Stroller mania-register 8!

With our trips to Ca and Peru coming up, my husband and I have been busy getting ready. We showed our apartment some TLC that was much needed, finished finals up and went shopping for a few things.

While shopping I had the opportunity to 'talk down a price' of an item we really wanted. I'm not one to do this because I get embarrassed and though my mother would NOT agree with me, I don't like to argue. But it was 10pm, I was tired, I had an exhausted baby and husband and my brain was all outa wack.
WARNING: You may find me a tad over the top, maybe even crazy after reading this but I promise, I'm not! And that this was not a usual occurrence for me.

SO......here's what happened. 

I am completely proud of myself for this by the way!!

We went looking for a cheap stroller that I could take to the airport so in the case that something happened to it, it wasn't our nice and expensive one. Not to mention it'll be a lot easier lugging it around when it's just me and the baby. We found a few at good ol' Wally-World but they were all either boy or girl patterned/colored. That's all fine and dandy but we like buying neutral colored baby items in the case our 2nd child is not a girl.

No, no no, this is NOT an announcement.

So we find stroller #1. It's a neutral color, it's sturdy not too big, not too small and it even has a visor on it. No box, no label on it and the only price we could find said $48.00. Ouch. So I thought since it must have been a display that maybe we could get a small discount on it. 

We put it in the cart. 

After meandering through the store a while longer, like an hr, we came back and picked up stroller #2. Pink, polkadots, no visor, small, un stable wheels-$15. Ehh.

With both strollers in the cart we discussed and decided that we wouldn't pay more than $25 for stroller #1 so if we found that it was more we'd just get stroller #2.

We got to the register and asked the cashier to find the price for us. At first he looked really annoyed that we had asked him and said to us, "Did you not ask an associate back there?" WOW. I was just thinking, "Well, there's a thought. Now you'd think if I had seen someone I would have asked but noo we are in Walmart and there is absolutely no ever ever, that works here, to ask for help. Ever." I didn't say this to him and tried to be nice but I was thoroughly annoyed and just needed to go to bed. He told us that they sell displays for a bit cheaper so he proceeded to 

scan this dog gone stroller over and over and it just came up as item not found. Emmett kept saying, "We can just get the other, we can just get the other." I was determined to get this stroller though. Looking back now I REALLY don't really know why or what came over me.

He called his manager over and she tried scanning it but no such luck. She even said they DONT sell displays but still tried scanning it. Again Emmett was just saying we could buy the other one but this time he looked very embarrassed. The cashier saw the look on my face and looked back and Emmett and said, "She doesn't want it, man." He was right haha! I was even telling people in line behind us that they would probably want to go to the next cashier because we might be awhile. WHO AM I!?

Eventually we DID buy stroller #2.  The manager said she was going to take the first stroller to customer service and figure out what was going on with it. ALL I WANTED WAS TO KNOW THE PRICE! Well, I had one last chance so I chased her down after being rung up saying, "Um, excuse me, Miss, excuse me!" I asked her if she could write down my name and number and if she did in fact figure out the price of the stroller and it was $25 or less could she call me and I'd come get it.

She pulled HER manager over and we told him the story. He says, "Oh, well, just sell it to her for $10."

WHAT!? SCOREEEEE!!!!

I was so pleased with myself. We returned stroller #2 and walked out with #1, saving $40.

It sounds like we were there doing this for an hr but really it all happened in a span of about 10 minutes.  Emmett still looked embarrassed but he was very happy and proud too :)

Two Lips Tulips

After hours, and I mean HOURS of begging and pleading, I finally convinced Emmett to take Haddie and I to the tulip festival at Thanksgiving Point today. I have been wanting to go every year since I've moved to Utah and it finally happened! We have The Flower Fields in Carlsbad, Ca but I've never actually gone to that, though I always would have liked to. Maybe One day.

After knowing what the flower fields back home were like (You can see them from the road) I pictured this tulip festival to be the same. Unfortunately, it was not anything like the one back home. But none the less, it was beautiful.

It wasn't really a FIELD of flowers, more like a nature walk. It was probably a good mile or two long though so we got in our exercise. Emmett had to carry Hads too because we forgot our stroller as we rushed out the door. The sun was shining but it was oh so cold. 

Wind chill like no-badyyys bidnuussss.

Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the gift shops.

They were like a live Pinterest walk through. SO many cute crafting ideas just making their homes in my brain almost like a likable, welcome, parasite. 

Ok, getting weird? Sorrynotsorry.

After the tulip extravaganza we went home and quickly changed into formal attire, or try a STEP above church attire and went to Emmett's senior banquet dinner. 

I CAN'T BELIEVE MY HUSBY IS GRADUATING COLLEGE!!!

PROUDGUSHINGWIFEY.

We had free Tacanos and for those who live around here know how AMAZINGLY AWESOME that is. I was able to see some of the other wives of Emmett's friends that I haven't seen in a while so that was lovely. One couple just had their 3rd baby and he is just precious. 

Makes me want to give Haddie a baby brother or sister.

Yes, I did just say that.

No, this is NOT an announcement. 

Here's pictures :)

Haddie's new 'smile' she's been trying this past week.

Yes, that is little miss thang sitting up all on her own in the middle of that, eh, garden thing.

A REAL LIFE SECRET GARDEN!

Story of my life

Okay I'm not really going to go into the story of my life. I'm just going to tell you a funny story that happened to me last night which basically sums up how my life normally goes.

Ahem.. ok. 

So last night I convinced Emmett to take us all to the Senior Celebration on campus for all the graduating seniors and their families. He didn't really want to go but hey, you're only a senior once!

When we got there they had many activities. One being ping pong. We scored a table and starting playing with some friends. Emmett and I went head to head and truth be told-he whomped me. 

LITERALLY.

 There we are just playing around, goofing off and not playing seriously when he smacks that little plastic ball so hard and fast at me I didn't even see it coming!! 

Hit me right in my chest and let me just tell ya, this morning I STILL have a mark from it.

Obviously that's not the funny part.

Here's the funny, kinda sad, part:

I decided I HAD to try and get him back. Only fair right?

So it's my turn to serve and I'm thinking, 

"HA! He has no idea what's about to hit him, I'm going to smack this little ball so hard in his direction...that'll teach him. Muahahahaha! This is for all the wives that have ever been hit by a ping pong ball hit by their husbands!" 

*SMACK!*

Now OF COURSEEEE my ball would fly right past him (it was very hard and fast though, mind you).    All of a sudden it's like slow motion as I'm watching this ball fly through the air and my smile slowly turns to a "Nooooo" type face when I see this innocent, happy, crawling BABY behind him and the ball I just smacked heading right for him. 

These were my faces. 

Well...as you can probably imagine it hits that poor kid right in the forehead and he puts his head down just in time for that plastic, white, evil ball to dribble up and down from floor to head, floor to head. I nearly wet my pantalones. 

OF COURSE THERE WERE SPECTATORS...OF FREAKING COURSE!

Two by standers near the kid looked at me like I had just killed a baby bird or something. 

May as well have..

I rushed over there apologizing that I had just used their poor child as a target and what was supposed to be revenge on my husband. They slowly backed away saying, "It's not our kid.."

 Phew, I had gotten away with it. 

Oh and PS, the kid was completely fine :)

 Then the mother, the real mother, looks at me and starts shaking her finger in my direction. *GULP*

She then smiled and all was forgiven. Though I'm sure if her baby had been screaming it may have been a different ending to this story. 

I felt so bad. 

Moral to the story?

Sometimes, revenge is just not worth it.

BECAUSE I SAID I WOULD

I stumbled across this gem today and I can't help but pass it on and feel passionate about it. 

This man dropped EVERYTHING to fulfill a dream of fulfilling others' dreams all for the sake of his father that has passed and live the way his father lived. Keeping promises. Helping others.

We've all heard of PAY IT FORWARD. 

You do something nice for someone with only one request...pay it forward by doing something nice for someone else. 

This is the same concept. 

BECAUSE I SAID I WOULD.

 Watch this video by clicking the link below, check out this website and read the stories of blessings come true and promises kept.

Whether it's a promise to yourself, a commitment to someone else....the world could become a much better place if we all lived like this.

BECAUSE I SAID I WOULD

Request your Free Because I Said I Would cards HERE

Don't forget to "like' his Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/BecauseISaidIWould

I'm ordering my cards today!

Sonder

I wanted to share this picture because I had no idea there was a word for this. 

I am always thinking about these things when driving, sitting at a park or even taking in a breathtaking view.

An April of Awesomeness

This month we have so many exciting adventures and things to look forward to!

 One, we can just start with, is that Little Miss Haddie turns SIX months old TODAY!

So happy half birthday to my little gem of a daughter.

It's mind boggling to think about how fast the time with her has flown and all she has accomplished in her short time here with us. It's gone fast, but so much has happend! 

Her most recent accomplishment has been exploring shelves/drawers.

The other day, and this has happend a couple times since, I left her for a minute to go get her some socks. When I came back into the room she was not where I left her but at our table pulling out magazines we have on the lower shelf. I turn her the other direction and proceed to clean up her mini mess when I hear jingles, crashes and giggles. I turn around and she had wormed her way over to her basket of toys and dumped them out all over the place.

Must be that time to start finding some higher homes for some of our things around the house.

For her half birthday I decided I would take her to her newest favorite place today to celebrate. The park! 

Kid loves her swings and sunshine. 

Girl after my own heart.

Also coming up this month we have:

Mommy, Daddy and Uncle Eric Fletcher coming into town-in 2 days!!

Had's six month check up

We can see how much she's grown since the last one!

Conference

What is conference?

Stake Conference

This same day we are having new friends come over for dinner!

MY BEST FRIEND DEBBIE COMES HOME FROM HER MISSION!

Emmett has his last day of the semester and that means only one more semester left!!

We have Emmett's Senior Banquet for his Chemical Engineering Dept.

Dinner and celebrations!

And then....

OUR TRIPS TO CALIFORNIA AND PERU!!!

OHMERGERSH!!! This is going to be one epic month :D

Easter Sunday

This last Sunday was very special. I love my calling as primary teacher! My group of kids are such huge examples to me and they teach me so much without even knowing it. They are so smart and add a lot to my lessons. During sharing and singing time they sing with their hearts and very loudly. Not to be obnoxious, they feel the spirit and just let it flow through them. I see them close their eyes and belt out the hymns. Warms my heart how much they love this gospel and Jesus Christ.
My lesson this week was on the first missionaries. A subject very near and dear to my heart, being a convert. The kids can be hard to get focused and stay that way so somedays I feel like they just don't hear anything I'm saying. Well, to my surprise they do in fact listen, even when they don't show that they do. I shared with them a personal story from after I was baptized...

I had just gotten my wisdom tooth pulled so I looked like a squirrel with bloody gauze coming from my mouth. I could barely speak let alone move my jaw. I was going into a store to get my prescription filled when I saw a man outside the doors. I remember him looking lonely, dirty and tired but still had a smile on his face and was trying to talk to people. I don't think he was asking for money but he was trying to share some sort of information with them. I was in a rush to just get in and out without having to talk to anyone and hopefully not see anyone I knew so I didn't take the time to see what this man was  doing. While standing in line I was thinking I should share my testimony with this man. Then I thought there was no way because I looked a fright and my mouth had just taken an enormous beating. As I was leaving the store I walked by him again and my heart started pounding. It was so hard I felt it in my ears. I remembered that I had some Books Of Mormon in the trunk of my car so I pulled one out and wrote my testimony in it. I walked it back to the man and he was genuinely happy and so sweet as I approached him. (Probably just happy someone was giving him their time).  Not having any game plan on what I was about to do or say, I gave him the book and tried as hard as I could to clearly tell him I knew this book could change his life as it did mine. He looked at me with teary eyes and started asking me questions about it. He sounded so sincere in his questions, like he really wanted to understand. For the few minutes I spent with him, answering his questions, sharing my testimony, flipping through the book with him I had forgotten about my swollen cheeks and major headache. I was just happy to be there with him in that moment. He told me how grateful he was and said he couldn't wait to get home and read it. As I drove away he waved and smiled at me and I saw him flipping through the pages with a giant smile on his face.
I wish I could say I know what happened to that man after I left him that day but I don't. I can only hope he read it, believed it, and let it change his life for the better. Maybe the missionaries found him. Maybe I was that first stepping stone for him to a new direction. All I know is that he was grateful I gave him the time, that he knew I cared about him and that I left him smiling and thirsty to know more.

During sharing time one of the leaders gave the whole class the opportunity to go up one by one and tell us one reason they know that Heavenly Father loves them. Their answers were not ones I would have expected from children their age. "I know Heavenly Father loves me because He sent His son to die for me. " "I know Heavenly Father loves me because He put me in great hands when I broke my arm and made the pain bearable." "I know Heavenly Father loves me because He has given us a way to go back and live with Him again." One of my kids turned to me and said, "You should share that story you told us in class and how Heavenly Father loves that man." Heart officially melted right then and there. They do listen!


I know that if we aren't quick to judge others, without knowing their circumstances and give them the time, treat them like the child of God they are and love them, it can change their life. Who knows for how long but you may never know if you don't try. You could be their new beginning or even the final 'sign' they were waiting for. We don't have to be on an official mission or in a distant land to serve our Heavenly Father and help Him to spread the gospel. Testimonies don't have to be complicated to be touching. I know that if we follow the teachings we are given, let our light shine and live the way we are asked while sharing our testimonies, that that is the best way to serve our Heavenly Father. You are being an example and people WILL notice. Even those you wouldn't expect. People watch and listen and they will be curious. Missionary work is a domino effect. You share with one, then they share with another and it just continues from there. Like Samuel Smith. He was rejected when trying to share the Book Of Mormon with a man but he followed the spirit and gave the book to the man's wife. That family was later converted and shared the gospel with more family and they were converted and so on and so forth. It happens and you could be the one to tip the scale. It could not only change someone else's life, but your own. I'll never forget how I felt that day sharing what I know to be true with him. I felt a sense of accomplishment, a happiness and fulfillment  in my heart. I know I left that man in good hands and that our Heavenly Father is taking good care of him.

On a side note: Here is what my family was up to this Easter! We took Haddie to the park and she tried the swings for the first time and she loved them!  Easter came and went super fast this year. I still can't believe we are already in April! This time last year I was already 2 months pregnant and now in just a day my little babe will be 6 months old!!

In my family, we would always wake up to Easter baskets at the foot of our beds, hunt for eggs, re-hide them and hunt again, and have a big, delicious dinner. Last year I tried to re-live my childhood and I made a basket for Emmett. I had hide it from him in our tiny apt the day before and then put it out after I knew he was fast asleep. I was surprised to learn he never got baskets growing up! 

Well now we have our own little girl we get to start fun traditions with. Unfortunately we did not make her a basket this year but my mom sent her one with some cute outfits, a couple little toys and lots of candy for Emmett and I :) I'm way excited about playing Santa, the Easter Bunny etc and start some traditions Haddie will look back on  and maybe even continue when it's her turn to be a mommy. (YEARS from now of course!!)

A tree climber like her mamma!

Uncle Aaron may not have liked Auntie Andrea's no bake cookies but Hads sure did.