The Little Family!!!!!!

We are CERTIFIED!!!!!!

2011-09-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I are certified to adopt!! We would love it if you would help us get our name out there by forwarding this to everyone on your contact list and ask them to pass it on... Please help us be seen by as many people as possible, you never know where our Birth Mom is! Thank you so much!!!!!!

There are a couple of different ways to access our profile

Option 1: You can click directly on our link

https://itsaboutlove.org/ial/profiles/26266958/ourMessage.jsf

Option 2: Go to https://itsaboutlove.org and click on "View Adopting Family Profiles". There will be 2 sign in options, click the "Continue" button under the "Guests" section. Under "Adopting Family Profiles", mark "Find a profile by ID or names", then type in "Brandon" in the husband area and "Jessica" in the wife area and we will pop up!

Option 3: Visit our Blog at http://littleadoptionjourney.blogspot.com and on the right-hand side of the screen under "Little Family Adoption profile" click on the link.

Thank you so much for all the support and love!!!!

2011-07-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

What's new?? And Old

2011-06-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

I know I am so horrible at updating this thing. I always put stuff on Facebook and then forget about our blog. So I thought I would play catch up. Mostly for myself so I can remember some things that happen but you can all enjoy it as well. So we will start by going back to October 2010. We were asked to do the music for the Stake Truck or Trick. Of course we had to go in costume so we dug out the costume box and decided on the pirates. It was fun when the little kids from school would see me and they had no idea who I was and then they would get so excited once they figured out it was me.

Just like every Fall Bantam Basketball started again. Brandon had the opportunity to coach one of the teams again. Because of school he wasn't able to make it as much as he wanted to he did enjoy the time he was able to there. The boys always have a good time with him and he does great coaching them. For some reason he always seems to get the smallest boys on his team but they always do great.

December was an exciting month. We had lots of things happen and we were able to do lots of things. The most exciting event was Brandon's GRADUATION!!! Even if he only went for one semester it was still very exciting. He got his EMT certificate and was very excited and anxious to start working on an ambulance. It took a couple month to get hired but he was able to pick up to positions once it was all said and done. It is very exciting for me to finally see him doing something he loves. And he is so good at it. Everybody loves him. Although it was only a semester, it was a long semester! He spent so much time studying and prepping for tests. But it was all worth cause he got straight A's and was the top in his class.

We also decided that we were going to go camping. In December!! Ha ha. Crazy right?!?! Since we were going to stay home for Christmas, Brandon thought it would be fun if we went camping for Christmas. I agreed but we decided we would only do it if there was snow on the mountain. We figured there was no point in freezing our butts off if there was no snow. Unfortunately, as it got closer and closer to Christmas it had yet to snow on the mountain. Brandon was getting very bummed. Finally a couple days before Christmas Day we got a little bit of snow. It wasn't very much so we decided instead of camping we would just go up and spend a couple hours. It was a
lot fun. It was so nice on the mountain. We went up to the look-out town but it was so foggy we couldn't really see anything. Afterward, we found a good spot with a good tree for us to stop at so we could decorate it. We were going to do this if we camped so we could still have a Christmas tree on Christmas but we decided to do it anyway cause it would be fun. We found the tree, wrapped all the lights around it and put a bow on the top. Well as close to the top as i could get. We then plugged the lights into Brandon's truck and enjoyed it with some hot chocolate. Although if I remember correctly there was no Christmas music in the background. Instead there was a lovely tune of Boom Boom Pow coming out of the truck. Ha ha either way worked for me. We played around for a little bit and then headed back down. It was a good day.

Also, in December I got to participate in the 1st Annual Jingle Bell 5K Run. It was put on by Roadrunner Rehab and it was a lot of fun. Once you signed up they gave you a jingle bell bracelet to wear so everyone would be jingling while the ran. Santa was in the front of the pack and they had a truck following behind playing Christmas Music. It was pretty chilly outside but it was good. Nobody else did it with me so that was kind of sad but it was nice to just stay at my own pace and enjoy all the Christmas lights as I ran. It
was at night so it was dark and I tripped at one point but I didn't let it stop me. I can't remember my time exactly. I have it written down somewhere but it was right around 32 minutes. I was happy with there. Brandon was waiting at the finish line to snap a couple pictures.

And of course there was Christmas!! I love Christmas!!! We went to the Warn's house on Christmas Eve and were so excited to be entertained but the nieces as they carried on a long lived tradition of doing a play for the adults on Christmas eve. It was wonderful and I was so glad I was able to watch. After we did the traditional reading of the Christmas story, putting out Reindeer food and tucking everybody in to bed we headed out for the night. We went home to pack out stuff so we could go to the Biggs house. It was a lot of fun to spend Christmas morning with them. The boys were so excited and cute with the presents. Ryan got coal and his reaction was priceless. Luckily there was other presents for him under the tree. We had decided that we were just going to do homemade gifts this year. So i made Brandon a calender that was full of pictures and memories. I loved it and so did he. He made me the most awesome present. He took an old necklace holder that my dad made for my mom along time ago and made a jewelry box that he attached to it. It is absolutely beautiful and I could not of asked for a better present. He is pretty amazing!!! It was a great Christmas. Oh and I also got his Unicycle fixed. He was pretty stoked about that.

I have continued to learn the skill of making cakes. I have made several and I learn something new every time. I think I am almost getting to the point that I would be confidant enough to charge for them. Maybe. It has been a fun talent to learn how to do. I completely forgot that my Grandma Peggy used to make cakes so when I was over there I mentioned it to her and showed her my pictures. Then she told me that she still had several of her cake decorating stuff and I was welcome to have it. I was so excited!!! I got lots of new tips and different decorating tools. It is definitely something that takes a lot of time and patience but I am enjoying it.

Brandon still is loving being on the Fire Department. He was voted in as the Pima Fire Secretary/Treasurer. He has done an excellent job with it and is working very hard to get everything in order. They had an opportunity to do a practice burn on one of the old houses in Thatcher. We decided to go watch the men at work. Fire is a fascinating thing. And of course I couldn't miss a chance to get a picture of my handsome man in uniform.

Besides, that Brandon has been working a lot over in Greenlee and on the Reservation. He is really enjoying being an EMT and he is learning a lot. We are grateful for all the shifts he has been able to pick up as we have a lot of save for right now. Which leads me to the most exciting event that is happening right now and that is that we are ADOPTING!!! Well not quite yet but we are at least in the paperwork stages of getting approved. For mother's day we decided it was time to turn in our papers. I was so excited to finally do it. About 3 1/2 weeks later we had our orientation and then we were able to get started on the paperwork. and when they say paperwork that mean PAPERWORK. Well it is now computer work but there is a lot of it. But i was so excited so I whizzed right through it. But now we are having to wait on all the stuff that other people have to do for us. So I am trying to be as patient as possible. We are so anxious to be approved and to start looking for a family. It was be such an exciting day when we get to welcome a sweet baby into our home. Well I think that pretty much catches us up for now. I am really going to try to do better about updating his things. :)

Feb. 2011

2011-02-15T07:11:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a fabulous Valentine's Day!! Since it is the day of love I figure I should post something about my Love!!! Maybe all wives say this but, they don't come better then my husband!! Brandon really is 1 in a million and I tell him that all the time. He never agrees but I know the truth. ;) He makes everyday so fun. Not one single day goes by that he does not have me laughing. I love that he is so hard working and would do anything to support our family. I love how stinkin cute he is. I honestly lay in bed every night and just look at him for awhile before I turn the lights off. He always tries to make dumb faces so I don't think he is cute during that time but it never works. I love how good of a person he is. No matter when, where or how, he will help anyone in need. I love how he can be friends with anyone. No matter who you are or what your circumstance may be, Brandon will always find the good in everybody. I love that he is soft spoken and never yells. I love his knowledge of the scriptures and the way he can teach them and make them so entertaining. (I will miss him teaching Sunday School) I love that he has been making me a better person since the 1st day I met him. I love his excitement in being a daddy and I can't wait til the day that this happens cause no doubt he will be amazing at it. I love how he laughs so hard at stupid movies and then looks at me confused as to why I am not laughing. I love that he will always eat my dinners, even when they are gross. I love that he can not take a serious picture, it may be annoying at the time but once we see those pictures it is fabulous. I love his gorgeous eyes and how hot he looked last night at dinner. I love that he lets me spend money on myself when the budget allows. ex. Letting my sign up for a month at Zero Cardio Club so i can get a smoking hot body. Ha ha!! (Those are my words not his. That made him sound a little mean.) I love how forgiving he is. No matter what I have thrown at him in the last 7 years he is always there with open arms to love me and forgive me. I love how he can impersonate anybody no matter the accent, he can do it. I love that he has an awesome family. Every family has it's ups and downs but I would not trade my in-laws for anything!! I love that no matter what I may have looked like physically he could always make me feel sexy. I love his hands. I love his infatuation with shoes! I love that he watches cheesy shows with me. (One Tree Hill) I love that he appreciates me. I love that he understands when I am just too tired to keep the house the clean. I love that he loves me. I love that he picked my 7 years ago to be his eternal companion. I remember the week I met him I didn't know him very well but me and Chelsea were eating at a Chinese food place and she was telling all these wonderful things about him, super sweet things that he had done. She was also telling me how sad it was that girls always just wanted to be his friend. (I guess he wasn't bad enough for them, idk) and I remember telling Chelsea how sweet his sounded and that just by what she had told me that he really deserved someone special and I knew one day he would find a girl who would love him for all those amazing things he does. At the time I didn't realize that I was going to get the privilege of being that girl. I try everyday to live up to the women I described that day that he deserves. I love that he is my best friend. I know that everyday I get to call myself Mrs. Brandon Little, I am truly the luckiest girl in the world. I love you Baby!!!

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-01T15:19:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. Kathy, Karmen, Josh, Jackson and Olive came to our house. After running the turkey trot last year we decided to make it a tradition so that is how we started our Thanksgiving day, with a 5K. It was absolutely freezing but we all did it. Here are a couple racing pictures. We also had Karmen and Mary running but I didn't find any pictures of them. It was a great run. I had kind of been training for this cause I wanted to do better than last year. My goal was to do it 10 minutes faster. I really didn't know if I would be able to do it but when they said go I just took off. It felt so good. Last year my time was 43:34, this year I was clocked at 33:25!!!! I was so excited that I reached my goal. And I was also keeping time on my watch and the time on there was 32:52 so that make it almost 11 minutes faster than last year. Either way I was Happy!!!! I was also happy that Brandon did it with me. He was not feeling well so I don't think he did as well as he wanted but we finished together which I thought was great. His time was 33:43.

Here are out post run pictures. I think we all look pretty good for just running 3.1 miles!!! Once this excitement was over we headed home for more excitement. It was time to make the turkey!!! But this turkey was made by Josh, Jackson and Olive.

How cute is that turkey! It was fun to make and even more fun to eat. (just ask Olive)

After making our turkey we got to lay around and nap for awhile cause luckly for us we did not have a huge dinner to make. Why you may ask? Cause we modified dinner this year. On the menu was Turkey burgers, sweet potatoes fries, green beans, stove top stuffing, jello salad and corn bread. All super easy to make and all super delicious. It was nice to not have to stress over a meal. We just enjoyed out time together.

Later on this weekend Brandon took the kids to the fire station. He loves to take kids there cause they all just love it. While we were there Brandon decided to take everyones vitals so he could fill out his sheet for school. The kids were not to sure what to think about that.

It was a wondeful weekend and we were sad to see everyone leave. But we look forward to the upcoming Christmas season. Just wait until you hear about that adventure ;).............................

Weight Loss Journey

2010-10-23T16:59:00.000-07:00

As many know, I have been working for a year now to lose some weight. And I am happy to say this time it actually worked. Now I know people are not supposed to boast or be prideful but I am very proud of the progress I have made. I decided to do a little before and after. The first picture is my school picture from last September. I also included underneath it all of my measurements (before measurement/current measurement). Then obviously, the second one is my current school picture taken this September. There is quit a difference. It has been a lot of hard work and lots of discipline but it has all been worth it. I am much healthier and feel so much better about myself. My goal is 130 and although I am still 6 pounds away from that I feel very accomplished!!!

Weight : 180 / 136.5

Neck: 13 in. / 12 in.

Shoulders: 44 in. / 37 in.

Chest: 41.5 in. / 36 in

Upper Arms: 12.5 in. / 10.5 in.

Waist: 38.5 in / 34.5 in.

Hips: 44.5 in. / 36.5 in.

Thighs: 25.5 in. / 20.75 in.

Calf muscle: 16 / 14 in.

Pant size: 14 / 8-9

That is a total weight loss of 43.5 lbs. and 34.25 in. off my entire body. I continue to work on my health each day. Hopefully I will eventually reach that 130 goal.

Brandon's 26!!!

2010-09-16T15:04:00.001-07:00

I know this is almost a month late but HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDON!!! He turned 26 this year. He was not very happy about it cause he said 26 is boring. We didn't do much for his birthday this year cause of lack of money. I made him an awesome fire truck cake!!! I was very proud of myself. I kind of had to rush on it and I think if I would of taken my time it would of been better but I thought it was very cute!! We went to the Biggs for dinner. Since that was their present for him. Sadly, Willey was working so Brandon got to celebrate with 2 girls and 3 little boys. I got him a couple fire/rescue gear that he wanted. It was a fun day!!

Happy Birthday Kathy

2010-03-01T07:47:00.001-08:00

We had a great weekend celebrating Kathy's birthday!!! Hopefully she doesn't care that I tell people how old she is but we celebrated her 50th birthday by welcoming her to the 50's. Whats a better way to do that then have a 50's party?!?! Karmen has all the good ideas.

After 5 hours of basketball Saturday morning we rushed off to Phoenix for the surprise. Shawn had taken Kathy to a birthday movie and we got there just in time to changed and set up. Karmen made all the girls super cute poodle skirts and the guys wore Jeans and white shirts.
When Kathy and Shawn got home we have the 50's music playing as we all waited to yell the big surprise. She was surprised and very excited.

How cute are these outfits??

After taking some pictures and trying to figure out how to dance to 50's music we headed out to dinner at Olive Garden. And yes, we wore our outfits!! It was a lot of fun and it was great for everyone to be there.

We decided to stay through Sunday and we all went to church with the O'Leary's. We then went and continued the celebration with Shawn's oh so yummy rice and beans, rolls and some birthday cake and ice cream. We had a really great time and were sad to leave.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATHY!!!!!

Thanksgiving!!!!

2009-12-01T09:42:00.000-08:00

I know I am so horrible at updating this thing but here is a little bit of what has been going on. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving(s). I got this crazy idea that it would be fun to start Thanksgiving off by running a 5K!?!?! What was I thinking?? Just kidding, it was really a lot fun. I signed Mary up to do it with me and I think we plan to make it a tradition. It was such a great way to start the day. I ran/walked it in 43:34 min. My goal was to do it in under 45 min. so I was happy with my time. Mary is awesome and was able to run most the time and finish in 34:11. She was nice enough to come back and run the end with me again that is how we were able to get a picture together. It was a lot of fun.

We then went to my Dad and Chris's house and had a wonderful dinner with them. I didn't stay as long as we would of liked cause Brandon needed to get home so he could get to bed. Why you may ask, well Brandon and Willey, crazy kids, got up at 2:00am to hit the Wal Mart black friday sales. Lucky, they were able to get pretty much everything they were after. Big screen tv!!! Sadly, not for us but I am sure we will get lots of use out of too.

Then we headed down to Phoenix to have another Thanksgiving Dinner. It was really nice to spent it with Brandon's family. The food was extremely yummy as always. It was a good day.

Saturday was not the best day but I am thankful to Rod and Kathy for helping us. Unfortunately, we no longer have renters in our house in Phoenix and when they left they decided they did not need to clean anything. They left the house a total mess. So we spent a couple hours cleaning and cleaning. It stills needs some work but it looks a thousand times better than it did when we started. Once we were done, Kathy and I rewarded ourselves with New Moon. I loved it!!!! I heard a lot of mixed reviews but I enjoyed it and I think each movie is just going to get better and better. Lucky, we only have to wait seven months for the next one!!!

Well that pretty much covers it. We are now just getting ready for Christmas. Brandon put some lights outside and now I need to get the inside decorated. I am very excited cause I love Christmas!!!!

To be a Secretary

2009-10-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

So I think it is just my destiny to be a secretary. As of right now I am working at the Elementary school as the secretary. 10 months ago I was called to be the Relief Society Secretary. Last night I went to a High School Booster Club meeting and was nominated to be the secretary. I guess I will just have to except this as my calling in life. :/

I forgot to post this last week but once again I just have to tell everyone how amazing our Sunday school is. I posted how they showed up for Brandons birthday with cake in hand as they all sang him happy birthday. Well on my birthday we went out of town and I wasn't really expecting anything since they had just come for Brandon's birthday. But it my surprise last Wednesday they all showed up. Well almost all of them. Once again, with a cake in hand and a song to sing. They are so awesome. We of course invited them all in to share the cake and we had a great time with them. They even made me a hat and a card. They card was great!!! Anyway, they are just an awesome group of kids.

Check Out My Awesome Brother

2009-10-06T09:51:00.000-07:00

Happy!

2009-09-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

This may make no since to anyone but me but I wanted to post it anyway. Have you ever had moment in your life when you finally know what happiness is? You have thought you were happy always but secretly knowing there was something that was holding you back from your full potential. Then something happens and you discover the real feeling happiness. If not, it is an amazing feeling.

What a great day!!

2009-09-25T15:45:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with everyone just how great all the kids and staff at my school are. Today is my 23rd birthday. Although no one seems to believe me when I tell them I am only 23. i am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing??!?! Anyway, I have been spoiled rotten today and I wanted to show off everything I have gotten so far. First, I walked out side on my way to work to a decorated car!!!! From my hubby. It was way cute!!

Then Lynne, my boss, got me these gorgeous flowers. There are so many of them and they smell so good!!
Mr. Pruszynski was so sweet and bought me lunch from Bush N Shurtz.
Lori, the JH secretary got me an awesome bathroom set and it smells yummy.
This is my card from Mrs. Angers Class
This is my card from Mrs. McDougals class. if you can see the print you should read the card. It cracks me up!!!
These are my cards from each student in Mrs. Skinners class.
My phone refuses to send anymore pictures to my computer. But Mrs. Cook's 5th grade class all come and sang to me and gave me the cutest popup card. A little girl named Brookie drew me a picture of my self that was to die for. and Mrs. Fitzsimmons got me a book mark! Ms. Gallegos class also made me cards but they forgot to bring them to me so i will get those on Monday.

All I know is that this has been one of the best birthdays and I still have all my family presents waiting at home!!! You know when you get older birthdays start to just become another day but being able to celebrate it with 413 excited students just made me feel like I was 10 again. It was great. I could not ask for a better day!!!!

The Angel Moroni

2009-09-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

I know it is hard to see but if you look really closely we have an Angel Moroni!!!!!!! It just went up this morning. Sadly, I could not leave work to go watch but Tab pulled the girls out and gave us all the play by play by picture message.

This is very exciting for the Gila Valley!!!!

We finally got one!!!!

2009-09-14T10:01:00.001-07:00

Brandon and I have been wanting a Bowflex for awhile now. But if anyone has ever looked at them before the are between $1500 and $3000. There was no way I was going to pay that kind of money for one so we have been looking on Craigslist for like 6 month now. Now I was a little picky and there was a specific one that I wanted. Unfortunately, that just happened to be one of the more expensive ones. Go Figure. There was a bunch of the ultimate 2, which is what I want, but there were usually list around $1200. Which is much cheaper than $2500 but still too much for our budget. And any time there would be a cheaper one, it would be gone before I even had a chance to email the people on it. Well finally on Wednesday our luck changed! I found one that a guy was selling in Queen Creek for $900. He said they bought it and his wife only used it a couple times so it was pretty much brand new. I was so excited!!! I asked him if he would take $750 for it and he told me that they did not want to go below $800 so I told him, SOLD!! I could not believe he still had to available. So we arranged for Rod to go pick it up for us. He is so sweet to drive all the way across town for us. But when Rod got there the guy did not have it taken apart and it would not fit through the door. So after waiting for like 2 hours, Rod tells him he has to leave and that we would give him a call. Oh I was sad. But I totally understand. Rod could not and shouldn't of had to wait there all night. So the guy emails me the next and tells me what happened and asked if we were still interested. I told him Heck yes!! But I told him since we lived out of town we would not be able to come till Saturday and he was fine with that. My spirits were lifted again.

We got up early Saturday morning and headed to the valley. We stopped at Desert Schools to get our money. Funny story that has nothing to do with our Bowflex. While we were at the bank I decided to just close my account there since we do not have a Desert Schools in Safford. So the guy went about doing that and he asked me for my debit card and he cancelled it and then he asked Brandon for his and Brandon said he left it in the truck so he would have to go get it. So he walked away but then I suddenly remembered that he did not have it cause when he cleaned out his wallet last time he gave it to me since he never used it. So I told the guy, "I don't think he has it cause last time he cleaned out his purse he gave it to me since he never uses it." Oops, I said purse. All 3 people working there and the other guy in line busted up laughing. I quickly corrected myself with wallet but they were all still laughing. I insured them that my husband does not have a purse! He He

Anyway, so we get our money and head to the guys house. When we got there he had taken some pieces off but it still would not fit through the door. So they decided to go through the window. It was kind of funny cause there was 4 guys there and they still thought they needed more help. But then me and Brandon carried into our house with just the 2 of us. So they get it out the window, around the back yard and finally into our truck. We were so excited!!!!!!!!! We gave him the money, thanked him and then headed to lunch with Mom and Terry.

Brandon could not wait to get it home. So after lunch we headed back home. It was an ordeal getting out of the truck cause it is pretty heavy but I used all the women power in me and help him get it in the house. Unfortunately, well I guess I should say fortunately, he had to go back to a ladies house that they gave an estimate to, to collect some money so he did not get to play with it. There was no way I was going to be able to help him carry it down the stairs anyway. So Willey stopped by the next morning on his way home from work and helped Brandon carry it downstairs. Then we had to get ready for church so he still didn't get it play with it. I am sure it was the longest 3 hours of church for him. Finally once we got home and had dinner we headed downstairs and Brandon began putting it back together. Lucky, it was not as hard to put it back together as I thought it would be. So once it was together Brandon tested out all the attachments and did one full workout routine. It was a lot of fun. And I always tease him and tell him that he will look like Matthew McConaughey in no time!! :) But we are very excited about it and I hope we can stay committed!

Here are a couple of pictures. Sorry they are so dark but when you have 1 bathroom light supplying all the light for a 1300 Sq. Ft basement, it is always a little dark.

Here is the machine and all the attachments lying around it. This machine came with everything you can imagine, except the Ab Cruncher attachment.

Now this picture is classic. Here is Brandon trying out the machine. He did this face right when I snapped it and I could not stop laughing. Oh he is the greatest.

Labor Day!!!

2009-09-10T10:13:00.000-07:00

On Labor Day we decided to go to the slides up on Mt Graham. It was a lot of fun. We drove up and parked by the dam and hiked in the rest of the way. It was a good hike although I was dying since I am so out of shape. But it was good for me. Once we got up there Brandon, Rod and Willey all climbed up and went down first. After a while, Mary and Kathy went too. I was so proud of them. I of course was too chicken so I just took the pictures. It was really pretty up there and they weather was perfect!!!

This is Willey taking his turn down the slide

These are a little out of order but this one if of Rod. The funny thing was Rod went down the first part and then he sat on the edge of the water hole while Willey came down. Well when Willey came down so much water splashed out that it pushed Rod down the second slide. I would love to his face up close on this one cause I think it took him by surprise. You can't see Willey cause he is down in the first water hole.
Here is Brandon taking his turn. He has been down lots of time and is a pro now
This is a video of Brandon going down the second slide. Sorry it is sideways. I can't figure out how to rotate it. But it was a really fun day!!!

Brandon is 25!!!

2009-09-02T11:24:00.001-07:00

Brandon had a birthday. He is 25!! He said it is kind of sad cause this is the last birthday that really means anything. Since his insurance goes down and he can rent a car now. But of course he was happy it was his birthday and he got presents and lots of cake. On Wednesday night after Brandon took out his contacts and was in bed I went out in the living room pretending to get a drink and stuff and I hung up some Happy Birthday banners and laid his presents out on the table so he could find them when he went to eat breakfast. He was surprised but he didn't open them, thank goodness. So he had a pretty good day. When he came home I told him to open his presents, which he had no complaints about doing. I got him a Pima Roughrider shirt, a CTR bracelet, Michael Jordan gatorades, and energy tic tac things. He got a card from my grandparents, a home depot card from my Dad and Chris and a memory picture book from his grandparents that I love!!! and so does he. The Biggs also came over and gave him 25 cupcakes. The boys helped decorate them and they were way cute. After that we went to dinner at Bush n Shurtz and then we headed to the Pima Football Scrimmage. So I think he really enjoyed himself on his birthday. Oh yeah I forgot one of the greatest parts. On Wednesday night our whole Sunday School class, minus just a few, showed up on our doorstep with a homemade cheesecake and sang Brandon happy birthday. He was so surprised. We invited them all in to share it with us and it was fun to just hang out with the youth for a little while. It was such a sweet thing for them to do. and the chessecake was really really good.
On Saturday is when we celebrated his Birthday with the family. We were very sad cause his Dad had to work so they were not able to come. But my Dad and Chris, and the Warns and the Biggs all came. We ate Hamburgers, turkey burgers, chips, jello and potato salad. It was all very good and we made way to much. But it is better to have too much then not enough. After we ate i brought out the cake and ice cream. I was very proud of my cake. Brandon asked his mom for a tractor cake this year but since she was not able to come it was up to me. So I made a chocolate cake, from scratch, then I did the pudding with cool whip and oreos on top and then I made little rows of dirt and I put little tractors on it. It really came out pretty cute, I was proud of myself and it tasted way too good. Thank goodness it is almost gone. After that we just kind of hung around and talked. It was a really good weekend.
Well here are some pictures from this week.

House for Sale

2009-08-26T09:02:00.001-07:00

We found out yesterday that the people leasing our house have to move to Oregon. The guy living there has the chose to move and keep his job or be laid off. Well in times like this obviously you can't blame them for keeping the job. But now we have 2 houses which means 2 mortgages to pay. :/ We are not sure what we are going to do. We can try to lease it again but with the way the market is I don't think we could get someone to pay enough to cover our mortgage. Or we could sell it but I don't think it would even appraise for what we owe. So we are kind of stuck between a rock and hard spot. So if anyone know anybody looking for a house in west phoenix we have one available. It is just under 1500 Sq. Ft. 3 bedroom, 2 bath, living room, family room, big pantry, laundry room, and it has a decent size backyard for a phoenix home. It really is a nice, cut house and we would love someone to be in it. :)

Weekend Estravaganza!!!

2009-08-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

So I know I have not posted in like 2 months but that is because we have not done much. Brandon was working in Tucson for 5 weeks and so I mostly just sat and home and watched movie. Nothing exciting but I was so excited for this week cause we were finally going to do something that I could take pictures of and post. Well things do not always go as planned so I have no pictures and not very good stories. :(

Beware this is a long Woe is me story so if you don't feel like hearing something like that right now don't read it. :) I don't want to put a damper on anyones day.

We headed to Phoenix on Friday and we stopped at my grandparents house to measure some of their windows so it was really nice to see them again for a little bit. Then we headed to Rod and Kathy's. We had to bring both cars so can could take Brandon's truck to the shop so it was a really boring drive. But we got to his parents house and we were happy to see the O'leary's and Chris and Brittany and Jenny were all there too. I had the worst headache when we got there so I was probably a little cranky but I was still happy to see everyone. We woke up Saturday morning and had a yummy breakfast and then headed to the lake. This is what I was supposed to take pictures of but when we got there I had a stomach ache. I was hoping it was just going to go away so I got in the water and floated around for a little bit and my stomach didn't bother me that much but then all the sudden it started hurting so bad. So I got out of the water and went and sat in the truck and it was just getting worse and worse. So finally I had Brandon drive me to the bathrooms but with no relief he decided to take me back to his parents house. I felt so bad cause I know he wanted to stay and have fun with his family but I truly felt like I was going to die. Luckily I feel asleep on the way home and woke up just in time to see that Brandon was driving by our old house. We talked about going to see how it was looking so we drove by and there was a ton of stuff outside. It kind of looked like someone was moving out. So why is this a concern to us, well because we still own the house and are doing a lease option with the people in it so if they move out we are not going to be in good shape. So talk about making me feel any more sick!!! I tried to call our renters today because they have not made their payment and it went straight to voicemail for that is not a good sign. Anyway, Brandon then hurried and rushed me home. Once we got there I took a long hot bath and finally decided to get out when I feel asleep and splashed into the water. He he. I was starting to feel better but I was scared to eat again. So while everyone else enjoyed their nachos, I had soup. but it was good and it kept my stomach from hurting. So the rest of the night when well. We had cake and ice cream to celebrate Jenny's 18th birthday so that was fun. And then everyone left and we went to bed.

The next day was Sunday and we didn't have church until 1:00 so we were able to sleep in a little bit and then get up and lounge around for a while. And then more bad came. Me and Brandon walked out to my car cause he wanted to measure the back to see if some shutters would fit in it. So he opens my door and looks inside and realized that the glove box was open and he asked me why. Then he realized that the center console was open too and that there was stuff everywhere. Well now we have realized that someone was in our car. Brandon, forgetting that we were not in Pima, Accidentally forgot to lock my car door. :( All we could see that they gone was our church bags. Which really upset me since our scriptures and all my relief society stuff was in them. So of course my temper got the best of me and I got upset at Brandon for not locking the doors and then he got mad at me for getting mad at him. Oh boy!!!! Anyway, we go in and tell Rod and with his great cop knowledge he said he bet if we walked around block we would probably find them since they were not of very big value to the thieves. So we got in the car and took a drive and sure enough there they were in the grass out by the street with all our stuff scattered everywhere. I was so happy!!!!! And then apologized to Brandon for losing my temper. I can't think of anything else that was in my car that is missing so that is a good thing. But I thought it was interesting that they did not take my stereo or my Cd's or the ipod that was in my car. I am thankful!!!

Once we got to church and came home and had dinner everything was better. And me made it home safe and sound!!!

I have to Brag!!

2009-06-11T10:41:00.001-07:00

I know it is not good to brag but I have too!!! So I went to Colorado on Saturday and spent the weekend with Chelsea so that I could drive back to Arizona with her. It is a long drive to take by yourself with a baby and a dog so I came along for support. When I left, the house was not the cleanest and I didn't even think about the fact that Chelsea had never seen my house. But I was just thinking that there was nothing I could do about it now and she would just have to see it dirty. We got home Monday night and we walk into the house and it is spotless!!! Brandon is the greatest husband! He cleaned the kitchen including the dishes. He picked everything up and even vacuumed. I was very impressed. Then I walked into our room and I knew that I had left a couple baskets of clothes on the floor but they were not there anymore. So I just assumed that he had put them in my closet. But again to my amazement I walked in to my closet only to find empty laundry baskets. Brandon not only washed all the clothes but he did all the folding, hanging and putting away. He even got everything in the right spot.
I have known since the first day I meet him that he was amazing but he proved it 100 times over this weekend. I really don't think I could ask for a better husband. Thank you sweetie you are amazing!!!

Can you find me a bottle??

2009-06-03T06:25:00.001-07:00

OK, so this may be one of those you had to be there stories but I didn't want to forget it and since I never write in a journal this is as good as it gets.
On Monday, Me and Brandon and his family all went to the San Carlos lake to go Jet Skiing. Which was a total blast. They have a knee board and it was fun to watch everyone try and do their tricks. Of course, me being the boring one was the only one who did not try it. All those crashes just don't look that fun to me. Anyway, we had a really great time. We left the lake around 7:15 and we decided to drive to Globe to have dinner with everyone. Well on the way home it was like 9:30 and Brandon was getting pretty tired and when he gets tired when he drives he eats sunflower seeds. So he got them out and asked me to find him a bottle that he can spit his shells into. So I looked in the back seat and I see one sitting right there, so I grab it and hand it to him. The bottle below is the one I gave him. Now, it was dark in the truck and I did not really look at the bottle, I just handed it to him.

So he puts a handful of seeds in his mouth and chews some up and spits it into the bottle, only to realize that all the shells just landed on his lap!!!! He was like, "Jessie!! Look what bottle you just gave me!" So I look over and he is holding up this half cut bottle.
Earlier that day while we were at the lake, the O'leary's little dog was with us and Brandon decided to make him a water dish so he cut the bottom of his bottle off to fill with water. So when I reached to grab a bottle this was the one I got but I honestly did not notice before I gave it to him. I laughed so hard!!! I wanted to take a picture of the shells on his legs but he had already taken them off. Anyway, I got a good laugh out of this and it woke us both up for the rest of the drive home.

Boiling River

2009-06-02T06:19:00.000-07:00

Brandon and I decided to go on a little camping trip last weekend. We have this great boiling river that we love to go to and we always said it would be fun to camp there so we finally did.
Brandon loves to drive back to it because it is very bumping and rough and he sometimes gets to use his four wheel drive.
It was so pretty there at night. We didn't put the fly on our tent so we could just see trillions of stars.
Sadly, we have not gotten as much rain this year so the river was really low and full of moss so we didn't really even get to get in it but it was still fun to be out in the open and enjoy each others company.
Brandon cook breakfast with his little mess kit. Bacon and eggs it was really yummy.
Funny story about my silly husband. Were we were camping you are not supposed to have any off road vehicles there so we drive our quad to the gate and then we walk the rest of the way. Well at like 5:30 in the morning we hear a quad outside our tent so Brandon peeks out and sure enough there is a man and women on a quad with a huge rifle. Brandon got a little nervous cause he was afraid they maybe we were not supposed to be there. Also, he got a little nervous because we have been watching the seasons of Bones and someone is always murdered in every episode so he said the first thing that went through his mind was, great, nobody even knows we are out here if this guy decided to kill us. I think we may need to stop watching that show if it is going to make us paranoid. Anyway, these people were like riding around outside out tent for like 2 hours and I was sleeping through most of it but I would wake up a couple times and Brandon was at the very edge of the tent with just a tiny part of the window open peeking out at these people. I was cracking up cause he was like totally spying and he did it for almost 2 hours. Finally they left and then he was like ok we can get out of the tent now. Ha ha, I thought it was so funny.
But we did have fun and I got to see how quickly the Lord can answers our prayers. When we were loading up to go back to the truck we hauled everything up to the quad and loading most of the light stuff and Brandon said he would get the heavy stuff on the next load since I would not be on the quad with him. So we took everything except the tent and his huge backpacking backpack that had like everything in it. So we take the first load to the truck and he turns around to go get the second load. I was watching him and all the sudden he stopped so I was going to call him and see what the problem was only to realized that he had both cell phones in his pocket. So I try yelling but we were too far apart from each other but by this time I could tell that the four wheeler had died. I felt so bad cause it was quit a hike to our stuff and what was waiting for him was super heavy. So I decided to say a quick prayer. I just prayed that the four wheeler would start the next time he tried it so he would not have to carry all this stuff back to the truck and so we would not have to drive the truck to where the quad the was. But as soon as I was done praying I looked over and Brandon is already walking so he didn't try to start it again after my prayer. Once he got a little closer to me he yelled at me to move the truck down the mountain so that I was closer to him to carry the stuff to the truck. That was pretty freaky but I did it. So finally he comes struggling up the side of the mountain with a huge backpacking backpack and our huge tent. I felt so bad because on the way to the camp spot both the straps on this backpack broke so it was not easy carrying all this stuff.
So he gets back to the truck and we head out to go get the quad. It was really scary because the road it was on was not really for vehicles and we had to go down this super steep hill. Brandon of course thought it was awesome. So I told Brandon that I said a prayer and that when we got to the four wheeler it would start. He was just like ok, whatever you say but I think the engine went out but we will see. But we got to the quad he pushes the start button and it starts right up!!!! I was so happy and said a quick prayer of thanks. So I was able to ride the quad out and Brandon drove the truck and eventually we made it home safe. It turned into quit the adventure but I love when I am able to have a testimony building experience.

Jury Duty!!

2009-05-12T09:56:00.001-07:00

Who knew jury duty could be so fun!!!!! Brandon got summoned to Jury Duty in Tucson!!! He was a little upset about having to drive all the way to Tucson but it turned out to be quite nice. Since we were over 60 miles away they paid for a hotel and our mileage to get there. For the hotel they would pay up to $175!!!! You can get a really nice hotel for $175 for one night. So Brandon told me to book the nicest hotel I could find. So I did. We got a room in a resort on the Catalina Foothills. It was called Ventana Lodge. I think it was a little too fancy for me.
When we got there we had to check in at the gate and give the guy our name. Then we pull up to the front door and there is a man waiting for us who greeted us by name and asked if he could take our bags. Well we were only going to be there for 1 night so we didn't really pack in suitcases, we just had like loose pillows and Wal-Mart sacks. So we told him that we could get them ourselves. Then he was like ok, can I park your truck then? Yeah right, like Brandon is going to let someone else park his truck. So we told him no to that too. And then once we checked in they asked us if we wanted a turn down service. We are assuming that means where they come to your room and turn down your sheets, so we said no to that too. I think they could tell right away that we didn't really fit in. Here a couple pictures of our room.
It had a huge balcony that was really pretty.

I love this bathtub. This is what I relaxed in after my workout and while Brandon was at the courthouse.

My silly husband once agian showed me why I love him so much. It is very important to have someone make you laugh and this his did. I was in the bathroom and when I came out I could not find Brandon. The room was pretty big but not that big. And I was like what the heck where did he go. So I am calling his name and he is not answering me. Then I hear him giggle. I look up, and there he is. There was this random beam that went across our room and he somehow figured out how to monkey himself up there. So when I looked up, this is what I saw. I died laughing. He is just so silly.
It was a very fun trip and lucky Brandon did not get picked for the jury. We also just took a trip to Colorado but I do not have my pictures yet so as soon I get those I will post that trip.

Thought of the Day

2009-04-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

I get a thought of the day sent to me each morning. I wanted to post the one from today cause I think this is great advise for everyone right now.

One of the things I have really tried harder to do in my life
lately is be more positive. There are no two ways about it -
it has been a real challenge for me. There are plenty of
things in my job, in my personal life that could be better.
As I have looked for things to help me in this endeavor, I
came across this quote from President Hinckley that I would
like to share with you this morning:

"I come this morning with a plea that we stop seeking out the
storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting
that we 'accentuate the positive.' I am asking that we look
a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of
insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue
and effort. I am not asking that all criticism be silenced.
Growth comes of correction. Strength comes of repentance.
Wise is the man who can acknowledge mistakes pointed out by
others and change his course. What I am suggesting and asking
is that we turn from the negativism that so permeates our
society and look for the remarkable good in the land and
times in which we live, that we speak of one another's
virtues more than we speak of one another's faults, that
optimism replace pessimism, that our faith exceed our fears."

When I stop and think about it, I have a great deal to be
thankful for, and a great many things about which I should
be optimistic. I hope that we can all look for the good in
our lives and try to minimize the influence the bad can have
over us.

I just really thought this was a great quote, and a great reminder. The world around us is crazy right now. There are so many bad and sad things happening all around and they are even right within our own families. So many, that sometime I just don't know how the Lord expects us to get through. But if we take President Hinckley's advise and look for the positive, I am sure each day will be better and better. This is something that Brandon and I have been working on, well I guess more just me cause Brandon is already so positive about everything. But we decided to focus on all the things that we have and not on the things we don't. To be happy and grateful for the home we have and the money to buy groceries. To be thankful for the friends and family we have that are there to support us no matter what. And especially to remember to depend on the Lord for everthing. We leave everything up to him and we know that as long as we remain faithful he will always take care of us. And that is what gets us through each day. Sorry for the rambling but I just wanted to share this wonderful quote. :)

I'm in the paper!!!

2009-04-21T15:42:00.001-07:00

Move to a small town and you get put in the paper. It is kind of cool!!! I was voted staff of the month at our school for April and it got my picture in the Eastern Arizona Courier. Here is the link to see my happy face. http://eacourier.com/articles/2009/04/21/news/doc49e8f70d33d31919781603.txt

Pictures!!!

2009-04-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

So I decided to forgo the movie cause it was taking too long and I already had pictures. So although the video was way better you can at least enjoy the pictures.

This is the master bedroom. One side has our bed and the other side is my bookshelf and reading chair. One of my favorite spots.
Here is the master bathroom. I think the bathroom is bigger than our room but I love it. There is enough space in here that when you take a shower the mirror doesn't even fog up. Its great!!!

We are slowly getting use to a smaller shower. We were spoiled in out last house with a 6 foot shower.
Here is my closet. Tons of space. It is so nice.
My favorite part of my closet. My shoe racks!!!! They rock!!!
Here is Brandon's closet.
And his shoe racks. He has the same amount on the other side of the closet too. And a hat to go with each pair of shoes. He is so silly, I just can't get enough of him.

Here is a couple different views of the living room. This room just seems to be so peaceful. I love at night when you just turn on the can lights so it is not to bright in the room. It is very relaxing.

This is the dining room. Sorry the glare is so bad. But I think I need a bigger table now?!?!

Here is the kitchen. I love my kitchen!!! A lot people told us that we should of made the kitchen bigger and while it was being built the kitchen looked so small but now it is perfect. We have so much cabinet space it is wonderful. We got the tall cabinets so I have to have a stool to reach of the top but that is ok. It is so nice cause since i have so much cabinet space, I do not have to have anything out on the counter. It is great!
This is our office/computer nook. It in nice to have somewhere for the computer to go instead of just being in the living room like we had it before.
This is one of the guest rooms. With 2 beds.
This is the other guest room. With 1 big bed. So that makes 3 beds all together. Plus we have 2 hide-a-beds, a futon and an air mattress. So there is lots of room of visitors. :)
This is obviously the hallway. I don't know why but I have always had a thing for hallways. I love them.
This is the guest bath.
And this is our unfinished basement. Someday when we finish it where the washer and dryer is right now will obviously be where the laundry room is. Then across from that will be the food storage room. Then in each corner there will be bedrooms with a bathroom in the middle.
All this will be the family room. We already have our tv and stuff down here, so although it is not finished we still get good use out of our basement.
Here is Brandon's garage. We finally got it mostly cleaned out so we can both park in here now.
And for Brandon's sake I have to show you his sink. he is very proud to have a sink in this garage and he makes sure that everyone who comes over sees his sink. Silly boy.
This is my garden. Well a start at least. We have tomatoes and carrots. Someday we will have more.
Here is view of all our dirt. This is the backyard. We have a full acre. Our property goes all the way to the back white fence, if you can see it. So we will have lots of space to do something with someday.
So those are the highlights our of house. It is so nice to be back in our own place. and to have all my stuff back. We look forward to having some visitors!!!!

SCARY!!!!!!

2009-04-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

So me and Brandon had an eventful day yesterday. We went to Phoenix this weekend to pick up an order and watch conference with his parents. Well when we were coming home last night, we were in Globe when all the sudden I hear Brandon say, "What the heck is this guy doing?" So I look up and there is a four-runner coming right at us. So Brandon starts to slow down and lays on his horn. The guy slowed down a little bit and tried to move over but we were in the lane right next to the median so there was no where he could go. And there was a semi on the other side of us so we could not move over either. Once the semi realized what was going on he tried to move over as much as he could and this aloud us to get our truck far enough out of the way that he didn't hit the truck. But we were pulling our trailer and there was not room to move it. So we heard the car hit one of the side lights on our trailer and we thought that would stop him but he didn't, he kept trying to go and then he hit he wheel-well, so now he is stuck between our trailer and the median. Brandon was getting a little upset cause this is not the first trailer that has been hit while hooked to his truck (for anybody who didn't know, when we were moving Brandon's parents into their house someone rear ended the trailer and totaled it and bent the frame on Brandon's truck.) Anway, I get the phone to call 911 and the ladies answers and asked where we are and I had not idea, and then she was like, "are you on the highway 60?" and I was like yes, and then she was like, "are you reporting the guy driving down the wrong side of the road?" I said yes but he also hit our trailer. So she dispatched some police officers to us but all the sudden 7 cop cars and two ambulances show up. The reason for this was the officers first got the call saying someone was driving down the wrong side of the road and then they got a call saying that he sit someone, so they all thought it was a head on collision. Anyway, everyone shows up and the get the guy out of his car and he has no idea what is going on and he doesn't really understand what anyone is telling him. But we had to unhook Brandons trailer to move it so we could get it off his car and then they moved us all into a parking lot so we could get out of the street. The officer writing it all up was obviously new and he filled it all out on the wrong paper work and so he had to do it all over again. It took forever!!!! we were there for like an hour and half. But it was kind of sad cause they brought the guy into the parking lot and he got in his car, and he was like searching for something and the officer was like, "what are you looking for?" And the guy said my keys. And the officer was like we have your keys and you are not aloud to drive. And they guy didn't understand why. I really don't think he every had any idea what happened or what was going on. So once all the paper work was filled out they let us leave and I was looking at the police report and the old man was 90 years old!!! If he is that old and that out of it, he should not be driving!! Anyway, lucky no one was hurt and I told Brandon it is probably a good thing that he hit our trailer and not someones car. We probably saved someone life. So it was a fun night.

We moved in!!!!!!

2009-04-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

We finally moved into our house. We have been in for almost a month now. Sorry it took so long to post anything but it was a lot of work unpacking all those boxes. Here is a shot of the front of the house. (Sorry about the ladder) There are still some things to be done to the front, we have shutters that will go on the outside that are the same color of the door and there will also be a fence on the front porch that goes from the wall to the little post. So it will look real nice once we get those up. And check out that blue sky.. AMAZING!!!!

Now I decided to just video tape my house instead of taking 5 million pictures so hopefully you can all enjoy it and don't get too sick from my camera skills. Also when I'm outside you can not really hear me taking but I am telling you about my straight driveway instead of the curved driveway we were originally going to have. Anyway, Enjoy!!!!

ok so i just spent an hour waiting for my video to upload and it will not do it. So we will redo our video and break it apart into shorter videos. Sorry, UPdates will come soon.

Oh, Paint!

2009-02-20T07:24:00.000-08:00

So funny little story. At least now it is funny. So the other night me and Brandon were at our house painting away.(Someday we might actually finish) I had my paint in a little cup like container and I was painting away feeling good cause I was making good progress. I was in the master painting the baseboards and then a ran into a stack of screens that needed to be moved so I could paint behind them. So I lean over to set my paint cup on the floor and when I did my cell phone that I had in the front pocket of the flannel I was wearing slide right out into the bucket of paint. Yes, I did say my cell phone!!!! I reached in as fast as I could and got it out. I could not believe I just did that. But Brandon to the rescue. He hurried over and took the battery out real fast and cleaned it off and then he hurried out side to the hose to rinse my phone off. He took the hose and just sprayed my phone with it. I totally freaked out and told him he was going to ruin my phone anymore. But then Brandon, being the smart husband he is, told me, "You just dropped your phone in a bucket of paint, I don't think anything could ruin it more." Good point hunny!!! So he rinsed it all off and then took the phone and the battery and put it in his truck in front of the defroster. After letting it sit there for a while he then just set it out to cool off. Surprisingly, thanks to Brandon's great efforts, the phone still turned on when I got back in the truck a little while later. I could not believe it but I was so happy. The only problem was my touch keys. I have a chocolate so half of the buttons only work by touch, like an ipod, so none of those buttons would work. Basically all my phone was good for was answering it but the ear piece was so full of paint when my sister called me I could barely hear her. I was bummed since I have over 300 pictures on my phone that I now had no way to get to. :(
Happy ending though, yesterday I missed a call and I got mad cause I could not look to see who it was so I just kept pushing the button over and over hoping that it would work, and it did!!!!! All the sudden my buttons were working. I was so excited. They are a little slow and some of them stick sometimes but they work and I don't have to buy a new phone. YAY!!!! So after it started working I then spent the rest of the afternoon picking all the paint out of the cracks of my phone with a exact o knife, a staple and my fingernails. It actually looks pretty good, kind of. Anyway, sorry that turned into a really long story but it is just one of those things that will be fun to look back and read in a couple of years!!

Pictures!!!!

2009-02-09T08:04:00.000-08:00

I know it seems like the only thing I blog about is our house but really that is the only exciting thing going on right now. And I think it is very exciting!!! So here are some pictures of the inside of the house.

Here is the outside of the house again. They got a little far on the siding. It is so fun to finally see what the finish product is going to look like.

You can't really see much because of the sun but this is Brandon's garage. I guess even if the sun was not there, there is not very much to see. :)
This is one side of the Master Bath. My beautiful deep bathtub in the middle and then each of our closets on the sides. There is also two sinks, a shower and toilet room but I could not get it all in on a camera phone. But I have to say I think this is one of the things that I am most excited for!!!! finally my own bathroom again that isn't all the way across the house. It will be like heaven on earth.
So this picture is side ways but just turn your head and you will see it the right way. This is one side of one of our closets. Can you guess if it is mine or Brandon's???? Every guy at work that has seen this closet tells Brandon, "Man, your wife has a lot of shoes!" and then Brandon, as manly as he can, tells them, "this is not my wife's closet it is mine." Nobody seems to believe him but truly, it is. He has so many shoe racks it cracks me up. But for a man with a lot of shoes, like Brandon, this is the perfect closet.
This picture is sideways too but this is standing in the living room looking at the front door.
Here I am standing in the front entry looking into the living room. Not too exciting yet but everytime I look at it, I can just picture all my furniture in there!!!! YAY!!!
This is the living room also but this is looking towards the dining room and the kitchen. Sorry the lighting is so bad. We have so many windows in our house and it was really bright outside.
Here is looking into the kitchen. We are hoping to have cabinets by the end of this week.
This is our little computer nook. We are going to have have a build in desk and cabinets so I think it should be very nice.
Here is just the inside view of the kitchen. Where the plumbing is coming out of the wall is where the sink will be and then the dishwasher will be on the left hand side and then cabinets on the right hand side. We are going to have a raised bar so you won't be able to see the sink and stuff from the other side.
I didn't realize I took so many sideways picture sorry. But this is standing in the guest bath looking down the hall. I don't know why but I have always loved hallways so I made sure to put one in our house.
This is one of the guest rooms. I love the bay window in it but I am not sure how well a bed will fit in there ??? I guess Rod and Kathy will have to see cause hopefully in a couple weeks this will be there room!!!!
This picture is just to show the paint. You can't really tell the paint colors in the pictures. But we decided we did not want white walls. We had white walls in our last house and I hated them but we never got around to painting them. So we decided we would just start off with a different color. The color we choose was Gobi Desert. I was a little nervous cause on the paint card it looked so dark but then we we got it on the walls it was perfect. I absolutely love it!!! We were going to try and keep things easy and cost down by painting everything the same color. The walls, ceilings, baseboard it was all going to be this color. But then once they did that, it just so boring in the house so we decided to paint all the baseboards and the door trims. So we went and bought a gallon and paint and went to town. We still wanted to keep cost down so we just decided we would do it ourselves. Let me tell you, it is taking forever!!!!! Brandon figured it would not be that big of a deal cause when he working he is the painter so this is what he does all day long. but now that is taking every night and Saturdays, he has decided he should of just had the company do it so he could at least be getting paid!! But is is a little too late. We are hoping a couple late nights this week and we should have it all done.
I didn't get a picture of everything but I got the highlights. The basement looks that same as it always has and it will until we get some more money saved up to build in the rooms. Someday it will happen.
Well that is it for now. I better get to work. I will do my best to keep you all up to date on things.

How Cute is This House???

2009-02-06T07:05:00.000-08:00

So there has been a request that I get my act together and update my blog with current house pictures. So I was going to go and get pictures yesterday but by the time I got there it was too dark inside to take any inside picture. So you just get one today, but at least Brandon is in it. I will try again this afternoon to get inside pictures so you can see the walls and paint and all the fun stuff.
So they just started our siding yesterday. I was soooo excited!!! We ordered it FOREVER ago and it was backordered but it finally came in. What was even more exciting is it turned out to be exactly the color we were looking for. We were a little scared because it is really hard to see what they color is on a 1" x 2" sample. so I was pleased when I pulled up yesterday.
We are hoping that it should be finished sometime next month. All we are waiting on now is for the rest of the siding to go up and then our tile should be here on Monday or Tuesday an they are counter and countertops probably they end of next week and then carpet and we will be done. You have no idea how much I am looking forward to unpacking all my stuff after it being in storage for 1 year!!!!! Yes, I have been houseless for 1 year. Please take pity on me :( I am not looking forward to all the dirt and dust that is all over everything but it will be like Christmas finding all of our cool stuff again.
Other than that things are going great! Brandon is still teaching sunday school, and I still just mostly sit there and learn like all the other students. He is by far the best teacher!!!!! I was recently called to be the Relief Society Secretary. I love it!!! It is so fun to be back in a Relief Society Presidency. Some people think I am crazy that I enjoy it so much but it is such a blessing to be able to serve so many women. So I am looking forward to getting to know the sisters in my ward. I hope everyone else is doing great and I will do my best to get more pictures up soon.

Finally a computer that works!!!

2008-12-06T14:53:00.001-08:00

So I was really goin try and keep up with my blog after I moved but then we don't have the internet at home and for some reason my work computer will not read my memory card. So the only pictures i ever end up putting on this thing are ones off my phone. Well knew I was going to be at my dad's on the computer for awhile so I thought this would be the perfect time to finally put some pictures on here other than my house. So they are all old pictures now but they are still fun.
Go figure, the first one I do is still of my house!! Here is what it looks like right now. We are in the slow stage right now so it never looks like it changes. But they got all the doors and windows in and put the black paper on the roof. On the inside they are just working on the electrical and the plumbing so nothing too exciting for picture taking. But very exciting for me!!! It was fun to pick where all the outlets and lights and fans go. I also was able to put dimmer lights were I want them, like in the master bedroom, over my bathtub, in the dining room. So I am excited for that. We also just went and pick out the colors of our house and the roof and all that kind of stuff. That was a little stressful. The samples they give you to look at are like 4 inches by 3 inches so it is a little hard to imagine that color the size of a house but I think (hope) it will look great. So things are moving along and we are hoping for a completion of about February or March!!!
This year for our 4th anniversary we spent 8 days in Vegas. We had a blast!! We did a lot of walking but it was fun. We stayed in the Marriot Grand Chateau on the strip. We has a super nice room. It was bigger than our first appartment!! It had a full kitchen so the first thing we did was go grocery shopping so we didn't have to spend all our money eating out. It was so nice to relax for 8 days and not really do too much. We tried to hit all the free shows and attractions. They were a lot of fun. All the people trying to sell you stuff everywhere was really annoying but we found out that they can only sell to you if you are 25 or older and since we are not we were able to get off the hook pretty easily.

This was on the night of our anniversary. We went out to dinner and then went and saw the Ultimate Variety show. This is not one of the big shows you always here about but it was soooo good. We would totally recommend it. The host was so funny and the acts were amazing. What made it really good was we investing in a $20 vegas bite card so we only had to buy one ticket to get us both in. I am probably the only person who bargain shops in Vegas. After the show we rode the shuttle over to the Rio to see the Parade in the Sky. There was a little more skin in it than I remember from before but it is always fun to see.

Which Jessica is Hotter??? Really please don't answer that questions, I can pretend :) One night, on my bargain bite card, we went to the Wax Museam. I love it!!! It is really amazing how real they look. Brandon with Michael Jackson.

I was trying to hardest to serenade Simon Cowell. Do you think it is working?? Yeah, me neither.

This is one of my favorite. This is who we were looking for through all the rooms. I love how excited Brandon's face is, even if it is not really him. He finally got to meet him!!!!!!! kind of

Brandon wishes he could drive a car that cool. I have to say, he looks pretty cool standing in front of it. Total Hottie!!!!!

We wanted to go do a session at the Las Vegas temple but we only had our rental car for the first day we were there, just to go to the temple and grocery shopping and stuff. But then we remembered that is was conference weekend so the temple was closed. But we went anyway and walked the grounds. It was so beautiful!!! They had so many flowers everywhere. It was so peaceful I could of stayed there all week. Here we are in front of one of the flower beds.
Brandon had his 24th birthday in August. although he is 24 he still got a lot of presents. He is pretty spoiled. He was sad that his mom did not decorate his cake. This is the first in his life that he did not have a decorated cake. :( Brandon is so wonderful and I could never ask for a better husband. He is the sweetest, kindest, funniest guy I know. He does everything he can to support our little family. He teaches me so much everyday. I am so luckly to be able to call myself his wife. He is amazing!!!!!

We also went jet sking for his birthday and I had a picture on here of him but it somehow disappeared. humm!! sorry sweetie

I also had a birthday. 22!! Man I am getting old. Rod and Kathy came over for my birthday and I got a decorated cake. (ha ha brandon) She made it like school since I had just got my job at the school. It was so cute.

The best part is the cake always taste just as good as it looks!!!

Here is just a random picture but I think it is too funny. Brandon took this little motorcycle from my step brother to see if he could fix it. Well as you can see, he did. I can't believe such a little thing can support that much weight but it was so funny to see him riding it. Travis was also riding it which was really funny. oh boys an their toys.

Well there is a small look at what we have been doing the last couple months. And I saved the best news for last. Ready.................. I quit Wal-Mart!!!!!!! I only have one job now and it is wonderful. I am so excited that I do not have to work on Christmas eve now!!!!!!! Merry Christmas to me!!! It was wonderful day.

Well, if I don't get on here before Christmasm, Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope they will be wonderful!!!

Life in Pima!!!

2008-10-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here is the most recent picture of our house!!!! It does not have a roof yet but at least we have walls finally!!! It is so fun to be able to walk through it and pick out the rooms and stuff. I love it!!!! We have an estimated completion date of February 1st. :)!!!!
Things in Pima have been extremely busy but wonderful. Brandon is working for the company building our house so it is fun for him to be able to work on it. Him and Travis are also continuing to work on there blind company in there spare time and that is going well. I am working at Pima Elementary and I LOVE it!!!!! I am the secretary in the office. It is fun to work with the kids and be apart of the school spirit again. It is by far my favorite job ever. Unfortunely, after my favorite job I then have to go to my least favorite job which is Wal Mart. I work there in the evenings trying to save some money to close on our house. It is a long day but I am making it. I think ?!?!
Brandon and I just got callings in our ward a couple of weeks ago. We were called to be the 17 and 18 year old sunday school teachers. We have a blast with them. Brandon is amazing with the scripture so I let him do most the teaching. ok all the teaching. but I learn so much from him. I am in charge of getting the lesson materials together and provide treats so I help some.
We recently took a week long trip to vegas. It was so much fun. We had an awesome resort to stay in that was really nice. It was so nice just to get away and not have to think about anything. We took in all the free shows for entertainment. We were there over our anniversary so we splurged a little and bought tickets to the Ulimate Variety show which was amazing. Excellent talent and very funny. We caught up on a lot of sleep and just enjoyed one anothers company. We took lots of pictures but for some reason my computer will not read my camera card so as soon as I can find another computer to use I will upload some of those pictures.
Well I think that pretty much sums up what we are have been doing lately. One day when I find more time on my hands I will be alittle better about updated this things. Until then, well you get the picture!! Love you all!!!!!!!

UPDATES!!!!!

2008-07-25T13:23:00.000-07:00

A lot of changes has been made since my last post. Today is my last day here in Phoenix. I am so excited yet really scared at the same time. I have stayed here because I had a job and we had said once I get a job in Safford I would move over. Well it has been almost 4 months and it is proving to be really hard to get a job somewhere you do not live. So i finally said enough is enough, I need to be with my husband. So I gave my 2 weeks notice and will be heading to Safford tonight for good!!!!!!! Hopefully, I will be able to find work fast.
As for our house, they are moving right along. It is so fun to watch the stages of construction. one day it is just a hole and then next it is actually starting to look like a house!! We are very excited and hope and pray everything falls into place.

Here is what the looked like when I let Pima on Monday. I was very excited to have the basement floor. Little did I know the next day I would be seeing this

and then just two days later we had this!!!!!!! Super exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So this is the start of our basement. Actually this is probably what it will look like for quite a while since they will leave it unfinished. But I am sure in no time we will have a main floor.

We have been very blessed to be able to have the chance to build such a beautiful home. I am so greatful for Brian and Justin who have bent over backwards for us. They are making such a stressful experience easier and easier everyday. We are excited and hopeful that this is where we will finally start our family. So this is more then just a house in so many ways. YAY!!!

I am sure now that I will live about 1 1/2 minutes away I will be here everday taking pictures so I will be sure to keep everyone posted.

The long road to a wonderful home!!

2008-07-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

Well, after lots and lots of waiting on approval from the bank for our construction loan, things didn't pan out the way we hoped. We were turned down on the loan for some really retarded reasons but if anything that helped us more then not. As soon as our builder found out, he was right on the phone finding us a private investor. (The guy building our house is amazing) he found one right away and 2 days later they have started on our house. The first two picture are from a couple of weeks ago (he was so sure we could get the money he started digging a little early) but they are the start of our basement. I am so excited to have a basement!!!

Here was the start of our basement. It got a lot deeper then this but I was not able to get a picture of it.

Home Sweet Home

This is just from July 2. I finally have more then a dirt hole, now I have a cement hole. but it is a start and very exciting to me. I am going over there for 4th of July so I will get more pictures to post!!!!

Gillard Hot Springs

2008-07-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

Here is another one of our grand adventures. We took a trip to the Gillard Hot Springs. Brandon and Travis went out to find this place and 6 hours later in the dark they came upon it. They has some horror stories that one day Brandon will learn just not to tell me but we were all happy they found it cause it was a wonderful place to spend the day. I don't think many people come here because even with a map it is almost impossiable to find and it is some rough four wheel drive. But we liked it that way cause our family had the whole place to ourselves.

Do you think this is a sign that we should not go there????!?????!??

Brandon is totally in to Bear Grills from TV and he knew for sure this was a place that Bear would sleep if he was there so he wanted a picture.

This is a little view of the river. basically what it is, is a long river that has boiling springs through out. So only parts are too hot to get in and the rest is just amazing. It is really nice because it is not too deep so the kids and still play in it but it is not too shallow for the adults either. it is just a great place to play and relax. we did find one rock and that had a deep spot next to it where we were able to do cannon balls.

The first time Brandon and Travis went up there, they spent like the whole night building something but he would not tell me what it was. but here it is. They dug out this like tub for us to sit in. I thought it was very sweet and it was super relaxing. I loved it!!!

Another trip up Graham Mountain

2008-07-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

Brandon and Travis found yet another beautiful spot up Graham Mountain. Brandon and me took a trip up and it was soo fun. We decided to take the quads this time to make the trip a little faster. It was a lot of fun to ride them up there but that mountain is really high up and I am scared of heights so it was a little scary.

This was the view from were we stopped. It was so crazy cause when we got there it sounded like we were surrounded by mountain goats or something. it was so loud and they sounded like there were so close but you could think if there was a goat next to you, you would be able to see it. so I asked Brandon what that sound was and he told me that they were frogs. I have never heard a frog make that kind of sound. So we looked for them and we must of kept scaring them cause we only saw one and that is why i didn't get a picture but these were not normal frogs they were white frogs!! yes, I said white frogs. I have never seen anything like it they were really neat and really loud.

We love being out in the open and this is a great place to do it. The weather drops like 15 degrees when you get up there so it is always nice. Here is Brandon on the other side of a little stream, and I decided I wanted to sit by time and the next picture proves that to be a mistake.

While I was attempting to cross the stream the rock I stepped on was a little slick and I stumbled right down the rocks. Luckly, I caught myself before I landed in the water but it was a pretty rough fall.

Here is a close up. I tried rinsing it off in the water but the water was ice cold so all it did was freeze my blood which hurt but it made it stop bleeding.

This is a picture about a month and half later. It healed pretty good but I am pretty sure I will always have a mark.

Trip up Graham Mountain

2008-07-02T21:30:00.001-07:00

One of Brandon's favorite things to do in Safford is go exploring. Him and Travis were so excited to take us to a new spot they had found one weekend. After about a 45 minute drive up a very curvy bumpy road we made it, and this was the view we had. it was absolutly beautiful. This is up on Graham Mountain were there is a damn and it run off forms a waterfall. It was so nice to go up there and enjoy the beauty of the earth. This made us really excited about all the places can explore close to home.

Brandon thought it was awesome to go under the waterfall. but i was too scared to go down there :I

After enjoying the waterfall we had fun playing in the Lake skipping rocks. It was a really fun trip.

Where is he??

2008-05-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

I know it does not look like much but this picture is very exciting for me. Brandon called and told me he had a surprise for me this weekend but I told him that I could not wait I wanted to know what it was, so he told him maybe he could show me but he had to see if it was ready. So a couple hours later he sent me a text message and asked if I was ready to see my surprise, and this is what he sent me with the captions, "I'm Home!"

So if you still can't tell what it is, it is the start of our basement!!!!

I am so excited for them to be starting on it, and I can't wait to see if it has changed at all when I get there tomorrow.

PAYSON ALEX!!!

2008-04-25T16:41:00.000-07:00

We finally go to meet our sweet new nephew Payson Alex Heap. Me and Brandon went and spent a week in Montana about a mouth ago. It was so fun to spend time with Chelsea and Shayne and get to meet Payson. He is soooooooo cute, I just couldn't get enough of him. I love the daily pictures i get of him. Chelsea keeps saying he looks like me but I dont think I can take the credit for his stinkin cute looks!!! I have so many picture but I think these two show how cute he is!!!!

It was really fun to be there with them. We also got to see some of Brandon's old friends which was really nice. We can't wait till Chels and Payson are here this summer and then Shayne and Chelsea and Payson will be here for Christmas!!! So we have a lot of visits to look forward to.

Little Family Update

2008-04-25T16:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I stink at keeping my blog up to date. But things have been pretty crazy for us lately. We have been super busy with all of our new plans. After many many many mouths we finally sold out house!!!! yeah!!!! we were very excited about that. We have decided to move to Pima, Arizona which is a very tiny town in eastern Arizona. Brandon and Travis are going to start their own compnay down there. It is called B & T Enterprise. Specializing in window coverings but they will be doing some constuction and misc projects as well. We are all very excited for this step, it has been a little stressful but we are getting through it. They have made a hand full of sales all ready, with help from O'leary Blinds, and so far everything has gone great!!
Brandon and Travis are currently living in Safford in my dad's camper trailer. It is a good thing they are such good friends! I am currently living with Tabitha and girls. It has been a lot of fun being with them. As for all of our belongings from our house, they live in a huge warehouse in safford. Although it has been a little hard to have none of my stuff it will be worth it.
I plan to work here in Phoenix until Tabitha and Travis can get someone in there house and then we will all be headed to Safford/Pima. We are in the process of getting a loan to build a house. This has been the most stressful part but i think we are almost through it.
We were so excited when we found the neighorhood we are moving into. It is the perfect neighborhood right at the base of Mt. Graham. we are going to build a wonderful house on 1 acre of land. We can not wait until it is done. Once things get moving I will post some pictures. but it has been a lot of fun designing and creating our house. So we are hoping to start digging the basement within the month. Cross your fingers.
Besides that I am still staying busy with the Relief Society. It is such a wondering for calling to be able to serve the women in our ward. I really enjoy the presidency I work with and will be very sad when it comes time to leave. Brandon was released from the Elders quorum Presidency since he is only in town twice a month. But he did a great job while he was there.
I think that pretty much sums up were we are at right now and as things progress i will keep everyone posted.

Christmas!!!!

2008-01-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

Me and Brandon has a great Christmas this year. We stayed at Tabitha and Travis's house. On Christmas eve we had my mom and Terry and my Aunt Sarah and Uncle Wayne and Cody and Rhonda all come over. we did the traditional Christmas Eve Stuff. We had lots of treats, Emily played some songs for us on the piano, the girls made reindeer food, and we read the Christmas story from the bible. The next morning we woke to to a lot of presents and we had so much fun opening all of them. I tried to post a picture of the tree but for some reason it is not letting me put it up. Aside from burning the sticky buns it was a great christmas morning. We then played with some of out toys watched our new movies and cook Christmas dinner. we had too much food for the seven of us, and we are still eating the left overs, but it was sooo yummy.

Here the pictures that it would let upload, maybe i will be able to come back later and put the rest up.

We hope all of you had a great Christmas and a Happy new year!!!

hello

2007-12-29T12:05:00.001-08:00

hello

Christmas Came Early!!!!!

2007-12-16T15:55:00.001-08:00

Do to upcoming travels, Christmas came early to the O'Learys house this year. We were all excited to get together and have the Little's traditional christmas breakfast and open presents even if it was only Dec. 15. We ate yummy sticky buns, eggs, bacon, hash browns and homemade hot chocolate. Afterwards it was time for presents.

Brandon was not feeling very good but he was happy to be there.

Even if he only got a giant kiss!!! He doesn't get the rest till Christmas.

Joss got lots of presents from everyone.
Grandpa is helping her learn on how to use her golf club her daddy got her. what I love so much about this picture is her cute pink shoes!!

Jackson opened a couple presents and by the look of it, that was enough.

It was a great start to Christmas!!!!

Temple Lights

2007-12-16T15:46:00.001-08:00

The whole Little family decided we were all going to see the temple lights this year. The men were supposed to meet us there but after a long day installing and Brandon not feeling very well it ended up just being us girls, and jackson! But we had a great time. We started the night off with a great dinner at Red Robin were Joss loved to decorate her Aunt Jessie in her ranch dressing:) and then we headed off to the Temple. As always it was beautiful!!!

Jackson got his jammies on and was all bundles up to keep warm. He looked too cute in his hate and Hurley jacket not to take a picture.

Joss got all bundle up too. she lost the hat before she even got out of the car and the gloves were gone soon after. but she stayed nice and warm running all over with her Grandma.

The manger scene was pretty like always and Joss really liked the Baby.

I Think we all really liked it.

Cookie decorating!!!!!!

2007-12-13T08:44:00.000-08:00

We all went to the Little's house to decorate cookies!!! Kathy made lots of cookies for the girls to decorate with frosting and all kinds of sprinkles.

Maddy was having lots of fun decorating with whatever she could get her hands on.

One thing she couldn't do was keep her fingers out of her mouth, but a little Maddy germs won't hurt anyone. :)

Lizzy loved decorating!! she really like the pink sprinkles and the stars.

Emy was the best at decorating. I guess maybe she can start making the cakes for everyones birthdays now.

Joss loved to decorate her cookies and eat them right after it was decorated. she was doing a great job, Until............

I guess no one was watching her when she got a hold of the green spinkles :i I guess she really liked them!!! she was proud of what she had done and it was pretty cute.

The finished product!!! all the girls did a great job and had tons of fun doing it

PJ'S GAME

2007-12-03T08:17:00.000-08:00

Me and Brandon took a quick trip to San Diego this weekend to go see PJ play basketball. It was a great trip and Brandon was excited to see PJ. We were able to go to dinner with him on Saturday and then we went and watched his game on sunday. although they lost (67-81) it was still really fun to finally see him play.

my husband is sooo cute!!!

2007-11-30T13:06:00.000-08:00

I have to show this to everyone cause i think i just have the cutest husband ever!!!!! when he walked out of the bedroom the other and looked at me and smiled with what he was wearing i couldn't control myself. and what i loved even more is he was standing right next to the picture of him when he was alittle boy and it looked exactly the same. he is just sooo cute!!!!

The Beginning!!!

2007-11-30T12:49:00.000-08:00

It seems more and more people are using the blog website and i love it!!! so here is the very beginning of The Little's Family Website. I will try my best to keep it current and let everyone know what we are doing.
We love you all and have an awesome Christmas season!!!

Love
The Littles