Thanksgiving and a Wedding

Cacti in Sedona

Linnea in her Blessing Dress about 4. months

Linnea so cute

Linnea sweet doll

Rachelle in Sedona, so warm there!

Annette and Grant with her mom and siblings

Amy, Erin, Michelle, Rande Todd, Annette Todd, Grant Todd, Richard Todd, and Nathan

Our Family in Sedona at Cathedral Rock

We've had a fun holiday and a busy Sunday. Thanksgiving was at our house but we didn't have to do it all. We did have the great priviledge of cooking a huge turkey. It weighed 22.3 pounds but only cost 50 cents. I bummed off a bunch of turkey vouchers from people to lower the price. I think it would've cost 17 dollars without the coupons. But I was still very worried it would not turn out. The instructions said it would take 4 hours per pound to thaw. That's 88 hours. I didn't have that kind of time! So I called all the moms (my kid's grandmas too) and they gave me great advice. Then I looked on the package again and found the speed thaw directions, only 11 hours! Just have to rinse the bird in cold water. I was very pleased. The only other hard part was lifting the thing, but Eric was a great help.

So we had Jason Udy, Lamar and Susan and Ryan over plus my parents Rich and Rande Todd. I feel so blessed to live by both of our parents while my parents are on a genealogy mission in Salt Lake. I love being able to spend time with them and seeing my kids get to know their grandparents better. Susan brought some music for Rachelle and enjoyed playing Holiday music on the piano with Rachelle. There was great food and a few falls and bumps. Josh was standing on his chair and fell to the floor onto his ear. Also, Rachelle accidentally kicked Cecily in the nose.

They have both recovered and are still their same crazy selves.

Our bishop has a big fold up table we asked to borrow, big mistake! Eric got asked that night to give a talk in Sacrament, but I got out of it since I was playing the organ already and piano for the musical number. Eric spoke on tithing and did a great job. I prayed my way through "O Come Thou Fount" but my hands still shook. The kids were crazy and Linnea hungry but we survived. I really need to perform more so I can get over the nervousness. I am so happy we have a piano now and can play wonderful music!

My brother Grant got married last week and we took our huge family out to see him and Annette in Mesa, Arizona. The drive down took us about 13.5 hours with all the stops for bathroom, eating and feeding the baby. We had a great place to sleep because of the wonderful Priceline company. We bid on a hotel and got the price we wanted. We stayed at the Residence Inn and had a nice breakfast there and a pool (heated to 85). The 3 older kids slept in the hide a bed and Linnea in our bed (she had a playpen too). They would've got us groceries for free too if we made a list. Very nice hotel.

The next day was the wedding and I almost missed it. I thought it started at 11:30am but it was actually 11:15am. We got to the temple at 10:30 and I realized I needed some different tights. We shopped at Payless shoe source and they only had the kind without feet. Then we found a Walgreens and found a great pair. We got back to the temple and the baby needed a change and to be fed and then she had another bad diaper, so by the time I walked over to the temple from the visitor's center it was 11:10 ish. I got in and went to the sealing room where my sister Michelle sighed and gave me a hug. She was so worried I would miss this. It was a beautiful ceremony. The officiater gave some great council to them to start off their marriage. I feel so blessed to have been there. I really love the good spirit I feel in the temple. And I especially loved being there with all of my brothers and sisters and parents.

Having some Springtime Fun!

Rachelle with her birthday breakfast in bed. She chose a grilled cheese sandwich, hard boiled eggs and bacon with juice. Her birthday was February 16th. She had a Star Wars birthday party which we will post more pictures later. Mom had some technical difficulties.





Purple tulips at Temple Square on Mother's Day

Erin's favorite color and flower!

Left: Rachelle and Joshua making silly faces under Emma and Joseph.

Rachelle was insistant all day Saturday that she and daddy needed to go to the store and buy mom a Mother's Day gift. She waited until late in the afternoon when dad finished his yard work. She bought some oreos for me, and a balloon. She also had prepared a book from school about me.

Right: Erin is 32+ weeks pregnant. At Temple Square two people passing by wished her a happy Mother's Day! Mother's Day is the best!













Grandma and Grandpa Todd
are very cool! We went with them
on Mother's Day to see the flowers at
Temple Square. (May 10th, 2009)

Grandpa and Josh are buds!




Cecily is our future designer with her various layers of skirts. She loves to wear her clothes many ways and show her styles to mom. Her friend is Siera from the neighborhood.

Cecily's glasses and nose help her to create amazing art work.

Joshy's in disguise having fun dispite his fever and rash.

Easter at Grandma Udy's! We have five new fruit trees.

Peach, apricot, plumb, apple and nectarine.



Rachelle with her cool princess punk look and her companion Cecily.

Cecily is 5 years old!! Her birthday is February 24th . Her birthday party turned into a princess party by accident. They all ran through the birthday streamers in a pageant as we played some Disney Princess music. Rachelle was the director. All their idea! Crystal, Eric's cousin made her awesome rainbow cake!

Rachelle has started a new birthday tradition in our family. The night before your birthday you get to sleep out on the couch ( if you want) and get whatever breakfast you want the next morning served to you in bed. Cecily had pancakes, with sprinkles and powdered sugar, eggs and juice.

Sierra, Bronte, Avorie, Aaron, Joshua, Rachelle, Cecily, and Trina. Rachelle's birthday (continued)

Rachelle, Cecily and Josh at Jumping Jacks celebrating Rachelle and Cecily's Birthday on President's day (February 16th). Rachelle's birthday was on a holiday this year.

Hooray for Kids

Joshy found a frog toy. Joshy holding his Thomas the train potty chart

This is my crocheted blanket for Josh. It took

a while but it's done.

Cecily and Rachelle as princess and cook

Cecily being served pretend soup by Rachelle.

I am so excited to be finally posting something on this blog. I was able to go with Rachelle to a mother/daughter 70's dance at her school just the other night. I was amazed at how much I didn't want to go. It's funny how as adults we can get so caught up in being responsible and running our day to day lives that we forget to have fun. Rachelle is a natural when it comes to having fun. As soon as we got there she ran out to give all her 1st grade friends a hug. Next, she explained how there were pictures being taken on the stage and we could go do that 1st. All I could think of was my big baby belly and bad hair. Then the dj started asking the moms and daughters to come and dance together for certain songs. I started to enjoy my self and forget about all the negative thoughts and started to realize how few times I will get to spend like this with my daughter. We did the twist, the chicken dance, the love train, and swong around skipping several times. I am so happy that children are so carefree. They teach us old people to quit worryinng about what people think of us and just be ourselves.

Cecily has been very cute today, making pretend cakes out of small boxes and asking me to guess what is in each one. She has marballs, necklace beads and pretty things in them. Joshy is loving our Kung Fu Panda book from the library. He loves the page with Tigris hanging from the breaking bridge. Josh loves to get into our chocolate stash on top of the fridge. He also has been tearing stickers off of toys and ripping books. The other day he made snow out of his roll and then walked in it. I really have to watch this boy and run after him when it gets too quiet. We tried to start potty training but have since given up for a month or two. I don't think I'm quite ready.

Rachelle came up with a great Family Home Evening last night. She created stations we could go to throughout the house and had an activity at each station. My favorite was the instrument station. Eric thinks he can play the guitar and sang in a twang voice many interesting songs like "Mommas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboy". Joshy blew on our dollar store flute and pretended to be a train while we all followed behind him.

I just barely finished my second crochet project. A baby blanket for Josh. Yes it was supposed to be done when Joshy was born and he is now two and a half, but it's done and I am very proud. I am now one day shy of 19 weeks into my pregnacy and still sick for parts of each day. Now I am also enjoying the heart burn stage. Yay!! But only one week until we find out if it's a boy or a girl.

My hair is now a dark blond, looks light brown and still very short. I got a Walmart hair trim that turned into a disaster, had to cut it again. So it is better mostly, now (just wish it was longer) and I'll just enjoy it for what it is.

Our Yard of Weeds!!

We have moved to our new home in Spanish Fork and are really enjoying it here. We get to be in charge of our own yard. Out here you get charged a flat water fee for irrigation water during the spring and summer months. Most people have sprinkler systems. We need one too and some grass. Our home sat here empty for so long that there are weeds as far as the eye can see.

So I decided it would feel great to at least hoe up a portion of those wees and plant a garden. So Eric build a raised garden for me and our kind neighbors picked up a truckload of nice dirt so I could get started. The dirt is so rich it's called black gold. I am excited to see the results. We had some little labels for each row we planted but they blew away in the wind. Spanish Fork gets very gusty winds from time to time. We are planting strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, onions, beets, corn, squash, pumpkins, beans, cucumbers and zuccinni. If any of you have any advice on how to garden, feel free to let me know.

We still have weeds and it's been raining again. Hopefully we can pull them up tomorrow (it's supposed to rain again) while the ground is still a little wet and it's easier. We'll just put bags over our shoes and get out in the dirt and mud.

Rachelle Graduated From Kindergarten

Rachelle signing letters and words
Daddy, Rachelle, Cecily and Josh

Rachelle and her teacher Mrs. Price

Mommy, Rachelle, Cecily and Josh

Rachelle performing in the Eagle Song

On May 22nd Rachelle graduated from Kindergarten at her new school Riverview Elementary here in Spanish Fork, Utah. She was very excited to sing and do her speaking part. She said she would smile but not her biggest smile or it would hurt too much after a while. The two classes sang Baby Eagle, I like Being me, ABC Rock, Macarena Math Time, and Start Spreading the News. Each song had hand motions or movements that went to it and was very cute. She did great!

Her teacher said she wished Rachelle could be in her class again next year. Rachelle was a very good student. Rachelle is at a 2nd grade reading level now. Hooray!

After the ceremony we went bowling with her friend Zach and his family. He also graduated this week from Kindergarten at a different school.

October 2007

We've had a fun month. Here's Rachelle at her school Halloween Fundraiser with a dancing skeleton. Cecily was freaked out by the dancing bones man to say the least. Rachelle was quite intrigued by this glowing, scary thing. We were a little late for the spook alley which bummed her out. Josh was a dalmation puppy, Cecily a barbie island princess, Rachelle is a sparkle diamond princess with spray painted hair.

Uncle Grant came to take his friend to a disney movie audition in Salt Lake. He turned Cecily's trick or treat bucket into a helmet for "bucket nan tucket". He made us all laugh and laugh. They loved having their funny uncle come and put on a play for them. Way to improv Grant!

Rachelle got an award in her Kindergarten class for always coming to school ready to learn. She is really enjoying her first year of school.

We went to Cornbelly's with the Preschool kids and their families. It's at Thanksgiving point and is lots of fun for the kids. They have a pumpkin patch, haunted dinasaur, and a fun trampoline/slide. When we went everybody else in the world and all the Utah families with all "them kids" came too because of UEA day which is when all the kids are out of school while their teachers are in a conference. But it was cheap because we went as a "Preschool".

Joshy is playing at the rubber ducky water races.

He loved watching the ducks and saying duck

and dunking them in the water.

Cecily and Rachelle use the bricks in front of the fireplace as a stage to sing any song they can think of and make up!