Diamonds in the Rough

Friday, April 3, 2009

Girls and Dresses

My girls just love dresses, so they especially love Sunday because they get to where their pretty dresses. And one criteria for them is that the dresses "flood out" or in other words twirl. Its typical to put on the dress and then spin around to make sure it has the right look. Thus, this can also lead to a lot of drama in the morning if the dress does not meet their satisfaction. It's a lot of work getting 3 girls and a mom ready for church. Thank goodness for 11:00 church and thank goodnes for Dave. Though most Sundays we are not picture perfect, this particular day with Easter dresses deserved a photo. Kami is wearing a dress that my mom made for me and Amy when we were little.

Lydia First Birthday

Wow does time fly! I can't believe it has already been a year since she was born. Lydia has quite the personality. She loves to be in the center of the action and clap her hands while saying Yeaaaaa! She has to compete to be heard, so if she tries to say anything then it comes out loud. She monkey scoots along the floor and loves to chase a rolling mouse that she got from Nana on her birthday. She also loves anything that she can poke her finger at and gets so excited just to hold a spoon or fork.
Lydia and Mark(turning 2) shared their birthday party together at the park in Mesa. She had an itty-bitty birthday with an itty-bitty cake. I made 2 small cakes for Lydia and Mark. Mark devoured his cake (typical boy) and Lydia took an itty-bitty taste(typical). It ended up being a very windy day, but the kids still had fun. Mark

Butcher Jones Beach

This was another highlight of Sprink Break. Playing in the water is one of my kids favorite activities. We kayaked and hiked to the dock and just had fun. Baylee and Lacey discovered they could kayak by themselves in the little stream. They were sure proud of themselves. It's always so pretty to see the lake and the desert mountains as the sun is going down.

Spring Break

Spring Break we spent in the valley enjoying the warmer weather of Spring and being with extended family. We were so glad when Dave joined us because he is so helpful with the kids and fun.

Dave did an early morning breakfast with Papa and the grandkids. They made breakfast burritos on the grill outside. Then piled kids and toys in the back of the truck and headed out.

Family Pile-up

So, for FHE at Nana's house, in an attempt to get everyone to laugh, we did the belly giggle activity where you all lay on each others stomach (oldest to youngest). It made for a good photo and some good laughs.

My Hard Worker

Baylee decided that she wanted a horse but there was too many weeds in the pasture. So to work she went, and the best part is she discovered a lucky horse shoe.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Green Day!

It seems like I never remember to take pictures on St. Patricks day. So I finally remembered and got the girls to hold still long enough for one shot. Kambria's picking her nose and Lydia is wearing a green fountain of ribbon, with a smirk, and I really did do Baylee's hair, ya can't tell...

Our Adventure

Our adventure together started when a city boy met a country girl at heart (even though she grew up in the city). We are so glad that our paths crossed and that our destination was the same. Now after almost 8 years of marriage we continue to enjoy the adventure of our lives together. While I try to keep up the pace along the path, he makes sure I don't miss any of the scenery along the way. We want to appreciate each stage of our family journey together, by treasuring the moments that matter. With so much to be grateful for through ups and downs we like to carry on the phrase "never has life been better than this".

Describing Myself

So, I have always thought it challenging to describe myself. Maybe it’s a second child syndrome or maybe its because I am a melting pot of quircky traits. Luckily I am not alone in that, its genetic, haha!

So, here is my attempt at describing myself.
An Arizona native, though I was actually born in CA. I love Arizona and its diversity. The desert can be so beautiful. I come from a family of 4 kids. I am #2. I loved taking care of my sister Chelsey, who was 8 yrs younger than me and growing up I always loved babysitting, because I could just play with the kids. I have a lot of self-motivation and a challenge never stops me from trying. This trait was acquired at a young age when I wouldn’t let being the smallest and shortest be a disadvantage. I have always loved horses, since I can remember. It’s in my Randall blood, though I have never actually owned one. I love the outdoors and sometimes its hard to be doing the mundane house jobs when I would rather be outside. I really enjoy figuring out solutions to problems. I like gadgets (a trait from my father). Thus, when my Sunday School teacher hired me as his secretary, when I was a Junior in Highschool, I was in my element and thoroughly enjoyed getting his company out of the old and in to the new computer world. This job supported me through college. I truly love learning. School wasn’t easy, but I enjoyed what I learned and was able to go to BYU. In college I had a hard time deciding on a major because their was so many subjects I wanted to learn about. I took classes in Engineering, science, business, dance, recreation, and music. - so, I probably could be labeled as knowing a little bit about a lot of things. An experience I’ll never forget was living in Jerusalem and Egypt for 4 months doing a BYU study abroad. It gave me a bigger perspective. I am more of a listener than a talker. I love hearing about peoples experiences and I am good at keeping confindences. I remember as a youth sitting amongst my adult relatives, just listening to them talk. I am so grateful for a close extended family that loves to share ideas. I am a detail person and a planner, I am working on being more spontaneous. I am learning to appreciate the different stages in my life, and now that I am 32 I really wish time would slow down. I am so grateful to be married to Dave, a super wonderful husband and father. Above all, I love being a wife and a mom to 3 beautiful daughters, it gives purpose and meaning to my busy days. I enjoy music in my home - playing the piano, singing songs, and dancing with my kids. I especially love to dance with Dave, even though we don’t get to very often. I love doing projects with my kids and reading to them. I enjoy cooking healthy nummy foods and I have way too many cook books. Cleaning the bathrooms is my least favorite house chore and sweeping the floors (since they need it so often) is therapeutic. I will sweep and sweep with a million thoughts going through my head. I have always loved giving hugs (the big bear hugs), when I was young it was my pets, now it is my kids. So big hugs have become a tradition in our family. I love it when I can use my talents to serve others. I love the Gospel. I love that the Lord makes up the difference for our imperfections. I am so grateful to have a forever family.