September Highlights....

Well this whole blogging thing is new to me so please forgive me for not keeping it updated. So a little update since my last post. I have now turned 29, which included an amazing dinner and drive with my husband. And he gave me the only present I could have ever asked for! We are also now done with our 6 week church callings. Randy was teaching the 10-11 Valiant boys and I was back in nursery. It is strange I wasn't sure the first few weeks I fit in with the new ward. But now I tend to float back to nursery whenever I can get away with it. The women are so welcoming and the kids are amazing. We also sent our kids into the new school year, and have been working hard with keeping the homework up to snuff. Our lil Kaylee bug is super smart and super brilliant when she does her work. I can't even explain how much I enjoy being a mama to her and her brothers and sister. Our oldest Brody is now it 10th grade and growing much taller than daddy. He has always been taller than me so it isn't that big a deal to me! Our football player Taydon started his Titan's season being the nose guard (don't know exactly what that means but) he is doing so good this season, and we are doing better than last year. Makenna is just being herself and is in 3rd grade this year!
Randy has been working lots of mandatory overtime with his company and it is awful because as much as we need the extra money he works way to hard already and we miss him every weekend. I had my first experience with the three youngest kids all by myself for almost a full day. I am proud to say that I got us all up, ready for church , and into the building on time. I am also starting the study process, well I need to start the study process to take my state CRT test. But as many of you know I have this fear of failure thing, so I have had the materials to study for over a month and just took the practice test a few days ago. I am gonna buckle down this weekend (hopefully) I am just afraid of failing and seem to be way to comfortable with my current job and working from home. I love working in the hospital but I am gonna miss my time with my kids and family. Well that is the September update so far, hoping to have more exciting news for next month. Oh and I picked my Halloween costume....Raggedy Anne!!!!

Reunion Photos

On our way!!!

Our ride home

The ride home

Phoebe was the most comfy of all of us...

Ah my two girls are so clsoe!

Our adorable Cheyenne

Bread Loafes, or as I see it a guy with long hair sticking his tongue out at us all!

Beautiful Views

This was dog rock to me

The rock I climbed

Smiling on my rock!

City of Rocks!!!

Hey.....Hay!!!

Puppies sleeping in the tent!

Very comfy dogs...

Watching the softball game!

Go honey..got to first!

Up to bat....

Cutest kid, Toby, soft dogs!!!

Beautiful moon

Our tent....

Waiting with the dogs!!!

My cute babies!!!

Loaded to the brim....

Sleeping the whole way up..

SO not a fan of my picture taking!!!

I love this hat...been dying to wear it!!!

Mom, Dad & Cheyenne....Let's do this!!!

Jones Family Reunion 2011

This last weekend we made the trek to Almo, ID for the Ruben Jones Family Reunion. I had never been part of any family reunion growing up, and was excited to finally be a part of one. We loaded up mom & dad's Ford Focus with all four adults, and our four furry friends. It took a while to get everything to fit, get gas in the car, and coke's for us all. And while I did throw out my lower back right before we loaded up, the ride up wasn't that long or rough. When we showed up I was blown away by the amount of people hanging out. Now mind you I didn't meet everyone, or even get peoples names. Just being in the same area and knowing we are family was all I needed. We got everything unloaded, and set up the tents, blew up our air mattresses and organized our tents. Our three little furry friends ended up sleeping in their own tent. We then headed over for dinner, and enjoyed hanging out. It was so much fun to see everything going on. After dinner Dad got up and sang his heart out, what an amazing voice. While listening our 3 dogs were very needy. The cutest little boy named Toby, came over and kept petting them saying "soft, soft." It was the cutest thing every, and then he would point to the picture on my shirt and say "you, you." It made me miss our kids even more.
We then headed to bed, sleeping next to our nephews and Karla. And I swear there were seals in the field next to us. Woke up in the morning, headed to breakfast, and then got ready for the family softball game. They divide the teams into Old VS. Young. Randy was just at the cut off, and played on the old team, I would have been on the young team, but my back was just not gonna let me do that. So I played in spirit, sitting with mom, cheering for Randy and watching them lose. I was warned that the young people never win, but this year they DID!!! After a killer lunch, they started the auction, Mom, Randy & me decided to head to the City of Rocks, it was amazing. Hearing all the stories, and the family history was fantastic. I can't wait til next year when I will be more prepared, and I am thinking we will make it a longer weekend. I have never been to Lava Hot Springs, and we may just have to stop there after! It is funny how loved and welcome you can feel in such a large group of people. And next year I am determiend to get a group picture!!!

Also when we got home Saturday night, our little buggie who has been spending time with her mom the last week missed us so much we got a surprise visit with her. Funny how even after a week apart it felt like she had grown so much. Can't wait for school to start and for this year to be the best yet for us all!!!

Fun Pictures!!!

Yeah we like to play around!

The most beautiful place on earth.

Our first family photo!!!

Yep, I got into that little nook in 5 inch heels



Our hot shoes....



Such an amazing day

Yeah we could be models we know.

Typical Shelley, gotta text even on my wedding day...oh and honey, hold my bouquet!

K I S S I N G!!!!

That added poof was hot and itchy, thanks AJ for being a trooper!

Can you tell we are happy?

Amazing grooms cake!!!

Yeah we pinky promised...

He was a little worried......

turned out he had every reason to be....

Matching shirts and off to our HONEYMOON!!!

Summer Time

Well since getting married on June 11, 2011 we have been having a rather amazing summer. Had an amazing honeymoon that included an amazing stay at a resort in Desert Palms, Disneyland, Universal Studios & the Santa Monica Beach. Blending a family of 4 kids, 3 dogs and two very loving adults hasn't been as hard as people assume. I am relishing being a step mom to all my kids. Randy has taken very fondly to our dogs. We are truly blessed to be living with our parents, who are so supportive, loving and amazing people. I will admit that I have been struggling to adjust to the new ward I am now a member of. I became so close with my Union Fort 3rd ward family, that at first I felt very out of place. Now we have been redistricted within our Riverdale Stake, so I am hopeful that with this I can find my place. I am also in the process of obtaining my Respiratory License, as I graduated the day before we got married with my Bachelor's Degree. My amazing husband works so hard for our family, and I can't wait until I am able to work as an RT and help him start his photography company. Our kids are great! Brody just turned 15, Taydon will soon be 10, Makenna will also be 9 very soon, and our littlest Kaylee just turned 7. I feel truly blessed to have such a large extended family who have given me what I have always wanted my children to have.

How we came to be.....

On July 30th, 2010 my life forever was changed. My friend and fellow ward member Emilee had told me weeks before that she had a man that she wanted to set me up with who just happened to be her brother in law. I had resisted because I just hadn’t been having any luck with dating. So finally I told her to give him my number, and he called me that Friday as I was leaving the gym. Well, I never answer numbers I don’t know but he left me a message. I of course being me, text him because I talk on the phone all day at work and hate doing it once I get home. We spent the next week texting, getting to know each other. Emilee was a great wall to bounce thoughts off of, when I was wondering why he hadn’t asked to take me out after a whole week. Then he did ask me out and we meet that very night for a movie, halfway between our homes. I remember walking in and seeing him waiting for me something inside me felt like oh yeah there he is. We hugged and we just fit together. We went to a later movie, and even though he had to be up at 4am for work the next day, we enjoyed our first date. About 25 minutes into the movie he slowly reached for my hand, and it was the cutest thing ever. Our second date was a few nights later, we went on a double date with Emilee and her husband Rick, who is Randy’s older brother. We bowled, and ate, talked and laughed. I think she could tell she did something special. I remember she told me, “I never set anyone up, but you have to meet my brother in law.” She then witnessed our first kiss in that parking lot. He was going to a family reunion that weekend, and I was leaving for girl’s camp that Monday for 4 days. We managed to squeeze in a few more dates, and then he was gone. I missed him like crazy, but he got some cell service so we could text. Then the night before camp when he got home, he asked if he could take me to a movie, even though it was a Sunday, I had to see him again. After the movie, we text and he asked me to be his girlfriend. I of course said YES!!!! I also let him know that I was falling in love with him, but the super smart text, ITILU, ULM2? Which stands for I think I love you, you love me to? He replied with a yes. The next day I left for camp, and while every other camp leader’s cell phone had service, I had a crap provider, and didn’t. So I kept sneaking Emilee’s cell to text Randy and tell him I missed him. It was while I was at camp that I realized that this was different than any other relationship I have ever had. When we got home from camp, instead of resting and unpacking I showered and meet Randy for a movie. Yes, movies are pretty much our go to date. We are both huge movie lovers, and it is just fun to cuddle in the dark and laugh together. He asked if he could take me out for my birthday the next week. I told him sure; I had the day off, and loved surprises. He planned the most romantic, special and spiritual day of my life to date. We spent the day in Park City, then got dressed up and ate at the Roof with a sunset view of the SLC Temple. I knew when the waiter taking our picture if the temple was important for the picture and we both responded with YES, that I was going to marry him. I was excited but nervous because he has 4 amazing kids, and I was afraid of becoming attached to them and then something happening. So I had decided to take things slowly with meeting the kids. Well that all went out the window when I meet them. I fell in love with them all and realized that they were my family. We had talked about getting engaged, but Randy told me that it would be by the end of the year hopefully. This was on September 1st, I remember going to Young Womens that night, and showing Emilee the text. Then two days later we had a date night set up for me to come up for dinner and a movie. I was craving Costa Vida, but he wasn’t letting me choose. Which is very unusual for Randy, he pretty much will go with whatever I am craving. We ended up at Olive Garden, and after we sat down he almost immediately went to the bathroom. He faked me out with a pink flower ring, saying well since you are an uncommon girl. I then decided to take a picture and text my boss saying “Look I am engaged!!!” He then stopped me saying well if you’re going to do that, and he got down on his knee and asked me to marry him. Sadly I was so emotional I don’t remember the exact wording. And that was just 25 days after our first date!! It really is true that when you meet the person you are meant to be with, you just know. I like to compare it to the movie Saturday’s Warrior, when Julie is at the airport and just knows that her soul mate is standing in front of her. Now this is just my side of our courtship, but I like to think that Randy feels the same way.