Pictures of Raegans Birthday

I got Easton a book for Raegan to give to him for her birthday :)

If I see one more princess, I'm gonna scream! J/K. Raegan loves princess anything, makeup, and nail polish!

All the kids that came to Raegan's birthday party.

Raegan opening up her present from Aunt Alisa and Uncle Daxton.

Package from Grandma Seegmiller.






mmmmmm. Cake!!!!!

I love her smile!

Wrong way, Callie!

I couldn't get the tie to stay on their faces.

Uncle Kevin helping Raegan with her bat for the Pinata!!






I'm a sucker for girl birthdays!!!

Raegan's 4th Birthday

Raegan turned 4 years old today. I can't believe that it's been 4 years since the day she was born. I don't remember much about that day. I've been so busy trying to keep up with her ever since. It was an amazing experience, though. One that I will always be grateful for. That sweet little girl is one of the best gifts ever given to me. I can't imagine my life without her.

I had a very good pregnancy with Raegan. Other than a couple little bumps, I was fine the whole 8 1/2 months The night before I found out I was pregnant, I woke up in the middle of the night throwing up. I had taken 5 or 6 pregnancy tests months prior that were negative so, I figured I just had the flu. Cory had been sick so, I thought I just got it from him. Also, we ate at Los Hermanos that night so, I thought maybe it was something there. Well, that morning I took a test and it was positive. I was so so so excited! Since Cory wasn't feeling well, was a bit grumpy. I didn't want to tell him until the timing was perfect. We only had one car then, so I drove him to school and then went to Paul Mitchell (where I went to school). I couldn't keep it in and told all of my friends there. They were so excited for me and then asked, "what did your husband do when you told him?" When I said I hadn't told him yet, they all just looked at me with the wierd eye. I know, it was bad. So, when school was over I went to pick him up and while we were driving I turned on Phil Vassar. There is this one song that says, "then one night, she came to me with tears in her eyes and an E.P.T saying guess what? Ya, BABY ready or not! I turned the song off right after that part. Cory said, "why did you turn it off?" I just gave him a look. He thought about it for a second. And then said, "Serious? So, that's why your were throwing up last night!"

I was fine after that night. Was a little bit sick here and there until 6 weeks. I was SO sick! I couldn't eat anything but tator tots. I'm so serious. 6-12 weeks were awful for me. But, after that I was fine!

Cory and I lived in California while I was preggo with Raegan. I'd try to let him feel he kick and she never would when he'd put his hand on my stomach. On Father's Day she was kicking and I went to tell Cory to try and feel. Then I thought twice about doing that bc I didn't want him to be sad if she stopped. I did it anyway. And she kicked like crazy! It was the first time he felt her kick.

Since we were only in California for 4 months, I still kept my Doctor in Utah and just went back twice for an appointment. For the 1st ultrasound, Cory and I went back together. I was so sick with a sinus infection and being pregnant and flying! I was miserable!! It was so hot when we got there and I had to go right away to the Dr. appt. We borrowed a car to drive out there and the A/C decided to stop working. I remember just being so sick and hot! I couldn't breath at all! When we got to the appt, I sat on the table and they started the ultrasound. Right when I looked at the screen and was able to see my baby, I remember not feeling sick for a small moment. I was totally fine. I was so happy and grateful to see this little tiny thing inside of me moving around. And then, finding out that it was a girl!! Right when I got off the table, I was sick again.

At 36 weeks I was diagnosed with Pre-eclampsia. If it's not monitored closely, it can be dangerous. I had to go into the hospital often to have stress-tests done and to have my blood pressure checked. It got so bad that I was told by the Doctor that the baby could come in a week. I was pretty miserable that whole week with symptoms from the pre-eclampsia. I was ready for her to come! I still wanted it to be a surprise for everyone, so I waited until the night before I went in to be induced to tell them. It was fun calling them all to tell them she was coming the next day when they were expecting it to be 3 more weeks!

The morning that we went in to have her delivered, I was so nervous. So nervous that I didn't want anyone around but Cory. When we left to go to the hospital at 6 a.m. he got in the car and I told him to hold on for a second. I went back in the house, threw up, and then went back to the car. I couldn't keep anything down me bc I was so nervous. Once we got to the hospital, I was even more nervous. Rightfully so. It is not fun what you go through to get a child here. Especially someone like me who has very low pain tolerance. But, I'd go through it again and again. Maybe not the I.V. part. But, everything else was so worth it. And it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I remember getting ready to text people at 4 pm telling them that she wasn't here yet and that it might be a while. The nurse came in to check me and said, "ummmm. This child is on it's way. HOLD ON UNTIL THE DR COMES!!!" Ya, kinda hard to do that when she's ready. Right when the doctor came, Raegan was outta there!!! She was beautiful! I got to hold her for a while until they had to take her up to the NICU. While I was watching them clean her up, I realized that the Dr was still working on me. I couldn't feel anything bc I had an epidural. His face was red and he was sweating. I didn't realize that something was wrong. He had been trying to stop me from bleeding. I had hemoraged. They finaly had to give me a shot to help stop the bleeding. Once again, I'd go through it all again to have this little princess in my life!!!

Raegan woke up today and saw all of the decorations for her party set up in the living room. She said to Cory, "DAD! Who did this?" He told her it was me and she said, "Oh my gosh! Mommy is the best!" She gave me a lot of kisses and hugs today saying, "Mom! You're the best ever!" Her party started at 5. At about 3:30 Easton woke up from his nap and wasn't able to breath very well. He was starting to get sick a couple days ago but, was doing fine. His temperature was high and he couldn't breath. I was so scared. Cory went to the hospital and found out that he had Croup. They gave him some medicine to stop the swelling of the vessels in his lungs and a breathing treatment. We ended up having Raegan's party outside and keeping Easton inside away from all the kids. It was so sad! Cory and I just took turns sitting with him while the other would help with the party. Raegan had a great time! We had cake, opened presents, and had a princess pinata. It was a very eventful day! I love you Raegan!!!!!!!!!

Raegan and Mommy Night Out

Today, I decided that Raegan was getting too old to take naps. It was starting to become to difficult with the whining and crying. Not that her doing that means she is ready for no-naps. It's just that it drags out forever and by the time I've finally gotten her to take a nap, Easton wakes up. Where's any of the me time in that? So, I now just put little Easton down and he goes to sleep in 30 seconds. And then I "make" Raegan sit on the recliner and watch a show. She's not allowed to talk to her mommy at all during that time and she can't get off the recliner :) It's working okay so far.
Tonight, I was leaving to go run some errands. As usually, Raegan flips out because she doesn't want me to leave. I wasn't going to get anything done if I let her come. Especially since she didn't have a nap today. It was 7:30 too and she usually is in bed by 7:00. Well, since I'm the mom, I can make changes to plans, right? I told Raegan to get her shoes on. Fastest I ever saw her put them on. She was so excited. I took her out on a mommy-raegan night out. We went to the park, outdoor mall, princess store, got an icecream, and lots of singing in the car. My favorite is how she sings sleeping beauty. Here's how she sings it. " I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. IIIIII know you, your eyes are of such a wonder familiar a gleam. But I know it's true that visions are sometimes some they seem. But I know, I knowwwwww, I know what you knowwwwwww. And that's it. She is so funny! I love her so much!

Shelves!

Cory and our good friend, Richard, putting up shelves in our laundry closet. Yay for more storage space!!!!!!

Buffalo Billy

Growing up, I used to watch a show called Buffalo Billy with my family. It's a ventriloquist that does a lot of different acts with puppets. We all loved it! This song was the theme song for the show. I haven't seen it in years. The other day, I was watching a show about the best pranks ever done. One of them had to do with this song. When someone was being pranked it would be when they went to click something on their computer and the music video would come up. This prank was going on all around the world. It's hilarious! Cory, if you're reading this, I'd LOVE to go see this show sometime in Vegas when school is over, mmm, k?

Home Improvements

It's time for Halloween Decorations!!! Yay! The kids love this little singing/dancing Frankenstein! Our friend is throwing a big party this year and every family has to have a theme. hmmmm. what could we do as a family theme with a daughter who is demanding to be Sleeping Beauty? Any ideas would be great!

After living in our new apartment for 2 months with a lot of pictures not hung up and knowing that we'll just be moving in a year, I decided to put them on top of our kitchen cabinet. The Pictures sat down too low on the cabinet so I got a bunch of cake boxes and put them underneath. Looks pretty tacky, I know. I'll fix it if Martha Stewart decides to ever pop in!

Sweet little Easton is pretty maticulous about a lot of things. He did this the other day and I thought it was adorable. Lining up his little car toys which he loves! He plays with them all day!

President Uchtdorfs Talk at Women's Conference

President Uchtdorf Reminds Sisters of Five Things to “Forget Not”

“No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you, with an infinite love.”
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, gave this loving reminder during the General Relief Society Meeting on September 24, 2011.
Using the forget-me-not flower as a metaphor for his remarks, President Uchtdorf noted that although the flower is small in size, and easily unnoticed among larger flowers, it is still beautiful and vibrant.
President Uchtdorf tied the five petals of the forget-me-not flower to five things women should not forget.
Forget not to be patient with yourself:
President Uchtdorf reminded women that everyone has strengths and weaknesses—that no one is perfect, even those who may seem so.
“God wants to help us eventually turn all of our weaknesses into strengths, but He knows that this is a long-term goal,” President Uchtdorf said. “It is OK that you are not quite there yet. Keep working on it but stop punishing yourself. “
“Dear sisters, many of you are endlessly compassionate and patient with the weaknesses of others,” he added. “Please remember also to be compassionate and patient with yourself.”
Forget not the difference between a good sacrifice and a foolish sacrifice:
President Uchtdorf defined an acceptable sacrifice as giving up “something good for something of far greater worth.”
“Dedicating some of our time to studying the scriptures or preparing to teach a lesson is a good sacrifice. Spending many hours stitching the title of the lesson into homemade potholders for each member of your class may not be.”
President Uchtdorf noted that every situation is different, and suggested asking, “Am I committing my time and energies to the things that matter most?” in order to distinguish between good and foolish sacrifices.
Forget not to be happy now:
Using an example from the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, President Uchtdorf described how one of the characters, Willy Wonka, hid golden tickets within chocolate bars, promising to reveal wonders to five people who discovered the tickets.
“In their anxiousness, people began to forget the simple joy they used to find in a candy bar. The candy bar itself becomes an utter disappointment if it does not contain a golden ticket,” President Uchtdorf said. Whatever a “golden ticket” may represent to each person, President Uchtdorf warned Relief Society sisters to not put their happiness on hold as they wait for a future event, or golden ticket, to appear.
“The lesson here,” he said,” is that if we spend our days waiting for fabulous roses, we could miss the beauty and wonder of the tiny forget-me-nots that are all around us.”
Forget not the “why” of the gospel:
President Uchtdorf said that sometimes, in the routines of daily life, the vital aspects of the gospel of Jesus Christ are unintentionally overlooked. “We sometimes see the gospel as a long list of tasks that we must add to our already impossibly long “to do” lists. We focus on what the Lord wants us to do and how we might do it, but we sometimes forget why.”
President Uchtdorf reminded the sisters that the gospel is not an obligation, but a pathway leading to happiness and peace in this life and “glory and inexpressible fulfillment” in the life to come.
Forget not that the Lord loves you:
In closing, President Uchtdorf said, “Just think of it: You are known and remembered by the most majestic, powerful, and glorious being in the universe! You are loved by the King of infinite space and everlasting time.”
“You may at times feel a little like the forget-me-not—insignificant, small, or tiny in comparison with others,” he said, noting: “I hope (the forget-me-not) will be a symbol of the little things that make your lives joyful and sweet.”

A Little Thought

Cory served an LDS mission in Tegucigalpa, Hondurus for 2 years when he turned age 19. There he taught about his beliefs as a member of the church and also did countless hours of service. I am amazed at all he went through and still loved every moment! He learned Spanish to go there and still speaks very well. I admire his efforts in life especially as I've seen his dedication to school. He hasn't missed a beat since he graduated from high school except for going to Hondurus for those 2 years to dedicate his full time to preaching the Gospel. I am amazed at Cory everyday. Not only am I lucky enough to be his wife, but I am blessed to have him as a best friend. Imagine someone who has a heart of gold, loves God, is kind to everyone, is 100% selfless, never gets mad at you, loves you unconditionally, smart, extremely funny, a friend to everyone, an amazing father, a hard worker, and extremely handsome. I mean, extreeeemely handsome. Well, that person is Cory. . . . . and I love that man with all of my heart and soul!! And I am the luckiest girl to be loved back by him!
To get to the point now. Cory and some of his companions he had on his mission take turns sending a Sunday Thought each week. It was Cory's turn last week and this is what he sent. It's very personal and I hope that anyone who comes across reading it, will with an open heart.

Here is the letter:

During the past month there have been a lot of things on my mind. For those of you, who got to know about my family while we were in Honduras, knew that my greatest heroes consisted of my Father, Grandpa Christensen and my little brother Andrew. While, I was in my first area of Cerro Grande, my little brother Andrew passed away and that was very hard for me to take. I loved him with all my heart and knew that he had been called home because there was work for him to do on the other side. Bobby was my district leader at that time and he helped me so much during that time of trial and I will always be grateful for him and his friendship then, now, and forever.

Well, last month I received a text message one Saturday night saying that my Grandpa Christensen was in his final stages of life and that he wouldn’t be with us much longer. I was in the last week of my summer clinical internship and knew that I needed to have my wife go to say my good-byes for me. The next day, my wife packed up the car and drove 12 straight hrs. by herself and everyone that is a parent knows that driving that long with 2 kids isn’t easy. However; the kids didn’t fight or whine during the whole trip which can easily be classified as a miracle like Dan talked about last week! After spending the night in Utah with her family and running a few errands in Provo my sweet wife drove the remaining 3 hr. drive to my home in Idaho.

She dropped the kids off at my parent’s house and walked to my grandparents and entered my grandparent’s room where my grandpa was. They had a great visit even though my grandpa couldn’t talk, but according to my wife she could feel what my grandpa was feeling and thinking. She said that the spirit was so strong and she knew that was a very special experience. She talked to him for about an hour and told him that I loved him so much and that I would be coming up on Tuesday but, not to wait around for me to come. My Grandpa passed away 4 hours later. That same night while I was still here in AZ, I had a hard time getting to sleep. As soon as I was asleep, I found myself in my Grandpa’s room talking to him. I can’t remember everything that was said, but I remember one thing that was said. I was told by my Grandpa to remember the good times that we had with each other and to remember that what I have been taught was true. I gave him a kiss and a hug, then woke up from my dream with and found a text from my Dad saying that my Grandpa passed away around the same time I fell asleep.
I know that this was a special experience of mine own and I am very thankful that I was able to have it. I wanted to tell you guys because I know that you know how special these things are. I am very grateful for everything that I received from my Grandpa, especially his love of the gospel and for our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that They live and that They love us very much. I know that families can be together forever and I am dedicated to doing all within my power to make that happen. I know that the family is very important to our Heavenly Father and I am grateful for mine. I am also grateful for friends such as you I want you to know that I love you very much. Let us all tell our family members how much we love them and do what we can to make the blessing of eternal families and reality. Also, let us prepare for the wonderful weekend that we have coming up with Conference. Thanks again and love you all.

More New Haircuts

Sweet little Raegan not only took the scissors to her hair but, she knicked Easton's also. When I went to fix it - I decided to have some fun before I buzzed it. He had this mohawk for a couple days.

More Picture's of Raegan's new haircut.

My friend gave this to me. It says sisters by heart. I love it!

Raegan's new bed!

Easton's new bed!

Raegan's New Haircut

Raegan found my haircutting scissors and chopped off one of her pigtails. There went 2 years of trying to grow it out. Oh well, it's darling short too!

She didn't like that the hair was giving her "itchies" when I was fixing it.

I'm trying not to cry. . . . . . I loved her long hair. Oh well, it's just hair. Cory and I were trying not to laugh when we saw her with one long pigtail and one short.

Events. . . . .

I went to Utah for my little brother, Nate's wedding. I flew in on friday at 7 am and left monday at 8 pm. My Dad got stuck in Orem and was supposed to take me to the airport. I was in Mapleton. My other brother, Eric, who lives in Mapleton and just got married was in school. His sweet wife, Rachael was home but, without the car. So, we found the key to my Dad's other car (which is a monster taho) and she drove me to meet my dad so I wouldn't miss my flight. Normally, if I ever missed a flight I might be okay. But, this time, I MISSED MY BABIES and knew they were going to be at the airport waiting for their mother to come home. I was so grateful for Rachael helping me out and for my Dad taking me to the airport.

My beautiful twin sister, Aunt Carol, and Uncle Ken. I have a story about each of them from my trip. Becca, who lives in Salt Lake, stood up at my bro's wedding luncheon and talked about how she felt like she needed to have Nate move up to Salt Lake (from Mapleton) about a year ago, I think. She just cried (which isn't usual) about how much she realized she needed him there. Anyone who knows Nate, knows that he is the most kind and fun person to be around! She had a really good experience having him around. It touched my heart so much to hear her story.

My Aunt Carol (my mom's sister) and I went to a concert together on the 11th honoring 09/11/2001. She picked me up from my parents house in the pouring rain and had an umbrella ready for me. During the concert, we were both in tears. It was an amazing preformance! Afterwards, she and I went out for a whopper at Burger King. She and I sat there for an hour or more on a rainy sunday night, and she just listened to me talk about my experiences living in Arizona. It meant to much to me to have her spend that quality time with me.

Uncle Ken (my dad's brother) came to the temple wedding. His wife wasn't able to make it. I haven't seen him in such a long time. He is a great person! I was very very close to his mom (my grandma) and he resembles her so much. She passed away 2 1/2 years ago and it was very hard on me. I loved her so much and still do! Anyway, when I saw him a flood of emotions surfaced and my eyes swelled up with tears. He was looking at me thinking, "well what's wrong with her?" I told him and he got a little teary-eyed too. He said, "well, that's something else that I got from her - the tears that come so easily!" He is such a positive and kind person.

My littlest brother, Eric, is such a funny kid. We were ready to leave the ceremony and head over to the luncheon. I drove with him and his wife. He forgot that he had my mom's purse and without even thinking twice, threw it over his shoulder and started speedwalking to hurry and give it to her. His wife and I were laughing!

At Nate and Kate's Luncheon, there was a program Nate had at everyone's setting. He graduated in Digital Media and was able to whip this up the night before. You opened it up and on the inside was typed up "101 reasons why I love Kate". It was what he had read to her when he proposed. She is an amazing person! It's sweet, funny, and inspiring what he says. I am so glad that they both compliment each other so well. I was pretty much crying the whole trip to Utah. Happy tears. I am close to my brother and he has been there for me in the hardest times in my life. I have a very special connection with Kate, too. It was such a happy time!! I love and am grateful for my family.

When Nate and Kate came out of the temple after they were married, we were all outside waiting for them. When they walked out, he bent Kate over and gave her a huge kiss. It was so darling!

The bouquet. I love arranging flowers and my favorite event is wedding flowers. But, I sometimes let my nerves get ahead of me and freak out! I was scared that I wasn't good enough. I've done quite a few weddings but never for someone I knew until this wedding and another one in July. I did it though! And I think it turned out amazing!

I made the arrangements at my parent's house in Utah the night before the wedding and then stuck them all in their second fridge to keep them cool.

This is what the before picture looks like.




Cory and Easton. I love when they take naps together. It's so cute! My sweet boys! I have the most selfless husband. He stayed home with the kids so I could go out to Utah for the wedding. I wish he could have come, but it would have been too expensive to fly us all out there. And, I was stressed about wanting the flowers to be perfect (which is ridiculous, I know. I just need a little bit more experience under my belt and then I won't get so nervous). I missed Cory and the kids so much. Although, it's always healthy to have some "you-time". I am a big believer in that! You feel so refreshed when you get back. Especially when you're a stay-at-home mom. It's always priceless to see my kids fun as fast as they can when they see me at the airport. It is one of the BEST experiences to have as a mom. These two little munchkins just trying as hard as they can to get to me as fast as they can. I always try to keep myself calm so I don't overkill infront of all the other passengers getting off the plane. But, once I see those kids. . . . they're all I see. I speedwalk to them though. And I love love seeing my handsome husband. But he doesn't get attention from me and vis versa until the kids are home and in bed. Otherwise, they'd just be screaming and jealous.




Raegies first day of preschool. She loves her princess pap-pap.

Trip North and Preschool

Easton asleep on Aunt Alisa and Uncle Daxton's Futon. They kindly let us stay at their place in St. George on our way back from Idaho.

My little baby girl is starting preschool tomorrow. I've got her clothes all laid out. Her sharing time toy and a book she likes. She's going to love going to school!!!!

We spent a week at my parents house in Mapleton. My brother, Eric, has a remote control helicopter that the kids loved.

We were also in Idaho for a week at Cory's mom and dad's house. The kids loved being there!

Easton sleeping in the basement. I love taking pictures of him sleeping. He's so cute~

Random Photo's #3

Raegan is a sweet older sister and likes to hold her brother's hand when we drive.

There is a fountain at the mall in Arizona that the kids are always begging to jump in. I felt so bad one day when it was 115 degrees and I took them to the mall with me. They were sweating when we left so, I let them jump in with their clothes on. We got a lot of weird look but, they were two happy kids!

I uploaded a bunch of pictures from my phone and had this one on it from Easton's first bday.

I flew into Utah last minute for my brother's wedding. There was NO room for me anywhere.
So, I cleared some boxes in my mom's craft room and made me my own cozy bed. I was very proud of myself!My bestest friend in the whole wide world, Chelsey and her darling baby girl, Carmen. I LOVE these two!

My kids with their little white bottoms.