Tuesday, January 31, 2012

What up?



Here's some pics that are old but just haven't gotten around to posting. 
Matt was really nice and got a super fun hotel for us a couple of days before Christmas. We saw the movie Breaking Dawn, went to Olive Garden for dinner then relaxed in this hot tub. Tons o fun!

When I walked in our room and saw the stairs I sprinted up to find this beauty. 

A view overlooking from the hot tub room. Super comfy bed.

Every year we get ornaments for the kids to open on Christmas Eve. I reminded Matt to get ornaments in Africa but he forgot. I want the kids to have ornaments from the places he's been. Since he forgot, I cut the tan fabric from a head wrap he bought and surrounded it with felt. The first letters of their names were hand stitched in order to personalize.

We let the kids make requests for gifts from Africa. Spencer requested drums and this is what Matt found.That dark brown chair in the background is a hand carved chair for Cooper.

Knives and spears are a must. Sorry about Ethan's toplessness. He thinks he's Chuck Norris.

Very bad picture of a quilt I made for Matt. The background is blue Minkee with appliqued prayer flags like what you would find in an Everest base camp in Nepal. The design has the flags strung across. They have stitched in them sayings like "I love you." "I love you more." "I love you the most." and something I say to him when he travels is "I love you to...Abu Dhabi or Virginia or Africa." The different locations we have been together and that he has been are stitched into the flags.  

Olivia's Christmas dress.

Cooper's new hat and blue Vans

Matt got this beautiful gazelle in Africa. It's made out of ebony wood and when we opened the box that he packaged it in and sent with himself on the plane we found it in pieces. This is what it looked like after some heavy duty epoxy.

Our trip to Billings

Difficult to see because it was 10:30 at night but I used my van to send a deer to heaven. I was driving back to my parents' house from my brother's house in beautiful Montana late one night. I had Kaylee, Cooper and Olivia with me. Jared says right before I leave, "Be careful because there are a lot of deer out." Noted. I wasn't on the highway for long before I was slowing down for deer. Just as I got speed back up, I was scanning and as I asked myself "Is that a deer?" I was hitting one and sending it flying through the air. It totaled the van. Here was my conversation with Olivia: "It that deer dead?" Yes, most likely. "Go check." No, that's not safe. "Will you at least take a picture so I can see?" No, Olivia. It's not moving. So I'm pretty sure it's dead. Cooper entered the convo at this point. "Olivia stop talking about the dead deer!" So now I am driving a 1999 Suburban that is pretty nice but smells like cat and sweaty man back. Yeah, gross. Bath and body works air freshener is helping but really I think I have to wait for summer to fix the stench.

Here's what I look like since losing 35 lbs

Kaylee took the following pics. Olivia and her favorite blankie. She is spinning with it as I type.

My very animated nephew Payton. Love this kid.

My tiny T. nephew Brady who just underwent surgery and was a brave trooper. Love this kid too. Don't know where pics of Abigail are but the girl is 8 and just got baptized. Wish we could have been there.

Cooper

I'm sorry for those of you who are suspecting you drank backwash at my house but we do label his jugs so no stress. He calls it "Milk Jugging" and is very proud of his abilities.

Matthew as Ron Burgandy

Kaylee and Olivia

Cooper and Olivia

Spencer

Ethan

Spencer and Ethan

Kaylee and Matthew

3 comments:

Sarah Smith said...

Great pics of everyone. Thanks for keeping your blog up to date. I didn't realize that you totaled the van on the way home from OUR HOUSE. I feel terrible. I am so sorry. I know that I have control of the crazy deer in the road, so I really could have stopped it from happening.
We missed you guys at the baptism. You look amazing sista. So proud of all your hard work. Keep it up!

amanda said...

I'm so glad you posted a picture of you. Janet was talking about Zumba and mentioned that you look amazing and had lost weight. Congrats on the wt loss. and glad you posted whats going on with you. I was at work and was looking at your blog and everyone asked where you moved too!! I laughed and said she is still here.

The LurkFam said...

Amanda, just for fun, you should think up some good rumors. I'm game. This could be exciting. And thank you for the congrats. If you ever felt the energy, you could join us at our crazy zumba classes. Mon, Wed, Fri morning at the Junior high in Rexburg at 9a. Tues, Thurs night 8:30 at the jr high and saturday 8a at the jr high. getcher freak on! I just realized today that I'm pretty ghetto too. I commented to Matt that my favorite dances are the hip hop ones. I am a product of the 80's though and did have a poster on my wall of breakdancing moves. No joke. That's just how I roll.