Looking Over 2015

We started the year by putting our townhome in Roy up for sale.  Went through 3 months of showings and keeping the house spotless, and then sold it in June a week before Cheri’s wedding (Dave’s sister).  From there we moved back to Kaysville to live with Eliisa (Dave’s mom) until we found another house.  We thought it would only be a month or two and ended up being three and a half months.  We finally got into our own house in Clearfield the first week in October and have been using the last couple months of the year to get adjusted to living in our own place again.  Quite the adjustment, but we LOVE where we are now. 

               

Dave had a long hunting season and got a buck the FIRST day of his archery deer hunt and a bull elk the LAST day of that later hunt.  He’s really excited to have a deer to show and Jessica loves that the antlers have velvet still on them.  Golf is still a big hobby and thanks to the mild winter earlier in the year, he has been able to go nearly nonstop all year.  He has learned to be quite the baker, taking over the homemade cinnamon rolls and cookies while Jessica has been dealing with morning sickness and an energy-filled 3 year old.  He has been great to take on a lot of tasks Jessica was normally taking care of.  He is very much a man of many talents. 

               

Jessica has enjoyed taking Tatum to a lot of new places and some old favorites.  With selling, moving, and living with family, we had a lot of time to get creative with activities for her and the 3 year old.  We explored a lot of different parks, had play dates with friends, and went to the zoo to see all the fun animals.  Although Tatum has kept her busy, she has still made time for the books she loves to read and the pictures she loves to edit.  Luckily, the worst of the pregnancy didn’t come on full force until we were in our new place.  With a lot of help from family and friends, we were able to move and get settled while figuring out the best way to get through the really bad morning sickness that lasts 24 hours a day.  Baby Girl #2 is due May 2016 and we are really excited!

Tatum is 3 years old now and surprising us every day with what she has learned or picked up on.  She loves going to the zoo and seeing the “jabaraffes” (giraffes), “ellefants” (elephants) and sea lions.   She loves riding her bike, which we bring inside for the winter (lucky girl) so she can ride it around the kitchen and dining room.   She LOVES swimming and anything that has to do with water, bath tubs are awesome but hard to swim in.  Our camping trip to Bear Lake was great because she got to swim and ride in a boat.  To say she loves babies would be a HUGE understatement.  We spend a lot of time in the “baby” aisle at the store each time we go.  She is practicing her baby skill to help mommy when the real baby comes next year.  She is so excited to have a little sister and is always asking to see the baby.

So thankful for 2015, our year of change, and we look forward to what 2016 will bring.

Easter Fun for a Toddler

Even though Easter was over a week ago, it feels like yesterday.  We've had the ultimate sickness running through everyone in our home.  It is finally starting to end and I am finally able to find the time to recap our Easter fun with Taters.

Having a toddler is so much fun.  I thought for sure she'd be into it this year and have a better understanding.  Well she did, but still wanted to do it her own way as usual. :)  Last year all she wanted to do was eat a piece of candy and that's it.  This year she saw the eggs that the Easter Bunny hid for her and had to open each individual one before moving on to the next egg.  She was super excited about the candy and ate it all day.  I love this age.  Although the tantrums and enforcing timeout are sometimes difficult, she is a so much joy to watch.

Tatum has recently been attached to "the bird movie", aka Rio 2.  Funny thing is, she hasn't ever seen the first Rio.  The Easter Bunny finally gave her the first movie.  Lucky girl!  :)

Easter Bunny's Eggs and Basket

Love those bubbles, can't wait for warm enough weather to use them.

She LOVED dying eggs.  Mostly it was the opportunity to play with the water.  She will do anything to play with water.  We tried the Kool-Aid and water this year since the Easter box is packed.  We are definitely living a minimalist lifestyle right now.  Although it's nice, I am looking forward to having all my "tools" to entertain and teach a toddler.  

Really liking the more "natural" looking egg colors.  They smelled like heaven!

Proof I was there too.

 Easter evening we went to Grandpa Slaydon's for the annual Easter Egg Hunt in his yard.  So much fun to see how our family is multiplying.  So many more little kids now and it's only growing.  I always have to think about whether the Easter Bunny needs to bring something for Dave too.  He's still a little kid at heart and more than willing to help Tatum find the eggs each year!

And there they go.  Funny to watch as she kept in the same area the whole time.  There were plenty of eggs to keep her busy while older kids ran around. 

So excited to see what was in each egg. 

The Aftermath...

Most of the Great Grand kiddos at the Easter Egg Hunt with their egg haul.

What happens after the Easter Egg hunt and they still have TONS of energy....1,2,3, RUN!

The best part of Easter was being able to be with my family and listen to General Conference.  I love my little family and the wonderful messages that our prophet, apostles, and leaders taught of.  There were a lot of much needed topics that touched my heart and have helped me in my daily life.  I'm so thankful for the gospel.  I am striving to be better each and every day and hope that no one ever has to question my religion and what I believe in.  I have an eternal family and am so thankful for the role they play in my life.  Thanks for all of you that have blessed me with your friendship.  Each moment has made me who I am today.

What 8 years of marriage looks like...

2015 Looks a little like this...  I feel lucky to have one picture of all of us.

Ever wonder what 8 years of marriage would look like?! ....proceed with caution... :)

Time has sure flown by...it seems like yesterday people were reminding us we were a "quarter of a century" old and it's been a few years since then...Yikes!!  So this is in no way a complete record of our 8 years but it definitely shows a little how we've changed in the 8 years of being married, 3 moves later (hopefully a 4th soon), and a baby added to make us a family of 3. 

By now it seems we are like a well oiled machine, as far as the day to day tasks.  We do still have plenty of other things to work on to make our marriage better.  We are still in love and are working to keep it that way.  Happy Anniversary stud!  Here goes our little walk back through history...

2002 - Our very first date...as friends in high school.  Yeah, we were young!!  The dance wasn't even with our own high school. 

2006 - After his mission when we realized there might be something more than just a friendship...

November 2006 - After he asked me to marry him and we braved the cold to take our engagement pictures.

March 10, 2007 - A great day to marry my best friend.

2007 -  Newlyweds

2008 - We made it through our first year!!  

2009 - Flew by too quickly.

2010 - A whole new chapter after living apart for 10 months. 

2011 - We went on the most trips, activities, and dates in one year and had so much fun together!
Bought a new car, after mine was totaled, bought a timeshare in Vegas, and got pregnant!
It was a rollercoaster!

2012 - Last picture as a family of 2.  So excited for the next chapter to begin!  Yes, I am 41 weeks here. Don't judge.

2012 - And then there were 3.  Two super tired parents right here.  I can't imagine our lives without her.

2013 - It has finally settled in, we are parents and she definitely belongs to us.  

2014 - sharing a bed in Vegas.

Thank you 2014 for giving us so much.  It was quite a year and we had some great times!

2015 hasn't seen much of all 3 of our faces in the same place at the same time yet.  A lot of out of town work for Dave.  So excited for the next year will bring...Sorry it's a day late dear! Tatum and I love you and are looking forward to seeing you this weekend!  Thanks for all the good memories.

DIY Fixer that worked!

Have cup or scratch marks on your wood coffee table or dresser....super easy...done!

As we've been prepping our townhouse to sell, I've noticed a lot of the little petty things...like the knicks in the wall and the scratch marks on our dresser.  We fixed the knicks and now the walls look great, but the dresser still needed to look better.  Every time I see it, I have to tell myself that potential buyers won't bother to think twice about the dresser.

The fix...thank you pinterest!  I found the following website and followed the directions, mostly, and the results are amazing.  I am thinking I need to attack the desk that has the same wood now...although it's not nearly as bad.

Listotic's How to Restore wood with cup marks

The directions said to use 1/4 cup vinegar and 3/4 cup olive oil.  I thought that was a waste of olive oil, so I only used 1 TBSP vinegar and 3 TBSP olive oil.  Wish I did this YEARS ago!!

Before

After

Notes to Self...and anyone that might need it.

Notes to Self (and anyone that can use it)

Orange juice in sippy.... Ever wondered what happens when you leave orange juice in a sealed sippy for 5 days. Well I do now. Note to self...if you open it before throwing it away, make sure to point away from face and towards a sturdy container,  like a sink, or bucket, or garbage bag. When opened it will spray all over...this includes, but is not limited to, the ceiling, wall, blinds, window, floor, face, hair and sink. This procedure will guarantee and very confused look on your toddlers face.

Blankies in laundry...When its time to clean your child's blankies,  do NOT put both in the laundry no matter how easy it seems. The second it starts your child is sure to notice the lack of the soft comfort nearby or accessible. :)

Neglecting my feet...yes I have been ignoring them. I now know if I want to have young feet and not old crusty feet, they need to be pampered. At least moisturized at the least. Stop ignoring them!

Patience and trust..If I had to describe my life so far in one sentence it would be "Forever a student of patience and trust."  I am wondering if it is possible to learn everything and apply them in my life when I'm young or if it's something that will continue and grow over time.  I'm sure the apostles have figured these things out. Right?!

Love this face!  She is so sweet and my little angel, but has the talent of hitting every one of my buttons. :)

Me and My Eternal Best Friend

Before I got married nearly 8 years ago I thought I had learned all I needed to know about patience. I was so very patient with the dating process and what felt like a lifetime of torment and a lot of patience was only a summer compared to the rest of my learning needs.  Having a child that depends on me and a husband as my partner in crime has taught me more about how to be more patient and that it may never be fully learned in this life.


That best friend...I lost (no they didn't die) one of my best friends about 9 years ago and have missed having them in my life to be able to talk to and spend time with them.

Dreaming they will be able to come back into my life reminds me how impossible it is. I sure miss that loving feeling from them. It seems they left a hole that is hard to fill with how odd the size and shape is. I wouldn't trade the time I had with them for anything. They are memories I cherish and have learned many things from. But wow how wonderful it would be to have them back for a day, week, month, or year, even if it were only temporary!! 

I'm so thankful for Dave and the wonderful companion and confidant he is to me.  He has been so wonderful in helping me figure out how to trust again.  He has been a huge blessing in my life and I couldn't have picked a better husband for me and a father to my daughter.  Hoping he will be able to meet those that I lost friendships or relationships with someday, whether in this life or the next.

Highlights of 2014 of our year together

Top 10 Highlights of 2014
with Dave, Jessica, and Tatum Grandstaff

1. Dave is a great impromptu jungle gym for Tatum. He is great to run around the island in the kitchen after work with her. Especially after Jessica has been doing that all day with her. He took a little break after he herniated a disk at the beginning of the year but after many doctor and chiropractic visits, an epidural injection and NO surgery (YEAH!!), he was able to regain full strength in his back and is now a lot more careful about what he does and knows his limits.

2. Dave is a Journeyman Electrician and has been working in Salt Lake at Easton Archery by the airport, in Idaho for a couple weeks, Las Vegas for almost 2 months, and now Clearfield Cold Storage this year. He goes wherever Salmon Electric sends him.

3. Dave’s favorite thing to do, besides spend time with his family, is watching movies in the Man Cave. He practiced hunting Elk, golfing, and watching football games. He’s getting really good at all three.

Jessica's favorite game!!  Go Aggies!!

4. Jessica definitely does NOT like cooking, but LOVES baking anything from cookies and desserts to bread and rolls (new addition to her collection this year). We are a family that loves the sweets! She still loves to scrapbook, read a good book, edit pictures, write on the family blog, and be a mom every day. The last one has proved to take the most time with continually finding new activities.

Dave's favorite new recipe

5. Tatum has reached the Terrible Toddler Two’s. She’s an angel 90% of the time and can switch when mommy or daddy say no in the blink of an eye. We’ve almost got past giggling at how silly and ridiculous these are. 2014 has brought a lot of new firsts for her; first haircut, first Temple Open House (in Ogden), first airplane ride (to Vegas), first time to Hogle Zoo, first fireworks, and first time going to Lagoon and riding the kiddie rides (which she absolutely LOVED).

Loved the Sea Lions at the zoo.

Loved the merry-go-round at the zoo (and Lagoon)

 6. Tatum’s favorite words – Mommy, daddy, run, and car. She loves to run and go on car rides. Sometimes that is the first thing she says when she wakes up, “car?” Her vocabulary is expanding all the time and she is constantly surprising us with what she has learned.

Ready to say a prayer

7. Tatum asking well into November to go “Trick or Treat” in her costume. She loves this new tradition and holiday!!

This was November 10th!

8. Dave, Jessica and Tatum went on their bi-annual vacation to Las Vegas, NV in April and saw everything from Shark Reef to the Hoover Dam. It’s so much fun to watch her as she explores all the new things for the first time.

9. Jessica and Tatum were so happy to fly to Vegas to see Dave while he was working down there during the summer and used it to go on a mini-vacation together and check out the family-friendly activities and sights that we had missed the first time. Particularly the “fish” (actually dolphins) at the Mirage and lots of swimming.

She was so excited, I couldn't ever get a picture of her face.

10. Our annual trip to Jackson, WY included beautiful Tetons, a Jenny Lake hike, a little shopping, and many walks to get us out into the open air and wonderful scenery.

You know it'll be a GREAT vacation when the first evening gives you this kind of sunset over the Tetons.

1st morning and went on a walk in this beautiful weather with the Tetons as our backdrop. 

Started raining...no more like a downpour during one of our other walks.

Hike around Jenny Lake in Teton National Park.

Sitting on top of a BIG rock