Little Brig

Just thought the world (well, atleast grandparents) needed another picture of this cute little one...He thought that he was so cool when I gave him the whole pear...you can't see the other side, but he took a bunch of little bites out of it. It is so fun to watch him grow up into a little boy...

This is his new favorite place to play!
Love you all!

Perspective

Just ask Casey, I worry and stress A LOT...Big things, little things, lots of things. And it drives me crazy because I know that I should not worry about those things. Everything always works out-it always has and always will. There are always going to be things that don't seem like they are working out how I want them to. There are always going to be ways that I feel inadequate. And I will feel like I am falling short at times. But that is not where my focus should be. Of course, there's ups and downs. When you are down, you can remember the ups and find your way back. When you are up, you can remember the downs and all that you learned and the strength you gained.
That's why this blog is good for me---It gives me an opportunity to focus on the good things that are happening in our life and the ways that we are learning and growing. No, I'm not trying to pretend like everything in life is always great and that there are never down times. Because there definitely are, a lot more often than I would like. But why focus on those if they only get me down even more? There are sure a whole lot of better things to focus on that make me happy just with a glance or a thought...
Like these two...
Even when Casey is gone a lot with work and school or little Brig is being "adventurous" (aka making trouble):
Just some thoughts that have been going through my head lately. I've been reminded to focus on the ups. I think it makes all the difference.

Casey's going to hate this... :)

Three years ago, today, my life changed forever. On February 4, 2007, I met this guy:

And my life has never been the same. :)
It was the spring semester of my 1st year at Eastern Arizona College. During the month of January, I had heard about this mysterious Casey Heap who had just come home from his mission and was now at EA. I had heard some great things about him so, naturally, I wanted to meet him.
February 4th was my lucky day. I went down with my roommate, Valerie, to the girls' apartment that lived underneath us to see if they had something that I needed for some soup that I was making. And of course, we got talking, just like girls do. Then there was a knock at the door and in walked this WAY cute guy...who was introduced to us as Casey. He impressed me right off the bat. he was so nice. It seemed like he made sure to talk to each person that was there and made each person feel so good.
When Valerie and I got back to our apartment, I jokingly said, "Valerie, that's the boy that I'm going to marry!" And she just looked at me like "oh yeah? you're crazy..."
Come to find out, he was there to ask our friend out on a date! Bummer! But I was so excited for her. They went on a few dates, but nothing really happened with them, so he was up for the grabs! Haha, that's funny to hear myself say that because I am not a forward girl AT ALL! In fact, I had the hugest crush on him for the ENTIRE semester, and the only people that knew were 2 of my friends and my mom.
So, the semester went on like normal. Me having dates with other guys and Casey with other girls. But he was always the one that I had my eye on. A girl could dream, right?! :)
We had different groups of friends so we didn't ever really hang out, but with how small Thatcher is, you're bound to run into each other every so often. I would say "hi" to him as I passed him walking down the sidewalk and I got up the courage to talk to him, ever so briefly, in the library. Little did I know, he was starting to watch me too!
The semester was winding down and some boys in the library invited me and my friend Deb to go to some natural hot tubs that were close by the school. There was a big huge group that was going, so I didn't really think that it was considered a date. But now looking back i guess they meant for it to be, who knows, maybe not...So, Deb and I left the library to go home and change into our swimming suits and when I went into my apartment, guess who was there talking to my roommate! CASEY! I was so excited that I didn't really know what to do. We talked for a little bit and then Deb came over for us to go and I wasn't ready yet. Deb was one of the friends that knew I liked him, so she said, "Hey, how bout you come with us?" SO he did! I'm sure those boys that originally invited us were pretty surprised when they saw him coming up to the car with us! :)
So, that night was fun (I'll spare the details), but he did ask for my phone number! I was so giddy after we left him at the dorms where he lived and walked to our apartment. I was literally skipping down the road. I probably didn't even sleep that night.
So, like I said, that was at the end of the semester. We did hang out one more time before the semester ended, but it was in a big group and I tried to tell myself that he was just being nice and didn't even like me...I didn't want to get my hopes up since the summer was around the corner and we would both go home and not even be anywhere close to each other. But that's not what he was thinking! Which I'm so glad for...
A few days after school got out, he called me! And then he called a few days later and said that he was going back to Mexico to visit the areas that he served in during his mission, but that he would be flying out of Phoenix and wanted to know if I would want to go to a Diamondbacks game before he left. So that was our first official date...June 8
I'll spare you the details, but here is what the rest of that summer included:
1 long summer of dating long distance
1,208 hours on the phone (maybe it wasn't this much, but it seemed like it!)
1 night at the park that scared me to death (when he brought up marriage...)
2 failed attempts before I actually let him kiss me...Third time's the charm (I was scared!)
5 hour drives that Casey made back and forth from the ranch to Peoria to see me during the summer
1 fun-filled weekend in St. John's for the 24th
1 long drive back from St. John's that gave me lots of time to think and decide that I wanted to spend the rest of forever with this guy
1 awesome mom who listened to every little detail from her love-struck daughter
1 love-struck guy and 1 love-struck girl who couldn't wait for school to start that fall
Here are some fun pictures from that summer:
But luckily, summer ended and school started again. What a fun semester!

We were engaged on November 1 and married on December 27. So I guess this can count for an anniversary post too that I skipped doing last month... :)
Since being married we have done fun things like this:
Snowboarding on our honeymoon
And this:
Havasupai backpacking trip

Found out we were having a baby:
And realized we were the luckiest boy and girl in the world to have this little one:
It is crazy to think back on these three years - 1 year of dating (1 semester of that being "wishing") and 2 years of marriage - and think about all that has happened and all that we have learned. I sure have learned a lot! And I'm grateful for the ups and the downs because we have been through them together!
Casey is my best friend. He knows me like no other person does. And I love that. He is there for me always. And I need that. I am so blessed to call him mine.

We've got a little WALKER!

It is so fun to watch little B learn new things...His newest trick is walking! He is still working on perfecting the skill, so he's still really wobbly, but he is getting so much more confident, even since this video was taken. He took his first real steps on Sunday, January 17 and has been getting better and better ever since. At first, he would only walk from the couch to one of us or from the table to the couch, but now he is confident enough to let go of anything he is standing against and will just start walking away. This video was taken at night right before his bedtime, so he's a little cranky, and we had to use the big video camera for incentive for him to walk to me. Usually he will just start going on his own...It really is so fun to watch little ones grow. Sorry the video is a little dark...
Enjoy...we sure do!

Brigden Update

We just went to the doctor's last week for Brigden's 9 month well check...Everything is going great! I hadn't ever gone to this doctor in the Health Center before, but I loved her. I think that I will go back to her every time now.
Here are some recent pictures of little B:




And here are some things that we love about our little man:
*Brigden is constantly on the go. I know that most kids are like this when they are learning to move around and explore their world, but seriously, this kid has some energy. I love his little adventurous side, even though it makes for a tired mommy at the end of the day :) It is so fun to see him learning new things.
*Brigden loves being outside and in the car. Whenever we get bundled up to go outside and open the front door, his arms start going up and down and his feet kick because he is so excited.
*He gives his daddy the BEST hugs. He won't give them to mommy, but that's alright because it is so fun to see their own special relationship growing.
*I love his snuggle time with mommy. We will lay on the couch together and I will tell him stories and he will just lay there and listen. I love this because he is constantly on the go so it is a good time to just relax and nurture our mommy/son relationship.
*Brigden has been making the FUNNIEST faces lately. I really need to get them on camera. It is so funny how he scrunches up his little face.
*He loves to talk and if he is awake, he is making noises. It seems like he comes up with new ones everyday.
*Brigden loves to "help" me with chores around the house. When I vacuum, he crawls up behind me and stands up against the back of my legs and then holds onto my legs and puts his little head in between my legs by my knees. He will walk around the house with me like that the whole time I am vacuuming. I love it, even though it takes about 10 times longer to vacuum.
*He is so good at entertaining himself and will play forever with all of his toys while I get some things done that I need to do. And then he lets me know that it's time for some mommy play time, and then we have lots of fun together.
*He loves to ring the doorbell every time we are coming in the house.
*He loves to play "wake-up mommy." I will lay on the couch, pretending to be asleep and snoring and he will walk along the couch and pat my arm or my face trying to wake me up. Then I pop up and tickle him. He gets such a kick out of it.
*He hates being in his high chair. I have to feed him really fast if I want him to eat all of his food...Cheese is his favorite thing to eat, probably because it is so messy!
*Brigden's smile melts my heart, over and over and over again...
*His new trick is walking! See next post...

Long Overdue...

Yes, I know, it is February and I am barely putting up pictures from Christmas break…but it is better late than never, right? I have so much more recent stuff that I want to post, but it would feel incomplete without this post about all of our Christmas break happenings…

We had a great Christmas break this year down in Arizona. We drove down late in the afternoon on the 23^rd and spent Christmas, Casey’s Birthday (the 26^th), and our anniversary (the 27^th) with my side of the family. Then we went to spend 4 more days with Casey’s side of the family and spent New Years with them. Casey came back up to Utah just in time for school to start again and Brigden and I were able to stay with my family for an extra week for my cousin’s wedding. We have decided that if the rest of our children travel as well as Brigden did, we will be world travelers. We were so impressed at how well he did.

I have decided that I am going to do the rest of this post in a “Top Ten” style, except this is a "Top 20" with no particular order, except chronological. Here are the highlights from our winter break! (WARNING: It’s a long post…enter at your own risk…)

#1 – Christmas Eve with our traditional pajamas and sibling gift exchange. Getting new pajamas for Christmas is one of my most favorite traditions and I think that the pajamas that my mom got for me this year are probably my favorite ones yet. Silky pajamas make me feel like a “grown-up” J I also love the tradition of our sibling gift exchange. It is fun to see the effort and thought that each sibling puts into choosing a gift for the brother or sister that they have that year. It was also fun to have my aunt Leslee there with her boys...

#2 – Santa’s surprise visit…Brigden got to sit on Santa’s lap for the first time and he kept looking at Santa like, “Hey…Don’t I know you? You look like my grandpa…” Classic...

#3 Casey’s big debut as the innkeeper and Brigden’s debut as a not so happy baby Jesus in the Nativity

#4 Like father, like son...I guess this even applies to sleeping positions! I love these two together...Daddy is Brigden's best friend. Thanks Kamrie for sharing your bed with us! (Her bed is seriously the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in)

#5 Christmas Morning...I am ALWAYS the first one awake on Christmas morning. My brother, Jordan, and I had a “plan” every year to be the first ones up. Those are some of my favorite memories of Christmas- our “early riser” club. This year was no different, even as a tired mommy and with Jordan gone on his mission, I was the first one up. I didn’t even try to be. I guess that it is so deep-rooted that it is a habit that's hard to break!

Brigden had so much fun with his very first Christmas! It is so fun as a parent to watch the excitement in your little one’s eyes…

#6 – Christmas Day basketball game…My dad is probably the most selfless and caring person I know. Casey got a new basketball for Christmas and was itching to shoot some hoops. Mid-morning, my dad told Casey to put his tennis shoes on and grab his ball and come with him. (I was curious, so I tagged along) We got in the car and started driving, with only my dad knowing where we were going. We ended up at the house of some family friends who have a son that LOVES basketball. My dad had called ahead to see if we could come over for a game of one-on-one basketball with the pro, Tyler. They had so much fun! Casey loved having someone to play with and I could tell that Tyler was loving it too! Thanks, Dad! That was thoughtful...

#7 – Phone call from Elder Ames!.. .I was so excited to talk to my brother, Jordan, who is serving a mission in New York that I hoarded all of the cordless phones for the hour before he was supposed to call. But I was nice, I let my mom answer it when he called J He sounded so good and is doing great! It is crazy that he comes home in August! We love you, Elder Ames!

#8 – Brigden’s new best friend, Allie the dog…Meet Allie, the dog that my family has had for as long as I can remember. She is a great dog, except for when she is mean to my dad’s chickens, then she is on the bad list for a while…I was so impressed with how well she did with little Brig. She didn’t even flinch when he would grab her feet, ears, or tail! Brigden was enamored with her and followed her around everywhere!

#9 – Brigden loved having stairs to climb…And we sure had to keep our eyes on him!

#10 – We loved helping my dad with his chicken coop additions…and Casey LOVES pictures, as you can tell! Note the sarcasm… :)

#11 – Casey turned the big 2-4!
p.s. We put all of the little parts of his present in separate bags so he had to guess what his one big present was...so it looks like a lot, but it really is one present

#12 – Happy 2-year anniversary! We celebrated by going to the Mesa Temple to do sealings (that is where we were married) and then went to dinner and a movie! It seems like we have been married for so much longer, but I'm so glad that we have many more years to come and then eternity together! Man, oh man, do I love this guy! More to come on him later…

#13 – Birthday Celebration #2…Lucky Casey got to celebrate his birthday twice! Every little kid’s dream! It was fun to celebrate it again with his parents and sisters. The nephews were so excited to help him blow out the candles!

#14 – Happy New Year! We celebrated by going with Boyd and Jen to the New Year’s dance and then came home and played games! I don’t have pictures for our late-nights with games, but that was a highlight of our trip…it was SO much fun for some of us adults to stay up ‘til the wee hours of the morning playing games, especially Ticket to Ride…We love that one!

(Notice the same outfit as the anniversary pics…that’s the joy of visiting our two families at separate times when we go to AZ…I can wear everything twice because neither family has seen the outfit before...which means less packing! YES!)

#15 – Playing with Cousins…Brigden is so lucky to have 6 little boy cousins just a little bit older than him to play with. (I can see lots of mischief in years to come) He had so much fun watching them run around and play and they were so good and nice to him! I think that he had so much fun watching them go all over the place that he was inspired to start walking himself…(more on that in the next post!)

#16 – Visits with Nana…Casey’s grandma (“Nana”) is an amazing lady and we love to visit her as much as we can when we are in St. Johns. We love to sit and talk to her…Little B loved pushing around her walker

#17 – Fun Times with “Tortillas”…or Tias (Aunts in Spanish) They are SO good with Brigden…

#18 – Visit with “Grandma Helen”…When we first moved down to AZ, I was Brigden’s age. We lived in some apartments and this lady was our neighbor upstairs. She became like a grandma-figure in my life with my grandmas so far away in Utah. She is a hoot! I love visiting with her now. She always has funny things to say. This was Brigden’s first time meeting her…

#19 – Going to visit Grandpa at work…Brigden, or should I say “Baxter,” has a fan club at my dad’s work, so we couldn’t go down to AZ without going to visit! There was even a personalized sign waiting for him just like last time we went when he was just 6 weeks old! He is definitely a loved little boy…

#20 – Sharing a special day with a beautiful bride…My cousin Michelle married our good friend, Neal, the day before I left to come back to Utah. I love Michelle. She is beautiful inside and out. We have become a lot closer as we have gotten older and I love the talks that we have. I cannot explain how happy I am for Michelle and Neal. They make a great couple and will be SO happy together. They really are perfect for each other. I wish I had a picture of them together. It was wonderful to be able to be a part of their special day! And it was so great to be able to catch up with some awesome friends from growing up. I have the greatest friends! Thanks Kyle for making sure Brig was included in the picture, that was a fun surprise :)

Well, needless to say, this was really LONG (and it feels good to be done with it), but I am so grateful for the fun times we were able to have in Arizona. We are so blessed with great family and we miss them already!
Any who, now it’s time for bed!