So it's been a loooong time since I've been on here and I doubt anyone even looks at this thing anymore.... but I think I want to start keeping up with this now. Since I last blogged, I have a new nephew (Jaxton Randall), a new niece (Sydnie Renee), a new job, and now a new apartment. All of which, I absolutely love! I need to get some pictures up of Jaxton and Sydnie... I'm afraid Zoe exhausted me on pictures and I have been horrible about it ever since. They sure are sweet little munchkins though. :) I'm just sad that I don't get to see Smash (Ashley) and Crew very often because they live far far far and away. I met Sydnie for the first time this Christmas and she totally scowled at me. It was so dang cute. haha Jaxton is already walking but he's still a sweet little cuddle bug... and very much a daredevil. Crazy boy. Zoe is still as cute as ever. She has got me so wrapped around her little finger it isn't even funny. She's old enough now that she's picking up on just how much of a sucker Aunt Katie is... or Aunt Tatey I should say. :) I honestly didn't think I could love that little girl as much I did the first time I held her but man, every time I see her I just melt a little more. She's such a sweet, funny little thing I can't help myself. And she just loves Dan too... or she likes talking to him on the phone anyway. haha Every time I have my phone out and he's not there, she asks me, "Where's Dan?" and if she gets on the phone with him, she will jabber away for five minutes at a time. I think she just likes to talk on the phone but it's cute anyway. :)

I started working as a Photographer for a real estate group in Scottsdale last August. I've been learning a ton and having a great time getting paid to do what I love to do! Not only is what I do fun, but the people I work with are awesome too. I wish I had been posting through the holidays so everyone could see pictures of the crazy work parties they throw. I have never seen an employer get so out of control with food and decorations for a work party... not to mention the prizes! I won $1000 in November for building a gingerbread house and winning the contest (which KaLee helped me build :) )... yeah, they just throw money in all directions during the holidays. It's crazy!

Anyway, I will try to be better about posting on here and keeping up with everyone else. :) The photo at the top was one that I took last Fall. A few of us ran up to Sedona on a Saturday and made it just barely in time to set up my camera and take a few shots. Turned out pretty good I think. I enlarged it and printed it for Mom and Dad for Christmas. Dan and his dad helped me make a frame and everything so it looked pretty cool. I think they were pretty surprised because I hadn't even told them that I took the picture.

Zoe Update

So I went and hun gout with Nate and Amber the other night... I can't believe how much Zoe grows every time I see her. She just turned 1 year old and she's running all over the place. Not only that but she's starting to talk and say different words... or at least her version of those words so far. :) She says 'puh puh' for puppy, 'mmmm' (and points to the TV for movie, and I don't know how to spell it but she says her own version of 'Jesus' and 'pretty' too. Of course she says Mama and Dada, and baba for bottle, hi, bye bye... and I am sure lots more. Those are the ones I heard that night though and I just thought it was too cute that she looked right at his picture when Amber told to her to say 'Jesus'. It took her a minute to cooperate and say it too, but she knew exactly who he was!

This is the little munchkin just loungin on the couch and watching Little Einstein.

Still watching Little Einstein ... and the "Puh Puh" you hear is her saying puppy because she sees one on the movie.

She's being a little bit of a stinker here but I think it's just too cute not to post. haha - and I almost got in a lot of trouble for laughing when she was doing it.

Zoo!!!

We went to the Zoo on Monday, Martin Luther King Day, with some friends from Dan and Jordan's ward.

Dan decided to rent a bicycle-buggy thing and it was way fun... but I don't think Dan anticipated how much work it was going to be to peddle that thing around. :) It was pretty much a free ride for me! I drove once and that turned out to be a bad idea.

Here's our first adventure on camera.

So I've always seen monkeys pick the bugs off of eachother and eat them on TV but this was pretty cool to catch them grooming right there in front of me. ... that sounded wierd.

This tiger was actually up in the tree. He seemed pretty intent on watching the other tree full of birds. Poor guy, I don't think he got any of them... unless he learned how to climb palm trees too.

We were so preoccupied with the tiger in the tree that we forgot to watch our buggy... :)

Bottoms up!

and noses...

I think the Giraffes are my favorite. They are just so funny looking... and they just look a little dumb, in an endearing sort of way. :)

Watching the Rhinos...

This elephant likes to do things the hard way, haha. :)

I just love this

Here's Dan just before he splashed nasty lake water all over my face. Thanks a lot :)

And, here's what we all felt like after a long day at the zoo...

The Hike

Game Night

For anyone who has not played the game 'Snorta'... I entreat you to just try it. It's a game of animal noises... and it's hilarious. Warning though: If you value normal brain function, do not attempt more than 2-3 rounds at a time.

Christmas 2008

Christmas morning with the Fackrells. We all crashed at Dan's place after the Christmas Eve party at his Grandparent's house. They do things a little bit different than my family... for example, we didn't even get up until 9 or 10. Unheard of in my house! haha, ok more like it's unheard of for me. And then... we didn't open presents until after breakfast! Which took hours it seemed like. But actually it was a very nice and relaxing morning so I am not complaining. It was definitely a first for me though. I usually wake up around 3am on Christmas morning :) haha

Kalee, Sister Fackrell and I made breakfast while the boys played with the train set.

I didn't have enough wrapping paper for Dan's present... because he used it all for other presents. ;) so I improvised with my quilt. It was a lot prettier than that but then the boys moved it so they could set up the train.

Our lovely breakfast of flour-free pancakes, eggs and hot chocoloate. The pancakes actually weren't too bad - they tasted more like crepes once we topped them with peaches and whipped cream. This breakfast was totally thrown together with whatever Kalee and I could find in our kitchen and in Dan's kitchen... ok mostly our kitchen.

It started raining and then it turned into sleet or something a lot heavier... it was crazy cuz it kinda looked like snow at one point. And this other picture is of Jordy and Mazy. Mazy is the bridge for the train, just in case you were wondering.