long time...

Well its been a while since I blogged last so I will catch everyone up on things that have been going on here in the Wilcox House....

Richard is in scouts now. He is the Weblos leader (I think I spelt it wrong). Here are some pics of some of the boys, it was taken a while ago so some of them are no longer in his group, they are in the 11 year old group now.

Richard loves this calling, and it was great for while he was still working on Sundays.

Amanda and Gabe are loving playing with each other. They have so much fun playing everything with each other, just as long as they don't have to share the toys that is.

We have also been having fun going to the water park for the Mommy's group in our ward.

I couldn't get Amanda to play in the water for a quite a while the first day, but after she went in, there almost wasn't any getting her out.

We had a fun time when Grandma Hurst, Aunt Janet, and Aunt Miki came out here for a week. They came out here for a wedding, which is why we are all dressed up in the pic. Amanda was so happy to see her "Bampa Hust" and "Aunt Miki" and "Aunt Jant" again, and was so sad when they left, she kept asking for them for like a week after they left.Well that is pretty much all that we have been up to besides the normal everyday things. We are looking forward to a visit from a good friend later this month and I will be sure to post about that too. Stay tuned.

woo hoooooo!!!

So Can I brag???

I just mistakenly put on a pair of pants that a friend gave me about a month ago that didn't fit, I couldn't even get the zipper to begin zipping up (I figured that with exercising the way I have been doing I would fit eventually, in a couple of months or so).

I pulled them down off the hanger thinking they were one of my regular pairs of jeans and did them up, I couldn't figure out why they were fitting so tight. I looked closer and realized that they were "the pants".

I cant believe that they fit albeit tightly, but I was able to zip them up and button them!!! This is a major accomplishment!!! All the exercise is worth it when I see things like this.

its been a while....

So its been a while since I last blogged. So here are some updates on what has been going on in the Wilcox House..

Richard now has Sundays off from work!!! I no longer have to do the single mom thing YAY, provided Richard is not busy doing something like he is this week. He had to go to a meeting in LA that just happened to be on a Sunday, stake conference Sunday none the less- as you can see I'm not all that happy with it, but what can you do?

Amanda is saying prayers on her own now, short ones and I don't understand most of what she is saying, but she is saying prayers. She is getting so big.

Gabe is growing and learning like crazy. I am totally thinking that he could be walking in the next couple of weeks. Its hard to believe that he is almost a year old now.

I have been exercising at nap time for almost 3 weeks now, I do a different workout video everyday, and make sure that it is at least 45 minutes or longer. I am seeing a major change in my waist line, and I have muscles growing all over thanks to the variation in videos. I haven't lost any weight, but the inches are a major accomplishment. I haven't measured yet but judging by my pants I am guessing that I have lost at least 2 to 3 inches. I have lost in my legs as well, which is a very hard place for me to loose. I am so excited about the results. I guess the major problem that I am facing is that I have a hard time staying motivated. I pray that I can keep it up. I want to get back to my pre pregnancy body from Amanda. That means that I have like 6 pant sizes to go. its only been 3 weeks and I am seeing big results though so I hope that I can keep it up.

our poor garden died. The heat of the summer got to it, I need to find another way to grow a garden out here that wont kill it.

That is about all that has been going on here for now, we are looking forward to family coming in a couple of weeks, and friends in a little over a month though, so look forward to pics and more blogging.

great blessings....

Well I am officially boot free now (round of applause). I went to the Dr. yesterday, he said that everything looks great, no need for boot, and because it isn't hurting, no need for physical therapy either. I am so happy to be able to wear flip flops again. I hate, no a better word is despise shoes. The last 9 weeks of having to wear something non stop pretty much on my right foot, and a tennis shoe on my other one has been driving me NUTS!!!! Yay for flip flops, especially with it hitting the upper 80's and into the 90's some days out here.

While getting my X-Ray I had a humbling experience. I have had a few pity parties for the bad timing of and hurting my ankle, but I had it good. when I walked into the X-ray place there was a guy that started talking to me, he had a boot on one leg, wrist wraps on both wrists, and scars on both legs and arms. I at some point told him that I had broke my ankle, he told me he had broken his too, along with almost every bone in his body. I asked him what had happened to injure him so much. He told me that he had fallen out of a window 4 stories up. He had to have reconstructive surgery on his face, his legs, and arms, plates and screws galore. I am so grateful that I had a simple injury that didn't almost kill me. There are many people out there with much worse problems than I had.

Gabe had an ear infection, but is now getting over it. I am so grateful for modern science that gives us medication that helps us feel better quickly.

And now for the best news of all.... drum roll please.....

Richard got the news today that starting May 17 he will now have SUNDAY off. I am so happy that we are going to be able to have him at church with us again. He has only been to church with us a handful of times since his work schedule changed Feb. of last year. I am so excited to have him with us once again, Richard cant wait either.

I am so grateful for all those blessings that Heavenly Father has seen fit for our family at the moment.

my love, my heart...

I am hopefully getting permission to go without the boot tomorrow from the Doctor. It has been almost 9 weeks since I hurt myself, and we have had many things going on in that time, a move, many illnesses, and the fact that I couldn't move well.

As I reflect back on the last 9 weeks or so I cant remember a time when my wonderful husband hasn't been there to help me with taking care of the kids, making dinner, cleaning house, and the countless other things that he has done. I am so grateful for all the help he has given me. I have found myself falling for Richard in a whole new way, and more than I ever thought possible. I honestly do not know what I would do if I didn't have him in my life. I hate to think what my
life would be like had I not met him or made some other choices in my life.

I have to explain... When I was growing up I was always friends with guys but never had a real "boy friend". In college being in the Singles Ward, and not getting any interest from the guys, I started to think that I would become an old maid (I know now that it was silly to think that when I was so young). I wanted to have a boy friend so badly that when a classmate started to pay attention to me and asked me to date him, I almost did. I knew that it wouldn't work out, he belonged to a different religion that would have created contention between the two of us. Luckily the Spirit touched me, and Heavenly Father was directing me elsewhere. I found a quote that I had been given in Young Women's that said that you marry who you date, and I wanted a temple marriage. So I told this guy that I couldn't date him, needless to say he was very upset with me. I prayed about it later that night, asking what should I do, and finally told Heavenly Father I was leaving my love life up to him. After the prayer I felt the spirit telling me, "Heather, be patient, you will meet him soon, just be patient". Two weeks later Richard and I met, that is a whole story in and of its own.

I just think, what if I had been dating that guy? Would I have met Richard? Would I have even payed any attention to him if I did? I am so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who led me to someone so kind and loving, and that could give me the temple marriage that I wanted, not to mention a worthy priesthood holder.

I am so thankful for a husband that gives so much of himself for our family, those who we call family and friends, and to those whom he sees are in need of help.

Richard, I love you for always!

updates...garden, house, life...

Here's what the garden is looking like. sprouts for everything, although you cant really see the onions yet unless you look really close. We also planted bell pepper, jalapeno, and tomato plants. We are on our way to having a salsa garden. We LOVE salsa in our house. Richard is excited about the tomatoes because he doesn't get raw ones very often (if you didn't know I am allergic to raw tomatoes, but I can eat cooked ones, weird huh). Here are some pics of Amanda's room. We are hoping to make it a Tinker Bell room, she is totally in to Tink and the Disney Princess thing now. I wish that we had painted it a brighter pink though.

Here are some pics from Easter, we hid princess eggs, and did an egg hunt in the house. Amanda had fun getting candy and seeing pics of Jesus (we filled half of the eggs with pictures of Jesus to remind us why we are celebrating Easter).

We are trying the whole potty training thing again, Amanda was so excited to get Princess panties, and will come up to you and lift up her dress or pull her pants down so that she can tell you just who is on her panties at the moment. Cute but frustrating.

As for my ankle, hopefully I will be getting the ok to go without the boot in a week. I guess we will just wait and see.

Oh I almost forgot, we celebrated my birthday a couple of weeks ago. Richard was wonderful, we went to see 2, I repeat 2 movies, in a theater. That is such a luxury to us any more. Then we went to dinner at Macoyos, I hadn't been there yet and really had been wanting to go, so Richard brought me. I love him to death!!! A special thanks to Angelina for watching the munchkins for us.

That is about all we got going on now. We lead some pretty boring lives huh.

Home improvements....

We made a garden... well Richard did, I watched while he did it (that has to count for something right?). Unfortunately we are getting in late in the season and cant plant most of the things we wanted to, but we should be getting some kinds of squash, onions, and radishes. I just hope it grows well, I have never gardened before and neither has Richard.

We also got this little guy's room up finally. It has kinda became the dumping ground for everything that we wanted out of little hands and mouths.

It almost looks like he is trying to wave to the camera. He was just trying to touch it though.

They are having a blast playing in the new room, not to mention all the toys are back after the hit of pinkeye. This is where I hid all the toys after cleaning them.