CAMPAC 2011

Every year the agency Shane works for does an end of the year retreat for all of the employees. It is a fun way to get to know the other agents, make some friends and compete for awards. This year it was at the Summit Chateau in Brian Head. Let's just way we signed up for the adventure pack and didn't even realize it. It all started with a long car ride to Grandma's house. Brody was left with Grandma and Grandpa Chappell so that he could enjoy some time there playing with his Aunts and Uncle. Shane, Elsie and I made our way up to the parking lot where the shuttle was supposed to pick us up. After waiting an hour+ for the shuttle (We were determined not to miss the shuttle) a member of our group got a message saying that the shuttle had broken down and they were coming to take us all in by snow mobile. I'm thinking to myself, "Holy crap how is this going to work with a baby?" I had her in my wrap and tucked into my coat but that didn't make me any more comfortable about the situation. We also had a lot of stuff since we had to pack for Elsie which included a Pak 'N' Play. When they showed up I was happy to hear that they had a ranger that I could ride in for the 2 miles up to the cabin. We were all able to make it to the cabin safely and Elsie slept through the whole thing. The first thing we got was our room assignment which I was very hopeful that we'd get to stay in a yurt. We ended up in the cabin which in the end was a lot better since we had Elsie there. We didn't have to trek through the snow to our room or the bathroom. We also had our own bathroom in our room so that was a plus. After settling in we were able to go down and mingle with the guests that had already arrived. Within an hour of being there I had already made a friend and was getting to know a lot more people. As more people showed up the competitions started to get going. Every couple got to compete in pool, dance, air hockey, ping pong, foosball, poetry and even a triathlon for cash prizes. The triathlon was a couples thing and the events were a crossword puzzle, snow shoeing and cross country skiing (I did snow shoeing and Shane went skiing) and the final event was target shooting with a BB gun. We took 4th in that and we made it to the semi-finals for air hockey where we were quickly eliminated. I got a nice slice of humble pie when we competed in the dance competition. It was Dance Central for the kinect and I had never done it before. I was lucky to make it to the second round out of 4. On the last night we were there we hadn't had any success at winning any of the competitions so far but there was still one that was to take place during the banquet that night. Shane was working on his poem for that evening when we started to smell something burning. Everyone kept asking if the food was burning and kept checking on it but it was fine. Finally someone went into the room where the linens were stored and someone had stacked the linens clear to the ceiling under a light that got left on. The top comforter was smoking up a storm and may have been on fire but I'm not sure on that detail. All I know is that there was a lot of smoke and the comforter ended up outside in the snow. No damage was done to the cabin and we were able to stay in it after all the doors were left open and the fans left on to air the whole place out. Luckily the smoke didn't reach the bedrooms upstairs so it didn't stink up there. It's kind of ironic that something like this happened in a cabin full of insurance agents. After all that fun stuff we ate dinner and had the banquet. They started off with all of the awards for the competitions that took place so far. After that they gave out the serious awards and honored a lot of agents. Once that was all over they had the poetry contest. Most new agents don't know the secret behind the poetry contest so they end up going first and reciting some love poem only to realize by the end that all the experienced agents end up roasting each other. Shane was lucky to be in a crowd that helped him learn the ropes before this so his poem fit right in. We were very happy about that because the judge ended up picking his as the winner. After everything settled down and the kiddos were in bed many of the adults brought the night to a close playing mafia. This being the second night we'd played this the mafia hadn't won a game yet. I was able to put that to an end by somehow with my horrible acting skills deceiving a room full of people into thinking I was a citizen and winning the game. I'm still confused as to how I pulled that one off. The next day quickly came with good news that the shuttle was fixed and we didn't have to worry about riding out on snow mobiles. The entire trip was a blast and I am excited for next years adventure. I'd post pictures but in the move we lost our camera charger and our camera was dead so we only have video footage of our trip. If I figure out how to make it work on here I will post some footage but so far every time I have tried I've failed. Apparently I'm not very tech savvy and have a lot to learn. Until next time, have a great day!

Pictures Catch Up

I figured since I haven't posted in a while I should put some pictures up showing some of the big events that have happened in our life in the last year.

Shane graduated with his bachelors in finance and I got my general associates.


Brody and Grandma enjoyed some broccoli out of the garden. This was all his idea since he decided it was cool to get it out of the garden to eat.


He played in his pool as often as he could and loved every minute of it.


Elsie joined our family on July 21st, 2011.

She was 8lb 15oz and 20in. tall

Brody turned 3 on July 31st and had a lovely birthday party. He had an awesome train cake to go with it.

Elsie had her first bath and of course she calmed right down as soon as the water hit her hair. I love the look an babies faces when they feel the water run through their hair. Hers goes really curly when it gets wet.


Brody and Elsie played together. It was hard to rein Brody in sometimes and teach him that she was really fragile so he had to be soft with her.


It's always fun to have a girl around because I love to dress her up in cute clothes. Here she was waiting for me to get ready so that we could go to church.

Brody made things easy for Halloween this year. He decided to be a monkey again for the 2nd year in a row. He decided this after I bought a sheet and spent a lot of time turning it into a ghost costume for him. I got him to try it on and he decided to be a monkey instead. Hopefully the ghost will work for next year. It was a little big on him this year. Elsie was a duck. She really didn't mind wearing her costume and even took a nap in it while we were out trick or treating. This picture was taken afterwards right before they took off their costumes so she was getting a little bit tired of being stuffed in it for so long.


We celebrated Christmas in Cedar City with family.

We finally managed to have a picture taken with all of our family in it. It's sad that Elsie is 5 months in this picture and it's our first picture together.

Elsie got to play in the walker I played in when I was little.

Elsie and Shane are showing off beanies they got for Christmas.

Elsie started off the new year by figuring out how to sit up by herself without falling over. I really hope to be better at posting on my blog. Things have really settled down since we moved and now I have even more of a reason to post. Hope everyone enjoyed!

Catch Up Q&A

Q. Where are you living now?

A. We've moved a bit North of where we used to live. I guess you could say we live in the valley of cheese now.

Q. How are you liking your new location?

A. We love it here. We are renting a beautiful home and the valley is beautiful. It is a bit bigger than our previous location but we enjoy knowing that there are more shopping options other than Wal-mart. We do miss being away from the majority of our family but so far we've been able to visit often because of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

Q. How many kids do you have?

A. We have 2 kids. Both of them are such a joy to have in our family. Brody is 3 and he thinks he is the boss of the house. Every time we play a game he has to tell everyone what color they will be playing with. He has more energy than any of us know what to do with and can be the biggest sweetheart. He loves his sister and is always giving her hugs and kisses and trying to make her laugh. Elsie is almost 6 months and has a smile that can melt anyone's heart. She has a big sense of adventure and is starting to explore the house more and more one roll at a time. She loves her toys and her mom but loves to stare at dad with a big grin on her face. Brody is a big joy in her life because she loves to watch him play with his toys.

Q. Where are you currently working?

A. Shane is an agent for American National Insurance. He is currently licensed to do life insurance, home and auto insurance. He is in his first year of starting his business and we look forward to seeing what the future holds. I am currently a "play" at home mom since I get to stay at home and play with my kids. I am also considering expanding a business promoting going green by shopping for household items through Melaleuca. It was there I was introduced to the last brand of lotion I will ever buy because it cleared up the eczema I had been fighting for 3 years in about 2 weeks.

It is crazy how life can change so much in a matter of months but as I look back I can see the Lord's hand in our life. We searched for months for the right place to live with no luck. With the home we are currently living in, we applied for it and within 4 hours the landlord called us with the news that it was ours if we wanted it. After much thought and prayer we took a leap of faith and accepted his offer. It all happened so fast but it all felt so right. I can't imagine life going any differently and look forward to what the future holds.

Gender Mystery Revealed

Sorry it's sideways... It's the best I could do with the time frame I had to put it up because I know you all are dying to know. I still don't know how to flip videos like you can pictures so they face the right way.

I Almost Forgot That I Have A Blog

I'm so sorry that it has taken almost a year for me to finally post again! I feel really bad because I could be dishing the news on all the crazy and funny things that Brody does on a daily basis. Much like last time I'm going to try and commit to posting more often (only this time I hope it sticks). To help catch everyone up on what's going on in our world I'll do a little Q and A.

Q. Where are you currently living?

A. In the same place we've been since March of 2008.

Q. How is Brody doing?

A. He's doing great. He has a very strong and demanding personality but he is the biggest sweetheart ever when it really counts. He makes us laugh, he makes us cry (happy and sad tears) and we wouldn't change anything about his sweet spirit. We love him so much and love to see how he can light up each and every day with just one smile, kiss or hug.

Q. Is Brody still an only child?

A. Chances are if you're reading my blog you probably know me well enough to know the answer already. We are currently expecting another little one. The baby is due in July. Funny story about this baby's due date is that it's the day before Brody's was supposed to be. Brody was due on the 24th of July and this one is due on July 23rd. I just really hope that i'm not in the hospital on Brody's birthday because I know this one will be a hard one for him with so many changes that I want to make it special for him.

Q. Do you know what you're having?

A. No we don't know yet but hopefully here in about 5-7 weeks the baby will let us get a good peek. I'm happy either way and I'm sure Shane feels the same. If we end up having a boy it will be great because we'll be set in the clothes area with all the right clothes in all the right seasons but a girl would be wonderful too. We ultimately want a healthy baby no matter what gender.

Q. Do you feel like you'll be stuck in school or can you see a light at the end of the tunnel?

A. There is a light at the end of the tunnel at least for now for both of us. We are both graduating in May with some sort of degree. Shane is getting his bachelors in finance and I am getting my general associates so that I can bank the work I've already put in. Shane has not yet decided on grad school although it is an option. As for me I have no idea what I want to do when I grow up so until I decide I'm going to try and be a good mommy. If Shane does decide to do grad school I don't want to be stuck in school as well with 2 kids, huge school debts from both of us and conflicting schedules. When I do go back I have considered physics so that I can move into astronomy since I am completely fascinated and blown away by it. I'm not 100% sure about that now and it may change if I get scared of trying to tackle all the math involved (we don't get along).

Q. What are your plans for the future?

A. As far as I know for sure, we are having a baby in July. When it comes to everything else... we have no idea. We will just take life one day at a time and when we get where we're going we will be able to look back and see the Lord's hand in our life and know that we're where we should be.

Q. What is one good story about Brody that you would like to share?

A. We've been working with Brody and trying to help him understand that there is a baby in mommy's tummy. I don't think he has completely gotten it yet but I think there is a small amount of understanding there. He's given my tummy hugs and kisses and sometimes he'll even come up and pat my tummy saying baby. One night I had him on my lap because we were watching something on the computer together. I had been tickling him and teasing him as he was sitting there. He turned around and started tickling my tummy saying, "tickle baby." It was so funny it made me laugh and then I got a little teary eyed because it was touching to me to think that Brody was trying to bond with the baby. I think he will be a great big brother. Oh and I asked if he thought we were having a boy or a girl and I think (with trying to understand his cute 2 year old lingo) he said something like this, "girl, pretty girl." I've tried to get him to answer the question several other times and he just wont cooperate. It's usually come out as, "no boy girl." Or even something like, "boy girl baby."

Life is always an adventure at our house and we hope to continue the adventures. I can proudly say that I didn't let a complete year go by between posts but it is embarassing that I let like 10 months go by without any word. I am planning a post with pictures and maybe even some video clips (we got an awesome video camera for Christmas that I really want to put to good use). Until then I hope there might be even the slightest glimmer of faith in me from my readers that I will return very soon. Happy blog surfing!

Extremely Long Absence

I just realized that it has almost been a year since I last updated my blog. I am deeply embarrassed about this and I blame it on Facebook. I can proudly say that Brody is doing a lot more than tongue trick since my last post. He is an extremely busy boy who keeps us running all the time. We can take him on 3 walks a day and he's still running around right before bed. He has a love for his books. He loves to read and chew on them. He got a board book for Christmas that the shape of the animal's ears stick out on the side and he has gone a long and made every animal earless on that side because he chewed them off. We have a stash of books he can't play with unless an adult is watching him because he'll rip them or chew up the pieces. I am thrilled that he loves books so much. I will just have to watch him closer to help him channel his excitement into less destructive avenues.
He has known how to whistle for at least the last year. He picked this talent up from a toy he got as a present for his first Christmas. He was given a kitchen toy set that had some measuring spoons on a ring like the toy plastic keys. Each of the measuring spoons has a hole in it. He learned to suck air through the hole and it made a whistling noise. After that he started learning to whistle without the spoons. I was thrilled and almost couldn't believe my ears the first time he whistled all by himself!
He's been going to nursery for the last month and he loves it so much. From the first time we've taken him, we've never had a problem with him not wanting to stay. This last Sunday we took him to nursery he made sure that he will never be forgotten by the nursery workers. I guess he has a favorite cupboard he likes to go hide in. Every time they get the toys out of it he goes right for it. Well, I went to pick him up for nursery and the workers told me they had to go get my mom for a diaper change (I'm the primary pianist and Shane teaches the Young Men). That wasn't anything out of the usual but then they told me that he hid in his usual cupboard to do his business. I mentioned that he does that a lot and that when he does that his nickname is "sneak-n-poop" a clever play on the word nincompoop. I just thought it was really funny that he hid in nursery to fill his diaper.
A week or so ago we were getting Brody ready for bed and we were saying our family prayer. I was holding Brody while saying the prayer. While I was praying he held out my hand and put his face right by it. I was trying not to pay attention since I was praying but I heard a spitting noise and discovered a wet spot on my hand. It was so hard trying to finish saying the prayer without laughing hysterically. I'm sure he picked that one up from watching Shane spit in the garbage cans occasionally.
My last funny story I have for this post is about getting ready for church. Shane was getting Brody ready for church and was trying to put on his red plaid shirt he usually wears to church. Well, Brody saw a recently washed shirt of his that had been hung out to dry the night before that says Little Monster on it and insisted that was what he wanted to wear. Shane humored him and put it on long enough to show me but then took it off to put his church shirt on. Brody refused to let him put it on. He really wanted to wear his monster shirt. Well, Brody won and he wore the monster shirt to church. Luckily we have a church sweater he wears so we hid his shirt under that. The only people that saw his shirt that day were the Bishop's wife and a family friend of ours. They got a huge kick out of that. He has a very strong and demanding personality that cannot be swayed once his decision has been made up. I hope he channels his stubbornness in the right directions when he's older.

Brody's New Trick

I thought this was so cute I had to post it. We've been laughing so much lately because of it. Hope you can enjoy it as much as we have.