the magical forest

A few nights ago, we braved the cold (that ended up not even really being bad at all)

and headed to opportunity village's the magical forest with kelli and dylan.

Matix had an absolute blast to say the least.

He couldnt stop looking and pointing at all the lights,

and was just in little boy heaven running around and going on rides.

He braved the merry-go-round first.

Although hesitant at first, he ended up loving it.

The second time around, we even rode the pony together!!

Then we spotted frosty and matix was more than happy to snap a picture as a button...

Next we went down the kiddy slides. This may have been his favorite thing to do.

He could even do it all by himself (with some adult supervision of course)

He and dylan went down a few times each. They are such good little friends.

On second thought...

the train that went around the forest was matix's absolute favorite part of the night.

The line was a little rough to wait in but we kept ourselves entertained...

we finally made it to the front. he yelled choo-choo the entire ride with a grin from ear to ear.

it was pretty cute and fun if i do say so myself.

he also could not pass up the opportunity to play in the ole' shoe.

it took some bribing (with a candy cane) to convince him to finally leave....

we had a great time and even made it home just in time for bedtime...

i think it's safe to say that we will probably end up back there next year :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

[i cant believe it's already christmas eve's eve]

Matix's new little lover...

cute church friends.

i cant wait til they can actually date...

i did it...

I finally graduated!!
I officially have a Bachelor's Degree
in Journalism and Media Studies
With emphasis is Integrated Marketing Communications
(which basically mean advertising/public relations)
and a minor in Entertainment Management

yep it's a mouthful. and isnt as cool as it sound.
but nevertheless i do not have to think about homework one more time...
and that my friends...is a great feeling.


unfortunately for me (and my family), i decided to graduate at UNLV's largest fall commencement everrrr. 2,147 students graduated (around there anyways) so the ceremony lasted nearly 3.5 hours. ( i was nearly an hour late to my own party..sorry guys!!) but the highlight of the ceremony was a 76 year old man finally getting his doctorate.
he was the cutest guy ever.

I didn't finish out my college career with straight A's as i had planned. uhh-hmm.
but im content with two A's and 3 B+'s.
It was a rough semester, and i had a mild case of senioritis.



now if only i could find an awesomely sweet job....

a.m.a.z.i.n.g

a coworker of mine from cinevegas just recently uploaded a picture of HIS Christmas tree on facebook....

{my jaw literally dropped}
he then proceeded to describe his experience as follows...

Lights: 5,200
Extension cords required to make all the lights work: 11
Ornaments: 623
Of those ornaments, Charlie Brown ornaments: 111
Hours to light: 7... See More
Trips to Walmart because I needed more lights: 2
Hours to decorate: 6
Chirstmas songs I went through on my ipod while lighting and decorating: 93. . .two times.
Me needing to get a life. . .Priceless.
Christopher Todd Hall

{my jaw then dropped a second time}

i hope one day i get that sort of Christmas dedication

**did i forget to mention that he is also a gay interior decorator...maybe thats why**

last week

may have been the hardest week of my life.

but more than that, i realized how much my heavenly father loves me.
and even though things don't always end up how we want them to...
everything happens for a reason.
It also didn't help that it was finals week.
luckily i survived it all.
and am so grateful for my family.
and my wonderful friends.
and especially for my baby boy.

"every life has peaks and shadows and times when it seems that the birds don’t sing and bells don’t ring. Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result...
come what may and love it."

Joseph B. Worthlin

{now im working on the love it part}

from the mouth of baby stinkerbutt....

matix is talking more and more.
he learns at least one or more words a day...
which is so fun to hear as a mom.
especially since half the stuff he says is in matix language...not english.
but we understand him as if it was.

some of my favorites...

beak=drink
[yet so does opening the fridge and trying to carry the ginormous bottle of apple juice, and by carrying i mean dropping at least three times on his way to find someone] needless to say, we now duct tape the fridge closed.
nak=snack, mainly fruits snacks or basically anything sweet
pease=please
papa=grandpa aka his favorite person in the world.
buckle/unbuckle=the kid is obsessed, car seats, high chairs, he's on it
amen=he folds his arms for prayer and says amen at the appropriate times.
horsey/moo= he thinks they are the interchangeable, oh well
two=[said extremely loud] means daddy throw me in the air like a crazy person so i can touch the 15 foot ceilings and give my mom a heart attack.] he hasn't quite figured out that the one and three are also necessary.
no=basically means anything from no to yes to stop talking to me..we havent quite figured it out yet since he says this to everything. even chocolate. and that obviously can't be right.
"ceanup and erybody"= are the only words he's mastered from the "cleanup cleanup song" its pretty dang cute though.

eat-ie=airplane. [dont ask me why]

ahhh-chooo=every time he or someone else sneezes. he's very consistent

hot hot=he knows everything that has the ability to be hot, and wont let you forget it.

that's all i can think of right now, but everyday he says something i haven't heard before and it is awesome.

california

A few weeks back, we went to california to visit my bestest friends steph and zach in Aliso Viejo, California! It was a super fun trip because we hardly ever get to see them...

When we got there Friday night, Steph planned an awesome steak dinner for us and her co-worker and his wife. It was bomb, especially the bread. yum yum yum. oh and we learned that real men like their steaks bloody. sickkkk. We ended the night rockin out at guitar hero!

The next day we headed out for the beach. We went to Huntington and Matix had the time of his life. He could play in the sand and pretend to play in the water for hours. (He would run near it, then when the waves would come in, he would run away as fast as his little legs could travel.)

He also turned 18 months while we were there! :)

That night we headed back to Huntington for my friend Lindsey's wedding. It was beautiful, and she was beautiful. and we got to hang out with Kelli and Dylan!!

It was a short, fun trip. :) I cant wait to go back!

im addcited....

to this website.

www.freebies4mom.blogspot.com

no seriously. there are so many awesome deals out there. and im getting them.

in the last week i got...

1. 50 FREE christmas cards! (still available through today!)
(http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/2009/11/last-day-for-50-free-4x8-photo-cards.html)

2. 3 FREE Photobooks (11 1/2" x 8 1/2 haha in your face darci!) that i can not wait to get in the mail! (expired)
(http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/2009/11/free-photo-book-still-available.html)

3. $14.95 Shipping & Handling for an 8x10 Photo Canvas (worth $50) (still available)
(http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/2009/11/free-8x10-photo-canvas-1495-s.html)

4. 3 Victorias Secret sweaters and a scarf for $32.00 worth over 70.00. (still available through Wed)
(http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/2009/11/victorias-secret-3-for-30-sweaters-deal.html)


yes. im addicted. and its fun.

and anyone who wants a christmas card from the masons...send me your address :)

family pictures 2009

my favoritest and most talented friend audrey came in town last week and offered to take our family pictures for christmas cards... and engagements that technically arent engagements at all (youll have to wait for those...) i absolutely love them and love her too. here are a few of the better ones...enjoy!!

thankful.

-that i graduate in LESS THAN 3 WEEKS!
-that i have 2 of my 5 papers basically done.
-that jon enjoys his job.
-that i got to sleep all night long with matix twice in the past week. we slept goooood.
-for audrey and her amazing picture taking skills. (she took our family christmas pictures and our "engagement" pictures that arent technically engagement pictures at all. nevertheless i love them all.)
-for the free christmas cards i made with audreys help.
-for tressy letting me raid her closet for said pictures. not once, not twice, but three times.
-for a half day of work today.
-for the meg-leys reunion that will be happening tonight at yogurtland at 7 pm. (i.cannot.wait)
-for the yummy dinner we will be eating tomorrow with jons family.
-for all christmas all the time on106.5
-for a husband who loves me. even when im a bratty brat.
-for the $35 diesel jacket of complete awesomeness that i scored for jon at buffalo exchange.
(it helped prevent him from buying the ugly $50 one at burlington that he really wanted)
-for parents who babysit and let us mooch off them indefinitely
-the Bravery having a new cd out next week.
-for darci who calls me daily with deals to take advantage of.
-and for natty calling me today and asking if i "was missing a bff cuz she she sure was" (i havent talked to her in like 3 days cuz im so busy!! :( i lover her)
-for layneys healthy baby boy adam
-for kelli for everything.
-for everyone who listens to me dream about wedding plans.
-for 2 best friends also getting "married" at the same time as me!
-that my ENTIRE family went to the cabin without us. (scratch that..im actually super sad about this...) stupid work+stupid homework=no bueno.
-and for the ability to be sealed to my husband and baby boy soon! :)

THE END
Happy Turkey Day
gobble gobble

introducing

Adam Michael Fender
born November 18,2009

both mommy and baby are home and healthy after a long labor that resulted in a c-section.
if you visit it is highly likely they will show you the video of the whole thing
i have now seen it twice.
thank you tom for capturing it for our viewing pleasure!

why do i hate grouchy old men you ask?

ohhhh let me tell you.


me and the bestie tres were having our daily discussion full of gossip, life, and boys (in her case, obviously)
somehow it came up that in our daily excursions we were both going to be finding ourselves at the post office later...
so we decide to make a date out of it and go together. precious, i know.
she has recently found herself as a personal assistant to the lia sophia queen. {no really.} and she needed to mail a trash bag of clothes. how do you even mail something that big? i have no clue.
so she bought a big box and target and to the post office we go. {me with a stack of certifieds in had for the office}
of course we made it there at umm 2:30. prime post office time so of course there was a long line.
oh well we're on a date and we're just having a blast. texting random boys who apparently are "5'9 and super fine." {i cant make these things up}
we go about our business and get helped.
i take forever because i have a million certifieds to send.
and tres takes a little less than forever because there was no labels to address her target box in line so she has to do it while mister post office man finishes taping up her ginormous box of clothes and ringing her up.
no big deal right? seems like a typical post office experience.
most often they are less-than-ideal im sure everyone can agree.
except we maybe held up the line a little longer than normal, but really? not our fault.
we laugh at the fact that the line has now made it out the door and we somewhat felt responsible. oops.
well as we were saying our goodbyes out front, an old man {when i say old i mean 60-70 years old} rampaged us.
yes. you heard me right.
he ran right up to tres and got in her face {like she could smell his breath} yelling at her.
saying, {and i quote}
"i cant believe that you would come to the post office in the middle of the day trying to mail and package that big and not even have the address pre-written. you are a selfish self-centered little bleep. and who do you think you are using MY tape that i pay for with MY tax dollars. i cant believe peolpe like you..."

and he continued for a good three minutes... i kid you not.

tres stared at him in disbelief.

I {being the vocal person I am} was soooo pissed that this was even happening right now.
that the word vomit of pissiness just slipped right out of me and i started yelling back.
yes i made a scene.
i told him {i mean screamed back at him} that we pay taxes too and so that tape is just as rightfully ours to use. and it was not our fault that the labels weren't out for us to use. and if you dont wanna wait in line dont come to the post office at 2:30 in the afternoon. and we waited our turn in line just like everyone else so we deserved to be helped just like anyone else...however that may be. and we didnt do anything wrong and he needs to get the hell away from my friend and go back to where he came from. ugghhh i was so mad. im sure there was more....but you get the jist.

he flips me of while still yelling at me and then he finishes the scream-fest with "it's not my fault that you were born ugly."

holy heck. did he really just say that? yes why yes he did.
i mean i know i didn't look good yesterday but really mister grouchy post office man. your argument was so weak that you felt like you need to insult my looks???

i am fuming by now if you didnt already guess.
so what did i do? the super real mature thing and stand in front of his car and continue yelling at him so he couldnt leave. yep i did. he pulled out a badge. pretending that he was a cop. but he wasnt. and i put my hands up so he could arrest me.

people, i was pissed. I am still pissed.

but my question now is...why do old people {or people in general, really} think that they can be so freaking rude??? i just dont get it...

and i know i was wrong for reacting how i did. {props to tres for staying cool} but i just could not contain myself.
all stupid grouchy mean people should just DIE!

i cant believe

that my baby boy is

18 months old!!!

carlsbad california 2008

huntington beach california 2009

we just love this little guy so much. He's our little stinker butt.

here are a few things he's up to these days...

1. he loves to go buh-bye. it doesn't matter who with..he just wants to go. he will even get his shoes from his room and bring them to you!

2. he loves loves the baby Einstein movies. i dont know what it is be he could watch them over and over again.

3. he almost knows how to count (and by almost i mean he only knows the number 2. and when he says it it really means "daddy throw me in the air" in matix language)

4. he loves bath time and anytime he gets dressed he repeats bath bath bath a million times.

5. reading books is his all time favorite thing to do. its the bedtime ritual and he is not happy until we read together. when he knows it's bed time, he says "book book book" until we give in.

6. he loves his grandpa more than anyone else. and recently started calling him "papa." my dad was so excited.

7. every day at 4 "papa" and matix watch bonanza together. as soon as matix hear's the infamous song he starts saying "horsey. horsey. horsey" (they are made for each other)

8. he is almost pro at peek--a--boo

9. he gives "high five" and "bump it" on command. he especially loves when you "boom" the "bump it"

10. he's horrible in nursery now that he's finally able to stay by himself. he scream and screams until grandpa comes and plays with him and the other kids. (I think my dad needs to be called in there. he's perfect for the job. and i know he secretly enjoys it)

11. he loves bikes, tricycles, and his fire truck. (he can ride that thing forever)

12. he is super ticklish.

13. he is more of a little man than a baby anymore.

14. yet he gives the best snuggles.

15. he still dances whenever he hears music. its pretty dang cute.

16. he and his daddy love to play video games together. matix has his own controller and his own bluetooth earpeice. :) he is the biggest copycat. anything youre doing..he wants to do.

17. anytime we get in the car, his shoes and socks are the first things to come off..and then he continues to say "shoes shoes shoes" the majority of the ride.

18. he is super soft to babies. anyone little, whether they are his age, older, or younger, are all "babies" in matix's world. he loves babies!!

happy 18 months little boy.

you sure are loved!!

we are getting married...

round two.

but this time its for real.
because it's for time and all eternity.



so we are throwing a wedding to celebrate.
because lets face it--last time it was in less-than-ideal circumstances.
but we did as we were advised and now the time is approaching to do it right.
and finally be sealed to each other and our baby boy :)

so mark your calendars...
March 13, 2010
is going to be a good good day.

you be the judge...

so today for probably the 40th or 50th time in my life I was told i look like sandra bullock. yes the sandra freaking bullock. i have always been completely baffled by this. i just don't see it at all.

I remember the first time was my best friends mom and their maid when i was young..like 10 or 11... and blonde and not cute, let me remind you.

then my sister and her companion on her mission wrote me a letter once telling me.

and it has escalated from there. and so on and so forth. now i have heard it from a crap ton of random people here and there.

and then today a customer at work told me again. she said {and i quote... }
"omg. you look just like Sandra Bullock...but I'm sure you get that all the time."
I replied, "Well, I've gotten it before, but I would exactly say all the time...but i seriously don't get it at all."
"It's your smile. It's definitely your smile."

this has become out of control. and needs to be settled once and for all...



yes?? or no??

camera issues.

so my camera broke. it was horrible. my sister took a picture of us and then bam it died. only it literally died, not like the battery died. It didnt even suck in the lens. i thought the battery was bad so i took it to the store to see if it was... but it wasnt. i am sad.

now onto the real issue. normally i would just go buy a new one because it is a necessity. duh. {anyone who knows me, knows that i am very camera happy and have that sucker anytime any place.} you cannot live without a camera. especially with a little boy who is about to be 18 months next week :) and a vacation to california coming up this weekend. and thanksgiving around the corner. and...christmas. my most favoritest time of the year. it's a sin to think of going through these next few months without a beloved camera. am i right or am i right??

that's what i thought.

well now that i am married. and i have a husband who has an opinion about our financial decisions...i was put right back in my place. {this marriage stuff all of a sudden became so not fun} he claims that a camera is not a necessity nor a want in his opinions. {say what??} he is ridiculous. {yet a new rifle apparently is a need? men. i tell ya...} so my solution..i will get a camera for christmas and you will not be allowed to be in any pictures. {i'm a brat..but really he's the brat for thinking a camera is not important} i mean i know it's not needed for survival but it is pretty dang important. especially to mothers.

anyways the argument dissolved the past few days and i went about my daily activities staring at my stupid broken camera whose lens isnt even sucked in {that may or may not have been conveniently placed on the bathroom counter to haunt us both....}

and then today jon called me and told me i could go ahead and buy a new camera. i was shocked. speechless. and curious.

apparently my dad talked some sense into him?? i dont get it. he's a man too so i have no idea what was said but who freaking cares.

hallelujah!!

so i compromised and shipped it off to canon to get repaired for a cheaper price.

oh.the.married.life.
i think things will work out fine if jon continues to see things the right way. aka my way :)

okay not really but i am so excited!! thanks babe!!

guess what!?!!

megan is engaged!!!!!

come march, april, or may
(she hasn't picked a date)
she will officially become
Mrs. Travis Draney!!

i am so excited for her and can hardly wait.
however..this also means she will be moving to arizona. (he lives there)
but she will continue doing her little nurse thing here at umc.

hopefully i still get to see her all the time because i freaking love her.

congrats!

Halloweeeeeeeeen!

i love love love halloween. it's probably my favorite holiday. I love dressing up. I love the decorations. I love the candy. I love it all. And now that I have a kid, it makes it that much funner. Now for anyone who knows me...knows that i love princess jasmine. and since jon just so happens to resemble aladdin (my little streetrat) i basically forced him and matix to dress up with me! i loved it. i figure the older matix gets, the less likely i will be able to pick his costumes...making this year the year. We started early making the costumes and here's how it turned out :]

Amazing...Right??

Friday Night...
we had our ward trunk.or.treat. we did it inside this year, because well, our church isnt in the greatest of neighborhoods....and lets just say that in the past we've had quite the turn out.

Saturday
my mom had a little halloween party saturday afternoon for all the cousins. it was pretty much the funnest thing for matix to play with his little cousins in their costumes. they played some donuts eating games which was hilarious to watch. matix stole everyone's donuts.
 
Saturday Night
we stopped by darci and devins trunk.or.treat prior to hittin up the streets to go trick.or.treating. It was so much fun to got knock on doors like the old days as a kid. it's been years since I've gotten to do it, and I loved it. Matix loved it too. He would yell run run run trying to keep up with madeline flying from house to house. We made out with a lot of candy and jon is stoked. haha.





after jon got off work, and matix was sound asleep, mommy and daddy met up with some friends, paris and lisa to go costume party hopping. we made it to three completely different halloween parties. 1 mormon dance party. 1 drunk.or.treat and 1 asian techno breakdown. and ended with del taco. yummmy. we had a blast.




Happy Halloween!!

half off...

equals...


a fabulous trip to san francisco with the buhls in january.
{thank you southwest.com for your 72 hours sale}
we'll just call it a happy graduation present. okay? okay.

AND


3 pairs of shoes for $4
1 pair of matix shoes for $8.50
and a hat and scarf for $5 each

{thank you oprah for 50% off their entire store}

{and anyone else who wants to take advantage of this sale for today ONLY text 242424 oprahshow and enjoy :)}


yes i splurged the past two days.
but i cant help myself when there's sweet deals to be taken advantage of :)

this weekend...

we did all sorts of things.

1.) jon's buddy tyler herdt from high school got home from the mish in peru. it was fun to see a lot of jon's high school friends over at the herdt household and watch him talk in church. we love tyler.

2.) went to brand new. {not u2 like 40,000 others} but im not even jealous of them. because brand new rocked it. and played a million songs--old and new. and i loved every second of it. except for the part where we ran into an ex. and a jon ex. awesome.


3.) i bought some new boots [and shirts] from buffalo exchange. {love that place} i think i like them?


4.) helped my sister go eighties for a birthday party. {no pictures of her because her husband threatened to throw the beloved iphone out the window if i documented her in a turquoise green body suit with a major camel toe. sickkkk.} but she ended up wearing something like this...

{check out them glasses. they were theresa's from way back when. and the fanny pack was steph's i believe. awesome, i know}

although this outfit was a close runner up.

{go mom for still owning these hideous-ities.}

5.) jon started training at tony romas and on his first day training, he got tables since it was so busy. and he handled it like a champ. saturday (halloween) is his first day waiting his own tables so go see him!! (lake mead and rainbow) and throw him a big tip :) {ive never been there before so hopefully it's good}

6.) played with the big boys..on the tractors. MY DAD FINALLY STARTED HIS GARAGE. like really started it. it only took about 15 years?
{{here's the story of the garage...it is the ultimate man's garage. IT IS BIGGER THAN OUR HOUSE. yes people. and our house isnt small. it is two stories. holds something like 9 cars. [i could be wrong] oh and it has a lift. dont even worry. you know to lift a car to the second level to load it. duh... oh and i alsmost forgot...im pretty sure there's a bathroom in it somewhere. who knows. }}
anyways. it's begun. and it's moving along. and matix loves loves loves to help. so we spent the better part of saturday outside observing and "helping" my dad and uncle ron :)


7.) watched the guardian. we've been trying to watch it for a few days now. and we finally did. and i loved every second of it. i love love that movie.


8.) matix may (or may not have) broken skin on two more teeth! he's been not sleeping as well and had a runny nose so it's about time something happens. poor guy. teething is rough on all parties involved.

9.) i got my graduation announcements in that mail! this means it's for real. right? (if i pass my classes i guess.)


i think that's all. yes, i know you were all aching to know :)