Murder Mystery Dinner

Even though this time of year is super crazy for most people, it was the best time for us to host a party because we weren't in school. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving we had Josh's married siblings and their spouses over for a murder mystery dinner party. It was a first time for some of them. It was a high school themed party and it was super fun. Thanks guys for coming.

Josh's brother Steve was the football star, brother-in-law Logan was the nerdy kid (he did not think this role fit him at all, but he did good), and Sarah was a beach godess/ swimsuit model.
I was a ditsy cheerleader and my sister-in-law Heather was an illegal (but beautiful and flirty) immigrant

Josh's brother Adam was the class president and our sister-in-law Becca was the gothic artist.

Josh was a guy who likes to make movies

Pre-Christmas

Dang it- I always upload them backwards. Oh well- I have so many pictures and things of stuff that happened last week I figured I'd better split them into different posts. This one I just thought I would show off our pre-christmas church outfits. I thought we did so good matching. Also- we made divinity. It turned out so good! Thanks daddy for helping Josh learn how when we were in Oregon.

This was going to be a post about Christmas

but it's actually a post about my wonderful husband. I have had the most wonderful weekend with him. He had Christmas Eve off so from the eve of Christmas eve on, he was all mine. We spent lots of time playing games and reading together this last weekend and he was so thoughtful about my Christmas presents. I just wanted to take a moment to record how much a I love him and the moments we get to spend together. I will miss some of this time when our baby comes.

I love you Josh

cooking

I don't know if it is the cold weather or my pregnancy hunger but lately I have been on a cooking kick- which doesn't happen much for me. I'm trying new recipes too, which is even more rare. But this last weekend I made:
1. peanut butter pancakes. They were good and easy but Josh and I like regular better.
2. Chocolate trifle (idk if that is the right name for it) this pic is not what I made, it is the example. I was going to put a picture of mine but I haven't uploaded camera pictures yet. Mine didn't look quite as good (I spilled half the pudding in the process) but it still turned out so good. And again, it was easier than I expected.
3. I made my grandma's french bread. Josh says it didn't taste like hers but it was still really good. We have only once piece left from yesterday.
4. Currently I am making cookies with a new recipe.

I hope that didn't bore all of you- but I am proud of my things because I don't think I am a very good cook but I have successfully made three new things this weekend. Now I should stop cooking because I am eating way way too much, Josh and I haven't shared any of it.

On just another note- Josh's mom gave us Portland in a box, which is like monopoly but with Portland places. She found it cheap at a 2nd hand store and thought of me. We opened it Sunday and it had never been played. We played and it was my first time getting all the way through a monopoly type game. I lost big time. But it was a lot of fun anyway.

dancing, baby, and school

So I teach clogging to Josh's little sister, Kaitee. I love it. I hope she is enjoying it too, it's getting to the point that it is pretty fun. She's doing so good, I can't believe how fast she picks up on it. We are getting ready for her first time showing anybody but me and Josh, she's going to show her family on Christmas eve. I'll have to have Josh take a video of it. I feel a little bad because her family keeps giving her a hard time about incesentlly tapping around the house, but that's part of the fun of clogging is doing it anywhere. I hope that doesn't discourage her. But really all I wanted to say was how much fun I am having teaching dance.

Also- I offically feel pregnant. My belly for sure shows and I can feel our baby kicking quite a bit. People seemed suprised at those two things but I think it must just be the way the baby is positioned and my shortness probably doesn't help. This is me yesterday, 24 weeks along. I am getting so excited for our baby. It is almost Christmas break (thank goodness) and then I need to do some serious house organizing since when I start school again in January I will be short on time. When I was in Oregon, someone (maybe Kay) mentioned that if I don't want to do anything permanant to the baby's room (which I don't) that you can put fabric on the walls with starch. Does anybody know how that works? I have some ideas for that, but I'm sure how exactly to do the starch thing. So help wanted with that...

School is almost done! yay, just a few more classes each for Josh and I. Then we need to get serious about Christmas. As you can see in the post below, we have our tree set up but that's about it. There is one present from me to Josh and a bunch from my parents under the tree and that is it. I'm so excited for Christmas.

some pictures

We got a new camera and here are some pictures for it and some of our trip to Oregon. They are backwards in order, so I'm sorry. Hopefully soon I will have pictures from my wonderful baby shower that was a surprise for me in Oregon.





Seth in the Thanksgiving Parade
(This whole 5 gallon bucket of doughnuts from Voodoo doughnuts was only $7)

I am thankful...

that are car decided to break down in Idaho Falls, rather than anywhere else. We drove it all the way to Boise, almost all the way back. We stopped at Walmart in Idaho Falls at 11:30 and came out and before very long the antifreeze light started blinking (which it was doing a little before our trip but we never found anything wrong) and the temperature started heating up. We pulled over in a Burger King parking lot and waited for it to cool off enough to open the antifreeze tank. By the time we got out of our car there was a river running across the parking lot, a river of antifreeze. We put some in and more came out. We tried my dad's suggestion and turned on the ac and tried to drive but the temp kept going up. So a couple blocks later we stopped at a gas station and now it's 12. We call Josh's parents in hopes they could come get us. His mom didn't know where his dad was and had to go find him. They came and got us and towed our car back home. We got there about 1:30 in the morning.

But, Idaho Falls is much better than Boise, or middle of nowhere. We are thankful for that.

Also- I am so thankful for my husband that I can't imagine being without. He is wonderful. I am thankful that our baby looks healthy and good. I am thankful for my family and the trip we were able to take to see them. I am thankful for my good friends, and the shower they suprised me with, I am thankful for all the love I felt while in Oregon. I am thankful Josh and I are almost done with school. I am thankful for our cute little house.

Overall I am feeling thankful for so many things, which is a better feeling than I had a week ago when I left for vacation.

I hope you all had a good thanksgiving. We really did.

week of all weeks

It has been a week of all weeks, especially near the end it has seemed if nothing could go right for us this week. But... it's over! We take off tomorrow morning for a well needed vacation. Oregon, here we come!

some things

Here are our pumpkins. I'm sorry you can't see Josh's very well but it's a house and it looked great. Mine is just a silly face roasting a marshmallow over his head. We did these about a week before Halloween but were afraid to put them out because of the cold. We were right, the day before Halloween it snowed (yuck!) but thankfully for the day it cleared up and was perfect weather for the holiday. Below is Josh showing his vampire side.


In Ririe we had a great Halloween night. It started with a fundraiser dinner for a woman whose house burned down last month in town. She was burned badly and her and her kids lost everything. It was a potluck soup thing. There was so many soups and it was so good. We raised a lot of money. Then they had hay rides, a pumpkin carving contest, a haunted house, and a trunk or treat that filled main street. Josh won the pumpkin carving contest. There were five categories and he and the two of his brothers that entered all won something. These are all the pumpkins from the contest.We won a lamp that is going to go in baby's room. Below is Josh and his neice Clara on the hay ride. Isn't she cute?

This next picture is a kid from our primary class- we had a primary program practice on a saturday and I meant to take pictures of them all but I forgot so we got Garrett on his 5th peice of pizza. I know we haven't given primary quotes for a bit- but they have been just as funny so here are a couple. We sat them all in a certain order for the program (the order they would behave the best) and Brennan turned to me and said "Why do I have to sit by Brad? I didn't do anything wrong." I felt for the cute little guy and traded him spots. The next week the boys were being crazy and Brennan tells Josh "These boys are being so intense, Kohl isn't usually this way, and Spencer was never this way, that's why I miss him."

A couple weeks ago Josh treated me to Chineese. There are two resturants in Rexburg for Chineese; Fongs and New Fongs. We went to the new one. It was so good. It was also pretty cute because these two little girls served us- they looked to be about 7 and 9. We've gotten to try a few other places lately because if we have something in the evening we just stay in town and go out to eat. If anybody has good recomendations, let us know. (I have yet to convince Josh that the taco bus is a ligit. place to eat)

(by the way- my husband is great at chopsticks, and for some reason the lessons I got on using them in 1st grade didn't really keep up)
This is my attempt at a picture of my belly (I'm not really that tall, I was standing on a stool) but I feel like this, taken last week, is already out of date. It's as if this week I just popped. At least I feel more pregnant and all of a sudden I have gotten lots of comments on it. The only belly touching though has been from one of the girls in our primary class and Josh's little sister so I don't feel too bad.
It's crazy that I'm already 19 weeks! (I just realized that... wow) anyway- I guess that's almost halfway done. In two weeks we have an appointment with an ultrasound. But news for everyone: we aren't gonna find out what we are having. I don't really know why we decided that but unless something changes in the next couple of weeks we will be getting a wonderful suprise in April. I realized just now I haven't really said much about this on here so just some facts. I'm due on April 2 and I am really hoping for that day because it's the last friday of classes and Josh graduates a week later. I am going to be in school for the next two semesters, and then I will graduate in July! (Yay, Josh and I are getting so close) and then we don't know what our plans are. I guess we will see where life takes us. Back to the baby: umm... now I don't know what else to say. The other day I went to my friend's baby shower and I got so excited. I'm just beginning to feel this baby move occasionaly but that's fine for now.

Anyway- that's about where we are at right now. Just getting through this semester of school. But we can make it. Two weeks until Thanksgiving Break (and a trip to Oregon!) and then two more until Christmas break.

kids kids kids

Such funny, funny kids. I love our primary class so much. I don't want any other calling in our ward. I like to teach these kids.

Brad: Do you want to see my wisdom tooth?
Me: No thanks... but you have a wisdom tooth already you must be very smart
Brad: No- it just holds all my DNA. I know everything about science; like DNA and RNA... well actually I don't know what RNA is but I know about DNA. It is in every blood cell in your body. My dad knows how to take DNA out of a person and put it in a machine and make a clone.

Brad: How do you get to church if you are camping way up on the highest mountain above the clouds and the trees are falling down and regrowing?
Me: I don't know
Brad: That's the problem with camping.

Me: Where do we live?
Garrett: Ririe, Idaho!
Me: Does anybody know where Josh and I's house is?
Garrett: Oregon?
I was impressed by this because he has totally grasped that is where my parents live. He met my dad once and liked him enough to remember that little fact.

Brad: One time my dad's truck got stuck in the mud, but luckily we had a really strong rope. I offered to pull- it weighed like 25 gazillion thousand pounds.
Me: Wow, you must be pretty strong
Brad: It wasn't me- it was the Lord. He helped me.

Today was a good day. In singing time whichever class sang the loudest their teacher 'got' to wear a really silly hat. Our class sang so so loud and Josh got the beautiful, crazy hat. Also in class we had them draw on the chalkboard the story Josh was telling. Oh I wish I had my camera with me. They were wonderful drawings. The story was of some kids saying no to someone who wanted them to smoke. Garrett's included swords to vanquish the smokers.

We were also very proud today because in testimony meeting three of the five kids that were in our class today bore sweet testimonies of the Saviors love and the truthfulness of the gospel.

Halloween Decorations

Our ghosts are playing ring around the rosie. This was a really fun project for Josh and I to do. I love the way they turned out, especially in the dark. The tree they are around has some ropes crossing the middle and I'm trying to think of something fun to put there- but I haven't thought of anything yet.

Oh, come with me to primary

I'm sorry most of these quotes when I started blogging them had to do with the lesson and such. Now a lot of it is just silly random stuff. Apparently after the kids start to get to know you- and you them- they get a lot sillier. There are also a lot this week because a few are from last week and because for some reason our class was pretty hyper today.

Brad: I know a difficult way to remove toe jame. Stuff cotton under your toenails.

I look over at Brad and he's talking quietly to himself, this is what I hear: ...and they got separated slowly into space...

We told a story about a girl that was helping her dad to clean the church
Garrett: then there was a ninja inside and he sliced (runs hand across throat)

This was Brad's story of the day- he kept it going all through primary
Brad: I'm late because I am the new person in charge of how the whole church works, I checked the stage, it works.
After a trip to the bathroom with Josh (he can't go alone anymore because he has a tendency to just run around the church)
Brad: That's weird, the bishop didn't tell me to check the big electric box outside the girls bathroom.
While outside for part of the lesson
Brad: Once when the electricity went off I had to go switch the breaker over there in that big box, it was part of my job.

Kohl: I can't stand up, I'm going to faint
Brennan: Yeah, my eyes are all red.
Kohl: I can't raise my arms, they'll fall off.

Brad: When air comes out of your eyelid, it hurts.

Brad: I know how to keep him quiet, plug his nose and cover his mouth. (I think Josh declined this suggestion)

Me: If you can't keep your hand quiet you have to sit on them.
Kohl: This kind of feels good
Garrett: It makes my hands hot
Brad: That's your body heat
Brennan: What's body heat?
Brad: you know when you sit on a chair without a chair warmer and then it warms up?
Brennan: like a pillow?
Me: If you touch Kohl you'll feel his skin is warm, that's body heat.
Kohl tries to lick Brennan
Brennan: I hate it when he does that.
Brad: It's probably not warm where he licked... also if you slap your face it feels warmer.
Then we have a class full of kids slapping their faces. At least they were all slapping their own. Also the girls were just sitting through this whole conversation, looking at the boys like they were crazy.

Me: Who remembers what we talked about last week?
Kohl: I wish I had a paper with what we talk about and then I would stuff it in my head.

We went outside to act out the story of the good Samaritan and as soon as we went outside, Kohl picked up a leaf at put it in his mouth, after chewing it for a minute he spit it out and got another one.
Josh: He put the injured man on his own donkey.
Brad: It's my horse, not a donkey.
Kohl: Who's even seen a donkey?
Taya: I have

cereal

Usually Josh and I buy generic cereal, often in the big bags because we eat a lot of cereal. (Especailly now- I eat it usually twice a day) Which is fine but in our non-super walmart in Rexburg those cereal choices are a little limited. Since school has started we've taken to looking at the ads in our school paper and we have lucked out. Last week one of the two grocery stores in town had a sale on my favorite cereal- Capt'n Cruch and this week the other store in town had a sale on Josh's favorite cereal- fruit loops. Both ended up being $1.50 a box. I could not believe our luck. We bought lots of both but I don't know how long they will last us since I love them so much. So right now I am enjoying a bowl of capt'n cruch and trying to hold myself off from eating the whole box right now.

Actually something about us

I know that primary quotes are much more exciting than this I figured (after much internal debate) that it was finally time to post this. Not that I don't want to tell people, just that it was nice kind of a fun secret to have. But alas, living down the street from Josh's family, his little sister saw something we did not intend her to see and now it is out. Blurry picture I know but Josh and I went on a walk last night and found some wonderful places in Ririe that neither of us knew about.


Actually I don't really look like this... I don't know if it was the angle or the slouch but I'm not there quite yet. Here are some more nice pictures of our town.
...and here is what I actually look like. I think I might have had that bump before I even got pregnant.so tada! There's our news. I know not a very newsy post... but I'll let you wonder for a little bit.

What did you learn in Primary today?

This is Josh writing this week, just so everyone knows. :)
Okay, so it is kinda sad that most of our posts are about our primary kids, but that very well may be the most interesting part of our lives.
We have started school again, and things are going pretty well (except for the many varied complaints we have against BYU-Idaho). We are just getting into it, so we hope things keep going well there.
Today, there were more crazy quotes from our primary kids, so I just thought we'd share them now:

(Homecoming was last Friday...)
Emily: Did you go to the game, Brad?
Brad: I went. I was the smallest on the team. I scored the first point, then at the end of the game I got shy and started making wimpy catches and wimpy throws, and so my coach told me to give up. But we still won. The winning team won $100 gift certificate to McDonalds and 20 points, but instead of $100 gift certificate, I got a free burger for a year. I like the three meat and three cheese burgers. They put extra protein sauce on those burgers. You know the bubbles that come up when you squeeze burgers? That's protein sauce. It is 30% sugar and 30% good for you. I wish we could have lunch here and I would bring one to eat.
(whoa... now that's a story)

Emily: I like your tie.
Brad: It has two colors I'm wearing.
Emily: Grey and black?
Brad: No, it's silver!

Emily: Is your mom a teacher?
Brad: She was my teacher when I was in 6th grad at South Fork Elementary.
(He hasn't ever been in 6th grade :P)

Brad: Do you know Heise? I saw my dentist there one night... hahaha

Kohl: Are those real band-aids?
Kohl's mom: Yes they are
Kohl: Gross!
Kohl's mom: They aren't used...
Kohl: oh...

Kohl: You really need to shave, I'm not kidding.
(I turn to him) Me: really?
Kohl: You DID shave!

Me: What can you do with money?
Garrett: You can buy diapers!
Brad: Corn Dogs, Diapers, and fairy princess outfits!
Kohl: Did you get that from Spongebob?
Brad: No, I made it up myself.

Me: How can we prepare to go to the temple?
Garrett: Don't drink
Me: Yep, don't drink alcohol, but you can drink water.
Brad: But don't drink from the baptismal font!

Kohl: Are you married?
Emily: Yes
Kohl: To who?
Emily: Guess who
Kohl: I don't know...
Me: We are married, Emily is my wife
Kohl: You two look alike. I thought you were brother and sister. But you don't have any kids yet.
Me: Nope, not yet
Brad: People have kids when they are 31

here we go again... primary quotes

I did think we would have a slow week as far as quotes go because Brad our usually funny one wasn't there- we were very mistaken.

Last week:
Brad (to Josh): I see you've been working on your mustache

Kohl: (to Josh): you need to shave

This week:
Kohl: You've got quite a beard going there. You really need to shave.
Josh: Why can't I have a beard?
Kohl: I don't want you to look like Santa Clause

Primary Chorister: We are supposed to build our house on what?
Garret: A hill!

Kohl: Am I like the shortest here? I feel so short. (He was sitting in a little chair next to Josh in a big chair)

Me: You're hair is so nice, why is that?
Brennan: My shampoo
Me: What kind do you use?
Brennan: The red kind

Kohl: My dad can turn his eyes red. He takes his top eye socket and folds it up, and he takes his other eye socket and folds it down.

Kohl: You're a girl.
Josh: Why?
Kohl: You wear contacts
Josh: Boys can't wear contacts?
Kohl: It's werid

We were telling a story that took place in England during WWII.
Garrett: What war? Idaho vs England?
Me: No, England vs Germany
Garrett: Oh, I've heard this story
Kohl: Who won?

Kohl: I saw the Easter bunny. We were coming back from Wendy's and we saw a rabbit on the Lewis's lawn. But it didn't have a basket. It probably poops the eggs out.

Josh (showing a picture of Jesus with the Nephites): Who is Jesus praying with?
Garrett (maybe Kohl): His slaves?
Eden: I don't think he had any slaves

Me: Kohl, you have a little hair stuck up in the back of your head.
Kohl: Well yeah- it's called a chicken tail

We think Kohl had football on his mind.
Kohl: Do you go to high school or college?
Josh: College
Kohl: College! College football!
Taya: You'd be good at basketball, you are so tall.

Josh: Do you know what humble means?
Kohl: fumble?

And I wish I could put exactly how Garrett says this but it's come up a few weeks in a row.
Garrett (to Josh in singing time): Can I sing like Oprah?
Josh: How's that?
Garrett: ahhhhhahhhh (in high falsetto voice)

Me: Some people talk quiet and some people talk loud
Garrett: some people talk like Oprah
Me: how's that
Garrett: ahh ahh ahh (in same falsetto voice)

have I made you want some 7 year olds yet?

so a couple weeks ago was pretty funny and I wrote them down and then lost them, last week we were gone and had a sub and this week was kind of mellow but here are a few that I remember from recently

We were talking about how Christ loves and knows everyone in the entire world.
(a visitor): I wouldn't want to know everyone in the world because there are bad people in the world.
Brad: yeah- like Mexicans, all Mexicans are bad.
(are you aloud to say that Brad?)
Brennan: if everyone in the world came to your birthday party your house would get crushed.
Brad: This one time my house was like all the way full of old ladies and my mom made me serve them kabobs.

Here is Brad's take on being adopted- don't believe what he says because I know for a fact he was not adopted.
Brad: Can you go up front and tell them not to sing songs about families? They are making me sad. Because I was adopted and it makes me miss my real family. They died last year. My sisters names were Missy and Sarah.
Then he really started crying, actual tears.

Brad: I think I have lost all function of my body.
Me: Why don't you try standing up.
He yells "ow" and stumbles back to the ground
Josh: Do you need to go find your mom?
Brad: No it usually comes back in a few minutes.

Brennan: my back hurts from yesterday
Me: What did you do?
Brennan: my uncle got married

Today though, we decided Layne- who doesn't have many quote up is an emo kid, which is kida funny kinda sad, he's 8 and everyday it's like "I hate my life, why does it have to be this way? How come it has to be like this?"

But overall we have a pretty good class, just a few kids who sturggle but overall I like them.

1 year

1 year (and a couple weeks ago) I married my sweetheart. My forever love. I have had a wonderful year and couldn't imagine a better place to be in life. Just so you know, Josh, I love you so much.

past few weeks

We sure have been busy, but it's been all fun stuff. This picture is hard to tell, but Josh and his boss got some tickets to some horse races because they helped them with a website or something. For non- betting people it was an interesting experience. A 1 min race with 20 minutes in between for everyone to set their bets for the next race. We picked who we thought would win though and mine won once.


Also- the international dance festival was in Rexburg. We got to go to the opening ceremonies and the street festival. It was fun. I liked watching all the teams, except the team from Rexburg, they were obnoxious. While we took this picture it was hailing- those poor little girls. They did great though.
Just a good picture we got.
Josh's little sister got married on our anniversary. I felt a little bad about decorating their car considering that nobody in Idaho got to decorate ours (thanks to Josh's super hiding skills) but we got it good in Oregon. As much as a wedding on our anniversary made for a crazy day- what a wonderful reminder, to be in a sealing room in the same temple we were married.
The day after the wedding we took off to my mom's family reunion. We missed most of it because of the wedding but we didn't miss the spudnuts. Yay and thanks Grandma and Grandpa. They were delicious and so fun. A special memory I will always have of them is when they would make these and homemade rootbeer for their family.
The reunion was at a beautiful (and huge) cabin in Island Park. The view from right outside was amazing, especially in the morning.

Seth came to stay with us for the next week and we started off by monday going to a baseball game in Idaho Falls. We won! But I'm not sure if it's because the Idaho Falls Chuckers are good or because the Billings team made so many huge mistakes.


Tuesday night we volenteered to watch our nephew while Josh's brother and sister-in-law went to the temple. I would have pictures of cute little Adien but he feel asleep really soon after we got there but we did have a good time with his stuffed animals.

We also went to the civil defense caves and the fair. We took my cousins out to lunch and had a wonderful week. Saturday we went to Boise to the water park there (my mom had free tickets) it was so much fun. But Josh and I got our fill of sunburn again. Thanks Seth for coming- and thanks Josh for the wonderful weeks.