whAt a DaY cAN BriNg!

My sweet Annalee has been sick lately. I don't like it, but don't worry she still smiles when she can. So I got her into the Doctor, which was perfect cause we needed to do a 9month check-up anyway. So we found out that she is the average height/weight of a 15month old and she is only 9months. I love that big girl. So she has a really bad sinus infection that is causing her to be really congested. I was telling my doctor a few of my other concerns/ questions when I brought up Annalee's eye. Annalee's left eye droops sometimes, never was really bad, mainly when she was tired. Well we got some pictures done a few weeks ago and a few of them came back with that dang left eye droopy (btw, they are the cutest pics and will post some later when I get the CD back!). My doctor then changed her tone of voice, she stated that she had been watching it throughout the appointment and just thought it was because Annalee was sick, but now that I was telling her it was like that before she was concerned. She said she didn't want to scare me (uh wrong thing to say to a first time mom), but that she thought I needed to make an appointment with Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake and see an eye doctor there. Uh second way wrong thing to say to a first time mom. I didn't freak out or anything, just asked a few questions of her concern and what she thought it could be. She noted ptosis. We finished the appointment, I got in the car a a tear fell down the check...what the heck is ptosis and what is it going to do to my dauther's eye. I don't really know if a mother really ever stops praying in her heart, but I said a prayer outloud for my baby. I called Primary Children's Hospital and they said the next available appointment for non-emergency eye appointments was Jan 7th...uh third thing wrong to say to a worried first time mom. I got on the internet and googled about ptosis...what the heck it can cause you to loose your vision, Jan 7th is totally unacceptable. I called the local eye doctor and he got me in two hours later. Long story short, he does not see it being ptosis, but actually has concern over the right eye, he thinks the left eye is developing normal, but the right eye is a little behind. Sweet man didn't even charge me for a visit. He recommened keeping the appointment in January just in case. Seriously, what a day can bring. We have serious breathing treatments for annalee, sinus medicine, and of course my worrying over the eye(s). I feel so much better tonight, but told Kenny that I think we need to get vision insurance. Another long story short, but we have the best insurance in the world through the army, but no vision. We can get crappier health insurance through the police department, but it has vision insurance, maybe Heavenly Father is giving us time to get vision insurance, or maybe everything is okay, but I am grateful for his tender loving care over my precious daughter. What a day can bring.

Saved By the Bell and My Sister

On Saturday I was downstairs changing out some laundry and I heard the old, beloved Saved By the Bell song on TV. I couldn't believe it. I had no idea they replayed the episodes on Saturday mornings. I laughed even harder when I cam upstairs and found my husband sitting on the couch laughing at the TV. He told me how much he loved Saved By the Bell....it just so happened to be the episode when they all took the SAT and Zac scored the highest and Jesse freaked out. Yes, we watched the whole episode and loved remembering the good ole days of coming home from school and watching Saved by the Bell...oh I miss those days of good wholesome TV.

Today I felt like I was going to go crazy - I pass the State Hospital on my way to work and today I thought "Maybe I should just stop and check myself in!" JK I've been super busy with my new job (STRESS), Annalee teething and not wanting me to put her down, remodeling/finishing our whole downstairs, my calling taking a lot of time, and taking my CDA class. My house is seriously a wreck - I just run from one thing to another, and get this, someone called the cops on us because our cars aren't registered in Wyoming yet. WHAT! Kenny's Sargeant called him and told him of the complaint and that it looked really bad to have a police officer with unregistered cars..so tomorrow I somehow have to squeeze in getting three cars registered in Wyoming, working 8 hours, being a mom, and taking a 3 hour class. BUT, tonight my sister Whitney came to drop off some stuff and she helped me with a Walmart run for work, unloaded my dishwasher, and gave Annalee a bath. It really Saved my Bell.

Change

I don't think my life has every changed as much as it has in the past two years. Yesterday was my last day at my job at Northwest Middle School - it was very sad but the best choice at this time. Tears were shed, hugs and gifts given, and I closed my office door for the last time. What a learning experience that job has been.

I'm officially a Wyoming cowgirl now. I miss home (Arizona). I miss my mom.

I got called to be the Young Woman's Secretary. Crazy, after only one Sunday in my new ward. The ladies I serve with are amazing and one of them and I actually "met" each other this past summer as she was looking for a teaching job and I happened to call her for an interview...how in the world did we both end up in Evanston Wyoming, same ward, serving together in the YW's presidency. Last night after our meeting we chatted for a bit and I can tell that we will be great friends. I love our new ward already and am so excited to serve in the YW's.

So here are some pics of Annalee...so funny. This is us walking to and from General Conference. She is hilarious....just check it out....

NICE WALK WITH MOMMY

"I KNOW I'M CUTE"

GETTING ROCKED TO SLEEP

DEAD ASLEEP! (I DIDN'T PULL IT OVER HER EYES, IT JUST HAPPENED! hahaha)

Little Updates

There is so much I could write about...life seems to be moving at such a fast pace. So I will just do a few quick updates. Warning, this may be long and boring, with little pictures. You have my permission to skip this post.

We are moving into our house on September 28th. This has been a huge blessing. The house is big, almost 3,000 square feet. There are six rooms and three bathrooms. However, there is some work to be done in the basement, we had to take out four feet of drywall all over the basement and take up the carpet. We plan to do all that work ourselves and when we have money. We will be completely re-doing the bathroom downstairs as well. The upstairs is completely perfect, minus some of the color choices of the walls. Annalee's room is bigger than the master bedroom, so I am excited because all of her furniture, including her rocker will fit in there. The house has already appraised for 22,000 more than we are buying it for and that is without the basement work we are going to do. Seriously it was a blessing and we are so excited. I feel like I have been unsettled since April, well really I have been. I can't wait to get all my stuff out of storage, especially since it is fall and I have great fall decorations. I'm hoping with all the extra room my family will come and visit a lot, or I will adopt lots of African children to live there.

That brings me to another subject. Friday at school we had the Matsiko choir from Uganda perform. It took me back to my days in Africa. I miss it. I miss the children. We are really so blessed. The performance was so inspiring and made me want to conquer the world, or at least help in anyway that I can...not just in Africa, but everywhere. It was one of those enlightening moments. Love it.

Annalee is getting so big. I can't get enough of her. She is so wonderful. She has a little tooth poking it's way through, so we've got lots of slober. She laughs all the time. She laughs and laughs. Everyone stops to tell me how beautiful and perfect she is, she is a crowd favorite for sure. The other night she took pictures with some of her cousins that were born last year and they were crying or pulling off their hats in every picture, not Annalee. She posed in every single picture. I have to get the copies because she was perfect and the thing went on for like an hour. I'm glad she can look good in pics cause her mom sure cant. This is a picture of her just being her funny self...my camera is in storage so I don't have any updated pics but Whit took these awhile ago.

I love to squeeze her every single day. I tell her I have to give her a million kisses a day. Some days I probably hit that mark :)

We've got to play with Whit a few times. She came up last weekend to help watch Annalee while we did a few things at our new house and to watch Annalee while I spoke in church. Thanks Whit...you're just great!

Saturday was my last day of going to the laundry mat, one more bonus about buying a house. It really is such a pain to load everything up, spend at least $20 and 3 hours sitting at a laundry mat. Annalee and I have made it pretty fun though, she always comes to help me and Kenny has even come many times to help. There is something to say about having family time, working together...no tv, no interruptions, sometimes just sitting there waiting for the clothes to dry. Don't get me wrong, I won't miss it that much, but will just have to find other ways to have absolutely nothing going on for three hours!

Kenny goes to the police academy in January. So that means my first winter in Wyoming he will be gone for three months of it. I am already starting to dread it, but just want it to be over with. Annalee and I will have a lot of time together in our big house. There is a wood burning stove in our house and Kenny was worried about that, HELLO doesn't he know I grew up in Eagar and I made a fire every morning. I am really excited for the fire place...not excited for Kenny to be six hours away in an academy.

My sister Michelle had her baby boy, Jett. She is in Alaska so I haven't go to see her and the new baby. I'm sad about that, but glad they are doing good. Jeremy and Echelle are having another girl ---isn't that fun, Michelle all boys and Jeremy all girls. Then Shane and Jennifer are having a baby, we are all just waiting to see what they will have! Needless to say our family is growing, I feel so far from them but love em to death.

Every night as I lay in bed falling asleep I think about Christmas. Christmas decorations, Christmas presents, Christmas spirit, Christmas tree. I even listened to Christmas music yesterday and today in church the little girl in front of me was reading the words to all the Christmas hymns during the Sacrament, so I of course was singing along in my head. I can't wait...

This for That

Well it's true, you do things you never thought you would do when you have a family. Kenny has owned his mercedes since we started dating. It was always so fun to go on dates in such a nice car. Kenny really did love this car and took great care of it, but in an effort to lower bills and get a nice house, he sold this to my brother.

But don't worry, we replaced it with something even better in his opinion! We didn't need another car, after getting rid of the mercedes we still had three cards between the two of us. But while shopping for a camper we found this great deal for only $300. So say hello to the newest member of our family. We don't have a name for her yet, any ideas???

And for those of you wondering, YES we take this out on dates every so often. I have got to get a pictures of us in it, it is hilarious.

Enough said....she is perfect

Letting the Spitting and Chewing Begin

Annalee has found that she has extra saliva and has really enjoyed spitting it, making bubbles, and just letting it run down her chin. I keep telling her that proper girls don't do that, but she finds it very fascinating. And so yes, it means that ALL things are finding their way to her mouth. Even the "stinger" of her little bug. I sure hope she doesn't think she can put a real stinger in her mouth. Check out her manipulation of her lips so she can fit the foot in her mouth.

I'm sure in the next month or so we will post about a little tooth:)