Christmas in Arizona, Part III

It's time for some Christmas Eve action. The highlight of the evening was the acting out of the nativity. Kamryn and I were shepherds, the kids were Joseph and Mary, and Jason.....well, you can see for yourself! :-) (He did however, get to regain his dignity and come back as a wiseman)

The guy sitting in the chair is my older brother, Jeremy. He is wearing my Dad's sweater and reading out of my Dad's scriptures. This is our way of keeping his memory alive during Christmas. He always made sure that his children understood the true meaning of Christmas. We miss you Dad.....

Christmas in Arizona, Part II

Okay, so I thought I would get this trip from Arizona posted a lot quicker on the blog than I have...sorry to keep everyone in suspense (cause admit it, you know you were.) :-) Anyway, the next day on our trip was Sunday so, of course, we spent the morning at church. My brother's ward begins at 8am....and we got there on time! It was an amazing accomplishment. Sunday evening, we got everyone bundled up again and headed out to see the Mesa Temple Christmas Lights. They were pretty awesome and we had a great time spending time together checking out the lights and listening to the choir they had performing. However, we weren't expecting the HUGE crowd there and we got caught in the worst spot trying to get back to the parking lot. It felt worse than Disneyland. Needless to say, we were exhausted when we got home and we all went right to bed....well, most of us did.

Kamryn loves being on her Daddy's shoulders. How awesome is her smile!

We love this family! We miss you guys!

Well, I'm not sure how accurate this is, but...

Christmas in Arizona, Part I cont....

After dinner at Pinnacle Peak, we went to a Train Park. We learned quickly that this was an extremely popular park, especially on a Saturday night during the holidays, because the line to go on the big train was 2 hours long. It was freezing outside too, so we decided to opt for sanity and not wait for the train. However, there was a smaller train and the line was a lot smaller too so we did wait the half hour or so for that one. I know my niece and nephew had a great time on the train, and I probably would have too...except that my face was frozen and Kamryn kept trying to get up from her seat because she was not enjoying the train at all.
But she enjoyed everything else about the park. She loved the lights and random characters they had walking around. And she loved spending time with her cousins and Aunt and Uncle. And so did we.....it was a wonderful Saturday night!

Christmas in Arizona, Part I

This year, Jason, Kamryn and I spent Christmas in Arizona at my brothers house. We had such a WONDERFUL time and that has mostly to do with the fact that my brother, Jeremy, really knows how to make Christmas special. Also, he and his wife, Mary are great hosts and reallly made us feel at home. Thanks guys!

Well, we arrived in Arizona Friday afternoon. That evening, Jason and my brother, Jeremy, along with a couple of his buddies went to see "I Am Legend." I had no desire to see that movie so I was glad Jason would be able to see it and didn't need me to come with him. When they came home and described the movie to us, I was even doubly grateful that I didn't have to go. I spent the evening with my sister-in-law, Mary and we watched "Serendipity." Now, that's a good movie. :-)

The following day was Saturday and we spent most of the day either doing last minute shopping or just hanging out at the house. But that evening, Jeremy and Mary planned a special trip. We all climbed into their minivan and they drove us out to Scottsdale. This is about a 40 minute trip, if not longer but it was worth it. We went to dinner at a place called Pinnacle Peak. Now, they actually have one in San Dimas but the one we went to was so much better. The inside and outside of the restaurant really had that cowboy feel. This one even had a gift shop and a display of rattlesnakes. Anyway, after dinner there was some live music and dancing which was fun. I got some cute pictures of Jason and Kamryn dancing. There is also one of my sister-in-law, Mary and my nephew Ethan dancing along. We really had a great time.

It finally happened!

I HAVE BEEN TAGGED....

I've seen this going around different blogs wondering if I would ever be the "victim" of this tagging hysteria...and bam, it happens. And as much as I think I hate all of this stuff, I really do enjoy answering the questions. Especially when it comes to the love of my life. Thanks Whitney!

1. What is his name? Jason Lewis Riley
2. How long have you been married? It will be 4 years in May (so we are at 3 1/2 years)
3. How long did you date? We dated for about 6 months and were engaged for a little less than 5 months. If it was up to Jason, it would have been shorter. I, however, had issues. Long story.
4. Who eats more? Sadly, that would probably be me. I can keep up, eating wise, with Jason pretty well, but for a guy, he isn't that heavy of an eater so maybe its not saying much.
5. Who said 'I love you' first? Jason. I remember when I first heard him say it I flushed
6. Who sings better? I feel weird answering this question, but when I told Jason about it he said "no contest" meaning that I am the better singer. But Jason has a really nice bass voice.
7. Who is taller? We are pretty close on that one, but Jason is officially at least 1 inch taller than me.
8. Whose temper is worse? Oh, that would be mine for sure.
9. Who does the laundry? We fight over who has to do it, but we are pretty good to take turns. Who would want to do laundry when you had to go outside and go down two flights of stairs...
10. Who does the dishes? That would be me. Every once in awhile, Jason does surprise me and does them for me. I just LOVE him on those nights.
11. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? (Looking at it) Me. Don't know why, its just the way it has been.
12. Who does the cooking? Mostly me. But whenever we want breakfast for dinner, or a good bbq, then it is all Jason.
13. Who is more stubborn? Not proud of it, but it would be me.
14. Who proposed? Jason. On top of the Eiffel Tower building in Vegas. Gorgeous view and such an awesome night!
15. Who is more likely to admit when they are wrong? We are actually both pretty good at being able to admit to being wrong.
16. Whose parents do you see the most? It used to be Jason's. We would head over there every Sunday night for dinner. But now, since they moved to Utah, it will be pretty equal since both our parents are in Utah.
17. Who pays the bills? I DO!! When I was pregnant and sick with Kamryn, Jason took over paying the bills and yes, he would pay them on time...but our checkbook was pure chaos when I took over again. Never again. (But I love you honey!)
18. Who wears the pants in the family? We both love wearing pants. Its pretty equal, but every once in awhile things lean my way..
19. Why do you love your husband? Because he's hot! What other reason could there be. Well, I actually have lots of reasons. He makes me feel beautiful, he loves scratching my back, he gives me the best kisses, he enjoys seeing shows on stage, like "Wicked" and "Les Miserables", he takes good care of me when I'm sick, he is a wonderful Daddy to Kamryn and he is a worthy priesthood holder who loves the Saviour. I love you babe!!! :-)

I am tagging: My wonderful sister-in-law, Janelle Fruge and Ashley Cahoon

An almost perfect evening!

On Monday night, our little family met up with a bunch of good friends from our ward to go see the Christmas Lights on a street in Alta Loma that gets ALL decked out. There were seven families in total and we met at the church building first to enjoy some cookies, hot cocoa and good conversation. The one glitch came when we were just about ready to leave to go see the lights....Kamryn took a bad spill off a speed bump she was walking over and whacked the back of her head on the ground of the parking lot. Luckily, she was wearing a beanie and I think that helped because the way she fell, it should have been worse than it was. I think she had a tiny bump, but there was no bleeding luckily. She cried for awhile and it took us time to calm her down. But, we finally did and we were all able to enjoy the rest of the evening.

Here is the speed bump she took a spill on....






Kamryn was really into looking at all the cool lights. Here she is all bundled up...







!















On the way home, we let Kamryn have a chocolate chip cookie...I think she really enjoyed it. :-)

O Christmas Tree

Here's our Christmas Tree in two different lightings. As you can see, it is sparsely decorated and most ornaments are towards the top. That would be due to our 16 month toddler....but we love this tree. Jason did a good job picking it out. Merry Christmas everyone!!!

This quiz needs some tweaking....

I think this quiz needs a little work. :-) well....except for that freak out part.

Christmas Tree Picking

Kamryn had a blast running around the Christmas Tree lot. We got our tree the first weekend in December and we have been enjoying its wonderful fresh pine scent. I could never do a fake tree.....

Blog Withdrawals

61%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

This is kind of funny, had I taken this about two to three months ago I'm sure it would've been higher. Click on the picture to see how addicted you are.

The Wedding Ring Miracle!!!

Yesterday on the way to church, I realized that my wedding ring was not on my hand. I didn't panic right away, since I figured maybe I had taken it off when I put on lotion earlier that morning (even though, I didn't remember doing that). So, I made it through church and when I got home, I went right to my bathroom sink, figuring it would be sitting there. Well, it wasn't and it wasn't anywhere around me. So, THEN I went into panic mode. Jason and I both said prayers and really started looking.
Jason and I went on a hunt, overturning every cushion, looking under every piece of furniture bathroom/kitchen fixtures. We even tried to look down drains and dig through trash. I figured that what had happened was that it had slipped off my finger somewhere in the house, since I could have sworn I had it on the night before at our Ward Christmas Party. (My fingers shrink in the cold and my ring always feels loose, so it had slipped off somewhere from the apartment to the car, was my best guess) Jason searched both cars, I looked all around the bed....NOTHING. To top it all off, I was feeling guilty because Jason was needing to study for finals but he knew how upset I was so he kept searching. I finally went to bed at 12:30am and I don't even know when Jason went to bed.
The next morning, Jason woke me up and was acting really strange, like he was nervous or excited or something. He started to tell me how much he loved me and what a great wife and mother I was. Then he said, "If I were to find your ring, would you marry me again?" I just looked at him, said "yes" of course and then he smiled and pulled out the ring. I felt like we were getting engaged all over again and I started crying. I was sooo excited that he had found the ring. He said he had left for work and was walking to the car when he looked down and BAM, next to the tire of our neighbors car was the ring. He just looked down and there it was. Talk about an answer to our prayers. I had been getting frustrated the night before that after we prayed we couldn't find it right away, but Jason so sweetly reminded me that it was in the Lord's time. He was right, of course. I will never let that ring out of my sight again...so I think downsizing may be the next step. I still can't believe it just slipped right off my finger.

She always finds a way....

Kamryn is always wanting to get up to our computer desk and see what she can get her hands on and the other day she found a way to do it. I had decorated the apartment for Christmas and we had a bunch of boxes still lying around. Well, she found the perfect one, pushed it over to the desk and then climbed on top of it. I couldn't help but be impressed.

Freakish Elves!

Thought we'd join in the fun!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9627748891

Turtle Power

Mike's mother-in-law raises tortoises in her back yard, they're huge!! They haven't even grown fully yet and they can live to over 100 years old. Pretty cool.

What I'm thankful for.....

A lot of my friends have made lists of things they are thankful for this month. So, before the month of November is over, I wanted to get in the things I am most thankful for (besides Disneyland during the holidays...which I mentioned earlier). This is in no particular order.

1. My supportive and hard-working husband. Jason has been working full time and goes to class each night so he can finish school quicker. I am so impressed with how well he has done and I am grateful for the sacrifices he has made in order to provide for our family.

2. My spunky red-headed daughter. Kamryn amazes me each day with the things she learns. She really keeps me on my toes and she keeps me laughing! She is a character and I can't wait to see what she will do next.

3. My family and Jason's family. I have been blessed with two wonderful families in my life. I am lucky to be surrounded by family who love us unconditionally and who we can share memories with.

4. Thanksgiving Dinner. Since we just partook in this fabulous meal just a few days ago, I have to express my thanks for it. We spent our Thanksgiving in Arizona this year with Jason's brother and his wife, Teresa made a FABULOUS meal of Turkey, stuffing (with sausage..yummy), green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with the marshmallows on top, jello, rolls and for dessert, pumpkin and apple pie...and a cheesecake!!! Phew.... This was her first time taking on the task without her Mom to help and let me tell you, she is a pro! THANKS SOO MUCH TERESA!!!

4. Urgent Care. This may seem odd, but while in Arizona for Thanksgiving, Kamryn came down with the croup. I'm grateful for a place where we can get in without having to make an appt. and that no matter where we travel, we can get our little girl medical attention. We found out she also had a double ear infection. Poor girl. She is a trooper though. (I'm also grateful for medicine that makes her feel better).

5. Candles. I'm sitting her at the computer, listening to Christmas music and sitting in the dark with only candles lighting the room. I love how peaceful they make me feel and they smell so good.

6. Joseph Smith. I've been reading the series "The Work and the Glory" for the second time and I have grown to truly love and appreciate our first prophet. I truly do know that he was a prophet of God and I am grateful to him and for the many sacrifices both he and his family all made for the gospel. I'm grateful for all the early leaders of the church. They truly paved the way for the restoration of this gospel and I am forever in their debt.

7. Jesus Christ. Need I say more? The ultimate example, the perfect man, my big brother. I will forever be striving to live like he lived. His life is the reason why I have such a wonderful life.

8. It's a Wonderful Life. That last statement made me think of this movie, which I am grateful for. I'm grateful for all movies that move me and inspire me. This is just one of the many.

9. Upland 1st Ward. I'm grateful for a ward that is full of friendly people. I have made so many friends living in this ward...I never want to move. I love loving going to church and I look forward to each Sunday.

10. And finally....DVR. Okay, so its a silly way to end this, but I am way grateful for my DVR. To be able to pause, rewind, fast forward and record TV so easy, I never miss a show. However, there is a downside for I find myself recording too many things....I'm working on it. :-)

Thanks Karissa!!!

So, a couple weekends ago, my friend Karissa called me up to see if I wanted to go to Disneyland for the day. Who could say 'no' to a free day at the happiest place on earth. So, Kamryn and I drove down with Karissa and her two boys and had a great time. Disneyland was all decorated for the holidays so it made the trip especially fun. We all had a great time!
Kamryn didn't love Santa too much...but she got a free candy cane out of it, so she was a happy camper.
Click on the picture to get a better look of the castle. It looks awesome this year!!!
That is fake snow on our heads. In the picture below, you can see the snow falling. If there is one thing I am thankful for this month, its Disneyland during the holidays. It really is magical!

Doesn't make a lick of difference!

So, I just have to put something out there. It doesn't matter what time you put your child to bed...they will wake up at the same time no matter what. I thought I understood this, but last night, Kamryn had a later night than usual and didn't go to bed until after 10pm. So I thought for sure this time she would sleep in this morning. I mean, she went to bed almost 2 1/2 hours after her normal bedtime. Well, I was sorely mistaken. She was still up at 6:45am, ready and raring to go. Of course, I didn't actually get up and get her until almost 7:30am. She just talks to herself and chills until I come get her. Anyway, I just hope she makes it up in naps cause I have no problem taking those naps with her on some days. Well, that's all I have to say. It's 8 in the morning and I am still trying to wake up.

Sorry, no pictures today....just my thoughts.

Kamryn's Animal Sounds!!!

Well, this took me entirely too long. I realized that windows movie maker did not allow me to convert video to wide screen, and since my camera films in wide screen, most of the videos I've been posting don't look quite right. So I used the ridiculously "not user friendly" software that came with the camera and this is how it turned out. Unfortunately I had to sacrifice quality for wide screen, or I could have done an AVI file and it would have taken about 45 minutes to upload, no thanks. Anyway here is Kamryn doing some animal sounds. Isn't she cute?

What happens in Vegas.....

Of course, I have nothing to hide about what happened in Vegas. :-) I went to celebrate my friend, Kim Eshenroder's, wedding. She was my roommate at Ricks and we have been close friends ever since. With the help of some good friends at home and my husband I was able to leave Kamryn at home so that I could attend all the wonderful events of the weekend. I stayed with my cousin in Henderson which was nice. All of my other friends had to pay to stay in a hotel, so that was really nice to have family around. Here are some pictures outside the Vegas Temple with my friends and of the happy couple.











How cute is this family. These are my friends, Darin and Jenn Warnick and their beautiful daughter, Ivy. She is three months old.

The happy couple...John and Kim Bowman

A little more Halloween

For the actual Halloween night, Kamryn and I went to my sisters home in Mission Viejo to go trick-or-treating with her kids. We had a great time and we loved spending the day and evening with them. Kamryn loves her cousin David. David is so cute when he plays with her and whenever she said an actual word he would get so excited and run and tell us what she said.











Kamryn loved sucking on the wrapper of this starburst. I had no problem with it since it couldn't rot her teeth. The only candy she actually ate this Halloween was one Sweet Tart that her Daddy gave her.





















The two Jedi Masters.....Anakin Skywalker (on the left) and Obi Wan Kenobi (on the right)

Happy Halloween!

Well, this year Halloween was especially fun AND especially challenging. Kamryn was old enough to enjoy trick-or-treating and she loved holding her candy in her hands, however she was also old enough to understand that she was being put in a costume she didn't like wearing and she made it clear. These pictures were taken at our ward Trunk-or-Treat. Jason and I were Dwight and Angela ("The Office") for Halloween. I forgot my gray sweater and my wig wasn't that great, but you get the idea. I also shouldn't have smiled so much...so not Angela like. Jason looked great though! And same with our little red-headed Tinkerbell.











(Picture courtesy of Heather Livingston!)





















I love this picture of Kamryn. She almost looks elfish in it. :-) Click on the picture so you can see it up close. And you'll notice the candy in her hand that she would not let go of all night.

Making Music!

Here's a video of Kamryn actually having fun at the Children's Museum. I tried to get it on the other post, but I am computer challenged. Enjoy~

A mini vacation

Jason had a work retreat last year in La Quinta (near Palm Springs) and because of some errors made by the hotel, Jason was given a free two-night stay with two free breakfasts. So, our little family headed out to the desert and stayed in this beautiful resort. While we were there we found this cute little children's museum and took Kamryn there. She had a great time....except for this little contraption. She didn't like it so much.




Overall, we had a great vacation and we loved the three days we got to spend together. With Jason working full time and going to school each night, we don't get to see much of him. So this was a wonderful time together.

Riley's Farm

Well we had a chance to go with some friends to Riley's farm and get pumpkins, press cider, and basically just take in the environment. The place was packed, in all my many visits to Riley's Farm I have never seen so many cars and people everywhere, so good for them. We were able to take some friends up there and I think everyone had a good time. Once everyone had left we went and saw Aunt Bea and Scott, and they seem to be doing well holding down the farm and everything. Overall it was a really fun trip and I did get the "Riley" treatment, thanks to Dad. As you can see I have re-written this because when I changed the video player somehow I must have erased about half of everything I had written. Oops!

Thanks Grandma Riley!

You've gotta love Kamryn in this adorable outfit, made special by her Grandma.

Another Disneyland Trip....

Doesn't my girl look so happy to be at Disneyland? We are on the "Finding Nemo" ride and I think she wasn't too happy about the cramped space.











































Check out my friend Jessica here on the teacups. Her two little girls are with her and they had a blast. I passed on this ride....for Kamryn's sake, of course.