Courtland & Stacy

Birthday Freebies

2011-01-21T22:53:00.001-07:00

http://moneysavingmom.com/birthday-freebies

There are some really great ones!

Miracle!!

2010-12-22T00:41:00.003-07:00

I know, it's a miracle that I am on here ready to post. Mostly because I need to find a way to sort out my feelings and emotions while Court sleeps. He's been working crazy hrs, so I'm unable to talk to him more than a few min a day...

Most of this is me venting about things, and feel the need to write down my feelings so feel free to skip if you like. It's not a super positive post.

So we thankfully were able to get pregnant 5 months ago!! Such exciting news! I got really super sick for a while, but unlike my pregnancy with Carter I got over it. ( With Carter I was pregnant the whole 9 months) Because of being sick at the beginning I currently weigh about a lb or two less then when I actually got pregnant... but hey we are getting there.

Right about the time I quit throwing up 6 times a day, I went on a trip to New York with some girls from my new ward. We had so much fun, the first 2 days. I then had a big scare and started bleeding like a period and cramping all night long. From then to now I have been on "couch rest" which is not quite as strict as bed rest, but I have to stay home as much as possible, and just go out when I know I can sit pretty much the whole time. I am able to take care of Carter, but that's about it. It's not my personality to sit at home, but I am getting more and more used to it, and it's totally worth it to have a baby. Emotionally it's hard to not get out and have adult conversation, that's really the hardest part about it.

I have had about 6 ultrasounds before today, checking up on the baby... I found out the sex at 14 weeks, and confirmed it at 16 weeks. It's a girl!! Now I am 20 weeks, and had the big ultrasound where they check for all the parts today. I was hoping they would tell me my placenta has moved away from my cervix, but it hasn't. It is concerning to the Dr's because I may need to go on hard core bed rest if it doesn't move, as well as it would be pretty hard to go close to full term in it's current position.

Also, when I was pregnant with Carter I grew a Dermoid Cyst on my left Ovary. 3 months after I had Carter I had to get a surgery where they opened me up like a c-section and remove my left ovary. Now, I am growing a new Dermoid Cyst on my right ovary, which means after this baby is born I will have to have it removed. There is a tiny chance they can save a portion of the ovary, but it's not looking too likely.... Which means I will be left with no more ovaries, and no more girlie hormones, and Hello menopause!! As if this wasn't enough news for me to handle in a day, the scariest part came next. There are a couple growths they found on the babies brain, that hopefully will go away, but if not it is an indicator of a chromosome issue, that can cause mental problems, small chance of down syndrome etc.

I am still so thankful I have a baby coming to me, but I am struggling emotionally with all of the issues. Although, deep down I know I can't control any of this, I feel like it's my fault the problems are happening. I've been a basket case all day. My face is swollen and eyes are burning from all the crying.

Court has been working about 80 hrs a week for the past 3 weeks straight, which makes it even more crazy. With a almost 17 year old Dakota, and a 2 1/2 year old Carter, I am sure I am on my feet more than I should be. Can't wait for this Chevron Refinery problems to be done with so I can have my husband back!! I literally talk to him about 20 min a day.... maybe...

On that note. I really hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!!!!!!! Love you all! I will try and post more positive posts in the future =D And more often too!

And here she is:

Easy Recipies

2010-05-06T19:46:00.002-06:00

Thank you to everyone that gave me a recipe (or more than one!) I really really appreciate it! I am going to try them all in the next couple weeks. Ashley we just had your italian chicken tonight and it was SOOOOOO good! I might add a little less butter next time, but it was just heavenly!! I will seriously make it like once a week! Mmmm mmm!

1. Caramel Popcorn
2 bags popped popcorn (microwave)1 c. brown sugar1/4 c. light corn syrup1 cube buttermix brown sugar, butter and corn syrup on stove top and bring to a boil, then add:1/2 tea. baking sodamix and pour over popcorn

2. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 pkg Spice Cake Mix1 Can pumpkin1 pkg choclate chipsMix, and bake350 degrees for 15 minutes...yum

3. Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies
1 pkg junior mints1 pkg chocolate chip cookie dough (refrigerated kind)Bake cookies, when out of the oven place a mint on each cookie and when it is melted, spread over cookie.cool and eat

4. Apple Dip
1 pkg cream cheese6 TBS brown sugarcinnamon (to taste)1 1/2 tea. vanillaMix and serve with apples

5. Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 box white cake mix2 eggs1/3 c. oilchocolate chips
Cook on 350 for 9 Min.

6. Enchiladas!Ingredients:Tortillas (I use the 10 inch size)2-3 chicken breastsenchilada sauce (packet from McCormick or El Pato you choose!)Cheese*Preheat oven to 350 degrees1. Boil the chicken until it's cooked through (usually about 10 min if its thawed 15 if frozen)2. Shred the chicken (I do this with two forks and it's pretty fast go against the grain)3. Get the sauce ready (make it if it's the packet or open the can)4. Put the shredded chicken (it's best to let it cool a bit), enchilada sauce and about 1/2 a cup of cheese in a bowl and mix5. pour some enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Just enough to coat the bottom6. put a line of filling down the center of the tortilla shell and roll them up placing them in the pan7. once the pan is filled (usually 8-10 enchiladas) pour the remaining sauce over the top and make sure each enchilada is coated with it otherwise the enchiladas will dry out8. cover the enchiladas with cheese! 9. Bake for about 10 - 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly all over10. ENJOY!

7. Crock pot chili (it makes a ton, but you can adjust the reciepe)1 lb. ground hamburger or sausage (or mixture) browned2 large cans tomatoes (can be chopped or diced; drain 1 can)2 large cans kidney beans; drained2 large cans chili beans1 16 oz can Chili con Carne no beansspices to taste (i like chili powder, red pepper flakes and salt&pepper)Throw it all together in the crock pot and leave it on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Make sure to stir occasionally to mix the flavors (this is more important for the last hour prior to serving)

8. Taco Soup2 cans corn 2 cans minestrone soup2 cans kidney beans 2 lbs hamburger2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoesCook hamburger, drain. Add remaining ingredients, heat through.

9. Taco Soup2 cans corn 2 cans minestrone soup2 cans kidney beans 2 lbs hamburger2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoesCook hamburger, drain. Add remaining ingredients, heat through.Chicken Enchiladas 4 chicken breast (cooked and shredded) 2 cans cream of chicken 8 tortillas 1/2 cube of butter16 oz. grated cheddar cheese 1 cup milk16 oz. sour cream 1 can green chillies Combine sour cream, soup, butter, milk and chillies. Mix together in saucepan over medium heat until creamy. Cover bottom of large baking pan with a few spoonfuls of sauce. Place on tortillas: a little chicken followed by a spoonful of sauce mix, followed by a little grated cheese. Roll tightly and place side by side in pan. Pour remaining sauce over top of rolled tortillas and spread evenly. Sprinkle the top with cheese and bake. Bake 350 for 30 mins. Serve with taco sauce if you want a little spice.

10. BBQ Chicken SandwichesCook and shred chicken breasts. Add BBQ sauce. Place on Croissants.
Chicken salad
Grill a piece of chicken and cut it up and throw it on a salad.

11. Pasta Salad
Boil noodles. Add at least three veggies and/ or cheese (whatever veggies happen to be in the fridge) oh and/ or olivesadd mayoand mustard if you want
Add a packet of ranch dressing
Much better than a box suddenly salad, plus you get to use fresh veggies.Much better than a box of suddenly salad, plus you get to add fresh veggies.

12. Chicken Casserole
3-4 chicken breasts
¾ cup mayo or whatever you prefer
4 cups cooked rice
8 slices of cheese
Shredded cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
Cook the chicken and cut into cubes. Cook rice and put in 9x13 pan. Mix the chicken, mayo, soup and a handful or so of shredded cheese. Put the sliced cheese on top of the rice. Put the chicken mixture on top of that. Sprinkle more shredded cheese on top o that. Cook on 350 for 20 min.

13. Chicken Lickin’ *This one is from me =D My Mom used to make it for us all the time for Sunday dinners. SOOOO good! You just throw it all it and bake. Doesn't get much easier than this =D
Lay 4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts in 9x13 pan.
Put 1 thick piece swiss cheese on each breast.
Place 1 thick piece of ham on each piece of swiss cheese
Mix (in separate bowl) 1 can of cream of chicken soup and one small tub of sour cream.
Dump mixture on top of everything else.
Bake for about 1 hr 20 min on 350 degrees.
You can get creative and add other veggies or ingredients. We have used cooked bacon, etc. Very yummy! Also a good side is just a baked potato and you can use the extra sauce for the gravy. If you want extra gravy just use one extra can of cream of chicken soup.

14. Turkey Avacado Swiss open faced sandwiches
1 loaf french bread - cut in half horizontallySpread mayo on both sides - face upLayerSlices of turkey breasts
Sliced Avocados
Swiss Cheese
Place on baking sheet and bake at 425 for about 15 min or until cheese is melted and bread is toastedSliced AvacadosSwiss CheesePlace on baking sheet and bake at 425 for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is toasted.

15. Catalina Cashew Chicken
Place uncooked chicken breasts or chicken tenders in greased casserole dish.Sauce:1 bottle Catalina Dressing1 Jar apricot pineapple jam
1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix
1 C cashew pieces
Stir sauce and pour over chicken
Bake covered at 350 for 1 hr. Serve with Rice, or baked potato.

16. Easy Linguini PastaHeat 1/2 c evoo in large pot. Add 3Tbsp. chopped garlic. Add 6 Tbsp. lemon juice, 4 tsp. chicken bullion and 1 tsp. pepper. Stir until dissolved. Add in 1 box of linguine pasta (cooked to box directions and drained), 1/4 c fresh chopped parsley and 1/2 c Parmesan cheese. Add grilled chicken and/or broccoli if desired. Serve immediately.

17. Kristy’s no name recipe
4 chicken breasts (thawed)1 teaspoon curry powder1 12-oz jar of chili sauce (Homeade brand is best)1 cup heavy whipping cream(Can use half and half or wholemilk or a combination of twoof the three to equal 1 cup) Mix curry powder with chili sauce and pour over chicken in a bag. Let sit over night or for 8 hours. Put chicken and sauce in a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Pour whipping cream over the chicken and sauce and cook for 20 more minutes or until chicken is done.Serve chicken on top of bow-tie pasta and pour the sauce the chicken cooked in over the chicken and pasta.This is REALLY good and very simple, you just have to plan ahead so it can sit overnight. Double or triple the sauce recipe according to how much chicken you are cooking. I like this dish with a lot of the sauce to pour on the chicken and pasta, so make plenty!1 envelope Lipton onion soup mix1 C Cashew piecesStir sauce and pour over chicken.Bake, covered, at 350 for 1 hour. Serve with rice or baked potatoes.

18. Italian Chicken
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts1 cup butter or margarine (Tim and I both like it better with margarine)1 packet dry italian salad dressing mixPut ingredients into crockpot for 4-6 hours on high (Mine usually cooks in four hours...but my crock pot cooks things rather fast)After chicken is cooked...add one package cream cheese and one can cream of chicken soup. Shread chicken and mix it all together. Serve over rice.It is really really yummy. I like to put a little bit of lemon on top of mine...but I also like to put lemon on everything :).

add a packet of ranch dressing.add a packet of ranch dressing. Much better than a box suddenly salad, plus you get to use fresh veggies. I know how to make ranch dressing too, but I thought this would be more simple. Probably doesn't go with your diet tho.add a packet of ranch dressing. Much better than a box suddenly salad, plus you get to use fresh veggies. I know how to make ranch dressing too, but I thought this would be more simple. Probably doesn't go with your diet tho.

19. Easy Linguini PastaHeat 1/2 c evoo in large pot. Add 3Tbsp. chopped garlic. Add 6 Tbsp. lemon juice, 4 tsp. chicken bullion and 1 tsp. pepper. Stir until dissolved. Add in 1 box of linguine pasta (cooked to box directions and drained), 1/4 c fresh chopped parsley and 1/2 c Parmesan cheese. Add grilled chicken and/or broccoli if desired. Serve immediately.

20.
chicken alfredo! all you need is bone less chicken breast. bacon. broccoli. a jar of alfredo sauce. and spaghetti noodles! Just cook bacon and cut up. Cook chicken in pan with garlic powder. Cut chicken into little strips. Boil broccoli. Boil noodles and heat up sauce. Combine ingredients cooking for 10 min.
If you can think of any more recipies (ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE READING THIS AND HAVEN'T DONATED ANY) Please add to this by posting it under "comments". Thanks again everyone!! I am actually excited to cook now.

Easy Recipe

2010-05-02T23:27:00.003-06:00

I am hoping that everyone reading my blog would do me a huge favor! I don't ask for favors very often, but I am hoping that you all will give me your most easy, favorite recipe. This could be a cassorole type recipe, or anything. The only thing I ask is that it's easy.

For everyone that helps me out I will give all the Recipes I recieve to each of you so you can either leave it/them here or e-mail to stacychivers@yahoo.com, or e-mail to my facebook account. I want to compile a bunch of them together because I am really bored of my menu selections...

Thanks a ton! I really really really super appreciate it!

Moving

2010-03-07T18:36:00.002-07:00

I still have pics to post from our January vacation, as well as our St George gettaway... I have been keeping too busy to blog, but
WE ARE MOVING!!!!
I am very excited to say the least! We only had our house on the market for 3 days, and we had an over full price offer. I toured each and every home in our neighborhood that is on the market (and there are a ton of them) so I could price it correctly. I also staged my house perfectly and we pretty much didn't live here for 3 days so it would stay perfect. Whala, we will be here for about a month and then so long to Hamilton Farms =D
HELLO to DAYBREAK!
We found an awesome home brand new from Hamlet homes. It is exactly the lifestyle change we are looking for! You all know my back sucks, and last year I did a # on it trying to make our yard pretty because Court was too busy and gone tons of hrs. So now instead of working in the yard I will be taking Carter to the pool, or the lake. The hoa covers all of our boat check out's, they have a HUGE recreation center with a daycare onsite where you can pay 3 bucks an hr for a trained adult to watch your kids while you workout. This is all included in my hoa so there are no additional fees to use the facility.(now I have no excuses, huh) So many fun volleyball courts, tennis courts, splash parks, regular parks, I think Carter is going to have a very good life there. Each day he can go to a different playground!

I hope all of you with kids come visit me everyday in the summer to go to the splashparks etc, and all of you without kids come when your not working! We will play on the lake all the time =D

YAY for no yard work! And new places to decorate =D
We are going to be selling quite a bit of furniture, lawn mower, weed wacker etc on ksl, I will keep ya'll updated in case you need any of that stuff.

shedding lb's

2010-01-28T12:59:00.002-07:00

We just got back from our cruise! I will post pic's in a few days, but I wanted to share my secret to getting ready for swim suits.

My good friend Lacie lost a bunch of weight and I asked her what her secret was. I am so glad she told me because it TOTALLY worked for me too! And, it's not really a diet.... it's a lifestyle change that is do-able. Trust me, it was hard just because I wanted top results fast as the cruise was my deadline. I was able to maintain this lifestyle through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years... with all those parties I was still able to lose 15 lbs!!

It's 100% free to use this website called: myfitnesspal.com

How it works: You put in information about yourself. How old are you? How much do you weigh? What is your goal? It tells you what your goal for each day should be as far as calories ect. WAIT don't get scared! You don't have to do all the calorie counting. You can eat anything you want, it just teaches you to limit your portions.

What I love about it the most is you can eat anything. Say you ate a Jr Bacon Cheeseburger from Wendy's on your way home. Just plug it in on myfitnesspal. You don't have to know or look up how many calories they have. Seriously most every restaurant is on there. I ate a lot of healthy choice meals, and "Smart Ones" meals. "Smart Ones" is a weight watchers brand of food. They totally fill you up and teach you the size of portions you should be eating. They have yummy treats too, like brownies and ice cream. I would let myself have the treats whenever I felt like it, but since they were a good size portion it satisfied my cravings.

I am probably giving way too many details now.

One more cool tool it has is if you are willing to work out, you can put in what you did when you worked out. A list pops up and you say how long you did the excersize for and it guestamates how many calories you burned and gives you extra you can eat that day. If you know how many calories you burned through other equipment you can put it in yourself if you prefer.

I am saying everything. It really is quite simple though. If any of you want to shed some lb's I highly recommend using this tool. I did this the same time my friend did weight watchers and we lost the exact same amount of weight. We are also the same height and the same before and after weights as well, so why spend the money when you can do it on your own?

I'm not saying it wasn't hard work, because it is SO hard to eat only one brownie and not the whole pan. It is hard to go to Christmas parties and not have one of everything.... but I am glad I did. I took a few cute and much smaller swim suits than I would have/ could have a couple months earlier.

I wont lie, by the end of the cruise I did get a pooch in my tummy. I did gain a little but not near as much what I gained last year on the cruise...

So once again if any of you are interested it is myfitnesspal.com. I did it for 2 1/2 months OVER THE HOLIDAYS and lost 15 lbs. If I can do it ANYONE can do it. Oh one more thing... I didn't work out more than 2 or 3 times until after Cmas when I got a wii fit plus! That thing is so fun and wonderful too! My friend worked out all the time. She ran like 3 miles a day or 5 sometimes... I am a little more lazy and less driven but it all worked out =D

Photo Shoot with Carter.

2009-11-19T10:47:00.014-07:00

Whitney and I took Carter to do this right after Halloween. So fun! I am such a proud Momma. I hope I'm not one of those Mom's that thinks her kid is cute only because he's mine. I think he's just the most good looking kid! Sometimes I just sit there and can't get enough of how stinkin' cute he is

Cottonwood High School's Homecoming dance, 2009

2009-10-15T22:25:00.005-06:00

Wow! I thought I would never be able to say that I went to homecoming again, but.... I DID IT!

These 2 girls are in the program we do foster care for. They are awesome girls and needed a Chaperone! I was jumping up and down saying pick me, pick me! I loved high school dances. I chose not to wear a dress because I didn't want to look like I was trying to fit in. I soon found that if I had worn a dress I probably would have looked like the old lady that is out of date. Holy cow! Dress styles have changed since I was in school. They have gone from long flow-ee and puffy princess dresses to form fitting high above the knee and definately sleeveless styles. Most don't have straps at all. Wow! These 2 girls had clothes on, but no one else seemed to have.

Utah State Fair

2009-09-18T08:48:00.003-06:00

We went to the fair last Friday (Hey I'm finally getting caught up! =D) It was lot's of fun. Court's brother Quinn and his daughter Sydney came with us, which made it even better. I love fair's and rodeo's well, especially fair's. It brings out every type of person. I feel a sence of community and it makes me think of how great our country is, and how thankful I am for the freedoms we have. Love it, love it, love it. If I ever buy a smoothie or drink, I am lucky if I get one sip because as soon as Carter sees it he says NA NA, NA NA, NA NAAAAAAAAAA!!!! NAAA NAAAAAA!!!! This is what he says when he's hungry or wants food. I even make sure to get him really hydrated before I buy smoothies because I know they are full of sugar and I would rather not give him sugar at night. Well, it never works.... NNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAA NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! =D It's precious though.

Quinn and Carter

This is what got me going. I am way to soft I know, but sitting at the rodeo people watching and Carter waving this flag as happy as could be. I was fighting tears so hard. I knew if Court looked over at me he would start laughing so I always try to just not do it or hide it and tell him later. lol

I think this picture is fun =D Daddy and Carter

Court's Mom told us that we couldn't leave the fair without seeing the sheep. She didn't tell us why, but we figured it out. These sheep were really hung!!!

Labor Day weekend

2009-09-14T22:36:00.006-06:00

Dead mouse we found in the sofa. I thought it smelt like a grandma's diaper... but this is what I found. yuk!

Bee's game

2009-09-14T12:50:00.004-06:00

Scott, brett, Court, Me & Carter

Court & Carter, Me, Nathan (one of Dakota's friends) and Dakota

Chivers Cabin

2009-09-14T12:47:00.002-06:00

Fun

2009-09-09T12:21:00.003-06:00

I've been very slow with updating my blog... but we have been doing lots of fun things these past couple months.

-Camping with friends
-Camping with the ward
-Cabin visits
-Bee's games
-Planning our next cruise
-Court decided to go back to school to get ANOTHER degree
-Carter finally now at 15 months will stand on his own for a couple seconds then drop to the ground and clap because he's proud of himself. Still no walking, but once in a while lately he has taken one single step without holding anything to transfer furniture.

Life is great! We are trying to enjoy every moment of it, and make the most out of it. Always doing and planning new fun things.

$25 groceries for $0.75 @ Albertson's... Go getcha some!

2009-08-15T00:11:00.005-06:00

Today I got a phone call, letting me know that Albertson's is having a Kraft back to school sale. You spend $25 from a long list of items to choose from. The total including tax comes to $25.75. Then they give you a $20 mail in rebate, and a $5 gift coupon to use on your next purchase in the next 2 weeks. This is an awesome deal, $0.75 for $25 worth of food (plus a stamp I guess.) You just have to remember to put the rebate in the mail as soon as you get home so that you don't forget. And keep the $5 off coupon in your car so you remember to use it, and it's not at home when you can conveniently stop off to grab a few groceries =D

I'm not sure how long this deal goes for, but I say it's a great deal! Go for it!!

How do you know what to buy? When you first walk in the store by the promotional stand there is a sheet of paper, with boxes so you can check off everything you choose to make sure you spend the $25. It will tell you all of the items you can get. From Digorno pizza to cheese, and graham crackers etc.

Above is the picture of what we got for $0.75. Enjoy!

Carter's 1st haircut.

2009-08-12T20:31:00.004-06:00

People have been telling me for a long time now that I need to cut Carter's hair. I have not been able to bring myself to do this, because it makes me feel like he is getting too old, and I want him to stay little forever.

Cute William watching us. Before

before

During

All done!

So handsom!

Notice how much older he looks.

What a big boy!

Today, while visiting Shelly (who had just shaved her babies whole head) I decided to just do it. Here are the results....

Franklin Covey GNO

2009-07-23T22:27:00.003-06:00

7-9 years ago I worked at Franklin Covey for 2 years. This was a great time of my life. I worked directly with pretty much all girls. More indirectly with the male sorts. All of us girls were so young, we took inbound calls and directed them to their proper destinations and sat in a long row, so in between phone calls all we had to do was talk about our dates, write our friends on missions letters, color in coloring books, etc. Really the easiest job of my life. The best part was working with such great girls!

So much time has gone by and I have only kept in touch with a couple of the girls, but luckily my old supervisor Brit who has since moved to Idaho had a little Franklin Covey reunion for all of us girls last week.

Thanks Brit for getting us all back together! We should do this at least once a year!!

Major back issues.

2009-07-22T22:23:00.006-06:00

Most of you know I have major back issues. But here are the facts.

-Back started going bad when I was still in high school maybe 8 or 9 years ago is when it started.
-I started going to a Dr, but it became too expensive since I was living on my own, while in high school, and paying my own bills, buying my own groceries etc... I just couldn't afford it.
-A year after high school I went to a different Dr. He wanted me to do physical therapy 3 times a week, and I became overwhelmed, so again I decided to deal with the pain.
- 2 years ago I came down with a very bad case of "Iritis" (Arthritis of the eye) symptoms include being extremely sensitive to light. Even in a very dark room with lots of blankets over my eye it still hurt like Hell, and one of my eyes were just bright red. Horrible horrible, after a few different Dr's I went to a specialist who diagnosed me properly, gave me steroid drops for my eyes and made me better.
-I had blood work done for Rheumatoid Factor. Test came back positive but physician office downplayed it and told me not to worry about it, and said it's no big deal.
-The past couple weeks I had a flare up that has just not wanted to go away. I have had several moments when I can't walk, it hurts like hell to stand, or even sit. I have had times when I couldn't use the bathroom because it would hurt me to bad to sit down. Times when I couldn't walk to get painkillers. Times, I couldn't go upstairs to get Carter from his crib because I physically couldn't go up the stairs.
-On Monday I went to a Chiropractor who took x-rays. After some discussion he told me he thought I might have a huge problem but stopped himself and said he didn't want to say more until the next day when he would get the x rays back.
-The next day I went back. He told me then that I had "Ankylosing Spondtlytis" Pretty much my bones in my spine are fusing together. This can spread up to my neck and other areas.
-It is like arthritis of the spine.
-There is no cure currently, can't really get better.. only worse.
-Most people that have this end up with Osteosclerosis or Osteoporosis I can't remember which I wrote it down so fast and didn't realize they were 2 different things. So I'm sure after I take the time to research them I can figure it out.
-As for now I must wait to get in to the Rheumatologist, who hopefully can help me further.
-In the meantime this chiropractor wants me to come in 3 times a week. I have a $40 co pay. My insurance is only willing to pay for 6 visits and after that I am on my own. Erg!! Plus that doesn't even begin to cover whatever this Rheumatologist will cost. So like $500/month for the chiro plus however much the rheumatologist will cost.

This is an auto immune problem, which is so weird because I never ever get sick. I have always felt like I have been an exceptionally healthy person. Oh this sucks! I really don't know what else to say. I will keep you updated, but please let me know if you know anyone that has experienced this.

I know this is a lot of reading, but check out my next post. I just barely posted about Court's birthday events.

Happy Birthday Court!

2009-07-22T21:04:00.003-06:00

We just celebrated Court's birthday on the 21st. Since my Grandpa died last week, Court conveniently recieved 3 paid days off work. Perfect for party time! I don't mean to sound morbid, but I had never met my Grandpa. He is my Dad's Dad and oh the stories I have heard about the man include, but are not limited to: Being an alcoholic, beating his 9 children (including my Dad) Beating his wife in front of the children. The kids would have to run and hide under their beds when he got home so they would not be beaten. He also broke out of a jail or prison or something when his wife was pregnant with one of the nine kids. Anyway, needless to say it's probably a good thing that I never met this man. Parents like this are the reason that I enjoy doing foster care. I hate that innocent little kids have to go through such torcher! It just breaks my heart over and over again every time I hear of parents acting this way. I seriously thought about meeting him about a month ago while he was on his death bed, and then I thought about going to Ohio to meet my Dad's siblings that I also haven't met before. Then I decided probably way more drama then I want to handle so for now I will continue pretending that, that side of my family does not exist.

Wow, I definately got off track. So Court got 3 paid days off work since this man I never met died. We sent Dakota to stay with one of his very close staff Margaret. She works with Dakota quite a bit and helps to keep us sane when we need breaks etc, She is also a ''professional parent''
and I love that she loves him so much and takes such great care of him whenever we go on vacations or need a break. Anyway so he was gone on Monday night and Tuesday night and we got him back today. We also dropped Carter off at Court's Mom's house. Court thought his Mom was just watching Carter while we went to a back Dr for me, and then dinner and maybe a movie for his birthday. Little did he know I had tricks up my sleeve.

He wanted to go to Braza Grill for his birthday, but I talked him into Rodizzio (for a purpose) After the dinner, I told him I wanted to take him on a car ride. So I behind the wheel took him a few short blocks to the Anniversary Inn (Where I negotiated $100 off the price of the room. Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE NEGOTIATING GOOD DEALS????) Kinda sad though, I based the room we got off of how comfortable the bed would be instead of what theme or how cool the room was. (More on that in the next post)

Wouldn't you know it. Court's clever wife already had his birthday gift (new clothes, and a box of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory chocolates waiting for him in the room) It was mostly great. I didn't much appreciate the really hot room and they wouldn't let us adjust the temp, I also didn't really like hearing people walk past the room all night and their doors opening and shutting, and I definately didn't appreciate the workers yelling spanish words down the hall from eachother at 6 or 7 am. Seriously wanted sleep. Oh and one more thing. The oh so romantic bathtub would not run warm water unless the shower head was on and pouring on us as well. lol, oh boy! But it was great! I purposely gave my business to other people for a few days, gave my kids away for a couple days, turned my phone off (mostly) for a couple days. And just spent time with Court. It was so great and so needed. We seriously haven't done that in years.

I do have to admit, I couldn't resist watching The Bachelor while in our fantasy suit though. Oh boy it's getting good. Side note: My prediction is that she doesn't choose anyone. I think she has continued dating the dudes at least 2 if not all 3 including Reid for the past few months.

The next day we went shopping at the Gateway, and a movie. Unfortunately every day this week so far we have been to at least one Dr for my back problems. That will be described more on my next post though.

After all of that we went to Apollo Burger, where conveniently alot of our good friends were waiting to somewhat surprise Court. (He pretty much figured that one out on the way) At least I surprised him with the Anniversary Inn though. That is seriously the first surprise I've ever been able to surprise him with in our whole marriage!!!

If Court would ever read this I would post all the reasons that I love and adore him, but instead I will just have to tell him later. I am really lucky to have such a great husband and best friend though! He's such a great Daddy! He does so many things that most husbands would refuse to do and he puts up with me through all my medical problems I have had the past couple of years! He is so patient!! Really I am one lucky girl!

Birthday--very very late!

2009-07-12T21:39:00.010-06:00

So I know I'm over a month late for posting my big birthday bash. But, I have the best friends in the world and they know how to give me a great birthday!! Shelly hosted the party at her parents house, since she lives in BFE. I met Shelly in high school, and we became instant best friends.

These boys are best friends! We played a game where you have to keep the ping pong ball on the table by blowing it.

My little Bro, and his mission buddy.

I have the best little bro in the world! He and Court are best friends! I love that about them!

Nate. hahaha

Danielle and Russian hanging out with Kaylee.

Kristy and Vince

Kaylee picked me this flower from the Rose garden.

Volleyball in the backyard.

Shells, Willzer and I.

Opening gifts!! This whole bag was filled with Snickers and Shelly gave me a gift card for a massage! I still haven't had time, or the opportunity to go. I always have Carter even if it's a small amount of free time from anything else..... one day! Heaven knows I need it! I have the worst back of any 25 year old! I feel like I'm 80 when it comes to my body sometimes.... well, at least I'm not sagging yet, but I hurt like I'm 80.

Laurie! Precious Laurie. She gave me a cute new shirt! It's the kind that makes you look a little pregnant, but it's cool because it hides your gut too... haha.

Danielle and Russian got me this gift card for a yummy bunt cake! Mmmm you get to have them make it how you want it too! I haven't made it to pick this up yet, either but hopefully will this week!

Also they gave me this! My friend's sure do know me well! Snickers, chocolate, yummy bbq food, I am definately a food girl! I love to eat! Especially with great friends.

Carter

Ping pong!

Notice this is the only picture you will find of Court! A lot of people don't realize how shy he is, but there were a lot of friends here that we don't see on a regular basis... a couple not since high school. When these events take place, court hides out in the basement playing ping pong. lol.

Great bbq food! Kabobs, burgers, and hot dogs! Yum Yum in the tum tum!

Kristy, Kaylee and Me.

Jumping on the tramp is so fun! I'm a big fan of built into the ground trampolines!

Brig and his wife.

Lacie with Willzers.

Mark and his wife! I hadn't seen mark since maybe.... 6 years ago! So fun to catch up with old friends!

There he goes... when he finally get's in his comfort zone, he's the crowd pleaser! Making everyone laugh! I wish this was a tape, I'm curious what he just said.... try to read these faces and put words in his mouth... lol, oh the possibilities!

Blanch! Hadn't seen him in 3 years! I think... Danielle, is that how long you have been married?

Wouldn't be a birthday party without the fun hats!

Sorry Shelly!

2009-06-24T08:32:00.003-06:00

Shelly, I will get to my birthday blog, in my next blog entry promise!!!! (I have a great friend that threw me this massive birthday party! There are a lot of pictures involved and I haven't taken the time yet to sort through them and post!) Shelly it will be here asap! Promise! I have had a busy summer thus far, and I'm trying to spend less time in the blogging world so my family can see me, and I can do the usual chores so I don't get overwhelmed this winter with a neglected house. =D

Okay, so here is the issue at hand. Court and I found out yesterday that there is a good chance we will lose at least a thousand dollars a month from what we are used to having. We have been lucky up until this point that we haven't been hit too super bad with the economy. Yes, I have been doing less real estate, but have been extremely blessed that I have had referrals, and I am not dried up like a lot of others. It's been perfect that the economy went bad right after I had Carter, because I enjoy being home with him all the time. I have just the perfect amount of real estate that keeps me a stay at home Mom during days and a realtor on the weekends.

This summer I started helping this 18 year old girl that has a few special needs. She's in the same program as our foster son. I get to take her to Lagoon every Thursday, help her find a job or do other fun things with her on Tuesday's. That has been keeping me busy.

Okay, let me get back on point. So Court and I sat down last night to have a meeting about where we are spending money that can be cut. We have been living a pretty sweet lifestyle, but pretty sure not even close to a thousand dollars a month extra type lifestyle. Here is what we decided. Please give me all of your suggestions on what your family has done to cut back, or what you think good tips are.

1- We will buy 100% generic foods. We already buy a lot of generics, but there are a few that Court has thought had a big difference in taste, so we haven't cut back all together. Now we will.

2- Instead of going out to the movies (which we don't do very often anyway) we will cut back to Redbox nights at our house.

3- A big thing for us has been social parties at our house. We always have friends over, My Brother sleeps over at least once a week, we are always doing big bbq's or even when we go out to eat with friends and come back to the house, we all feel like making yummy food a little later. We have never thought about how much money we have spent on this, until we started figuring out our grocery budget. Rather than feeding a 15 year old, 2 adults and a baby.... I think our budget has been feeding 6-8 hungry teenagers depending on the month. It's outrageous what we spend on groceries!

4- I am officially banning Diet Coke from our house. We buy bottled water... I can't stand tap and don't want to invest in a cool water system since we are not tied to our Herriman home. We could move anytime to a different city, or a different state for that matter so that's not the best option, but I was thinking... I'm sure it's cheaper to buy big jugs of water rather than the individual bottles. That's probably better on the environment as well. So I will start to do that.

5- Open windows and turn on ceiling fans if it's 75 degrees or below. Only Central air over that.

6- We really need to watch the extra places we go. (By we I mean ''I go'') During the day when Court is at work, I'm always making myself busy in the community. I can't stand to stay home all day. I'm not that type of a person. I'm either going to my real estate office, or to visit my friend in Pleasant Grove, or going shopping. Oh... that's a whole other story.

7- Shopping! Oh shopping is one of my most favorite things in the world! Home Decor, Clothes for me, Clothes for Dakota, clothes for Carter, clothes for Court. I pretty much do it all. Once in a great while Court will do his own, but I love this, and it needs to stop. I really can't stop shopping for Carter as he is a growing boy... and Dakota for that matter. So here is what I have decided. We are going on a 3 month shopping freeze. Court and I will not shop for Home decor, or clothes until fall. At that point in time we can figure out a budget.
As for Carter's clothes.... I have a tendancy to get all his clothes from more expensive mall stores.... I will be making the switch to Target, and Walmart. Maybe just one or two cute outfits at a time from the more expensive stores. Dakota should be good as we just spent $300 on his clothes shopping spree a couple days ago, so that should keep me out of the mall. Out of trouble!!

8- More food. Can you tell food is a major part of my life??? Court and I really enjoy going out to eat. This is something we had to cut back at a few years ago when we went through a tight spot as well. We are going to give ourself a budget of $15/ week for our date night. This also includes social night if we have both, which most the time we do, have a social night with friends one night and a date night the other night. So, if we invite a bunch of friends over and spend $15 extra on food, we can't go out on any sort of a date or anything like that. Or, if we want to go out, we will be going to Kneaders or another step above regular fast food, and redbox etc.

I will be adding more things as we think of them. A thousand dollars really doesn't seem like it goes that far, until you lose it... and then you remember all the things you once were able to do with that money. The ideas I listed above are not a thousand dollars worth by any means, so you should help me with more ideas! We definately need them!

I'm not stressing out as much as you think I would be. I mean it is a big deal for us, but for some reason I have a calm feeling over me. I think everything will work out =D

Carter's Birthday pics!

2009-06-18T19:11:00.006-06:00

Mommy, Daddy, Brother Dakota, Carter.

Aunt Steph, Bobbie, Cousin Neil, Connor, and Emery, Uncle Vincent Gma Dastrup, Mommy, Carter

BALL. This is his favorite activiyt and favorite word to say.

Yummy!

This is his favorite position to be in. Isn't it cute?!

Spoiled boy!

This is my favorite picture of the day!!

The wind was in his eyes.

Russian and Danielle! Such great friends!

Gma Dastrup, Mommy, Carter and Cousin Emery

Cousin Emery, Mommy, and Carter

Mommy and Carter

Emery, Mommy and Carter (again!)

Grandma Chivers

Lick the candles!

Blow out the candle!

Carter and Aunt Whitney

Memorial weekend

2009-05-27T22:27:00.002-06:00

We had a great weekend. It started off with Carter's birthday party on Saturday. I can't believe my baby is 1 year old already! Time seriously flies! I know that line is used all the time, and you just kinda say ya, ya it does, but freak! My baby is 1!!! I can't believe it! We had a huge birthday party for him. I didn't count heads, but I got a 6 ft Subway that was supposed to feed over 30 and the last couple people didn't get ANY! We also bought a really big cake, and the last couple people didn't get any of that either. We did however, buy enough mint chocolate ice cream sandwiches! Anyway, it was good fun & Carter was spoiled with gifts! We have such great family and friends. We are so lucky!

After the party we headed up to Court's families cabin. Our friends Russian & Danielle joined us for the whole weekend, and Laurie came up on Sunday to Monday. We had both of our kids and Dakota's friend Dillon happens to be Russian and Danielle's foster son, so they had a great time together. We bought them walkie talkies so they could explore together. Sunday was quite rainy, but we still had a great time. I feel so lucky to have access to the cabin. We have made a lot of great memories up there. It's so nice and peaceful and relaxing.

I will post pics of Carter's bday party soon. I don't have my camera with me now, but they will follow shortly.

Keeping busy

2009-05-17T23:27:00.006-06:00

Recently, I have been keeping myself almost too busy! I have been working on a major yard project. We have massive sized flower beds in our backyard, and we are soooo sick of weeding them, so I (along with my friend Shelly) have dug up all existing weeds, covered the back flower beds with weed barrier. I ordered $700 worth of Black dirt and covered the weed barrier with the cool black dirt. It looks really good. It just looks better than Brown dirt. $700 dollars worth, I'm not quite sure but it's done now. We still have one and a half bags left that we will most likely use in the front flower beds. Not too sure about laying the weed barrier up front though, because we have so much planted, I don't want to dig up, and it will be a nightmare to try to cut out all the places for what's up there. Maybe I will tackle that project next year. I will definately post pictures soon.

The other project I have been working on lately is making a tile table for our outdoor patio table. We have what I refer to as mini tornado out here in Herriman. One day the winds picked up the umbrella and shattered the glass in our table. Our next door neighbors ended up with a trampoline in their backyard. I'm not sure if they ever figured out who it belongs to. Anyway the table is almost finished. I am excited about it. I made a fun little design with glass tiles too. Mostly it is porcelin tile, but the glass tile really gives it a cool look.

I am really learning to be more domestic!

Dakota and I.

Shelly, Myslef, My Bro Vincent, and Court at the

Bee's baseball game.

Joe and I.

Shelly is obsessed with Twilight, this is my best Vampire look. What do you think?

This was kinda good. I love Laurie's face!

Again, Laurie wins for the best face!

Laurie, Shelly, and myself.

Shelly and I.

Puff cheek.

"Sexy face"

My love

This past week I went with some great friends to the Bee's game. Of course I didn't go to watch the game. Baseball games are pretty boring to me when you sit waaaaaaaaaaay over on the grass. The only way I can get into them is if I sit at the home plate or something. Anyway, it was great fun!

Sky Diving

2009-05-10T19:59:00.004-06:00

I was really excited for Court, but when he was sooooo high up in the air, and I could hardly see the plane up there. My heart sank. Some of the more experience divers didn't pull their shoots for a long time, so I was just saying to my self. Pull it, pull it pull it, please don't be Court, please don't be Court. Pull your plug. Etc Etc. Anyway he had a great time. Not even a scratch! Wants to go back!

Court FINALLY graduated! YAY! I am so excited that he is finished with school! To celebrate, I took him sky diving. I really wanted to surprise him, but he has a way of not letting me keep ANY secrets from him! Erg! Anyway, it was so much fun and a lot of our good friends were able to come as well. Court's buddy from his mission was able to jump as well. Here are a few pics!

Flashback

2009-05-05T13:02:00.005-06:00

This week on facebook it has been a flashback week! It all started when Shelly posted old pictures of some of the High School Dances we went to and took off from there. All of my best friends started adding old school pictures in the mix. All of my photos have been boxed up for some time so I don't remember most of these, but they are great. This post starts off with pictures of different Girls Camp's and Bishop's Challenges in my youth. Some of them are pretty crazy!

Living Planet Aquarium

2009-05-04T12:13:00.003-06:00

We had a fun play date on Friday with my friend Lacie and her son, Drew. We took the boys to The Living Planet Aquarium. It was a lot of fun, and I'm sure as Carter get's older it will be more and more fun! So I bought a year pass, so we can go back a few times. (A year pass is only $15) He looks a little spooked by the fishes, but I love the reflection in this picture!

Lacie and Crew

Carter splashing in the sting ray pool. These things are so slimey and gross!

The boys

Carter was getting tired and hungry by the end. Smiles didn't come easy.

There were nemo fish in this one. Carter loved it! He claped at all the fish and laughed when the really big fish swam by him.

Crew was so excited about running around to see all of the cool stuff. He did not want to sit for this picture, and Carter was getting awnry too! But they posed really well for this picture I think.

Crew is only a little bit taller than Carter, and they weight about the same amount. Carter will be 1 year old in a few weeks, and Crew will be 2 in August (I think... Lacie, is that right?) Anyway, Carter is huge for his age! =D

Princess and Prison Break.

2009-04-19T23:25:00.002-06:00

Not a ton of fun things to talk about around the Chiver's home this week. Our dog of 3 years died after being hit by a car on Tuesday. She had been babysat for a week and a half, while we were selling our home. After receiving a full price offer, we decided not to move. Not sure why we decided that but for now we are staying. The day we were picking her up from the dog sitter she was killed. It's been hard on us, but harder on Dakota. She has been his friend longer than any other friend he's had in his life. I hope I've handled things the right way for him. I don't know. I mean I had pets die as a child.... including my gma running over my favorite little dog, but I also was accustomed to distant relatives dying. I had been to funerals.

The past I want to say few months but really few years we have been so busy on the weekends we have never taken the time to allow ourselves a weekend to be lazy at home. Sure we have been on vacations etc etc, but we have never spent a full weekend at home doing what WE want to do. So this weekend we did. We started Prison Break towards the end of the 1st season, and have been hooked ever since. This show has a ton of detail so we decided to go back and watch from the get go. Boy have we missed a lot! So much more makes sense now that we saw the first episodes. I'm so glad we scheduled a lazy weekend. We started Thursday night and by about 9pm tonight we watched the FULL 1st season and 3 of 6 dvd's of the 2nd season. I never thought I'd be saying this, but after sooooo much t.v. watching I don't know if I can handle watching another thing for a while. It's really hard for me to be lazy, and as much as I enjoyed it. It's hard to turn off my head to everything that I should be doing. With that said. It was still fun! =D I enjoyed our friends that came over and watched it with us during some of the parts too.

Spring Conference 2009

2009-04-08T10:55:00.003-06:00

As many of you know it was conference fot The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints this past weekend.

I went to conference at the conference center with 2 of my very best friends, Laurie and Shelly. I grew up in the same home ward as Laurie, and I met Shelly as a Jr. in high school, where we became best friends instantly. (Laurie is the short brunette, and Shelly is the blondie.)

Shelly's Dad (Elder Arnold) was moved from the 2nd Quarum of the 70 to the First Quarum of the 70 on Saturday morning. All three of us spent the night at Shelly's parents house on Saturday night. We stayed up so late. I can't even remember the time. Feels like maybe about 3 am or so?? Sunday morning they do the tabernacle choir thing so we left her parents house by 7:30 am to get there. Needless to say we were exhausted!!

These 2 young boys in this picture came all the way from Portugal to see conference. It really made me think of the way we (me included) take conference, and the church being so close etc, etc for granted.

We were allowed to snap a few shots before conference started.

This picture was taken in between sessions as we walked to the place that all the general authorities and their families have lunch. We were lucky enough to be invited. It was really fun =D
The couple on the far left are a couple that Shelly's Dad baptized in Mexico 40 years ago.
In the middle are Shelly's parents.
And on the end are us girls.

This is us sleeping at Shelly's parents house on Saturday night. Of course there was lots of girl talk! I love these girls!

This is a quick shot we took as we were literally running out the door for conference.

I loved conference so much. There were so many great talks, I will go into deeper at a better time, when I have more time to elaborate.

Hey Laurie, I think you still have my notes that I took on the things I really liked, and what I need to work on personally. Yes? I should get those back so I can start on my goals =D

Dancing with the Stars

2009-03-31T10:41:00.001-06:00

Wow! Melissa did so good last night! Ya, she did have an advantage having been a cheerleader before, but I'm really rooting for her, and the cute little gymnist.

Crazy life!

2009-03-30T16:12:00.002-06:00

Okay so the past few weeks have been pretty crazy. We have been trying to decide where we want to move too, etc. Well we finally pretty much almost about 90% have decided on a nice place right by Mulligan's golf course. It's in a gated community, everything is new. It's really nice on the inside with granite counters, we are upgrading to hardwood floors, it has a seperate tub and shower, double sinks in the master, just a lot of nicer finishings than what we have in our current home. Also, one of the best parts about it is that there is a walk way from right outside our house to the Jordan Parkway. Isn't that so cool?! It will be so fun to go on nice summer walks in the parkway, or take Carter to feed the ducks! So we are excited about that. We haven't listed our house yet, but plan to in a couple days. We have just been getting it ready. For those of you that don't know it is always better to put away your personal and religious photo's when selling your house, well that is pretty much all we had on our walls. Court's bro does custom framing so we had him fram a TON of pic s that you would see in every room. So we put those all in storage and I've done a few shopping trips to replace our walls with other things.

My awsome friend Shelly brought over a lot of stuff from her house, and my friend other awsome friend Laurie came over the other night to help me do some painting and stuff. I really have learned that I have the best friends in the world. Seriously.

Dakota came down with a horrible case of bronchitis and I had him home from school for 3 days last week. That wasn't much fun, but he seems to be doing better now. Thanks goodness! I have sprayed lysol on everything he could have possibly touch so that none of us get sick, and we haven't so it's working =D

Sorry, I've been a slacker with blogging, and getting back to people. Right now I have a one track mind and I just want to get this home ready to put on the market.

Moving-

2009-03-22T21:08:00.003-06:00

Court and I have been thinking about moving for some time now. He is finishing his last semester at school right now!! YAY!! As much as we love the quiet peacefulness Herriman offers we are ready to be back in the city. We will probably move to either Sandy or eastern side of South Jordan, or possibly W. Jordan. Being right by I-15 would be most excellent. Court has been traveling a good 2+ hrs a day between school and work. His work is North and West of the airport, which is sooooooooo long! Especially in the winter storms. Anyway, we are excited and we are de junking our house like mad right now! We have a ton of things to give away. Here is the list of what we currently have now. If you want it, it is first come, 1st serve.
-fake floor plant trees.
-movies (vhs and dvd's)
-electric back massager.
-2 porcelin dolls.
-TONS OF CLOTHES (only mine)
-Foot soaker (really nice, I bought this when I went to Nail school. This works awesome for pedicures)
-Tons of nail stuff. (When I went to nail school 7 years ago, I was so gung ho I bought thousands of dollars worth of product, and it's just been sitting around. I know it's still good because maybe once every 6 months I do my nails, but there is a ton of Polymer and Monomer (including colored acrylic etc.... so if you know anyone that does nails I would love to hook them up)
-Nail drill & bits. (I only used this a few times because I liked using a file better, but this was a very expensive drill and I have a ton of bits for it as well.)

We will most likely be giving away a lot of our furniture when we move as well so stay tuned. We wont be listing our house for a few weeks. I want to repaint all of our baseboards and put everything we don't need for a few months in storage. We plan on listing our house under others around ours so I'm sure it will sell pretty fast. I will keep you updated =D

New Bill!!!!

2009-03-20T10:28:00.001-06:00

This is not only for 1st time home buyers. This is for ANYONE that purchases a newly constructed, never been lived in home. =D

Governor signs bill for new homes grant:

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. signed a bill yesterday that will provide $6,000 grants to buyers of newly constructed, never-occupied homes. Upon his signature, he immediately directed the Utah Housing Corporation to begin dispersing grants under the “Home Run” program to buyers who finance a recently constructed home with a 30-year (or less) fixed-rate mortgage and meet other qualifications.

Senate Bill 260 created a fund that will use federal stimulus dollars to provide about 1,600 grants to be distributed through Utah Housing Corporation to home buyers on a first-come, first-served basis.

To apply for the grant, home buyers should work through their lender. Any mortgage lender qualified to make mortgage loans under Utah law can assist home buyers to secure the Home Run grant, but Utah Housing has a list of currently approved lenders. Lenders will work directly with Utah Housing Corporation to apply for the grant money. Examples of qualifying mortgages include conventional, FHA, VA, Rural Housing and Utah Housing loans. Cash buyers should work directly with Utah Housing.

Consumers do not have to be first-time buyers to qualify for the program but incomes cannot exceed $75,000 for singles and $150,000 for married couples. Buyers who qualify for both programs can take advantage of the $8,000 federal home-buyer tax credit as well as a Home Run grant.

“It is up to the states to use the federal stimulus money in a way that truly has a beneficial impact on our economy. This is an immediate stimulus targeted at the weakest area of Utah’s economy,” Huntsman said in a press release. “This investment of $10 million will result in 8,800 jobs in the market and $324 million in wages into our economy. This boost is critical for us to reverse our current position.”

To learn more about program details and how buyers can apply, visit www.UtahHousingCorp.org . Also visit www.UtahHousingFacts.com for information about both the Home Run program and the $8,000 federal first-time home buyer tax credit.

She ROCKED it!

2009-03-16T22:26:00.000-06:00

Yay Melissa!

Weekend fun!

2009-03-16T21:46:00.006-06:00

So this weekend was crazy! I have been so busy and have had a huge lack of sleep this past couple weeks, so I told Court that I wanted to go to bed early Friday night. Our early ended up being about 11:30pm because we watched a movie w/ Vince, his g/f Kristi, and our friend and neighbor Steve.

Saturday was so much fun! I took Laurie out for her birthday pedicure and breakfast to Ihop. Our cute friend Kathy came too! Later Laurie and I went shopping (If you know where to get cute dresses let me know! This weekend I went all over the place, litteraly and can't find anything I like. These new trends are SO bad! I tried on these dresses at Charlotte Russe that look like Polygamist dresses... seriously bad!!)

I was so waisted by the time we were done shopping! Court and Dakota went to Arby's to get their deal thing they were doing and brought me back food at the in laws. I fell asleep on the in laws sofa for about 3 hrs. My body just shut down. I had been running with the "gas light" on for far too many "miles" I guess.

After my nice long nap I woke up feeling rejuvinated! We played a little Rock Band at Russian & Danielle's, and went to flashback Saturday @ classic skating. On Saturday nights it's adults only and it was so fun! I thought it would be fun, but really it was so much funner than I had ever expected!

They had a ramp and everyone did jumps off it (except me) The first time I saw Court do it he landed hard on his tailbone, so I was afraid that I would do the same. Most of you that read this know about my back problems and I didn't want to chance it. (doesn't it suck to get old and frail?!) We were there with 3 other couples. Laurie knows the coolest tricks that you can only do on rollerskates! And Russian is an awesome break dancer, even it skates... so that was pretty cool. A couple of the husbands didn't really skate too much but came along for the fun anyway!

I would highly recommend to anyone to go to Classic on Saturday nights. It's great! It runs from 10-12pm, adults only, coupons online get you in for $3 so it's a super cheap date too!

Dancing With the Stars

2009-03-10T14:47:00.002-06:00

Yay for dancing with the stars!!! Okay so I'm so excited that Melissa from The Bachelor is on! After only 2 days she rocked it out! I also really like Julian and her bf/partner. I think that's cute! But.... okay so her brother's partner (many of you know I am horrible with names) Um, ya she dedicated her dance to all her girls in the federal penetentry... ARE YOU SERIOUS??? So I had Court look it up and he said that she apparently witnessed a murder and ('Lil Kim- I rememberd) lied about it on the stand in court. She was covering for her friends who I guess murdered this person. Why on earth are we supporting this person? She lied about a murder. Ya, I don't vote on these things, however if I did it would not be for her.

I also like the cute little olympian girl... oh and I thought the apple designer was a joke! But it's cute that he is trying so hard.

Well this is my new show for the next little bit. We will see what happens =D

Costco and Carter

2009-03-04T21:44:00.004-07:00

This picture is my pantry after a couple Costco trips equaling $1300.00. So Saturday Court and I dropped Carter off w/ Court's Mom. We knew we needed all the cart room we could get because we were prepared for a huge shopping trip. We both got a cart, and started filling it. When both carts got full our plan of action was to check out, take the stuff out to the Murano, come back in and fill them up again. Well, for some reason I don't ever remember them needing our I.D. this time they did because of how much we were spending. As luck would have it my I.D. was taken out of my check book holder and Court left his wallet at home. So as Court went to the car to try to come up with one I explained to the manager that I really didn't think we had it, and I really didn't want to leave everything just to come back later. They called it in to my bank (I guess that's who they called on the phone) and finally came back and said that it cleared and I could go w/ my stuff. Well, I was blocking traffic bad so I decided to make my way to the car. These two carts were soooo heavy, I mean it was hard to turn corners with just one. Court was still out at the car so I was pulling one cart with one hand and pushing one cart with the other. I could take about 2 inch steps at a time. All these people were walking buy me and I was creating quite the train behind me. Several people had nothing but were making their way out the door and still didn't offer to help. So I'm feeling bad for causing a jam, but at the same time upset that I had to wait so long and that not even a worker would come to my rescue. Finally as I was about out the door a worker did come to help, but Court was also there right about that time. Crazy!! Anyway... we decided it wouldn't be best to go back in and have the same problem so we went home and spent the rest of the day gutting what was in our pantry and re organizing it.
We went back today and filled another 2 carts. We rememberd our I.D. this time and $1300 later we are glad to have all of our bulk shopping done for many months to come. YAY!

Does anyone have a Sam's club card?? My Costco card is about to expire and there are several things I don't like about it and I'm wondering if Sam's is better. Anyone know if Sam's has baby food? Not formula Costco has that but food, food? Also it seems like Costco a lot of times has only one kind of certain things where at the regular store there are a variety. For instance individual puddings. Their cases come mixed but you can't just get the chocolate, and they don't have the sugar free kind either. Just silly little things like that. If anyone has insight I would LOVE to know.

Carter likes to stand, however he won't crawl. You put him on his tummy, and he will roll over. You put a toy out of reach and he just rolls on his back and does the back scoot. When he gets to the object he will roll back over. Seriously kid! Well, kinda sad... this happend a few weeks ago and Court was taking pictures as I was recording him on the camcorder. He was standing for several min when he started to lose his balance. For a second I went to grab him so he wouldn't fall. Then I said... it's okay Stacy he'll be fine. It will just be a little spill and make him tougher. Well, he hit pretty hard right on his precious little face and screamed for several min. I felt so bad!! But I did get the fall on camera. Oh I am horrible!

The Bachelor

2009-03-03T10:30:00.002-07:00

Okay seriously... Did he really have to break up with Melissa on camera?? I really doubt that had to happen, which is extremely irritating, but at the same time I think it's good that he didn't get married with feelings of Molly. Dude! If you were in love with two people why not tell them that in N.Z and tell them you need to date both of them longer before making a decision, seriously!! Geez! I have to admit even though I read the spoiler, which had it right down to the T... I was still glued to my seat last night. Of course, I will be there to watch tonight as well. So I am guessing last nights taping really occured a few weeks back and tonights might have been within this past week?? Anyone know for sure? I could just see him telling Molly that now he's thinking of Melissa and he just wants to be a polygamist. lol!!! Why do we watch this stuff seriously? How come it's so retarded but yet we are all addicted? Isn't it fun? I mean it's fun to make fun of.
I do have to say that I think Jason's Mom is great! In all the other seasons the parents were just like, "Well, follow your heart. Choose the best one for you." His Mom was really trying to give him good advise. She wins for last nights episode!

The Bachelor

2009-03-02T13:01:00.002-07:00

So the results of the show are completely out of the closet (if you will). I will not ruin it for any of you that want to see the results on the show. I will save my opinions for tomorrow. I may change my opinion as well based on what I see tonight. Oh the anticipation!! I just can't wait for tonight!! These are three hrs I really hope the kids act like angels and don't disturb me. (Does that make me a bad Mom?) I will just have to give them extra attention before it starts =D

Only if you want every little detail go to this website. PLEASE BE FORWARNED THIS GIVE TONS OF INFO!! LIKE EVERY LITTLE DETAIL SO ONLY GO IF YOU WANT TO SPOIL IT. I'm still excited to see the show even though I know the results though. realitysteve.com

Chicken Lickin'

2009-03-01T19:56:00.003-07:00

I don't have a ton to post about so I figured I would share this yummy recipe. Growing up my Mom would make this for our Sunday dinner pretty much every Sunday as we would watch Louis and Clarke and that one show about the girl with the Dad that lived in outer space and she'd talk to him through a shell. Anyone remember what I'm talking about??

Chicken Lickin'
1-lay as many pieces of Chicken breast as you would like (boneless, skinless of course) in a cake pan.
2-lay a slice of Swiss cheese on top of every piece of chicken breast.
3-lay a slice of ham (perferably thick cut) on top every piece of cheese.
4-In a seperate bowl mix cream of chicken soup and Sour cream together, and then pour over the chicken. This amount will vary depending on how many pieces of chicken you are cooking.

My Mom would use a few cans of cream of chicken and a large tub of sour cream for our family of 5.

Cook about 150 degrees until it's golden brown on top. Probably about an hour. I'm really picky about my chicken so sometimes I cook it longer just to make sure it's well done.

Side dish: Potato, baked or mash it really doesn't matter. She would normally do baked. Don't worry about making gravy that's what the extra sauce is for!!! This is mmmmmmm good!

You can get creative and add different spices or seasonings into the mix depending on your family's pickyness. We always had it just as I told you with no extras however I have tried it with bacon and a few other variations. It's a pretty hard recipe to ruin so have fun with it, and let me know what you think!

Ballroom Dance

2009-02-27T23:12:00.001-07:00

Tonight we had so much fun at ballroom dance class lessons! It was great! Thanks Shelly and Nate for inviting us!! Next time we need to bring our camera's so we can post pics!!!

Heavenly Father and Jesus

2009-02-26T17:31:00.002-07:00

I have actually ended up taking "D" a lot more than I originally though I would. The other Lady that was going to help out with him has a son that was just diagnosed with Lukemia-sp?

Yesterday after school his prof parents didn't pick him up until about 9pm because they had something going on with their church. I believe they are catholic. When Dad came in he had a black cross on his forehead.

Today I picked "D" up from school and on the way home he says "Ya know what I don't like about my new family?" This caught me off guard because they seem to be the perfect fit. He went on to tell me that they do not know that Heavenly Father and Jesus are two different people. He said he told them and that they don't believe him. His cute little testimony is so strong and he really truely knows that they are not the same person. Now "D" has been in and out of hospitals and families most of his life I think it is so great that a kid that has just turned 10 can have such a strong testimony especially from the background he has had.

Last night I asked him if he wanted to say the blessing on dinner. (Keep in mind this is before our little talk today) I expected him to say no, oh my goodness he said YES and he was so excited about it! He gave the longest, sweetest little prayer ever! He did not forget to thank one person, he remembered each and every blessing he has or has had.

Our boy Dakota just turned 15 and has been with us for almost 2 years. He still refuses to say the blessing on food, or any prayer for that reason. He has heard us pray every day since he's been with us but still doesn't want to give it a shot. We have to get staff to work with him when we go to church because he doesn't like going to church. I just hope that he is learning a little bit from us, hopefully one day what he has picked up from us at home will kick in =D

"D"

2009-02-24T12:39:00.002-07:00

I recieved a phone call last week saying that there is a boy I will call him "D" (for privacy purposes) just placed in a foster home through the same organization I contract through. He'd just come from spending over a year in Primary Childrens hospital, and the prof. parents need a break after school. So I agreed to take him for a few hrs a couple/few days a week. It's been a little while since I've worked with autistic kids, and although I've only been with him twice now, I am loving it!! He says the cutest things ever!! Just out of the blue like, "I am thankful for gravity" every song that came on the radio on our way home was "Oh! This one is my favorite!"

He was also extra helpful, he wanted to take Carter out of his car seat so I waited patiently for him to figure it out. This took about 10 min. Then he wanted to hop out of the Murano with him. Um, ya that's not going to happen! He just barely turned 10 but he is really really little. I can't count the # of times he tried to pick him up and carry him.

I'm always looking for excitement in my life, and I think this will do the trick. It's only a few hrs a week, but I'm sure I will have plenty of fun stories to come... lol!

New Tax Credit

2009-02-23T11:15:00.002-07:00

YAY!!! I am so excited, and want everyone to know...

2009 Enhanced tax credit provides $8,000 incentive to first-time buyers
One of the biggest wins for first-time home buyers in last week's economic stimulus bill is a tax credit up to $8,000 for qualified purchases of a primary residence. Increased from last year’s original $7,500 home buyer tax credit, this new incentive does not have to be repaid, making it a true tax credit rather than an interest-free loan.

The National Association of REALTORS® estimates there will be an additional 300,000 home sales because of the credit, which NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun says will help reduce inventory levels and stabilize prices in many parts of the country. To learn more about the home buyer tax credit and eligibility requirements, visit www.FederalHousingTaxCredit.com.

I wish they had this credit when we bought our home =D Tell all your friends and family that might be first time home buyers. For us that are already home owners this credit also helps us in the fact that there will be more buyers and less inventory, therefor causing home prices to stop dropping and eventually once again start building some equity. Let me know if you have any questions, I'm happy to help!

Don't be fake.

2009-02-23T09:00:00.002-07:00

Okay so I have the type of personality that says, If you like me, you like me and if you don't you don't. I'm okay with either. Well, I have noticed quite a bit of fakeness through the years and quite frankly I am sick of it.

You know those personalities that when they have to be around you they give you compliments that they don't even mean, but if they run into you at home depot or the grocery store, don't even take the time to say hello. Pretty much make eye contact with you and hurry and walk the other direction. Or choose a different check out line to avoid trying to think of something to say for conversation. Dude, don't feel obligated to make conversation with someone if you don't want to, but if you are going to be calling the person in a few days asking for a favor you pretty much better at least smile and wave. (Marci you are the last person I saw at the grocery store, this is NOT about you =D lol.)

Sorry, I try to keep my blog full of happy things, but this is something that really irritates me. Seriously, if you have a job with someone or a church calling or whatever it may be, don't just be friendly when you have to. Erg! Seriously, I think most people are okay with just having a professional relationship with certain people. You don't have to make buddy buddy one day and pretend you didn't see the person the next.

If your reading this post this is not about you =D

Okay I will get off my soap box. Have a great week!

Dakota's Birthday

2009-02-20T12:56:00.003-07:00

Our foster son, Dakota had his 15th birthday. We have had him for almost 2 years now and love him sooooo much! Last year we just invited family over for a small party, so this year we decided to give him a good surprise.

Because of his special needs, he has an extremely large team of supports. We held the party at Rise (the company we contract through) When Dakota got there with one of his advisors he thought he was just meeting us there because we were in a meeting. Instead we had all the lights off and the candles on the cake were lit as we sang Happy Birthday.

The look on his face was priceless! He was emotional so he grabbed me and squoze sp? me so hard! I'm surprised my guts didn't fall out! He held me for a long time and finally when he got the courage to look at all the people that were there that loved him he had tears streaming down his face, of course he didn't want everyone to see that (what 15 year old boy does?) So he had to go back into the squishy huh about 3 times before he could pull himself together. It was so fun! These are the moments I love! Words just don't describe the happiness and joy young ones can bring!

Thanks to everyone that might be reading this that came to help show your love for him!

Patience

2009-02-20T12:50:00.001-07:00

I will update later =D

Happy Birthday (Laurie Addition)

2009-02-06T18:01:00.002-07:00

We went to Olive Garden! Again, great friends were there. Fun, fun, fun! =D

Yummy Ice Cream Cake from Baskin Robins! So yummy, I'm not an ice cream cake lover, but this was so good!

BIRTHDAY PARTIES (Shelly addition)

2009-02-06T17:43:00.005-07:00

Wow, February brings SO many birthdays! Birthdays are so much fun! It's great to have one day a year that is all about you.

I threw a party for my friend Shelly last weekend. We went to this yummy place called JCW's by Thanksgiving point. Shelly knew we were having a party but she thought it was just a few of us close friends coming to her house.

I took her shopping to get away from the house and then we "stopped real quick to grab some food from JCW's." In the meantime, Court, my Brother Vincent, and brother in law Clay took the balloons, and streamers and happy birthday sign and sectioned off a huge portion of the restaurant so when we got there ALL of her friends were there. It was great fun!

She is also obsessed w/ Twilight so I had a Twilight cake made for her. Seriously this girl has seen the movie in theatre 10 times, paid for tons of other people to go that wouldn't otherwise. Has the books that talk about the books, flew to Ohio to see the movie 2 hrs early.... must I go on?? After the party the girls went to her place, while husbands went to hang out elsewhere and we stayed up until 5am talking. It is great to have such good girlfriends!!

Crap!

2009-01-26T16:24:00.001-07:00

Um, so when I changed my background I lost EVERYONES blog links. I will go through and try to find your links later in the week when I get more blog time, but for now it would be helpful if you respond to this so I can get your link of the comment area.

Saphire Princess- Good times on the ship

2009-01-26T15:37:00.013-07:00

These pics are kinda backwards. The first few is actually the day we left to go home. But we really did have a great time together w/ our friends Shelly & Nate. I made a seperate post for the ship, and each individual excursion so check out the next few posts when your done w/ this one =D

We were having a conversation while passing the camera back and forth taking silly pictures.

This pic was taken after we literally smashed the burger as flat as possible.

Watching Kareoke

"Makeup Mark" I bought my perfume and some makeup from this guy. He was awesome.

This guy was dancing pretty ugly. Napoleon Dynamite style. I looked at Shelly and said we should go mirror him. It was so much fun. Everyone in the audiance was laughing, cheering and clapping! Good times!

Court singing Kareoke. (John Mayer)

Us girls lived in the hot tub practically while the guys played some game I wasn't interested in.

Read the next several blogs for more of our vacation off the ship =D

Mexico- Cabo

2009-01-26T15:26:00.004-07:00

Court and I split up from our friends for the day and went on seperate excursions. We went on a catameran and snorkeled. It was so much fun. We swam around with food in front of us so the HUGE fish were right in our face. It was a lot of fun! Again, we lucked out with really good weather! It was a little chilly @ first since it was at like 8am, but we warmed up w/ in couple min.

We passed lovers beach, and humpback whales. Everytime I saw a whale I got the camera out and of course just in time for it to hide.

Mexico- Mazatlan

2009-01-26T15:15:00.005-07:00

This was the yummy place we ate at in Mazatlan. I seriously have no pics of Court I am noticing =( Too bad since he's so hot!

I know the sky doesn't look friendly in this pic, but the weather was absolutely perfect!!! The guy in this pic is the one that sold us our hats =D

Mazatlan was really fun too! We decided to go shopping and beach hopping this day. It was super fun. Shelly and I got our hair braided by a Mexican lady on the beach. Nate went para-sailing as well. Good times!

Mexico- P.V.

2009-01-26T14:54:00.007-07:00

P.V was so much fun! We rode horses for our excursion w/ our great friends Shelly and Nate! They are so much fun to be around! We are happy they came with us. We all rode our individual horses and then we took turns riding 1 horse bare-back through the water. He was such a good swimmer and such a great horse! My horse was not very nice to the others though. Her name is Rosia and she kicked about 4 horses while I was on her.

This day was really hot! I was not expecting the water to be so chilly!

After we rode horses we went to a resort and Court, and Shelly went para sailing! They were about 600 ft in the air. I did not get photos =( I was too busy recording on our video camera. Maybe I can post the footage on here later (if I can figure it out)

Home sweet home.

2009-01-26T14:22:00.002-07:00

Well we had a great vacation. I will write more when I get a longer moment to write.
We drove to and from L.A. Spending the night in Vegas on the way down and straight shot on the way home. You know how when you drive that far you always get so frustrated that it is taking so long (especially when you haven't seen your baby in a week!!!) So I was kinda having a little bit of a bad attitude until I finally picked up my sweet baby and made my way on Bangerter highway towards our Herriman home. That's when I was looking at the mtn's and a light bulb moment went off. I was so grateful at that moment for our ancestors. It would have taken soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
long for the pioneers to get that far, and they never got to go on a luxurious cruise and enjoy extra awesome vacations. I feel pretty spoiled and happy for those certain trials we don't have to face living in this time =D.

Getting ready for the cruise......

2009-01-11T20:16:00.002-07:00

We are leaving for our cruise this Friday. If you have been ever been to Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, or Mazatlan, what have you done that is fun, or not fun. I need all recommendations!!! I want to make sure to do only the funnest things.

Thanks for all your help!!

New Years Eve

2009-01-01T21:15:00.006-07:00

We had a great time this year during all of the holidays! Most recently for our Annual New Years Eve Party!!! We had lots of friends over and Russian and Danielle made Sweedish pancakes! Mathew and Lauri made yummy wiener wrapps... juice, we had every yummy thing you can imagine to put in your eggs. Thick bacon, sausage, etc... Seriously everything you can imagine! The best part was our great company!

Russian and Danielle spent the night and when we woke up (after sleeping in a lot) we went up to Park City for lunch on Main Street. Great time!! I didn't do one productive thing today and it feels so foreign but great too!

Blah

2008-12-18T23:03:00.002-07:00

Okay so I know I pretty much just suck at the blog thing lately. I always think of fun things I wanna post but when I get here to do it I just feel like I don't have the effort to make it worth your time to read. I will be better after Christmas. Promise!

Help!

2008-12-04T16:50:00.002-07:00

Lori, If you are reading this. STOP here k.

Okay so I need help w/ What do I get for my in-laws for Christmas? They are the hardest people in the world to shop for! It's always soooo hard! I am out of ideas.

What are all of you getting for your in-laws? I need as many suggestions as I can get!

I REFUSE TO GIVE GIFT CARDS! I THINK THEY ARE THE LAMEST THING EVER. IF YOU GIVE GIFT CARDS YOU MIGHT AS WELL GIVE CASH.

Twilight

2008-12-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas! Twilight Maniacs here is the full Twilight movie online.

http://static.youku.com/v1.0.0360/v/swf/qplayer.swf?VideoIDS=XNTYxMDA3OTI=&embedid=-&showAd=0

Thanks Brit!

Friends

2008-11-30T22:15:00.004-07:00

Carter & William are friends. They love to stare at eachother and Carter loves to laugh at William (he laughs at all babies and kids) Carter has also learned to wave whenever someone says "hi" to him. He is growing up way too fast!

Black Friday/ Christmas gift cards

2008-11-24T10:59:00.003-07:00

If you are looking for great deals look no further! www.blackfriday.info This has pretty much all the stores and the special deals that are going on now. I love a good bargain!

Also HEADS UP! If you tend to give gift cards around the holidays, you need to be careful that the cards will be honored after the holidays. Stores that are planning to close after Christmas are still selling the cards through the holidays even though the cards will be worthless January 1. There is no law preventing them from doing this. On the contrary, it is referred to as 'Bankruptcy Planning. Below is a partial list of stores that you need to be cautious about:
Circuit City (filed Chapter 11)
Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide closing
Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug ,and Catherine's to close 150 stores nationwide
Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January
Cache will close all stores
Talbots closing down specialty stores
J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbots)
Pacific Sunwear (also owned by Talbots)
GAP closing 85 stores
Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January
Wickes Furniture closing down
Levitz closing down remaining stores
Bombay closing remaining stores
Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January
Whitehall closing all stores
Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ ( New Brunswick )
Macys to close 9 stores after January
Linens and Things closing all stores
Movie Galley Closing all stores
Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
Wilson Leather closing down all stores
Sharper Image closing down all stores
K B Toys closing 356 stores
Lowes to close down some stores

Time on my hands

2008-11-20T19:33:00.004-07:00

So lately I have had a ton of time on my hands. Everyone that knows me knows that I don't have the personality to sit around very much. I haven't really had a chance to experience being a full time Mom w/ a baby since when I had Carter I had a bunch of Real Estate deals going on and I was always out of my house. Then w/ surgery Court stayed home w/ me for about 6 weeks and I wasn't really a real live home Mommy even though I was home. So I closed my last real estate deal I a few weeks
ago and the other 2 deals I was working on recently fell
through the cracks thanks to the mortgage mess.

Anyway w/ less work I have had a chance to just be a Mom. I'm so happy to be able to spend more time w/ Carter. He's so much fun, and such a good baby. He loves being on the go just like me, so it's hard to be cooped up. Luckily I have great friends to get out of the house w/ and we do fun things. Last week I went shopping w/ Shelly to get new home decor for our home. We seriously went to about 6 stores in one day. Today I
went to the mall w/ my Sister to get Carter
new clothes. We are getting his pictures taken next week
w/ his 2 cousins, so we had to get clothes that coordinate w/ eachother.

I seriously just love my life. I am so thankful for my sweet husband for working so hard in School and Work and allowing me to be a stay at home Mom. Don't get me wrong I will ALWAYS do real estate as well. I love Real Estate, it's more like a hobby to me because I love it soooo much! I love negotiating and helping people
find great deals/ get great deals! It's nice that Carter is a
trooper and is able to go with me for a lot of my
appointments. When it's not appropriate I have a sweet
Mother in Law that steps in as well. Okay I am really
getting off base.
Just wanted you all to see the little photo shoot I put
Carter through ( You can tell he loved every second of it
huh?! lol!)

"I don't want to SMILE I just want to eat your hand!"

Yay! For Christmas time!

Oh my heck! It has been SOO hard for me to find something to put on our fridge that I actually like. But I found this at Thai Pan.

This mirror came from Rod Works. I love it because the Red matches our plate from Pier 1 and the Green matches our curtains! Luck for sure!

This isn't the best pic of our Christmas tree because of the flash, it's Maroon and Gold and I love these colors. We have a really elegant tree, but starting next year I think we are going to have more of a cheesy tree. With all the colors of lights and silly more kid friendly ornaments.

Gas Prices!

2008-11-20T17:48:00.002-07:00

Yay! Today both Court and I filled up. The cost $1.62/ gallon. Of course this was after $.15/ gallon @ Smiths. How lovely!

Is Chivalry Dead?

2008-11-18T13:16:00.001-07:00

I would like to start a disscussion on this topic. I definately have my opinions about this, however I don't want my opinions to influence yours so I'd like to hear from you 1st. Let me know what you think. This is the topic right now on the Today Show. I'm excited to hear what you all think!

5 yr anniversary

2008-11-18T11:13:00.003-07:00

Okay so our 5 yr anniversary was Saturday and I told Court that I wanted to plan the whole thing. We couldn't go out of town since we just went to a funeral in Vegas last weekend so instead Friday night (the night before our anniversary) we went to the Texas Roadhouse. We ate there on our 1st date so that was nice. His sis and her b/f decided to join us which was fun but we made up for that the next night when we went to "The Roof" which is in the Joseph Smith Memorial Bld on the top floor. We always go to the Garden which is nice too and a ton less expensive but the roof was excellent. It's set up buffet style and has an even better view of the temple than the Garden. Anyway it was perfect down to the flowers I ordered to be set on the table when we got there. Earlier that day we also went to breakfast and went shopping for new home decor and Christmas stuff. Then we went to the new James Bond Movie too. It was a perfect anniversary!
I gave Court and Iron Gym and a few other things and he brought me home beautiful flowers, chocolates, bath salts, lotions, the cutest card ever. Ya know how most anniversary cards are really traditional cheesy lovey dovey. Mine just said "Your Hot!" haha. That is totally how we are too. I'm happy he was able to find such a great card. lol!
I really do have the perfect husband for me! I couldn't ask him to do anything different. Or be anyone different than exactly who he is. I love you Court!

BYU/ UTAH

2008-11-16T22:02:00.002-07:00

Who will win this Saturday? BYU or UTAH? Hmmm.. I don't know, but we are having a big game party on Saturday. Everyone that reads this blog is definately invited, just leave me a comment or call, text, e-mail us and let us know you are coming so we have plenty of food! Hope to see you all here. If you love one team or the other make sure you come fighting for your team. I'm sure there will be lots from both sides here, which will make is super fun!

Spanx

2008-11-15T23:05:00.002-07:00

Love them! Just tried them for the 1st time. Recommend it highly to anyone especially if you have a baby.

Our drive through wedding- A Special Memory

2008-11-11T15:34:00.003-07:00

As many of you know, or don't know. Court and I are about to celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary (This Sat) When we decided to get married we also decided to elope. While visiting Vegas this past week for a funeral, we also decided to visit our wedding chapel. We have actually never seen the chapel part of it because we were married in Court's Infiniti in the drive through. Here are some pic's of the place.

This menu is seriously like Wendy's only you can order flowers, photo's, etc. We didn't order any extra's because we were both broke back then.

Here she is. The infamous wedding window. So when we got married they popped the screen out of the window and used the speakers from the computer as our wedding music. lol! We were laughing the WHOLE time and instead of saying I Do or Yes we said pppbsure. Just a silly little way of saying sure back then. haha! Oh the memories.

5 years later and we just had our 1st baby, but we are a family of 4 now. I don't know if it's the part that we have a 14 yr old or just that we have 2 kids but we are feelin' way too old already.

This is the front. If you pay the extra money to actually get into the chapel you would go in through these doors.

To see the rest of our vegas trip look down to the next post. I seperated the trip into 2 posts.

Vegas!

2008-11-11T13:51:00.009-07:00

The past couple weeks have been fun, fun and crazy! We just got back from Vegas baby! Ya! Well, my Great Uncle past away last week so we went to the funeral. It was beautiful and perfect. I'm sad for all the family who will miss him for some time but happy for him and where he is and happy/thankful to know that we will see eachother again.

This was Dakota's first time out of state, which was fun. He hadn't even seen a palm tree yet so we took him to do all the fun things on the strip and stayed for 3 nights so we could see our family that lives in Vegas more.

This machine was pretty cool. You pay $0.51 into the machine and it squished the penny into a picture of a cool little M&M guy. Kota loved it!

Court got a little frisky with Ms. Green. I don't mind ;)

The dots go in circles like at the haunted houses so it's hard to walk straight. This is at the M&M factory on the 3rd level. I have been there several times but for some reason I never knew about the 3rd level. There is a movie theatre in 3d too.

This was on top of the Stratosphere. We bought Koda an unlimited pass to all the rides so we just hung out and watched him. Well we each rode a little, but mostly watched him have a good time.

This picture was taken at the viewing.

Halloween Event Pics!

2008-10-29T22:21:00.004-06:00

I met up w/ a couple girl friends and our kids at Gardner Village last Wednesday. We ate at Archibalds Restaraunt and then we took pics of the the little ones. I thought I forgot my camera until the end and only have pic's from Michelle. Shelly if you send me the other pic's I'd love to post them!

This is Michelle's baby Caidence w/ my Carter. She's the cutest little girl! Always dressed to impress!

Carter loves her ;)

We went to Thriller w/ Russian & Danielle last Friday. It was great! Here are the pics:

Chris (Russian) and Danielle

All of us at The Pie before Thriller

Chris died by the monster on the steps of
Kingsbury Hall.

Yikes!

Thriller

2008-10-25T15:06:00.002-06:00

Last night we went with Chris and Danielle to Thriller at Kingsbury Hall. It was so good! I recommend going if you haven't already. This year they had a lot of different #'s than last year. It may be a little scary for the younger kids so I would say just bring older kids. They will love it! We did get pics, but I will have to post them a little later. So I'm glad that was last night because starting around 4 or 5am I got super sick!

I have been throwing up all day. I can't even keep pepto down, and it's weird... I don't have a fever. Then Carter didn't poo for a few days (he's only on formula now so he should poo everyday) But the past 3 days now he has been having blow out runny diapers like 5 times/ day. So sad for him, cause you can tell he hurts.

Tag from Michelle

2008-10-20T13:46:00.003-06:00

K, so Michelle tagged me. This is the first 'tag' I have taken part in, in the history of this blog. Here we go!

4 random things about my hubby?

1-He is a way good singer and guitar player, but because of his shyness a lot of people don't know that.
2-He's way funny. People that know him well know that but again he is way shy if he doesn't know you so a ton of people don't know how funny he is.
3-He loves to watch this dumb show that has local fights. I think it's on channel 14 or something. Anyway... whenever he lets me take a nap he and the baby watch it, and it's really dumb! But once in a while he see's pepole he's worked w/ in the past or knows one way or another.
4-He hates the dentist so much he asks for gas just for cleanings. And he tells them he can't feel it so they crank it!

4 movies I could watch more than once

1. Any of the Bourne movies
2. Batman (the new one)
Um, pretty much any intense movie or chick flick. I hate most war type old time movies and shoot them up type but I love an intense thriller type.

4 tv shows I watch:

1. Prison Break
2. Dancing w/ the Stars
3. The bachelor
4. The Office

Places I have been:

1. Canada
2. San Francisco
3. L.A and surrounding areas
4. Vegas lots! (Since that's where we got married)

4 people who e-mail me regularly

1. Gary
2. Danielle/Russian
3. Court
4. (more recently) Shelly

Favorite food:

1. Steak
2. Cafe Rio
3. Texas Roadhouse
4. pretty much anything. I really love food!

4 places I would like to visit:

1. Italy!!
2. Japan
3. Australia
4. Mexico

4 things I am looking forward to this year.

1. Carter growing and developing!
2. Mexican Rivera cruise in January.
3. Court being done w/ school (having my hubby back)!
4. Court getting a new job w/ his NDT license which should pay lots more than we are used to. =) And he will be home more =)=)

I tag everyone that reads this =)

Haunted Canyon!

2008-10-19T22:38:00.002-06:00

This weekend was great! Extra busy, but fun!

We did way too much to list it all, but we decided to take Dakota (our foster son) on 'date' Since we had our baby he hasn't had a lot of one on one time with both of us, so we had Court's Mom babysit Carter for us and we took him to Snips Cafe in Heber, or something like that. We also went on the Haunted Canyon. It was a great time. I think if you have kids elementary age it's best. A tiny bit over priced, but I guess it's worth it for good memories.

Okay so after we started heading home and my Mother in Law sent me a text message asking if Carter had been rolling over very much. She said he rolled over 2 times. Yeah, that was a first! He had NEVER done that before! I missed it! Oh my heck I was so sad that I missed his first roll over. As we were getting ready for church this morning I was trying to get him to roll over and he wouldn't. So we went to Sunday dinner after church (at Court's parent's) He rolled over 2 more times! I guess he likes rolling over there more. At least this time I was there to experience it. So we are going on a cruise and leaving both our kids behind for 7 nights in January and I just know he's going to have a world of firsts then too. I guess that's life.

Cruise Time!

2008-10-15T20:26:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone, so Court and I and a couple of our friends are going on a Mexican Riveria cruise in January. I belive January 3rd (since it's in between semesters) We have been talking with our awesome cruise agent and the more people we get to come the less expensive our rates are. If there are 8 couples that come we get a better rate.... so if any of you are thinking of what to give your spouse for Christmas?? How 'bout a cruise! After the cruise we are staying in Cali for a couple days to win some boats and RV's on the Price is Right! So come on down and go on this 7 nights of thrills w/ us! Prices are $679.17/ pp right now.... or $1358.34/ couple. What a great deal! Anyway for more info on this cruise contact me and I will give you info for our travel agent Jody!

HOW COME???

2008-10-13T22:21:00.004-06:00

How come babies know to look into your eyes when you talk to them instead of looking at your mouth?

So we were out shopping and Court put on a Joker mask (Heath Ledger style) and ran up to Carter making crazy sounds. You would think that should scare a kid, right? Nah, Carter just thought it was funny.

How come babies listen so intently to our conversations? The other day I was talking to a neighbor and Carter was listening to her tell me a story I swear he was nodding his head to be polite and show her he was listening intently. I either have one extra polite baby, or just an intuitive one.

Babies are crazy!

The Brain

2008-10-07T16:49:00.004-06:00

Did you know that your brain shrinks by 8% during pregnancy? After you give birth your brain becomes more powerful though. Thanks Dr. Oz and Opera! =) Now I know why I didn't think quite as fast while I was prego!

The life of a 4 month old!

2008-10-05T20:13:00.002-06:00

We have been enjoying carter so much! He's at the cutest little stage ever. I've always thought babies were cutest at 4-5 months so ever since I was pregnant I have been looking forward to this time, but still trying to enjoy every stage he's been at so far. I do miss having a small little infant. But now when we talk to him he doesn't give us wierd looks (almost like he's pissed) Instead we can say the most subtle thing to him and he just smiles and laughs and laughs and belly laughs! Mmmm! I love it!

Congratulations

2008-10-01T20:25:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to Dake & Amanda! My newest 1st time home buyers! Hope you love your home for years to come! Today is Dake's birthday and he got keys to his house for his gift. Not too shabby!

Positive News:

The recent foreclosure data from the Mortgage Brokers Association shows that Utah has a foreclosure rate that's less than half the national average. The rate of homes gone into foreclosure here (1.23 percent) is low enough to indicate a strong local economy. (National Average is 2.75 percent)

Fun, Fun, Fun!

2008-09-28T09:57:00.008-06:00

We decided to get out of the city and head up to our cabin. We stopped in Park City on the way for some good shopping, and a quick lunch at McD's.

We made a had a campfire and made s'mores.

I'm not afraid of Bears!

Okay so my sis in law, Whitney has never had a s'more before this night. Never! Isn't that a crime?

We went to Marelia's for dinner with our friends Russian and Danielle.

These horses live up by our cabin.

So we went to our cabin to get away for a little bit. It was great! We did some nice shopping in P.C. we also had a campfire, made s'mores, watched a couple movies and the Presidential debates, the guys played horse-shoes. BBQ'd and ate junk for breakfast. Good times!

Danielle and I went to the Conference Center for Womens Conference. (That's a whole other blog in itself) Our hubby's went to gateway for some shopping with Carter. They had a disappointing trip. Okay so after the conference they came to pick us up and we sat in traffic for at least an hr. Suckful! Then we went to dinner at Marelia's, which was great!

The weekend isn't over, but I am. I think I over did it this weekend. I am doing a ton better and recovering great! I'm not the type of person to sit around in bed and do nothing. With that being said I really need to learn how to do that because I think I would recover even faster. Right now it just feels like someone took a 6 inch curling iron and put it on me where my incision is. But whenever I try to hold Carter standing up or anything else (which I do often, whoops!) It feels like someone is taking that curling iron and reburning the burn sight. Not fun! But this weekend has been so far and today I am taking it easy and I am going to lay around all day!

Okay so I want to point out some key points I took with me from the Conference. The Relief Society presidency spoke as well as President Uchtdorf. There was a ton of focus on the purpose of Relief Society, and on being okay with who you are. I think in life we all get wrapped around keeping up with the Jone's. This reminded me that it's okay for some people to perhaps be more skilled in one area as you are probably talented in others. If everyone was equally talented in all areas our lives would be pretty boring. There wouldn't be a need for service if we were all the same. Which brings me to the next point Uchtdorf pointed out that really hit me. He said whenever you feel like you don't have everything you want or your not all that you want to be to look around you and find someone that has less.... then help them. You will soon find that you are a lot happier with where you are in your own life. I have found this to be true time and time again! I love the feeling of doing service. I really don't do it nearly enough! But I am making a personal goal to do it more so please! please! All of you who read this let me know if I can do ANYTHING to help you personally OR if you know of any projects within the county that need help. There is always so much to do, I know we can always go to the cannery or put together care packages for the church, or our troops.... but let me know if there are any other projects out there that I may not know about right now. Oh there was a lot more to the conference so I will write more when I have more time. Hope you all are enjoying your weekend!

Fall Season T.V.

2008-09-24T12:46:00.002-06:00

(Marci, this is for you!) Okay so it is Fall season and I'm excited about the fall t.v. shows on t.v. As much as Court and I love to get out and be active and not sit at home.... we really do truly love to sit at home and watch our shows. Right now we are kinda forced to since I can't do a whole lot of anything, but hey I'm not complaining =) Some of our favorite shows are Prison Break & Dancing w/ the Stars. We are excited for American Idol and we have a few months to wait but The Bachelor... oh I am excited! This year it is Jason, from last years the Bachelorette. He's the one that had the little boy and he was the 2nd runner up.

Court's going to kill me for putting it all out there but he loves these girl shows as much as I do! I am very greatful for this! I think we have a good balance! I watch his football with him, and I'm sure I'm a bigger basketball fan as well. I love that my hubby and I enjoy the same shows. I know there are a lot of couples that split up and watch different shows on different t.v's at the same time.

Okay so back to our current 2 shows. Dancing with the stars! mmm.mmm.mmmm who is going to win? I think Lance Bass is going to go far. Oh and how 'bout that model that has 4 kids and her youngest is 6 months. Holy Crap! She looks HOT! That gives me motivation... I have 2 more months right? Too bad I can't do my crunches since it was sliced up week ago... oh well when some one is determined you can't stop them I will have her abs!
Prison Break, wow so every episode is so intense. I am starting to think the plot is a little slow, but as long as every episode makes me cringe I will keep watching.
If you are a fan of any of these shows let me know for sure!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

2008-09-22T21:35:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to thank all of you for your prayers! Thanks Michelle, and Danielle/ Russian for the beautiful flowers! Also thanks Danielle/Russian & Alison for the dinners! Friday night Court and I had fun with Danielle Russian and Dillan in my hospital room. They taught us the game "skip bo" for being as loopy as I was I think I caught on pretty quick. I'm positive I will need a refresher next time... but for a time on Friday night I forgot I was even in a hospital! You guys are the best! Thank you Lori! (My wonderful, beautiful, perfect Mom-in-Law) for watching Carter while I was in the hospital and for bringing him to me on a regular basis so I didn't go crazy!

Halloween is in the air!

2008-09-21T20:23:00.001-06:00

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Surgery Update- Not for the faint of heart

2008-09-18T22:06:00.003-06:00

Okay so I came into surgery yesterday at 10:30 am. My surgery finally started around 12:30pm. It took about 2 1/2 hrs for surgery and recovery before I went to my room. The hospital is way over crouded so I ended up in the Lung and Heart bld. Which is kinda weird because most of the patients are old, so I feel like I'm at an old folks home. After surgery the Dr wanted me on a pain killer drip rather than taking pills so I could push a button every 10 min for pain killers. This feature was extremely nice! Even though I had been cut open I felt better than after I delivered Carter.

Let me back up a little. So the Dr. made a 6 inch incision. He said he pulled out a tumor the size of a softball. He said he barely was able to pull it out the 6 inch hole, almost had to make it bigger. Also he removed my whole left ovary.

Fast forward: The next morning they were going to transition me from the drip to pills. I was afraid that I would start feeling pain once I stopped the drip so I used it as much as possible, then the nurse gave me pills and left the drip on for 40 min for the pills to kick in. At this point I wasn't feeling ANY pain. It was nice!

My mother in law brought our baby to me. Court went to School and Work. I just hung out w/ baby and mom in law for a bit. I started getting extra extra loopy and would fall asleep mid sentance so they took off.

When I woke up this is where the fun begins! The nurse was talking to me and I didn't understand a word she said! She kept asking me about if I need to get up and walk around. I didn't comprehend what 'walk' meant. Then she asked me if I had eaten my luch, I told her yes.. but then looked at my full plate and couldn't tell her no. Then she kept asking me a gazillion questions and I just stared at her blankly. I was seriously in a different world! So my poor brother had come during my nap, and I say poor because I feel soo soo bad for him! When the nurse left I asked him to shut the door behind me when I went to the bathroom. I didn't realize I was flashing him the whole time. Then I asked him to turn on the lights and as he was covering his eyes I told him he didn't have to and he wasn't going to see anything. He says TOO LATE! I ALREADY SAW YOUR JUNK. oh I felt so bad for my poor little bro I had just ruined for life! I didn't have time to feel bad for him at the time, because I had to hurry and grab the garbage can so I could puke at the same time I was sitting on the toilet. Needless to say I was still not in pain (only minor as I puked) so I went about 6 hrs between doses of medication so that my loopiness could wear off. Sorry BRO!!! Bad timing, huh?

Now I am doing much better. I feel a little bit of pain, but it's much better than not knowing where I am or what I am doing. My nurse Tavvia is wonderful! Bless her heart she's pulling a 16 hr shift. Hopefully I will be coming home Saturday, Sunday I think would be the very latest, but after today's events we are sure tomorrow won't be happening.

Surgery Update

2008-09-16T17:22:00.003-06:00

Okay so I just got back from the Dr. and finally have some answers to all of my questions. I replied to a couple of comments on my last post but I will share everything I know for you on here. So I go in tomorrow at 10:30am to IMC (the new Murray hospital) For all of you that came to see Carter when he was born; it's the same hospital. I will be in the main Medical Tower instead of the Women's center though.

The procedure starts out the same as having a c-section. They will open me up and remove my very large Dermoid Cyst (a rare type of tumor) This was formed because of my pregnancy hormones. They will also remove my left ovary. Dr. Terry says that he may be able to save a tiny bit of the ovary, but wouldn't promise. I will still have my right ovary though so I can still have more kids in the future.

There is only a very small chance that the tumor is cancerous. They will test it while I am there. I will be there from Wednesday-Friday at the earliest or Sunday at the latest. I will make sure Court updates this blog so you all can check on my progress :) Cause I know you are all dying to know I'm okay! Haha! Thanks for all of your support. Seriously! If I am too restless to sleep tonight I will update the blog even more :)

2008-09-14T11:28:00.002-06:00

Wow! This past week has been so crazy! There are only 3 days left until my surgery so I've been trying to get all my crazy projects done before hand so I'm not laying in bed thinking of all the work I wish I could be doing. I have several Real Estate deals that I have been trying to put together as much as possible. With the help from Court, and my Mom all of my clients will be well taken care of. (My mom is also a Realtor, and Court went through Real Estate school with me, just didn't get his license) On Tuesday I also went to the South Salt Lake Mission Zone Conference and helped serve the Elders and Sisters lunch. It was so fun to see so many missionaries in one place. They sang "Called to Serve" as we stood at the bottom of the stage and we were surrounded by 250 missionaries. It was great surround sound. I could feel the spirit in the room so strongly! I'm greatful I had the opportunity to do that. With that being said, My sister Stephanie babysat Carter for me. She called me several times telling me he was crying and I should come home. I'm pretty sure Carter has been teething for a few weeks now, but no teeth have popped through yet. This makes me really nervous to have my surgery because Carter really is a very good baby... but I am used to his cries and know what he wants and needs. Court knows most as well, but those that are not with him constantly don't know all of his little quirks or tricks to make him happy, so I hope it goes smooth. My recovery will last until the end of OCTOBER! I can start picking him up around the middle of October, but in the meantime I can't even pick him up. I have faith that it will all work out, but I am still concerned for Carter, and for those who will help take care of him.
This week I was also able to go out to lunch with my good friend Michelle. Other than bumping into eachother at the Dr's office we haven't seen eachother for probably close to 4 years. Our babies are a month apart. I will post pics a little later.
I was also able to go shopping at Gateway mall with my good friend Danielle... It was nice to get out and go downtown. Times like that make me want to move out of Herriman. There were so many cute little kids running through the fountains. I pictured me taking Carter there in a year and him having so much fun! I love being a Mommy! Seriously if I would have known it would be this much fun I would have tried harder to have him sooner! I am trying to just enjoy him at every stage he's in, but at the same time I get excited for all of the stages in the future. Michelle's daughter Caidence was so cute, so it makes me happy for in a month from now, but I think the toddler stage is so cute too! I can't wait to put him in swimming lessons, and soccer, and t-ball, and every other activity he might possibly want! I want to enroll him asap so he has a good head start on coordination skills, etc. Wow, there was so much more that happened this week, but I will have to tell you more another time. I hope you are all doing well!

3 day weekend

2008-09-02T12:34:00.002-06:00

Wow! Best weekend we have had in almost a year! We were able to do lots of fun things this weekend. Thanks Danielle, and Russian for having us over for dinner and ping pong Friday night! It's always good times with you! Also Saturday we were able to hang out with Dake & Amanda in Weber County helping them find their dream home. Sunday we didn't go to "Sunday dinner" with our family, instead we stayed home and just relaxed. I can honestly say we haven't given ourself a day to just do nothing in over a year. Seriously! It was great. Monday we went to breakfast at IHOP and then it was back to running around doing errands but we weren't rushed and we enjoyed dinner with Court's family last night. And of course the weekend came to an end watching the season premier of PRISON BREAK. Which is one of our favorite shows to watch together. With court working 30 hrs a week and taking 15 credits at school I feel like I never see him, so being together constantly for 3 days feels so good and reminds me how much I love him. I couldn't ask for a better husband! I've never met anyone with such wit. All of you who know me know that I am a pretty serious person. I enjoy having a good time, but I definately don't have as much wit as Court. He is so funny. Let's just say we could be stuck on an island for a long, long time before I'd run out of laughs with Court. I keep trying to get him to try out the blog thing. I can't get him to write more than a sentance or two... one day, just one day... he will write on this thing. For now, your stuck with me ;)

2008-08-31T23:08:00.001-06:00

Hey its court. We ae enjoying our 3 day weekend. Its nice to be able to stay up late and sleep in a little.

Weekend

2008-08-24T21:56:00.002-06:00

Hey guys! What a weekend eh? We had a really good weekend. Friday night we went to "The Garden" restaraunt downtown with good friends. One couple we haven't seen in 2 years, the other we hadn't seen since we were in the hospital right after the baby was born. Anyway, I highly recommend if you haven't eaten at The Garden go for it! It is at the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Bld, across the hall from the roof. It is priced a lot lower than the roof though. It's really yummy.. they display the food very nicely. Service is always great! The coolest part is the roof is retractable. We were eating as the sun was setting and we had the best view of the most beautiful sunset I've seen in a long time in the background of the Salt Lake Temple.
Saturday Court and I went shopping for new clothes!! Of course, I had more fun that court but it was lovely as well.
Hope you had a great weekend as well :)

Scrapbook of Carter

2008-08-21T18:05:00.001-06:00

Can I borrow your muscles?

2008-08-21T09:42:00.000-06:00

Okay so I am struggling. My advice for anyone who has not had kids yet. You gotta work out those arm muscles! Maybe I'm the exception because Carter is SOOO huge, but my goodness I can barely carry him. He's not quite 3 months and he weighs 15+ lbs... he's in the 97th percentile. From the time we brought him home from the hospital I always told Court I wanted to carry the carseat so that I could start building my arm muscles. Well let's just say he has grown faster than my arms. Haha. I really think I'm going to start not taking the carrier around and instead just put him in a sling.

Big Brother

2008-08-20T15:41:00.000-06:00

Okay so Court and I have one extremely stupid show that we are addicted to. We learn absolutely nothing by watching this show but BIG BROTHER. It comes on Sundays, Tuesday's, and Thursdays. For those of you who have not watched there are several people that move into a house to live together. Each week someone will become HOH (head of household) They will nomintate 2 houseguests for eviction. The 2 that are nominated for eviction have the chance to save themself by winning a competition (which is different every week) The winner gets the POV (Power of Veto). If one of the nominees gets off the block the HOH will nominate a 3rd houseguest. In the meantime they have a Food Competition. They break the house into 2 teams. The loosing team can only eat slop for the whole week. slop is this nasty stuff that looks like oatmeal but it's described as extremely miserable to the houseguests. Anyway, we missed last nights show so don't give anything away quite yet if you watched.

2008-08-20T15:27:00.000-06:00

I have enjoyed Court being home more often the past couple of weeks, but it's back to school time :( sniff sniff. He's excited to be back in school though. I probably would be happy to go back too cause when he's home I put him to good use. We just finished up our final in between semester project when we painted Dakota's room on Monday. Of course we didn't get to all the projects I was hoping for, but we were able to visit the Salt Lake Parade of Homes. (which of course gives me more projects to put on the list) We have also enjoyed being able to watch the Olympics. We both have watched more Olympics this go around than any other olympic games ever. Who knew jumping on the trampoline was an olympic event? Crazy, I should have spent more time on the tramp. ;-) No really my favorite events are the gymnastics, and I loved the kyaking. That was awesome! Court's a big fan of Volleyball, we both love Basketball.

SHOTS!

2008-08-14T21:37:00.000-06:00

Okay so I just took our baby Carter to get his first set of shots. Although it was his first set of shots he has had his blood drawn several times and has done well with it, even though they have to squeeze it out manually and it takes forever. Anyway I though I could bring a little toy and try to distract him, I knew he would cry, and of course gave myself a peptalk about not being shocked and not crying myself when he cried. Well the good news is that I was strong and actually wasn't tempted to cry... with that said, I really really think they should have the parents leave the room. Carter is in the cutest stage where he's smiling all the time. He coo's and even laughs so he was laying there on the table with his head turned looking at me with a huge smile from ear to ear making really good eye contact when all of a sudden the shots began and he was screaming. Forget the distraction toys he was hurting so bad his eyes were shut as he was screaming so so hard. I'm sure he thought I was the one that hurt him as he was staring at me and I was the last one he saw. I felt so terrible! I swear he was mad at me the rest of the day. Anyway, if you have not had your first baby yet, or if they just haven't had shots yet I highly recomment you just let the nurses deal with it and be away from them so your baby doesn't think it's you causing them pain. For those of you that have had babies, I want to know about your shot stories, what do you think of them? I know a lot of people don't like them, I want to know how you feel about them either way. My bro almost died when he got his kindergarten shots. I know a lot of people have side effects.

$7,500.00 TAX CREDIT

2008-08-09T20:06:00.000-06:00

As many of you know I am a realtor. I love real estate so much so I will always keep my readers up to date on the latest Real Estate news. I am especially excited for this because it will help so many buyers get a home and it will help so many sellers, sell their house as well.

Who is eligible to claim the $7,500 tax credit? First time home buyers purchasing any kind of home - new or resale - are eligible for the tax credit.
What is the definition of a first-time home buyer? The law defines "first-time home buyer" as a buyer who has not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase. For married taxpayers, the law tests homeownership history of both the home buyer and his/her spouse. For example, if you have not owned a home in the past three years but your spouse has owned a principal residence, neither you nor your spouse qualifies for the first-time home buyer tax credit.
What types of homes will qualify for the tax credit? Any home purchased by an eligible first-time home buyer will qualify for the credit, provided that the home will be used as a principal residence and the buyer has not owned a home in the previous three years. This includes single-family detached homes, attached homes like townhouses, and condominiums.
Are there income limits to determine who is eligible to take the tax credit? Yes. Home buyers who file their taxes as single or head-of-household taxpayers can claim the credit if their modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is less than $75,000. For married taxpayers filing a joint tax return, the MAGI limit is $150,000. The limit is based on the buyer's modified adjusted gross income for the year that the house is purchased, except for certain purchases in 2009.
What is "modified adjusted gross income"? Modified adjusted gross income or MAGI is defined by the IRS. To find it, a taxpayer must first determine "adjusted gross income" or AGI. AGI is total income for a year minus certain deductions (known as "adjustments" or "above-the-line deductions"), but before itemized deductions from Schedule A or personal exemptions are subtracted. On Forms 1040 and 1040A, AGI is the last number on page 1 and first number on page 2 of the form. For Form 1040-EZ, AGI appears on line 4 (as of 2007). Note that AGI includes all forms of income including wages, salaries, interest income, dividends and capital gains. To determine modified adjusted gross income (MAGI), add to AGI certain amounts such as foreign income, foreign-housing deductions, student-loan deductions, IRA-contribution deductions and deductions for higher-education costs.
If my modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is above the limit, do I qualify for any tax credit? Possibly. It depends on your income. Partial credits of less than $7,500 are available for some taxpayers whose MAGI exceeds the phaseout limits. The credit becomes totally unavailable for individual taxpayers with a modified adjusted gross income of more than $95,000 and for married taxpayers filing joint returns with an AGI of more than $170,000.
Can you give an example of how the partial tax credit is determined? Just as an example, assume that a married couple has a modified adjusted gross income of $160,000. The applicable phaseout to qualify for the tax credit is $150,000, and the couple is $10,000 over this amount. Dividing $10,000 by $20,000 yields 0.5. When you subtract 0.5 from 1.0, the result is 0.5. To determine the amount of the partial first-time home buyer tax credit that is available to this couple, multiply $7,500 by 0.5. The result is $3,750.Here's another example: assume that an individual home buyer has a modified adjusted gross income of $88,000. The buyer's income exceeds $75,000 by $13,000. Dividing $13,000 by $20,000 yields 0.65. When you subtract 0.65 from 1.0, the result is 0.35. Multiplying $7,500 by 0.35 shows that the buyer is eligible for a partial tax credit of $2,625.Please remember that these examples are intended to provide a general idea of how the tax credit might be applied in different circumstances. You should always consult your tax advisor for information relating to your specific circumstances.
Does the credit amount differ based on tax filing status? No. The credit is in general equal to $7,500 for a qualified home purchase, whether the home buyer files taxes as a single or married taxpayer. However, if a household files their taxes as "married filing separately" (in effect, filing two returns), then the credit of $7,500 is claimed as a $3,750 credit on each of the two returns.
Are there any circumstances for which buyers whose incomes are at or below the $75,000 limit for singles or the $150,000 limit for married taxpayers might not be able to claim the full $7,500 tax credit? In general, the tax credit is equal to 10% of the qualified home purchase price, but the credit amount is capped or limited at $7,500. For most first-time home buyers, this means the credit will equal $7,500. For home buyers purchasing a home priced less than $75,000, the credit will equal 10% of the purchase price.
I heard that the tax credit is refundable. What does that mean? The fact that the credit is refundable means that the home buyer credit can be claimed even if the taxpayer has little or no federal income tax liability to offset. Typically this involves the government sending the taxpayer a check for a portion or even all of the amount of the refundable tax credit. For example, if a qualified home buyer expected, notwithstanding the tax credit, federal income tax liability of $5,000 and had tax withholding of $4,000 for the year, then without the tax credit the taxpayer would owe the IRS $1,000 on April 15th. Suppose now that taxpayer qualified for the $7,500 home buyer tax credit. As a result, the taxpayer would receive a check for $6,500 ($7,500 minus the $1,000 owed).
What is the difference between a tax credit and a tax deduction? A tax credit is a dollar-for-dollar reduction in what the taxpayer owes. That means that a taxpayer who owes $7,500 in income taxes and who receives a $7,500 tax credit would owe nothing to the IRS.A tax deduction is subtracted from the amount of income that is taxed. Using the same example, assume the taxpayer is in the 15 percent tax bracket and owes $7,500 in income taxes. If the taxpayer receives a $7,500 deduction, the taxpayer's tax liability would be reduced by $1,125 (15 percent of $7,500), or lowered from $7,500 to $6,375.
Can I claim the tax credit if I finance the purchase of my home under a mortgage revenue bond (MRB) program? No. The tax credit cannot be combined with the MRB home buyer program.
I am not a U.S. citizen. Can I claim the tax credit? Maybe. Anyone who is not a nonresident alien (as defined by the IRS), who has not owned a principal residence in the previous three years and who meets the income limits test may claim the tax credit for a qualified home purchase. The IRS provides a definition of "nonresident alien" in IRS Publication 519.
Does the credit have to be paid back to the government? If so, what are the payback provisions? Yes, the tax credit must be repaid. Home buyers will be required to repay the credit to the government, without interest, over 15 years or when they sell the house, if there is sufficient capital gain from the sale. For example, a home buyer claiming a $7,500 credit would repay the credit at $500 per year. The home owner does not have to begin making repayments on the credit until two years after the credit is claimed. So if the tax credit is claimed on the 2008 tax return, a $500 payment is not due until the 2010 tax return is filed. If the home owner sold the home, then the remaining credit amount would be due from the profit on the home sale. If there was insufficient profit, then the remaining credit payback would be forgiven.
Why must the money be repaid? Congress's intent was to provide as large a financial resource as possible for home buyers in the year that they purchase a home. In addition to helping first-time home buyers, this will maximize the stimulus for the housing market and the economy, will help stabilize home prices, and will increase home sales. The repayment requirement reduces the effect on the Federal Treasury and assumes that home buyers will benefit from stabilized and, eventually, increasing future housing prices.
Because the money must be repaid, isn't the first-time home buyer program really a zero-interest loan rather than a traditional tax credit? Yes. Because the tax credit must be repaid, it operates like a zero-interest loan. Assuming an interest rate of 7%, that means the home owner saves up to $4,200 in interest payments over the 15-year repayment period. Compared to $7,500 financed through a 30-year mortgage with a 7% interest rate, the home buyer tax credit saves home buyers over $8,100 in interest payments. The program is called a tax credit because it operates through the tax code and is administered by the IRS. Also like a tax credit, it provides a reduction in tax liability in the year it is claimed.
If I'm qualified for the tax credit and buy a home in 2009, can I apply the tax credit against my 2008 tax return? Yes. The law allows taxpayers to choose ("elect") to treat qualified home purchases in 2009 as if the purchase occurred on December 31, 2008. This means that the 2008 income limit (MAGI) applies and the election accelerates when the credit can be claimed (tax filing for 2008 returns instead of for 2009 returns). A benefit of this election is that a home buyer in 2009 will know their 2008 MAGI with certainty, thereby helping the buyer know whether the income limit will reduce their credit amount.
For a home purchase in 2009, can I choose whether to treat the purchase as occurring in 2008 or 2009, depending on in which year my credit amount is the largest? Yes. If the applicable income phaseout would reduce your home buyer tax credit amount in 2009 and a larger credit would be available using the 2008 MAGI amounts, then you can choose the year that yields the largest credit amount.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS PLEASE CALL ME! BUT SPREAD THE WORD TO ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY! THIS IS REALLY GOING TO HELP SO MANY PEOPLE! Even if you don't need the cash, you can still take it and put it in a high interest savings account and make money off the interest! Exciting, isn't it?

Stacy

Good Morning Sunshine!

2008-08-08T09:15:00.001-06:00

Wow,
If half of what I say doesn't make sence I appologize. Carter decided he didn't need much sleep last night. Hopefully he will nap for me a little later because I am getting really excited for the Olympics. We just decided to throw together a fun Olympic party tonight. If you wanna come just e-mail me so I know we have enough yummies. Oh Carter looks like he will take a nap now, so I better too while I have the chance :) I will write more later!

Stacy

2008-08-08T09:13:00.003-06:00

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Carter

2008-08-08T09:13:00.001-06:00

Create your own glittery text at pYzam.com

Welcome!

2008-08-07T17:02:00.000-06:00

I am so happy that we finally have our blog! Court and I are not super up to date with technology. We are actually turning into old people that don't know much about anything new. But we are learning. We got a new IPOD at Christmas time that we have not learned how to use yet. We also bought a new digital camcorder before we had the baby. We can't figure out how to make a dvd with it. We keep getting an error message. We will figure it out though so we can post videos on this blog in the near future!

A little update for those of you we haven't talked to in many years. We were married November 15th 2003. We aloped to Vegas. When we got married Court moved into my apt in S. Salt Lake. The following October we moved to Herriman and have been there ever since. We love Herriman, but must admit the commute is taking its toll. Court commutes and hour each way everyday.

We had our first baby Carter on May 23, 2008. He is almost 11 weeks (tomorrow) We are so lucky! He is so good natured! He smiles and coos all the time. We have long conversations in baby language.

Okay I think this is enough info for our first addition. I will update this blog everyday (that's my goal) Please e-mail me your blogs as well so that we can keep in touch. This blog will get cooler and cooler as I have time to add the fun stuff.

Court and Stacy