Just a few pictures....

I swear every time I post anything it's like 'oh hey we're moving here...hey we're moving there'.....well this time I am proud to announce I am moving HOME to Utah for GOOD in two weeks! Chris will be coming back two weeks later. I am EVER so excited to be in the comfort of my OWN home, & to decorate and cook with all the flavors & smells of fall! I can't say it enough....I LOVE FALL!!! I can't wait to bake apple cider doughnuts, drink some warm apple cider, caramel apples, Halloween parties, our FAMILY, BYU games, my Food Network magazine subscriptions filled with delicious soups... (go ahead--make fun of me, but you gotta check it out!), Thanksgiving, Cancun, the Christmas season....do ya get the point!?!? But who doesn't love fall? Despite how LONG & grueling (mostly for my wonderful hubs) this last 5-6 months has been with his work taking us everywhere... we are very fortunate. There's been plenty of fun mixed in there too...we're not neglected. This past week Kam has been so fussy & decided she just doesn't want to sleep at ALL anymore! I have almost lost my sanity a few times. But don't worry all is well and we will be back and out of this hotel room soon enough. Here are just a few pictures. . .
PS. K- so the reason Kam NEVER makes an appearance outside of this Bumbo chair is because the girl LOVES it. What can I say? But BEWARE... they apparently can tip upside down!? I turned around today for like one second, literally, and she had managed enough momentum to swing herself forward and the flip the chair & her UPSIDE down. Five seconds later she was in love with it again....don't you just love babies? Enjoy!

Oh as it just so happens, like most babies, she loves to unroll and play with paper towels/tp....so I just let her go to town on it in her crib. That explains the pictures. Goodnight!

bRaCe YoUrSeLf.....

We have moved to TEXAS! I know, we are crazy. We found out on Monday night, packed up, and were gone Tuesday morning. After 12 hours of driving and arriving at 3 in the AM TX time...we made it! We are in Lubbock, TX where there IS a mall and a temple so we can survive....haha! And it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be! Only 5 more weeks left of this and we are HOME, HOME, HOME. It's been quite the journey over the past 5 months....but in all honesty we have had some great fun. There are a few of our married couple friends out here so we are in great company! It has been worth it. And I guess it only helps that we have a lot to look forward to when we are back.....CANCUN!!!!! And possibly Hawaii..Halloween parties.....Oh, I can't wait!

Homemade Laundry Soap....

I found this recipe for Homemade Laundry Soap (off my cousin's blog, thanks Ben & Kelli.....well Kelli--I know Ben had nothing to do with this... ha!). This will go MUCH further than the laundry soap you are used to buying. Makes anywhere from 200-400 loads.....that's a lot of laundry!! AND, it is SO much cheaper. Yeah, so you have to take a tiny bit of time to make it, but it will be so worth it and last you much longer. So, give it a try. And if you don't like it, remember I found it off my cousin BEN's blog. haha! JK. Enjoy!


You will need:

1 Bar of Fels Naptha
1 Cup of Arm and Hammer Laundry Soda
1/2 Cup of Borax

All of these can be found in the laundry aisle; however, Walmart doesn't carry the Fels Naptha or Laundry Soda. I purchased mine instead at Macey's grocery store. They should total altogether about $7.

Instructions:

Grate the Fels Naptha and add to a saucepan with 4 cups of hot water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until the soap dissolves and melts. Fill a 5-gallon bucket half full of very hot tap water. Add the melted soap/water mixture, the laundry soda and the Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken. It will look like Egg Drop Soup when it's ready- don't worry, this is normal!!

Stir before using. Use 1/2 cup for top loading machines, or 1/4 cup for front loading. One bucket makes about 200-400 loads, depending on the washing machine.The price on this bad boy equals about $2 per 5 gallons.

Here goes the story....

So, as promised (because I know you are just dying to hear), here is my slightly-embarassing, yet very 'Emilee' story.
Ever locked your child inside the car in the BLAZING Arizona heat?? Check.
So, the other day, I decide to take Kamryn for a walk around the mall, run a few errands, and then stop by the grocery store on the way home. I get my groceries, walk out to the car, auto-start my car from the key remote, put Kam in the car, put the groceries in the back of the car, shut the door, walk around to get in and realize the car is ALL locked.....with my poor 5 month old baby inside, my keys, phone, purse, EVERYTHING just sitting on the front seat. (Okay, so you maybe be thinking well the AC is on.....not really....#1. on my way to the grocery store my gas light was on and I, being too lazy to stop, decided that I'd just stop after the grocery store. #2. I remember turning the AC almost completely off before I stopped because the car was getting too cold.) And I forgot to mention that it was at least 108 degree outside. I immediately start to panic because my husband is working AN HOUR away, our extra set of car keys are in our LOCKED apartment, and to top it all off I really have no idea where I am at. Knowing that my car is probably gonna turn off any minute and my little baby is gonna be roasting in the car I run inside the store and use the phone to call the police. They tell me the fire department is on the way. So, I run back outside and I'm really nervous at this point because I know she is super hot inside the car and it's gonna be a bit before they get there and even are even able to get inside the car. THE WORST PART OF ALL......(MAJOR EMPHASIS on that) is that I can see Kamryn inside just screaming and looking at me helplessly. If that doesn't break your heart, I don't know what will. I could tell she was sweating. I am super antsy and up until this point I'm trying to remain calm, but then I just break down in tears. This sweet little pregnant lady comes by my side and is trying to comfort me. She ends up staying with me until they got inside the car. Anyways, sooo of course, in people-fashion everyone is staring and watching because the fire department pulls up and FOUR men come to my rescue and some crazy lady is crying by her car?! It took them about 10 minutes to get the car open and sure enough the car died like right when they got there. When I got to Kamryn she was sweating and crying so bad, but she was fine. I have NEVER, EVER locked my keys in my car and the one time I do my BABY is in the CAR in a 108 degree DESERT? What the heck. The firemen were super sweet and if it had been any longer they were just gonna break the window. I didn't care what they did as long as Kamryn was okay.
I am a pretty calm person by nature, but that shook me up a bit. I was sooo nervous to go anywhere with her after that in fear of that happening again. I still refuse to go to that grocery store.....bad, bad memories!!!!!!!! Kamryn was so happy and playful five minutes later. NBD. I'm sure this has happened millions of times, but NEVER to me and NEVER in the scorching heat of AZ. So lesson to be learned=don't ever take your child anywhere. kidding. It almost hurts to even joke about it. ha! jk. But we are safe, we love AZ, been having a blast night swimming with friends, keeping busy with homework, and getting ready to VACATION like it's nobody's business this fall!!!! Pictures to come soon. Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend. xoxo

More to come.....

Well, we made it to Phoenix safely.....only after a MALFUNCTION of the GPS (or "jips" as my husband calls it).....and a NICE, LONG, very ACCIDENTAL, SLOW as all get-up drive through Zions National Park. Ok, so we'll take partial credit....we were talking on our cell phones and missed a few turns... Anywho, we made it safely and I AM IN LOVE WITH PHOENIX!!! This is totally a place I could live. I've been here before, but living here is a whole another story. It's fab. I need to update on everything that has been going on since we have been here and believe me, I have a lovely, scary, little story to share.....(involves firemen coming to my rescue)....so stay tuned for that one. I have been super busy trying to keep up with my homework so I will have to write that later. For now....here is a little picture of my lil' princess getting ready for her first time swimmin'..... gosh, I love her! xoxo