Romar, Sarah, Kayla, & Eva

This little one....

2011-11-09T20:18:00.000-08:00

is officially potty trained!

Happy Birthday!

2011-10-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Romar!

I love you old man!

We had fun!

2011-08-06T22:25:00.000-07:00

More to come!

Katie's Shower

2011-06-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

Matt and Katie

Some friends

Katie telling the story of how they made brownies and learned Spanish while on her mission!

Audrey loving the rolls!

We love this smile!

Last Saturday Julie and I did a bridal shower for our best friends growing up! We had so much fun at the shower hearing about Katie and Matt's dating stories, how they got engaged, and fun details like that! It was also fun to hear about some of Katie's mission stories from some of her companions that came. We had a good time eating and opening her gift! We are so excited for Katie and Matt as they start their new life together in 8 days! I can't believe that their wedding is so close! They will have a happy life together! Congratulations Katie and Matt! We LOVE you guys!

Which one???

2011-06-23T16:57:00.000-07:00

I saw this on pinterest and had to do one for Kayla and also for Eva. I did two for Kayla today, and which one do you like better? I can't decide. I kind of like the simpleness of the second one, but I don't know. Soooo any opinions would be much appreciated. I will post Eva's as soon as I have time to do them! Anyways, love my littles! They make life so fun!

Parade of Homes!

2011-06-16T00:07:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Romar and I took K & E out for the day! We started our day at McDonald's with breakfast. The girls loved that! We then drove to our first house only to find that the parade opened at noon instead of 10:00 a.m. So Romar was so awesome and drove me down to Springville so I could go to an awesome sale at Mod Bod. I got many brand new shirts and swimming suits for less than $1.50 a piece. Yes, it was awesome (thanks Debbie for posting about it)! Then we were ready to start looking at some houses. We went to our first house in Lehi, and the girls were restless. It was a big pain to take them through the house. They were tired from the drive, so we took them to lunch after the first house and then home. Later that evening Romar and I took Eva (only) out to 4 more houses. I loved different parts of the houses. I loved seeing all of the different pillows that were displayed on the beds. We also saw two built in dining tables (scoll down for pic) and I really like it. It made the kitchen area more cozy. One house was "green" and I LOVED that house. It has been fun to get ideas of different color schemes we might want to do, and different decorating ideas, and stuff like that! Here are some pics!

Kayla's classic pose! Eva wouldn't pose. She was too in to her O.J.

Eva LOVES Sunglasses!

Love the colors in this room! The hanging light fixture is awesome too!

These colors are so fun for a kid's bathroom.

This pic is awful, but I loved how elegant this laundry room is.

Fun play place for kids!

We saw two built in dining tables and I love that idea!

We thought the shape of this sink was cool!

This was the "Green" house. I really liked it.

I liked this bookshelf/display a lot!

Hopefully we will get to see a few more houses before it ends!

Summer is FINALLY here!

2011-06-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

We have been waiting for summer. It seemed like Winter was being selfish and decided to take Spring's place this year. We have headed straight into summer (and floods), and we are loving it! I know I have not posted for a long time. I have been trying to spend quality time with Kayla and Eva while they still want to spend time with me. We have been outside a lot, shopping, going to the aquarium, and hopefully we will see more of Thanksgiving point and the zoo this summer.

We are getting ready for some big changes in our family and we are excited for them! There is a lot going on this summer, but we will try to enjoy every minute that we can!

Kayla and Eva are growing up so fast. Sometimes I feel like Kayla tries to act like a mother. It is really funny to see. I hear her say "Sweetheart, Sweetheart, it's okay." It is so funny. Eva can be a little monster, or a little angel. She really wants to be a big girl and do everything on her own. Sometimes it is frustrating, but I do love her determination. They are so much fun. We love them!

Last month my cousin married an adorable girl from my ward. They had a beautiful wedding and here are some pics of the girls running through the grass. It was such a perfect day!

We've really enjoyed the play-offs! We are super excited that Dallas won!!! GO MAVS!!!!

It has been a while.

2011-02-16T22:18:00.000-08:00

I know. It has been way too long since I have posted. I have thought about it, I have started to post, but I have not finished one. Life has been very busy since last summer. We have had students here, I went back to school full time, and life gets busy.

School somehow went well last semester. I took a few different classes. I took some art classes, business classes, and a science class.

Last semester I took a photography class. It was film photography. I was disappointed at first when I found out we had to develop and print our own pictures. Then frustration kicked in while we were learning how to develop and print. I am very claustrophobic, so standing in a pitch dark closet trying to roll my film on a reel was maddening. Then, going into the dark room and trying to print a picture at just the right setting and putting it through the chemicals, washing it, and then taking it out into the light only to find out that the values are not right, or there are scratches on the film, yes. I wanted to give up by many times during the course. At the beginning of the class the teacher said that it was magical to watch the image appear on the photo paper when putting it in the developer.... I thought he was crazy. I told him it was more magical to hit playback on a digital camera and see the image instantly. Going through the class and learning more about photography, I came out with a real appreciation for film photography. I love Photoshop, but it was really something to get a print just right. I still prefer digital, but film photography somehow had a charm to it! I'm thankful that I was able to take the class and appreciate film, and to also apply what I learned to digital photography.

I can't believe that February is half-way gone. Christmas was so much fun, January was refreshing, and February has been busy! Some pictures of the last little while will be coming soon!

Worth it in the end

2010-10-05T21:10:00.001-07:00

This summer was sooooo long. It might have been one of the hardest summers I have ever experienced. Going into it, I knew it was going to be long, but I had no idea what was in store for us. Now that all is said and done, I know I'm going to definitely miss some parts of it.

I had some wonderful moments, especially in the last two weeks with "friends" that I wouldn't have had the opportunity to be with if I didn't do what I did. Make sense? Probably not, but I'll go into more detail when I have time to write.

Last Friday, I truly remembered why I love being a part of what my dad does. I had some feelings and memories come back that I haven't had for a long time. I'll miss our "friends." Thank you for the wonderful memories. Hope we meet again!

More to come about our adventures with our "friends."

Two years.

2010-08-03T23:36:00.000-07:00

At the MTC!

With Kayla the day he left.

In Japan!

This is one of my favorite pictures!

On Monday, I saw a group of missionaries at the airport. They were leaving for Japan. Many thoughts and emotions went through my head as I looked at them. They had a chance to talk to some of our Japanese students that were going to be on the same plane as them. I couldn't help but notice a few of them looked nervous. Some were excited, but some looked a little uneasy. I have no idea what it feels like to leave everything and everyone behind to go to a foreign country and teach people about our church.

I saw a boy and his family saying good bye one last time. It was emotional to watch. I remember. I remember what it felt like. It was very emotional. I experienced so many emotions saying good bye to Johnny. I was so happy that he chose to go on a mission. I was so sad that he would not meet my unborn little girl until she was 21 months old, I was so proud of him for doing this, I was worried about his safety, I was worried if he would lose something important, I couldn't imagine what it was going to be like to not see him for two years. Remember, I was 6 months pregnant when he left, SO all of my emotions were enhanced.

But,

he's coming home tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. I can't believe it. Where has the time gone? What will he be like? How has he changed? I have been thinking about this for the past few weeks. I'm SOOO excited. We are all excited. Yes, Johnny is coming home to chaos, but he knows that. And really, when has our life ever been normal? He will come home to two new nieces. Eva - who is our little ball of energy, and Audrey - who is the sweetest and most beautiful little baby!

I know that Johnny has grown so much. We saw it with his first letter. Within days, we noticed a difference. I know he has grown, and he will be different. But he will still be JOhnny. He will still have a sense of humor, and he will still be super awesome. We are so excited to hear about his experiences. I know he has experienced miracles. We have too. We are sooo proud of you Elder Biesinger! Welcome home in less than 36 hours! We LOVe you!!!

Sneak Peek!

2010-07-12T22:26:00.000-07:00

7 pounds 15.2 ounces 21 inches long

More to come!

Check out this awesome blog!

2010-07-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

Please check out this blog!

shallowndeep.blogspot.com

It is awesome!

Thank you all!

FYI: Julie's baby :10 days!!! Johnny: 1 MONTH!!! I'm so excited!

FYI

2010-05-26T06:23:00.000-07:00

I said, "Hi baby" to Kayla.

She said, "I'm not a baby, I'm just a princess."

I thought you should all know.

Letter from JOhnny

2010-05-24T20:02:00.000-07:00

This was a really cute letter from Johnny. He is really enjoying his time in Japan. Crazy to think that he will be home in a little over two months. JOhnny has grown a lot. I know he will be coming home a different person. We are super excited to see him! He gets home on August 5 at 11:45 a.m.!!!! Let the count down begin!

Here is the cute letter:

Hello. This week was good.
Things are really fun here in Japan.
We are starting to enter the rainy season it looks like.
I don`t like the rainy season. I the members here love it.
They always see us and say `The rainy seasons coming up. Thats too bad huh.`
Then they laugh.
A kind of cool experience happened this week.
I was meeting with 2 investigators, and they both have young kids.
One is a really cute 5 year old girl named Nana.
I was showing my photo album, and there is pictures of Jesus Christ.
She said from when did you want to become Jesus Christ. I said I have always wanted to be like Jesus Christ.
Then I said one day mabye I can become like Jesus Christ.
Then she said but you became Jesus Christ.
I said What. Then she pointed at my name tag and said Look. Jesus Christ.
It was a really cute thing but a really big reminder about what I am doing.
I love you
Thanks for your love and support

Elder Biesinger

When IT Rains is POURS!

2010-05-15T00:51:00.000-07:00

She Lights up my days!

Well, let's just say, today was a really bad day. I have been pretty tired lately. Eva is having a hard time sleeping. I have been awake through extremely late hours through the night. I am ready to be back on a normal schedule.

Romar was supposed to get back tonight too... but I got a phone call earlier today from him... and yes, his flight was cancelled. AND his flight was rescheduled for tomorrow. I was pretty upset. I was supposed to go out tonight with friends, and I had appointments tomorrow which I had to rearrange - which meant being on the phone more... poor Romar. I was not happy. I'm sorry hubby. So, then I get a call from Julie and they missed their flight, and I was worried about them. I was also watching their dog too today. Their dog was sick, so my mom and I had fun cleaning up after her... It rained too, and so I had to bring the dogs in by myself which was tricky. Several other little things happened... *sigh*

Sorry to complain, but wow, everything seemed to happen all at once. As I am sitting here, I realized that everything worked out just fine. I've been mostly worried about Julie's dog, and hoping that she will be okay tonight. Other than that, it has been fine. I put the girls to bed, and was able to watch a movie and have a little time to myself.

Kayla and Eva have been pretty good today. They had their moments, but they really cooperated for me. Kayla is SOOOO sweet. So is Eva. I always feel bad when they have to entertain themselves when I am on the phone. I hate being on the phone when they are awake. I just feel so guilty. They were so good today. I'm thankful for my very easy going kids.

Mommy's Day!

2010-05-09T15:16:00.000-07:00

I just want to say Happy Mother's Day to my mom and to my Mother-In-Law Karen. They are both truly amazing people.

First about my mom....

I love my mom so much. She has always been a great example to me. I'm really lucky to have had her as my mom. Since I have had kids, my appreciation has grown so much for her. I don't know how she raised three kids under the age of 3. I'm truly amazed and thankful that she did it. I remember her playing with us as we were little kids. She would dance around with us, sing us songs, and read books with us. As we got older, she became a great friend. I have had so many fun conversations with her, and have been able to confide in her about many things. I LOve my mom. She is so wonderful.

About Romar's mom....

I'm so lucky to have her as a mother-in-law! She has done so much for Romar and I . Romar has told me so many stories about his childhood, and I know that she was an amazing for Romar and his siblings. I know she loves her kids so much. I know because of her actions. She really amazes me with her patience. She is a very graceful woman. Love you Karen! We appreciate all that you do for us!

This is my fourth time celebrating Mother's Day as a mother...

I can't believe this. I can't believe two little girls call me mommy. I know they love me, and I love them. The unconditional love is a two-way channel with mothers and small children. I sometimes get mad at Kayla, or both Kayla and Eva are being naughty, but LOVE is still there. I've experienced the forgive and forget with them many times. I mean Kayla and Eva forgiving me...

I remember holding Kayla for the first time in the hospital. This wave of emotion came over me, knowing, just knowing that she was mine. She was mine forever. I felt it too with Eva. I loved them, I loved them when I found out that they were on their way, and I somehow loved them even more when I saw them for the first time.

I think the real appreciation began for my mom when I had my own baby. After being a mom for a few short months, I wondered how my mom raised three small children. How did she survive, how did we survive. Being a mom, the job never ends. I can say that I have experienced the hardest moments in my life AFTER I became a mom. On the other side, I have never experienced so much happiness with the most simple things that my kids do. It's amazing how with every first thing they learn, or do, you freak out with excitement. I will never forget when Kayla waved to me for the first time, or when Eva laughed. Every "first" is precious. Being a mother is a wild emotional roller coaster. Well. At Least it is for me. But I LOVE it! I LOVE you Kayla and Eva, thanks for making me "mommy."

A Kayla Date!

2010-05-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

I had a mommy-Kayla date today! It was so much fun! We first met up with some of my friends at the park! Kayla had so much fun playing on the slides, and swinging. She climbed up a little rock wall too! She had a great time. She loves to swing. She is also very friendly. A woman came with her little boy, and she also had a small baby with her. Kayla walked up to her and asked about her baby.

After that we went to the library. We sat at the little kid tables to read for a little while. She loves to sit at tables and read. I'm glad that she has such a love for reading and learning what everything is. Then we got up to leave (we had to meet Romar), BUT Kayla had to tuck all of the chairs back into place, and also put the book away. The librarian was very impressed that Kayla did this. In my head, I was thinking that Kayla is a little Obsessive Compulsive. She always has to put things away, and do certain things in a certain order. I LOVE the putting away part - but the certain orders part can drive me nuts sometimes.

I LOVE spending time with Kayla. She is such a sweet girl. She listens to me well (most of the time), and she is such a good big sister to Eva! LOVE HER!!!!

The worst part about playing the LAkers...

2010-05-04T22:18:00.000-07:00

Julie and I had this funny conversation the other night after the Jazz beat the Nuggets. We were talking about how the Jazz get to play the Lakers next - and Julie made the funniest comment. She said,

"The worst part about playing the Lakers is watching that fan stand up and clap or high-five everyone around him. " I asked her who she was talking about - and then we figured out that she was talking about Jack Nicholson. It was so funny. It is so true though, almost every single time the Lakers score - they show his happy little face. He's always wearing his sun glasses, and he's always standing up like he owns the team or something like that. Anyways, it was funny. But as I am sitting here watching the Jazz lose to the Lakers, I have seen Jack Nicholson's little head quite a few times. One time tonight, (after Kobe scored made a three), Jack Nicholson had his hands on his face, and he was smiling really big and moving his fingers on his face. I don't know if you know what I mean, but just imagine the joker laughing his evil laugh - and that was Jack Nicholson.

If the Jazz don't win. I do want the Lakers to go to the finals. And then, I want them to play Cleveland. Then I want Shaq and his new buddy Lebron to beat and stomp on Kobe and Phil Jackson. That is what I would really like to happen if the Jazz don't win.

Awesome Giveaway

2010-05-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

My friend Frieda has a giveaway until May 17! It is awesome! There are several items to choose from that you can win! I really like the pink digital food scale. I really need to get one.

Check it out! Her website is friedalovesbread.blogspot.com !

Happy Birthday Mom!

2010-05-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

Today is my mom's birthday! She turned.... well, I won't say. I will say that she looks very good for her age, and that she is very healthy! I'm so thankful for my mom. She does so much to help me out. Kayla and Eva love her very much too. They are so lucky to have her as a grandma.

My mom is very talented at cooking. She always cooked great meals as we were growing up. I think my favorite is sukiyaki!!! I LOVE it. Actually, there are many of her meals that I love.

I have so much fun with her. We have so many fun memories with her. She sometimes says very cute things that we have a good time laughing with her about it! Juile, Johnny, and I are very lucky to have a good relationship with her!

Love you mom! You are amazing!

Kayla

2010-04-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

Kayla getting her purse ready to go to the doctor!

Kayla is such a sweet girl. I can't describe how much I love her. She is so thoughtful, and she helps me out so much. Yesterday she had her three year check-up. I was so nervous for her appointment. I knew that she had to be updated on a few shots - and I was dreading it. This might make me sound like a terrible mother, but when my girls were really young, if never really phased me when they got shots. Yes, I help them, I tried to make them feel better as quickly as possible, but I knew they wouldn't remember for long. Well, yesterday, I knew Kayla would remember this experience. Kayla also HATES band-aids. I can't describe how much she freaks out whenever I put a band aid on her or someone else. I don't know why she hates them so much.

So, I took her to her doctor (I LOVE her doctor), and the check-up went well. She is very petite, and ahead of where she needs to be. Then it was time for the shots. I laid Kayla down, my dad held her down (he came for moral support since Romar couldn't make it), and the nurse was so fast. By the time Kayla figured out what was happening, it was all over. Kayla cried for maybe 5 seconds, but got happy quickly because she got a sucker. Then when she got home, she freaked out when she saw the band aids on her legs. It was pretty funny how sad she got when she saw the band aids. So getting shots was not as bad as what I was thinking. I guess I am just remembering my child hood experience. Yes, it was terrible if you were wondering.

I LOVE Kayla so much. I really can't complain about my kids. They are pretty easy, and they love playing with each other!

Back Again!

2010-04-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

We're back. We have had a very busy February and March. I will update with pics later.

This blog won't be private anymore, some of my friends in Japan are having a hard time seeing this.

Some news... Kayla turned 3!!! My parents celebrated their 25 wedding anniversary!!!!

We welcome JOhnny back on August 5 (along with 40-65 students - he'll love it)!!!!

This summer is going to be interesting - 200 students, new baby, and Johnny getting home!!!

All I have to say is... bring it on!!!

The Last few weeks

2010-01-25T11:46:00.003-08:00

It has been pretty busy these last few weeks. We had some friends move, and that was a busy week helping them move. I've been working on organizing my computer. My week two project was to organize and back-up all of my pictures. Wow, that was a crazy job. I put them onto CDs, and then backed them up onto my external hard drive. Week three's project was getting my websites all up. I'm going to be selling scrapbook products to Japan, and teaching classes to some friends and then they will teach some women there. It has been really busy getting it all set-up. I'm enjoying it though. I'm going to be selling extra products and designs on etsy, and on a blog. When it is all up - check it out.

Romar is fortunate enough to do his senior internship with my dad. He will be really busy helping him with the groups of students that will be coming in March. We are excited to be having students come back.

Kayla and Eva are getting bigger everyday. Kayla talks so much now. She is such a sweet big sister (most of the time) to Eva. Eva is learning and doing more everyday. She thinks it is her job to turn on or off all of the light switches in the house. She is an organizer too. She will line up the toys and then put them into the train. I'm very impressed with how she has been observing Kayla. They are smart girls.

Life has been busy, but everything has been going well!

Project 1

2010-01-08T14:08:00.000-08:00

I'm late posting this, but this week I made a baby book for Raine. I made this from Bo Bunny's chipboard word album. It was really fun to make. I think it turned out okay! This next week I'm working on an acrylic baby album for Eva! So the projects this month will probably be scrapbooking. I have quite a bit of catching up to do!

Christmas Pictures

2009-12-31T18:32:00.001-08:00

Kayla talking to Johnny on Christmas Day

Eva loved opening presents too!

Kayla with her new Kitchen

We had so much fun this Christmas. It was the first Christmas that Kayla was really excited about everything. She helped decorate the tree, we saw many Christmas lights, she helped me make some cards, she saw Santa Claus, and she loved listening to the Christmas music.

Kayla got so many presents this year. She got many books, dolls, and a kitchen. She loves her Kitchen, and she will sit and have me read from her books. She got many wonderful gifts from my parents and Romar's mom. It was really funny when she was opening presents, she saw her kitchen, and then opened two - and then she was DONE opening gifts. She just wanted to play with the toys that she had already gotten. Eva had fun opening gifts too.

I have to say the other major highlight of Christmas was talking to Johnny. I talked to him in Japanese for a few minutes which was really nerve-wrecking and intimidating, but he could understand me. That will be a fun memory for us. Then he let me speak English, and it was just SOOOO good to hear from him. Love that kid SOOOOO much. He said that he could stay there for a while longer. He said he is excited to meet Eva, see everyone, and see Julie's baby, but he hopes that won't happen for a while! It was so hard to say good-bye to him, I got teary eyed and choked up when I was saying good-bye to him. I know, I'm lame. Kayla talked to him too, and Johnny was really happy to hear her voice. At the end of their conversation (which Kayla was really resisting hanging up), she told Johnny "Love You." It made my heart melt, and Johnny's too. He is such an awesome brother, and I'm so excited for August 2010!

Kayla got to talk to Ryo too. She loves Ryo, and it was fun to talk to him. Kayla danced and sang for Ryo. She is turning into a show-off. It is so nice that we can talk to him over skype!

This Christmas season was nice and really busy this year. We did enjoy spending time with our families. Caleb and Suzanne got married the Saturday before Christmas, so we were super busy with that. I will post some pictures of that later! It was a beautiful day, and it was fun to have Romar's family here for the big day.

We hope your holidays were wonderful and that 2010 brings you pleasant surprises!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T18:35:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to everyone! We hope you all had a wonderful day! We had fun at our house. Kayla has been so excited for Christmas. Today when we opened presents, she was done after two presents, it was enough for her! It was really funny.

I will post pictures later this weekend and give more details!

Thankful!

2009-11-26T18:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope everyone has had a good day and was able to eat lots of good food! We ate a Thanksgiving dinner with our little family and Romar's sister Suzanne. It was so much fun! I can't believe how tired and full I feel right now. It is not the best feeling in the world.

I have so much to be thankful for. I have a wonderful husband who is so very patient with me! I love Kayla and Eva so much. I really can't imagine my life without them. They are wonderful! We have wonderful families who do so much for us. We enjoy spending time with our families. We laugh together a lot, and we have so much support from them. I'm thankful that this is our last Thanksgiving without Johnny! I'm so excited to see him in 9 months! I'm also so thankful for my religion. It helps me through every part of my life.

I know that there are many people who are going through very difficult times. I hope that we can be thankful for all that we do have!

One Year Ago Today...

2009-11-25T14:36:00.000-08:00

We welcomed Eva to our family! I remember everything about that day so clearly. I can't believe a year has gone by. When she was born we got to spend some time together. Romar had to go and take care of Kayla, so I was at the hospital all by myself with her. It was nice though. I wasn't feeling guilty for Romar having to sleep on the uncomfortable cot, and it was so much easier the second time around.

Eva has a very sensitive personality. She likes to give hugs and kisses. She doesn't like it when Kayla takes away whatever she is playing with (it happens a lot - we are working on it). She is very sweet. She is very strong too. She is very determined, she will keep trying until she gets what she wants.

She loves her dad and big sister. She completely lights up when they walk into the room.

We love having her in our lives! We love you Eva! Happy Birthday!

Little Conversations

2009-11-19T14:09:00.000-08:00

Kayla is talking so much now. She is very sweet, but also very sassy sometimes.

My hands are pretty beat up from washing my hands so much. Kayla saw my hands, and she asked me. "Does it hurt?"

I said "Yes, it does."

Kayla said, "Do you need a kiss."

I thought that was so sweet, so I said yes. She then kissed my hand.

Then she asked "Need a band aid?"

I told her that I didn't need one. But it was pretty sweet of her!

Yesterday we were in the car waiting for my sister. I was trying to keep K & E entertained by singing to them. After a few songs, Eva was singing with me, and Kayla says, "Mommy, stop singing." She sounded so grown-up when she said that. It was SOOO funny. Anyways, she is fun!

The Latest!

2009-11-06T20:14:00.000-08:00

We love to take walks!

Our family on Halloween!

Another family picture!

Cute Eva!

So much has happened these last few months. I have been pretty busy taking care of the girls. We have also been busy with work, school, family, and other activities.

My dad is in Japan right now. We just got a confirmation from all of the schools that we work with that they will be back next year! We are so excited and relieved. We had over 220 students cancel this year due to the swine flu. During these hard times for our family, we have also seen many blessings that come during our trials!

Updates on us!

Romar: working full-time, working on other projects with my dad and I, going to school, and playing on an undefeated intramural soccer team with Julie's husband Greg!

Me: Staying-at-home playing with my kids! Working on some projects, getting ready for Christmas, and trying to find some time to spend with Romar!

Kayla: Talks all the time. She has a very sweet and also very sassy personality. She likes to be very clean. She can make a huge mess, but when she eats or spills, she has to be clean. She can sing several songs very well, and she is on-key most of the time. She loves going to church and nursery. I'm so thankful for her nursery leaders, they have really made church enjoyable for her.

Eva: getting bigger all the time! She likes to have conversations with us. She loves to pull Kayla's hair or pull on her close. She likes to sing along with Kayla and mommy. She loves to read books. She plays peek-a-boo with us all the time! She isn't walking yet, but she is everywhere. She loves to push buttons, and touch everything that she shouldn't be touching! She is very sweet!

Halloween was fun this year. Kayla and Eva dressed up in Japanese clothes! They were really cute. Eva looked like a little sumo wrestler. Eva loved her little dress! We didn't go trick-or-treating that night because I don't think that Kayla would really care. She doesn't eat a lot of candy either (I'm trying to postpone that for as long as I can)! But we had fun going out and having them dress up!

Also, some big news... most of you probably know... but Julie and Greg are going to have a baby!!! I'm so excited for them. They will be such good parents! Baby will be here sometime in July!

Johnny is doing well. He is in a place called Inuyama right now. He is back to speaking Portuguese. They have a lot of Brazilian investigators there in that city. He is really enjoying it. He plays soccer a lot. He told me that he is not good at all, but he really having fun playing. He also had the funniest request a few weeks ago. He asked for a Portuguese-English dictionary. He said that he has been using a Portuguese-German dictionary, and it has been really difficult to learn from that. We all laughed at that request, because JOhnny has never taken any Portuguese or German classes, so we were wondering how that was working out for him! So, we quickly sent him two dictionaries for him to use! He is doing great. I can't believe that he has been out for almost 15 months. I can't wait to see him again! But for now, Christmas is coming up, so we will be able to talk then!

That's all for now! Hopefully I will do better at updating this!

Going Private!

2009-10-29T14:23:00.001-07:00

We have decided to make our blog private. It will go private next Wednesday. Leave a comment or send an email if you want to stay connected with this blog! I will be better at updating it too!

Digital Designs!

2009-08-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

I took these pics of Eva a few weeks ago! She pulls the funniest faces! We laugh at her, and then she just laughs back at us! I designed this page using Digital Scrapbook Memories' CD - The Playground! Isn't she cute!

We had cake for Johnny's birthday! It was pretty good! I took some pictures of "Johnny's Birthday Party." We had fun together. I heard from some friends of mine (in Japan) that Johnny had a great birthday too! A special dinner was made, and then he got to see the an amazing firework show at a lake there!

So I have been terrible at blogging lately! But more to come - when I find some time! We have been so busy with visitors, students, work, kids, and everyday life!

I will post more pictures and our recent happenings later!

Tough Mommy Times...

2009-06-14T23:13:00.000-07:00

So I have not posted for a while... we have been so busy with many things going on with our family. But that sill be for another post!

These past few days have probably been the most difficult that I have ever experienced. Kayla got really sick on Thursday with a stomach bug, and then Eva caught it, and then hopefully last - but not least Romar.

I knew something was wrong with Kayla's tummy on Thursday morning. Then a few hours later, she threw-up all over me. I'm proud to say that none of it got on the floor or anywhere else (which I am thankful for)! Then she was drained. She threw-up again on Friday, and has not been able to keep anything down since then. She has not had any energy. She just will lay down any chance she can get. She has eaten a little, but like I said, she can't keep it in her tummy.

Eva got sick Friday night, as did Romar. Eva was awake most of the night, and so she hung-out with me, while Romar went and slept in Kayla's tent (with Kayla). Eva was pleasant, but not eating anything. I was getting worried when she still wouldn't eat when morning came. Eva had a high fever as well.

Romar got really sick Friday night. It was a long night. During about a 60 hour period - I had only slept about 7 hours. I was able to make it through okay though.

Saturday was a pretty good day for everyone, but Kayla got so tired once evening came. Everyone slept through the night on Saturday (woot woot), so we finally slept normal. It was much needed!

Then Sunday came... Romar got really sick again. Greg and my Dad gave him a blessing in the evening. He was able to sleep for a while after that. I was worried that we would have to head to the ER to get some fluids into him, but I talked to Kayla's doctor and he told me what to do for Kayla and Romar. Romar seems to be doing much better now. Also, Eva was better and had no fever by Saturday afternoon.

So, it has been a long week. But being thrown-up on, not sleeping much, changing a million diapers, trying to keep my kids hydrated - hasn't been the hard part. Worrying has been the killer of the week. I was so worried when Eva wouldn't eat - but she got better quickly, and I'm thankful for that. But Kayla has been worrying me so much. She is so drained, and I know she needs to eat. She has been drinking lots of water, but I'm so worried about her. This morning she was watching a disney movie on the couch, and I was reading. She got up, I thought she went to go sit on the hearth (she loves to sit on it), so I called her name. I heard this little "huh." So I went to go see where she was. She was laying on the floor all curled up. It was so sad to see her like that. She is always full of life and she loves to sing and dance all over the house. I can't believe how much worrying comes into play when kids enter your life. So I should be sleeping now, but I can't, so I'm blogging about my worrying woes.

I'm sure that this will all be gone within a few days. It is so hard to go through, but I know that we'll make it, and Kayla will be back to her cute little self again!

Anyways, I love my kids! I'm sure all of you moms have gone through this many times. I know the worrying never ends... but kids are worth every ounce of energy that we have!

Kayla said her first sentence!

2009-05-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

"I see a bug!"

Townhouse for Sale!

2009-05-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

My friend is selling her townhouse that is located in West Jordan! They are selling it for 159,900! They have put in beautiful hardwood floors, and have repainted it! It's beautiful! It's close to Bangerter Highway, and so it would be an easy commute if your heading north or south. There are many restaurants, and shopping areas nearby too! It's a few minutes away from Jordan Landing! I think that this is such a great price and a beautiful area! If you or anyone you know are interested you can click HERE to get more information! Please pass this info on!!! It is a 3 bedroom 2.5 bath!

Overdue!

2009-04-28T10:55:00.000-07:00

It has been a very busy month for us! Kayla turned 2 this month! She had been sick for a while, so we just had a small party with my family. She loved opening presents. She would hand me her presents and say "Open, open." It was a fun birthday this year!

My dad also had a birthday! We celebrated at home with my grandparents. We had a good evening together!

Kayla is getting so funny. Her and I are very alike. First, she loves purses. I don't know if this is a good thing, or a bad thing. She loves playing with my purses and wallets. The other day I asked Kayla if she wanted to go to the store. She said yes. She grabs her purse, puts it over her shoulder, and says "okay." She was ready to go! It's so cute, but I hope that this will not become an expensive habit later down the road! I know that it has for me!!!

My dad just left to go to Japan. He will be there for a month! He has so much that he is doing over there. He is going to be meeting with Johnny a few times, meeting with schools that have canceled for the summer (due to Swine Flu), doing other business, and meeting friends! I hope he will have a good trip and be able to convince the schools that there is no reason to cancel. I think that we should worry about Swine Flu, but not freak out about it.

Romar was in New York last weekend. He and a friend went there for business. It went very well! They got some contracts signed, and they are ready to get going on it! I'm so excited for them! They were there for three days, and they just worked the whole time! How fun...

Life is so busy right now. Taking care of the two girls takes so much time! They are so much fun though! Eva is such an easy baby! Kayla is way more high maintenance, but we love her and her little personality! Here are some pictures of Kayla and her purse. There are also some pics of her new Elmo book.

All about Kayla!

2009-04-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

I've had the first born tag before by a few friends. I haven't done it before now, but I thought I would do it today because Kayla turned 2! Time has gone by so fast. She is such a cute little girl! I have enjoyed having her in my life.

1.WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED?No.

2.WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes.

3.WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Very surprised! I didn't really believe I was pregnant. I took 3 tests, and then I went to the hospital to have a blood test. I was definitely nervous, but also very excited.

4. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Home pregnancy test.

5.HOW OLD WERE YOU? 20.

6.WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Romar.

7. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Absolutely.

8.DUE DATE? 1- April 2, then they told me April 5 when I was 20 weeks along. But Kayla was born on April 2!

9.DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? No. I felt a little sick at times, but nothing too bad.

10. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Nothing really.

11. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Not much, I definitely was more moody. It was so hard to tie my shoes the last few weeks, and I thought that was pretty sad.

12.WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? GIrl!!!

13. DID YOU WISH THAT YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?No. I'm the oldest, so I had no problem with our first child being a girl. Romar is also the oldest, so before we found out - we decided that either way there was pro's for either a girl or a boy being the oldest! We were both excited when we found out that it was a girl!

14. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? I think 24.

15.DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? I had a few, and they were all beautiful!

16.WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?I knew about all of the baby showers (is this what this question is about?).

17.DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? No, I was really blessed to have such an easy pregnancy. I can't complain about anything.

18.WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Timpanogos Regional Hospital

19.HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? All together 24 hours, but at the hospital just 9 hours. I really didn't want to go to the hospital and be sent home or have them make me walk around. So, I waited until I was sure I was in labor.

20.WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL?Romar.

21.WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Romar.

22.WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION?Natural.

23.DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Of course! I was thinking about going natural all the way, but I was dilated to a 4 when I got to the hospital - and that was all the pain I could handle.

24.HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 6 pounds 2 ounces.

25.WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN? April 2, 2007 at 9:11 a.m.

26.WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Kayla Hideko Karl

27.HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 2 Years old!!!!

Kayla was such an easy baby. She slept 11 hours at five weeks old. She loved to just hang-out with me! She has such a happy personality, but she is definitely getting more demanding as she gets older. But we love her so much and are so happy to have her in our lives!!! We love you Kayla! Happy Birthday!!!

March Madness

2009-03-27T20:58:00.001-07:00

Eva has discovered how tasty her hands are!

Happy all the time!

Ryo and Eva!

Kayla and Ryo - she loves being with him.

Sorry, this isn't about college basketball. Although I was sad that BYU, Utah, and USU all lost. This last month has probably been the busiest of my life. We have had 2 groups of students, here, kids have been sick, and just so much going on. I think this last month I had several days where I thought it was the longest day I had experienced.

I was thinking about the times before when I had worked for my dad. It seemed like back then, I had a better handle on things. My first semester at UVSC, I took 18 credits and still worked long hours. I still managed to get good grades, and go on some of the crazy trips. I think it has definitely been harder to do with two kids.

Other than the students, Kayla and Eva have been sick. It has been so sad. Eva just had a small cold. She was still so pleasant during it. She would cough, and try to breathe, and it was pretty sad to listen to her. Kayla on the other hand has been so sick. I actually called the doctor for the first time last Thursday. They weren't much help. She had a fever of 100.8. That was the highest fever she has ever had. But she is almost better now. I think my kids have pretty strong immune systems. Kayla has not really ever been too sick before. Neither has Eva. So having them sick at the same time has definitely been a challenge. But they are almost all better, so I can't complain too much.

Ryo came and helped this last month! It was so much fun having him here. He just left Sunday morning, and it was really hard to say good-bye. Kayla is in love with Ryo. Every morning while he was staying here Kayla would go looking for him. She'd call out his name, "Ryo, Ryo." Last Thursday morning (when Kayla was super sick), Kayla cried for 45 minutes after she woke up. I put her in her high chair to try to eat something, then Eva woke up. Kayla was crying so hard, but I had to go and get Eva. I went down and changed Eva, and got her ready. After a minute, Kayla had stopped crying. I thought she had decided to eat. When I went to go check on Kayla, she was gone. I found her in Ryo's room. Ryo had taken her out of her chair to try to calm her down. Ryo was doing some translating at his table, and Kayla was laying on Ryo's bed reading to Ryo. It was really cute. Kayla loved having Ryo here. She is still looking for him, which is kind of sad for me. I'm trying to explain to her that Ryo had to go home, but she still opens his door to see if he's there.

I have more pics to post later. So much has happened this last month. It was a fun month, but it was extremely busy. We have some fun stories and great memories!

Johnny on a Bike + Japanese Drivers =????

2009-03-20T18:27:00.000-07:00

A Dangerous combination.

That is what Julie and I have decided after we found out that he was hit by a car again. There are many scary JApanese drivers, but Johnny also doesn't always pay attention. But we are praying for his safety daily.

We are really excited about Johnny's transfer because we know so many in the Numazu area. He will be great there.

********

Hello every one.

We got our transfer calls this morning, and I will transfer and go to Numazu. I am very sad to leave all that is going on in Hamamatsu, and I wish that I had one more transfer in Hamamatsu, but the work here will still carry on. We had a talent show last week and it was a great dendo tool. It was way fun. I wish that I could see more miracles here. We have 13 progressing investigators, and a great family that we met last night at the hospital (a different story) and they are so ready to hear the gospel! Alot is going on, but I am also very happy to go to Numazu where I know alot of people. Numazu is a great area and I am happy to be going where I know alot of people. I want to find out if I can go to see the students come home. That would be so much fun. I really want to meet them. I will of course be very careful with everybody that we know there. Yesterday was pretty crazy I got hit again! These japanese drivers are maniacs. This time I had to go to the hospital where we met the really nice Brazilian family.. I thought that my arm might have been broken, but it is fine. It is just in shock or something. I couldn`t understand everything, but I guess that the muscles tense up after it gets hit hard so it will be stiff and in pain for about a week. It really is a miracle that I didn`t break any bones, because actually stopped his car on my hand. My glove got torn up and my suit did too, but I am ok. I just have to meet with the guy tomorrow. The police might get involved. It is really lucky that my next companion is a Japanese with perfect english. We had Elder and Sister snow talk to us on thursday and it was a great talk, they talked alot about Hope. They told the members that when bad things happen, mabye we don`t know why, but good will come out of it. Just like last night. I was in pain, but we found some new great investigators.
Well it kind of hurts to type, but I am great! a mission is way way fun! I love the work here. It is great! Getting hit by a car is just part of the experience, and I got lucky twice:) haha I love you all and thank you for all the love prayers and support.
Goodbye
Elder Biesinger

From Elder Biesinger

2009-03-10T13:35:00.001-07:00

Johnny's emails are so much fun to read. He is having a great time in Japan! He has been able to connect with many of our friends! Johnny's emails are always fun.

______________________________________________________________

Hey! Japan is great! I enjoyed being able to look at the web site for the Japanese students. I hope that I get the chance to meet them when they come back here to Japan. Language study is really good I went housing on a split last night and we encountered mostly Brazilians. I was able to share a very short message and set up a return appointment. I was actually on an exchange in Fuji with Elder Heaton from my MTC district. He knows one phrase in Portuguese which is choveu muito forte hoje which means Its raining really hard today. It was hilarious. They were so confused. We met a man on the train today and he was from Canada. He was very nice, but he really wanted to argue about religion. He even invited us to his house to argue about religion. We don`t want to argue, but we took that apportunity to mabye teach somebody. I am excited to see what happens. Transfers are coming up super fast. On Thursday we have a special taikai with Elder Steven Snow of the presidency of the Seventy. I am way excited for that. I talked to Chizuru on the phone yesterday. Only Elder Heaton didn`t know her first name, so he said call this sister, she might know you. So I called her and I told her all about everything that she already knows about and then when I hung up, one of the other Elders asked how Chizuru was. I was way embarrased. I called her back and said I was sorry. She understood though. One of the less active members called us and my companion answered the phone and was talking to him and instead of saying aitai to omoimas, which means I want to meet with you he said ai shitai to omou, which means I want to love you. It was really akward and really funny. We go on a cockroach killing raid every night. It is way fun. We stand by the door and got ready, then we run in, one person grabs the vacuum while the another person plugs it in, while another person moves the fridge while the other(always my companion) stands on the table and screams. Its incredible how we can make simple things become so entertaining when there is no TV. We are doing very good with some of our investigators, Mamoru and Neuza have kind of dropped off the radar, they never answer our phone calls or tell us thank you for leaving them cookies anymore. Its very sad, but they will regret it one day if they don`t start listening better. One of our investigators, Jizela is doing very good. She is Peruvian. She is starting to think that our church is from God. Which is a big step from thinking our church was of the devil. Also Yolanda is reading the book of mormon. She is loving it. and we are happy. We also have many other investigator who are doing really good. We are hoping to see many miracles this March. ITS MARCH MADNESS!!!!!!! and we are trying to sacrifice and work hard for our investigators. I love you all and love being a missionary. There is no better place to be than on a mission. Thanks for your love and support. I love you. Eu amo voces. por favor tenham uma boa semana. tchau tchau
Love Elder Johnny Biesinger

It's been crazy...

2009-03-05T12:43:00.000-08:00

Digital Scrapbooking!

These last few days have been crazy!!! We had our first group of Japanese students arrive on Monday. I went to the airport with my dad, Ryo, and Masaki. About five minutes before we got there I got a phone call from one of our wonderful host mothers. She was asking if the plane was delayed 40 minutes. I told her no, and the reason I did was because the teacher (of the students) called us right before take-off saying that they had no problems and that the plane would be on time. The host mother then told me that she looked online and it had said it was 40 minutes delayed. I told her I would find out and call her back. I immediately called Romar to have him check for me and... sure enough it was delayed 40 minutes due to air traffic control.

It was too late to call the host families to let them know of the delay. So we waited with all of our host families for about one hour for the students to arrive. Our host families are awesome. I'm so thankful to all of them for all that they do for our program! Even though it was a long wait, I enjoyed talking to them! There were four families at the airport waiting for their missionairies

The students are really cute. We have about five students who are here for their second time! They are a little more grown-up now, but they are still super cute!

On Tuesday, the students and their teacher were playing team tag. The teacher was running and went to sit down next to a student. She landed on her wrist, and she broke it. She went to an after hours care to get it checked out. It was pretty bad. She had broken a bone in her arm, and crushed some of her hand bones. Yesterday she saw a specialist and he told her that she needed surgery. So, today at 2:30 she had surgery. I think it went well, but we will know more tomorrow. She is in a lot of pain. I feel bad that this happened on their first day here. They still have about 3 more weeks on this trip. She is tough. She's been so strong through everything, and she keeps apologizing to us. We keep telling her not to worry, we are more than happy to be helping her out. I just hope she will recover quickly!

Updates on Kayla and Eva - Kayla is saying more everyday! She can be super cute, or extremely sassy. It's kind of funny. I try not to laugh because I don't want to encourage that kind of behavior. Eva just turned three months old! I can't believe how fast they grow. Eva has been on soy formula since last week. She was spitting up so much so the doctor decided that she had to be on soy formula and some medicine. She is no longer taking the medicine, and she has not been spitting up at all! She is smiling all the time now. She loves to blow bubbles and laugh! It's been fun having these two around!

Ryo came to Utah again to help my dad out! Kayla is in love with Ryo. When he first got here, she was kind of keeping an eye on him and being very shy around him. After 10 minutes of being shy, she quickly warmed up. She brought him all of her favorite toys. She is having fun hanging around with him. She will wake up, and walk into the living room saying "Ryo, Ryo." It's pretty funny! He does so much for us!

Lately I have been into Digital Scrapbooking. I love using Digital Scrapbook Memories. They have several CD's with layouts, papers, and embellishments that you can use. If you hate paper scrapbooking, this is a great way to preserve your pictures. On the layout with Kayla I used the Moods CD from them. You can buy these at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, or on their website. Which is digitalscrapbookmemories.com. They also have a forum you can join. It's great. You can ask any question about Digital Scrapbooking, Photography, or editing pictures, and so many people are more than happy to answer your questions and help you out! My friend Kelli introduced me to it!!! Thanks Kelli!!!

Well, I think this post is long enough. My dad forgot to forward me Johnny's email for this week. When I get it I will post it. He is doing great! He is still alive too!

Elder Johnny Biesinger

2009-02-25T09:54:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start posting Johnny's emails. He sends our family a personal one, and then he writes one to everybody. We forward it to a lot of people, but I know that there are some of you who would like read them too.

*************

Hello. How is everybody? It was way sad to hear about Larry H. Miller. He did alot of good things. Yesterday Elder Eyring and I had an opportunity to go on an exchange together. On friday we realized we have been gone for 6 months. 5 months Elder Eyring and I have been together. It was way cool. Anyway last night to celebrate our being out 6 months we contacted an old investigator and challenged her to be baptized in March. She accepted. It was a really spiritual night. Tomorrow I am going to challenge two of our investigators to be baptized in Portuguese. My companion won`t be there he is going on an exchange. It will be exciting. Our mission goal is 21 baptisms in March for March madness. I am way excited to see a ton of miracles in March. I had an interesting experience this week. I was riding down a hill when a car hit me. It was way scary. He was trying to beat out a break in the traffic. After he hit me I don`t know why, but he kept moving. It was way weird. He pushed me and my bike about 2 feet before he stopped. I got stuck in between my bike and his car. After he backed up. I got up and my leg hurt way bad. I didn`t have to go to the hospital which was lucky because we had alot of appointments that night. Anyways he wanted to take me to the hospital, but I said no. I told him that if I kept hurting that I would give him a call and we could go together. He was refusing. So I called Elder Bennet and he came and talked to him, but while we were waiting I had a chance to share a little bit of the gospel with him. He left and that night my leg swelled up really big, it looked like I had been working my shin muscles out and it was a little scary, but the next morning the swelling went down alot. Which was good because he called. He asked if I was fine and I said yes I am. Anyway he wants to meet me soon to talk about the gospel. Probably because he feels bad, but its ok. I just thought about the movie White Christmas. Mabye I could be like Danny Kaye and if the guy says that he isn`t interested in the gospel and doesn`t want to receive baptism I could kind of groan and hold my leg. Haha. I will see how it works out. It was definatley a new expeirince being hit, and it was the day after I got a bunch of letters telling me to be careful, I am being more careful now. I should have been hurt alot more. I`m glad that God cares about his missionaries. Next week we will hopefully have 2 or 3 more people who have a baptismal date. I love you all thank you for your prayers and your concern. I know that I was protected because of them. Thanks for all you are doing at home. I love you. Bye
Elder Biesinger

Recent Adventures

2009-02-19T22:00:00.001-08:00

Romar and Kayla building the scrapbox!

My flowers and scrapbox!!!

Kayla likes to dress herself!

Eva's beautiful hair!

Cute Eva!!! She is getting so big!!!

Life has been busy for us! Romar is working hard at ADR, and going to school. I have been staying home with the girls! I love it!

Kayla is so much fun, and learning so many things. She is like a little sponge soaking everything in. She is also starting to get disciplined too. She is a pretty good girl, but she can certainly have her naughty moments. I will tell her "Kayla, no. You can't do that." And try to explain what she was doing wrong, and then she will lay her head on my shoulder. I feel like that is her way of saying sorry. Then quickly she will pop her head up, and say something in her baby language in a really cute high-pitched voice. It seems like she is saying but I know you still love me or something like that. She is a very well-behaved little girl, so I really can't complain too much!

Eva is such a wonderful baby. Before I had her, I was so nervous... I thought that there was no way I would have another easy baby. But Eva is easier. She loves to sit and smile, and just hang-out with Kayla and I. She doesn't need to be held as much as Kayla did. I'm so thankful for that because it would when I'm trying to keep-up with Kayla. But I still try to get in as much Eva time as I can. I was told by many to try to get them on the same nap schedules for my sake. But I have set-up a schedule that is completely opposite of the advice I have been given. I usually wake-up around 8:00 with Eva, and she will come sleep in my bed with me for an hour. Then I go up and wake Kayla up around 9:30 and hang-out with her until noon. (I quickly shower), and then Eva wakes up and wants to play for a while. Then Kayla wakes up and Eva sleeps. So for now, they are on opposite schedules. For now, I think I'll keep it this way. I feel like I can get quality time in with both girls. When Romar gets home I will usually go out for a little bit (usually to the gym). It's always nice to have a little me time.

Valentine's Day was wonderful. Romar and I had gone out earlier in the week. We hate dealing with the crowds on Valentine's. We usually will order pizza and rent a movie. It has kind-of become tradition for us! On Friday, Romar had surprised me with beautiful flowers (pics to come), and then he surprised me with a scrapbox. I love scrapbooking and doing crafts. I never thought I would like making things, but I have recently found that I love it. I have so many scrapbooking supplies, and I didn't know what to do with them. But the scrapbox was a very nice surprise, and it definitely solves a space problem. Thank-you Romar! I love it!

I also want to get into digital scrapbooking too! I really like both. I love what you can do on the computer, but I also love what you can do with actual textures, metals, ribbons etc.

Romar has been such a wonderful support for me. He helps me all the time with the girls. He lets me go out and have some time to myself too. He is so busy with school and work. I'm so thankful that he still fits in so much time to spend with us!

Julie, these pics are for you!!! Hope you like them!

Computerless

2009-01-31T21:06:00.000-08:00

My computer is broken. Yes, I'm very sad about it. I could not put in CD's in, it felt like something was jammed in there. Thank goodness for the very expensive warranty that we purchased!!! That is the only positive thing about my computer needing to be fixed! I won't feel like I bought it for nothing!
Life is getting back to normal for us! Eva sleeps through the night now, and I feel like I have a schedule/system down!!! It starts around 8:30 in the morning and ends about 8:30 at night. I do get a 2 hour break when the girls are taking their naps, and then I go to the gym for a little over an hour when Romar gets home!
Kayla is now into kissing. It's so cute! Out of the blue she'll walk up to me and pucker her lips and want a kiss! It's very sweet! She loves to sing and dance too. She is singing more on key now!!! She loves to sing Hairspray songs, and Itsy Bitsy Spider!!! She'll do the actions to it too!
Eva is smiling all of the time now! She is a very happy baby! She does a lot with Romar. While he is doing his school work, she'll sit and talk to him! They are good study buddies. I took Eva to her 2 month check-up, and her stats were... weight - 48%, length - 59%, and head - 38%. The doctor said that she looks perfect! She and Kayla are such opposites. Kayla has always been very petite. Her weight has always been below the 10th percentile. But she is healthy and growing strong. Kayla loves to climb on anything and everything. She is so smart too. She figures out how to get things. It's amazing and scary for me at the same time to see the things that she tries to do.

Update on Johnny... he has had two baptisms in the last two weeks. They had one last week for a Japanese member (I think), and I think that yesterday Johnny performed his first baptism. This is going to be a big shock to many of you, but Johnny asked us to pray for him because he would have to say the baptismal prayer in Portuguese. I'm sure that baptism went well, and that Johnny did a good job.
Johnny called one of my mom's best friends (who lives in his mission), and she said that his Japanese is very good. She was surprised to hear it. It's kind of weird that some of my good friends in Japan are in contact with Johnny. He is doing such a good job, and he is loving every minute of his mission. We are so blessed that he loves missionary work.
One funny story, I guess that Johnny and the other three missionaries that he lives with all have had many bike crashes lately. They want to write a book about what you are thinking right before you crash on your bike. One time Johnny was thinking "I hope that orange pole isn't too hard." Johnny is cute! He always includes some of the fun things that he is doing in his letters.

Hopefully I get my computer back soon!!! I know that pictures are more fun than me writing about our recent updates!!

What A Year!!!

2008-12-31T20:51:00.000-08:00

2008 flew by!!! It was a great year for my family! We have been so blessed all year long! Kayla turned one year old in April! In November we added Eva to our family! They are the cutest little girls. Eva is almost sleeping through the night! She gets up one time to eat! Kayla is such a nice big sister! She is starting to sing a lot! I like to watch movies with lots of music with her!

This last year Romar has been going to school and working hard for our family! I went to school for a little bit, and have just been a stay-at-home mom!

Two events during 2008 really stick out for me, the first is welcoming Eva to our family! She is a very mild baby, and she's very sweet too! We love her so much! The second was being in the temple with my entire family! Julie and Johnny received their endowments during the summer, and it was so special to be there with them! My whole family got to be in the temple together three times, and each time we had a neat experience!

Julie is married and living in Walla Walla with her wonderful husband, and Johnny is serving a mission in Japan! 2008 brought many changes to our family, but I think everyone is very happy with their lives right now! Johnny is loving his mission in Japan. Believe it or not, he is also learning Portuguese. There are many Japanese-Brazilians who live there, so it's important for him to be able to speak both languages. Johnny said that it is a challenge, but he's happy to do it!

2008 was a fun and crazy year for our family, but we loved every minute of it! I hope you all had a great year last year, and that you will have a wonderful year ahead of you! Happy New Year!!!

"Grow Old Along With Me"

2008-12-10T09:22:00.001-08:00

We are celebrating our three year anniversary today! So much has happened in the last three years. I was thinking about everything that has happened these last few years, and I definitely know that life doesn't turn out how you think it will. This wasn't at all a negative thought, but a few years ago I never imagined that I would be married and have two kids at the age that I am. I'm soooo happy with how my life has turned out. I love Romar so much. He has been a wonderful husband and an amazing father. He helps me out so much. Kayla and Eva are two perfect little girls. Kayla is so mild and easy to take care of. She is so happy, and she loves to play and laugh all of the time. Eva is still so small, but she is beautiful and healthy. She has been such a wonderful addition to our family.

I'm so thankful that I married Romar. I know that I'm not always the easiest person to get along with... but I know that Romar loves me not matter what. We have so much fun together. We have definitely adjusted to each other's interests, and life has been more fun because of that. Over the last few years I've enjoyed watching Romar play sports, and watching sports with him. Romar will go and do the things that I like to do too which has been nice for me.

Romar is such a hard worker. He is a great dad and husband. He is my best friend. We have fun doing everything together. I'm so glad to be married to him for the last three years, and I look forward for the years ahead of us!!! Love you Romar!!!

Baby Eva

2008-11-30T11:12:00.000-08:00

Eva arrived Tuesday at 1:30 in the afternoon! I went to the doctor on Monday morning to see if I was any closer to having a baby. I was having some sharp pain, but I hadn't really had any contractions for a few days. I thought I was going to be sooooo late because of that. So I saw Dr. Judd on Monday morning, and he said that I could be induced if I wanted to. Before I was afraid of being induced because of possible complications, and then the possibility of a c-section. I asked Dr. Judd many questions about being induced. So after talking to him, I decided that I would go for it. I wanted to have the baby, and I wanted Julie to be here for it (Julie and Greg came for the week). Dr. Judd called the hospital, and they said they would call me and let me know what time I could come in. So later on Monday I went home and made sure everything was ready for the baby. I called my friend D, because she was induced and ended up having a c-section - and I wanted to know more about her experience. It was very comforting to talk to her, I felt better about being induced, and a lot better about c-sections. Thanks D!!!

Monday night came, and hospital called. They said that I would go in the next morning at 6:30 in the morning. I was glad that I could have one more night of sleep...

At about 12:30 a.m., I was in bed having a dream (which I can't remember), and all of the sudden I was in a lot of pain. I woke up and realized that I was having a huge contraction. So I waited, then I decided to use the restroom. While I was up I had three contractions in a row. I went to bed and started to time my contractions - and they were between 2 and 7 minutes apart. I woke Romar up and told him to go take a shower because we had to go to the hospital. I went to take a shower too. We went to the hospital and checked in. The contractions were really fast and painful. I got the IV (which took 4 tries), and then the epidural... which was wonderful. Then we waited for a long time. I was able to sleep for a few hours, and that was very nice. Nothing was really happening, and so they gave me some pitocin to speed things along. After an hour I was dilated to a 9.5. By this time it was about 9:30 in the morning. They called the doctor, and he wanted the baby to move her head down more. After 4 hours of waiting, the doctor came to deliver me. He and the nurses were in the room, when someone came in and said that another patient had to deliver right that minute. So he left me. I was starting to have pain, and I could feel the baby start to move down. I was panicking a little because I needed to have the baby too. After 15 minutes my doctor was back and he delivered me. He was so fast and so efficient. He was done with everything after 15 minutes. He did such a good job. Then he and the nurses were talking about how big this baby was, they were all guessing around 8 pounds. In my head, I thought no way. I knew this baby was bigger than Kayla, but she couldn't be too much bigger. But no, Eva weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces. She was huge!!! She measured 19 inches long (same as Kayla). So she was a little chubby. But she was so cute. She had a head full of dark hair, and her skin was dark. My doctor was laughing because he knows what Kayla looks like, and so he thought that this was great. Eva and Kayla are complete opposites of each other.

Eva is healthy and strong. Her bilirubin levels were a little high, so we have on phototherapy treatment - which hopefully will end tomorrow. But other than that she is great! She is such a mild baby. Even when she has to be under the lights - she is great. I'm so thankful to have two healthy little girls. I love them so much.

I'm also very thankful for Romar. He has been such a great help, he always has been. He's a great dad, and a wonderful husband. My family has been a great help too. Julie took care of Kayla most of the time while she was visiting, and my parents took Kayla a lot too. I'm so thankful for my family for their love and support!

Babies, first sentence, and more!!!

2008-11-18T12:26:00.000-08:00

So not too much has happened recently. I'm still very pregnant, and the worst news of all... my doctor still thinks I will be pregnant for a little while longer. I'm okay with that. I saw him yesterday, and he thinks he will see me next Monday at my appointment. So I'm definitely going to be late. Like I said, I'm okay with that. I'm not too uncomfortable, the worst part is trying to roll over at night when I'm sleeping. It's so sad, and kind of funny at the same time. I'm very excited to have another baby. I'm completely ready this time. I just finished packing a hospital bag (last time I was packing it between contractions), so we are definitely more prepared.

Kayla is just getting cuter everyday. She is so much fun. She said her first sentence last week. I was tickling her, and she tickled me back and said "I got you." More like "I gotchu." It was so cute! She is starting to ask people "how are you." Whenever I ask her "How are you" she'll answer "good." it's cute. She is learning so much everyday! I'm having fun with her. She really likes babies. I just hope she likes our baby. I don't think she'll be jealous, but we'll see.

I have to tell a cute/funny story. Last Thursday I called Julie in the morning, and Greg answered. We were talking for a little bit, and he was asking me how I was feeling, when I was due, and more questions like that. Before I continue with the story I have to mention that Greg and julie were not coming back home for Thanksgiving, Julie said that Greg was so busy with school and studying. I told her not to worry, that Greg and Julie needed to do what was best for them, but they had to come home for Christmas. Back to Greg and I talking - I was just telling him that I had no idea when the baby would come. Then Greg said, "Try to wait until next Saturday." Then I heard Julie say something to him in the background. Then Greg said "uh, pretend you didn't hear that!" So I told him I wouldn't tell anyone, and he said thanks. Then I asked if I could talk to Julie, but he said that she had locked herself in the room, so I didn't talk to her immediately. I told Greg that Julie has spilled the beans many times before, and I think he felt better. Later Julie called me, and told me that I didn't have to keep it secret from my parents, they knew she was coming. She just wanted to surprise me, and possibly be here when the baby was born. I'm so excited that they are coming! It will be so fun to see Julie and Greg!!! Kayla loves talking to Julie on skype.

The Latest and Greatest News!

2008-11-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

Kayla in her Halloween costume, she was not happy at all!

Playing with a spoon, it's not working out so well!

Kayla and Johnny in August! I love this picture!

Kayla and Ryo!

There has been so much going on lately! We had Ryo visit us for a month, Japanese students, my dad left for Japan, Halloween, Romar now has a church calling, Kayla started nursery, and I'm still pregnant.

Ryo came and visited during the month of September. It was so fun to see him again! Kayla fell in love with him. Ryo was so good with her. He would play with her, babysit her, and eat with her. Kayla would feed Ryo her grapes! He was a good sport about it! After a little bit, Kayla preferred Ryo over anyone else. Ryo was also a big help for my dad. He had 34 Japanese elementary students here for 3 weeks, and with Julie and Johnny gone - Ryo came and saved the day! The kids love Ryo. He also builds and maintains the websites for my dad's Japanese students. It was fun to have him here, we hope he can come again soon!!!

My dad left for Japan last Sunday. It was crazy trying to get him ready to go. Johnny used to edit the videos that we make for the different Japanese schools that come over. It's just a video of their experience here. My dad takes them to Japan and watches them with the students and their parents. Well, Johnny is now gone, and we had 5 schools here over the summer that needed the videos. Johnny edited the videos on final-cut pro on a Mac. It seems like an intense video-editing program because the manuals are over 1000 pages long. Two days before Johnny left, he taught me everything I needed to know to be able to edit a video... and it only took him 5 minutes to tell me. So three weeks ago when I started to edit them, I realized that Johnny must have left out about a 1000 steps on how to do it. I ended up using a different program, and trying to figure it out for myself. I'm glad to say that all 5 DVD's were made, and I hope that the schools enjoy them! I'm glad to do this for my dad. Making the Katoh DVD's were fun! The Japanese elementary kids were so cute!!!

Kayla was supposed to be a puppy for Halloween. She is in love with dogs right now. It's pretty cute to watch her with them. So we got her a puppy costume, and she hated to wear it. She would carry it around, but when I put it on her, just look at the picture up above....that explains everything. So she was a panda instead. She was a very cute panda. On Halloween we went to visit Nicole, and then to dinner! It was very relaxing!

Romar has been called to serve as Deacon's quorum advisor. He will teach 1 or 2 times a month, and go to young men's! I think he's going to do a great job!

Kayla started nursery today! She is the only little girl. There are about 6 other little boys in there. When we set her down, she immediately got toys and tried to share them with the other little kids. It was cute. I wasn't too worried about leaving her because she's so independent. But I still worried. When we picked her up, she was sitting at the table with the other kids eating snacks! It was so cute to see her like that! She didn't cry at all, so that made me happy!

Well, I think that the baby is going to come sooner than later (or at least I'm hoping so). I'm starting to have more pain, but we'll see what the doctor says. I'm ready and excited to have the baby! I'm just not ready to give up my sleep!!! I just hope I have enough time to get down to the hospital. I can see myself going in to labor while everyone is gone, it's snowing like crazy, and me not able to get there... I know everything will be fine. Some friends and people in the ward told me to call them if I need them to help me! Thanks to all of you who have offered!

I think I've said enough! But I'll update when something exciting happens!!!

Julie and Greg's Blog!

2008-11-02T19:13:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have asked....

Julie and Greg's new blog address is phillips2008.blogspot.com

It's pretty cute! They are a fun couple! Check it out!

Happy Birthday!

2008-10-15T17:09:00.001-07:00

Romar turns 27 today! Sadly to say, he had to work and go to school. We will do more probably tomorrow or Friday though! Romar does so much for Kayla and I! We are so thankful to have him, and we love him very much! He is such a good dad, and he works so hard at whatever he takes on! We love you! Happy Birthday!!!

Handbag Planet

2008-10-13T21:34:00.000-07:00

I love handbags! Most of you know that. Handbag planet is giving away a free handbag every hour on October 15 to launch their new website! Everyone should check it out and enter! They have some cute handbags! I hope to win the green one! I'll try to post a picture of it! The website is:

www.handbagplanet.com

Good luck to all of you!

So Busy!

2008-09-29T14:24:00.000-07:00

It has been pretty crazy at our place. We have been living with my parents for a little while, and with all of us together - it's been busy! My dad has 34 Japanese elementary kids here who are so cute! Ryo is still here (but he leaves tomorrow) helping my dad - which has been very nice for him since Julie and Johnny are gone. We have a few homesick kids, so Ryo and dad are on the phone with them several times a day.

Kayla woke up many times during the night last weekend. She has been teething. With that came a cold, and fever. It was not fun. Romar was so sweet, and he got up and stayed with her so I could sleep. For those of you who don't know...Romar gets up at night with Kayla when she wakes up. He is the BEST! I felt bad for Romar, so last night I told him I would get up with her at night since he has work and school. But luckily for me, Kayla did not wake up! I think she is feeling a better!

Kayla is so smart! At least I think she is. But she is learning so many things everyday, and she seems to understand things more and more! I'm glad about that since we will have a new little here pretty soon! One funny thing about Kayla (Julie you might love this, or you might hate this - and don't be mad at me, be mad at Ryo) - we have some pictures of Julie hanging up in the house. Julie took her senior pictures with the four puppies that we had at the time. So we have 2 big pictures of Julie with the puppies hanging up. Kayla can say "ruff ruff" and "doggy" now. She saw those pictures, and she says "ruff ruff" or "doggy" when she sees them. She gets excited to see the pics of the puppies too. Ryo thought that this was funny, so he has taught Kayla to say "Ruff Ruff" whenever she sees a picture of Julie - with or without the puppies. I think the next time that Kayla sees Julie she's going to call her "ruff ruff."

A few weeks ago we went and saw the Colors concert at the Sandy Amphitheater. It was so much fun! They have some really nice songs! We had a lot of fun while we were there. I think my baby enjoyed it too! She was dancing around in my tummy the whole time. Thanks dad for the fun night!

I saw this, and thought that some of you might get kick out of this!

Sick... and Tired

2008-09-20T19:14:00.000-07:00

This has not been the best week for me. The week started off with my gums aching. I have not gotten my wisdom teeth out yet. I was going to do it right after spring semester, but then I found out that we were expecting so... my wisdom teeth would have to wait a while longer. They didn't hurt then, but I thought it would just be a good idea to get them out. I talked to the doctor and oral surgeon, and they both said I would have to wait until after the baby to take them out. I'm fine with that, I wouldn't want anything to happen to the baby.

Then... I started to catch a cold. I thought I could fight it off, but Thursday night it got pretty bad. I can't take any medicine - so I'm just drinking juice and water hoping to get the bug out of my system. It has not been fun. On Friday I did not have much energy. I was worried about what I would do with Kayla while I was sick. She was so good though. Her bedroom is baby proof, so I went in there and rested while she played. It worked out well! She was sweet too, she would come over and hug me!

Last but not least, I have a stye. Late last night, I thought I was started to feel something under my eyelid, so I went and tried to get it out. I didn't see anything, so I just decided to sleep it off. In the morning it was still there. I called my grandma (to tell her I couldn't make it to a party that day), and I asked her about my eye - she said that it was a stye. I've never had one before, but I guess I just I have to wait for it to go away! It's not too bad, but it is pretty annoying!

I'm sorry that this blog is all about me complaining. I know that there are many other pregnant women who go through the same things and that some have it even worse. The only complaints I have about being pregnant are - not eating sushi, and not being able to take medicine when I'm miserable! Other than that - it's not too bad! I know that I'm on the way to getting better, but I just had to write about it.

updates!

2008-09-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

Things have been a little busy around here lately! Johnny has been gone for two weeks, and Julie has been gone for over a week now. It's weird not having them around. I talk to Julie many times during the day, but not talking to Johnny is a little weird.

My dad has been very busy getting ready for Katoh elementry. They arrive in Las Vegas a week from Friday. Ryo has come back to visit and to help my dad. He will be here for a month. We are glad to have him back!

I have been a little busy helping my dad, and taking care of Kayla. Romar is very busy with work, and he started school last week!

We have done some fun things lately...

Julie and I were able to go through the temple with our best friend Katie Ross! She is going on a mission in October. It was such a neat experience to be there with her.

My parents took Kayla and I to the fair. Kayla enjoyed looking at the animals. We had a funny experience with a goat, I will post that story later with pictures. Kayla enjoyed looking at the tigers!

This last Sunday we went to dinner at Nicole's house (Johnny's girlfriend). The food was so good, and then we had family home evening with their family. Nicole's brother (Michael) was in charge of giving the lesson, and he did such a great job! Mission stories were shared, and then we were taught about the commandments. I was very impressed with the lesson!

Some updates about Johnny...

Johnny is doing very well at the MTC. It's amazing to see how much he has grown over the last two weeks. He has written us some very inspiring letters. He enjoys the MTC (not the food though), and he likes his companion very much. We have sent him several packages already, and several letters. He said that being in the MTC is like feeling the spirit 24/7 (except for in the gym). My family is very glad that he is doing well!!! He is picking up the Japanese language very quickly! We are so happy and excited for him!

Elder Johnny Biesinger

2008-08-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

Johnny was set apart as a missionary Tuesday evening. It was a very nice experience for our family. We talked about Johnny for a little bit, the stake president said some very nice words about Johnny and serving a mission, and then Johnny was set apart as a missionary. He became Elder Biesinger or in Japanese - Biesinger Choro. It was a little emotional for us girls.

Wednesday morning we headed down to Provo to have breakfast with our grandparents. We ate at IHOP, and I think I counted at least 5 other missionaries and their families eating there. It was nice to visit, and get to be with Johnny before he left.

We got to the MTC around 11:00. We went into the chapel to find out what happens on the first day. It was a very nice meeting. The MTC President and his wife spoke and gave some very good advice to the missionaries, and also to the families. We watched part of a movie, and then had a closing prayer.

I thought that after being in this chapel, we went into a hallway and families went one way, and that the missionaries went the other way. I thought that is where we would have a few minutes to say good-bye. But while we were sitting in the chapel I saw signs that said Family Exit. Instantly I felt sad. I knew that this was the room where we separate.

We had the closing prayer, and then it was time to say good-bye. I think this might have been the hardest thing I've done. Probably the hardest thing that my family has done. We miss Johnny a lot...but we are so excited from him. Other missionaries who have written their families have said that they have seen Johnny in the MTC - and he looks great! So it's been fun to hear that.

I'll write more updates as I hear them!!!

I'll also post some pictures of him at the MTC when I put them on my computer. So for now, we are just waiting to hear from Johnny!!!

Johnny's Farewell

2008-08-20T13:24:00.001-07:00

Johnny grew up with these boys!

Johnny and Ross

Hannah playing the violin for friends and family.

Johnny spoke in church this last Sunday. He did such a good job! He had so many people there to hear him speak. Some of the comments were - Johnny is so easy to listen to, he's so funny, and he seems very ready to go on a mission. His talk went very well! It was so fun to have our family and Johnny's friends there.

Afterwards we all came to our house to have some refreshments and to visit. Johnny's cousin Hannah had prepared to play in church for him, but due to some miscommunication - she was not able to . But we had her play for everyone at our house afterwards. She did such a good job, I can't believe how good she is! Keep it up Hannah! Thanks to Cindy (Greg's mom) for accompanying her! She is also an amazing pianist.

We are so excited for Johnny, but now that his mission is getting closer - I think he will be missed.

Recent Happenings!

2008-08-17T20:31:00.000-07:00

Kayla and her cute wig! She walks now too!!!

Kayla cruising around!

Too cute!

Kayla walking!

Kayla has been walking around like crazy! She really started about two weeks ago! For a few months, she has been able to take steps, but she would prefer to crawl. All of the sudden she just decided to walk! It's so cute to watch her! It's all she likes to do right now! It definitely keeps us on our toes!

Julie and Greg's story

Yesterday Julie and Greg left for Walla Walla. The honeymoon is over, and now they are going to start their life up in Washington. Greg was driving the UHAUL and Julie was driving their car behind him. At about 10:30 last night (while they were still driving somewhere in Idaho) I called Julie with a few questions. To my surprise Greg Answered. Greg just started talking and saying that Julie is okay, and that she feels fine and not to worry. At first I could hear Julie in the background, so I thought Greg was kind of kidding around about Julie. But Greg kept talking and started to tell me what had happened to Julie. I quickly realized that Julie was crying in the background.

Julie had fallen asleep at the wheel - just for a few seconds. She drove into the steep median, and eventually stopped due to all of the sage brush. She did not roll or tip over - which was a miracle from what I've heard.

Greg had to turn around to find her. Julie was helped by an off-duty paramedic, an off-duty police officer, and a mechanic. They all happened to be LDS too. Greg got to her, and she was shaken up. The car is banged up a little, but Julie is not hurt at all. That is the most important part. These people let Greg drive with Julie, and they helped drive the UHAUL.

This was such a hard drive for Julie and Greg because they got home from Hawaii Friday morning. They flew all night, and then they had two long days of getting ready to move. They were driving on not too much sleep.

All of our family feels very blessed that nothing happened to Julie. Greg is being such a wonderful husband and taking very good care of her. Considering everything that happened to them last night, they were definitely being watched over.

We love you Julie and Greg! Everything is going to be fine! We are excited to see you next week!

Johnny's Farewell

Johnny spoke in church today. I have some pictures - so I'm going to post those tomorrow! I will put more about it then! He did an awesome job though! I'm so excited for him, but it's going to be hard to say "see you in two years."

Julie's Wedding

2008-08-07T14:22:00.001-07:00

Newlyweds!!!

Julie and Greg with their parents!

Julie with Dad! I think this was a very happy and sad day for my dad!

Julie and Kayla!

Johnny and Nicole!!!

Julie and Greg finally got married last Friday! We waited a long time for August first to come. It was such a perfect day! Julie looked beautiful, and everything fell into place. They were married at the Salt Lake Temple that morning. I think I cried during the whole ceremony. I didn't take any tissues with me either, so I was a mess. It was a really special ceremony for Julie and Greg. They were both looked so happy.

We then had the luncheon at the Hidden Valley Country Club. It was fun! I had to say a few words about Julie (which I wasn't prepared for), but I hope I did an okay job for her!

The reception was at the Le Jardin. It was beautiful! There were so many people there to support Greg and Julie! Julie looked beautiful all day long!

It was a perfect day.... but I'm glad it's over! There was so much going on the week coming up to her wedding... and I'm glad it all turned out well!!!

Congratulations Greg and Julie! We love you and we are so happy for you!

Kayla and the Sunglasses

2008-07-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

We have these funny green sunglasses in Kayla's toy box. We put them on her once, and then she tried putting them on herself. The pictures above show how it went! It was so fun to watch! She is learning so much these days. She copies a lot of what we do. She will talk on my cell phone, read books to me, and try to put clothes on herself! She is at such a fun age. She is into everything now! It's a little tiring for me to try to keep her out of certain things! But she's a good baby, so I won't complain!!!

These past few days, she has had the stomach flu for the first time. It was sad. She has not liked being sick, and she has had no appetite. She is better now! I'm so thankful for Romar... he helped clean up her throw-up several times. He is such a good dad. He helps out with everything!

More Summer Fun!

2008-07-07T20:14:00.001-07:00

Kayla always enjoys reading junk mail and looking through magazines. Last Saturday, I decided to clean out and get rid of my magazines and catalogs! Kayla had a blast! She was so happy to go through and play with them!

Kayla reading some magazines and catalogs!

Hannah Mae Karl!

Spencer and Janette Markel! Married on June 28,2008!

My dad and Song (Janette's dad)! They have been good friends since college!

We have been busy lately! First of all, my friend Janette got married on June 28, 2008! She has been a best friend and sister for me! She lived with my family for a year when I was in fifth grade! We have many good and fun memories together! Their wedding was beautiful. Both Spencer and Janette were glowing all day! We are so excited for Spencer and Janette's new life together! Congrats you two! We love you!!!

On June 29, we went to my cousin Brady's farewell!!! He is leaving for his mission this Wednesday! He will be going to Germany! We are so excited for him! He did such a great job speaking in church! He will be a great missionary!

For the fourth of July, we went up to Sandy! My family is really busy getting ready for the students, so we didn't do too much with them. We did go and see Hancock! It was a pretty good movie. I think I was expecting a little more out of the it, but Will Smith made it good! He is such a good actor, so he made it fun! I would suggest this movie to others!

Last Saturday Robert and Joanna came over with their new baby! We ate pizza and played Wii. We had a good time. I've never really liked video games, but I do like the Wii. I'm not good, but it's fun! We have the wii fit, so that should be fun to see what happens with that!

That's pretty much what we've been up to! We are getting ready to move. I don't know how it's going to happen with everything that is going on these next few weeks! But we'll make it through!!!

Host Family Crunch

2008-07-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

We have Japanese students arriving this month! It has been so crazy with everything that has been going on at my family's house. We are a little behind on finding the host families.

If anybody knows any families with kids living in the Draper, Sandy, South Jordan, Riverton, Herriman, and West Jordan areas that might be interested in doing this, please email me with their names and phone numbers. My grandma will give them a call and tell them more about it, we will not give their phone numbers to anybody else.

The Japanese students are here between 1-3 weeks depending on what group they are with! This is a great experience and opportunity for both the Japanese students, and the host families! These kids are well behaved and all of them can speak some English! The ages of the students are junior high and high school! The students are picked up during the days for English class and Activities and then dropped off in the evening to their host familie's house. They have the evenings with the host families!

It's so much fun, and if you know of anyone please email me!!!

Thanks to everyone for helping!!!

my email - smkarl86@gmail.com

It's a girl!!!

2008-06-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

We found out this morning that we are having a baby girl this November! We were very excited! It will be nice for Kayla to have a sister so close in age! My sister Julie and I are 17 months apart, and it has been great for us (with very few exceptions)!!! I'm excited about this! Kayla loves other kids! She shares so well too, so I think she will be a good big sister!!! We are excited, we are thinking of the name Abby! I will try to post some of the pics later!

Special

2008-06-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, Julie, Johnny, and Andy (Greg's brother) received their endowments at the Timpanogos Temple. It was so nice to be there with them. I can't believe that my little sister and brother are going to be getting married and going on a mission. I'm so proud that they have made these decisions. It was special to do that for the first time together! There were lots of people from our family and Greg's family there. It was so nice to be there together.

Afterwards we all went to lunch to Applebee's. We had a good time together! Believe it or not, I'm really going to miss Julie and Johnny. Julie, I can talk to whenever, so maybe it won't be to bad.... but Johnny, I will miss him a lot, and I know Kayla will miss him a lot! She has a lot of fun with her Uncle Johnny!!!

Our Little Swimmer!

2008-06-23T19:13:00.000-07:00

Kayla was so happy in the pool!

Romar and Kayla had a good time together!

Getting ready to swim!

Last Friday we took Kayla swimming for the first time. It was really warm day, and being pregnant... it felt really nice to cool down in the pool. Kayla loves taking baths, but I wasn't sure how she would like the pool. She needs to get used to something before she decides to like it or not. So we jumped in the pool - and there was another small family there. There were two little girls splashing around, and that made Kayla nervous. The little girls were really cute and sweet towards Kayla. After a little while, the family left, so it was just us! After a few minutes, Kayla was splashing around like a pro! We had Kayla sitting in her little tube, and we pushed her around in that, and she would drop these diving rings for Romar to get. It was so much fun to go swimming together! We laughed a lot and just had a really good time!

Recent Summer Fun!

2008-06-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

Parade of Homes! Romar and I have enjoyed going to the parade of homes. This is our third time going. Next year we want to build a house, so we like to get design ideas, decorating ideas, and look at what specific companies are used for different parts of the house.

In this picture, we like the layout of the kitchen. Not necessarily the colors, but the layout is really nice and convenient.

This is the guest's eating area in one house. This house was insane. The guest area had a living room, kitchen, eating area, and two bedrooms (with walk-in closets). I thought this area was really cute. I like the colors they used. Romar and I both liked the wood floor too!

In this picture, I liked the colors that they used. They used neutral colors with dark furniture! I wasn't a big fan of the curtains, but the big windows were very nice! This one - you have to see in person. It was my favorite family room out of all the houses.

Romar has been playing in an outdoor soccer league in Orem. He has enjoyed it alot! He has a good team! Romar is in the first picture, in the second picture - Romar's friend Andy is number 14. Romar and Andy have played soccer many times together for BYU Intermurals. Romar enjoys playing with him. The last picture of Kayla and Brandi (Andy's wife). Kayla was picking grass and giving it to Brandi! Kayla is so cute when she shared, and Brandi was so sweet to play along with Kayla!

This is a picture of Julie! She had sinus surgery last week. She had to have this same surgery last year, but the problem had come back. The doctor did some more tests this time, so he thinks he has the problem fixed for good! This picture was taken the day after the surgery. She has been in a lot of pain, and she has been a little moody (partially because of the medication). She said I can post this picture on our blog, but she doesn't want to see it in any wedding books or videos! I think she looks pretty cute, what do you think?

Johnny's Mission Call

2008-06-18T21:45:00.000-07:00

Well, this post is really late...

Johnny got his mission call last month on May 17 (the day he and my dad arrived home from Japan). Their airplane was arriving later in the evening, but he still had many friends and family there to see him open it!

Johnny is going to the Nagoya mission in Japan! Most of us thought that he would go to Japan, but still, he could go anywhere. So when he opened it, we were kind of surprised about it! We were very excited, my mom was jumping up and down. Johnny kept on reading the papers, and when it came to the part where they tell you what language - Johnny said "Spanish" in a really surprised voice. All of us were wondering if we heard him right. Then he started laughing. It was cute!

We are excited about this. I know my family will miss him lots.

He will leave for the MTC on August 27!

Julie and Greg

2008-06-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Julie and Greg! They are the cutest couple ever! They are getting married on August 1. It's been a long engagement, but I think it's gone by fast. I wonder if Julie and Greg think so?

Yesterday Romar had a soccer game. Romar invited his friend Andy to join the team, and Greg and his two brothers (Steve and Andy) came and played too. I thought these five guys were by far the best on the team. I'm not sure what the final score was, but I think it had to be at least 9-0. It was fun. Julie came to watch, Brandi (andy's wife), and Megan (Greg's brother Andy's girlfriend) were there. Kayla had fun playing with the girls, the grass, and clapping when Romar's team made a goal! It's so much fun to watch her grow.

It's been a while

2008-05-01T19:53:00.000-07:00

Kayla doing her sniffing thing! It's so funny!
Romar and Kayla!

So we are really officially going to start doing this! I just finished a hard semester at UVSC. Romar is still at ADR, and he's doing so well!!! Kayla is growing up so much! She is almost walking, she baby talks all day, starting to throw temper tantrums, and just being really cute - most of the time! We are also expecting a baby sometime in November. We are excited and nervous for that!

This summer we are going to be moving somewhere. We are looking at buying some property to build on! That will be another adventure!

Here are some pictures of Kayla and Romar!

Kayla

2008-01-22T12:50:00.001-08:00

2008-01-18T14:56:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite picture of us! We took this while we were dating! We went to the Utah Symphony when Johnny played with them!

Finally going to start!

2008-01-18T07:07:00.000-08:00

Okay! So I'm finally going to start writing on this, so that friends and family can see what we are up to. Which is not too much these days, but I think it's a good way to keep in touch! Romar is working at ADR, and is doing great at that! He is going to work on finishing up school too! I am just taking Anatomy again......just so I can get an A! I can't believe how much stuff we learn in one semester. I love the class, but it's a killer. And as for Kayla, she just rolls around being cute. She can't crawl, but she has discovered how to roll. That's how she gets around these days, and believe me! She is everywhere! She is so much fun! That's pretty much it for these days, but if something exciting happens... I'll let you know!

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2007-09-18T22:19:00.000-07:00

I'M NOT SURE HOW TO USE THIS YET....