B open her gifts.
Brooklynn has the greatest cousins and
Aunts and Uncles of all time!

Treyton's Blessing

Yes it was the month of baby blessings in the Giddings' Family.
After returning home from California and Violet's blessing,
we were able to make it to the blessing of our nephew Treyton,
Krista and Cale's newest addition.

Funny story...that particular weekend was crazy for Paul and I
and due to airport runs, school, and the Northstar olympics
we were running extremely behind schedule.
We had Paul's handy dandy Christmas gift with us in the camry,
the radar detector,
so I told Paul to hit it...we needed to get to the blessing fast!
We were about 5 miles from our exit when Paul thought he saw
an unmarked police car in front of us,
so we creeped up along side of it and looked over.
Paul said "nope"
and hit the gas.
This car came speeding behind us, tailing us, and then
flipped on the lights!
It was a cop car! Ugh.
Obviously they didn't have their radar gun on and that's
why our detector didn't go off.
Paul got a ticket and we were 45 minutes late to the blessing.
Bless Krista and Cale's sweet hearts,
they waited for us!
So we didn't miss out.
Unfortunately we could only stay long enough for the blessing
and took dessert with us on the run...
as we drove to park city
that same night for a company dinner with Northstar.
It was a long day with A TON of driving.
But ALL worth it...even the ticket.
Cause we love our family and always
want to be apart of special events like this one!
Thanks again for waiting for us guys!

The Giddings clan...
minus Joshie, Cassie, and Violet :(

***DISCLAIMER***
Please excuse my frumpiness in this picture...
and in case you are wondering...
I am NOT pregnant...
just a terrible outfit choice!

Miss Violet's Baby Blessing

What a wonderful day!
So glad we were able to make it to V's special day.
Joshie did an amazing job on her blessing
and we could not have been more proud to be apart of such a special event
in our niece's life.
It was also a great Giddings' occasion to have the entire family together...
it had been awhile.

Beautiful Miss V. herself

Crazy Grandma and Violet just before the blessing.

The entire Giddings family...
minus Krista, Cale, and Kids...
We missed you guys!

Giddings Children and Grandchildren,
again minus Krista, Cale and kids :(

The boys with their girls!
Could these two be any more alike or have similar lives?

Our little family.

Little Miss Brooklynn staying entertained
at Uncle Joshie's and Aunt Cassie's.

Hanging out with the Giddings

The night before Violet's blessing we were able to spend some time
together at Josh and Cassie's house.
Little Anna was being absolutely adorable with Brooklynn...
sharing, giving hugs, and just being outgoing...
which I loved to see.
I have been saying I knew she loved me
and now she will say hi to me, call me by my name,
and give me hugs and kisses.
I love it!

Aunt Lauren was kind enough to share some of her frozen yogurt with B
(while Paul wasn't looking of course).

Anna even shared her "goody" with Brooklynn.
This was a big deal.
Thank you Anna...you are too sweet!

Anna also shared her mommy so that Brooklynn could have
some time and snuggles from her Gran.

B meets V

We went down to Cali for Violet's baby blessing.
And believe it or not,
it was the first time Brooklynn met her cousin Violet.
She was enamored from the start.
She was so curious and wanted to see the "baby".
Of course I had to remind her to be gentle
(as if she knows what that means).
And Uncle Joshie (who loves to trick Brookynn into thinking that he is her daddy)
was very concerned about two things:
B falling off the couch
and
B falling on top of V.
Needless to say he sat right beside B and supervised her curiosity of V the entire time.
So sweet Joshie.

It was great to see Brooklynn respond to and interact with a baby.
Hopefully she will one day be a great big sister.
And Miss V...
you were such a trooper to let B get in your space.
We love you precious!

Finally some sunshine

We went down to California mid-April for a quick trip...
and I mean less than 48 hours.
Brooklynn did great during the drive
and we really enjoyed the sunny weather.
Unfortunately it wasn't as warm as I had hoped for
but I still enjoyed the sun.
We were grateful to see so many family members even in the short time we were there.

Brooklynn loves to rock herself on rocking chairs!

Brooklynn's first time on a real swing.
I promise I'm not a bad mom denying B the chance to go to the park...
it's just been a really cold winter and our closest park doesn't have swings.
I know...what is a park without swings...lame!

Brooklynn loved walking around my parent's backyad.
She especially loved walking back and forth over the bridge.

Oh B...she loves doggies and kittens
BUT
I am sticking to my guns...
NO PETS!

In all her glory...

Even though Brooklynn does not say a lot of words, she can understand so many! It is so rewarding when your child demonstrates understanding of what you have taught them. I love this video. Like I said, she is a little puppy dog with many "tricks". She is getting so big and everyday learning something new!

two things...

Things have yet to slow down in our house...
I have so many posts to catch up on BUT
those won't come for awhile.
HOWEVER,
I just wanted to quickly mention two things.

1. Brooklynn has a new trick
(yes "trick"; these days I have decided my daughter is much like a puppy dog: drooling, always begging for food, eating whatever you give her, and performing tricks we teach her...it's the truth, and I love it!), and it is arguably the cutest thing she has done thus far... her gesture of "I don't know."

If you ask her where her blanket is and she does not see it
(well anything for that matter),
the above picture is how she responds.
I think tomorrow I will try to make a video of it because it is so darn cute!

.................

2. I am absolutely thrilled that the judges saved
my MATT tonight on American Idol.
I have no idea how he ended up in that position.
I tried FOREVER to vote for him,
but could never get through! Ugh...I was soooo annoyed,
but thought it was a good sign...I was wrong.
Nonetheless, so happy the judges saved him.
It was the right choice.
Now please vote for Matt.

Who has AT&T and can text in the votes?
Please text an extra vote for me!
Thanks.

I'm off to bed! Good night.
Baby....I miss you! Come home soon please!

calm before the storm

This was our last weekend to enjoy any kind of relaxation for a few weeks. So it was nice to have it be conference weekend. Tomorrow marks the beginning of our crazy busy time. Let me just warn you that my stress level is at complete capacity so if I seem distant, snippy or rude, I apologize in advance. I am just beyond overwhelmed at this point. I have tried my best to prepare for this time in advance by getting ahead in my school work and packing, but there is only so much I could do in advance. Not to mention, we just had another thing added to our to-do list over the next 2.5 weeks- Brooklynn is having surgery to put tubes in her ears! Saturday she went in for another ear check (the 3rd one last week alone) and we discovered her ears still had not cleared so they gave her a third and final shot in her leg. We have to go back on Monday to check again, set up an appointment with an ENT, and put her on an oral antibiotic (just to make sure her infections do not come back again before we can get the tubes put in). This poor girl. She has had quite the winter, but we are hopeful the summer will be full of good, strong health!

This week I have my last paper due, classes (only 4 days of classes left!), stat homework, a quick trip to cali for Violet's blessing, the Northstar olympics (which means we are having our house full of out of town guests), Dr.'s appointments, a garage sale, a trip to Logan for Easter, and the packing will really begin. Thank Goodness my mom, brother and sister are coming back with us from California to help keep me sane. Paperwork with the house has been stressing me out as well and I am hoping we actually close and can move our stuff in before Paul needs to leave for Texas. Phew... Paul keeps reminding me to take a deep breath!

On a happier note, we were able to go to Ogden yesterday to celebrate with our friends their daughter, Reese's, 1st birthday. I am so glad we were able to make it. We really enjoyed ourselves and that little Reese is absolutely adorable! She was too cute with her cake! We are grateful Lauren and Barrett were so patient with Brooklynn's eagerness to see all of Reese's gifts. Thank you for a great party! We truly wish we could see your family more often! Paul just lights up when he is around Barrett, I love it!

Paul and Brooklynn (a little over 2 months old)
Barrett and Reese (newborn)

One year later...my how the girls have grown! Went by too fast!

Reese and Brooklynn chasing each other pretty much.

Brooklynn wanting whatever Reese had.

Brooklynn chasing Reese again, or rather trying to get Reese's toy.

The girls looking out the window...too cute.

Daddy and daugher...I love Paul's eyes!

Waiting to leave for Reese's party...she was excited!

Exhausted on Thursday after a rough night with the ears and then a shot at the Dr.'s

Yes, in a winter coat again because the weather last week was freezing...AGAIN!