Joshua turned 20 months on April 5th. I could hardly believe it. In just 4 months he will be 2. 2 years old!? Where the heck did that come from? He was just born like 6 months ago wasn't he? Everyone told us that we should enjoy every minute of him while he is this small because it goes so fast. I never could have understood how true that was without experiencing it. We love him so very much and he brings us so much joy... and a few headaches here and there. He is starting into his terrible twos early I think. I'm glad that Cody is willing to be tough with him. It can hard being the tough one all day so it's nice to let him take over when he gets home. Most of the time Joshua doesn't need us to be tough. He is usually a good little boy, but he has started to test our patience a little here and there. He has a large vocabulary and loves to use it. he is a huge fan of coloring, reading, bubbles, and playing with his friend Abby. He is growing so quickly, and the last set of pictures we took of him really made me realize how much he has grown in the last few months. We went out one afternoon and snapped a few of him. There really wasn't enough light left to get the best photos but I really loved the way some of them turned out. I think they are a good reflection of his little personality right now. Here are our favorites from the afternoon.

This past weekend we had nothing to do. Nothing. It was fantastic! It has been a while since we have had absolutely nothing to do. Friday night we drove down to Safford so we could go to the bank. They do not have a Bank of America here so that is the closest one. While we were there we had dinner and then my parents watched Josh so Cody and I could go on a date and see a movie. We went and saw Date Night. It was funny, really funny. Mostly because there were a lot of things we could relate to, but in a good way. We picked Joshua up, ran to Walmart and headed home. Saturday morning joshua and I slept in, and Cody got up around 7:00 to go down and do some quick work for a client. After he got home, we decided to get breakfast at a new restaurant in town. It was actually really good! We don't have a lot of dining options to choose from so it was nice to see something yummy and new open up. After breakfast we went for a drive and just spent some time together doing nothing. That afternoon we thought we would stop and get ice cream at a little parlor in town. We had heard it was really good, but hadn't tried it out yet. They were right. It was very yummy and there was a ton of it. The servings were huge and Joshua was in heaven. In the historic district they have a gun fight show every Saturday at 2:00. We were down there and decided to hang out for it. The actors were great and really seemed to enjoy it. They had a wide range of people in the cast. There was even a man who was in his 80's who played the Sheriff's deputy. He was a hoot! I was surprised by how much Joshua enjoyed it. I thought he wouldn't like it because of the loud shots but he was clapping and cheering right along with everyone else. We hadn't planned on going so we didn't have our camera, but we did get a couple with Cody's i-phone. After it was over one of the actors came over and gave Joshua a shell from one of the guns that they had used during the show. Joshua was very impressed. When they were taking pictures they asked if Joshua could be in one with them and we thought it would be fun. We couldn't get one with Joshua looking because he was too busy playing with the man's gun. We are planning on going down again sometime just to take some pictures. The rest of the day we just stayed home and relaxed. It was a nice change. Sunday was quite. We attended church, made dinner together, and then worked on different school and art projects. It was a great weekend at home here in Willcox.

On Friday the 9th, I had to drive up to Casa Grande to take an exam that determined if I would be able to move forward in my program for my degree. I was a little worried about the reading and writing, but I was freaking out over the math. I am not a math person. I have never been a math person. I will never be a math person. I just do not have the type of brain that works well in that type of thinking. Needless to say the few days leading up to the test were a little hectic and stressed. I studied like crazy and I was grateful for a very patient tutor that was by my side the entire way. Cody luckily is very good at math, and was an enormous help. He just kept telling me I could do it, and deep inside I think it helped.

The day of the exam crept up on me quickly and I was on my way to Casa Grande early that morning. I was schedule to start my exam at noon but I had to be there early to check in and make sure that I had all of the necessary identification and paperwork. I went in to make sure I was set and the guy at the testing center said they were not very busy that day so I could start early if I wanted. I have to admit, I panicked a little and then got over it. I ran outside and called Cody to let him know I was heading in early. It was a 4 1/2 hour test, so I wanted him to know when I was starting it. I got in, took a few deep breaths and dove in. I was breezing through the reading, and then got to the math portion. I just told myself that I could only do my best. I hammered through it and eventually got to the writing portion. I was surprised, the only part I was actually crammed for time on was the writing segment. I still was able to finish it, but I wished I had more time to look over my essay. Each part of the test was timed individually, so I couldn't borrow any of the extra time I had on my reading exam. After the test was complete it showed me my unofficial scores for the reading and math. I passed!! I was way above the required score on both!! I was so surprised because I actually scored one point higher on my math than on my reading. I guess all of the studying paid off. Now I am awaiting my official scores which will have the writing score with it as well. I pretty sure I passed but you never know. I have about another week before they come in.

I was really happy to be out of the testing center and made all of the phone calls to those who were waiting to hear how it went. It was nice to be able to tell them I passed. After the exam, I was on my way up to Phoenix to spend the night with my sister and then attend a photography workshop the next day. I made it up to her house in about an hour and as a congrats for doing well on my test, Cody treated me to a pedicure! Shanny had never gotten one so it was a lot of fun getting to experience that with her. We were laughing tons and just relaxing which is something neither of us had been able to do in a long time. Especially together! It had been since before Joshua was born that we'd had a sister's night with just the two of us. Apparently we were pretty funny to the ladies there because we had everyone laughing. It went something like:

"Shanny, are you gonna get a flower?"
"No..."
"Why??! You need a flower."
"No, really it's ok"
"No, really you need a flower."
"OK... I'll get the flower."

Then we went on to talk about who's feet we got. I think we decided that Shannon has my Dad's feet and I have my Mom's. The ladies there were rolling. We weren't even trying to be funny. It was SO MUCH FUN!!! It was the perfect thing after such a stressful week.

After we finished our toes we thought we would find something to eat but we both needed to do some homework so we drove over th Shanny's school to use the library. It was closed so we headed back to Shannon's. I was glad that I got to see her school though. It is a really nice campus and I think it fits her well. When we got back, we went down and sat by the pool while we worked because that area had a better internet connection. It was really nice. I didn't even really mind that I was doing homework. After we finished up we decided to drive forever and go to Olive Garden. It was well worth the drive and we had a great server who made it even more fun. The food was super tasty and we even got some lemon cake for dessert.

We headed back to the house and even though I was having a great time I couldn't keep my eyes open. I had only gotten three hours of sleep the night before and had made a 3 1/2 hour drive that day. I was wiped out. Shanny was so sweet and insisted I sleep in her bed. I felt like my head had just hit the pillow when the alarms went off. Yes, alarm...s. We are both really heavy sleepers and don't particularly care for the morning. So to make sure we got up on time we set a few alarms.

It was hard getting up early after a long day and late night, but I was SO EXCITED!!! I was on my way to attend an all day photography workshop that I had waited months to attend. A good friend of mine recommended it because her cousin was one of the amazing photographers who created it. I had about an hour drive to get there from my sisters but it was nice to be able to visit with Cody while I made the drive. Somehow I managed to forget directions so he guided me there. Thanks heavens!! The workshop was supposed to be 10 hours but ended up being around 11 hours. I guess we were a chatty group. We went over a ton of information and it was well worth all of the pennies I saved to be able to go. That afternoon they had some models come for us to have a photo shoot with. They had two young women from their ward that were sisters and another family that lived across the street who were also from their ward. I have done a lot of family pictures and decided to practice my new tips on the two girls. I will be starting into the senior portrait market this year so I thought it would be a great place to start. The girls were really sweet and great models.

After the photo shoot was complete, we headed back in to have dinner and finish up. We finally tied up the last few knots at 9:30 that night and I had to decide if I would drive the hour back to Shanny's and stay the night or just head home. I knew the drive home would be a long one, but I was ready to get back and see my hubby and bug-a-boo (Joshua. Where I got that nickname I don't know but it's the one that stuck). I called Cody and started the drive home. I got off on the wrong exit so I had to go an alternate route which took a little longer. Traffic was awful and I was disappointed because I was looking forward to a quite drive home to think about all of the exciting stuff I had been able to learn and perfect. But it was probably better that it was busy because it kept me awake. I finally made it home at 1:00 a.m., and was welcomed by Cody who had waited up for me. I walked in and he had picked up the house and had gotten me flowers to congratulate me for passing my test. I'm sure I had a pretty big smile on my face. There are not a lot of places to get flowers here in Willcox, and I was a little bummed that the ones he got didn't last very long. I was only able to get a picture of one of the lilys. The roses were long gone and the other lily's were getting to be pretty sad.

Even though I was ready for bed I pulled out the computer and edited a couple of images from the day. I was just too excited to wait until morning. I still have a ton of learning to do, and so much work to put in before I get to the level of photography I would like to eventually reach but this workshop was one very big step in the right direction.

It was another long and crazy weekend, which it seems like our family has been involved in far too often these days. However, it was fantastic! I am so excited for the new things that are coming our way for photography and for the chance to continue my education and work towards my goal of being a teacher like my Mom. It was nice to spend time with Shanny and have a girls night but it was also so great to come home to my two boys. I was able to really see what a blessed girl I am during my time away. I am so grateful for the many things my Heavenly Father has given me and I hope I always remember how wonderful each of those blessing are.

We had a wonderful Easter this year. We were already in Safford for Cody's birthday and stayed the night at my parents. We didn't get much sleep the night before because Josh was having a tough night. He doesn't sleep well in his pack an play anymore and he was overly tired from the day before. So unfortunately he was awake most of the time he should have been sleeping. We tried to let him cry but when he started calling for Grandpa my poor Mom couldn't resist anymore. She came in and got him and thank heavens finally helped him fall asleep. She really did save us because we were so exhausted and our patience was running thin. After a couple of hours of sleep, we got up and helped make breakfast. It was so yummy! We had waffles, bacon, and eggs. I love going home just for the food. After breakfast we let Josh into the living room to see what the Easter Bunny had brought. He was really excited and the first thing he went for were the marshmallow peeps. Last year my brother introduced Joshua to these treats. So he knew exactly what he was going for. The only hiccup was that this year Josh knew what a chick was so he was afraid to eat it. It was quite funny watching the internal struggle he was having play across his face. Josh tore into his basket and eventually found his chocolate Easter bunny. At first he thought it was a phone, but he quickly caught on to the fact that it was edible.


Joshua must have been a good boy because the Easter Bunny brought him some fun toys this year. He got an interactive art easel that teaches all sorts of great things, books, bubbles, a bubble gun, an Elmo video, and a pair of gardening gloves like Daddy's.

After Joshua was done looking through his loot we took him outside to dye Easter eggs. Grammy was a huge help and he had a lot of fun. He sure did like the green dye. Almost all of the eggs got at least a quick dip in the green dye. He also thought that the dye would be fun to drink. Grammy let him try some of the vinegar on the end of a spoon and he figured out that it was not soda or juice and that problem was solved.


After dying eggs Joshua had a bath, and then he and I danced to some music that was playing on the T.V. I loved dancing with my Dad growing up. I do it often with Josh and he really seems to like it. It made way to some nice snuggling and then he went down for a much needed nap.

While he was resting my Dad and Cody watched "A River Runs Through It" and I tried but just couldn't keep my eyes open. I woke up to the movie ending and a yummy dinner. My mom worked so hard and I wish I had stayed awake to help her. Instead of the traditional ham, we had steak that we had planned for Cody's birthday. We also had my very favorite potato salad (it has to be my mom's recipe), deviled eggs, and mixed veggies. It was delicious! Cody doesn't like potato salad so we made him a baked potato instead and he was a happy camper. After dinner we packed our things up and before we left Grammy and Grandpa gave Joshua their Easter treat for him. My Mom said that she wouldn't do Easter baskets for her grandkids because that was the Easter Bunny's job, so she did an Easter bag instead. Joshua got an Elmo that gives kisses and talks, The Elmo in Grouchland video, another Elmo dvd, Toy Story, two coloring books, a set of windmills, some new toys for the bath that swim, and two new t-shirts. He is one well loved little boy! He loved all of it. We finally had to say goodbye and headed home. It was a great weekend, and a very special Easter.

2010 has started out as a brand new year for us. Not just the change from 2009 to 2010, but a literal new beginning. We are so very grateful for this. With the new changes we have been extremely busy. However, they are all things we happy to be working on. It goes unsaid that our blog has been a little neglected. It is already half way through April and I am barely beginning to get everything caught up. I decided that I would do one long catch up post to get us up to date so it will seem a little less overwhelming. So forgive me if I am a little long winded. I am using this blog as a journal of sorts so I need to make sure I document even the little things. If you choose to skip over this because it's too long, I'll forgive you! If not, thanks for hanging in there while I play catch up.

New Year's day was a quiet but fun day at our house. It also happens to be my Mom's birthday. We had her and my dad over for lunch to celebrate. I made her Cheesy Ham and Vegetable Chowder and Rolls for lunch. It's a favorite of her's and a big hit at our house. They just stayed for a short visit because they were on their way to visit my brother and sister-in-law in Tucson.
My mom is so generous and always brings Josh a "treat" of some kind. She brought him a new years hat and blower. He loved it!


The rest of January was spent continuing the attempt to get moved. We were back and forth between Willcox, Tucson, and Safford a lot. And unfortunately did not get the rest of the house moved until February. We did spend a lot of time unpacking and getting what we could settled. It has really been an adventure starting a new phase of our lives. We also had the chance to attend a couple of special events in January. On Sunday the 24th our niece Ella was blessed and we drove up so we could be a part of that. She is a doll and we just love her to death! Then the next weekend we were able to go back up to see our nephew Ethan be baptized. We can hardly believe he is 8 already but we are very proud of him for his choice to be baptized. That afternoon we went back to Grandma and Grandpa Smith's house for a luncheon. The food was very yummy and then my sister-in-law Allison and I took our other sister-in-law Linsey to get a pedicure to help her celebration and prepare for the birth of our next nephew Bennett. It was a lot of fun, and VERY relaxing. After we got back to the house we set up our little studio and took Ella's blessing photos. She is a beauty and I am so in love with her smile.




Like I mentioned we were between our new and old home A LOT in January. With all of the fun things we had going on it did not leave much time for packing so that got pushed into February. But it was all worth it. They were events that we would not have missed.


February had a lot of great days. One of the best was Joshua's first day in nursery. HE LOVES IT!!! I think we have the only kid who cries when he has to leave. They blow bubbles at the end and we have to let him finish or he gets really upset. On his first day he went in just fine. Cody stayed for a couple of minutes and then made his exit. Supposedly Josh asked for him a couple of times and then moved on. Now he doesn't even look back. He runs into nursery happy and excited to play with his friend Abby. Abby's mom is one of Joshua's nursery leaders. She also happens to be my visiting teaching companion. It really was a blessing being paired with Emily. We happened to have a lot in common and easily fell into a comfortable place with one another. Emily has been wonderful. It has really made a difference having someone here that I can call a friend. It is great that Josh and Abby are so close in age and have a lot of fun together. About a month after we moved in Cody was made companions with Rex, Emily's husband. We thought it was really funny. We have been trying to get together for a game night but our schedules keep conflicting so hopefully we will be able to do that soon.


I wanted to get some pictures of Joshua for his 18 month mark. I thought it would be fun to do some cowboy pictures and so I ran out bought his hat (which is a "real" cowboy hat), and got everything together so we could head out when Cody got home from work. It was very spur of the moment, but I love some of the photos we got. I also wanted to get some regular photos of him but we never went back out. I figure we will have to settle for some regular shots at 20 months instead. Here are a few of my favorite cowboy shots.

We also made a very impulsive decision and got a new puppy in February. She is a sweet girl and we named her Sadie. We have been looking for a friend for our beagle Maddie for a while and thought this puppy would make a good match. They have a lot of fun together but we did not realize the kind of responsibility that having two dogs comes with. We have been trying to find Sadie a new home but have not been successful yet. Maybe she's just supposed to be with us. We'll keep looking and if she stays at our house that's OK too. She's a lot of fun and Josh really likes her. They are just a little rough on each other.

Valentines Day was also really nice. I was spoiled with chocolates, flowers, and a card from Cody. And Joshua got me a balloon. Cody and I had decided we were going to do things simple for Valentines Day this year because we had just spent a lot of money on the move. He cheated. I felt bad because I had made him a really adorable card but that was it. I had Josh make him one too which he loved. So even though I felt bad it was still nice to be surprised. I really am one lucky girl and have been blessed with such an amazing companion to share my life with. I love you Code!

The weekend after Valentine's Day we finally made the final move. Cody took the day off on Friday so we would have enough time to get everything done. We went up Thursday night and got started and thought we would be done by Saturday afternoon. We REALLY underestimated the amount of time needed to get the job done. We started pulling things out of closets and it just exploded. We didn't finish until Monday afternoon and still had to drive to Willcox and unpack the truck. The first truck we moved was 17 ft. and turned out to be way too small. So we thought we should get another 17ft to be on the safe side the next time. It was a good thing because we BARELY made it all fit. I can't believe how we have accumulated so much stuff in such a short period of time. I think we are in desperate need of a good garage sale. What really made the move hard was the weather. We had been having beautiful weather the two weeks prior to our move, and even most of the weekend. But when we started moving things into the truck on Monday it began to rain, and turned REALLY cold. It was miserable. It continued to rain on and off all day. Even as we unloaded in Willcox it rained. Willcox is really windy. We have found that it is that way all the time. So mixed with the rain and cold it was a tough day to say the least. And it didn't stop with that day. It went far into the night. My sweet friend Emily and her husband watched Joshua for us so we could unload the truck at our storage unit faster. Her husband tried to come over and help but it's gated so he couldn't get in. So instead they made us dinner! It was so nice of them and we were VERY grateful. Once we finished up there and got Josh home and in bed we continued to work until we finally finished up at 11:30 that night. Bless Cody's heart he got up early to clean the truck out and return it before he went to work the next day. It was so cold the door was frozen shut! But he eventually got it open. We returned the truck and were SO happy to be done. Then it was on to unpacking everything. I held off for a few days to give us a rest before diving into that. We are still not completely done but I figure we'll get there eventually.


March was pretty calm until the last weekend and then it seemed like we fit a month's worth of driving and events into two days. We did celebrate St. Patty's day. I decided to surprise Cody with something kind of fun. He has a Guinness ice bucket that a co-worker gave him for his birthday with Dr. Pepper in it. I filled that with ice and packed in IBC Rootbeer and Cream Soda. Cody was really excited because they are a favorite of his and he doesn't get them that often. Then I made and all green dinner. One year when I was young my mom did it and I thought it was fun so I decided to give it a shot. I was going to make green shake and bake but the time got away from me so I just did regular chicken legs, green jello, green salad, and green rice-a-roni. It was fun, and Joshua loved it. Green was his "favorite" color at the time.

March 20th we had the chance to drive up to Tucson for the Air Show at Davis Monthan AFB. It was awesome. We were there all day and Josh was perfect. He LOVED the airplanes and was so patient the whole day. The Thunderbirds were the main attraction and they were well worth the wait. I was amazed at their performance. It really was awesome. Grandpa Smith came for the Thunderbirds and brought Zach and Ethan Joshua's cousins along. Cody and his dad share a special bond when it comes to airplanes. Cody has loved them since he was little. He could name almost any plane that he saw flying and still does. He get's his love for aircraft from his dad and I think Josh is on that same path. Joshua got a toy plane after the show thanks to Cody and my persistence. They had blow up planes that were for younger kids and most of the booths were sold out. Cody ran all the way down the strip of vendors until he finally found one. Thanks Code!! It was so much fun watching Joshua pretend with it. He would make it fly and even make the sounds they made. It was a lot of fun! Joshua hung in all day. He would NOT sleep! But on the way back to the car he couldn't fight it anymore. He finally crashed. It was a great day for our little family. It was surprisingly relaxing and a chance to make a lot of fun memories.

The last weekend in March was crazy but fun. I was asked to judge the Miss Mesa/Miss Tempe Pageant up in Phoenix. Josh and I kicked the weekend off by driving to Safford to pick up a rental car Friday afternoon. Our car is in desperate need of some maintenance and with the amount of driving we were going to be doing over the weekend though it would be safer to get a rental. We grabbed the car, had my mom drive our car back to her house, and headed out. We loaded up the car and drove to Phoenix that night and didn't get into town until 10:30. Our friend Lizzy still drove over to our hotel to hang out and visit for a little while. It was so nice to see her. It's not very often that we get to spend time with her anymore. I wish we lived closer. We have some really great memories! The next morning I had to be at the pageant site for judges orientation by 7:30 so it was an early morning regardless of our late night. The pageant was pretty much an all day event. We did get a lunch break, and we decided to have Olive Garden. It was not a relaxing lunch at all. Joshua decided to be a little pill and so our lunch did not get enjoyed. However, we had the BEST waiter I have ever had. He brought Josh out a plate of fruit which worked wonders. He just gobbled it up. And we were able to get some food in out tummies too. We only made it through about half our lunch and had to go. The waiter felt bad that we didn't get to enjoy our food so he had the manager comp one of our plates. He didn't even say a word before doing it either. He just came out with the check and told us what he had done. We didn't know what to say but thank you. The manager even stopped by and said that he knows how tough little ones can be, but that he (Joshua) will be grown before we know it. So we better enjoy him while he's little. We were thoroughly impressed. And it made the afternoon not so rough after all. I know I can get frustrated when we are in public and Joshua decides to misbehave. I think it's mostly because he is typically such a sweet kid. I have to remember that it's part of their learning process and I have to be patient or he will never learn. Anyway, the pageant started at 2:00 that afternoon and lasted until about 5:00. The year I competed at Miss Arizona I made a really dear friend Savanna. Miss Savanna is this years reigning Miss AZ. She will be giving up her title in June. She was there and I had to grab a picture of her with Josh. She is such an amazing girl and will be a middle school teacher soon.

After the pageant we jumped in the car and went over to my sister Shanny's restaurant she works at in Scottsdale. Oregano's is a popular place and there is no call ahead seating. We had to wait and hour and a half to sit in her section but it was well worth it. We miss her so much and any time we get to hang out is important. We didn't get done at Oregano's until 8:30 and headed out to try and make it back to Tucson. We were getting really tired and though about getting a hotel in Casa Grande but we pushed on and made it. Cody's dad is so awesome and made our bed all up for us so it was ready when we got to their house in Tucson.

I felt like my head had just hit the pillow when the alarm went off the next morning. We were on our way to attend our nephew Bennett's baby blessing at 9:00. We got all ready and made it just in time. His dad Brad gave him a beautiful blessing and after sacrament meeting headed over to the park near their house for a luncheon. There were a ton of kids and Josh had a blast. He got into lots of trouble but it really was ok. The worst was the red mud. The fields were muddy but we didn't know it and Josh found a big spot of it and went to town. He was covered! We decided to just let him play and get dirty the rest of the time and would get him cleaned up at Lindsey's afterward. So when Josh discovered a cupcake I didn't hesitate I let him have the whole thing. Cody's sister Mindy said to Josh jokingly "smash it in your face Josh"! because he was already trashed. Well, the stinker did it. He had icing every where. Needless to say he was quite a sight. We stripped him of his clothes before heading out and put him straight into the bath a Lindsey's. His clothes were pretty bad. I didn't think we would be able to salvage them and it was a brand new outfit. I was a little bummed but then started to see the humor in it. Lindsey worked really hard and she was able to save everything but his shirt. And I was so relieved that I was able to get his new tennis shoes clean. After clean up, we set up our photography stuff so we could take Bennett's blessing photos. He was so handsome and I think we got some really great shots.


After we packed the car up we headed out for home. We hit Willcox around 7:30, unloaded the car and headed to Safford to return the rental. After making the switch we got Josh in jammies and headed out on the last stretch of our trip back home. I was very excited to see my bed when we finally made it back for good. It was a VERY long weekend and it took a couple of days to recover but it was a lot of fun. And that moved us into April.


Here we are in April. ALREADY!!! Where in the world did the time go?!? So far April has been a great month. We had Cody's birthday, Easter, I took an important exam, Joshua turned 20 months and I got to attend a great photography workshop. Some of these are pretty important so I will be giving them their own post. It has been a whirlwind beginning to a new year, but we wouldn't have had it any other way. All of the changes have been very positive and we are loving life!! So here is to one of my new year's resolutions.... keeping up on my blog. Hopefully I will do better at it than the last few months! And here is to another 8 months we have this year. I can only hope and pray they are as wonderful as the past 4 have been.