Back To Blogging

I cannot believe I haven't blogged in over a year!! How sad is that!? My new goal is to blog at least once a week! I can do it! :) I have so much to catch up on from this past year. Holy Cow! Hopefully I can get somewhat caught up... We'll see! 

We've been pretty busy this fall. I'm working full time doing "variable" shifts, which I hate because it's so hard to switch back and forth from days to nights. My body finally gets used to one schedule and then it switches again...I'm not sure how much longer I can last. Too bad money doesn't grow on trees...and insurance :)! 

Steve's been so busy with school and interviews. He applied to med school this summer and so far has had an interview in Galveston, and one at the U. He has two more coming up in the next two weeks. One in Fort Worth, Texas and another in Kirksville, Missouri. We're still waiting to hear back from a few other schools so it will be interesting to see where we'll end up next summer. 

Mack is growing like a weed! He is seven months now and almost has two teeth! No crawling yet, which kind of makes my life a little easier, but I'm sure he'll be all over the place before I know it. He nods and shakes his head at things. I don't think he knows what he's nodding and shaking at, but he sure likes it! And Steve and I always get a good laugh when he ends up nodding or shaking his head just at the appropriate time. He's been so much fun and he just keeps getting better! I love my little Macky. 

Since we've been so busy and kind of crazy, it feels like we don't have much time to get out. I had work on Sunday night but we still made a quick visit up to Payson Lakes with my family for a little picnic. We were only up there for about an hour and a half because I had to get home, but it was just so nice to have a little family time and enjoy fall. It's so beautiful up there right now! I want to go back again this week! I loved it!

I love this kid so much!

 This is Mack's favorite thing! Every time Steve holds him out like this he gets the biggest smile on his face, laughs, and twirls his wrists. That's right! Twirls his wrists haha. Whenever he gets excited he can't twirl them fast enough. I love it!

This face kills me!

  I love these guys so much! Little Eva is the cutest! It was colder than we thought it was going to be and Allison forgot a jacket for Eva. Luckily I had an extra one in my diaper bag but poor girl had to look like a little boy for a few hours. 

Baby Eva

Eva hanging out with uncle Daren

 There's a path that goes all the way around the lake. After we ate lunch we took a stroll around and it was absolutely gorgeous!

This little guy was in heaven. He loves walks. 

All the girls

Exciting News!

Well I have some really exciting news to share! This morning I got a call from Utah Valley Regional Medical Center offering me a job in the newborn ICU! I interviewed for the job on June 21st and called them a week later. They told me I didn't get the job because they could only hire so many new graduates because of the residency program I'd have to do. They only offer that a couple times a year and it was full. I was so bummed because that was my IDEAL job. So I kept looking for jobs and every place turned me down. It really stunk! Then last week I got a voicemail from Human Resources saying they had more openings and that since I already had my license they could start me in the next residency program a month early! I was shocked and so excited! What a tender mercy from the Lord! I called them back and told them I was interested. HR said they were going to check my references and get back to me. Then this morning I got the call and have been bouncing off the walls ever since! I start August 15th, I can't wait! There's no doubt that the Lord had his hand in this and I'm just so grateful!

Family Reunion in Estes Park

Every other year my family has the opportunity to attend the Monson reunions! The Monson's are my grandma Elmont's family. She's one of eleven kids, then all her siblings have kids, plus their kids have kids, and even some of their kids have kids! You get the picture, it's huge! And it is so fun! It's the type of reunion where hardly anyone knows anyone's name, and by the end we're all best friends! It's a blast and since we do it every other year so much changes and lots of new members are added to the family! Steve wasn't able to go this year because of school, and I was hoping to have a job by then but oh well. It worked out that I was able to go and I'm so grateful I went. My great grandma Monson is 97 years old and we all think it's the last time we'll be able to have her at the reunion. She was the one that started it all so it's always a special treat when we think it's the last time (which has been probably the last three reunions) and then she surprises us all!

 Since our family is so large we have to hold the reunion where it can accommodate everyone. This year we were able to do it at the YMCA lodge in Estes Park, Colorado. 

The drive there was absolutely beautiful! These guys were just hanging out off the side of the road. They were huge!

Playing horse shoes

The last night we were there we had a meeting with all the adults. After the meeting we walked outside and right outside our door were two HUGE elk just sitting there grazing. I think they were pretty used to having people around. Everyone was taking pictures and getting pretty close and it was like it didn't even phase them! They just kept on eatin! Sorry it was so dark outside so the pictures aren't too great...

 Grandma Monson is so funny! She collects goofy glasses and has too many to count. She's already picked out which pair of glasses she wants to be buried in haha and she always wears a pin that says I LOVE KEN. It's so cute! My grandpa died 13 years ago and she's worn it ever since.

 Some of us crazy cousins!

So this picture I love because Dumb and Dumber is one of my favorite movies and these are the steps of the hotel that they stay at! We had to drive by and take a picture just because we were so close!

The reunion only went from Monday to Thursday afternoon so we had the rest of the week left to go to Basalt, Colorado. This is were my Grandpa Elmont grew up and his brother still has a cabin there that we were able to stay at. It was tiny and super rustic but fun to go to. We all ended up sleeping in the bunk house that my great uncle made just right next door to it. It was so small and it was hilarious trying to fit all nine of us in there for the night! Fun memories that's for sure!

 Sleeping in the bunk house!

Side of the cabin, I don't know why i didn't take a picture of the whole thing... oh well.

 Harry Potter with some of the cousins and my family

 Our last day we took a tram up to this little amusement park sort of thing call the Cavern. It was like a tiny tiny Lagoon and was a lot of fun. 

This was the "Swing" It swung you our over the edge so you were swinging out over the canyon! It looked pretty fun!

 Kait was so brave to go! So proud of her.

After the park we packed up and headed home! It was so fun to be able to spend time with the family and to be in beautiful Colorado.