Our Christmas Card!

At this time of year we can't help but be thankful for all the blessings that our Heavenly Father has given to us. This year has been full of happiness, laughter, learning and yes, even a few tears. We recently sent out our Christmas card to all of our friends and family but we thought we would put the family 'update' on our blog. So here we go!

Mitch- Mitch has had a great year. In April he began a new job with a company called Fusion I-O out of Salt Lake. This has been a great blessing to our family as it has provided good insurance, financial security, and an opportunity for daily success for Mitchell. We are also thankful to have Mitch with us today as in August he had a brush with death when a tree top fell on him. This accident gave us the opportunity to see how much love and support we have among our friends, family and ward family. We have also become close friends with our insurance company as they seem to be hearing from us ALOT! Mitch has enjoyed his calling with the 11 year old boyscouts and has become a great role model for the boys in the ward.

Stacie- Stacie has had a liberating fall season as she is FINALLY free from school work. She graduated with her Master's degree from Utah State in Speech and Language Pathology and now works 2 days a week for the School District. Stacie continues to run and has had a great time training for and completing 2 marathons in the past year. She has really enjoyed being home with Ellie and watching her grow.

Ellie- Sweet Ellie is a busy little girl. She is walking, jabbering, and loves exploring everything! She continues to be in the 95th percentile for her height and weight. She loves eating bananas, yogurt, ice-cream, sweet potatoes and come to think of it, I'm not sure there is a food that she does not like! Her parents love watching her learn new things and she greets us everyday with a smile!

At this time of year we can't help but be grateful for all the friends and family that surround us each day. We hope that our friends and family can spend their holidays with those they love and in remembrance of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas!

ELLIE'S FIRST BIRTHDAY!!!

On December 1st Ellie turned one year old! For the big '1' we decided to have a "Favorite Things" birthday party! The whole day was dedicated to all of Ellie's favorite things. We ate all of Ellie's favorite foods including bananas, grapes, goldfish, cereal, waffles (chocolate cake waffles:)) and of course, ice cream! We gave Ellie her very own Banana Cream pie. At first it frightened her but after a while she got her hands dirty and dug right in! Much to our delight, (not hers) she decided to pick the pie up and lick it, unfortunately,the whole thing slid off right into her face! It was CLASSIC! She makes us so happy!

Ellie opening all of her presents with the help of her cousins and dad!
Ellie right after she tried to take a lick of pie, she doesn't quite understand gravity yet.
The AfTeRMaTh
Ellie playing in a pool with two of her favorite things, cousins and balls!
Ellie doing one of her favorite things...eating!

Here are 10 of Mom and Dad's favorite things about Ellie! 1) Her great big smile she gives you when you come into the room! 2) Her high pitched squeals when you tickle her chubs, 3) Her unbalanced walk with her hands up in the air 4) The amount of food she can consume 5) Her pretty blue eyes 6) Her love for everyone around her 7) The way she sleeps with her bum up in the air 8)Watching her explore and learn new things 9) When she lays her head on your chest to cuddle 10) When she sleeps all the way through the night!
......These are a few of our FAVORITE things! Happy Birthday Els!

Deep in the heart of Texas!

We decided to take a little break from the cold weather and visit Mitch's brothers family in Texas. The weather was perfect, 80 degree's, humid....AMAZING! We had so much fun and they, as always, were terrific hosts! Here are a few pictures from our amazing adventure! It began with a trip to San Antonio where we visited the Alamo and the famous Riverwalk!
The next day we traveled to Fossil Rim park for an African Safari! This was a 1700 acre Texan wildlife preserve turned Africa!! We took two cars because we could not all fit into the one, which was perfect because Ellie slept in the SUV for most of the excitement. We spent 2 hours driving through the park and enjoying all the wild animals. The good news is, the animals LOVED US TOO!We don't have any animals like this in Utah, They are right, everything in Texas is better (at least it was that weekend!)

Confessions of a 'Wax-aholic'

My name is Stacie Dorius and I AM A WAXAHOLIC. It's true I have a secret love for waxing. I have to admit that this is not something that I necessarily brought on by myself. It really has to do with a little syndrome I have called 'Murry-ism'. Please let me define it for you...

MURRAY-ISM: ThE AcT Of bEinG bOrN iNTo tHe MuRraY BlOoD LinE

To put it in less complex words, if you are a Murray you are hairy.
So here is my story, my name is Stacie, I am a Murray, I am Hairy, therefore I am a WAXAHOLIC. It's not that I sit up at night thinking 'ooo I just can't wait to wax again'. It's more of a fear induced obsession. Please read on...

It started when I was in highschool and became more terrible when I went to college. It was not until I imagined myself introducing myself to my future husband using the words, "Hi, I'm Stacie and I am a hairy ape" that I decided to do something about it. So I did. I began to wax. I wax my arms so children don't come up to me and pet them (this has happened before), I wax my eyebrows so I don't have to part them to see out of my eyes, and I admit, I WAX THE UPPER LIP!....shocking, i know, who admits that! Well I'm stepping out. I'm putting it all out there for future generations, so they know that there is no shame in what we do!

The day came when I finally got married, and I felt like I had to do my waxing in secret. As the nair strip ripped across my lip and a slight squeal came out from underneath the shut and LOCKED door, there was a small knock followed by a, "honey, you okay in there?" "Just Peachy!" I respond. It was not long after that I walked out of the bathroom with that identifying red upper lip, and eyebrows. My sweet husband just looked at me with wide eyes. I simply respond, "beauty is my duty!"

There was even a summer that I worked extra hard to afford electrolysis, and laser hair removal in college. At the time I was dating Mitch and I took extra precautions to make sure he did not know my little secret. I simply "had to run an errand in layton and would not be back for a few hours" However, I avoided him for the rest of the day so he did not see my 'battle wounds'. A few years later the secret got out. He must have been feeling extra brave one day when he asked "so where did you get laser done?". For a moment I froze, then I responded, "some secrets with women are so precious, not even a husband can know" a short silence. Then I responded in a much more snappy tone, "and I will never tell you that!" He never asked again.

Then I had a baby and the whole summer of laser was wasted. So I continued my waxing. Nair waxing strips were the product of choice. Affordable, quick, clean, and easy. I have to admit I'm a bit of a professional at the procedure now. Even family parties have turned into 'waxing parties' in which we rid ourselves of our extra fur. But I was not always this good. For example, I have waxed off my eyebrows entirely, I have missed huge patches of arm hair, I have bled, and I have waxed off the top layer of skin above my lip which caused an embarrassing scab there (BEWARE: this happens if you wax while you are on your period). Skills like mine don't come without some abuse.

I proudly admit that it is the Lifferth girls who keep NAIR in business. Because now we walk without fear of that sneaky little hair coming out in just the right light, or having small children wonder why a gorilla lives at that house. So I am admitting, for all those future generations of hairy girls, that I Stacie, am a WAXAHOLIC! So if you are ever in need of a good wax, come on over and I'll get rid of those nasty little hairs for you! No girl should be embarrassed because of their hairy blood lines!! :)

El-No respecter of persons.

One of my favorite things about El is she is definitely NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS! She does not care who you are, what you look like, how old you are, or if your her mom or not! She will undoubtedly smile, accept and LOVE YOU!

Here is my favorite picture that clearly demonstrates how she really is no respecter of persons but in a different way! My Dad was taking a nap on the floor today when Ellie backed up and sat on his head to look at a few DVD's. Man, she just cracks me up!

Love you Grandpa Lifferth!

Fall Family Pictures!

Mitch and I took the in-laws Ranger out for a fall picnic. We drove up to Peterson (by Morgan) onto some family property and enjoyed a fun ride. The fall colors were amazing! While we were there we decided to take some family pics. Unfortunately for us we didn't have a photographer so we used the timer on our camera. We took over 200 pics because that's how long it takes to get a few good ones when you are trying to push the button, run back to the rest of the family, get in a 'natural' pose, and get your 10 m old to smile! Indy also joined in on the adventure. The poor thing is starting to answer to the name of 'dumb dog' as he either ran into the pictures he was not supposed to be in, or kept looking the wrong way for the pictures for the ones we wanted him in. The point of it all is that we had a whole lot of ridiculous Dorius fun!

I love this picture of Ellie.

Our sweet ride. Indy rode in the back and loved every second of it!

Makeshift golf lesson's

I'm all about trying new things, this time it was golfing. Yes, I'm 24 and have never played a round of golf. Honestly, my expectations of the activity were pretty darn low but I had a great time! Let me give you a quick lesson from what I learned from my first round...

RULES or I guess they are beginner tips: 1) Try to smack the ball, you'll likely miss. Don't give up you'll get it...eventually. 2) spend the next 15 minutes looking for your ball (you'll likely not find it), 3) talk quietly, 4) smack the ball again and if your me, you'll smack it 8 or 9 more times before getting to the green (well that's only if you don't lose it, in that case get a new ball and throw it as close to the hole as you can). 5) Don't scream in amazement when it actually goes in. (refer to rule #3) 6) Don't hit someone else's ball if it's in your way. 7) If by chance you lose your ball more than 3 times during one hole may I suggest quitting and starting over at the next hole (I did that 3 times). 8) Use the right whacking tool AKA "a club" ( Mitch kindly corrected me after the 5th hole of teeing off with a sand wedge (IT WORKED, SO I USED IT!)). 9) When you're golfing with me the HIGHEST score wins! Yay! GO ME!

We went with our good friends Jami and Adam. Lucky for us, they weren't taking it too serious either.
My sub-par form. I guess your not supposed to run up on it.A good picture in the cart that made all the difference. It was obviously dark by the time we finished. Good times! Thanks for the date!

Cabin Trip!

Our family spent the weekend up at the cabin with our fabulous friends the Petty's. The fall colors were beautiful and the crisp air is always refreshing. On our way up to the cabin we stopped off at the "Roadside Diner" in Oakley. It's a cute railroad cart that has been turned into a diner. The fries there were delish! Ellie of coarse was happy as ever and loved the hike in the backpack. Thanks Petty's for a great weekend!

Mitch Update: Mitch is doing great. He doesn't have any major problems from the accident except for a really sore back. He insists that only a back scratch will make him feel better...nice try Mitchell. :)

Mitch's Accident

Yesterday Mitch took his 11 year old scouts on their summer over nighter. Little did we know that we would actually be spending it in the Emergency Room. Just to warn you the pictures are pretty graphic so if you have a weak stomach beware. The whole story is so random that everyone who was a part of the fiasco just shakes their head and say's "that was so crazy".

The group consisting of 3 adults and 4 boys (at the time) left Layton at about 3:30 on Friday afternoon. Around 5:45 they started setting up tents. In the process of setting up Mitch and another leader were trying to hang a tarp over the eating area when Mitch stepped in a hole and hurt his ankle. He then hobbled over to the nearby picnic table and sat down. In the meantime a microburst of wind picked up causing the tents to start blowing away. Then there was a big snap and Brother Slaughter yelled, "look out!'. Mitch doesn't remember that, in fact he doesn't remember any of it. The wind had broke the top part of a cottonwood tree off and it fell directly on top of him. It pinned his head between his legs knocking him unconscious. Brother Ellison and Brother Slaughter rushed over and (quite miraculously) lifted the tree off of Mitch.
Once the tree was off, Mitch toppled to the ground and was laying in a pool of his own blood. Brother Ellison who is a firefighter went into work mode and tried to stop the blood coming from Mitch's head. All the while Mitch was coming in and out of consciousness. The 2 leaders then hoisted Mitch into the back of the suburban and drove him down to Huntsville where he was met by an ambulance. He was then taken to Mckay Dee Hospital.

Meanwhile, back at home: Friday afternoon was really strange for me and Ellie. We had plans to go to Park City to stay the night with my sister Trish and her family. Around 4:30 Ellie started running a fever and I decided to put her in pajamas (something I usually do at 8). Then around 5 I called my sister and we decided, with Ellie not feeling so hot we better just stay at home. For the next hour, I honestly could not think of anything to do that night. A friend stopped by and we visited for a while, but in my mind I had a very long and boring night ahead of me.

Until I got that terrible phone call. It was something like this, "Hi, is this Stacie?" I responded "yes" then the man on the phone said, "this is Jessie with Ogden fire and rescue" and i replied "Jessie why are you calling me..." he then said, "Your husband was in an accident and we are in and ambulance headed to Mckay Dee, can you meet us there?" That is a bad call to get. I then called my mom who just 'happened' to be less then 2 miles away from my house and she babysat Ellie while Larry, Sherrill ,my dad and I all rushed to the hospital.

Meanwhile back at camp: Obviously everyone was a little shaken up. When the tree fell it released a beehive from it's inner trunk. They were a bit ticked off and began stinging everyone including the 4 boy scouts. Brother Slaughter received 6 or 7 stings as one flew in his shirt.
The boys were told to get into one particular tent (it was the tent with the least amount of bee's (1)) and stay there. Once brother Ellison had left with Mitch, brother Slaughter returned to find the 4 boy scouts in a circle. They were taking turns praying for Mitch and telling things they liked about "Brother Dorius" to help them stay positive. When Mitch and I heard this (after the fact), we couldn't help but cry, we are so thankful for innocent prayers.

They then packed up the camp and came home. Brother Ellison and the emt's cleaned the blood out of the suburban and brought it home for us. Val, Matt and Kiera (Dorius) came and unpacked all of the food and gear.

The Hospital: When I got to the hospital the first picture is how I found Mitch. He was still in and out of it but was slowly beginning to come to. His whole body was shaking as he was strapped to the board. You might be thinking 'you heartless woman, why were you taking pictures of him at a time like this!' well, I didn't take them until after he had calmed down a bit and he had received a blessing and I knew he was going to be okay. He was very stiff at this point because he had been on a backboard for over an hour and a half. They were afraid of moving him as he had severe pain in his head, neck, and back. Amazingly enough, all of the test's came back just fine.

This is how I found Mitch. He wasn't smiling much at this point. It was really quite terrible to see him like this. His clothes had blood all over them.

This is the gash in the top of his head. The piece on the right is his scalp that was pulled back with the hair follicles below. The dark red middle part is the deepest part of the cut. He had to receive 4 staples to get his head back together. Amazingly enough, he came away with a minor concussion.

The staples in his head. They had to numb it by giving him several shots in the top of his head. Even that part made me a little squeamish.

When he got hit he bit his tongue on top and bottom. This picture does not do justice to what it really looks like.

He has cuts down the back of the head and onto his back. The rest of him is badly bruised. His arm is also very itchy from those darn bees s stinging him! We got home from the hospital at midnight.

Today we drove back to the campsite to look for Mitch's glasses (we will have enough medical expenses). Everything was just as they left it. Mitch was sitting on the far left side of the picnic table while Landon Slaughter (one of his scouts) was sitting on the right. The rest of his scouts were sitting beside Mitch until their tent started to blow away just before the tree fell. Landon's shirt was torn and he also had a few scratches. The table itself was most likely what saved his life as it took most of the blow. The metal table was bent (see pictures on top right).

We are so blessed and so fortunate to have Mitch with us today. It has been amazing to see how our Heavenly Father prepared, watched over and blessed us during this crazy accident, he really is aware of us and creates a perfect plan for our lives. We are so grateful for the calls, texts, and prayers that were given in our behalf. We truly were and are watched over...and yes we found the glasses.

East Canyon w/the Dorius Clan

We spent last weekend with the Dorius clan at the annual East Canyon reunion. The week was full of water skiing (see side pics), swimming, shuffleboard, and good memories. Here are a few fun pics!

Ellie loves being tossed into the air. Unfortunately Mitch is the only one strong enough to throw her high! I love her rolls in this picture!
(Above) We all had a great time in the pool with a gaggle of the Dorius Grandkids. (Below) We love family pictures in this group!

So this is what they were talking about!

Let's see if I can post this without sounding too sappy. Actually, the more I think about it, the more impossible it seems...So for those of you who can't stand a bit of sap...simply look away or just bare with me.

The other night I was sitting up in Ellie's room rocking her to sleep. The lights were off but the door to her bedroom was open leaving the room dimly lit. As I was rocking El to sleep Mitch was walking passed the door every few minutes attempting to pick up, fold, or put away some of the random chaos from the day. As I sat there a thought came to my mind, 'I've arrived'. Really, that was it, profound i know. But at that moment, at that time, i felt that I had arrived.
Let me explain. From the time you awkwardly stumble into young women's your leaders start drilling the recipe for success into your head. Be clean, be kind, be worthy, don't date til your 16, date in groups, stay in school, get an education, go to institute, read, pray, ask, date a worthy man, go through the temple, get married in the temple, have kids...etc. etc. etc. So the other night when I was sitting in my rocker, with my little girl asleep on my chest, and my adorable husband walking back and forth, I couldn't help but think, "I've finally arrived". It was as if hundreds of YW lessons, seminary lessons, church talks, firesides, and conferences finally came together and made a whole lot of sense. This was the feeling they were talking about for all those years! They actually knew what they were talking about! It was one of those moments that I just could have sat and enjoyed for hours on end. It was for just a second, perfect.
I suppose some day in the far future I'm going sit down and write it all out again though. When grandchildren are all around, and things are hanging lower than they should, and I have to help my husband put in his fake teeth, I suppose one day I'll have that split second moment when I'll again sigh and say, "I've arrived, this is what they were talking about". Then again when I die and I'm sitting in heaven and everything is once again a little more perkie perhaps then I'll say to Mitch again, "so this is what they were talking about."

Family Reunion 2010!

We spent the last weekend at the Murray family reunion at the Heber Valley girls camp. We had a great time eating gourmet food, and enjoying some friendly competition. Enjoy! During the ropes coarse Ellie got tuckered out. She, as always, spent most of the time smiling away!

This ridiculous game naturally got out of hand as the cousins, siblings etc began spinning the ball above their head to knock over their water bottles. Eventually, it turned into everyone trying to hit each other with the nylon ball!

Before going to the zip line we played this team building game. We had to work together and race to the finish line. Naturally, it turned into each team trying to push the other off of the boards. In the end you can see that our team won first (but Robb might have a different story, but this isn't his blog!)

Ellie loved canoeing, this picture makes her look so big! I thought for sure she was going to rock the boat over! Luckily Captain Mitchell kept us dry!

My New Toy

For my birthday, graduation, anniversary, and next 3 years worth of christmas presents, Mitch bought me my first road bike. Amazing! I'm not sure i've ever had a gift this cool. For those of you who don't know, my family has a very sick addiction to road biking. Naturally, if I wanted to fit in, I too needed to get one! I admit that I don't love it more than running, but it is fun to change things up a bit! The only upsetting thing about it is that everytime I go biking with my dad he absolutely kills me! HE'S 61!

Family Firsts

When your starting out in life your naturally going to have a lot of "Firsts". Here are a few of Ellie's firsts! Enjoy!

Ellie's first experience with yams. She obviously loved them!

Ellie's first 6 month birthday celebration. It was June 1st. We celebrated by eating cupcakes and Ellie drank a bottle of 'the good stuff'.

Ellie has learned quickly that life will not stop just because she came into the mix. She is always there working beside us!

Ellie enjoyed her first memorial day weekend by visiting Roger's (Mitch's brother) and Great Grandma Lifferth's grave. We took some time and shared with Ellie some of our favorite memories.

Ellie and I flew to Kentucky for cousin Braden's baby blessing. While there, we attended our first Cincinnati Reds game!

There are more firsts to come, this is only the beginning!

The Great Rat Hunt.

Last summer we started to notice some nibbles out of our vegetables. That is when we discovered Rats coming over from the nearby stream and partaking of our harvest. So with the help of my brother Spencer, we decided to take matters into our own hands. Watch the clip below to see how it all played out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvKFQzlaOIA

Marathon Play by Play (with pics)

Ouch! That is all I have to say! I finished hours ago and I am perfectly content sitting on my couch and not moving for the next 3 days. But you know what? Inside, I feel pretty good. As crazy as it sounds, there is something rewarding about pushing yourself to absolute exhaustion. It is rare in life that you have the 'opportunity' to push yourself to your absolute breaking point.
So here is the play by play...
3:50 a.m. I'm up and nervously getting ready. Awesome Mitchell gets up with me and fixes me a killer PB&J and oatmeal for breakfast
4:20 a.m: I leave and pick up Tyler (my brother in law)
5:00 am: get on the bus in Ogden
6:00 am: I begin to pin on my racing number only to realize that my tank top is inside out with the 'built in bra' on the outside. What a nerd! I'm just glad I caught it early! :)
7:00 am: The race begins!
7:30 am: We pull into a comfortable 8 minute/mile pace. I feel pretty good.
7:30-9:45 am: We kept an even 8 minute/mile pace. My legs begin feeling banged up at about mile 18. It's an awful feeling that I have never felt before. It's as if they are completely flexed, but your not flexing.
(sorry, I'm going to switch to mile markers now).
Mile 19- I go to take a drink of gatorade (while running) and end up tossing it over my shoulder. I start to realize I'm losing it.
Mile 20- It's a mental game now, Tyler informs me that I'm going to beat my brother Spencer's P.R. if I can hold the pace (His was 3:39). I have a new goal.
Mile 21- I imagine myself crossing the line and start forcing myself to hold back tears. I knew it would throw off my breathing if I let it out, I choked up 3 or 4 times. Tyler is awesome as ever, encouraging me every five minutes or so.
Mile 22- I think "I can run 4 miles, that's a short run on any other day"
Mile 23- I start thinking "Good crap, 3 miles is so long"
Mile 24- I completely hit the wall. I'm pretty sure it's made out of brick. I basically stopped in my tracks. I lose my ability to think positively (WITH 2 MILES LEFT!) For the first time in the race I have to walk. I told myself "you have 20 steps, then you have to get back on this". Tyler stopped with me which was good because I was not walking straight. :) I would say delirium was starting to set in.
Mile 24 (and 20 walking steps)-I start back to running. I'm in survival shuffle mode. My pace drops off to about 9-9:30 pace. I'm honestly in complete survival mode and my legs were screaming!
Mile 25- Last one! I begin talking to myself..."you got this...you got this..." Having a baby is way easier then a marathon(for me at least). I could have used an epidural at this point.
Mile 25 1/2- I see the finish line. Tyler say's "only 5 more blocks! I told him that was not encouraging (at least I tried to, it came out, "noot (breath) encour (breath) age (breath) ing)". I find the middle line on the road and tell myself to stay on it.
Mile 26-People are on both sides cheering, I see Trish and Mom crying and Mitchell cheering. I barely turn my head to look at them (too much energy at that point :) (Matt, Keira, and Amy were there too, I couldn't see them (things were getting blurry.) :)
Mile 26.2- I cross the line and just about tip over. I DID IT! MY FIRST MARATHON! OUCH! I ran a 3:35.4 and qualified for the BOSTON Marathon! YAHOO!

After the race: Some medical staff take me to a tent. Check my H.R. which had dropped a bit too low (which accounts for the lack of coherence). Thank goodness for them! I'm pretty sure I ate everything they had.

20 min later- I see Mitch for the first time and totally break down sobbing. (I started crying just typing about that moment)

1 hour later- I'm sitting on the grass, can't walk, still wearing the medal
2 hours later- I'm sitting in the car, never wanting to move, still wearing the medal
3 hours later- I'm sitting on my front lawn next to the car, still not moving, still wearing the medal
4 hours later- I'm sitting on the couch, still not moving, yes, with my medal. In fact I might just wear it to church!
etc. etc. etc. ...Still not walking.

I'm not to the point of saying "I want to do another one," but I will say it is an accomplishment that feels pretty dang good to have under my belt. It really is amazing what the human body can do. Thanks for all the prayers and support!

By the way, Ellies shirt says, "My mom is faster than your dad" :)

Marathon Time! 5 days and counting!

When I was 8 months pregnant I gained a deceiving fear of never being skinny again so I did what any 'out of their mind' pregnant woman would do, signed up for a marathon! It was not long before I found myself saying, what was I thinking?!
So about a month and a half after Ellie was born I strapped on my NIKES and hit the pavement only to find that things had been 'shifted' a bit. My muscles in my legs were nearly gone, my stomach had an extra pooch (we're still working on that), and my 'bosoms' had blossomed! It only took me one run to learn that you must 'express' yourself before running (is that not the funniest word you have ever heard! Who made that up!?).
However, in March, life became a bit overwhelming and I decided that this might not be the best time of life to train for a marathon. So I sold it. Well at least I thought it was sold. Feeling relief by not having 26.2 miles looming over me I stopped worrying about training and simply enjoyed my time just being a Mommy. But three weeks ago I learned that the marathon committee would not transfer the name and that the marathon was still mine.
Now, 75 bucks is a lot to go to waste even if I am not in the shape I would like to be in, so naturally I have to run it! I decided that the only way I could do it was if I had an awesome pair of running shoes. Thanks to Mitchell, I spent MORE money and got me some sweet Asics and again I've been hitting the pavement. For some reason a new pair of shoes always gets me back in the mood. and naturally, I will need a sweet marathon outfit because after all it is still my first, and although I may look like death physically and least I will have good style:). Don't worry i'll post pics.
So Five days and counting, here I go, wish me luck! My goal is under 4:15 you all can hold me to it! gulp!

We Like 'em Big, We Like 'em Plumpy...

I know I just posted my Easter post but I had to tell you about our little chunk! She just had her 4 month appointment and she is a chunk! Her weight is 81st percentile, height 76%, and head circumference is 86 percentile! She is currently wearing 6-9 month clothes! Go Girl! Bottles up!

Happy Easter!

We had a great weekend hanging out with the Lifferth and Dorius clans for Easter! Ellie enjoyed her first Easter egg hunt and watched wide eyed at all the screaming kids!

All the grandkids getting ready for the Lifferth Easter egg hunt. Grandma Lifferth fills them with dollar bills just to make the event a little more exciting. After the kids, the adults grabbed their baskets and had one too!

Ellie with Grandpa Dorius

Ellie being held by Cousin Dax

3 down, 3 treatments to go!

I have been in the YW's for a year and a half now and I'm afraid it is turning me into a softy. Who would have known that I would have developed a love for a bunch of other peoples kids. In fact, today i decided that I was getting a little too attached when I started tearing up while singing 'The birthday song' to one of my girls that is moving onto Laurels! But honestly you can't help but love them.

Upon entering YW I could not help but feel overwhelmed. The miamaids I received could not have been more different. Different ages, different schools, different friends, different likes and dislikes. But as the year has progressed, we have been able to see how all of the different attitudes have meshed together as one.

This has become even more evident when one of our miamaids (Madey) was diagnosed with Cancer. Madey is a go lucky 14 year old who seems to light up the room. She loves sports, joking around, and simply going with the flow. Her go lucky attitude has continued as she pushes through the pokes prods and nausea of chemo treatment. She has been a positive example to all of us and has given us the opportunity to serve someone we love.

Since Madey has not been able to join us we have all felt at a loss from not having her presence. It has been interesting to see how the dynamics of class has changed. We have realized the importance of every class member.

Each one of the miamaids wants every activity, every class and basically every moment centered around her. So that's kindof what we do. When Madey is healthy (if her count is up) we hold YW at her house, today we skyped her into the lesson, after every activity that Madey can't come to, we stop by her house and sing a primary song outside her window. Madeys struggle has turned out to be an opportunity for us to serve and the change in every ones attitude has been amazing. So, here's to you Madey...3 down, 3 treatments to go!

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day everyone! Can I just brag about my sweet husband? He is really learning well! It really is fascinating how our husbands evolve throughout marriage. Take for example our 1st married valentines day. I had been planning it for weeks. I prepared an elaborate dinner complete with candles, good friends, steaks, and goblets. So I, like any woman, was expecting him to one up himself from the last year. The previous year was fabulous, thought out, and really sealed the deal, but we were dating, need I say more? So when Mitch came home on our first Valentines day and said, "Here, I bought you this belt". I cried. A belt? Now, it totally makes sense. He is all about functional, useful gifts. While I imagine these amazing moments with flowers, consumables etc. ( I admit my imaginations may be a little elaborate).

Going on our third year of marriage life has changed. It's a little more simple. A night out to dinner and some winter Olympics. But when I got out of the shower and came down the stairs, this is what I found on the griddle, pancakes that say I Love You! Needed and consumable! Doesn't take much to please us these days!!

P.S. We also got another member of the Lifferth Clan as Randy and Alanna had their 2nd child. They named him Braden William Lifferth. He was a month early, surprise!