Is Summer Almost Over?

Wow, I have some major things to update. We finally found a house who accepted our offer and began a 30-day escrow which was suppose to close Aug 31. We haven't moved in yet! It's a long story. We did our part, our loan was approved, but the seller's side apparently had an outstanding loan that was never taken care of. I can't wait until we have our keys!!!!! We should get our keys next week sometime! Why does buying a home have to be so stressful? The house is in Moreno Valley. It's a longer commute for Todd, but not much. Only 5 or so exits more. It's 3 bed, 2 1/2 bath home. We love it. I'll post pictures after we get the keys! (I always say I'll post pictures later!!!)

I finished my schooling at RCC! I am officially a University student now! Very excited about it. I start classes Sept 24. My classes stink though cause transfers register so late and the pickin's were slim.

We continue to have fun little adventures and have enjoyed spending so much time with family. Todd's school started Aug 12 but he had to start Aug 7. It's so early this year, but he has some nice breaks in between and gets out around Memorial Day.

Christopher is very active and cute as ever. He isn't talking much yet, but he's saying some things. I can't believe he will be 3 in Dec. Primary next year?!!! He will be so young. Hopefully he will adjust.

I'm tired and have to go to sleep now. I'll post more soon. (I hope!)

What An Eventful Summer!

We have had the best summer so far and it's not even half over! Highlight #1 = Todd's graduation! He is finally done! What a great feeling to have at least one of us finished. After his graduation, we went to a reunion which is Highlight #2 = We had a great time at the Weight/Johnsen reunion in St. George the later part of June. It wasn't long enough though. We wish we could have spent more time visiting with eachother, but now everyone has families of their own and are on different schedules. At the reunion we stayed in very nice condos that were twice the size of our house! We swam, BBQ'd, played a fun white elephant game, kids hit a pinata, watched Annie at Tuacahn, hiked the Narrows (I went while Todd stayed back with Chris), and ate breakfast together at the country club! It was an awesome trip. Then, I had to start summer school which brings me to Highlight #3 = Summer school. I received my grades from Spring. A-Stats, B-Eng, B-Geo, A-Geo Lab! I'm pretty happy with my grades, except English, but that's a long story. Let's just say that I don't feel comfortable at all in writing essays and am nervous for UCR. But, I passed! Summer is going great. It's only 6 weeks longs compared to the 16 week semesters. I love that it's so quick. I'm pretty confident that I will pass these classes as well, so UCR, here I come! Highlight #4 = Going to Disneyland like 4 or 5 times (I'm not really counting) including this past Monday for my brother Michael's birthday as well as last week for my sister-in-law Tami's birthday which brings me to highlight #5 = Tami's birthday week. We went to Disneyland that Wednesday(I met them after noon because of class), Huntington Beach Thursday afternoon (What a blast, Chris and I loved it and Todd tollerated it!), then Friday we went to Raging Waters (which is also a highlight by itself b/c we have passes and have gone 3 times this summer so far), and Saturday went to Studio City and went swimming at Julie and John's house (Todd's aunt and uncle) and had a great BBQ-John's are one of the best! We find ourselves ready for the next adventure! We have been having so much fun. House hunting isn't going so great. There are possibilities but no updates. Kind of bummed about that. We haven't been looking for a couple weeks now, so I think it's time to start up again. It's been fun having Todd home this summer to be able to watch Christopher while I go to classes Mon-Thurs. Christopher sure does miss not seeing his grandparents as much as he used to. I promise to post pictures soon on some of these highlights.

Spring Semester is Over!!

I am so excited that my classes are over this semester. It was extra tough for me. I'm pretty confident that I passed my classes though, so all I have to do now is pass two more classes in summer (starting June22) and then I'm off to UCR in September. We are actively looking for our first home and have had some offers turned down, but are positive that if it's meant to be, we'll find one. The great thing is that now that I'm going to be a UCR student, we can stay in UCR's family housing longer if needs be.

Sleeping at the Wheel!

Today, Christopher wanted to hold the wheel while his daddy, and uncles (George & Danny) played Mario Kart for the Wii. He was so tired though and fell asleep at the wheel!

Disneyland for Diana's Birthday!

This is a "Crismon" favorite, but we've been bummed the last few years because they have tightened them which makes it harder to turn and you don't go as fast as we used to. I'm glad Todd went on it. As you can see, Chris just loves it!

Derek got a new set of "Cars" toys and Christopher was so excited when he pulled them out!

Here's my graduate! My mother-in-law, Kristie, surprised him with it. He will be walking for graduation Monday, June 15. I am so proud of my husband, Todd. He is amazing. We are so relieved he is finished with school for a while and canj ust focus on teaching.



I can never get tired of Disneyland! I've already been there three times since my birthday. Todd will get a pass for his birthday also. We've been saving up our Disney Dollars and gift cards! We could not have done it without them! Disneyland is so expensive now. I'm too expensive too, cause I have to get the premium pass. I want to be able to go whenever I want and not have to worry about block-out days, and it comes with parking and extra savings at restaurants and shops.

Disneyland for my birthday!

I mostly went on rides Chris could go on. Lots of family joined up with us. It was fun. I am so thrilled to have an annual pass now! The only three things on my list to do, I did. 1-I got my pass 2-I ate a Mmonte Cristo Sandwich and 3-I got a Gibson Girlwaffle cone on Main Street (The line was in the bakery next door! I didn't care though! It was so good.

Christopher, my brother George, and I waited in line to see Mickey Mouse.

Later in the day, Christopher took a nap and I was able to eat a Monte Cristo Sandwich at Cafe Orleans! It's my favorite. I used to get it at the Blue Bayou, but it's kinda hard to get a reservation.

This was my desert. It was yummy!

Chritopher and his cousin Derek in the Tiki Room.

Autopia. Chris had fun with daddy.

Christopher Loves Trains!

Christopher loves watching a movie at G&G Crismon's house that has real trains. He makes the "choo-choo" noise by blowing out his nose. It's cute. We can't wait to go and see Thomas the Train again. I think it's not until November sometime.

Update from the Jan Post

Christopher loves nursery and the leaders are working well with the kids. What a difference. He is so proud when he walks in there. The "terrible two's" are still here but I'm trying to find different ways to help him and myself. A few things that have helped are giving him choices, calmly repeating myself, timeouts (although that one's a little hard), and just letting him cry it out (when I feel I've done what I can and can't really take it anymore! That one's hard too). Unfortunately, we haven't been able to participate in the playgroup at the park because of my studies. Hopefully we can get that going again. Todd has his credential and will be receiving his Master's in June! We had a little scare with pink slips and all, but he seems to be safe. That was quite an experience. Too make a long story short, it came down to his name being pulled from a hat (50/50 chance)! He still loves teaching and can't wait for a break from school (attending and working). He's counting down for summer! He is also looking forward to next year when he won't have Master's classes to worry about. I was provisionally accepted to UCR! All I have to do is pass my classes with a 'C' or better and I'm in! However, this semester has been killer. I was taking 5 classes and had to drop one. Even with the remaining 4, I find myself very worried about my grades. It's a long story but the very short version is that my Stats teacher is a horrible teacher (he is so smart but can't teach) and I now have a long-term sub in Eng because my instructor is in ICU at the hospital with a resperator. I hope he's o.k. I'm still frustrated though because there is no record of any of the work we did for the first half of the semester. Our final grades can only reflect the work we do from now on. Anyway, enough of that. I still go on FB and love it. It's so fun to find people. I'm still finding mission friends! I've lost 10 lbs since January, but have recently gained a few. That's about all I can post for tonight. I'm tired and ready for bed!

Christopher Graduated To A Bed Finally!

Well, I have been so busy with school that I have been putting off helping Christopher graduate from the crib, and partly because he has never climbed out of it. He is almost 2 1/2. Anyway, Spring Break seemed like the perfect time to start! Overall, he's done great since. It's been fun watching him come from his room in the morning all by himself, holding his Mickey Mouse. I would say that half of the time, he has come into our bedroom in the early hours of the day. Since he sleeps like I did (all over the place, just ask my sister, Diana!) I usually end up putting him back into his bed. There have been a few mornings where he was on the floor, but I think that's pretty good considering how restless he is! I have been so grateful for my husband, Todd, who has helped get Christopher when he screams in the middle of the night. There have been a few. One specific night, Todd heard him screaming and went into his room but couldn't find him. He wasn't in his bed. Christopher was under the bed but in the far corner! You might wonder why I don't hear him screaming. It's because in order for me to sleep, I have to wear ear plugs. We live on a very busy street near campus and it's so noisy. We have been sleep deprived for going on 4 years now! Sometimes I do hear him, but most of the time Todd gets him. I can't wait to move out of this place. It's not going to happen anytime soon, unless we find a house (which we are currently approved and looking for!)

Disneyland for GG's 79th Birthday!!!!

During my Spring Break, I found out that Grandma Crismon (GG) wanted to go to Disneyland for her birthday, which was the friday of my break. I really wanted to go and was able to take Christopher. We had so much fun, even though he wasn't feeling 100%. Since I don't have a pass, I wanted to be there the whole day (as long as Christopher was o.k.). We got there shortly after it opened and met my dad. He got a motorized wheelchair for GG (they run out fast) and then we hopped onto the train at Main Street. Not too much later, we met Juliana and her girls, Emma and Elizabeth, and then met David, Cathi, Kennedy, Crissy, and GG for lunch. I love the atmosphere of Disneyland and DCA and would be content just sitting on a bench somewhere listening to the background music observing the people and flowers. It's a beautiful place. Maybe I'll be able to get a pass again soon. It's so stinking expensive!


Emma, helping GG eat her birthday cake!

Emma feeding GG her birthday cake!

Emma and Christopher waiting very patiently for the Teacups!

...and trying to see if the White Rabbit was home.

This was some bird that was just sitting on a rock in the pond between Main Street and Frontierland. Does anyone know what kind it is? I was thinking it might be some kind of crane?

"Magical" Train Ride!

What was extra "magical" about our train ride was that we were invited (lucky!) to sit in the very last car, which was enclosed and usually reserved for celebrities and Club 33 members. What a neat experience! I guess the only other way you can ride it is if a conductor asks you. It was beautiful and very comfortable. The train car was decorated by Walt's wife. During our whole tour of Disneyland, we got to listen to our personal conductor and not the recording that the other passengers listen to. It was amazing. Here are some of the pictures I took.

Easter Egg Hunt's

The top two were taken at the Dean's house (Good friends of ours)



These last two were taken on Easter at my parents house.

Dinner at John's Incredible Pizza Co

Chris loved playing virtual bowling with daddy!

He would run away after rolling the ball because it scared him as it shot back out!

Chris' "fishy face"

Amy's Farm in Ontario, CA

Chris got to feed a baby calf


He loves animals and petting zoos!

So, Christopher's hair got really out of control!


Here he is playing the piano before church! I love that he's using his fingers and not pounding the keys!

Chris Loves Playing in Grandpa's Car

St. Patrick's Day

Visiting Great Grandma & Great Grandpa Urry

On Thursday, February 12, my sisters, Diana and Juliana, and I took our kids to see their great grandparents Urry and Crismon. Mom was able to go with us to the Urry's. We had such a fun time with them. Thank you G&G Urry for letting us spend time with you. I only wish we had taken a picture of you with the kids. Next time!

GG&GG guarding their entertainment center from the kids. Notice the pictures are missing from the bottom shelves! Good thinking GG&GG! Every once and a while Derek would climb on the nightstand that Grandpa Urry is sitting so pretty on!

Christopher playing with the mommy kitty cat. I remember this from when I was younger!

So, after a while the boys started getting a little cabin fever. Diana, Grandma Urry and I took them out back to play and they loved it so much that when it was time to go they both were very sad. What kids wouldn't love to play and run with rocks!

Visiting GG

Emma, Christopher, Derek, and Elizabeth were able to go see their Great Grandma Crismon (GG) We had such a fun time with her. Grandma looked great and seemed very happy to finally be able to see her great grandkids from her son and my father. We love you GG!