Ryan and Stacey's visit!

It has been way too long. I started too many posts at once because I was having a hard time uploading pictures. I finally figured it out!

We had so much fun with Ryan and Stacey and our adorable niece and nephews in November. Maddox was so cuddly from the second they arrived and I loved every minute of it. He was especially cuddly right before they left, which made it really hard for me to say goodbye. He is at such a fun age. I was able to spend a whole day at Disneyland with them and we had a blast. I was so excited for Aiden to ride the Toy Story Midway Mania ride. Although they were here for almost a week, I still didn't get my fill. Like always when our family leaves, our apartment was quiet and lonely as soon as they left. I loved the one-on-one time I had with them. It is so nice to have that time with them here, because when we go to Utah we see everyone at once and don't get a lot of time to talk to each person.

So cute!

Maddox

I would skip every ride it I could do this instead

Aiden was picked to be trained to be a Jedi!

He couldn't have had a more magical experience at Disneyland. The boy has had a sword in his hand every time I see him! This was right up his alley.

The green army men

At the mall. I love these pictures! Foxy ladies

How cute is she? With her front teeth missing, LOVE it!

6 going on 25. (She's 7 now) This just killed me when I walked in the room. So adorable.

I asked for a picture of the two of them and this is what I got. Go figure.

Lydie getting her groove on at H&M. She is so fun. She lights up a room with just her smile. But you should really see her dance.

Aside from the warm weather, Disneyland, beaches, and palm trees, my favorite part about living here is all the visitors we get that want to come to Cali. But Here's to hoping everyone comes again this year! (HINT HINT....)

Quick update

This last month has been so fun. My sis and her family came to visit the end of October, and Kyle's brother Ryan and his family came and stayed last week. We had been looking forward to their visits all year and are both bummed that they're gone, but are excited to see them again in MI for Thanksgiving and UT for Christmas. I LOVE this time of year, and I'm finding it is easy to get into the holiday spirit as it is getting chilly here in the evenings. I started listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween and Kyle's a good sport-he had it playing on Pandora the other night for me. Kyle's last day of student teaching is tomorrow! He has enjoyed it but is also ready to be done. I'm so happy for him, and glad for both of us that he won't be so busy! I have been keeping busy working on several different crafting projects. Work has picked up a little this week-fingers crossed that it stays that way!

I am going to post pictures of the Prosser's and Haskell's trips soon, just haven't had time on the computer yet to go through them all.

Ralph's

My new favorite store. I always see it on my coupon website but I didn't know it existed in California until this week. And what a great week for this discovery because they are doubling coupons up to two dollars, meaning $1 coupons=$2 coupons. My friend Lindsey and I took advantage and bought everything we could for $2 that we had coupons for and got them FREE! I bought $230 dollars worth of groceries for...............drum roll..............$23! And that was because they made a mistake, it should have been $15. But I'm definitely not complaining. The first picture is everything and the second is everything that was free. I don't know why people feel the need to smoke to get high when they can just go shopping with coupons!!

How cute is my hubby?

I fall more in love with my husband for the little things he does all the time, such as doing the dishes, or making sure we read scriptures together. This one wasn't so "little"....

We're flying to Michigan on my birthday so he wanted to celebrate early. He escaped to our garage for a while tonight with the excuse that he was going through some old things. When I came down to get something out of my car, he came back inside through the other door. I returned to find 25 presents in our living room. He told me I could open them all tonight or open a few each day until we leave. They were so cute I couldn't stop. Each one had a note attached. They ranged from practical things that I've needed/wanted, such as new measuring cups and spoons, to funny things like a High School Musical key chain, to fun things like the Toy Story Midway Mania game similar to our favorite Disneyland ride. (It's like a video game you plug into your TV-so cool!) A few of my other favorites are things he picked out for me: a scarf, nail polish, lotions from Victoria Secret, and shoes (the note said Because girls just gotta have new shoes!). Also, new slippers with a note that says "Because I love you from head to footsie!" and hair ties that say "Because I love finding these all over our house" (hmm...sarcastic?) and the one that made me cry: a tiny baby dress with a note that said "You're going to be the best mom". As I was still drying my tears, I opened a package of adult diapers that said, "Because I will love to change your diapers someday". That even made me cry. He's so thoughtful and always keeps me laughing. Love him!

The Prosser's visit...finally!

My sis and her family came to visit the end of October and we had so much fun. One of our best and mutual friends, Lindsey, and her family planned their family vacation so we could all be here together. They stayed at a condo in Anaheim and invited us to crash with them a few days while we got our Disneyland on. We went for two days and it was the first time for all of the kids. I'm not sure if it was possible for them to be as excited as I was, but they definitely had a blast. We arrived 30 min early the first day so we could be one of the first in line to see the princesses. Skyler's three favorites just happened to be there and this picture of her waiting her turn to meet Sleeping Beauty says it all.

Some of the characters were dressed up for Halloween

Blake is a huge Toy Story fan

Nash and Gracie

Kyle met up with us after work

We were all wiped out by the end of each day. The first night Skyler went straight to the barstools when we got home. The second night we watched the World of Color show and Skyler was passed out in her stroller before it even started.

I managed to get lots of cuddling time with Gracie in even at Disneyland. That baby is so sweet!! Despite our exhaustion, the adults stayed up and played games a little every night. We've really missed all hanging out together. We need more vacations like this.

We stayed in Yucaipa the rest of their visit and it was nice to just sit around our apartment and visit. Mitch left early to go back to work. Steph and I took the girls to Sea World one day and had a blast there. I'll post pictures of that in another post because I'm having issues with this one Skyler claims Sea World as her favorite part of the trip and we loved it too. The Sea lion, dolphin, and especially the Shamu show never ceases to amaze me. It was fun to hear Skyler giggle at the funny things they do. She's growing up so much! It was fun to spend so much time with her. She had a hard time leaving-she even asked if she could live at Kiki's house. I managed to control myself at the airport, but I cried for a couple days after. Apparently Skyler did too. :(

The last night they were here, we went to our ward Halloween party. Steph and I convinced Kyle to dress as black eyed peas with us. Most people didn't get it, we had to explain what we were. One lady just nodded sympathetically and said "Ohhhh last minute idea?" Skyler wore her Cinderella dress she wore to Disneyland and my friend Lindsey's little girl Macy was wearing the same thing! Skyler and Macy adored each other. And Lindsey's baby, Carsyn, was Gus Gus! She was so stinkin' cute. I'm also stealing a picture from my sister's blog of Skyler and Gracie's real Halloween costume because they are adorable as well.

Tom and Paula

My dad's brother and his wife vacationed in California a couple weeks ago which was exciting for us because we were able to spend time with them. They live in Colorado and it had been a while since I had seen them and it was the first time for Kyle. We met them in Palm Springs and had a really yummy dinner at a mexican restaurant and then went to their condo in Palm Desert. They had an extra bedroom in their condo and invited us to stay with them which was so much fun. We stayed up late playing Euchre, a card game that only Michiganders seem to know that I really miss playing it. It was one of the first things my family taught Kyle. The next morning Kyle and my Uncle Tom played tennis and then we all relaxed and hung out by the pool. Later in the week I was able to spend the day at Disneyland/California Adventure with them and we had a blast. They have always been so much fun. My aunt Paula is up for anything and Tom is such a good sport that he at least pretends to be even if he's not. (He did put his foot down when it came to the "It's a small world" ride and the Snow white ride). Tom was cracking me up the whole time I was with him because his mannerisms and facial expressions are identical to my dad's. They are both funny guys. Made me miss my dad even more. Anyway, I had so much fun with my aunt and uncle and was so glad they invited us to be a part of their vacation. It meant so much to me.

Update

Kyle came home with great news last week. His career is taking a turn as he was just offered a job with Merrill Lynch! The interviewing process didn't take long and was a little overwhelming for us because in just a matter of days we had to make the decision of whether or not to stay in California for now. We hope our family and friends know we didn't take that decision lightly. We miss you all so much and it isn't easy being away from you. That being said, it is an amazing opportunity for him, and after talking and praying about it, we decided if he was giving the offer he wouldn't turn it down. The next thing we knew, Kyle was taking tests and meeting with the head honcho in Palm Desert who offered him the job on the spot! I think it sounds like the perfect job for him. One thing I've learned about Kyle over the last couple years is he is always up for a challenge, and loves to take on and learn new things. Like everything else he excels at, I know he will put forth the effort needed and will have fun doing it. It sounds like the training is pretty intense- he will have to study and take several test in order to get all of licensing he needs. They're putting him to work already in a few weeks. He'll start studying during his "free time". I'm so excited for him, and proud of all of his accomplishments. And I am especially grateful for our Heavenly Father's Hand in this. It was neat because we fasted a few weeks ago for more success with work, and he happened to get his first interview that week. It is definitely a huge blessing in our life right now, especially because we will receive full benefits starting right away.

On a duller note, I'm still not feeling up to par and my job is not getting busier like I was hoping it would now that fall is here. I've been thinking about looking for something else, but the idea bums me out. I really like the spa that I'm at and was hoping to build a steady clientele. I don't like giving up, and I'll feel like a failure it I do so. At the same time, I'm not making much money and that's not so fun. If I were feeling better I would just look for a second job and do both, but I think I need to focus what little energy I have on just one job right now. One nice thing about the spa is that we have several different ways of marketing. I've been going to LA Fitness every other week and doing complimentary seated massages and handing out business cards, and I'm a part of a few different networking groups that meet together and help each other refer business. These things are in the evenings and it would be hard to get another job while trying to get more business at the spa. Also, I'm not sure where to look for a job. I'm afraid it would be hard to get flexible hours at a restaurant or store during the Holidays. We're going to MI for a week for Thanksgiving, and to Utah for 5 days for Christmas.

Between the lack of work and the low energy, it has been easy to get pretty down. I'm taking several supplements packed with different vitamins and I have noticed a slight increase in energy. Today was the best so far, so I'm really hoping it continues to get better. I decided I needed some projects to keep me busy and make me feel better, so I've been making crafts with a couple friends, and I've also started piano lessons! It's something I have always wanted to do, and I decided there won't be a better time than now. Our Stake Relief Society President is in our ward and we are trading lessons for massages. I have a keyboard I borrowed from my brother (which I'm hoping he doesn't want back anytime soon) so I will practice on that between lessons. I love it so far- my goal is to be playing Christmas music by December. I've also started couponing with my friend Lindsey and we are having a blast doing it. We have added a lot to our food storage and most of it was free or practically free. I've been saving between 50% and 90% on my grocery trips. The other day we went to Rite Aid and got 10 bags of candy for a $5 profit. Love it!

One thing that is helping me get out of bed in the morning is knowing my sister and her family are coming to visit in just 9 days!! I'm sooo looking forward to that. I can't WAIT to take my niece to Disneyland and meet princesses for the first time. We are also anticipating a visit from Ryan and Stacy's family in November which we are also soooo excited about.

And last but definitely not least, we have a new niece! Tabitha Amy Haskell. She was only 5 lbs 14 oz and she's so adorable! We haven't seen her yet (and it's killing me!) but I stole this picture from Stacy's facebook. :)