Happy Birthday Dan!

This picture says a lot about my hubby. Really, it describes him to a T. He's sporting a wet suit because he's crazy enough to have already been skiing in the freezing cold water more than once. He's wearing his Oakley sunglasses...which is has always been obsessed with, and his face is crazy and fun.

I can't believe that he is 31 today. I am so lucky to have this guy.

Tonight Londyn decided to throw up in her bed. It happens at least once a week or so (no lie...it bites). He cleaned almost all of it up. What husband does that? Mine does.

I am lucky to have a guy that can fill in all the details of my "crazy" projects. He is the handiest guy I know and I'm sure he shutters every time he hears the words, "I have an idea, but I don't know how to do it."

He's the best worker and is very dedicated to his job. He is so dependable and he rarely takes time off. It's frustrating for me sometimes! :) He works his tail off for us. I'm willing to bet that almost every week since we moved to St. George he has worked above 40 hours a week. He is soooo good at what he does. When I was the manager, I cried when people yelled at me...not Dan. When people pull an attitude at him, he stands his ground and tells them what they need to hear. I'm so proud of him for being that way. Not many people could do his job with a smile and he has more patience than anyone I know.

I'm lucky because he does dishes and laundry. Wait a minute...he does more laundry than I do! Seriously.

I'm lucky because he gives me a break when I'm losing my mind. He understands me. He knows when I've hit my breaking point, and he steps right in to take over with the kiddos. It usually ends with him taking the kids on a drive to McDonalds to give me some quiet time without worrying about dinner. I appreciate that every so often.

I'm lucky to have a guy who likes to work in the yard. (I get in trouble if I mow the lawn...he wants the lines to be PERFECTLY diagonal).

I'm lucky to have a guy who likes to wash the car. I have to admit...this annoys me at times, but I enjoy having a clean car. It just cracks me up that it takes him TWO hours to do it. :)

I'm lucky to have a guy who honors his priesthood. I know that at any given moment my husband is worthy to give me or my children a priesthood blessing.

I'm lucky to have a husband who likes everyone and everyone likes. He's just a likable guy, and he ALWAYS takes my side when I need back up....ok most of the time.

I'm lucky to have a guy with a lot of enthusiasm. I love it when he laughs so hard that he cries. It cracks me up when he tries to convince me of something that is totally wrong. Like when he tried to tell me that he actually LIKES tomatoes...whatever I know you better than that!

It cracks me up when he looks at the sun to sneeze. What a wierdo...and I can hear it from a MILE away.

I love that I have a guy who will let me try to surprise him...which has NEVER happened in the almost 9 years of marriage. He tries to be surprised...but he's just too stinkin' detail oriented. He always finds the gift, or sees the receipt...aaaahhhhhh.

Maybe he'll be surprised about his gift in the morning. I guess we'll see!

Sure love you babe.

An Alligator!

A huge lizard came in my house yesterday. My front door was open, and I accidentally scared it inside. I was kind of scared of it so I told Connelly to run inside and try and scare it out. He ran in, and instantly the huge lizard ran straight out. The only problem was that I was standing right outside the door. It darted right at me, and I screamed bloody murder. My kids laughed and laughed at me, and I have to admit I probably would have won America's Funniest Videos if it had been taped.

The funniest part? Londyn yells, "An ALLIGATOR!" (Which I had never thought of this before, but it did look VERY much like a baby alligator.) The lizard was over a foot long with its tail.

Dirt anyone?

Our backyard is full of dirt. I got home from Cedar City last week, and this is what I found...kids COVERED from head to toe with white, powdery DIRT! I'll be so glad when our backyard is finished, but as of now we are making progress in baby steps!

This is what our backyard looked like "before" the project began:

Here is the "during" picture with the back wall about half done and the side wall complete.

And finally here is the after photos of the back wall being completed. Dan is on top of it, and has already planted trees in the back. Next project will be the sprinkler system and the grass. Stay tuned....that will happen in the next couple of weeks.

I had to put these pictures of Londyn on here. She is a little stinker who has ALWAYS been into everything. I found her making herself a bed out of the wrapping paper. AHHHHH.

Oaklyn and Connelly started T-ball this month, and they both LOVE it. It is soooo funny and they both crack me up. They are both learning a lot and I sure enjoy laughing for an hour each week at the funny things all the kids do. (Getting Oaklyn excited to play was a feat in itself, but once she got going, she was laughing and smiling the entire time!)

I also have to document one of the MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENTS OF MY LIFE that happened this last week.
Saturday was an Elder's Quorum BBQ for our ward and they were wrapping it up so the guys that were cooking decided to make some enormous pancakes with the remaining pancake batter. So, Rob our neighbor said, "Connelly come and look at this huge pancake." So, Connelly goes over to see it on the grill and says, "HOLY SHIT!" Oh my gosh....I have NEVER been so mortified in my life. It's one thing to hear your kids swear at home or in front of friends...etc. BUT...when they do it in front of the Elder's Quorum President...etc, life moves in SLOW MOTION.

Disclaimer: I know I am not perfect in the swearing arena...but I really don't say "Holy Shit" sooooo I'm guessing he learned this from "The Sandlot?" Who knows....honestly. If he would have said, "What the hell were you thinking" then I would have taken full credit.

What a day that was.

The other thing that I'm really excited/nervous about is that I just found out that I will be on the television show Studio 5 on Monday June 7th for All Things Thrifty. I'm soooo excited, and I have constant butterflies at the same time. Wish me luck!

I debated on whether to announce it, but I figured friends and family would want to know. :)

The Ulrich Family Happenings!

I have had the busiest two days! It all began with baptisms for the dead at six a.m. with the young women. Being in young women is sooo much fun. Getting up at six a.m. on a Saturday? (not so fun). After the baptisms I had the Young Women over for breakfast at my house. They are soooo stinkin' cute! Then I had a wedding shoot at the St. George Temple (SOOOOO stressful). I'm honestly contemplating never doing another wedding again. Then, that night I went to the reception to take pictures also. Well, after that was over, I had to prepare a talk to speak in Church on Mother's day! I think it went good, but I was super nervous! AHHHH, I'm so glad it is over. Dan spoiled me rotten, and just a minute ago, I heard him say " I can't wait until it's FATHER'S DAY!" Lol. What a stinker.

I had to show you my cute nephew Maddux Tyler Ulrich. What a stinkin handsome boy huh!?!? Congrats to Ty and Whitney!

Oaklyn had a dance recital and I can't believe how grown up she is getting! What a little cutie.

Look at how grown up she is! AND...look how skinny my husband is. He's a sexy Dada!

Mike and Jess came down a few weeks ago to go skiing and I snapped this picture of their cute little family. I love hanging out with these guys!

Jess and Oaklyn have the cutest relationship. Jess helps Oaklyn with dance and gymnastics and she just LOVES her Aunt Jessie.

The kids LOVE the boat. This is such a fun outing for us to do all together. The kids were posing for me to take pictures of them. Even Dan posed for me. :)

The projects never end around the house, and I'm so proud of Dan for doing this back splash in my kitchen. Dad came down to visit and helped Dan grout the back splash. It looks soooo good. I love that I have a handy man.

We also just put rocks on the side of the house. Thanks for all the help from Mike, Julie, and Dave.

A tribute to my Grandpa!

My heart aches. I lost my sweet Grandpa this week. What a shock. I grew up living less than a mile away from him. I have cried more this week than I think I have in the last five years combined. He went quickly and unexpectedly.

My grandpa loved to hunt and fish and loved Fish Lake where he spent lots of time at his cabin with his dear wife. He loved his grand kids and always gave the best hugs. I worked on his farm growing up and he taught me so many lessons.  I loved how he treated me, and he always made me feel like I was his "best" worker. (I'm sure that is how all of us felt). He taught me how to change sprinklers...oh those mornings were soooo early! I worked on the farm until I graduated from High School. I remember him driving up to me in his white Ford truck with a huge smile on his face to tell me good job for having straight rows while I was cutting alfalfa with a swather. He even trusted me with his newest swather, and I was so proud that he would let me drive such an expensive piece of machinery.

When I was little, my fellow cousins and I used to search for flint out in the fields surrounding his house, but unbeknown to us, after we had gone home, he would throw all the flint back into the field for us to find the next time we came flint hunting. He didn't want us to stop coming to hunt for it, I guess. :)

He was an avid BYU fan and loved all sports. He especially loved basketball where he coached for 17 years.


Here I am when I was a little girl riding on the back of a horse with Grandpa! The other day I saw some pink peppermint candies at the store, and it reminded of my Grandpa. He used to keep them in his pockets and would always share them with his Grand kids!

We had some great times at the cabin with Grandpa, and he loved to come down and watch the kids play Bocce Ball. This particular game he decided to play with us, and I'm so glad that I took a bunch of pictures that day. I'll treasure those pictures FOREVER!

This picture was taken at on Saturday. Can you believe that all 32 direct grand kids were there!?!? I cannot believe it. I don't remember the last time that all of us were in the same place at the same time. Several of them live back east. People traveled from all over the nation to be there, and that in itself is a huge feat and tribute to what kind of Grandpa he was. Of course this includes just the grand kids and not their spouses, which most of us are married...and of course doesn't include all the GREAT grand kids...we took up most of the chapel with just the family, as you can imagine!

The funeral went really well, and it was great to see everyone. I got to hear some really great stories about my Grandpa that I had never heard. I love him so much, and more importantly, I'm so grateful to know that I will get to see him again someday. What a huge blessing. I miss him, and I still get teary at random places. Like when I see a white Ford truck that looks like his...etc. I know he loved me, and I know he still loves each and every one of his family members.

Easter 2010

This weekend was a lot of fun. We thought that my sister Natalie was coming to town, but she got really sick so she didn't end up coming. So, we had a quiet Easter weekend.

The kids had fun picking up candy at the Washington City Easter hunt. It is an awesome one to go to because there is a TON of candy and they just dump it right on the grass. The kids had fun grabbing as much sugar as they could.

I think we all ate enough sugar to last a lifetime.

Mike and Jess came down on Saturday and it was fun to hang out with them for a little bit while the boys went to the Priesthood session. We took the kids to the park, and I couldn't help but snap some pictures of this little darling. Gracie is 8 1/2 months old, and she is the cutest thing ever. It's so fun to see both sides of our family grow. I'm everyone's favorite aunt...well at least that's what I tell all my nieces and nephews!

I watched most sessions of conference, and it is always great to hear some much needed advice from our Prophet and Apostles. My favorite talks were the ones about our youth, and I really enjoyed the one about Mothers and daughters. I loved the comment about the Moms being "thrifty" and the daughters learning to be "thrifty" too! It honestly "pinged" me when I heard it. Since I love being thrifty. Hopefully my girls are learning that too.

Londyn has been so funny lately. She's going through a separation anxiety time that happened much sooner with our other kids. She cries every morning that Daddy leaves. She also cries almost every time that I leave her at someone's house. Well, except at Kelly's house. She LOVES Kelly's house.

Kelly is Dan's mom's cousin, and my kids have adopted her and her family into ours. It is so cute. Londyn goes to Kelly's house every Mon. Wed. and Fri. when I teach at the college for an hour or so. She honestly BEGS to go to Kelly's. I love having a place for Londyn to go that she loves. Otherwise it would be super hard to leave her kicking and screaming every other day.

She jumps right into bed with us every morning and she loves to "snuggle" something that my other two didn't like to do. I love our snuggling time, and this is what I wake up to almost every morning. She's a happy go lucky morning person just like her daddy. I'm a little grumpy in the mornings. :)



Things here are great, and adjusting to have a home is finally getting into a routine. I can't believe that we've lived in our home for 9 months! HOLY MOLY time flies! It is soo much work and the pressure is sometimes a little more than I expected. I have LOVED being settled though, and I finally feel like we are "where we will be." That is a great feeling.

In case you are wondering we are still in love with St. George. I'm sure you aren't surprised, but this city is honestly a great place to live. I know you think we may be crazy to live here in the heat, but the heat doesn't even bother us anymore. Our kids are definitely St. George kids and were so excited to see "SNOW!!" on our way to Salt Lake a few weeks ago.

Our backyard is our next project, and we'll be working on that soon. The house behind us just sold, and we are excited that it is some friends that we've known in our ward. So, as soon as we can put up a wall back there, we'll be steadily working on our backyard. I'm really excited!

We want visitors! We haven't had any visitors for awhile, so if anyone wants to come down, we have an empty room just waiting for someone to come.

As for me, I'm keeping busy as always. I'm kind of crazy sometimes, and I realize that sometimes I need to take a break and read a good book. :)

All Things Thrifty is steadily growing, and it has been so much fun. I've had a lot of fun being in the SYTYCD contest, and All Things Thrifty has won several of the weeks.

I still take pictures here and there, but it is not something that I pursue much. Taking pictures of babies and toddlers is by far my favorite pictures to take.

I still teach over at Dixie College, and I have had more challenges this semester than others. My class doesn't seem to appreciate getting an education like classes in the past. It makes me sad that I have to reprimand them sometimes and I had to give a speech about coming to class if they "WANT" to learn and not coming if they don't. Crazy. College is too much money to just flush it down the toilet. It's going much better since I gave that speech.

I have learned a lot about myself over the past year or so. I've learned that I'm much happier if I have a steady goal to work towards. I'm a self driven person, and if I don't have something to challenge me, I get bored really easy.

The kids are growing up soooo fast! The two older ones have started to help me around the house with their "chores" and I LOVE it. They are such good little helpers. Connelly and Oaklyn unload the dishwasher every time, and it is sooo nice because that is one of my least favorite chores. They are great at sorting laundry and they help me put their laundry away after it is done. YAY!

They are both obsessed with High School Musical and can sing almost all the songs word for word. It is so cute. Connelly especially loves to sing. He has a great little singing voice, and he even mimics Troy's movements with the movies.

Oaklyn is steadily working on her splits and practices every night her right, left, and center splits. She is learning pirouettes and is such a cute little dancer. Here she is with her team at her dance competition last weekend.



Here she is during the competition doing her little heel stretch.
We also signed up the two older kids for t-ball. So, that will be interesting to see how they do! Connelly is all registered for Kindergarten and I can't believe that I'll have two kids in school next year. Connelly is growing like a weed! All of the sudden all of his clothes are too little.

I guess it's time to have another kid, huh! No this is NOT an announcement, but we are thinking about it. I'm getting old. I can't believe that I have three kids. CRAZY.

Hope all is well with everyone else!

By the way, the reason I went private on this blog is just for my own sanity. I want to be able to write freely about how I feel, and I constantly found myself holding back because of who "could" be reading it. Since this is how I keep a journal, I want to be able to speak freely.

Some funny things the kids have said lately:
"I want my armpits back, they are invisible" says Connelly.
"I want to go to D.I.!" says Londyn after we just got done at Children's place. (Can you tell she is with me most of the time when I'm searching for furniture to redo!?!).
"I love St. George because it has Cafe Rio," says Oaklyn.

Loni's Baby Shower

Look at how cute my friend Loni is. It was so fun to throw her a shower. Shopping for girls is so much fun! Look at some of the cute things she got!

Going Private.

Well, I've debated back and forth a million times about going private. I've decided to take the plunge.

Please leave a comment with your e-mail address if you would like to be included in the readers' list.

I welcome ALL readers who I know...even if you are a friend of a friend and would like to keep up with the Ulrichs.

Don't be shy. I probably blog stalk you too. :)

I plan to do this in a week or so.

I walked in the office and what did I see?

Meant to be sung with the tune of "Popcorn popping".

I walked in the office and what did I see?
Londyn holding bu-u-ter the size of a tree.

She seems to always bring me such a nice surprise.
Butter almost on my carpet right before my eyes.

She could have taken an arm full and made a treat,
A bu-tter ball would NOT be so sweet

It WAS really so, but it seemed to be.
I stopped her right before the bu-tter SPREE!

(It was a miracle.)

Quote of the day.

"Whoa Mom, that's freakin' me out," says Londyn (two years old).

Gratitude.

This last couple of weeks have reminded me of how wonderful my life is. I wanted to write down a few things that I'm especially grateful for.

#1: A wonderful husband who has no problem doing laundry, dishes, and putting the kids to bed. As I have accepted a new calling in our ward, I am gone more than ever, and he has not complained once.

#2: To have grown up in a home where both my parents were "real." I don't know how else to put this, but I've encountered a lot of people over the course of my life, and I'm VERY grateful to have been taught to be "real." I choose to be down to earth instead of in "la la" land, and I'm glad to have been taught how to work hard.

#3: I'm grateful for my education. Everyday I watch miscommunications happen. We are surrounded by sooooo many channels....blogs, facebook, text messaging, e-mail...yada yada, and it is VERY easy for miscommunications to take place through these channels. I am grateful for FACE to FACE communication where miscommunications are much fewer than through these other channels.

#4: I am grateful for the guidance of the spirit. I have relied on that guidance in my life. I love that warm feeling.

#5: I'm grateful for great kids who make me smile every day. I'm definitely not a "perfect" mom, and I give myself a hard time about striving for perfection, but I'm grateful at how wonderful they are, and how much they love me.

#6: I'm grateful for great friends. I love the friends that I can not talk to for weeks/years at a time and we can pick up from where we left off. I'm grateful for thoughtful friends who know me. I've always been a little on the "crazy" side, and I appreciate those that see that as a good thing and not a bad thing. :)

#7: I'm grateful for my calling. I have NEVER felt so much love in my entire life for perfect strangers. I'm grateful for that love, and I'm loving getting to know these girls.

#8: I'm grateful that I was blessed with a visual/creative eye. When people ask about "talents" I can't say..."I play the piano," or "I sing," but I can say I'm pretty creative. I'm grateful for that.

#9: I'm grateful for a family who loves me and has my best interest in mind. I love that I can call them when I have silly questions or if I need someone to help me edit something. (even if it is midnight).

I know this post is random, but I'm afraid random is my middle name. :)

What have we been up to lately?

BEWARE: This post is going to be RANDOM!

My kids thought that drinking sparkling cider out of these Valentine's cups was the coolest thing ever. I think they drank most of the bottle of cider in about 5 minutes!
Oaker's face in this picture says it all. Can you see the "craze" in her eyes!?!? Oaks is starting pirouettes in dance, and she is doing really well. I was looking at pictures of her hair when she was little, and I'm starting to wonder if her she is losing some of the "red". I hope not.
Londyn's latest:
"Please pass the chocolate crayon" (wanted the brown crayon...I literally laughed out loud).

When asked what is your favorite movie she says "NACHO" (Nacho Libre...I know...she's not the usual two year old...what can I say.)

She loves to take a nap in ANYONE'S bed but her own. Mommy's bed, Connelly's bed, Oaklyn's bed....I give up.

"I want to go to KELLIE'S house!" She says this about 50 times a day. Kellie is Dan's cousin who watches her while I teach at Dixie College. She LOVES Kellie's house.

"I want to go to D.I." (As she is sitting in her toy car. Can you tell we go to D.I. searching for furniture to redo a LOT!)

"The, the, the, the binch."(She loves the Grinch, but it sounds more like the Bi*ch)

Laying on the ground throwing a fit she says "I want to go to GRANDMA'S!"

"You're mean Mom." Can't even tell you how many times a week I hear this sentence.

When we are going down a hill in the car she yells. "WEEEEEEEE, go fast Mom, go FAST."

She changes her clothes about 10 times a day...this is getting old. I don't need more laundry.

She loves nursery (luckily).

She loves her dog "Shoogs" and carries her around all day.

If we shush her she says "No, YOU shush"

She loves to sing and sings "Tomorrow, tomorrow" from Annie and "Twinkle, twinkle little star"

I can't believe how fast she is growing up.
SWING!!! She is obsessed with it.

This is Connelly and his best little friend Bridger. It's kind of funny that they are such good friends. I grew up with his dad, Kyle. Connelly could play with Bridger all day, EVERY day. I have so many funny memories that have Kyle in them from good 'ol Millard county. I just love his wife Jen too. I always tease him...how did he score a girl like her! Lucky guy, lucky guy.
My kids' new favorite show is "Shark Boy" with Taylor Lautner. I'm afraid my crush on Jacob Black is RUINED.
I have been eating, sleeping, DREAMING about the So You Think You Can Decorate Contest that started on Sunday. I'm honored to have been asked to be a contestant, and I'm working really really hard to do my best. If you haven't voted yet, go check it out and vote for your favorite 2 projects. Hopefully our pillow project is one of your favorites!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ya know...I have an awesome husband. He is my partner in crime and has done so many awesome things for me lately. I have to show you a few of the things he's done just to brag about him for a minute. This is a picture of my master bedroom wall before he painted it.
Here it is after. Yes, he made this wall art too. He painted this wall, made the art, and painted the furniture.
He put up this back splash...doesn't it look AWESOME!?!?

AND....he just built this swing set (with help from Mike) for our back yard. The kids play and play and PLAY out there. I'm so proud of him. He's the handiest guy I've ever seen, and how lucky and I to have him around!?!

I LOVE LIVING IN ST. GEORGE! Have I told you that!?!? :)
He even does laundry! Yes, yes I am a lucky girl. I tend to take him for granted sometimes, but the thing is...he's the best husband in the world.

Happy Valentine's babe. Thanks for the flowers. Lately, I've been a big grouch. I'm pretty sure I'm the crappiest wife around sometimes. I literally ran in the door on Friday, saw the flowers and yelled THANKS FOR THE FLOWERS HONEY as I ran out the door for baptisms for the dead for YW.

As far as we are concerned though, this new year has been great so far. I am only teaching one class at Dixie this semester, and life has slowed down a bit. I can breathe again. At the end of 2009, I literally was so stressed that I couldn't take a deep breath. I guess that's what anxiety does. I'd never experienced that. But, I can feel air in my lungs again.

We have lived in our house of 7 months now. I can't believe how fast it has gone by. We are slowly acquiring furniture. We bought a bed like this one the other day for Connelly's room on Craigslist for $30.00. He is so excited to have a CAR bed!
Oaks is reading so well, and we can't believe how fast she is growing up! She LOVES the monkey bars.

I had to show this picture of Londyn. She was laughing her head off in the tub the other day when I did this to her hair! I remember doing this when I was a kid!

I'm pretty excited that All Things Thrifty got invited to be part of this decorating contest. Check it out, and VOTE for us. :)

We are hoping to start our backyard in the next few weeks. So, I'll be documenting the progress! Wish us luck!

New Calling.

I had an emotional day today, and I need to write down my feelings so that I can remember how I felt.

I got called to be in the Young Women Presidency this week in my ward. I'm so excited! I get to work closely with the Beehives. Today, I honestly couldn't stop crying. I was very emotional. I look up to the girl that I am replacing so much. She is darling. She has always been so kind to me, and I have BIG shoes to fill. I hugged her, and I LOST it. Tears and mascara...everywhere.

Here are a couple of the feelings that I have felt today:
Excitement
Joy
Love for the girls that I don't even know yet
Inadequacy
The Spirit
Busy
Self -consciousness
Gratitude
Awe of the current leaders
Fear
Warmth
Worry (about how my calling will impact Dan and the kids)
Trust in the Lord

I have had an overwhelming confirmation that I was chosen for a reason. I just need to figure out what that reason is. :) I can't tell you how wonderful it was to be called into the Bishop's office and receive this calling. I was impacted greatly by my Young Women leaders growing up. They each made an imprint on my heart, and I instantly had a flood of memories of those great times.

Then I forgot all the things that I'm good at...and could only focus on the things that I'm BAD at. I guess that is Satan's way of trying to influence us. I'm sure I'll get to know everyone fast, but I kind of felt like the "new kid" today. I was crying, and my makeup looked horrible. I was suddenly VERY aware of my Sunday wardrobe...how lame is that....I'm usually such a confident person. I guess that's what happens when I'm out of my comfort zone. It is good for me. One of the first things I thought about when I got the calling....I CAN'T WAIT for GIRLS' CAMP!!! Woot Woot!

Over all, I'm just EXCITED with a capital E.

Fablehaven...

Every once in awhile I start a book that I CANNOT put down. Dan's cousin recommended this book to me. I actually had it for a month before I started reading it, but once I started, I COULD NOT stop.

It's really good. I am already on the 3rd book! There are a total of 4 books out right now in the series, but another one is coming out in March. You should read it. :) Just prepare your husbands for laundry to pile up.