The Oakes

Busy June and more to come...

2011-06-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

What a great and crazy month it has been! And we are not even all the way through the month. We have had some major milestones in this month-mostly that Tyler was able to finish out his year long residency at Kaiser San Francisco! We are so grateful for this wonderful opportunity and for all of the people he worked with-we love them all and will miss them. With the ending of one job-it is always a blessing to have one that we are super excited about. Tyler's new position is more of a transfer-we will be moving to Sacramento July 2nd where he will work at the South Sacramento Kaiser Hospital. He is excited to not only be a full time (non student) employee, but also to be driving his own car! We actually have so much to look forward to with this new move. We are anxious to move on from our 500sq. ft apartment and sharing a room with Grant to hopefully owning our very first home. Well these are all things we are looking forward to in the very near future. This entry is actually is documenting our wonderful road trip/wedding/family visits around the western states-Nevada, Utah, Idaho, and So. California (although our camera died the last day we were in ID but our video camera was rolling!)
I picked up Tyler from his last day at work and we made it all the way to Reno,NV (our goal!) We drove the long, hot drive from Reno to Orem making it to Aunt Dawn's home with only a small 1.5 hour delay when we saw a small amount of smoke coming from our steering column and a burning smell. We were greeted with the best homemade dinner and best company- Dawn, Cousin Erica, and her most darling Rainier. We fell in love with him-and are so glad we could see everyone and visit-even though it was too short.
Saturday was the great event-Lindsay and Adam's sealing in the Manti temple and reception later that evening in South Jordan. Tyler made the great sacrifice of waiting outside the temple to watch Grant so I could be there. We did have Erica and Shauna (one of my best friends and college roommate) volunteer to watch Grant so we could both be there but we figured the day was going to be pretty long after a really long journey to get there so we decided that we should all just stay together.
As soon as I saw Linds, I just broke into tears-she is absolutely stunning! We are so happy for her and Adam!! It was such an honor to be there and witness the beautiful sealing and great words of their sealer. It was also so wonderful to see Lindsay's family-who I haven't seen in a really long time. They have always been so welcoming and loving-I love them and it was so great to see them and we were in awe when we saw how much older all of the kids were!
We pretty much turned around from Manti to go to the reception center in South Jordan where we were able to see Shauna and her beautiful family and our roommate Michayla. It was great to catch up with them and hear about their life adventures. Grant and Tyler also made a few friends from the crowd. We are so glad we were able to share in that special day and see so many people we love.
We made our way up to Idaho Falls to see Aubrey and Scott. We had another amazing dinner of homemade pizza and played Frisbee golf at the most beautiful park located on the Snake River. Every night we played Settlers of Catan and were humbled by our younger siblings! We went on a hike to the lower Mesa Falls (about 13 miles from West Yellowstone), fed Wild Trout, went to Bear World and saw so many cool animals, fixed our "car problem", had more yummy food compliments of Aubrey, ate chocolate cinnamon bears, and almost watched the entire first season of Lost. It was such a great mini trip and we were so grateful for their warm hospitality and especially for their love of Grant!
We made the trip from Idaho Falls to San Francisco (also stopping in Sacramento to see our realtor and a couple of homes). The next morning at 5, we woke up to catch our flight to see Mom and Dad Oakes. Mama Sha aka Nana (or Nawna if you're Dad Oakes!) picked us up and we were able to tour Dad O's new office and meet his co-workers. We are so grateful for these job opportunities and less stress!
During those two days where Mom and Dad were working, we slept! And it was so wonderful!! In the afternoon and evening, we released Grant into their care and were so happy to hear the squeals of a excited baby coming from outside the door:) We were able to see Grandma and Grandpa Oakes and eat a wonderful Lemon Meringue pie our first night and the second night, we had dinner at Grammie and Grandpa Willardson's home. On Saturday-we went on a pretty walk, cleared some of Tyler's things from the storage unit, and then Grant went to his first baseball game at Petco field in San Diego to watch the Padre's v Braves. Grant loves his grandparents and great grandparents-it was so fun to watch them all interact. We were also able to play some fun card and dice games. It was the perfect trip!
We were so happy with our drive back and Grant didn't even cry once. It was a very hot day-with "AC" on high and many cups of ice for eating and cooling.
We are so happy we were able to take this time and visit family and loved ones. We wish we could have spent more time with everyone. This will be our last entry from San Francisco-next stop-Sacramento!! We have loved our time here and will miss our ward friends-luckily, we are close enough to see everyone and we will definitely do so soon:) Also-I should mention, we want to congratulate Tyson and Natalie on their newest bundle of love-Elijah Bergeson Teeples. We can't wait until we get to meet the newest member of the family:) Babies are the best!

Tyler's Big Day!

2011-05-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful trip we had to Arizona! We had a great time with everyone and we were able to celebrate Tyler's graduation from Arizona State University!! Yay Tyler! The only bad thing about the trip was that it was way too short. It started off by arriving at the airport late on Wednesday evening-and being greeted by the two grandma's (moms) at our gate. What a treat! We were picked up by the grandpa's (dads) at the curb and all rode together to Mesa. Unfortunately for Grandma Terri, who volunteered to take Grant for the night, all of this excitement woke Grant up and he was full of energy most of that night! We are so grateful to Aunt Donna to allow us to stay with her and for her wonderful meals! We had a delicious breakfast and were able to relax that next morning before going off to Tempe for Ty's graduation. At noon, we carpooled to the University Club on ASU's campus to a very nice catered lunch and a more intimate gathering of Tyler's department (fellow students, faculty, and family members). He received his white coat and a pinata (sp?), as requested, and he gave a wonderful speech. After that we went to the Graduate Level Graduation where we entertained ourselves (before the ceremony of course!) by chatting, reading the interesting dissertation choices, and playing I-Spy in the Wells Fargo Arena. When it came time for Tyler to walk and receive his honors, we were the loudest cheering section ever! After the ceremony, we continued our celebrating by having dinner at Texas Roadhouse:) It was just as good as we remembered! Our trip just went by so fast because we had to say good-bye to Mom and Dad Oakes that night who had a very early plane the next morning. The next day, we played lot's of games, watched Grant play and eat, and had the opportunity to go to Grandma Gerry's where were visited with Grandma, Jack and Pauline-who brought us all ice cream sundaes! Grant was getting a little toasty outside (note the rosy cheeks and looks of confusion!) and so we had to put cold water on his head, arms, and legs! We loved visiting and we had so much fun-we almost missed our flights. We just want to thank everyone who came and made this such a special occasion and supported Tyler. It was so wonderful of Donna to allow us to stay in her home, give up her room, make us delicious food, and playing games! We also want to congratulate the other graduates in the family-Dan, Sharee, and Tyson! Hip Hip Hooray! We are so proud of you all and wish we could be there to celebrate with you too! Love to all of our family and friends~

Spring 2011 San Francisco

2011-03-29T19:28:00.000-07:00

Where to begin!?! This past week was full of excitement and adventure of all kinds. We'll begin with Scott and Aubrey:) After flight plans going south on Wednesday night, they decided to continue their already long drive (from Idaho Falls to Boise) through the night to San Francisco! It was such a sweet surprise that they decided to come-no matter the conditions as they had a few scary yet thrilling spin-outs near Donner Pass in the early hours of morning. It was such a treat to see them on Thursday afternoon and be able to introduce to them, their newest nephew! Grant instantly loved them and was so happy when they each held him. We picked Tyler up from work and went to a pizza place and watched the BYU v. Florida game. At least the pizza was good! When we got home, we ate lot's of candy and played Settlers of Zarahemla (similar to Catan). Friday we went for a walk in Pacifica, along the coast and came back and made dinner. We played a ton of games Friday-we wanted to make sure everyone could win at something so we played games that were tailored to our individual talents:)
The next morning we all went on a walk around Lake Merced (5 miles)-right outside our apartment and Aubrey braved carrying Grant the whole way in the Baby Bjorn! It was after this walk that we heard awful news from Seattle that Misha, John and Baby Asher's flight was cancelled-along with all of Alaska Airlines flights due to the computers being down. It was pure love and sacrifice that kept them in the airport for 3+ hours in line-waiting to see if they could even catch another flight. It did not look like they were going to make it. Meanwhile, we went across the Golden Gate Bridge, took pictures and went downtown to Fisherman's Wharf. We were eating lunch at In-and-Out (thank you Aubrey and Scott!) when we got the text that livened our spirits! John texted and said they would be in SF in 2 hours!! Hip hip Hooray! We finished up getting some goodies and then only by a miracle, did we enter the Rental Car road (which we were not allowed to proceed) right as they were coming the opposite way! We came home, ate some wonderful pizza (thank you Misha and John), and played some games. Asher and Grant got to meet each other for the first time. Asher is just the cutest little guy, getting excited each time he saw Grant and would get across the room as fast as he could saying "dadadada." Asher has gotten so big since the last time we saw him and just continues to get cuter each day. We definitely missed Caleb but it sounded like he was having a blast at Mom and Dad Young's!
The next morning, Scott and Aubrey left early for their long trek back to Idaho Falls. We met up with John and Misha at their hotel in Pacifica and went to the Tide Pools and saw some Seals and beautiful scenary along Highway 1. We proceeded north to the Golden Gate bridge but as we did so, the weather was becoming increasingly dreary and a hike in the John Muir Woods became a few photos at the park entrance! It was so cold and rainy. We came back and ate dinner after which, we had some of Misha's yummy Caramel Corn and played games. The next morning, we made a quick pit stop at the waterfront, taking pictures, getting souvenirs, and buying chocolate at Ghiradelli square before the three had to get to the airport. The time just went by way too fast and we miss everyone so much. The house is way too quiet! We love to spend time with family and appreciate everyone's efforts to visit us. Come back soon!

Grant's Surgery

2011-02-27T21:15:00.000-08:00

We want to thank everyone for their prayers and thoughts this last week as we had some unexpected events. Last week we had a wonderful time in San Diego celebrating Sharee & Cody's sealing. It was wonderful to be all together in the temple and to add Cody to the family. We apologize for not having any pictures, we forgot our camera but we did get video of the weekends events. Grant's baby blessing was last Sunday, Feb. 20, and we were so happy to have Mom and
Dad Young in town for the event. (Again sorry no pictures)
Grant had been vomiting after eating for about a week, including the time we were in San Diego. Although many people told us "this is normal, all babies throw-up" Christine was in tune with her motherly instincts and knew something was not right. On Thursday I went to work and Christine took Grant to visit his Pediatrician. The doctor immediately ordered an ultrasound of Grant's abdomen and told this might be very serious. Fortunately, the hospital was within walking distance from work so I was able to meet them there. The Radiologist confirmed the Pediatrician's suspicion and told us he definitely had "Pyloric Stenosis." It is a condition that occurs in babies between 3-6 weeks when the pyloris muscle that is at the begining of the small intestine becomes too small and constricts the opening between the muscle and small intestine, not allowing any food to pass through. As a result of Grant having this (undiagnosed) for at least a week, he was very dehydrated at this point and had lost 9 ounces due to his vomiting. We were admitted immediately and were told they would perform surgery. I cancelled my patients at work for the rest of the day and Friday, and we went to the Pediatric floor to prepare for surgery. At this point Christine and I were very scared. We were happy that his problem was definitively diagnosed and had a proven treatment but scared that the little guy needed surgery on his stomach.
Once we were on the Pediatric floor, the nurses had a very difficult time putting an IV in Grant's vein because he was so dehydrated. They tried each wrist and a foot before they got it in his forearm. Blood tests showed his electrolytes were too low due to the vomiting and surgery was delayed until the fluid from the IV could get them normal again. A friend from our ward came to the hospital and helped give Grant a blessing and our family of three all slept in the tiny hospital room. While there, we shared the room with two other babies and their mothers. Although we were sad for Grant's condition the blessing brought a sense of hope and faith. Grant's early obstacle seemed quite small compared to the other babies in the room.
The next day we were happy to learn his electrolytes were normal and his surgery was scheduled and performed at 5pm-6pm, it was difficult waiting for the surgeon to come out and tell us good news that the surgery was successful. The three of us again spent the night in the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit)and about 7 hours later, he was able to eat, and hold down his food; we came home that day from the hospital. We are so thankful for modern medical technology that was able to diagnose and treat this abnormality that occurs in about 1 of 500 white baby boys. I am thankful for Christine's persistence to advocate for Grant and make sure he was seen, we are glad he can again eat and keep down his food. All the prayers and faith of Grant's family and friends were answered.
We didn't have the camera at the hospital so here are a few pics of him lately. Grant really loves his bouncer and has a special relationship with the stuffed monkeys that hang down from the arch-he loves to stare at, talk to, and laugh with the right monkey in particular. It is difficult to take naps with the little guy because he tends to scoot toward the closest body and then uses his little legs to kick you in the back/tummy! We also have his first bath-he really likes to be in the water but will definitely let you know when he's done with loud shrieks that echo against the tile.

Grant Christian Oakes

2011-01-16T20:19:00.000-08:00

The big news here has been the birth of our little angel Grant Christian Oakes.
The short story of his birth goes like this. His due date was 1/4/11 (last Tuesday), but he didn’t want out just yet. At his appointment we decided to induce his birth (take medication to make contractions start and become more intense to help him be born). We decided this because the doctor thought he was bigger than 8lbs and the longer he stayed in there, the bigger he would get and this increased the risk of C-section.
After we set the date to induce we talked it over with women who have done it and researched it and Christine didn’t feel very good about it. Anyway Thursday (1/6) came and we decided to delay being induced another day to see if he would come, after we called the hospital they said they were too full to do it that day anyway. The next day Friday, the same thing. Mom Young got here Thursday and was really helpful with comforting Christine and helping me count her contractions because she went into labor Friday night around 6pm. It was pretty painful for her all night and she didn’t sleep at all. We went into the hospital Saturday morning (1/8) at 4am and they examined her and said although she was in labor she was not dilated enough and we had to choose to either start the inducing medicine then or go home and wait until labor progressed. We decided to go home but Christine was given a morphine shot to help her sleep during the painful contractions. She was able to sleep a little bit that morning and the rest of the day we continued to time her contractions and try and pass the time.
Finally 6pm came and we checked into the hospital, for our scheduled induction. When they did the initial exam they found that she was dilated to 4cm and her contractions were 2-3 minutes apart. So they had no need to use any medicine to induce labor, which was an answer to our prayers and surprising to the nurses and doctor. At this point she had already been “in labor” for 24 hours and was already pretty tired. A little while later she received her epidural medicine in her back to relieve pain. Shortly after this her water broke. The nurse was in and out and we both tried to sleep a little but were unable as labor progressed and baby came down lower through the night. Mom Young was in the waiting room the whole time and I tried to keep her updated. At about 3:30 am it was time to start pushing, they said it usually takes about 2 hours of pushing until baby comes. “Pushing” occurs for about 45 seconds every contraction (every 1:30 to 2 minutes) where she would use all her strength to push baby out. It is a very exhausting task and Christine was trying to sleep as her eyes would close between contractions. We soon found out that Christine had a increasing fever (this is not normal for labor), we later found out that it might have had to do with an infection that began when her water broke that was infecting the placenta. So she pushed for 3 hours and her temperature was increasing, eventually reaching 102 degrees. Christine was also extremely thirsty through out labor and kept asking for water and ice chips which unfortunately also made her sick-she threw up at least 10 times within the 4 hour time period. The doctor also noted that the babies heart rate was dropping during each contraction, an indication that the baby was under stress. Christine was put on antibiotics and was hooked up to so many things including: epidural catheter into her back, IV drip with her antibiotics and saline, contraction monitor, blood pressure cuff and baby heart rate monitor. She was poked many times throughout the delivery to give blood in multiple vials, especially after they found out about her increasing temperature to take cultures-hoping to find out what antibiotic to use to treat her. After 3 and a half hours of pushing the doctor came in and made the decision that the baby needed to be delivered “NOW”. This was due to Christine’s exhaustion, her temperature and babies dropping heart rate during contractions.
The doctor explained that they would be using the “vacuum”, which is really just a hand pump-pressurized suction that sticks to babies head and helps to pull him out. She said “baby will be delivered in the next few minutes”. They called the pediatric doctors into the delivery room to prepare for baby. Once the vacuum was on babies head, Christine was told to push hard 5 times (10 seconds each) while doctor pulled. On the fourth push babies head came out and we saw that the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, after doctor cut it we saw it was wrapped twice, and it was cut again. One more push and baby came out. He was swept away and given to the pediatric doctors, who told us “he wouldn’t be crying for a while”.
I became worried at this point because the mood in the room was very tense. The doctor spent a few more minutes working on Christine and baby was being worked on too. Soon it was clear that everything was just fine and baby was given to me to hold. He was perfect and so precious. Christine then got to hold him and we were overwhelmed by happiness. Baby Grant ended up being just fine, his temperature came down to normal within a few hours and Christine’s came down by the next day.
We stayed in the hospital for two days where they monitored baby and Christine. We decided on the name Grant Christian Oakes. It fits him well.
He is such a good baby. He was 7 lbs 13 oz, 21 ½ inches long has brown hair and a cute nose. He has really long arms and fingers and sharp fingernails. We are so happy to have him and is perfect. All of his subsequent check-ups have been great with no problems, no jaundice, he is eating and sleeping. On his first official doctor's appointment, the pediatrician said his check-up was as good as it could have been for his first check-up!

It was so nice to have Mom Young be at the hospital and before the delivery to help with stocking up our kitchen, cleaning, laundry, and taking lot's of walks around the lake! We appreciate her sacrifice and miss her. We were so fortunate to have Mom Oakes with us a couple of days after Grant was born and home. It was so helpful to have so much help watching Grant so we could get extra sleep and were able to go out for a night on the town! We miss both grandma's and can't wait to see them and introduce our sweet baby to everyone who hasn't met him.
We have been so blessed to be a witness of this miracle. Honestly, we are so happy and feel so much gratitude for our blessings at this time. So many people had been praying for us and for Grant and we really felt the magnitude and power of all those prayers, so many prayers have been answered.

Thanksgiving and Baby

2010-12-05T17:40:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun with Mom and Dad Oakes, who came to visit us in SF to help us host our first Thanksgiving. We were able to do so many fun things. Wednesday they got a tour of the Kaiser Audiology clinic, and then dinner on a street that was the real china town. Thursday morning we went on a long walk in Pacifica along the coast, and of course had the Thanksgiving meal (that we shared with the Missionary sisters), it was so delicious!!! On Friday we went on a ferry ride and 5 walk on Angel Island, which is just past Alcatraz Island and is a great lookout point for the whole city. Saturday was raining so we went to the mall and then downtown to Ghiradelli square, it was really cold but we survived. Sunday after church and naps we gave Mom and Dad an assignment- to decide what they want to be called by grandchildren, as the next time we see them they will be grandparents!! The other pictures are of Christine's baby shower that was put on by the ladies in the ward. Fleur-the little girl in the picture made all the decorations and Jack the little boy made a sign with pictures saying "no peppermint allowed at the baby shower". He explained that he didn't want any babies choking on peppermint candies. The next few weeks will be a special time for us as we celebrate Christmas and await the arrival of baby boy Oakes. Christine has been the most wonderful pregnant lady imaginable!! We love you all and Merry Christmas!

San Francisco and beyond!

2010-09-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

It was such a blessing to have Mom and Dad Young and Bonnie come visit us for Labor Day weekend! It was such a special time as we got to go through the Oakland Temple with Bonnie as she went through for the first time! It was such a great day. The next day was when we went downtown San Francisco and toured Fisherman's Wharf. Unfortunately, Tyler had to work that day and so he couldn't come down with us but we were able to pick him up from work and he showed us a tour of his Kaiser Permanente office. It was so nice-he now has his white coat and his own desk/office too:) On Saturday, we went north to Marin County and hiked around the Redwood trees-we were able to escape the foggy city and enjoy more sunshine! On our last day-we went to church in the morning and in the afternoon, we visited the tide pools 15 minutes from our apartment. We were just in time as the tide was coming in quickly! When we were not out and about, dad was able to do "hot tub therapy" in the community hot tub, we played games (and ate lot's of candy from the SF stores we walked through), and talked endlessly about baby things! It was such a fun week/end and we are so grateful for the time we could spend with family and for all of the baby goodies they brought! Thank you for all of the sacrifice it took to come our way-we loved having you :)

2010-08-04T21:08:00.000-07:00

What a magical time we had in Washington D.C. and the surrounding area! It all started with a wonderful dinner at Ann's Parents home in Virginia-it was great getting to know her family and having a yummy meal. That same night, we were able to walk around the Lincoln Monument and some of the War Memorials. On friday, thanks to Sharee's great connections, we got tickets and a tour of the Capital Building. Saturday was THE BEST starting with the beautiful sealing at the Washington D.C. temple. Dan and Ann looked so happy and it was great to be able to share the day with them. We enjoyed a delicious meal at the Olive Garden-compliments of Mom and Dad Oakes-where the families mixed and mingled. The bride and groom also gave a gracious speech of their appreciation to family and friends but most importantly, they spoke of their love for each other. The reception later that night was GORGEOUS located in the Colton home. It was fun to send them off with sparklers and a TP covered car! The next couple of days, we got to explore more of D.C. including riding the metro, the Holocaust Museum, Air/Space Museum, Library of Congress, Botanical Garden, and the American Indian Museum. And there are so many more places we would have wanted to go! We were very blessed with mild weather and good health. Thank you Mom and Dad Oakes, Grandparents, Ann's family, and the newly weds for a wonderful trip. We are looking forward to the San Diego reception this next weekend and hope to have more blog entries as we now have a working camera:)

Vacation Videos

2010-03-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

Oakes Gone Wild-Spring Break 2010

2010-03-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a snapshot of our Mexican getaway two weeks ago. We left from San Diego on the Holland America Oosterdam and for the first two days we were at sea where; Tyler taught me some dice games, we played cards, rented some books from the ship's library, and ate day and night!
Our first stop was Mazatlan-where we hiked up a large mound of dirt and rock led by some baby goats. We then procured a double-seater kayak and went around Stone Island (seen in the distance in the 1st picture.) We finished off the day with authentic salsa, mexican soda, and iguana pictures-which was more frightening for me than Tyler.
Next stop: Puerto Vallarta! It really has it all-beach, jungle, and sun! We went on a 6 hour tour with our fabulous guide-Carlos! We learned so much about the city and the area. We enjoyed a relaxing day and saw 2 huge sting rays, a surfer, a taxi fight, and some beautiful sand sculptures.
Our last port was Cabo San Lucas. We love this place. Thanks to M & D Oakes, we were able to bypass water taxi's and walk right through a resort to a hidden beach! Tyler and I played in the waves for hours before Tyler decided he could take on the waves and wanted to body surf:)
The cruise was a wonderful way to relax and enjoy each other and this beautiful world! We also were able to spend some time with our family members in San Diego at the Mormon Battlion Center, Fiesta Island, Hiking at Cuyamaca, and family dinners. We love our family and friends so much and appreciate the time we were able to spend together.

Woman of the Season...

2010-01-10T20:55:00.001-08:00

Goes to Misha!!! My wonderful, brave, beautiful, caring, patient, crafty, generous, elegant Sister!!! Misha was amazing during this holiday season because she was so grateful for everything and never complained even though she was unable to participate in many of the activities as she is taking many precautions for their sweet baby (on the way)! We admire Misha's sacrifice and cheerful demeanor through this difficult pregnancy. We love you and are grateful to have you in this family!!

Christmas, New Year, Family and....Guess Where?

2010-01-10T19:24:00.000-08:00

Christine and I had so much fun over the last month and were incredibly lucky to have lots of time off to spend with our family (Young's and Oakes'). We spent 10 days in Issaquah with the Young's--enjoying Christmas, karaoke, dodgeball, hikes, caroling, games, "bunny-boo-boo", basement projects and kids. And we spent 6 days in San Diego enjoying New Years parties, Birthday parties, the beach, Liberty, second Christmas, remote control helicopters, go-karts, Grandparents and cousins. Christine is back at work and I will soon be back at school. We are sad to be away from all the people we love but excited about new plans.
Within the next 2 weeks Christine and I will be deciding where we will be living next year. After many applications and interviews it is time to finally decide on our 4th-year externship. We will hear back from the remainder of the places in the next 2 weeks and will decide soon thereafter. All the places in red on the map are places we have sent resumes and interviewed (either phone or in person). So take your guess, we have narrowed down the field a bit but will leave it vague for now.
We love you all and are so thankful for the time we have been able to spend with our family. We are sad we were not able to see everyone but our thoughts and prayers are with you!

Christmas Boat-Float Parade

2009-12-13T15:50:00.000-08:00

This is our 2nd annual Tempe Townlake Christmas Boat Parade! We love coming down to the lake and watching all of the boats and listening to people wishing the sailors a Merry Christmas and singing carols. The parade was an hour long and then there was a grand firework show. These are some of our favorite boats:) We look forward to seeing you all this season and loved the time we've spent with relatives and friends here.

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-06T21:05:00.000-08:00

Tyler and I wanted to get into the Holiday Spirit and we thought the best way to get us ready was to decorate our home! We invited Cousins Eric and Tamra over to make gingerbread houses. Each couple decorated one house-or in our case, our heap of gingerbread parts:) Tyler and I also picked up a beautiful, petite Christmas Tree!! We are so proud of it although we have to prop it up on one of our laundry baskets. We want to thank everyone that has helped add to our tree by giving us an ornament. We wish everyone a Merry Chrismas and a Happy New Year. * One New Year's resolution will be to blog more often...

Where do we begin?

2009-09-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

It has been an amazing couple of months. We would like to thank our families for all of the love and support. In the last few weeks we had the opportunity to go to our family reunion in Oregon, have our reception/open house in Issaquah, get sealed in the San Diego Temple and go on a honeymoon cruise to Mexico.
Here are some pictures that tell the story. We love you all and are so thankful to have had the chance to spend so much time with love ones recently.

Its Official

2009-06-08T22:18:00.000-07:00

It was 6:30 AM on a gorgeous Sunday morning and we decided to keep going north after dropping off some friends at the airport. We were headed to Sedona, Arizona. After attending a wonderful church service-we started out, camera in hand, backpack ready, and faces aglow.
We found a little trail off the 89A, which led to Oak Creek. Tyler used his navigational skills which landed us perfectly at the riverbed. As we were still in our church clothes, we jumped from rock to rock until we spotted a fallen tree and decided to rest there.
Tyler had a few surprises planned. After taking some pictures of the beautiful scenery, he had me view the first surprise-which I found in his backpack! It was everything I could have asked for-Bride Barbie Christine and Groom Ken Tyler. We role played their proposal-which included Tyler’s doll “kneeling” (doing the splits on a log because those knees don’t bend).
Tyler then got on his knee (and it got wet as we were still in the middle of the creek) and asked me to marry him. He was so excited that he put the ring on the right finger, but stopped before he got to the first knuckle, as he just wanted to kiss me! We just held each other and shed some tears because of our wonderful story and how we plan to continue in our love and commitment to one another.
We are planning on getting married in the San Diego Temple on Saturday, August 15, 2009. We are so excited to share this time with our loved ones and appreciate all the planning and effort on our behalf.