V.'s Christmas dress

Well, the title says it all. This is V. in her Christmas dress. She was so excited to go to church today. It was the choir's christmas program today, that I'm a part of. Steve stayed home because he isn't feeling well. So V. got to sit up on the stand with me . She was such a good girl! She had a little gift for her nursery teachers that she couldn't wait to give them. And since she'll be starting primary the first of the year, today they let her attend music time with the primary kids to help her get adjusted to it. She loved being with the older kids!:)

So it was a nice time at church, telling christmas stories and singing christmas hymns, and remembering that the reason we celebrate christmas, is to remember Christ's humble birth, and the gift he gave to us all. Eternal life.

My Christmas Angel

I know I'm biased, but V. is so stinkin' cute! I had to post some pics of her! She is so excited for Christmas! She's been singing Christmas songs for a couple of weeks now. We've got Steve singing! Now, he loves Christmas, but is a shy singer. He'll sing in church and stuff like that. But this year, he is singing along to 'The Polar Express' music, Josh Groban, Bing Crosby, etc. At home! While doing stuff around the house! I'm just catching him singing out more this year then years before. I've turned him! Bwahahaha!! I will make a singer out of him yet! hehehe. He has a nice voice and I've asked him to sing with me in public, but he says no way! We'll see... One of these years he'll sing with me.:)

Putting up the Christmas tree

Well, this year we have

two trees. One in the

upstairs living room that V. and I did last month. And one in the downstairs family room that we did this weekend with Steve as a family. We had so much fun putting the tree up with him! V. loved hanging the ornaments and candy canes. This year we also made gingerbread men to hang on the tree.(a first!) V. loved eating them and helping me frost them. I'm so happy Steve is home for Christmas, we've really missed him around here.
I've painted and redecorated the living room while

he was gone, but he said he likes the change.:)
( I had to have something to do while he was gone!)

7 weird/annoying things

Alright, Danika tagged me. You little.... Anyway, I'm supposed to write down seven weird or annoying things about myself. Or something like that. And then tag seven more people. Here goes...

1) Things, like, always have to be an even number. If I'm turning up the volume on the t.v. I have to stop on an even number. If it's at level 5, I can't leave it. It will bug me. I'll either change it up one or down one so it's on an even number. If I'm handing out candy on Halloween, I hand it out in even numbers. This post is only supposed to be about seven things, but I'll either add one or subtract one so it's even!
2) I love to bake fruit pie. But I won't eat it! I hate warm, mushy fruit! But I'll make it for someone else to eat:) So I have no idea if I'm good at pie baking or not, I can't even stand to taste it! I relie on others to tell me if it's good or not.
3)I play with my hair all the time. I'll twist it around my finger and such. Steve always says I look like a ditz when I do that.
4)I state the obvious. It drives Steve crazy! It will be snowing outside and I'll say something like," wow, it's snowing outside!"
5)I try to advoid talking on the phone as much as possible. I don't know why, but I hate talking to people on the phone. I never know what to say, or how to end the conversation. Steve is the only person I'm comfortabe talking to. That's one of the ways I knew we were meant to be together, I was never nervous on the phone with him!
6)I never think before talking. Too many times I've been in a restaurant and I start bad mouthing our waiter, when everyone's like, "he's right behind you!" I've said things to people that have hurt or offended them. In my head it sounds okay, but once said out loud, I realize I shouldn't have said that. Then I try to make it better, but just make it worse. Sorry everyone if I've ever offended or hurt you! I don't mean to!
7)I'm so afraid of spiders! Even if it's a little one I'll make Steve kill it. The only time I will is if I feel it's threatening V. If it's in her room or her pool, and I can't wait for Steve to get home, 'cause then it'll be gone! But I won't sleep outside, unless I have to, for fear of spiders. I spray V. and me down with bug repellant. No, I practicially bathe us in it because I don't want any spiders to get us!
8)I told you I would add another one so that this would come out even numbered! I have a bad habit of cutting people off when they are talking. I have something I need to say and if I don't say it, I'll forget it! But I know it's rude and I apologize for it.

I'll work on some of these annoying things I do. I tag, Richard and/or Stephanie, Hailey, Katie, Lyndsey,Angi, Korryne, Jenna,and anyone else who wants to do this!

Our trip to see Steve!

We had alot of fun visiting Steve in St. Louis. It was so good to be together as a family again! Even though we had thanksgiving dinner at the IHOP, we didn't care because we were at the IHOP together. (cheesy, I know!) We saw alot of sights, and most of it was free which was nice.

This is V. with the base of the St. Louis arch behind her. What an impressive sight! There was a museum under the arch that we also went through. A nice family outing....

V. loved being with her daddy! They had a lot of fun wrestling and such. She is such a daddy's girl, and she has him wrapped around her little finger.

We went to Cathage, Ill. And saw the jail where our prophet, Joseph Smith was killed. This is the window he fell out of when he was shot. The feeling was...surreal.(sp) This happened so many years ago, and yet being there I guess kinda made it more real to me.

This is the Nauvoo, Ill. temple. We had so much fun in Nauvoo. We learned about how the saints lived during their stay here. We made a rope as a family, learned how to bake in a bustle oven, learned how to make a barrel, etc. We took a wagon tour of historic Nauvoo that was really neat. Agian, the feeling we had while here... I have gained more appreciation for the saints and all they went thru, for their faith in the gospel. Grateful, that now I can worship how I want without the persecutions they went thru. I don't know how to explain how I feel... I really enjoyed this part of our trip. I'm glad we drove up to Nauvoo and Carthage while we were visiting Steve.

On a different note... Steve is coming home this friday! YAY! He's home for at least awhile. There is a chance he'll leave again around Feb. But we'll wait and see. I'm glad that he had this opportunity to go back and do this job. I think he's really enjoyed the experience. We were hoping to get more paid off then we did, but are glad that V. and I flew out there. It was a nice family trip that we won't forget!

The North Pole Express

V and I went to Boise this last weekend. While there, we decided to ride on the Thunder Mountain Train's North Pole Express. We rode the train to the 'North Pole' met Santa, then came home. Me and V. waiting to get on board the train.

V. with Santa. The minute she saw him she yelled,"Santa!" And started waving at him. It was so cute!

She is such a doll! We had a lot of fun on this trip seeing family and doing fun Christmas activities. She understands about Santa this year and is always excited to see him. Her excitement over everything makes this time of year more magical for all of us!

V.'s birthday

V. turned three last month. I finally got some pictures to add!:)
Here she is helping me blow up balloons before everyone comes over. She was so excited to have her cousins come to our house and play with her.


Here she is opening up presents. She got so many nice gifts,
thank you everyone!

And here's the birthday cake. She said she wanted a doll for her birthday, so I thought I would make her a doll cake. Good idea, right? Well, the cake cracked down the middle when I tried to put the doll into it. So I ran to Albertson's and asked if they could have a doll cake ready in one and half hours. They said they could, lifesavers!

Anyway, it was a fun day, V. is growing up so fast I can't believe it! Everyday she says or does something that blows my mind. She is getting so smart, and acts like an adult at times. And it's just so fun watching her grow up and change. She's a little lady, and soon will be to old to sit on my lap and snuggle:( I cherish every day with her and can't wait until we see Steve and can be together as a family again!

The count down begins...

One week to go until we see Steve! I'm so excited. We've actually been counting down from the moment Steve left, but now we're almost there. We fly out of Salt Lake next Wednesday. And won't be back until the third of Dec. V. is so excited too. She was at a friends house last week and the mom told me that V. told them she was going on a plane in two weeks to see daddy.

On a different note, people want to see V. in her Halloween outfit. My digital camera is broken so I took pictures with a film camera. I should get the photos back tomorrow and will get try to get them on the computer this weekend. I'll also try to post some photos from her b-day party...

My husband

I saw this on a friend's blog and she tagged anyone who read hers. Steve is kinda shy and so alot of people don't really know him. So here's a little info on my guy...



1. What is his name? Stephen Jeff Hammond, nicknames- Steve, scuba and /or scuba steve

2. Who eats more? At mealtimes it's me, but he snacks alot more in the evenings then I do.

3. Who said I love you first? Boy, I really don't know... I think I told him I was falling for him first, but actually saying I love you? We discussed this once and we both don't know who said it first, it was so natural and we knew we were meant to be it all just sort of happened!

4. Who is taller? Steve is, just the right height!

5. Who is smarter? Steve has alot more common sense and street smarts, I'm budget smart, he says I know more religion stuff, but I think we balance out. What I don't know he does, and vice versa.

6. Who is more sensitive? Steve is such a sweet and sensitive guy,(in a good way!), but I'm certainly more emotional! ( he can be domineering and manly when needed!)

7. Who does the laundry? I do. And it seems to be never ending! Steve might help me put stuff away, once in a while...

8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you're looking at the bed from the foot of it, he does.

9. Who pays the bills? Steve earns the money to pay the bills. But I'm the one who writes the checks and sends them off. If it was up to him he would forget and nothing would get paid!

10. Who does most of the cooking? If we need to grill something outside, Steve does it. Other wise I'm the main cook in the house, He would just mess my kitchen up and not put things back where they go! (he has cooked if I'm not up to it and he's good at it!)

11. What meals do you cook together? If we're grilling outside, I prepare the food and he cooks it, otherwise he sits in the kitchen and we either watch a movie or talk while I cook.

12. Who is more stubborn? I'd have to say both of us. Maybe me a little more, but there have been times when neither of us backs down!

13. Who is the first to admit that they are wrong?umm... I guess Steve. We really haven't had alot of arguments, I hate admitting I'm wrong, Steve won't come right out and say he's wrong, but he'll make me sit down so we can talk things over.

14. Who has more siblings? It depends on how you look at it. Steve- three brothers five sisters. Me- three brothers and two sisters, but I also have six step-brothers and one step-sister. Family get togethers with both our families are fun!

15. Who wears the pants in the relationship? Steve does, but we never do anything without discussing it together and if one of us dosen't want to, then we don't do it. His friends tease him about getting permission from me, but that's if it involves money and he only asks me because I balance the checkbook and he wants to know if we have enough money to do something.

16. What do you like to do together? We like to do everything and anything together! We enjoy spending time with family, we watch a lot of movies together, go shopping together, tease each other badly! Steve loves to come home and play with V. He likes to do stuff outdoors with her( usually so I can have some time to myself) We just love being a family!!

17. Who eats more sweets? Well... I eat more chocolate, but Steve drinks WAY more pop and energy drinks then I do.

18. What is his guilty pleasure? That is for my ears only...

19. How did you meet? Well... We had a baby being blessed in our ward and the mom was friends with Steve's family. So Steve and his sister Randi and mom were there in church that day. He saw me and figured I was already taken or out of his leage or something. So he just mentioned to his mom I was cute and left it at that. His mom called his dad's cousin,Bonnie, who lives in our ward and asked about me. Bonnie called me up, asked if I was dating anyone and could she give my number to her cousin's son? I said sure. Steve didn't call for a few weeks, and I forgot about it. He was chasing another girl who turned out to be married(another story, he didn't know she was married!) When that didn't work out, he finally called me up and we set a date to go out. When he came to pick me up my brother met him at the door, called him some other guys name by mistake, and we finally shook hands and introduced ourselves to each other.

20. Who asked who out first? See story above.

21. Who kissed who first? After two weeks of dating, we held hands and Steve asked if I thought we had been dating long enough to kiss. I said yes, but at the end of the date, I had changed my mind! He asked me for a kiss for two more weeks and was so patient with me! Finally, the first Saturday in October, we were in Salt Lake at General Conference. We were on the balcony of the conference center over looking the street across from the temple. I realized I loved him for who he was and not because he spoiled me and gave me attention. I realized I wanted to be with him for forever, so I turned to him and told him he could kiss me. And that's were we had our first kiss!

22. Who proposed? Again, another long story! We knew we were getting married but Steve didn't want to propose until he had enough money to pay cash for the ring. He wouldn't let me start planning the wedding until he had proposed. I was starting to get panicky, summer is a busy time at the temple for weddings and if we wanted to get the date we wanted we needed to start getting things going. So finally, we were in the car and he turned to me and said,"Fine, Will you marry me? Now you can start planning the wedding!" I started crying because he had just proposed, he felt bad he didn't have a ring yet, so he gave me the ring he was wearing. A month later he actually got on one knee and gave me my engagement ring and proposed for the second time!

23. His best features? I love everything about him! I love his eyes, mouth, his dimple, I LOVE his body, his smile, and the way he treats me and our daughter.

24. What is his greatest quality? I love his kindness. He is one of the most unselfish people I know! He always puts me and V. before himself. I love his testimony and his way of doing what he knows to be the right thing. He is a silent person, but has a big heart and is there to help anyone out when needed. He is such an example to his family. I love his integrity. Before meeting me, when he was on his own, he had many chances to fall away from the church or do things that are opposite of what we believe in. But he never did any of it. He has always been there for me and I know he always will be. I don't know how to say in words how I feel about him. He is an example to me, and I love him with all my heart! I thank the Lord for giving me such a good husband!

25. I tag anyone who reads this!

Halloween Fun

Last night my parents had every one over for soup and pumpkin decorating. Every year they grow their own pumpkins, and then they let the grandkids each pick one that they then get to decorate with magic markers. V. loved it last night! She had fun playing with her cousins and couldn't stop with just one pumpkin. When she reached for her third pumpkin to decorate I knew it was time to go! Lukily, there were plenty of pumpkins! My camera is broken, so I don't have any pictures to post. But it was alot of fun, I only wish Steve could have been there...

Speaking of which, Steve is doing fine and really likes the area back there and says he can't wait for us to come out for a visit. Just up the road from where he attends church, he said is an area with homes that are like, $15 million dollar homes! He's going to take us to see those, plus a bunch of other sights. We have our plane tickets already and are so excited to see him! We got a webcam hooked up so we can see AND talk to him. It's great! Why haven't we hooked up a webcam before now? Steve's sisters are now hooked up and we can all chat with each other for free! No more long distance, or using cell phone minutes, plus we get to see each other! Again, why aren't more people hooked up to their webcams?

Lost Baby

Well, since I announced my pregnancy on this blog, I have something that needs to be said... I lost the baby this weekend. I'd been bleeding all week and had an ultrasound on Wed. But they said the baby was too small to see anything. So come back next week for another one. I talked to my doctor a few times this week, she said there really wasn't anything to do but wait and see what happens. So this afternoon I went to the E.R. with heavy bleeding and while there I miscarried. My doctor said she didn't think I would need a D&C, so I could go home and rest.
I'm heartbroken.We'd been trying to have a baby for a year and a half and were so excited. But I have to say that I've been stressed and worried all week about this, and I'm glad it's over now and I can move on. The Lord knows when it is our time to have another child, so we'll keep trying, and trust in Him that it will happen when it's our time. Thank you to everyone that has been there for me during this hard time.

Steve's gone.

Well, Steve has left for St.Louis. We miss him already! There was a job back there that his company needed to send some tech.s back for, and he was chosen to go. It's a great opportunity for us. It will give him good experience, and look good on his resume. He will be making some good overtime money, so we can afford to fly out to see him. V. and I are going out there for Thanksgiving. We might try to drive up to Nauvoo while there. The company will fly him home for christmas, and we'll fly out again in January. He should be home sometime in Feb. So we'll see each other every month. And he's calling every night. So I think we'll be okay while he's gone...
V.'s third b-day is this week, so we took her out to lunch before Steve left and gave her our b-day gift early. We got her a play kitchen. It was in a hundred pieces! I'm glad Steve was here to put it together! She has been loving it, and is in her toy room almost all day cooking!

umm... we're having two babies and a kitty?

Yes, I'm pregnant. No I don't think it's twins. When we told V. that mommy had a baby in her tummy she said,' No, two babies." Well, I told we didn't know that, so lets just say there's one baby. "No!", she said firmly," You have two babies in your tummy. "And," she added, pulling her shirt up and pointing to her own tummy," I have a kitty in my tummy!"
Interesting.... I guess we'll wait to see what happens...

Fishing Day!

In July we took V. on her first fishing trip. She was so excited! It was all she could talk about for a week! We went down to the American Falls reservoir. She held her pole all the way there in the car.


She even liked watching as Steve put the worm on the hook. Steve helped her cast out, and then we waited for a bite. She struggled with the waiting, always wanting to reel her line in to see if she'd caught anything.

While waiting for for a bite we tried to feed some seagulls with leftover bread from lunch. But they weren't hungry. She'd call up into the sky at them, telling them to come and eat. It was so cute!. What a fun day we had as a family!

memories

well,since we don't have any posts, I thought I would post a few memories I have from the last few months...



We were enjoying a warm spring day outside when V. started running around the yard with her arms outstretched. As she ran past me she said," look mom! I'm flying!" I love seeing her imagination at work!







One day in the summer I saw her runing around the house with a doll blanket sround her neck. I asked her what she was doing and she said, in her deep superhero voice," I'm super T. I'm flying !" Well, I pinned her 'cape' on, found one for myself and we ran around the house and the yard 'flying'. At times she would say, again in her superhero voice," T. Hammond can do anything!" Again, I love seeing the sweet innocence of childhood thru my daughter's eyes!






Another afternoon I was reading and I heard V. 'quacking' in the hallway. I went to see what she ws doing and saw that she had found two of my oven mitts, and put them on her feet, and was walking around 'quacking'. "What are you doing?", I asked. "I'm a duck!", was her reply. Apparently, she thought having my oven mitts on her feet made them look like duck feet!

New to blogging

Well, we are new to blogging but thought we'd try it out! I welcome any input you may have!