Another Baby Shower.....This Time For Ozma!

I had the chance to attend a baby shower for Ozma Andrew on Saturday. It was so much fun. I gave her a cute outfit, some diapers, and a treat. Ozma really liked my gift. I cannot believe that she and her hubby, Tyler, are going to be parents! They are going to be awesome. I found out that Ozma is having a boy and that they're naming him Gideon. I bet Tyler and Ozma are really excited. 

Chris stopped by for some food. He was hanging out with Marco. I hope they had fun together.

This was the "Advice Tree" where people could give Ozma advice on becoming a mother. My advice to her was to enjoy every little moment because time will fly by. I hope she liked it. :)

Melanee explaining the games. She did a good job of it! :)

This was a game where we were supposed to draw Ozma's baby on a paper plate, but we weren't able to look at it. So, we put it on our heads. That game is always so fun!

This is what mine looked like. You have to admit. I can make a mean stick figure! ;)

Afterwards, Ozma opened her gifts. I only have a few pictures, but they were fun to share. 

Isn't this "Mom-To-Be" just stunning? ;)

You see the blue ribbon I'm wearing? That was another fun game we played. When everyone entered the room, we were given a blue ribbon. Tyler's mom gave it to every guest who came. She said that we weren't supposed to say the word "baby" or "cute". If we did, someone was supposed to take our ribbon away. It was hard, but I didn't get mine taken away! I felt so proud of myself. ;)

I'm so glad that Tyler and Ozma are my friends. I still feel bad because Ozma only speaks Spanish and I can't speak Spanish at all. One day, I had to ask Tyler if Ozma even liked me because I can't truly communicate with her. Tyler told me not to worry because Ozma really likes me. When Tyler and I would go to the Pathway gatherings, I would always tell Ozma the small words that I knew in Spanish. She always gave me the biggest smile or she giggled at me. It is so fun to see Tyler and Ozma together. They are such a cute couple.

All these baby shower invitations and baby announcements that I've been receiving and hearing about lately have been making me BABY HUNGRY! I'm so jealous. I feel like everyone's having kids except me. After I think about it, though, I'm very glad I don't have kids yet. I have a lot more to learn before I become a mommy. Let's hope I learn all I have to learn before that day arrives! :)

Home Sweet Home- in Texas and from Shelley!

Chris and I moved into our very first house! We needed one because our puppies are getting bigger and they need a yard. We are renting it.

I was so excited about the backyard for our two pups, I just had to share it first. ;)

Buddy and Bella Roo sure love running around, don't they?

I thought we would be living in apartments for a few more years before we rented a house. The house works, though. :)

Before

And...After!

Before

And...After!

Before

And...After!

Before

And...After!

I LOVE the "His and Her" sinks in our bathroom. That will be very convenient. 

As we packed all of our belongings in boxes, I've realized that I'm a horrible packer. Oh well. Chris on the other hand is really good. He put all the boxes in our car. Chris was so impressed with it, he just had to take a picture of it. I'm not going to lie. I was really impressed too! ;)

He sent the picture to his mom, Denise, and to me with a text that said, "Tetris level pro". I thought that was hilarious. If you've ever played Tetris before, you'll get it. ;)

Cyrus was going to live with us before he got deployed, but he was deployed earlier than he expected. Chris and I sure miss having him around. However, we do have most of his stuff since he lived with us before he left. At least he will have a place to come home to when he's finished. I wonder what will happen when Cyrus comes back.

Chris's parents came to see us on Tuesday (April 14) for about a week. It was so fun to see them. Doug (Chris's dad) and Chris went hunting. Denise (Chris's mom) hung out with me at the house. She helped me unpack our belongings. I'm so thankful I had more help. Usually I'm unpacking alone because Chris is always at work while I stay home keeping up with our place. It was a blessing that they came down to see us when they did.

On Wednesday, we did more packing and unpacking. Chris, his parents, and I went to the house. The locksmith came to change out our locks. He came with his son (he looked about five years old). His son was so cute and he could talk your ear off. Buddy about licked his face off. The AT&T guys came to turn our Internet on. It took a while, but it worked. 

We also got a lot of our furniture in on Wednesday. It's starting to feel a lot more like home now. It's kind of bitter sweet because our apartment looks bare, but our house feels like home. I hope everything goes well. After unpacking for the day, we went to the grocery store to get some food. Doug and Denise went in while I stayed with the dogs. While they were in the store, Buddy decided to jump in the driver's seat. I got a cute picture of it. It was pretty adorable. 

Doesn't he look like he's the man of the house? ;)

By Wednesday evening, we had everything in the apartment. I was so excited. Everything was almost cleaned up and put away. I was pretty proud of us. It was so nice to have an extra pair of hands to help us move to our house. After putting things where we want them, it is starting to feel like our home. 

On Thursday, guess what? We did more...unpacking (huge shocker, right?)! ;) We have everything in the house now, but we haven't put everything where we want it to go. That might take a while, but it will be fun. Denise helped me put some decorations up in our room and in the living room. We don't have a lot of decorations, but we have enough. I enjoyed putting them up. Later that evening, Doug, Denise, and I went shopping for some more items for the house. We got some shower curtains, a rod for the shower, and a few other things. It was so fun to go shopping with them. 

On Friday, after we ate breakfast, Doug and Chris went hunting and were gone until Sunday. In the meantime, Denise and I hung out quite a bit. We went shopping together, cleaned up the house, and took care of the dogs. It was fun to have a girl's night with Denise. She is so fun to be around.

On Saturday, Denise and I hung out at the house. We went shopping and took care of the dogs. That evening, we read books and watched a movie. Afterwards, I helped Denise make pie crusts. While we were baking, we stopped for a bit and saw this happening in the living room:

Aren't they precious? 

On Sunday, Denise and I didn't know how to get to the church building from our house so we stayed home. We cleaned up the house and took care of the dogs. I also helped Denise make some dinner for them. We made potatoes and carrots. After dinner was ready, Denise and I watched a movie and waited until Chris and Doug came home.

I felt bad I didn't get any pictures with Doug and Denise, but it was still so mch fun to spend the week with them. I'm so glad we have good family members who want to come and see Chris and me. I don't know what I would do without them! :)

Being in our new house, I noticed there is only one downside. Chris and I are not in our same ward. When we were searching for houses, we couldn't find any houses  that were in the ward boundaries. I hate changing wards. It's harder than moving to a different state or country. Thankfully, we are still in the same stake, but it still isn't the same. Hopefully, I'll make new friends in our new ward.

I'm so grateful that Chris and I were able to find a house with a yard for our puppies. It's been fun to put our house together. We have been praying for a long time to find a house and I'm so grateful Heavenly Father answered our prayers.

Come Listen to a Prophet's Voice

General Conference was this past weekend. I really enjoyed listening to it. I wasn't sure if I was going to have the chance to listen to Conference because Chris and I are planning on moving into a house pretty soon and our apartment is a mess. I've been packing and putting things in our garage to get ready for our move. I'm excited to move into a house because we will have more space, but I think I'm more excited about Buddy and Bella because they will finally have a yard to run around in! In our apartment complex, they have nowhere to just run around. I get worried that both of them will run off, but with a yard, I won't have to worry about that as much.

On Saturday, the first session was awesome! I really enjoyed listening to President Boyd K. Packer's (he's the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) talk. He stated, "The two ingredients for a marriage are a cookie and a kiss." I thought that was so cute. That quote needs to be put on a sign and placed in every person's home around the world today. ;) President Packer also said that as we have children, we will become closer with our Father in Heaven and that true love requires an everlasting marriage. That's why being married in the temple is so important.

This quote should be in everyone's home. :)

I also loved Sister Linda K. Burton's (she's the Relief Society General President) talk. She discussed the importance of a marriage and a family. She stated, "Lift your husband. Let your husband lift you and we will ascend together." I liked listening to Elder Dallin H. Oaks's talk. He stated, "Long-term members can slip into a condition where they have no root in themselves...If we are not rooted in the teachings of the gospel and regular in its practices, any one of us can develop a stony heart which is stony ground for spiritual seeds. Spiritual food is necessary for spiritual survival especially when the world is moving away from belief in God and the absolutes of right and wrong." Elder Quentin L. Cook's talk was pretty amazing too. He talked about the family. He said, "So much in life is extraneous, but the family is the real thing, the substantial thing, the eternal thing, the thing to watch over and be loyal to." I loved listening to the Saturday sessions. The messages were just what I needed to hear.

I enjoyed listening to Sunday's sessions as well. One of my favorite talks was from Elder Jose A. Teixeira. He stated, "Our lives don't fit on a 4-inch screen." I thought that was really good. His whole talk was on technology. It really opened my eyes to how much I, personally, am on technology. I should be taking more of a break and spend time with my family instead of staring at a screen for hours and hours.

There were so many talks that were awesome. I really enjoyed President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's talk as well. His talk was all about grace and the grace of God. He stated, "His grace helps us become our best selves. ...With God's grace, the path of discipleship does not lead backwards. It leads upwards." I thought that was pretty good. He really opened my eyes to what having grace really means. Grace means humility. We must become humble and have more grace of we want to be with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and our own families for eternity.

Another talk I really liked was given by Elder Kevin W. Pearson, of the Quorum of the Seventy. He said, "When adversity comes, don't let something you don't fully understand unravel everything you do know." That was AWESOME! :) One other talk I want to mention was the very last talk given in General Conference. It was spoken by Elder Russel M. Nelson. He stated, "The Lord can only teach an inquiring mind." I thought that was pretty profound, wouldn't you say? :) He goes on to say, "Faith in God renders a love of the Sabbath. Faith in the Sabbath renders a love for God." Elder Nelson's talk helped me find out for myself if I'm truly keeping the Sabbath day holy. I think I do a pretty good job. Let's hope Heavenly Father agrees. ;)

Sunday evening, Chris and I were able to go to Nancy Ford's house (Nancy is our Relief Society president) and have dinner. She had a lot of family there. I don't know her kids very well, but they are so fun to talk to. Bishop Hagey and his wife, Lori, were also there. It was so good to catch up with everyone. I'm really glad Nancy invited us over. We have such good people in our ward.

I know I've said this a lot, but I say it because it is the truth and I will say it time and time again. I sure love listening to General Conference. If you really know me, you'll know that I am a freak about General Conference. When I was living with my parents, we would usually go and see my mom's family and watch Conference at my Gran's house. I would always tell everyone to "Shhh!" while I was listening so I can get every word and take good notes. My whole family told me that I was a freak about it. Yeah, that hasn't changed very much. My excuse is that I don't want to miss out on anything important. :)

I love the feeling I receive after I listen to the musical numbers or listen to one of the talks given by a church leader. Sometimes, when I listen to one talk, I think that talk was written just for me because it's what I needed at that very moment. I tried to go into conference with a more open mind and open heart. I tried to think of some questions that I've been needing an answer to. I think listening to General Conference this time around, I found those much needed answers to those questions.

I'm so grateful for General Conference. I'm grateful that Heavenly Father has given us a prophet on the earth today and that he leads and guides the church. I'm grateful for the inspiration he receives and I know that it is from Heavenly Father.

Welcome Home Elder Cook!

I was fortunate enough to travel back home to Shelley, Idaho and stay for the past two weeks.

My cousin, JD, came home from his mission on Monday, March 2. It was so fun to see him again. He served his mission in Seattle, Washington. I really enjoyed catching up with him. I can't believe that he's home!

When I got off the plane, I came home to this! Okay, so I wasn't actually at home yet, but I still felt so loved! If you can't read the signs, they say, "Long Time No See...Longer for You than JD!" (I thought that sign was so hilarious because it is so true. JD had to come home because he had to have surgery on his knee. But after his surgery, he went straight back to Washington to serve the rest of his mission. What a good example!), "Welcome Home Laney", "Delaney" (with an Idaho drawing and a Texas drawing under my name), and the last one says, "We love you Laney Loo! and your little dogs too". I thought all the signs were so creative and adorable. They made me feel so loved! I have one awesome family, don't I?

       I love my welcoming committee!

My flight came a few hours before JD's flight. While the family and I were waiting for JD's plane to land, I went shopping at JC Penny with Gran, Brigham, Luke, Kay, Heather, Erin, Dad, Mom, and Aunt Tacky. I got a really cute dress.

I also got to see this new small camera Addie Belle got. You take a picture and then it prints out a really small photo. I thought it was so cute. Belle and I took a picture together. I think it's pretty darn cute. 

I know it's not the greatest picture, but I still think it's pretty adorable so in my opinion, this picture is still bloggable. :) The sign Belle is holding says, "Welcome Home, Delaney" and it has a drawing of Idaho and a drawing of Texas on it. Isn't that precious? ;)

After a while of shopping, it was time to go back to the airport for our missionary's arrival! :) While we were waiting for JD to get off the plane, we all searched for a suit and tie to track him down. We saw about five or six people dressed in suits until JD finally came down the escalator. All of us cheered and applauded JD as he slowly rode down the escalator. After hugs from the family, JD gave me a hug and said, "Thanks for coming down." I told him that I wasn't missing this for the world! :)

I adore this picture of JD and Josie together. For as long as I can remember, JD has always been so good with the younger cousins (the family and I call them the "5 and under crowd" even though some of them are much older than five now). He always greeted them with kindness and was always the first "older cousin" to spend time with them. I think it made the "5 and under crowd" feel special. Because of that, I think JD has that "fatherly instinct" deep down inside of him. Lucky duck! :)

Isn't my cousin a stud? I look so small standing next to him. Sad day. ;)

After we picked him up, we all went to Aunt JoDee's house to celebrate. The whole family (with a few friends of Aunt JoDee and JD) had the chance to hear all about his mission. I love hearing mission stories. Maybe it's because I never went on a mission. I don't know. ;)

On Tuesday, I stayed with my family in Shelley. I noticed the house looks the same. Heather and Erin moved downstairs to the basement after Kay and I moved out of the house. The basement is not finished. McKayla and I used to sleep downstairs in those rooms. We were both so upset because all we wanted was a bathroom so we wouldn't have to go all the way upstairs to get ready for the day. And the day I come back home to Shelley, my dad finishes the bathroom. I was pretty upset about it because I didn't get to enjoy it. Oh well. What can you do? ;)

In the afternoon, I went to see Chris's family. Chris told me I had to go get my "puppy fix" since they have dogs and my family doesn't. Their dogs are so cute. They have this one dog (this one's in the video below) named Skippy. He has three legs, but that doesn't stop him! :) He wanted to play with Lizzy, Chris's sister. It's pretty funny.

         

Later Tuesday evening, Miss Sheryl Bitter stopped by to see me! I was so excited to see her. I gave her the biggest bear hug I have ever given someone in my whole life. She couldn't stay very long, but she had to come and see me before I went back to San Antonio. I am so glad that we grew up together and have become lifelong friends. Miss Sheryl is truly a one of a kind! :)

          After 15 years of knowing each other, we have literally become Best Friends Forever Always! Isn't that fantastickilicous? ;) 

On Wednesday, I hung out with Mollie. We went ring shopping. I even got my ring cleaned for free! I didn't notice how dirty it was until the jewler cleaned it for me. I kept telling Mollie, "It's so shiny!" She laughed at me. It was so much fun. 

After we looked at rings, we shopped around a bit. I saw this head thing (I don't really know what you call it) and Mollie laughed at me because I thought it was so cute. I didn't buy it, but I got a pretty funny picture out of it. Don't ya think? :)

I felt like a little flower girl. Awww! ;)

This one's not the greatest picture either, but I still think it's fun to look at. I think there was too much lighting in the background. Oh well. ;)

On Friday, I went to the Idaho Falls temple with Dad, Mom, Heather, and Erin. Mom and I did inititories while Heather and Erin did baptisms for the dead. Dad baptized them. 

I love being in the temple. I'm so glad that my sisters and I can go to the temple together. What a wonderful place to be!

On Saturday, I went to Heather's volleyball tournament. She did really well. The referee drove Kay and me crazy, but Heather played really well. Mom, Dad, and I didn't stay for all of Heather's tournament, but I hope she did well. 

Isn't my sister cute?

After watching Heather's first volleyball game, Mom, Dad, and I had the opportunity to attend the temple again. Miss Sheryl took out her endowment. After her endowment, Sheryl gave me a hug, thanked me for coming, and told me she loved me. I'm so proud of her and I'm so happy that I got to be there for it. I would've been really sad if I missed Miss Sheryl's endowment. Being in the temple is the greatest place to be. :)

The family and I went to Aunt JoDee's house and had fun hanging out with the rest of our family. Brynne made games that we played. They were all about what happened while JD was on his mission. It was a lot of fun. 

       Me and my cousin, Brynne. Isn't she gorgeous? She has always been such a wonderful cousin and friend to me. I'm so glad that we've always been close and I hope we always stay that way.

Me, Brynne, and her husband, Clark. I cannot believe that they've almost been married for 5 years now! Wow! Time sure does fly by! Aren't they cute? :)

Brynne did a "Top 10" things of what the family was doing while JD was on his mission. It was so fun to visit with everyone. :)

   
 Left to Right: Addie Belle, Erin, Heather, Halle Bear, McKayla, me, and Ally singing "Glorious" by David Archuleta. We sounded so good! :)

Addie Belle, Brigham, Kay, Luke, Erin, Brynne, Clark, Heather, Halle Bear, Ally, and I all stayed at one of Aunt JoDee's neighbor's house because there wasn't enough room at Aunt JoDee's house. We had a dance party on Saturday. It was AWESOME! It's not the greatest video, but it's still fun to watch. :)

On, Sunday, JD spoke in sacrament meeting. He did really really well. He talked about what happened on his mission. He had so many wonderful experiences on his mission. 

I'm so proud of the person JD has become. I'm glad that he decided to go on a mission. He has set a wonderful example for the rest of the cousins. His mission is an experience that he will remember for the rest of his life! :)

I also got to see Kori Ann Briggs on Wednesday, March 11. We had a lot of catching up to do! ;) She and her sweet son, Benz, came to see me. We went to Pizza Hut and got two boxes of a small pizza. Then, we ate it back at my parent's house. It was really good. We talked about how life is going. I cannot believe that Benz will be 2 this year! He is getting so big!

On Thursday, McKayla and I got to see Gabriel and Shanley Nii. Gabe and Shanley are both my age. We went to school together. I met Shanley when I was in third grade and I met Gabriel when I was a freshman in high school. They are both so kind to others. I'm glad that I had the chance to grow up with them. They are really nice people. We went to Arctic Circle and ate some shakes together. Mine was divine. It was so fun to catch up with them. We shared a lot of stories and had a wonderful time together. I'm so glad I got to see Shanley and Gabe! 

Typical Gabe Part 1! I love how Shanley just goes along with it. Then again, Gabriel is her hubby! ;)

Aren't they a darling couple?

Typical Gabe Part 2! You like my reaction? ;)

I'm so grateful to call these two my friends! 

On Sunday, I went to church with my family in 5th ward. My dad is the bishop of the ward. I happen to show up the day Kewel Eric Searle is reporting about his mission! Eric and I have always been really good friends. I was actually his first date in high school. I asked him to a dance and it was the most fun date I've ever been on. We had a blast. Kewel Eric went to Peru on his mission. It was so cool to see how he's changed like JD has changed. It was so good to see him and his wonderful family. I love them to pieces! :)

This is an old picture. This was from a dance my senior year of high school. I asked him to the dance. I was so excited because I was his first date! :) This was a memorable date from high school (well, it was memorable for me. I hope it was memorable for Kewel Eric as well). And Kewel Eric and I have been friends ever since! :)

This is an old picture as well. This was from my seminary graduation. These two pictures are the only pictures I have of Kewel Eric and me. I thought they would be fun to share. I will say this, though: I cannot believe how much he has changed! He seems more in tune with the Spirit. I'm so proud of my "little brother". Isn't he a stud? :)

Later Sunday evening, I got to see Mike Rogers and his sweet fiancee, Savannah. We literally talked for about four hours. It was so fun! Mike and I have been friends forever. We were in show choir together from my sophomore year to my junior year in high school (Mike is a year older than me). He even took me to my Jr. Prom. That was so fun. We were also in ballroom together that same year. Before class started, I would always circle around him with my arms folded (to this day, I'm still not sure why I ever did that). He would move just to annoy me. Then I'd playfully get mad at him. It was so fun. When class began, our teacher would always tell us to pick a partner. So, I'd always grabbed Mike's hand and told him that he was going to be my dance partner (during class, we switched parters). He didn't have a choice, but he was always so willing to dance with me. Ballroom was so fun. After high school, we saw each other again in single's ward. Mike was even my home teacher for a while. That was a ton of fun too. We have been best friends ever since.

Aren't they so cute together? I'm so happy for them!

On our way to the airport on Tuesday, Dad and I went to Huntsville, Utah and saw some of his family. We had the chance to see my Grandpa and Grandma Richardson. I was welcomed with a big hug from both Grandpa and Grandma. It was so good to see them.

Aren't my grandparents the cutest?

I also got to see my cousins, Joseph, David, and Sadie. I got big hugs from all three of them. It was so good to see them. I have to say...I have one awesome family! :)

I'm so glad that I got to see mostly all of my family while I was home! :) I'm truly blessed with the people that are in my life. They care about me and are always thinking of me. I'm so glad that I have these people to call my friends and my family. I don't know what I would do without them! :)

P.S.- I went on a walk in Shelley on Tuesday (March 10), the week after JD spoke, and I saw a fire hydrant and I just had to take a picture of it. You have to admit, that fire hydrant made your day too! You're welcome! :)