We're FINALLY here!!

It's been quite the adventurous 27 hours since we left for Hawaii---but we have made it safe and ... somewhat sound! :)

We left Friday night at 5:30 from Provo. We drove down to LA to catch our flight at 8:30 am this morning. The drive down wasn't too bad...but it was tough tough tough! 12 of us squished into our 15 seater van (with a seat taken out so that luggage would fit). SO 12 of us in 12 seats! Which means that you can guess how many of us slept! (Mom in the front seat and Krista sprawled ontop of luggage and her seat....) That's about it. Ryan (my Ryan) also slept because he has the wonderful talent of being able to sleep anywhere and through anything! (Lucky duck!) Oh...and Kamryn was a great traveler and slept for the most part. The hard thing with her was that the entire trip she kept waking up before she really wanted to wake up...and therefore was not really "rested".
I tried to sleep but never got comfortable and then worried about needing to feed Kamryn constantly so I ended up getting about an hour of sleep total.

We got to LA at 4:00 am and found a Denny's where we went in and had breakfast. We were there for about an hour. It felt good to get food in our tummies but it was SO early in the morning and we were exhausted already. And to add to our adventure, I took Kamryn into the bathroom to change her diaper...and it was the messiest diaper we've had in quite a while! Everywhere! (Isn't that just how it goes?? Messiest diapers always happen in public!)
Anyway, we got it all cleaned up and left for the airport.

Dad had made a previous reservation with a place nearby to park our car in their garage...but when we got there they had to refer us to somewhere else because our van was too big for their garage. (Dumb that they didn't mention that earlier when Dad was talking to them!!) Anyway, we found somewhere else to park (more expensive however...) and then went to the airport to check in. We got there at about 5:00 and then found out we couldn't check in till 5:45... ok... we'll sit around and wait. (Really fun when you're tired!)
Then when we finally could check in, it took a while because there are so many of us... and then we had to keep going back to the check-in counter to clarify things that they forgot to tell us earlier! (kinda annoying!) One of the issues we had to talk to them about was checking our carseat/carrier. We were told at first that we could take it to the gate and do a check at the gate. I had read that online last week as well. But then when we talked to someone else at Hawaiian airlines, he said that when we check it at the gate, it'll just come back down there again where they would end up wrapping it anyway! I was annoyed because the reason I had looked into it last week was to make sure it would be safe with their wrapping and not get banged around in all the luggage! But I didn't have much of a choice...so they bagged it and sent it in with all the other checked luggage....and it came out just fine! So I guess I didn't need to worry! It's just tough when you spend so much money on something like that! :)
ANYWAY, we went through security and a few things happened:
Kelsey forgot about her phone in her pocket so she beeped.
A couple of the other kids forgot about things in their pockets
And mom's boot on her injured leg (she tore a muscle earlier this week and is wearing a boot that makes it so that she doesn't use that muscle at all till it heals in probably a month!!) beeped so they had to use the wand on her and search her even more!
By the time we got to our gate...even with all of that happening...we still had 1.5 hours till we could BOARD the plane!! Everyone got on the floor and slept for about an hour...but once again, I was taking care of Kamryn and then couldn't bring myself to get on the dirty floor...so no sleep for Trina!

The plane ride was actually pretty good---but just so long! 6 hours felt like forever! But I'm happy to report that Kamryn did very well! Not too fussy for most of it...just here and there! (We have a video of us taking off that I'll have to download here later!)
We got a small meal on the plane--turkey sandwich, chips, and oreos along with our complimentary beverages. It was good but by the time the plane finally landed we were all starting to feel hungry again.
Oh...the good thing on the plane was that I slept for another hour! Yay! 2 hours in a 28 hour period of time! Yahoo!
BUT we got to Hawaii...and it is raining! Pouring!! But I love it because it is warm rain! :) yay!

We got off the plane, I went to change Kamryn's diaper, and opened the diaper bag to find our wipes container missing! I used wet paper towels and sent Kylie to tell Ryan to look in our other bag or on the plane again. Ryan went looking but to no avail. Dang! Oh well...we have a big tub of wipes in our checked suitcase.
We went to find Grandma and Papa--which luckily didn't take very long!! -- and then went to get our luggage--which also didn't take very long AND all our luggage was there! Nobody was missing anything!! :) That was good!

We marched out to the shuttle stop to get to the rental car place...and waited for a good 25 minutes! After we waited and waited and waited...we saw 3 of the bus we were waiting for show up at the same time!! I'm not sure that's how shuttles are supposed to work. I think they are supposed to run seperately! Anyway, we got to the rental place and then waited there for over 30 minutes for our 2 minivans we ordered. Finally they came and we were on our way to the condo.

We got to the condo, and tried to check in early (like we had requested before we came), but our rooms weren't quite ready yet...so one by one we filtered into the rooms as they became clean and available!

Now, you can imagine what we feel like getting into these nice clean comfy rooms with GORGEOUS views...

We're tired, dirty, sweaty, exhausted, STARVING, etc.
So we unpacked, took showers, and are now just vegging on the verandas or in front of movies! :) I've been sitting on this bed for a long time now becuase my feet are just aching! :)

But we are here and we are so so so excited to be here!
Mom and Dad are out grocery shopping, Donelle and Jerry got here safely, and we are all safe and healthy and happy! :)

This is going to be a wonderful vacation!! :) (It better be after the whole day it took to get here!!) :)

Can't wait to post pictures of this resort! It is absolutely amazing!
Gotta go feed the baby! be back later!

Blog under construction!

So, I'm going to keep posting for the next little bit...but my blog is somewhat under construction as you can tell! :)

We're doing some major ... "re-decorating" of our blog page! Hopefully "renovations" are done soon!!

Happy Blogging!

Kamryn's Early Christmas

We aren't going to be with my family for Christmas this year because we are spending Thanksgiving with them in Hawaii. So, my mom did a little bit of "early Christmas" shopping for Kamryn!

Mom and Dad decided to buy her an Exersaucer (a little play chair thing, kinda like a walker, but stationary. It bounces and has lots of toys to play with!) My parents have an older version of one that they've had since Krista or Ryan was a baby. (can't remember which). Kamryn has loved theirs, so they decided that they'd get one for her for Christmas. When I heard that, I asked if they could get it for her early so that we could take advantage of it NOW while I'm still home (unlike in January when I have to go back to school full time and only Ryan can take advantage of it during the day!!) :)

Kamryn in the old one at Grammy's house!

So my mom tracked one down at a Wal mart

Brought it home and I went up there with Kamryn that night while Ryan was at work so we could "open" it! Well.. Grandad went to put it together and it was just beaten up! Mangled...plastic stretch marks everywhere on it. Discoloring.... Not good.

So Grandad packed it up again and we got on the internet and ordered another one to be shipped to my apartment (for only 97 cents!) :) -- (It can't be FREE ... but it has to be 97 cents. Who can figure?!! It's wal mart...not much makes sense there!) :)

Anyway, it said it would be here between the 17th and the 20th. We were a little scared about that at first because we'd be leaving for Hawaii on the 21st...so it better come on time!

Well, sure enough, we got it on Friday the 14th!!! FAST!!! It only took 3 days! I was so excited it was here already, it totally made my day! BUT we were literally just walking out the door to go up to Grandma and Grandpa Seamons house when it showed up.... So we decided to take it with us and set it up at THEIR house!

Ryan setting it up....
Kamryn watching intently! She couldn't take her eyes off those bright colors! Couldn't really figure out what daddy was doing though...
Yay! All done!! :) It is the cutest thing. This new one has toys hooked into the tray. One spins, others just twirl and slide. And the barn on the right has batteries in it and plays farm and animal songs! At first she wasn't so sure what to do with it all..
Funny girl!!



First time in it:



Grammy also got her these cute new clothes. A Tigger onesie and pants outfit and...
A new Christmas Dress with tights and shoes and a headband that matches! So cute! :)

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THE BRANBURY

So, I'm sitting here tonight at the clubhouse/office of our apartment complex, The Branbury, and I thought, "I should blog about this great place we live in!" So...here goes!

We live at an apartment complex for students. It is for single students and BYU contracted so all residents agree to live by BYU honor code here. It is a HUGE property with 300+ Apartments and 1200+ residents. There are 7 buildings on the property -- 3 for boys and 4 for girls. This makes up 6 student single's wards that meet up on BYU campus. They have a clubhouse (where the main office is located) that has all the amenities you can imagine! Basketball court, volleyball court, raquetball court, excercise/weight room, sauna, 2 tanning beds, swimming pool and hot tub, ping pong table, billiard table, flat screen TV with popcorn machine, and a piano! SO much to do all of the time! Then...on top of that...the Branbury puts on activities for the residents every month. Tonight happens to be their annual Steak and Salmon BBQ --- and there are probably 400 people here right now! It is absolutely insane, but I've heard this is the biggest turn out that they've had in all the years they've done this. So that's good!

So...you ask...how did we get the chance to live here? Well, in each building there are a few one-bedroom apartments that they rent to married students. Most of the married couples who live here don't have kids (because it's only one bedroom) but it is wonderful! And on top of just being able to live here, we were blessed enough to get a job as Resident Assistants (RA's). This means we are in charge of the residents in our building. We take care of cleaning checks every month, lock outs, reporting honor code violations, and other small things. We also watch the clubhouse after the office is closed (5-10) about 4 or 5 times during the month. This consists basically of just hanging out at the clubhouse for a few hours and getting paid for it! :) not too shabby!

And for all this, we get 20% off rent each month, free internet and parking, and are paid $8 for each hour we work, to go toward our rent -- tax free! :) It is really a wonderful option and has been a wonderful blessing for us!

And the best part of our job here though, is that we work with GREAT people. The other RA's are awesome! Easy going and friendly--ready for anything! And the management at the Branbury is WONDERFUL! They make life easier for us at every chance that they can.

I pray each day to thank Heavenly Father for opening up this opportunity for us. Ryan and I both graduate this upcoming April and we are starting to think about what we're going to do after that--where we'll go and what we'll be doing. It makes me sick to think of leaving right now though...because this is a great place to live and we definitely have more time to give than money! :) We have wonderful friends here and a great ward, and again...just such a good set up! (except that one bedroom is starting to get a bit crowded!!) :) We definitely want to stay here as long as we can...it's too good to give up!

Our not so little girl anymore

Can you believe Kamryn is already 3.5 months old? The 24th of this month is 4 months! Wow, time has just flown!

I realized how big she is getting when we were at my parents' a few weeks ago and they got down their play-saucer that they've had since Krista was a baby. We put Kamryn in it, and she loved it! Much happier there longer than on her tummy! :) She puts her feet down and pushes up all of the time. We just have to keep new toys there for her to play with! She's still working on picking up toys, but LOVES looking at them and scooting them to her mouth to suck on.


We attended church with Ryan's parents a couple weeks ago too. It was a gloomy day outside but we walked to church anyway because the meetinghouse is located right behind his parents' house. When church was over, however, it was POURING rain! A nice neighbor gave us a ride, but even getting wet on the way to the car and into the house, Kamryn was not very happy! Too cold and too wet! This is her cuddled up in her blankets on the recliner at Grandma's house! (Such a mommy's girl! That is what I like to do when it is raining outside too!)



Warm and happy baby! :)


And then she was just so tuckered out... too hard to stay awake!


Tummy time is getting better---I found the best way for her to do it now is to use a flatter pillow instead of the boppy to help prop her up! She was so happy for almost 10 minutes! :) It was exciting!

Our newest thing we are working on is sitting up and rolling over! We'll keep you posted!

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Sunday thought--Living in the Present

We had a lot of good messages given in our ward today. Messages that made me think a little bit--stand back and look at my life and what I can do better and what I should be doing to fulfill the calling that the Lord has given me as His daughter.

Sacrament meeting was all about Service and how important it is to follow this commandment. We have the responsibility as children of God, to care for one another and to lift eachother's burdens. We have the added responsibility as members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, to teach others and bring the message of the gospel to our neighbors, family, and friends.

Then in Relief Society we talked about the 2nd coming and the signs of the last days. One thing that struck me was when our teacher asked: "Why do we have signs? Why does the Lord give us signs of what is to come? He doesn't HAVE to." My first thought was, "The signs are supposed to bring peace and comfort to us in troubled times and to give us knowledge to prepare ourselves for things to come." But then as the lesson continued, I also had the realization that we don't have the signs only for ourselves, but we need to spread the news with others. We need to show others around us who live in fear with troubled times, that we can live peacefully because of the Savior. We need to show those around us that we can still be happy, despite hardships that come. And we need to proclaim that at the end of all the trouble and peril, there will be a glorious finish when the Savior will come!

Then I read this quote from President Monson today:

"The past is behind--we must learn from it.
The future is ahead-we must prepare for it.
The present is now-we must live in it."

I think it is easy to get caught up in "I wish..." for things in the future or guilt from the past. It is also easy to wish you were still younger (past) or fear for things ahead.

But life isn't about past and future. It is about now! It is about today! Everything Christ asks us to do is right now. It isn't tomorrow. It isn't yesterday. It is today.

We are asked to love one another.... today!
We are asked to serve eachother ... today!
We are asked to have Family home evening and family prayer and scripture study ... today!
We are asked to attend the temple ... today!
We are asked to be kind to others ... today!
We are asked to pray ... today!
Be an example ... today!

What am I going to do today??!

Our stake has a challenge going on right now...it's called 100% for 100 days.
(The 100 days before Christmas--when we celebrate Christ's birth)

The 100% is to do all of these things for 100 days:
Daily:
Personal scripture and prayer
Family scripture and prayer
Acts of service for Spouse

Weekly:
Date night with spouse
Family Home Evening
Church Attendance (In your ward)
Magnify calling

Monthly:
Attend the temple
Fast and give fast offering
Pay a full tithing
Home and Visiting Teaching

We haven't been perfect at it for the past 50 days it's been happening...but we have tried. And I have found that it is a truly inspired and wonderful program! These things really do bring happiness into our lives because it brings the spirit of Christ into our lives.

I want to strive to be that much better today at doing all the things Christ expects me to do. If I want to be closer to Him, I need to put forth the effort. He is standing there waiting...and expects me to not only come alone--but to bring others with me.

I know that these things that our Stake is encouraging us to do will bring us closer to our Savior. I know that if I am closer to Him, I can receive revelation of things He needs me to do for others I come in contact with. I have the calling to live in the present and make the most of today. What am I going to do with it?!

Halloween 2

The Rest of Halloween:

Our little Jack-o-lantern!  (With a top and everything!) Costume was even cuter because it was a gift from Grammy Moe! 

Taking pictures on the couch....falling over!  She likes to try to sit up without leaning back, but then she topples forward.
We liked the binkie in her mouth in this costume:  Another vine! :)

Mommy didn't have anything to wear for Halloween.  We went to Wal mart and got a PJ set--just so that Mommy wouldn't feel left out! :)

We went Trick-or-treating with friend Cassie (9-months old).  Cassie was a lady-bug.

Trick-or-treating lasted for about half hour.  Then Cassie was tired and fussy because she just got shots this morning at the doctor's.  And Nancy and I had tired arms from carrying these two girls around!  And Kamryn...
Well...trick-or-treating wore her out!! :)

It was a very fun night!  Yay for baby's first Halloween!