Jason and Melanie

A year to remember

2012-01-11T23:22:00.000-08:00

I have so much to be grateful for from 2011. I have my fair share of trials just like everyone else does but I wanted to write a quick post on the highlights from last year because it was extra special.

The greatest blessing of the year was finding out that I am pregnant! It is so exciting and very humbling all at the same time. Morning sickness was harder than I thought it would be and on December 27th we found out why- we are having twins! A few days later we had a better ultrasound and found out they are both boys! It looks like they are identical but we will know for sure in a couple of weeks. I'm so grateful for this opportunity to start a family!

Our babies are pretty much all I can think about, I've read about 25 books on pregnancy with multiples and raising twins in the past two weeks. There are so many wonderful multiples connections- community groups, online groups, etc. I am amazed at the support and connections we've found already. Right now it's a really fun part of pregnancy where I have started to feel them move and can start planning their nursery and shop for them.

Our family also grew with three new sisters in-law: Sheena, Madison and Emily! We love all three so much and couldn't be happier for our brothers.

We also welcomed a new nephew, Austin! He is such a sweet baby and makes me even more excited that we are having boys. We are welcoming a new niece, Amelia, any day now and finding out about her last summer was a huge highlight as well.

Jason and I graduated from BYU. I'm so grateful for Jason's hard work and getting a job here in Houston. We both love the city and it is a huge blessing to live close to my family, especially now with the twins coming!

We were able to buy our first house which seems really materialistic but it's so nice to settle down and have a place of our own, especially as we start our family. The neighborhood and ward we moved into have been so welcoming and we really feel at home here.

Gus joined our family! He brings so much joy to our lives. He is the perfect mix of fun and sweet, I can't get enough of him. He never sits on our couch but Jason had been out of town for a week and snuggled up to him last night because he missed him. These two have really bonded and I love it. He's sleeping on my lap while I write this too.

2011 was such a blessing for us. I'm so grateful for Jason and our families. Now we'll see what 2012 has in store, starting off getting ready for these two baby boys!

Christmas Traditions

2012-01-11T22:01:00.000-08:00

One of the best parts of December is getting ready for Christmas. There is a local Christmas tree farm with all the classic games. My favorite was Jason and Brooklyn's "horse race". Jas got some great air, but Brooklyn still beat him!

Hand-chucked corn for the reindeer

One of our Christmas traditions is for all the siblings to see the Nutcracker ballet together. Jas found a new restaurant with a great view.

The view of downtown Houston from our table. It was cloudy but not too cold!

We were SO excited to have Jordan and Madi visit! Their four months at school seemed way too long, I wish we all lived in Houston! Aren't they such a cute couple?

Another tradition- gingerbread houses! Usually we make a homemade gingerbread recipe for the houses but I settled for graham crackers this year. I think Brooklyn and Madi did the best job, the rest of us were a little distracted, haha.

A new thing we tried out this year was to put the frosting in the plastic squeezable bottles (like you use for ketchup or mustard at the restaurants) and it was so much cleaner! Hobby Lobby sells them for a dollar or so, love that place.

My favorite creation ever- Brooklyn made Gus out of marshmallows, pretzels and candy! As you can see, he was entranced by it himself.

A new tradition that my mom and I have is to grow Amaryllis flowers. We had eight different varieties and this was my favorite. They are so big and beautiful!

And of course the classic Christmas pajamas. Gus was wearing his sweater, haha, poor guy.

Kyle and Sheena celebrated the holidays in Utah because they are expecting their baby girl soon! We missed them so much but can't wait to meet Amelia! They are going to be awesome parents and Sheena looks so cute pregnant!

Just one more picture of Gus since I've been slacking on his updates. We LOVE him!

Wedding Bells

2011-12-14T01:07:00.000-08:00

This past Thanksgiving was extra special because we were able to celebrate a lot of things. Jason's brother Matt was married (it was a gorgeous wedding and we love Emily!). His mom was able to fly all the way from Buenos Aires for two weeks. We haven't seen her for a year and a half! She met four new grandchildren on this trip too. It was so great to spend time with her. Our sweet niece was also baptised that week, we loved being there for such a special day. All of these pictures were taken by my in-laws, we didn't get any ourselves so I'm grateful they were on top of it!

All of the girls went out for pedicures before the wedding, it was a fun night! Even the little girls joined in on the fun. It feels so good to get a little pampered especially with this group!

Beautiful Averie with her dad. Her grandma made her dress and a matching one for her American Girl doll, aren't they pretty? We love our niece!

Susan brought Argentine socks for all of us. They are so comfortable! It's always fun to match too :)

Saturday morning we went to Emily and Matt's sealing at the Bountiful temple. I loved the words shared during the ceremony. I'm so grateful for temple marriage and the blessing it is in our lives!

Next we went to the luncheon at the JSMB. Seriously, don't they look like models?? We were able to Skype with Micheal. He was missed so it was great to have him be a part of it still. Michael and Susan have been such a good example of service in the church.

The JSMB is so beautiful, especially during Christmas! We had to take advantage of the pretty Christmas tree in the main room.

The reception was held at the Salt Lake Hardware building. I had never been there before. It's a cool building and Emily's choice in decorations were gorgeous! This is their first dance. Don't you LOVE her dress?

Aside from being sick, it was a fantastic week. It was great just to be together along with all the fun things we had to celebrate. Congrats Matt and Emily and thanks for getting married so we could have such a fun week!

Catch Up!

2011-12-14T00:12:00.000-08:00

At the end of September we closed on our house! It is so exciting to settle down and have a place to call our own. We love the neighborhood and my parents are around the corner which has been really nice!

We had fun carving our pumpkins with the Jason's cousins (isn't he cute?). We also found some pumpkins for Gus that are just his size. I was so excited to find a good white pumpkin this year, I love them.

Oh and a great tip I learned this year: Use the lid of a canning jar to scoop out the inside of your pumpkin, it's SO much easier than anything else!

Brooklyn turned 17!! I couldn't ask for a better sister and it's been so nice to live close to her. I'm getting sad thinking about her going to college but I remember how exciting that time was. Love you sis!

Kyle and Sheena found out they are having a baby GIRL! We are so excited to welcome the first Welch niece. I love being an aunt and am so excited for them. There has been a lot of shopping for pink around here...

My aunt and grandma visited and we had an awesome girl's weekend together. Shopping, sewing, movies, and good food were the main events. My favorite thing we did was a cooking class at Sur la Table. We made crispy scallop lollipops, pork loin roast, sweet potato gratin, and spicy collard greens. I know how to chop really well with a knife now :) Our chef was so much fun and I want to do it again soon. This is a great idea for a date night or for a group of friends, it's a blast.

Happy Birthday to my favorite person!!

2011-11-02T19:20:00.000-07:00

Jason had his 32nd birthday last Thursday. It was fun because the celebration was spread out throughout the week. Poor Jas had a lot of late nights at work last week so we went out to dinner with the family a few days before his actual birthday.

We celebrated really late on his actual birthday because he had a fancy work dinner to be at. Sorry the pictures are so dark, I really need to learn how to use our camera. He always requests Halloween themed birthday cakes so I spruced up this ice-cream cake. My mom found a fun Halloween cake stand to add to the theme. Jas wanted Gus to join in on the fun too :)

I love catching him in the middle of blowing out his candles, hehe. I wonder what he wished for...

For years, Jason has asked me to make him a Halloween quilt. I haven't had much time until this year so I finally did it. It was a little hard because Halloween isn't exactly "pretty" so I had a hard time finding fabric I could stand, haha. Each square has a full moon with a different Halloween themed silhouette in each one. The back is black with little skulls and crossbones.

He's standing on the ottoman so he could hold up the whole thing, haha. I think Gus liked it just as much as he did. He also got some awesome running shoes for a race we have coming up and a grill.

Happy Birthday to the best husband ever! Love you lots!

It's all about the butter, ya'll!

2011-10-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

Last month Brooklyn and I went to see Paula Deen at a cooking convention here in Houston. We love her show and recipes! She is so entertaining. It was fun because her husband and brother in-law came too. They were cracking us up the entire time. It felt like we were at her home, she really knows how to run a show.

She told us she gets mistaken for a Texan all the time because of her Southern accent but said she doesn't mind because her personality fits the bill anyway, haha. She is so tiny in person! I don't know where she has all the energy to do what she does but she is hilarious.

We didn't get to try her food (her husband cooked a lot of it!) but she made mac and cheese, Grandgirl's fresh apple cake, oven-fried chicken and I'm sure I'm forgetting something else. Surprisingly, the show was not about the food though. It was all about getting to know Paula and her cute family. She wasn't hesitant to share her belief in God multiple times and I was happy the crowd heartily supported her in it.

I just noticed her Halloween costume on her website and it is cracking me up! I wish I had more pictures from the event but it was so busy I forgot to.

This one is a lot more appropriate though, haha. Her husband is so nice to dress up like that!

Stapley Reunion '11

2011-09-05T13:54:00.000-07:00

One of our summer highlights was our Stapley family reunion in July. The siblings live literally from coast to coast so it's a big party when we all get to be together. We missed Michael and Susan but Skyping helped them feel a little closer.

We started the reunion at the Ogden Raptor's game. I lost track of the game because it was exciting to see everyone, especially the nephews and nieces! Jason and I hadn't met Camden or Austin yet, man they're cute!

These three cuties were all born in September '10. Emmett, Evelyn and Camden.


Sarah and Jonathan with sweet baby Austin.

We celebrated three August birthdays (Brendan, Dave, Megan). This was their taste test, they were good sports!

Gotta love the family pic, they crack me up :)

This was our lake day, isn't it beautiful there? We had fun boating and playing in the sand.

Jas and Dave hanging out on the boat.

Melissa and Me :)

Jas wake surfing!

One of my favorite nights was the cook-out we had. We grilled hot dogs over the fire followed by yummy smores. After dinner we had an impromptu talent show by several family members.

Hanging out with my sweet niece, Emma!

The girls played with my hair for a while, it was so nice!


One of Jason's favorite shirts was perfect for the event.


Emily also joined us all week, she is so sweet! Matt proposed last week so she's officially joining the family!! We are so excited!

It's hard to cover the whole week but we had so much fun! Now we're counting down to Matt and Emily's wedding!

Our first furchild

2011-08-23T07:55:00.000-07:00

We have added to our little family! Meet Gustavo ('Gus'). He is a 2-year old Himalayan that we adopted last Friday. He is so sweet!

Since our first date, Jason has known that I love cats and dogs and wanted to have them in the future. I wanted one right when we got married but we had fun being newlyweds and then focused on school for a couple of years. So after 5 years I finally got the green light to start looking for a pet!

Last year Jason worked for PetSmart and it really opened our eyes to how important animal rescue shelters are. I had always thought they were for pets that were sick, old or a little wild, I had no idea that was not the case. Most of these pets grew up in normal homes but were abandoned because they couldn't afford them anymore. Even if you want a kitten or a puppy there are always several options. It is so heartbreaking to see these abandoned pets that really want a family to be with.

Gus was purchased from a breeder and lived with a family for two years but they couldn't take care of him anymore. My family had two Himalayans before and I love their personality and how they look. So I have been keeping an extra eye out for them in the adoption centers. When I saw him my heart jumped and I knew he was for us! The whole family went to the shelter to meet him and help me get ready to take him home. He walked right up to us and when we held him he just purred and rubbed his head on our arms. He even kept his paw on Dad's hand while he took him out to the car, haha.

These two are best buds.

He made himself at home immediately, I was completely expecting some adjustment time but he didn't take any! He still has a lot of playfulness like a kitten but is 100% trained as well- the perfect balance. I'm sure the vet is going to have me put him on a diet- he is HUGE! I love how soft and big he is though.

His favorite toy.

I could write a novel about supporting local animal shelters but I'll summarize it to three things that are so easy to do. I wish I would have known about this a long time ago.

1. Several grocery stores donate a percentage of your purchases to a local animal shelter. In Houston I know that Kroger and Randalls participate. (Kroger= Smiths in Utah and Randalls= Safeway in the West) All you need to do is give your grocery savers card to the customer service desk and add the shelter to it. You don't pay anything for it, you just need to be signed up and the store will donate part of your purchase instead of using all of it for their company.

2. Many animal shelters are run purely by volunteers and aren't connected with the government, so they run on donations only. They need a lot of things, old and new. Some examples of old things: towels, blankets, bowls, toys. They also need donations of big things (used or new) such as washers and dryers, computers, printers, copy machines, etc. They also need cat and dog food, paper towels, cat litter, etc.

3. Volunteer work. There are so many opportunities. They need people to help walk the dogs. PetSmart sets up a station at a popular jogging trail here where joggers can take a dog with them on their run and return them (or adopt them!) on their way back to their car. They also need help with adoption days, data entry, taking pictures of the pets for their online posting, feeding and playing with the pets, etc.

The Silverware Anniversary

2011-07-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

Last month Jason and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary! It has flown by so fast. We ate at Masraffs, one of our favorite steakhouses in Houston. With the hotel points Jas had saved up we were able to stay downtown for the weekend and explore the city.

First I have to get a little cheesy and say how grateful I am to have such a sweet husband. When we arrived at the hotel he had this table set up:

The flowers and treats were wonderful but my favorite was the photobook. I had been talking about making one for a long time. He put in all of our favorite pictures and inside jokes. It's something we'll always keep.

We went to the Bayou Gardens (14 acres of beautiful gardens and landscaping). I can't find our pictures so I borrowed one from their website. It was so peaceful and inspirational. I can't get enough of the gardens and arboretums in the area.

Next we visited a few museums and a Star Wars exhibit happened to be in town. Neither of us are avid Star Wars fans but we checked it out and it was well worth it! They had original costumes, props, weapons, ship models, etc. It was so interesting to learn how they created the movies. I am sounding like a real nerd but I think everyone would enjoy this exhibit.

Darth Vader, right next to this original suit was the video of Ben Burtt making the breathing noises through a scuba mask, hehe.

Awe, Yoda. He was SO tiny!

Speaking of anniversaries, today is also my parent's 28th anniversary!! They are so good to us and I appreciate their good examples in every way. Love you!

We just got back from Jason's family reunion in Eden, UT. It was a great week to be together and we missed his parents a lot. They are doing so many great things in Argentina. We only had a handful of pictures because a lot of our in-laws are talented photographers so we left the photography up to them. Here's one picture we took though, my sister in-law Sarah and I went horseback riding. You can kind of see how green and beautiful it is up there.

Texas Love

2011-07-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd be a better blogger once I got out of school but apparently that wasn't the problem! It has been a very busy but fantastic summer so far! I'm still working on four classes online through BYU before my graduation is official. I thought I'd zoom through them and cross that finish line quickly but there have been way too many distractions!

Jas loves his job with PWC and has learned so much about downtown. I try to meet him for lunch weekly and we try a new restaurant out. The food is so good here! This week we are trying Be-wiched Bistro, they are known for their sandwiches, get it? So cheesy, I love it. The tunnel system is so cool- there is a huge underground system below the skyscrapers. Restaurants, doctors, dentists, spas, shopping, etc. so you don't have to face the summer heat. I thought it might be creepy but it felt like I was walking through a very nice mall.

Outside of work and school we have been discovering all there is to do in Houston. We took a weekend trip to San Antonio to visit Six Flags (Fiesta Texas) and the Premium Outlet Mall. We kayaked 6 miles on Buffalo Bayou through downtown Houston.

We made pickles, haha, like Cam said, "We were picklers, Mitchell!" (any Modern Family fans?)

The Museums are fantastic here, The Museum of Natural Science, Fine Arts Museum, Health Museum, are some of our favorites. I have to be careful about posting this because I don't want to offend anyone, but there was a machine at the Health Museum that took your picture and altered it so you could see what you would look like as a different race and gender. It was so much fun and if you know Jason you will know how great these pictures are! When we saw the picture of what I look like as a boy and what he looks like as a girl we decided that we should not have children, haha, just kidding.

Here is Jason as a girl:

Here is Jason as an African American:

The Houston Zoo is incredible. I guess we are still kids at heart because we bought a membership there, it is just fascinating. They have so many baby animals right now. Tupelo, a baby elephant is one of my favs!

Last week we went to the Jones Theater to see "Bugs Bunny at the Symphony". I had forgotten how hilarious Looney Tunes is. They played the classic cartoons on silent while the Houston Symphony played the songs live. The conductor was great, he told us all about the history of Looney Tunes and all the talent that went into the cartoons. Every episode had an original song written for it. Who knew all of that work was put into those cartoons? We loved it.

Not to end on a sad note, but this month my family had to say good-bye to our cat, Frisco. I know not everyone understands how hard it is to lose a pet but he is missed so much. We all have big holes in our hearts without him, he was a part of our family. Not only are pets fun to have around but they really have a sixth sense about things. Any time a family member was sick or sad, he was right by their side. He just knew what was going on. I know he isn't in pain anymore and is at peace though.

Starting this weekend we are partying up with Jason's family. They live in literally every time zone across the country so it will be a blast to have everyone in one place for 10 days! (minus the parents, they are doing so great as the mission president couple in Argentina, we miss them)

Lovebirds

2011-05-20T00:04:00.000-07:00

This has been such a big year for us! I feel so blessed with all of these exciting events. Since I'm so far behind I have to do the condensed version.

First and foremost I have two new sisters! Kyle and Sheena were married on March 19th in the Salt Lake City Temple. We had her bridal shower the week before. It was so incredible because there were girls from at least 10 different countries! Her mom, sisters and friends from Denmark were also able to attend, it was so much fun, they are wonderful.

The night before their wedding the family went curling in Park City!

She looks like a super model! I try to wear heels around these two, hehe. (I'm not in this pic though!)

Wedding bliss :)

Jason and I graduated in April! It felt so good to walk across the stage finally! I actually am working on six classes that are due in July, but it's close enough! I'm so proud of Jas for getting his MBA and I'm so happy that he has found a job he's really excited about.

The day after graduation we packed up our apartment and spent the weekend with Jason's family for Easter. It was nice before we left because we had visits from Jonathan and David and Megan's family so we got to see five of the seven Stapley siblings before our move. I can't find any pictures from the visits! We have the cutest nephews and nieces ever though, love them.

After Easter we took the long 26+ hour drive to Houston. My cousins were a day ahead of us and saw a tornado form and run across the suburbs just a few blocks ahead of them. I am SO glad they are safe! So terrifying but once they were OK they were pretty amazed by all of it!

We rolled in just in time for the wedding festivities! It was so much fun because almost the entire extended family was able to attend. We had a bridal shower for Madi in Alpine before we moved, it was great to meet so much of her sweet family that lives in Utah. Her immediate family lives just down the street from my parents so we get to see them a lot! We had a family dinner at Jaspers the night before, delish! The wedding was gorgeous and she looked picture perfect :)

Houston Temple, April 29th, JoMadi Wedding! I had to thief this pic of her and her sisters, it was too cute :)

I love Sheena and Madison so much! They couldn't be more perfect for my brothers and they are two of the sweetest girls I've ever met. We've already got spots in Houston for them to move to when they graduate :)

Jason and I are house hunting and enjoying the sunshine before he starts work with PWC in a couple weeks. I'm looking forward to settling down and all the exciting things we have to look forward in the rest of the year as well!

Sweet Sixteen!

2011-02-14T15:17:00.001-08:00

Last December Brooklyn turned 16! Unfortunately all the siblings are out here in Utah so we couldn't celebrate with her. My parents took her to the Nutcracker ballet and out to dinner. The highlight of her birthday was getting her own car! It was perfect because her school decided to allow sophomores to have reserved parking spaces right on her birthday!

She has liked VW Bugs since she was in 4th grade so this was meant to be. This car was also my best friend's car since our junior year of high school and they actually look a lot alike so it's pretty fitting!

The car changes color in the light, it looks white, yellow, or a lime green. It's super cute and she has a huge array of flowers to switch out of the vase they have by the steering wheel, hehe. At her high school her parking spot is between two boys who drive huge F150 trucks, so it's pretty cute seeing that little bug squeeze in there.

Happy Birthday to my sweet sister. She is so talented-

a tennis pro

a pianist

a straight-A student
(even in AP classes and she is on track to graduate a year early!)

a gourmet cook

very service and leadership oriented

loves animals and kids and is so good with them

a spiritual giant
(she has all of the scripture masteries memorized, never missed a day of early morning seminary and has read the Book of Mormon and Bible more than I have!)

Have a great year being 16, Brooklyn! Love you!!

Another Engagement!!

2011-01-22T13:28:00.000-08:00

We have been so excited about Jordan and Madison's engagement and now Kyle and Sheena have doubled it! On Christmas day Kyle proposed to Sheena in Denmark. They are getting married in March just a few weeks before J and Madi!

I love both of these girls so much. My brothers could not have found a more perfect match for themselves and it makes me so happy. I love being able to live close to them this semester and in Houston this summer. They are so fun to be around! I'm so excited to get two more sisters :)

Houston Thanksgiving!

2010-11-28T21:39:00.000-08:00

The whole Welch family was together for Thanksgiving in Houston this year! The weather was beautiful. It was so nice to take a break from school and the cold Utah weather. Kyle's girlfriend, Sheena, spent the week with us as well. She is so sweet and we love having her with us!

Sadly, I was horrible at taking pictures and didn't get many at all. We watched Harry Potter 7 and can't wait to see part 2 next summer. There was an awesome pine tree farm where we found a Christmas tree together. Jason and I found a dog we love there, a newfoundland-lab mix :) We are still recovering from our sugar overload between Candylicious, the Chocolate bar, Treat cupcakes, Brooklyn's amazing pumpkin bread pudding, Mom's pies and cookies, etc. We took advantage of the beautiful sunny and 70 degree weather by playing football, soccer, biking, etc. Jas and Dad dominated in most of the games we played this week, they were awesome. A new movie trivia game we tried is called "Pass the Popcorn", I recommend it!

Our Thanksgiving dinner pic, taken by Sheena:

We took a quick family picture in the neighborhood before the week was over (Kyle was talking!):

The most exciting news of the week is Jordan and Madison are engaged!! They are such a perfect couple. Madi is already like a sister to me, I love having her around. She is from Houston as well- in the same neighborhood as my parents, so it was fun for them to show up in the family ward with the formal announcement.

Jordan took her to a restaurant called the Stratosphere. They had their first formal date there and it's a really beautiful place- it's at the top of a tower that rotates so you see the whole city while you eat. He had the chef write "Will you marry me?" in chocolate on the dessert plate. When she got her dessert he got down on one knee with the ring. They are such a cute couple!

Jason's Birthday

2010-11-07T19:16:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Jason's 31st birthday on the 27th, his birthday is just a few days after Matt's so it's a party week! Matt planned a trip for Cali over Halloween so we decided to have the Stapley Halloween dinner for Jason's birthday before Matt left. We made Susan's chili and breadsticks followed by their jello slurping contest.

Jason won the jello slurping contest...some argue he has advantages in this game with how loud he slurps- he had us all cracking up.

In the Halloween spirit, Jas also asked for homemade root beer. Gotta love the dry ice effect.

Make a wish! We had raspberry almond torte for his birthday dessert :) Happy Birthday Jas, love you!

It's Your Birthday, Shout Hooray!

2010-10-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

Jason's brother Matt turned 26 last week so we celebrated by eating at the Bombay House with their siblings, yum! Afterwards we went to our apartment for cake and ice-cream with his friends. We called Michael and Susan to join us for Pique Pique (a Brazilian birthday song), sorry for waking you two up...it was fun though.

Make a wish!

He got some awesome football gloves which the boys immediately brought outside to try out :) Hope you had a great day Matt, we love you!

All Things Halloween

2010-10-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

This year we carved pumpkins with my brothers and their girlfriends Maddie and Sheena. I was impressed because everyone did theirs freehand and I thought they turned out pretty well!

Kyle and Sheena with their Jack Skellington pumpkin...

Jordan and Maddie with their cat pumpkin...

The whole group in their glowing glory- Jas carved a classic jack-o-lantern face and I carved the little ghost :)

We ended the night by making BUTTERBEER in our true Harry Potter nerdiness, I am really excited for number 7 to come out in a few weeks! This stuff was super sweet but fun to try- especially with a frother :) We used the Sandra Lee recipe except we made the butterscotch flavoring from scratch.

Beautiful Star Valley

2010-10-02T18:26:00.000-07:00

Over Labor Day weekend Jas and I took a quick trip up to Star Valley, WY. My dad grew up there and I was excited to show Jason how beautiful it is. My aunts and uncles were so good to us- tons of great food, letting us use their four-wheelers, hosting us, etc.

My Grandma Welch passed away one week before Jason and I were married. This was the first time I had been back since the funeral so I had a lot of mixed feelings on this trip. It was great to see everything and remember the fun memories that happened there, but it was also very difficult to visit without her there. I miss my grandma a lot.

My cousin and her family are taking care of grandma's house. I'm glad it is staying in the family so we can always see it. They remodeled a lot of the house but they kept the moose my dad shot when he was in high school. Jas wanted to take it back to Texas so he could hang it above my parent's fireplace, haha. When my dad said it would be too much work, he asked if he could hang it in our apartment! I was cracking up because Jas has never hunted before (which I am completely fine with!).

Star Valley was definitely as pretty as I remembered. We went to Cottonwood every day this trip, it is our favorite part up there.

We also hiked up to Periodic Spring. It starts and stops every 15 minutes. It's the biggest one in the world and the only one in the nation. The other springs like this are in Jerusalem, Nepal, South Korea and Slovenia.

One of my favorite things to do in WY is four-wheeling! My uncle was so nice to let us borrow this for a couple of trips. I love how green it is in Star Valley.

I wish we would have taken a few more pictures. We also ate at the Cheese Factory, had fresh huckleberry shakes every day, and enjoyed Connie's famous sourdough pancakes! It was such a relaxing weekend and great to catch up with the fam.

Brazos Bend

2010-09-18T14:04:00.001-07:00

My dad was so nice and spent the whole day with me at Brazos Bend state park. We were expecting to see the alligators from a dock or behind a fence but nope! They were all over the place- on the trail we were walking on, on the edge of the lake with NOTHING between us and them! It was an adrenaline rush.

I wish I had brought a better camera because these lily pads were so beautiful, the raindrops looked like silver.

The birds were so beautiful here too, this is a Blue Heron. My mom and I always drove to a park where there were Blue Herons so they bring back a lot of memories for me. You can't really tell in this picture but this one is about 5 feet tall, they're huge!

This picture still gives me goosebumps, my dad took this picture for me- I was too scared to get that close!

Now for the alligator pics...you can see the rest of this one's head under the water if you look closely.

They are camouflaged so well in the bayou, I didn't notice this one until my dad told me to stop walking right next to it!

My dad spotted this guy down the trail, once again, he took the picture because I was to afraid!

Back in the Routine

2010-09-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

There is so much to catch up on!! Since the last post we've moved back to Utah and have started school. I love going to BYU and am grateful for all the family we have here but I am missing my family in Texas so much. Here's a quick recap of our month, I'll have more updates soon!

1. Jason and I have a new niece! There is nothing like holding a newborn baby, she is so cute! (Our camera was dead so we didn't get pictures though, sad.)

2.We took advantage of the cooler Utah/Wyoming weather and went on five hikes.

Stewart Falls (you can only see about 1/4 of the waterfall in this picture)

3. We finally made it to Star Valley, Wyoming! This is where my dad grew up; there are a lot of good memories here. My aunts and uncles spoiled us and it was fun for Jas to see how beautiful it is and visit all the family there.

4. We celebrated Grandma and Ellie's birthdays! Love you two!

5. Jason's sister Amy and her daughter Addie came all the way from Oregon for a week. We are so excited for baby Barton #2 to come. Thanks for making the drive Amy!

6. We went to a Bees game with Matt and Josh before school started. This was right before the amazing fireworks! They really know how to put on a show!

7. I love being outdoors especially where I can see unique plants and animals, so before I left for Utah my dad took me to Brazos Bend Park. It's one of the top ten state parks in the nation and known for their alligators!

We saw at least 20 in the hour we walked around only one lake. I was so jumpy the whole time because we had no idea how close they would be!!

8. For Kyle's birthday we took a trip to South Padre Island. My favorite thing was an ecotour we went on. I got to hold a puffer fish, he was so cute!

9. My brother was so nice and invited me to go to California with him. We had a blast seeing the Redwoods, the Golden Gate Bridge, touring Pixar Studios, Fisherman's Warf, visiting the temples, etc. Thanks, Kyle!

Now it's back to reality! Jason and I are taking the maximum credits allowed on campus again, on top of online classes and we're both working. Busy, busy, busy but we can't wait to graduate this April!

Ky's Birthday!

2010-08-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

(birthday dinner)

Kyle flew to Houston so we could celebrate his birthday as a family. Kyle and I are less than 2 years apart and we've always been close and doing a lot of the same things together. We often hung out with the same group of friends, shared a car together for years, saw each other a lot at school (we still do!), etc. Some of my favorite things about him are:

He's so intelligent! In high school his schedule was packed with at least 5 AP classes a semester and he handled it like it was nothing. He got into BYU with a full scholarship and enough credits to start as a sophomore. He got a scholarship to attend study abroad in Jerusalem. He has so many scholarships he gets PAID to go to school!

(study abroad)

He has such a great sense of humor. Whether he's pulling pranks, making up jokes or just seeing the humor of a situation he always has people laughing. He just views life in an optimistic, fun way.

(drinking chocolate milk with the nerd straw)

He is so Christlike. I have never heard him say anything negative about anyone, even when it was obvious he had been wronged. He is everyone's best friend and is constantly serving others from driving people to the grocery store to literally giving someone the coat off his back in the winter.

(visiting the Philippines)

He is well-rounded and excels at so many things. He's played rugby in high school and college, won awards for videos he's created, his artwork has been hung in several places in our hometown and won several awards, he's learned multiple languages, he's traveled around the world, etc. I could go on and on he's accomplished so much!

It's obvious why so many people think he's my older brother, and not just because he's a foot taller than me, haha. Love you, Kyle. Happy Birthday!!

Girl's Week!

2010-08-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

Earlier this summer our cousins came to visit us in Houston. It's been so nice to have them close while we're at BYU. They are the best! Their first daughters are triplets and they have four girls after them. They are so sweet and such good kids, I have never seen them fight or be rude.

The Houston zoo is a big highlight down here. This year they had a special snake exhibit with snakes from all over the world including king cobras, black mambas, and anacondas! We were pretty freaked out. There was an albino alligator in that exhibit too.

I can't get over how big their horns are. This guy was using his horns to pull down the higher branches and eat the bigger leaves.

Addie and I freaked out by the baby croc!

We celebrated Islay's 3rd birthday! She loves dressing up and here she is posing in her new dress up clothes, hehe. I was impressed with how well she walks in heels too! I LOVE this little girl.

We also visited the butterfly exhibit in downtown Houston. There are 2,000 butterflies in the conservatory and they weren't shy about landing on the girls' shoulders which made it extra fun. There are over 100 different species too so we saw butterflies in about every color and size.

One of my favorite things about Houston is that you can grow anything here and there are always a lot of things in season to go pick nearby. We went to a blueberry farm on this trip. The gardens were over 40 years old and so the blueberry bushes were huge. With all the helping hands we picked 20 lbs of blueberries!

I wish I had more pics but we also went to the beach, kayaking, fishing, fireworks, etc. Thanks for visiting us Smiths! Love you!

Brooklyn's Talk

2010-07-18T11:03:00.000-07:00

My sister gave a talk today so I thought I'd post it for the family that couldn't be there. I also made her take a picture with me because she looks so beautiful! Great job today B :)

Along some of the streets of our subdivision are newly-planted trees. In order for the trees to grow straight the landscapers anchor the trees with two ropes on each side. This helps support the trees with the wind and storms that are common here in Houston. I’ve been asked to talk about two things that anchor our families and keep us strong in the winds and storms of life: family scripture study and family prayer.

President Marion G. Romney talked about the blessings that come from regular family scripture study, particularly the Book of Mormon.

“I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness.”

In 2^nd Nephi 32:3, it says

^aAngels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, ^bfeast upon the ^cwords of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will ^dtell you all things what ye should do.

This says that through the scriptures, our families can receive direction to help us be strong, just like those trees are strong with those anchoring ropes.

Elder Bednar shared this experience with his family.

“As our sons were growing up, our family had regular family prayer, scripture study, and family home evening. Now, I am sure what I am about to describe has never occurred in your home, but it did in ours.

Sometimes Sister Bednar and I wondered if our efforts to do these spiritually essential things were worthwhile. Now and then verses of scripture were read amid outbursts such as “He’s touching me!” “Make him stop looking at me!” “Mom, he’s breathing my air!” Sincere prayers occasionally were interrupted with giggling and poking. At times Sister Bednar and I were exasperated because the righteous habits we worked so hard to foster did not seem to yield immediately the spiritual results we wanted and expected.

Today if you could ask our adult sons what they remember about family prayer, scripture study, and family home evening, I believe I know how they would answer. They likely would not identify a particular prayer or a specific instance of scripture study or an especially meaningful family home evening lesson as the defining moment in their spiritual development. What they would say they remember is that as a family we were consistent.

Elder Bednar talked about a beautiful painting in his office of a wheat field. The painting has lots of individual brushstrokes—none of which by itself is very interesting. In fact, if you stand close to the canvas, all you can see is a mass of yellow and gold and brown paint. However, as you gradually move away from the canvas, all of the individual brushstrokes combine together and produce a magnificent landscape of a wheat field.

Each family prayer, each episode of family scripture study, and each family home evening is a brushstroke on the canvas of our souls. No one event may appear to be very impressive or memorable. But just as the yellow and gold and brown strokes of paint complement each other and produce an impressive masterpiece, so our consistency in doing seemingly small things can lead to significant spiritual results. “Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (D&C 64:33).

The second rope that anchors our family and strengthens us it family prayer.

In 3 Nephi the Savior tells us,

“Pray in your families unto the Father, always in my name, that your wives and your children may be blessed.”

President Hinckley tells of the importance of family prayer.

I feel satisfied that there is no adequate substitute for the morning and evening practice of kneeling together—father, mother, and children. This, more than soft carpets, more than lovely draperies, more than cleverly balanced color schemes, is the thing that will make for better and more beautiful homes.

I am grateful for experiences I have had with family prayer and scripture study. We have had many great discussions and prayers that have brought us close together. And I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Reunited Again!

2010-07-14T18:07:00.000-07:00

This past week I went to visit Jason in Phoenix! He let me make the plans for the whole week which was fun because he usually does the planning.

We started out rooting for the Diamondbacks at Chase Field, it's a nice stadium! Fortunately, the roof was closed because it was 113 degrees outside. They still had people in their signature swimming pool area though, haha. I also asked Jas to try to win a shirt and the second he stood up he caught one!

They also had these guys dressed up as the athletes- so funny but so creepy at the same time. Isn't that the biggest mullet you've ever seen?

The Grand Canyon is only a few hours away so we camped there Friday night and hiked around the south rim on Saturday. The views were breathtaking although it was a little nerve-racking because the trails were on the VERY edge of the canyon! Thanks Dave and Meg for letting us borrow your tent!

I wish it was clearer but the Colorado River is on the right side of the picture.

Jason was excited to see a "hoodoo" because there are several where his dad grew up in Southern Utah. That's also the shirt he caught at the game!

We also celebrated our 4-year anniversary! Jas found a fantastic steakhouse called Mastros. It was fun to think about our year ahead- graduation, buying a new home, and settling in a new city. We're going to Argentina this year to see Jason's parents too- the farthest either of us have traveled! It will be great to see them and experience their mission area.

We ended the week with a visit to the Mesa Temple, it is so beautiful. My great grandparents lived here every winter and worked in this temple. I thought of them a lot as we went through it. It was so good to be there with Jason and remember our wedding day too.

Thanks for working hard at your internship Jas! Miss and love you!

Jason in Guanacoland

2010-07-11T18:21:00.001-07:00

Here is the recap from Jason's trip to El Salvador! I'm visiting him this week and he was so nice to take the time to write his post.

I'm glad to be making a guest appearance in the blogosphere. My time in El Salvador was spent working with a nonprofit called Cause for Hope. Check it out: it's a worthy cause. I did some analysis for possible businesses in the area, with the bonus of using my weekends to see some people from my mission. I didn't get anywhere close to seeing everyone, but did my best with the time I had. Rather than get bogged down in the details, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

People

At the airport, getting dropped off by gracious host Mario.

Leaving the office, saying goodbye to Cristian, another gracious host.

With traveling companion and fellow BYU MBA student Eli on the Panamerican Highway. In the background is the beautiful San Vicente volcano and the valley below it. Behind us is the area that was buried by mudslides in the last year.

One of the businesses we analyzed was a bisutería. That is a place where you can make jewelry out of beads. That is Giovana, the business owner and another kind host. Yes, making jewelry was part of the research. Mel now has a nice necklace to show for it.

Eating pupusas with Cecilia and Carlos, converts from my final area. I thought it was funny that Carlos could not remember me at all. You would think that you would remember a tall, skinny, nerdy Gringo who came to your house day after day for months, but I guess not. You should know that pupusas in El Salvador taste much better than those in the States.

With Elizabeth near Metrocentro, Central America's largest shopping center. Elizabeth was a convert from my final area. She works as a bus dispatcher here. In this exact spot. For 60 hours per week. With no water provided.

With Patricia and her family. Pati was a convert from my fourth area. She has been a good missionary though. Her brother and his entire family are now members, as are her children. This is a daughter, son and niece. Her son Josúe will be going on a mission next year.

From left: Alfredo, Jason, Nicole, Vilma and Javier. Vilma was my cook in my first area and Alfredo was baptized while I was there. Vilma saw me the moment I started walking down the pasaje to her house and recognized me immediately. As she did not know I was coming, I was very happy about it.

I Like Volcanoes

I like them in San Salvador...

...and in San Miguel...

...and in San Vicente. I really like volcanoes.

Odds and Ends

Visiting my first Salvadoran beach, El Cuco. There is good surfing in El Salvador, but it's not really built for tourism.

I am really excited that there is a temple being built in El Salvador. It will be ready before the end of the year and will be the most beautiful building in the country.

There was a beautiful Catholic chapel in San Miguel that a nice little nun let Eli and me tour. I was taken by the most beautiful stained glass windows I have ever seen. I was surprised to see them in this chapel, as I walked by it dozens of times during my mission and thought it was just a run-down building. Here are some examples.

This is an example of why branding people have such a difficult time in foreign countries. Hilarious.

Warning of slight impropriety in the next picture. I giggled like a little kid every time we walked by this medical lab. I thought of telling the owner what it meant, but didn't want to spoil the fun for the next American.

I really enjoyed his time visiting Central America. It made me sad that I haven't been very good at keeping in contact with the people I knew in El Salvador. If you have served a mission you should write your converts because many of them just want to know they are remembered. For many who have gone inactive, the missionaries that baptized them are their only connection to the church. They need a touchstone. They were all so thrilled to see me. I hope this won't be my last visit there, but it may have to wait another 10 years.

Yes, we are still alive!

2010-06-21T22:43:00.000-07:00

This blog has been on the back burner for way too long! After winter semester Jason went to El Salvador for a 3 week trip through BYU. He helped small businesses with microloans and organizing their finances to increase their income. It was extra meaningful to him because he served his mission there and it was his first time back. I love hearing him speak Spanish and the people told him he still speaks the language really well. It was exciting for him to see the people he met on his mission, I'm so happy for him.

Meanwhile, I was still in Provo working at the greenhouse on campus and taking more classes. I loved working outside in the terrace garden and taking care of so many unique plants in the greenhouse. Because it was spring, I took care of hundreds of flowers so it was pretty much my favorite job ever, haha. That area of BYU has the nicest faculty and students. I loved that experience.

Since then Jason has started his internship in Phoenix which has gone really well. We both love Phoenix. I've always preferred sunny, warm weather to cold and there's definitely not a lack of that there!

I'm spending most of the summer with my family in Texas. This past school year I was so homesick, more than I ever was when I was a single undergraduate at BYU. It's been great to catch up with the family and get some sun! I'm still taking 9 classes/25 credits online so I'm busy but it's been great.

I will get some pictures on here soon!

It's the little things in life...

2010-03-03T22:24:00.000-08:00

picture kifed from http://blogs.westword.com/cafesociety/Twilight%20Sweethearts.jpg

A week or two before Valentine's Day my FABULOUS sister sent me this in the mail. It was a complete surprise and really made my day! I have to say that getting fun mail, especially when unexpected, is one of my favorite things.

Now, I have to explain that my sister and I have read the Twilight series and even watched the low budget movies but we aren't serious about them. We're not drooling over the pale glittery guy but we do have fun with it. We were dying laughing over these heart messages, especially "Bite Me", "Bad Guy" and the flavor "Tempting Apple". Oh so corny but fun to laugh about. There is no better friend than a sister!

Back to Blogging

2010-01-29T15:38:00.000-08:00

I took a break from blogging but decided to get back into it! I don't have much time but it's the best way to update friends and family. I love reading your blogs so it's only fair that I try to do the same!

Jason and I are studying hard at BYU. We feel really lucky to be close to family and friends. We're excited to see where Jason's internship will take us this summer and we're crossing our fingers for a place that is WARM!

Here are a few updates from last semester:

Visiting the adorable Smith cousins: Here's Islay in her fairy dress for Halloween.

Visiting fellow Tulsans that have moved to Utah, love these girls!

Melissa and I at an awesome pumpkin patch! I'll never grow out of loving these places.

Jason and I taking over the kid's area at the pumpkin patch:

Celebrating Jason's 30th birthday at Texas Roadhouse, I think he's really a cowboy at heart!

I bought sparkler candles for his cake and I think they were a little too intense!

Jason's favorite birthday present, his brother Matthew :)

Visiting the Festival of Trees- so beautiful but the stories were heart breaking!

We went to Houston for Christmas to thaw out! It had been a year since we were all together. I miss living close to my parents and sister.