We can't get enough of DADDY!

Okay so I missed blogging on Father's Day, but it's never too late to give props to Cassidy's daddy!

Derek is such a great father! I know his heart has always had a special place for his children to be, and now it has been filled with Daddy's little girl. They share a special bond. I know when the time comes for more children to come to our family he will have a special place for each one of them too.

Derek finds time to play, teach, love, and serve our daughter. It's so cute to watch them together no matter what they choose to do. Cassidy always looks forward to daddy coming home from work. She will take naps just because she knows when she wakes up it's that much closer to daddy coming home. Lately, she's been singing "I'm so glad when Daddy comes home" and Derek seems to love how she acts out all the parts too. Especially, when she wraps her arms around his neck and then lays one on him. Derek has truly been more than I imagined as a husband and now as a father. I don't know what his girls would do without him! Thanks Daddy for being the glue that keeps us together.

Thank you for your Prayers

A recent update with our dear friend Kaley. She is now home from the hospital and with her family. She's doing much, much better. It's definitely a time to rejoice! It was so good to talk with her the other day. We can't forget how fragile her life was couple of months ago. She truly is a survivor. It's truly been a miracle. I'm so impressed with her positive attitude and her sense of humor about her whole experience. She's definitely an example to us! Kaley has been through a lot in her life but she has only become a stronger person for it. She is so special and we know that Heavenly Father knows that too. We love you Kaley!

Weekend in Durango, CO

We got away...321 Miles away! :)

It was a relaxing weekend of enjoying two nights in a hotel with a pool, no cooking, beautiful scenery, shopping, and being together. I was kind of worried on how this trip may affect Cassie with her potty training, but she did great! We just made sure we brought her potty with us and Cassidy did the rest. As we drove through the mountains we would ask Cassidy how many trees, rocks, and moutains she sees. This was her reply: 9 Trees, 7 Rocks, and 9 Mountains.



Here are some pictures from our time in Durango:

Little stories with some pictures above:

As soon as we walked into our Hotel room, Cassidy had to get on the bed and lay under the covers. I think she was telling us how grateful she was to be done with sitting in her car seat and now it's time to get comfortable. One afternoon, we were walking downtown and Cassidy started to run towards a FedEx Mailbox. The next thing I know she wraps her arms around it to give it a big hug and shouts "FedEx!" like the thing belonged to her. It was so cute, so I had her do it again so I could take a picture. :) Another thing Cassidy enjoyed was hearing the Choo Choo train each morning. So our last morning we walked to the train station with enough time to get some pictures and watch the train leave. It was fun to see all the smoke come out of the top and wave to the people on board as the train passed us. Derek had to cover Cassidy's ears the Choo Choo was so loud, that's how close we were. If you ask Cassidy what we did she will always mention the train and how loud it was.

One of the most memorable moments in Durango was when Cassidy gave up her balloon she received at the candy store and gave it to a little girl that was crying, because hers flew away. All we did was ask her if that was okay and she walked right up to the little girl and handed it to her. Cassidy walked back with a huge smile. We were so proud of our little girl and it touched our hearts. The sweetest gift is giving. It was a great reminder of how we should be, more Christlike.

On the way home we just took our time. We stopped to check out a Craft Fair in Pagosa Springs. Then, we stopped at a place that sells Yak Meat. We were hoping to be able to show Cassidy the Yak. But we got more than we hoped for, the nice man that owns the ranch actually had us climb in his truck to drive to the back of his ranch. We actually had the chance to see the Yak up close and Cassidy was so excited she kept asking the Yak to come see us. Then we got out of the truck and visited with his horses. The horses were funny, when we got out of the truck they came right over to us like dogs and even stuck their heads in the windows of the truck. Pretty friendly!

By the time we got home we were pooped out! Thanks Honey for driving us all that way and back.

Some more News...

Cassidy has been up to a lot lately, and not just adjusting to a big girl bed. (Oh by the way Aunt Jill, no worries, Cassidy hasn't fallen out of her bed since.) :)

Back to Cassidy's news...it's something to do with a toilet... Yes, POTTY TRAINING!!!!!

Well, we couldn't be prouder of our "Big Girl!" She has amazed us with how quick she got it and how she's continually amazing us with her success. I know people told me she probably would, but they don't remember she has me for a mommy. :)

Cassidy has now been in training for 1 week and 3 days. I'm so glad to get rid of those diapers! Cassidy loved picking out her new panties. This whole ordeal has taught me so much, and how to be even more patient. Even though, it was hard to stay home and not go anywhere for a whole week, it was well worth it. I couldn't believe how proud I was going to feel when Cassidy got it, especially with #2 (poops). I almost cried I was so proud of her.

This is how our week went:

Day 1: Every 1/2 hour sat on the potty. Drank water and HI-C all day. Mom kept a close eye on her. When she would pee in the potty she always got 2 M&M's and had fun picking out colors. She definitely knows her colors more now. Had 5 accidents.

Day 2: Cassidy would announce "Mommy Go Potty!" and that's when I would either pick her up and run or she would run to the bathroom and I would run after her. It was then every couple of hours. It was so nice to not have to be the only one in charge, it surprised me she already started telling me she had to go. Had 4 accidents.

Day 3: First time going poo poo in the potty! Yeah!! I figured the last couple of days she was pretty consistent on having a bowel movement at 9:15 am. So at 9:10 I sat her on her potty. It took 45 minutes, so we sang songs, read books, and then plop! Yeah! Although, she was a little hesitant to flush the toilet herself, kind of scared of her own stuff. Afterwards, she got her first puzzle as a reward, and continued to get a new one each time she had a B.M. Had 4 accidents.

Day 4: Doing awesome with Pee Pee in the Potty! She still wasn't recognizing her B.M. so I had to help her. No complaints here. 1 accident.

Day 5: Took a walk around the neighborhood. Yes it took me awhile to be daring. No accidents but right around the corner from our house, Cassidy says she had to go potty. I never ran so fast, sat her on the potty and it was a false alarm. Got to be grateful for trying! 0 Accidents!

Day 6: Left home for the first time to Costco (besides little walks). Cassidy really had fun checking out the public bathroom. It all made sense to her. It was funny how she would hear other ladies using the restroom and get a smile on her face. She knew exactly what they were doing, and would tell me pee pee in the potty. I was so excited and proud of our little girl using the potty in a public restroom I had to annouce it, to complete strangers in the bathroom. They were so excited for us.

Day 7: NO ACCIDENTS DURING ALL 3 HOURS OF CHURCH. And I decided to keep her in panties instead of pull-ups. Hip Hip Hooray for Little C!

Well since then Cassidy has continued to do well, and even told me when she had to go poo poo in the potty the other day. She has even overcome her fear of looking at her poo. She actually was pretty funny. She said, "Look Mommy there's 2, one big one and one small one, flushed the toilet and said bye bye poo poo!" She cracks me up! We still have her in her pull-ups during nap time and at night. Although, for the last 3 days she has woken up dry. We'll see maybe soon we will conquer that too. The great thing is that even with the pull-ups Cassidy still won't wet in them if she's awake, but will insist on using the potty.

I know she may still have accidents here and there but all in all for those of you who were wondering how Little C is doing. She's doing GREAT!!! She's had so much more successes than accidents and the best part is that she's had enough practice we can leave the house again. So, thanks for your support! :) What has helped me is my sister Lina reminding me of the time when Cassidy cheered for me after I went potty. How can I not be her #1 fan and of course her Daddy.

The only advice I can give is make it a positive experience with accidents and without. Good Luck and Endure to the End!

Happy Birthday America!

Hope you had a wonderful 4th of July!

We had a great time spending the holiday with good friends. The Smith's definitely know how to BBQ. We enjoyed soaking up the sun and the kids splashed around in the water. We're so grateful for such wonderful friends in our lives.

We're also so grateful for all the freedoms we get to enjoy and sometimes maybe take for granted. We live in the best country in the world! God Bless America!

News Flash...

Cassidy now sleeps in a Big Girl Bed! We were just cleaning out the garage and decided to stop storing a toddler bed in the garage and put it to good use. So now we have a crib in the garage. :) Our original plan was to buy a twin bed and skip the toddler beds altogether. But since some friends of ours were moving and no longer needed their toddler bed we took it. It worked out perfectly because I didn't have to go buy some new bedding, but something to look forward to. Cassidy has been adjusting great to her big girl bed. She was very excited and enjoyed watching me take down the crib and get her new bed ready. One of the first things she did on her new bed, was jump on it. Of course! And she couldn't wait to show daddy, who was working in the garage.

A couple of hours later, my visiting teachers came over. As soon as they sat down Cassidy had to get them back up on their feet and lead them to her bedroom to show off her new bed. It was so cute to watch her excitement. :) After my visit with my friends it was time for Cassidy to take her nap. I wasn't sure what to expect. Let's just say I think because of all the excitement it took Cassidy 2 hours to settle down and finally take her nap. She took a great 3 hour nap and Derek and I decided to reward her for doing so well. We took her to Target to pick something out in the $1 section (at this age so easy to please, we like it). Out of stickers, paint, books,... she picked out a cute little stuffed froggie. She had to sleep with her new friend that night, as you can see in the picture above.

For the most part since then Cassidy has been adjusting pretty well. She has only fallen out of her bed 3 times. (it's really close to the ground so she's okay) And sometimes she will wake me up in the middle of the night to tuck her back in her bed. I'm going to need to work on teaching her how to tuck herself in after she kicks all her blankets off. She gets upset when she doesn't have her blankets just right. At least she goes right back to sleep after her blanket needs are taken care of. We're so proud of our little girl and can't believe she's growing so fast right before our eyes.

Potty Training here we come! :) Wish us luck!




A little glimpse of Cassidy's excitement

Friends from Arizona

Sunny, Jack, Angie, Carolyn, and Logan


Cassidy holding Baby Ella


It's been one visitor after another, and we love it! If you're in the neighborhood please stop by. :)

Our friends, the Whitings, were coming to Colorado for a family reunion and even though they had such a short trip they still made time to spend a night with us. We're so glad they did! It was fun to catch-up with my good friend Carolyn (we were roomies in college). And to meet her beautiful family!

When they got here it was so nice outside we decided to walk to dinner and eat at Bird Dog BBQ. After driving all that way, who wouldn't want to exercise those legs. :) The food was delicious. (For you locals you should try it if you haven't yet.)

We had a great time visiting and talking about old times. We know Cassidy had lots of fun just having more kids in the house too.

Grammy came to visit

Over the last week we were able to have some fun with (Derek's Mom) AKA GRAMMY!! We also had some fun with family that live here Derek's Uncles, Aunts, and some cousins. Each day we did something like shopping, BBQ's, Potlucks, Eating out, movie nights, playing at the park, swimming, play tennis, pull weeds :), walks in the neighborhood, watched the fireworks at the Sky Sox stadium, and took a day trip to the Royal Gorge.

It was neat to experience the Royal Gorge, since I've never been there and it has been years since Derek or Grammy have been there. We rode the Aerial tram across the gorge, rode the incline railway down to the bottom, and walked across the suspension bridge (that was scary to me). I had to kiss the ground once we got across. :) Some other attractions were: the Wildlife Park watching buffalo, elk, and sheep. There was also a petting zoo. Cassidy had the chance to play with baby goats and it was so cute to watch them follow her. She also had the chance to ride a donkey named June. It was her first ride. She really enjoyed it. In the park there was also a Western town, a fancy Carousel (we could ride as many times as we wanted), and of course a nice gift shop. We're all glad we went!

Cassidy playing with the goats

No matter what we were doing while Grammy was here we enjoyed each other's company and had a wonderful time. For the last couple of months anytime Cassidy would see an airplane she would think Grammy was in it and would get excited. When the time finally came for Grammy to be here it seemed like it was time to say good-bye. Time went by so fast. As we drove off from dropping Grammy off at the airport today, all Cassidy could do and say was Bye Grammy, miss you, and blow kisses. We definitely will miss her and look forward to her visit again.

Good News...

Kaley is doing so much better and is now in rehab. She is no longer needing to stay in the ICU. Hooray!!! Kaley has made miraculous improvements and hasn't had any brain damage or any other serious conditions like the doctors thought she might. All of our prayers have been answered. It's wonderful news for us all. Thanks again for your love and support. We are so blessed with wonderful families and friends.

You Speak to My Heart

Derek and I celebrated our 9th Anniversary on June 4th. Where does the time go? I'm SO grateful for my MAN, and for all that he is! I'm so blessed to have someone who loves me back and who is so commited to our marriage. He knows how to make me feel special, even in little, silly, ways.

Some more reasons why I love my husband: He makes me laugh, isn't scared to try new things, a handyman (can fix anything), a goal-setter, hard-worker, doesn't take life too seriously, so so SMART (he's my engineer), compassionate, enjoys dancing as much as I do, serenades me with his beautiful voice, always doing random acts of service for others, honors his priesthood, selfless, a great father, I can go on and on...

I have learned so much more about myself and about love since I've married this man, and I'm so excited to continue to strengthen our love and our relationship forever. I know even though we have had some tough times, I couldn't ask for anyone better to face those tough times with. Derek has and will always be the man I was suppose to marry and I'm so glad I did! I'm glad I listened to that still small voice.

I love you Derek, forever and ever!




For our anniversary this year, some friends watched Cassidy, and the two of us went "Restaurant Hopping" kind of like a progressive dinner. We first went to Panera Bread for bread and salad. Since it was a beautiful night and the restaurants were close together next we walked to AI (a Japanese restaurant) for some Sushi and teriyaki chicken. Then finally, Johnny Carino's for yummy chocolate cake with ice cream for dessert. It was so fun to just chat like grown-ups and to hold each other close. We had a wonderful, romantic, evening.