Blessing for the newest member of the Stimpson Family

Dan's youngest brother Kody and his family just moved to Henderson NV.  They are now pretty close to us.  It is so nice to be able to go to a few family events such as baby blessings and have it only be a 5 hour drive.  We had so much fun this last weekend being able to spend time with people we love.  Welcome to the Stimpson family Jack Bryant!

Nikki Awarded Student of the Month for Trustworthiness

I am so proud of Nikki!  She has been at her new School since October and has had a little bit of a rough transition.  Each month at this school they have an assembly that highlights a character trait.  This month was trustworthiness.  Nikki and another boy from her class were chosen for Mrs. Baker's 5th grade class.  I think this is something great to be known for.  Grandma and Grandpa Stimpson were able to attend today as well.  They brought her a single pink Rose.

The Holidays

We started out our Holidays this year, by spending Thanksgiving at Disneyland.  It was so fun to go and have all of this Christmas lights and music playing.  It really helped me get in the mood.  The weather was a little cold Thanksgiving Day.  We were there for three days, and by Saturday it was almost 80 degrees and didn't feel like November at all.  I loved the fun time our family had together.  I am looking forward to Dan's family down here for Christmas.  It won't be long, this month is already flying by.

Families That Play Together Stay Together.

Sister's Utah weekend

#1 Picture: So we must start with the sweetest toes first. We didn't want Deena's little one to feel left out of the spotlight so we took a picture of her toes too. #2 Picture: Post pedi pictures. After our toes were soaked, scrubbed and painted all pretty. We must sport the glam flip flops they gave us. #3 Picture: Not the best idea to take the picture in front of the window, but we had alot of fun together even if we were missing the two oldest and wisest sister's. 5 out of 7 sisters made it to Utah for a fun filled weekend just doing whatever we felt like doing. We definitly need to do it again sometime soon.

Grand Canyon Vacation

Dan and I decided that we needed a little winter snow fix and we planned a trip to the Grand Canyon via the Williams, AZ train. I think I have had enough snow for the year. It was really fun, and really cold.

Another Christmas Come and Gone

Christmas seemed to come rather quickly this year and the day is already gone. Another 264 days until the next one will arrive. We had a warm Christmas here in Arizona, my brain is still having a hard time grasping the concept of it. Growing up with snow and usually having it tease us with its presence in October, triggered my senses into the feelings of the season. (Numb fingers, tingling toes, and icicle snot.) Whether my senses realize it or not, the calendar still says December 26th. I know that snowy or warm, the spirit of Christmas can still be felt in the story of Christ's birth. The new year will be a fresh beginning. New Years resolutions will be made which, with any luck will last longer than two weeks. The first of a few of my resolutions being, updating my blog much more often. I am looking forward to 2011 and the adventures it will bring.

Family Reunion

It has been so long since I posted anything and I feel like time has just gotten away from me. We really are still alive and well. These are just a few pictures that we took on our trip in August for the family reunion.

Arizona Christmas 2009

I wish I had a better picture, but this will have to do. This is Christmas day in Arizona. I'll have to be careful to not get it mixed up with my summer ones ;) Allison got a volleyball and they are trying it out together.

Where is the time going?

My Dad always told me when I was little that time goes by alot faster as you get older. I didn't understand at all! I just thought, how could time go faster when every minute is exactly the same and when you are four and have absolutely no responsibilities a minute seems like an eternity. So here is to perspective. It has been over a month since I posted and I can not believe it. I am still trying to get settled into this house that we are calling home. I miss the comfortable surroundings of Orem and the fact that if I needed underwear I could drive ten minutes and get some instead of ordering them. I miss the public library that has any LDS book you could ever want instead of having to hunt for the one and only Deseret Book. I miss being able to go to the school and peek in on my children and give them a hug without showing photo ID at the only entrance that is open during school hours. (I know that this is a double edged sword because this way they are safe.) So I am learning that I have an extremely hard time with change and I will try my hardest to find the learning and growing experience in all of this. For one, it is easy to take the simple things for grantide. On a positive note is still so warm here and I wish that I was capturing more with my camera, but somehow it has disapeared and I can not find it. I think it may have been in the car when I took it to get it detailed after our trip here, but who is pointing fingers. It is just plain and simple gone. So hopefully sooner than later I will be able to take some pictures to post. To friends and family that will maybe read this, I miss you dearly.

I see a Light!

It's really wierd to think about this year hind sight. The last month has been really crazy. It has gone from really stressful to way less stressful in a matter of weeks. There are two parts of state board that I had to take. The first was the practical, which is all of the hands on technical stuff and I was so very scared for this. Not that I didn't prepare, but I think I can speak for most of us when I say it is just fear of the unknown. Not knowing what is expected so I prepared, maybe even overprepared, so when the time comes and I have to perform and my nerves are completely frazzled, I can still do it and not freeze. So on the practical you get a pass/fail and I passed. Hurray! It was so crazy driving home and thinking it was all kind of a dream. I passed, I really passed. Then came the written, I had taken Miss Evan's tests at school and done pretty well all year, but when I started reviewing the testing booklet, I kinda started getting scared because so many of them I was blanking on, but I did my best and just studied as hard as I could. Both tests were timed and the the written was an hour and a half. I took 35 minutes to do 110 multiple choice. This time getting a 91%. I couldn't believe it and I still can't that everything is in the mail and I am just waiting for my license to come. Oh wait, it's not over yet. Now I get to move to Arizona and take the state laws and also present my Utah license the the Arizona state board, but then I will be licensed in Arizona and Utah. Oh, and I had to get a 90% on Miss Evans final to graduate. Yeah me! I pulled out a 95%!
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Crazy, Fast, Month

Well, Dan and Megan have been in Arizona for a week and a half now. They were able to come visit last weekend. Friday night they got in around 6:30 and then Sunday night they had to leave and go back around 5:30. I was really kinda emotional, more than I wanted to be. I have to keep reminding myself that this will all go by really fast and then we can all be in Arizona and move on with our lives. On a brighter note, I have now passed both of my state board tests so I can refocus on my kids and relax just a little. I do still have my final that Miss Evans gives us which will be on September 2nd. I only have to get a 90% (kill me now!) It will take about 3 hours to take her test and then I just need to finish my hours up. Next visit will probably be in about 3 weeks and then again 2 weeks after that. Hopefully the next month will go as fast as this one has.

Jackson Hole & West Yellowstone

We had alot of fun over the 24th weekend. Why is it though that you usually need a vacation from your vacation. It was really fun to have the time off and spend it with my family although it was really hard to go back to school this past Tuesday. I have been on dispense all week. One more day of it and I won't have to do it again while I am in school.

Nikki's Baptism

Nikki's special day finally came. We had Grandpa's and Grandma's, Aunts and Uncles, Cousins, and Friends. It was so much fun to see everyone and have our youngest get Baptized. Time has gone by really fast.