Disneyland

We went on the California Screamin' 4 times... Drew new right where the camera was and would make funny faces every time.






I just love my husband... he is so funny.
My parents wanted my sisters to experience Disneyland but weren't really wanting to go themselves... so I got lucky and they paid for me to take them. I talked Drew into coming with us and we had a blast. Sadly we left the little Ty guy at home. I was so unsure about leaving him... and now that I did... I'm really glad cause he would have been to young to go on most of the rides any way. When he reaches 42" we'll have to take him back.

Man I haven't had this much nonstop fun in a really long time. My legs and feet were aching with all the walking and I didn't care... we'd run to the next ride. I can't wait to go again... I'm having withdrawals! It really is magical!

Bear Lake Fun

Ty was ready for a nap in this photo
Drew and Ty

Ty just wanted to play in the snow ... it was cute. He loved it when you'd drag him around by his feet.
Mindy and Colton
Brandon and Colton

We spent the weekend up at Drew's grandma's condo in Bear Lake. We went last year with the whole family and had a great time with snowmobiles and sledding... this year Brandon (Drew's Brother) and Mindy and their two kids were the only ones who could go. So we left the snowmobiles and just brought the tubes and sleds. We had a great time. We missed having Craig there to pick us up at the bottom of the hill!

Here are the kids on way too much sugar jumping on the beds. ...Uhhh don't you love the 70's decor and the awesome wall paper! I love going up there.

Happy Valentines Day!

Ty went in for a Valentines kiss!
They were so cute... they were each others Valentines and loved holding hands as they walked... it was the cutest thing I've ever seen.
My friend came to visit. We had a great trip to the Drapper Temple open house and had fun hanging out with our little ones... Ive mentioned this before but Ty and Leia were born on the same day. Paople made comments about them being twin... it was cute.

This week so far...

Ty got his first shiner today... 3 stitches... and I am feeling like a horrible mom. We were at the bank and he slipped and hit the corner of the counter where they keep all the deposit slips and stuff. Blood was every where and all the tellers were running to my aide with tissue boxes. Luckily one teller went and grabbed a sucker and gave it to him trying to calm him down. As soon as the sucker hit his tongue he stopped crying and said "ummmm!" It was pretty funny. 

Getting stitches is something I hope to never go through again... but I'm sure I will at some point. They put Ty in this straight jacket thing and he screamed through the whole thing. After it was over Drew picked him up and gave him his binkie to try and calm him down... he took the binkie and angrily through it at the doctor. 

He's been surprisingly really happy since the event... I think it's all the sugar... he's probably had four suckers so far and then we took him out to get a chocolate shake after the "surgery."

On a good note...Ty started Kindermusic this week and loves it. He practically giggles through the entire 40 minutes. Oh... and he loves to rock out to moms itunes.

Drew bought Ty a little basketball and has been working with Ty on learning how to dribble. Ty loves it... totally can't do it... but loves to watch Drew and then throw the ball as hard as he can.

Pearson Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Family search - Free genealogy software

I've alwas wanted to do this with Ty and us. People tell us all the time how he looks just like me or just like Drew... especially people that don't even know he's adopted. ...well... it turns out he looks more like me!

Grandma Honey

Yesterday Drew's grandma, Betty Pearson... everyone called her grandma honey... passed away. She had had some problems a week earlier that put her in the hospital. She was getting better and then suddenly everything took a 180. Three days ago things weren't looking good and the Dr. said there wasn't much time left. They allowed each person some time alone with her to say good-bye. I never in my life have had to say good-bye to someone. But as Drew and I stood by her bed and Drew kissed her cheek and told her how much he loved her she got the biggest smile on her face. She was unconscious... but I know she heard every word he said. It was so sweet.

She was such a great woman. She is a woman with kindness and whit... she has such a great sense of humor and always has everyone laughing. This has been really hard for Drew and his family to lose such a important person in their lives. It was so hard to see Drew's grandpa cry, I can't even imagine after 60 years of marriage losing your spouse. She will be loved for many more generations and always remembered.

Eight Years Ago...

It was eight years ago my friends and roomates dropped me off at the MTC. I can't believe it's been that long! I've been wanting to finish my mission scrapbook... and I WILL but it's been so fun going through old photos. Of my hundreds of pictures here are just a handful.

My MTC district. They were all going to Salt Lake South Mission. My first day in the MTC was interesting. It turned out my companion didn't know English so they sent her somewhere else... I never even got to meet her. So for the entire first day I was walking around by myself... I can't even tell you how many people stopped to lecture me about "Staying with my companion!!!" I wanted to cry. Finally that night they put me with these two Sister and things were greaet from then on. Except that first night when we three knelt to say our first companionship prayer. One of them was praying and then the other one suddenly jumped up and ran to the garbage can throwing up.... the other companion kept praying while I ran over to help the other one... it was funny.

Me at the map!

This is the only picture that Drew and I are in together. And we are standing right next to each other. Had I known we would be showing this picture to people for the rest of our lives I would have done something with my hair that day!! :)

My first companion and first district in the mission field. Jackson, MO. My companion was amazing... best trainer I could ask for. She actually ended up marring the Elder standing next to her.

Ryan.

JW, Pam and Maria. I always felt like a huge reason I went on a mission was for them. ... and we started teaching them on the second day I was out! JW was already a member but inactive most of his life. Pam and Maria took the discussions with us. Pam was waiting for JW to get active again so that he could baptize her. I told myself throughout my mission that my mission wouldn't be completely successful until I knew they had been baptized. 2 dyas before I was supposed to go home Pam called me and told me they were going to be baptized that following week. ... and I just cried I was so happy.

Me and Mur. My companion and my best friend. We had so many great laughs... we still do!

Columbia, MO. My companion... Sister Muir... on my back... ended up marring Elder Tuft... in the gray shorts a khaki shorts to our right.

In Columbia we had such a tight district. We all became each others family out there and helped each other through trials and in the work. I had never felt such comradity before. We all felt happier and stronger because we had each other.

My two favorite Elders and good friends throughout the mission.

Courtney.

Suzie-Q.

Our Mission mom would have Sister luncheons every once in a while on P-days. She was such a cute mom. She would call us all "babe" and while we were all sitting down to lunch says... "let's all go around the table and say which Elder we have a crush on!" She was so funny.

Me and Sister Laulu... we had so much fun in North St. Louis. She actually gave one of her companions a black eye... literally punched her. ...but this Sister seriously deserved it. Anyways at transfers I was gonna put make-up on my eye to make it look black and tell her new companion to have a good time with her. ... I always felt safe with her as a companion in the ghetto. :)

These little girls we met while trackting... they wanted to sing to us and then to go trackting with us... so we gave them some pamphlets and away we all went. They helped us get into several of their neighbors doors... they were so cute.

One morning while we were getting ready we heard a knock at the door and it was this little girl Lulu. Apparently she had moved to America several months prior and had been taking the missionary discussions. The Missionaries told her that if she ever saw a picture of Jesus in the window of an apartment... most likely she would find the missionaries there. Well... that morning while waiting for the bus she saw our picture of Jesus in our window. From then on every morning she would come over 20 minutes before she was supposed to catch the bus and we would read the Book of Mormon together.

Cynthia.

This woman saw the mother of seven children all under the age of 8. She had just recently lost her husband to an azma attack... so sad. We started teaching her a few weeks before I went home.

President let Mur come and stay with me in North St. Louis for a week before we went home. We had way to much fun. Here we are dressing ghetto... I stuffed my butt to have a ghetto butty... nice eh!

I had such a great mission. Often times I get so down on myself because I haven't felt as spiritually strong since that time in my life. It just felt like I was always learning something new and more in depth about the gospel. I always wanted to serve a mission since I was very young... it was always included in my life plans. I know it helped shape me into a better person a stronger person... a better mother. I never questioned if the church was true or if God even existed until I was on my mission. I went through a short period on my mission where I didn't know what was true. After many momments on my knees in prayer and through some amazing experiences my testimony became unshakeable and still is.