What a wonderful Easter weekend!

What a fun and busy weekend we had! We traveled down to Utah...I know, surprise, surprise...it was a much-needed and perfect weekend! Besides the fact that Isaac got off of his schedule on Friday, and hardly napped on Saturday, it was great! We started Saturday off by going and getting the hair done by the fabulous--newly engaged!--Lindsey! It was so fun to see her and do some more catching up!

Isaac was great at the salon, especially when everyone came and oohed and ahhed at him.
Then it was up to Lehi to celebrate my sister-in-law's birthday and my nephew's one year birthday. Here's the CAKE my sister-in-law Kim made...she is amazing.
After the party, I did some retail therapy--it was GREAT. I ended my errands by going to Costco...can I just say, I LOVE Costco. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. We are supposed to be getting one in Pocatello this fall, I am very excited.

After my shopping trip, we headed to dinner with some of the family to Goodwood. YUM.
Isaac tried his first lemon...sour!
Then came Easter Sunday!! Isaac is definitely too young to do any sort of easter basket or easter hunt, but we definitely got him an Easter outfit. Me and my precious little boy...

I don't know how this came about, but for some reason there was a "Utah Jazz" headband laying around, and somehow it ended up on Isaac. It was so cute. (Taylor's family is a HUGE Jazz fan!)
Isaac and Grandma...
Our adorable, happy boy!
So, before everyone came over for dinner, Taylor decided to take a "cat nap" so he wouldn't tired for our drive home. Well, Theran (Taylor's oldest brother) decided he needed an obnoxious way to wake him up...so KIM (Theran's wife) suggested banging a pan with a metal spoon. Theran said, "Yep, that'll work!" So I had to capture the picture....Taylor jumped about a foot, it was so funny! Sorry babe...
I really wanted to get a lot of pictures of Isaac and his cousins! This is Isaac and the next oldest grandchild--Little Theran! Isaac kept trying to grab his hand while Theran would look at him like "Who are you and what are you doing?!" It was so funny!

My sister-in-law Kim and I. Her finger was covering the flash....but I still like this picture. She is the one who made the monkey cake!
While the older grandkids/boys were hiding the easter eggs, my nieces and nephew decided to sit under the table so they wouldn't see where the eggs were hidden. It was so cute.

All the grandkids on the Housley side!

Morgan held Isaac...(If you couldn't tell, I was really keen on taking pictures of Isaac with his cousins!)

Our special guest of the evening: my cousin (heehee) Sara McConkie! She came and had easter dinner with us! I'm so glad she came!!
And as we were getting ready to drive home, Brooke and Dane were so sweet by giving Isaac kisses goodbye!! It was SO cute!! It was really funny, and then Dane, with a hand wide open, plopped it right in the middle of Isaac's face, poor Isaac is not quite used to or big enough to handle the playful actions of others, that he started crying. But I love these pictures, they are priceless, and a great memory!

We had SUCH a GOOD weekend!!! I am so glad we went down to Utah; however, there is always so many people to see and things to do that we never get to do it all. But it was wonderful to be surrounded by family as we celebrated the precious life of Jesus Christ on Easter. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful, awesome, and great family to be married into. I love them all dearly!!!

Becoming an Underwriter

So I had a pretty sweet accomplishment today. At work, I am training to become an underwriter. It's a nice, long, tedious process, but I hit a milestone today. I underwrote my first file today!!

For those of you who don't know much about the mortgage business, an underwriter is the person who ultimately reviews the entire file and gives you the final approval and the "ok to fund."

It's pretty daunting, but also very exciting. At the beginning of this process, I submitted my files to someone else who would make sure everything was correct and accurate--well now, I review it/approve it and AFTER it has closed and funded, they (meaning someone higher, wiser, and of more authority) reviews the file and if something is incorrect, our branch might have to eat the cost of the loan. {That's what I mean about daunting!}

But yet, I am very excited about this opportunity to become an underwriter...pretty soon I'll be able to add it to my list of expertise: I can originate, set up, process, underwrite, and post-close a loan. (Next on my list is to close a loan...) I really do love my job!

Happy Birthday Jen!

My sister-in-law, Jenny, is celebrating a birthday today; therefore, the birthday tributes continue. I've personally been looking forward to Jenny's birthday (minus the fact that I've been trying to get a hold of her all day and can't!) because I have been mentally thinking about all the things I love about Jen. To begin, she is gorgeous. She is the one in the red sweater on the left.

Girl's Night Out, November 2007

When I first met Jen, I connected with her immediately because we both shared a love for dance. She grew up dancing as well, so we had a lot in common. Jen has always been so sweet, nice and kind, not only to me but to everyone, but to everyone she comes in contact with. She is the type of person who can have a conversation with just about anyone because she is so genuine. She genuinely cares about others...which definitely leads me to the next thought...Jen is one of the most SELFLESS persons I know!!! She honestly puts everyone before herself, which is so admirable.

I am a personal fan of this picture because she is holding Isaac--Jen is such an amazing mom!!!

Jen is the mother of three little ones...Braden (just turned 6) and the twins Brooke and Dane (20 months). These are some of the words/phrases associated with Jen to give you a better idea of what kind of person/mom she is: "If anyone in our family is going to have twins, Jen is the perfect one!," "Jen can do anything," "Jen is so patient," "Jen is such an amazing mom," "There is something about Jen that just makes her so special," etc, etc, etc....I always thought prior to actually becoming a mom that I wanted to have the patience and love motherhood requires that Jen possesses. I have looked up to you so much, Jen, especially when it comes to motherhood!!

Disclaimer: The following picture does not include all of my wonderful sister-in-laws, and I feel bad about that, but like I said earlier, I have a limited amount of pictures on this computer...here are my sister-in-laws at the time that Taylor and I got married...

So I had to add a picture of Erin as well...

I seriously have the best sister-in-laws...Heather, Kim, Jen and Erin...

I love so many things about Jen--she is talented in so many ways--and I am honestly one of the luckiest persons in the world to know and associate myself with her. She has several attributes that I admire and wish to emulate in my life--I am grateful I can watch and learn from her. Jen, you are so beautiful...inside and out! You can pull off being a blonde, brunette--you name it! You enjoy being outdoors, mixing things up and most of all, just having fun!

So this is to you, Jen...happy birthday! You are such an example to me in so many ways: as a mother, a sister-in-law, a wife, etc. You are so amazing and I am so lucky to be related to you! I love you so much!

A busy week

The weather finally got warm enough here that we started going on walks! Well, it was warm Monday-Wednesday...now it is rainy and cold...but we're still holding out for warm spring weather to come. I don't really know if Isaac enjoys the walks yet...I bundle him up, and with the coat that he wears, it's hard for him to move his arms, so he looks like this little boy in so many layers, it's pretty funny.

We all showed signs of getting sick this week. Taylor's has seemed to plateau into a mild head cold, Isaac appears to have a runny nose due to teething, (We can see Isaac's front two teeth...I guess it's termed "bulging"??? whatever that means, but that is fun despite all the drool and runny nose...no sign of bottom teeth, is that weird?!) :-) but I don't feel like I am getting any better. I took Friday off as a sick day to try to regain some strength...but, if I am going to be sick, it is perfect timing, because my mom came into town on Thursday!! Yea!!! I love having my mom here.

My mom and Isaac had pictures taken on Friday. They were so, so, so, so cute! As soon as we get them I'll have to post them. The one downfall of the pictures: Isaac took his first fall. :-( Both Mom and Isaac were crying. He was sitting on a chair, maybe 6-8 inches off the ground, and Isaac can sit up with support, but he hasn't quite mastered it. So I am sitting right next to him holding his hand, ready to catch him in case he falls. Well, as it probably always happens, I looked away for one second and Isaac leaned to the right and hit the hardwood-DANCE FLOORS-head first. (The photographer uses a dance studio for her studio shots). It still feels like I replay it in my head in slow motion...and he just starts screaming at the top of his lungs. I felt SO bad. But, Isaac is a trooper and within a couple of minutes--if that--he is ok, and ready to smile. He had a little red mark for a little while...maybe 20 minutes...and after that there was no sign of a goose egg or mark. I know it was the first of many falls to come, but oh, I felt so bad.

We had so many cute pictures taken...we had some really fun and really cute hats that he wore, my mom and him had some matching outfits and then we even had one taken especially for our families: a picture of Isaac in a BYU shirt and a BYU beanie. :-) We'll be sure to get you all copies. hahaha...(Cam, you were definitely forefront in our minds for this picture!) I'm so mad I forgot my camera!

Issac has been doing great with solids...he has had carrots, peas and yesterday he had sweet potatoes for the first time and loved them. I'm making our own baby food, and I love doing it!

Last night, the Elders Quorum presidency (Did I mention Taylor got put into the presidency? He's the secretary) decided to go to the temple and do sealings. So, my mom watched Isaac and Taylor and I took off to Idaho Falls. I don't know how long it has been that we have had a night to ourselves, but it was really, really, really nice to go out husband and wife. It was soooo nice. We don't really have many people here that will watch Isaac, and we don't mind going out with Isaac, but once we had a night to ourselves, we definitely realized how nice/important it is to take some time for ourselves. So, thanks Nana, for babysitting!

Five *GASP* Months Old!

It's so hard to believe that my little baby is already five months old. These pictures are a little late, but nonetheless, here is the monthly picture update.

Here he is our "deer caught in the headlights" at four months: And here he is our happy, smiling little boy at FIVE months:

I love how his hand is on top of the teddy bear in these pictures!

Isaac is doing so well and is just the happiest little boy. He is SO SO SO much fun and brings SO much joy and happiness and smiles to our home!! We truly love being parents to him!

I took this picture as he was playing on the floor and rolling all over the place, I just thought he looks so cute, as if to say, "Hmm?"

This past week has also been quite the week as Isaac started eating FOOD! He had been on rice cereal once he was 4 1/2 months, but it didn't seem like he was drinking less formula, so we talked to the doctor and it appeared he needed food! So, we started him on carrots, which he LOVED, and then also tried him on peas. The peas were definitely a different taste to him, but he still loved them. He has done GREAT with the food.

An update as to how the daycare is going: GREAT, GREAT, GREAT! Both Taylor and I have independently noticed that Isaac just seems happier. I've always said and felt that Isaac was a happy baby, but this last week has proved to be even happier. We have been very, very, very happy with "Peas in a Pod." Taylor usually has Isaac home by lunch time, unless Taylor has an afternoon class, and if that's the case--I'll go over to the daycare to see Isaac. And every time I've been there--he is always being held and is always so happy. He did have a hard time sleeping at the beginning of the week--there was just a lot going on around him to fall asleep, so they ended up putting him in his car seat and he fell asleep so fast. So, hopefully as Isaac gets to know his surroundings a little more he will get used to the noise and movements, etc.

We did have our first "daycare experience" this week to mention. I was at work taking an application, and both Taylor and the daycare call. Obviously they don't put the call in to me, so when I am done I am given the message that they called, have a voicemail, and an email from Taylor asking me to call him. Turns out one of the older girls at daycare (maybe 4 or 5) went to daycare with LICE. She was scratching her head, so they decided to look, and sure enough, little black bugs...YUCK! So they called all the parents to have them pick up their kids so they could spend the rest of the day deep cleaning. Never thought I'd be grateful for Isaac's lack of hair until now! :-) haha...it wasn't bad for us because, since she was older, she was downstairs while Isaac is upstairs, but still...I'm grateful the daycare took the precaution and got everyone out.

So, all is well in our home. Taylor continues to amaze me at how hard he is working in school and getting all his classes in order to graduate.

Oh, on a side note: we've planned our first own Housley family trip. I am SO excited. I told Taylor that I really want to take some weekend getaways as a family--I was feeling like we never go anywhere--which we do, but we usually go to Utah or Colorado. SO...we planned our first trip! I am so so so so excited! We are going to Las Vegas in August (can you say, HOT??) with some friends (Afton and Matson) and staying with some friends (Kellie and Skyler)! We'll fly from Idaho Falls (found CHEAP tickets) and leave on Friday and come back Monday...wahoo! It'll be so much fun...

Several new posts and VIDEOS!

I have added several new posts and added a couple videos!

This video is Isaac's latest thing--it is SO funny! I will make noises at him to get him to smile or laugh and lately he has been trying to imitate it. Last Sunday, I took him into the Mother's Room and there was a mirror so I started to smile at him through it and when he saw me he automatically stuck his tongue out ready to imitate me--I told Taylor that now Isaac associates me with his tongue--great! :-)

Isaac brings so much joy to our home!

This was right before Isaac went to bed. I was changing him and when I put his diaper on I must have tickled him because after that he would laugh so hard when I kissed his stomach, so Taylor got the camera and this is what we caught.

Babysitter #3 Anyone??

Isaac's not even five months old and he will be going to his third babysitter on Monday. It totally breaks my heart. This last week has been an interesting one--with emotions covering the entire spectrum. Isaac was being watched by friends in our ward, but that has not been working, I guess. She watches him part-time (about 20 hours a week) and she has a little boy about 2 months older than Isaac and long story short, she can't get anything down with the two. So...we were faced with trying to find someone else in a town we know hardly anyone. There were quite a few other things that went on, and we learned mixing frienship with business is difficult, but this is probably not the best place to get into it.

Luckily, I work with people who are a wealth of knowledge--all of the people I work with are moms and have been faced with the same issue, so I was given several names. Unfortunately, many of those names were daycares. I don't know, but the thought of putting my five month old in a daycare just tears me apart. I don't know why--I've never been inside of a daycare--but apparently whatever I have conjured up in my mind what a daycare is like, is not ideal. BUT, being faced with really no other options, we went to one yesterday and it really changed my mind. (Disclaimer: I was really excited about where he was, and that didn't turn out, so I'm trying to not get my hopes up). The daycare is in a home--they bought it and have turned it into a functioning daycare which I really like because it's really "homey." It was REALLY clean and smelled really good--another plus. (I think I had a dirty dingy image in my head of what it was going to be like so I wouldn't get my hopes up). I was really pleasantly surprised and the people who own it were really really nice. I presented several of our concerns and I was really pleased with their answers and then one of the gals said, "We really love what we do." And honestly, that was really nice to hear and has turned out to be a very important aspect.

So, Isaac is going to start going on Monday and I plan to stop in on my lunches everyday to see him. I'm sure Isaac will be overwhelmed with the new environment that I don't know how much he will sleep, but I just hope he is cared for and given lots of attention and love...and I know that no one can replace what I or Taylor can give him, but I just want to know he is well taken care of. And we both felt really good about this place...so hopefully it will be a good experience. Anyone have any good experiences with daycares? And/or advice as to what to look for in a daycare? (I do NOT want to hear any negative stories!! :-) )

Tribute to my niece Sydney

So I got to thinking...dun dun dun....:-) But when I posted the tribute to my dad for his birthday, I thought, "I'm going to have to do this for my mom too, and if I do it for my mom, I'm going to have to do it for my sister too...etc. etc. etc. So I was thinking that Taylor's family is just as much my family as my immediate family is to me, so I have to do birthday tributes to them too! So, to keep with this new-found tradition...Sunday, Feb. 24 was my niece Sydney's 9th birthday!

I was hoping to get more pictures of Syd from our family web site....but someone cancelled that site....so these outdated pictures will have to do.

So, Sydney is the oldest grandchild on Taylor's side and she is such a SPECIAL girl. Taylor and I had the opportunity to live with her for a couple months so I have even more insight into what an awesome young lady Sydney is.

Sydney is the most adventurous, outgoing, fun and sweet girls I have ever known. She has done more at her age than I know--between snowmobiling, four-wheeling, t-ball, soccer, and now singing and dancing. She is never afraid of a challenge and is always willing to try something--such a great quality! She was born with several talents and abilities that I know will bless her throughout her life; such as, her ability to make and keep friends, her ability of being a good friend, and her ability to radiate happiness. Honestly, you can't be around Syd and not be happy.
I have several treasured memories of Syd. The first being a note she slipped under our door when we lived with them. It read, "Taylor, could you please wake up? And could you wake Val up too?" It was the cutest thing ever--I still have it. Another one memory I have of her is one afternoon she just did not want to do her math homework, she kept saying she didn't like math and she just didn't know how to do it. Well I went to help her and came to find out that she is SO smart in math. She has been blessed with the ability to do well in school when she wants to!

Sydney is such a GOOD big sister. She has two younger sisters and she is the most caring and helpful big sister to them. She has learned to share with them and to be a good example to them. She is a reading maniac, too! Last time we were in Utah she got out a book of poems and read so many of them to me!! I love hearing her read! She is growing up wayyyy to fast!!!

Sydney, you are such a beautiful, loving, and happy young woman. I hope you know how much Taylor, Isaac and I love you!!! I am so happy to be your Aunt!! You bring so many smiles to my face! I hope you had a happy birthday, we love you!