Update!!

I know there are some people out there that have been wishing I would update our blog. So much has happened in the last month. I think I am finally starting to feel a little bit normal again. For those of you who don't know, we moved from Orem and Micole and I moved in with my parents. It has been fun, so far. Right after we moved, we went to Wyoming to visit Brett's mom and stepdad and then drove to Texas to have Thanksgiving with his brothers and grandma. It was fun, but a long trip. Brett was sworn into the Air Force last Tuesday. Micole and I have been adjusting to him being gone. It has been hard. Micole asks for her dad every day and has even said that she just wants him. I did get to talk to him for about a minute, well as long as it took for him to give me his address and tell me he was okay. Just a side note....if anyone wants to send him a letter, I know he would really like that. I wouldn't send Christmas cards, but a Christmas letter would be nice. Anyway, just e-mail me at brettandkristi@gmail.com and I will send you his address. Here are some pictures of him being sworn into the Air Force.So as you can all see it has been a little interesting for us. We have all had a little adjusting to do. On a brighter note, we had a snow day today and Micole had to go and play outside in the snow while her Pa was shoveling the sidewalks. She had some much fun and was so cute. She had the cutest little red nose by the time she was done. I am attaching a picture of that too.Oh, one more thing before I close. I can't remember who I have mentioned this to and who I haven't, so if you are just finding out, I am really sorry. We will be having a baby around May 26th. We are super excited and will be finding out what we are having in January. So, now everyone knows and like I said I am sorry if you didn't find out before now. Well, I need to go so I can write my nightly letter to Brett. I am amazed at how much I can write to him. I didn't realize how much I would tell him about what was going on. I really miss that and I miss making him get up with Micole in the morning so I can sleep in!! Well I hope this satisfies everyone's curiosity about what has been going on with us. Like you can all see, A LOT!!

New Pictures

Here are some new pictures of our little one on Halloween, in her Texas jammies, and having fun with dad!!!

Moving Day

I know it has been a long time since I last posted anything. Life has been completely crazy for us the last month. With moving and doing all of our last minute stuff and Christmas shopping, we have had some very long days. I was trying to sleep and was just laying there. We are moving today and thus starts some more really busy weeks and then Brett leaving. Our lives are definitely going to be interesting. With moving today, it has gotten me thinking about all of our great friends and how much we are going to miss all of them. We have had a wonderful time living in our neighborhood and being members of our ward. We have great friends and people who really care about us. It is hard to leave all that and venture out into the unknown. I just want our friends to know that we love them and will miss them dearly. Hopefully in the months that Brett is in training, I will be able to see you all often. Well this is pretty sappy so I should probably stop now before it gets any sappier. Love you all!!

Photography

So, I love to take pictures and I would really like to do it professionally. I am just really slow on the getting started part. Anyways, I am doing my first wedding in a couple of months and tonight I took her bridals. I just thought I would post a couple on here and see what everyone thinks. I think they turned out pretty good, but that is just me. What do you all think?? This is one area I have to have a lots of reinforcement. It helps boost my ego and my confidence! It was so much fun to take Crystal's bridals. She was such a good sport and is so cute!! So here you go.....

Update on Us

So I was checking out others blogs and realized that I haven't posted to mine in awhile. I think it is just because I don't have anything fun to blog about. Nothing exciting really happens to us!! Brett has been working and is really looking forward to his last day of work on Oct. 15th. He says that he wants to be here to help me out so we can pack and move and all the jazzy stuff we have to do in the next month. I am still a little skeptical about it all!!! Just Kidding, honey!! I know he will be a help. Keeping Micole entertained will be a big help. On Saturday, Brett had a meeting with his recruiter and there was a couple there from Hill AFB. It was so nice to be able to talk to a woman about all the things we are going to be dealing with for the next year. She gave me some great pointers and was a huge help. We had decided to go up to Hill one Saturday soon to check it out and really kind of see what base life is going to be like. Now we a couple to hang out with and visit when we go up there. I am so excited. Our first Air Force friends!!! Too bad we probably won't get stationed at Hill. If we do, I will be excited and Brett will not be. He says he is ready to see and experience new things. On Sunday we finally went up the canyon to see the leaves and find some cute places to take some family pictures for the Rhoads. The leaves were so pretty. Here are a few pictures....

Cute Pictures

So we just got back from Loa and having family pictures taken. Saturday, Brett, Micole, and I had our family pictures taken and the today we had the whole Doug & Merlyn Oyler family pictures. If you would like to see a glimpse of the pictures taken on Saturday, you can go to faundimages.blogspot.com and look at the one with the title Micole. It was fun to have pictures taken, even if Micole was being a little stinker!! We did get some pictures of her smiling, but boy did we sure have to work at it. A little hint, make sure your kids have a nap before they have pictures taken!! And someone there to play peekaboo with!! Just a shout out to Jessica and Craig... Oh my gosh, I am so excited you found us and I total need your e-mail address. I was so shocked and excited to here from you. Well, it is getting late and I just wanted to let everyone know about the pictures. Faun did an awesome job.

AIRFORCE UPDATE

We finally have the information that people have been wondering about! Brett has to report to duty.... DECEMBER 9th. His job is integrative avionics systems. We don't really know what it means, but according to his recruiter and other Airmen, in the Air Force, it is a really good job. We still aren't sure how long his tech school training is, but after 8 1/2 weeks at Basic in San Antonio, he will spend some time at Keesler Air Force base in Mississippi and then at Sheppard Air Force base in Texas. We are thinking that his tech school training will be around 4-6 months. We will know more later. After tech school, Brett will find out what base he will be stationed at, so more on that later. We are way excited for this new adventure in our lives. Go AIR FORCE!!

Remembering 9/11

This morning when I stepped out of my front door and saw the American flag flying in my yard, I couldn't help but think back to the morning of 9/11. Every year I try to remember the events of that day so that I won't forget. I know I will never forget the horror I felt that day as I watched the World Trade Center crash to the ground from my living room couch. I never want to forget what our country went through that day and the days and weeks following that day. I am so thankful to live in place that is far from danger, but I feel for those people that are always put in harms way. With Brett joining the military, I feel my patriotism is growing and getting stronger. This country is a land of freedom, but with that freedom comes great responsibility and great sacrifice. I am so thankful for the firefighters that fought so hard to save as many people as they could on 9/11, and I am so thankful for our military that are fighting right now so we can be safe at home in our beds tonight. I pray we will all remember 9/11 and how it has changed each of our lives.

Camping

Last weekend, for Labor Day, we went camping on Cedar Mountain. We had a lot of fun, even though the weekend didn't turn out exactly as planned. We went camping on Saturday night and woke up to this....


Needless to say, it started raining on us when were packing up camp. We ended up hanging out at Jeff and Marie's house and playing games. We also took Micole to Discovery Park in Cedar City. If you haven't been there before, it is the coolest park ever. There is so much stuff for a kid to do, adults too. I use to play night games there in college and we had a ton of fun. OHHHHHH!!! I am so excited to become an aunt!!! Jeff and Marie also found out they are having a little girl!! I am so excited. Here are some pictures of our camping trip and Discovery Park.

I guess I have been tagged!

I looked at Heather's blog and saw my name. I am going to have to find away to get her back!! The Rules: Answer the questions using only ONE WORD. Then tag four others. I'm going to tag Robin, Kanien, Amanda, and Cami
1. Where is your cell phone? table
2. Your significant other? Brett
3. Your hair? brown
4. Your mother? Merlyn
5. Your father? Doug
6. Your favorite thing? laughter
7. Your dream last night? nothing
8 Your favorite drink? Lemonade
9. Your dream/goal? photography
10. The room you’re in? bedroom
11. Your hobby? reading
12. Your fear? reptiles
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy
14. What you’re not? perfect
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. One of your wish list items? mixer
17. Where you grew up? Loa
18. The last thing you did? blog
19. What are you wearing? clothes
20. Favorite gadget? ipod
21. Your pets? none
22. Your computer? desktop
23.Your mood? tired
24. Missing someone? Several
25.Your car? Elantra
26. Something you’re not wearing? Socks
27. Favorite store? Target
28. Like someone? always
29. Your favorite color? Red
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Saturday

The Last Days of Summer

I know there is still a little bit of time left of summer, but once school starts, it just seems over. I am not in school anymore and it still feels like that. With the end of summer, I have been thinking about all the things that happened this summer. I had some great and crazy times. Our summer started out going to Mountain Home, Idaho, to visit Brett's cousins and deciding that he was going to join the Air Force. What a way to start summer break!!

Knowing, or at the time thinking, that Brett was going to join the Air Force had us wanting to do things that we have never done since we moved to Orem almost 4 years ago. One of the big things was hiking to the Y. We had never done it before and within 3 weeks, we hiked it twice! Brett carried Micole up the mountain and boy, did Brett get his workout. That trail is steep, especially carrying about 40 lbs on your back. At one point, we let Micole get out of the backpack carrier and she wanted to carry the backpack herself. We helped her for a little ways. It was funny to see the expressions of some of the people we passed on the trail.

My next big adventure for the summer was my 2 week vacation, where I was on the go constantly. It all started with Girls Camp up at Heber Valley Camp. I love the young women in my ward and I love girls camp. Heber Valley is really a plush camp, but it is fun to interact and be around the girls. After doing that for a week, I came home and went to a family reunion in Loa. After the family reunion, I finally got to sleep in my own bed one night before heading of to another family reunion at Martin's Cove. Brett wasn't able to come because he had to work, so it was Micole and I, my mom and dad, and Audrey, Houston's wife. It was a very interesting and different experience for me. I think I may have learned in a small way what some of the single pioneer women went through going across the plains. At one point, I had to carry Micole almost 2 miles. She was tired and wouldn't let anyone hold her. My arms and back hurt so bad, but all I could think about was how many women carried their babies. I couldn't even think about complaining when I thought about that. While at Martin's Cove, we were able to hear some of our own family history as well as the history of the pioneers that were stuck in Martin's Cove. It has really sparked my interest in my own family history and what my ancestors went through so I could be a member of the Church. It was definitely an experience I hope to always remember.

This summer we have tried to spend a lot of time with our families, knowing that we will be living away from them once Brett is finished with all of his training. We helped herd cows and went to Rawlins to see Brett's mom and stepdad. We have had an eventful and sometimes uneventful summer. The events all seem to happen at once and then we have a drought. We have also had some ups and downs. Not knowing if Brett was going to be able to join the Air Force to the joyous call that said he was in. Like I have said, it has been a great summer.

Zoo Day

On Saturday, we took Micole to Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake. She was so cute and so good. She loved seeing all of the animals. Here are a few pictures from our trip....

WE'RE IN!!!!

We just found out today that Brett was approved by the Surgeon General and can now officially join the Air Force. We are so excited, but a little overwhelmed all of a sudden. Tomorrow Brett will go and finish his military processing, and on Wednesday, he will be sworn into delayed entry. From there we will have to wait a little bit to see when he will be shipped off to Basic Training in San Antonio. We have been planning and waiting for this for 2 months and now we are in shock. Our possible future is now becoming a reality and it is a little unnerving. We both feel like celebrating!!! Thanks to all of you that have been praying and rooting for us to get in. It finally paid off. YEAHHHHHHH!!!!

I love to read!!!

So, I have been really bad about updating this. But my excuse, I have been a nerd and reading the new Twilight book that just came out, Breaking Dawn. I finished it this morning. It is so good!! I loved it. Now I just have to wait until the movie comes out in December. This series is really good for those of you that haven't read it yet. I am so tired because I have been up until about 1:00 every morning reading the book. Really I am such a nerd. I am just glad that there are other people out there that are just as bad as I am and love reading the Twilight books.

Musings from the day

So, I am really trying to get into this whole blog thing. I can't believe how much time I have spent trying to make it look cute and to try and get it just the way I want it. Sometimes it is kind of crappy when you are a perfectionist!! I try really hard not to be, but somethings just get on my nerves if it just isn't they way I want it, especially crafty, artsy stuff.

Today has been quite the day and my patience was definitely wearing thin a few times. I finally had to get out of the house and take Micole on a walk so we could kill time until Young Women's. I am the Young Women's secretary and love it. Tonight was mutual and our combined activity with the Young Men. We went up Provo Canyon to a park and played water games and had 800 water balloons to have fun with. We also had dinner up there. I had a fun time. Micole gets to come with me because Brett has to work every night. The Young Women in my ward love her. They are so good to watch her and play with her. Micole loves to go to young women's too. I think it is because she gets so much attention. All I have to do on Wednesday nights is say, "Micole, lets get ready to go play with the girls at the Church." and she is heading out the door. Tomorrow is the 24th of July and I don't have to work. I am so excited to spend the day at home. We have done and gone to much the is summer. My house is sorely neglected. I am going to enjoy relaxing and cleaning my house. Well, maybe not enjoy cleaning my house, but I will enjoy it when it is all done. This is probably a long and boring post, sorry about that, but that is how it goes sometimes. Life can be boring yet full of surprises!

Playing Around & Updates

Yesterday we wanted to be outside. Brett and Micole were being so cute together. Brett was teaching Micole how to do a somersault. I, of course, could not pass up a photo moment. I really love having a digital camera for this reason!! Micole has some of the best facial expressions. I love it when I can catch one. She is so expressive!!








An update on the Air Force. So much stress and so much waiting!!! Brett and I are wondering if we will be able to survive the waiting. We had a slight hang-up. Brett had surgery done on his right hand while he was on his mission. We had to find all of his medical papers for the surgery. That took about a month to get everything. AUGGGHHHHH! We thought we were in the clear, but we aren't. Brett has really bad eyesight and I guess it was borderline to get into the Air Force, so we had to have an eye exam done. No biggy!! Well, it turned out to be a biggy. There was a big difference between what the Military said and what the eye doctor said, so it all got sent to the Surgeon General. We are crossing our fingers that the SG will pass Brett and that he will do it quickly. So keep your fingers crossed and remember us in your prayers.

Must Love Dogs and Golf

Micole spent a week at her Nana's (Peggy) and Grampa Joe's. (Peggy and Joe are Brett's mom and stepdad). They have two Pomeranian dogs, Bear and PJ. Micole is not so much a fan of dogs, so we all knew it was going to be interesting for her to spend a week around the dogs. Brett and I went up to Wyoming on Friday to pick up Micole and stayed until Sunday. Much to our surprise, Micole decided that she really did like the dogs. Where she wouldn't even be around them early that week, you can see she was all hugs and even chased them around the yard trying to tickle them. I think Bear and PJ were kind of glad Micole was leaving when all she wanted to do was play!!





Joe and Peggy like to play golf, so of course they had to buy Micole her own little golf club. I tell you, that girl can hit the ball when she wants too. She had so much fun playing "golf". She would keep saying "Again, again!"

Micole

Micole is so cute. How can we not love the little tyke?? The other day, she saw Brett's hat and started putting it on. I thought it was so cute, I just had to take some pictures. I have realized that I love having a digital camera!!! It makes taking pictures so much fun. I can snap away and delete later. I think you would all agree that this is a keeper picture.




Micole was playing baseball with her cousin at a family reunion a couple of weeks ago. I don't know if she even knew what she was doing, but she had fun swinging the bat. She is pretty athletic for a cute, little, 2 year old girl. She can throw and kick the ball pretty good, but she has never played baseball before. It was a first for her!!

Photos

I am going to put some pictures on here, I promise!! I just got my first digital camera. I know what a shocker. Most everyone has had one for years. I would have too, if i wouldn't have been so picky!! I finally got the camera I have been drooling over for years! The sad thing is....I don't know how to use it!!! Well, I have taken some pictures and I think they are pretty cute, but I don't know how to get them onto the computer yet. I have a new project to undertake. As soon as I figure out how to download my pictures, I will put them on the blog. I really don't know what I am doing!!! Cross your fingers that I will figure it out soon!!

The Beginning

We have never done a blog before so this could be interesting!!! Brett is joining the Air Force and so we will be moving here before too long and everyone said we needed a blog. So here we go!!