A quick update...

I know I have been terrible at posting lately... but you would be too if you were in my shoes. This has been my heaviest quarter at school. I am a part time student but I actually have 11.5 credits. That is only a half credit away from being considered full time. So you add that onto my already busy life of wife, mom, housekeeper, cook, etc....well, I think you get the idea. I am not super woman, people, and I can't do it all!! I am having so much trouble keeping house lately especially. And my kids are suffering too. Thank goodness eleven weeks from now I will be a graduated, licensed massage therapist! Yes, that means you have 11 weeks to get a free massage. Trust me, you should be taking advantage of this!!! (if you live close by, of course).
Finals are this week. I have one on Tuesday, one on Wednesday, and one on Thursday. Luckily, I finished up one class last week. I had my Trigger Point final which I was scared out of my mind about but guess what? I breezed through it and maintained that 4.0 somehow. WHEW. I think the finals this week I have remaining should be less stressful than that one since it was the class I least enjoyed this quarter.
Not much is new. The girls are cute as ever and growing everyday. Talking rarely stops. Riley's vocabulary is of course expanding and she forgets nothing. But Isabelle is really impressing too. Speaking full sentences sometimes. I am amazed with them both daily and the things they come up with. I wish I would write down the things they tell me. But I don't and then I forget. Although, the other afternoon we were out running errands when Riley declared, "I'm so hungry, mommy. I want the Olive Garden." Yes. She is my daughter!!! We share a love of Olive Garden. Then again, who doesn't love it there??! Here are a few photos from the month of July. I have been so slacking on photo opportunities lately.
Isabelle wearing Trav's goggles. HAHAHA I love this pic!
Riley actually requested I take a picture of her.
All sprawled out
Izzy snuggling with Aunt Randee
All the other aunts should be jealous... Randee is quickly taking the position of favorite!
Riley wanted in on this photo-op.
Messy Spaghetti face. But she is oh-so-irresistible anyway!

ENOUGH PICTURES, ALREADY MOM!!!!
Riley fell asleep on the couch one afternoon with her feet between the back cushions. Just thought she looked so sweet. She rarely naps anymore. And she gets absolutely lost on our over-sized sofa!

Stuff from a few weeks back...

In June (for Father's Day weekend, to be exact) my dad was in town visiting.
The girls always have so much fun when Grandpa Gary visits!

Another recent happening was Riley getting a nice shiner on her forehead. I didn't hear this happen...so I was surprised to check on the girls playing one afternoon and see a bruise on Riley's forehead. I promise there was no crying...

Anyway, I asked her what happened...but what do you expect an almost 3 year old to say? All I could get out of her was that she "bonked" her head on "the door". So. There you go. She hadn't even realized it left a mark until I showed her in the mirror. Then she got a really concerned look on her face!
The day it happened...

A little harder to see it here...
And a couple days later...

Finally, one picture of Isabelle. She is so sweet! And oh, how she loves her blankie!

Mondays are for posting...

...and putting off all the things you had wanted to get done! I was going to start working out again today. I read an article a couple weeks ago that said you are more likely to stick with a workout/diet plan if you start it on a Monday...well, here is another Monday come and gone. Ok, I know Monday isn't over yet...but if I didn't work out early enough in the day, forget it...it is a lost cause. And although I have procrastinated somewhat, I DID clean our shower, do a couple loads of laundry, and put dinner in the crock pot, so I guess it isn't a total loss....

Now for the posting!

On Thursday evening we left for Southeast Idaho. We spent the night at Aunt Dot and Uncle Rich's house in Shelley. Thanks again for sharing your home with us! The girls loved playing with the dogs and the puppies are absolutely adorable!!!

Then Friday morning we got up and made a few stops in Idaho Falls where Adam and Darcy were shopping for the day. After that we made an essential stop in Rexburg at Craigo's where we had lunch with a friend. Oh my gosh! I miss Craigo's!!! It was delicious!

Friday afternoon we finally made it to our destination: West Yellowstone, MT where Darcy and Adam are spending their second summer working for the Playmill Theater. I was able to see two of Adam's shows. And Travis and the girls joined me for one on Saturday, I went to Friday night's show of "The Secret Garden" by myself. Heavenly. Anyway, Riley did really well and I think maybe we have a budding dancer/singer/actor (no surprise there). Isabelle was still a bit young to appreciate it all. She sat really well for the pre-show entertainment...but not long into the show, she had had enough. Thank you to Darcy for keeping her in the box office with her!
Saturday morning we went into the park...and it was so full of tourists (shocking...busy on a holiday weekend! HA!) that we soon turned around and changed our minds. What a bummer. We went to a Bear and Wolf museum that was pretty awesome though and at least THERE, the girls were able to see some animals!

And now, for a plethora of pics!
One of the bears we saw, enjoying some frozen KoolAid



I couldn't help it, but looking at these wolves all I could think of was NEW MOON coming out this fall!!!!!!!


I LOVE LOVE LOVE these pics of Riley's face!

Family pic!! Awesome massive teddy bear. These pictures were taken Thursday night on our way... I thought for sure Isabelle would go to sleep. WRONG. She didn't go to sleep until probably 11 pm that night at Aunt Dot's house. And that was just the beginning of her horrible off schedule weekend!

Hiding under her blanket!
This is Riley pretending to be asleep! Sweet, funny girl!
This was Saturday in the car after we turned around to leave the park due to the high volume of traffic. Isabelle got in a 10 minute nap. That's it. That was her ONLY nap on Saturday. The rest of the day was absolute torture. For her and us.
Riley and Uncle Adam, whom she adores.

Adam is gonna be such a good dad! Can't wait for that baby in October! YAY for a new cousin!!! And for the first BOY cousin!

Apple juice break!

Tech retard

So I have been really distracted lately due to the fact that I have like, 15 weeks until I graduate and I have been obsessing over business start-up...

I have started another blog...although it is not available for all to see....YET. It is a massage blog. Now here is a question...I started the blog under my current email account, the one that this blog is currently linked to. But I opened an email address for my business and all massage related things and was wondering...can I change the email address of my new blog to my new email address for massage related stuff?? Does that even make sense? Help?!

Classes are going pretty well. I can hardly believe I have finals in starting in like, less than four weeks. Gotta love short, crammed-full-of-info 10 week quarters!
My last quarter begins August 3rd. WOW. Seriously...nuts. My final finals will end October 8th. And then graduation is October 16th!!!! So if I am absent from blogging...please know I am insanely busier than ever. Although maybe I won't be that busy...cuz I am pretty sure you need money to start a business and the only way I could afford that is to be working at my business before it's really a fully functioning business....AH!!!! I also need more hours in my days...I know, we all do :)

One of my very biggest needs at this point is an on-site massage chair. After 9 months of being in massage school they FINALLY taught us chair massage and I KNOW it has the potential to be a massive marketing tool. I want to get in with a business or two that allows me to come to them and give massages to employees. I know anyone who gets to sample my work for 20, 15, or even 10 minutes will want to book a full session...because chair massage is THAT good. And full body is even better! It is also a good way to ease people into massage who are nervous about it. So now I am saving up pennies for my $300 on-site chair. Trust me, it's worth it.

Anybody who has ever started up your own business, have any suggestions? I have considered taking out a small loan. I say small because it's not like I am opening some big elaborate thing. But I need a little to get me started...supplies and whatnot. I think it would be nice to have a desktop computer for business record keeping too...but I just don't know!! The saying 'You gotta have money to make money' never rang truer that it does right now. :P

A Riley Post

These first two photos: Riley got ahold of my camera...and so they are self pics of her. She snapped one of her lips...then of half of her face :)

Here she is holding a new stuffed toy that Grandma Debbie sent



Isn't she so pretty??

After years and years of using the same old blow dryer it died. Seriously, I had that thing for like 12 years. It was totally ghetto! So here is the new one and Riley likes to be a big girl and dry her own hair.

Grandma Barb visited

But somehow managed to stay out of pictures! Today is her birthday, so Happy Birthday, Barb! It was nice to see you and the girls love having you around to do fun crafty things with them! Sorry I didn't get a video of them singing to you. Things have been hectic. But I will have Travis call you tonight and maybe they will sing to you!
Anyway, Barb brought Randee down to start her college career at BYU and was in town for almost a week. She bought the girls adorable matching dresses and painted them some personalized hair barrettes. On Saturday I got home from my clinic shift to see both of them with their hair done very cute. Not something Travis would have done (Although he can manage a ponytail quite alright). Here are a slew of photos from the past week.

Time for a break. Daddy and Ri needed a nap