Chuck E. Cheese's

So yesterday we went to Chuck E. Cheese's with our neighbor, Julia, and her kids. There is one that just opened up by our house and we thought we'd check it out. No driving down to Salt Lake! :) And let me just tell you, we had a blast! A Blast! Everyone. I haven't been to a Chuck E. Cheese's since I was little and then as I got older and after having kids I heard about those nasty ball pits that have really gross stuff in them. So I was a little leary to go, but Julia assured me that there were no ball pits in the new ones - so, phew!

We got there a little after 10am, so there was hardly anyone in the place. So that was really nice. And the set up just makes sense and works awesome for younger kids. I had a coupon (love coupons) for 100 tokens for $10. Not bad. Abbi and Josh each got 50 tokens each and that lasted us almost 2 1/2 hours! The kids had so much fun just running around and playing the little games. Josh was so excited about a helicopter game, there was a big jeep that he could ride on, and he loved the bouncy ball game. And this was before he even knew he won tickets. He was really excited about that part. And it's nice too because, well for one it's brand new - so everything is super clean; the set up of the place - I just love; and they have ticket counting machines, so you don't have to do it yourself. I know, like I've said before, the little things get me going! So at the end of our time, we cashed in the tickets (250 mind you) and Josh got a little frog, a big bouncy ball (like a 4-square, that's right I said 4-square, ball), and a lollipop. Just little things, but I think it's a good deal for 10 bucks. So here are a few pics from our day. Fun, fun, fun! We can't wait to go back. Thanks Julia!

Here is Josh riding the big horse! He loved it!

Josh playing with the big bouncy ball game. Abbi was really lucky on this game!

Josh on the safari jeep and then below, taking Abbi out for a spin. I love that they're both dressed in yellow! Too cute!

Brad Passed His Test

Happy, happy. Joy, joy. Brad passed his journeyman lineman test! I'm still in so much shock that I couldn't even keep my head on straight yesterday to write anything. This just opens up so many more possibilities for us - it's unreal. I am so happy. He took his test yesterday and I (well, we) had been on pins and needles the entire night. I know he didn't sleep very well, and I woke up when he did and couldn't get back to sleep. So the day dragged on and I was a nervous wreck - I couldn't eat anything, I felt sick to my stomach, etc. And when my phone rang at 11:30, I was really nervous. I almost didn't answer. But I'm glad that I did.

I'm so proud of him and he is such a good husband and father to our kids. He did an awesome job by passing this test. So now he is a journeyman lineman instead of an apprentice. He apprenticeship is finally complete. There will be no more training on Sundays and no more feeling like he has to work. It's awesome. It's a completely freeing feeling. He even gets a pay raise - which always helps! We went out to dinner last night to celebrate. It's wonderful! So here, here to Brad.

Maddie is 9 Months

Time flies so fast when you have kids. I mean, the day by day grind gets old and some days feel like they're never going to end. And I mean never - minutes are like hours! But then there are other days that seem to just fly by. And as my kids get older and older, time feels like it just keeps going by even faster than it did before. So yesterday was one of those days. Maddie was 9 months old yesterday and I can't believe it. She's definitely not a little baby any more and is becoming and acting more and more like a toddler every day. So far she's done almost everything sooner than Josh. Here is a little breakdown of everything:

• rolling over: Josh - 3 1/2 months, Maddie - 3 months
• sitting up: Josh - 7 months, Maddie - 8 months
• crawling: Josh - 8 months, Maddie - 7 months
• teeth: Josh - 10 months, Maddie - 7 1/2 months
• standing up: Josh - 10 months, Maddie - 8 months
• walking: Josh - 13 months, Maddie - we'll see??

So here are a few pictures of my big girl. Her hair is getting longer and she's starting to crawl just as fast as Josh did. Hope everyone enjoys the pics.

Here she is enjoying her favorite past time - eating.

Having fun with bubbles.

My little princess.

One of the few pictures of me and the kids.

Our Next President

So after watching this presidential debate, I must say that I'm more likely than ever to vote. I know, it's awful that I haven't registered to vote yet - but I haven't really paid much attention to what was going to happen to our country or what kind of president would impact my life. I was only 25 during the last election, had only been married for a year, and had just started my career. I didn't really know what I cared about, what was important to me, and what all of that meant. That was, until I had kids. Now that I have kids, I feel that I view the world in an entirely different way. I feel that I know who I am a little bit more and that I know what important to me and my life.

I want to know that our next president is going to make this world a better place for my children and for me. I know now how important it is to register to vote, because (and I know this is going to sound cliche) every vote counts. Now this is just my opinion - but if you want this country to be run the same way that it has the last 8 (count them, eight) years, then vote for McCain. But if you're looking for change and in a good way, then vote for Obama. All I kept hearing during the debate was how McCain thinks Obama is so inexperienced and that he (McCain) has the experience that the country needs. Experience isn't everything! And yes, we know he is a POW, we know, we know, we know. That's another thing that we hear about all of the time from him. What about those issues?

Please vote. Vote for change. We need a democrat as president!