New Family Pictures

Here are new pics that my sister Leah took for us during the Christmas break! We LOVE the way they turned out. all we need to do now is order enlargements!

Dont you wish you had these eyelashes? He gets them from his Daddy.
ENJOY!

happy new year

it's been a while...so here are some pictures to satisfy your craving for curtis. Opening presents on christmas morning. the others are him all bundled up getting ready to go for a walk.

below are pictures of our big helper. we had 17 trash bags full of leaves, dead grass, dead pine needles, etc. curtis came out and helped us...one leaf at a time.

this is curtis' favorite christmas present from auntie leah. it's a mini wal-mart shopping cart. he loves to put his trains and sports balls in there and push it around.

Double Take

Clifton took his online Pharmacology final yesterday, and if you can believe it or not...he got 100%!!! Not even joking! So my Husband is very smart...he studies so hard! It's really hard for me to let him study so much (mostly because he's home, and i bug him for help with Curtis). But, someday he'll be a nurse (or a Murse=male nurse)!!!

Have you heard of...

Clifton took his final for his nursing class on tuesday. He came home and said he felt really well about how he did, saying that he felt like he only missed one or two. Tonight before he went to bed, he checked his score online....and TADA! Clifton got 100% on his final exam! Anywho, the test is worth 200 points ( alot ) and getting a perfect score could possibly boost him to get an A in the class! Woohoo for nursing school!

Rest in Peace

I can feed myself, thank you very much...

Curtis has been gaining more independance lately, and because of that, he's feeding himself more often. He's also comprehending more of what words mean. He's at that age where everything is developing so fast, i wish i could slow him down to soak it all in. Oh, well! I still have a cute kid!!! yummy yogurt!!!

sweet boy!

Seen a good movie lately?

To describe it, i will use two words...MELODRAMATICALLY FANTASTIC!!! Amy Adams (the lead character) did such a wonderful job. i think i've seen her before in other movies, but this is her first lead and she was perfect! i don't want to spoil it for anybody, just know that it has my hands down, two thumbs up approval!!! Go see Enchanted!!!

quick update

Clifton - studying hard like a mad man! in nursing school, anything below 80% is failing! he is hovering around an 86% which is above average. he just had to turn in an 8 page research paper the same day of the hardest test all semester, after pulling a shift all day at clinicals. needless to say, i don't see him much (at clinicals, the library, or school). But when Curtis gets with his daddy, there is nothing better in the whole world.
Curtis - becoming a daddy's boy. he absolutly loves to rough house...thrown on the bed, thrown in the air, wrestling, etc. he also loves to dance, and sing (not well but good for a 15 month old), and stomp his feet. he's starting to like to be held more. he gets the concept of "if i pull on mommies pant leg, she'll pick me up". smarty! he loves to drop his cup of his high chair and say "uh oh". cutie. he loves to blow slobber kisses. sweetie. he's really inot cars these days. car noises, toy cars, rolling cars on the floor...he's at a point where he is learning so much, i can hardly keep up with him.
As for me - chasing a toddler takes up alot of my time. but i do find the time to teach a class at the college (beggining strength and flexibility) as well as fitting in driving bus for the athletic department. mostly womens basketball. good times and good money! for next semester, i'm trying to get one more class on my roster, because i get paid by the student. good times. i'm loving being home in thatcher. i've lost 20lbs since i've been back and i love working out again. i try to run everyday, and lift in my class twice a week. and clifton is such a good daddy and husband he will willing watch curtis at the drop of a hat!

As Requested...

here are some late halloween pics! enjoy!

in his new favorite chair...having a drink!

Tag...I'm It!!!

I have been tagged by my wonderful friend Candace (I should call you sometime...)
A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.
B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.


Fact/Habit #1) I bite my nails. Really bad habit, but when i'm nervous, or there is a good game that i'm watching, or if i'm just board...no excuse though. My Grandma has alzheimers and everyday she sees me she asks if I bite my nails. I sheepishly have to reply "yes grandma!".

Fact/Habit #2) I guess it's not a fact or a habit...more of a pet peeve. I hate it when people lie about how tall they are. I can understand on a basketball roster for "intimidation perposes" but anything outside of that is dumb! For example, i played volleyball with this girl who claimed she was 6'1". I am barely 6' and she is 2 " shorter than I. To this day she says she is taller than me, but no way baby. If i can see the top of your head, i'm taller than you.

Fact/Habit #3) As you know from my last post, I have my CDL! I did get very degrading comments from several of the EAC Womens basketball team saying, "your just a bus driver". Needless to say, i played with them at their next shoot around practice, and i took them ALL to school! Leaving them saying "why don't you play basketball at EAC?" HAHA!

Fact/Habit #4) I was ranked number 2 in the nation for hitting percentage when I played volleyball at Western New Mexico University. Not to shabby!

Fact/Habit #5) I have recently rekindled my obsession with working out. Not really eating better (becasue you all know i have a sweet tooth), but i love making my body ach! waking up the next morning with the feeling of "hey, I just killed that muscle! why can't i walk?" since rediscovering working out, i have lost apx. 20 lbs! I love it!

Fact/Habit #6) I love Christmas music. as soon as halloween is over, i secretly play christmas music on my computer. Clifton has proclaimed his distaste for christmas music until after thanksgiving, so i have to enjoy it all by myself. I love it all! the classics, new songs, and new people singing the classics! Happy Holidays!

as for who i will tag, everyone i can think of has been it! but feel free to take a stab at it all you blog stalkers!!!

God Bless Texas

For those of you who don't know, I passed my CDL (comercial drivers licence) test last wednesday. I can now officially drive the bus for EAC. I have a good time and it pays really well!!! I am currently with the womens basketball team on a tournament in Midland Texas, home of president and laura bush! It took about ten hours and 600 miles to get here, so needless to say i'm not looking forward to the ride home. the girls will keep me company though. The only bad thing about tournaments is i'm away from my family. We left tuesday morning and wont get back until early saturday (like 4 or 5 a.m.) But i can't complain cause i get paid by the hour and by the mile. So i'm happy to provide my services!!! Much love to all...i will post halloween pics soon!!!

No excuses...

after about a month and a half, i've decided that i would renew my blog. But considering only 3 people acctualy look at this thing, i guess it's not that big of a deal.

things are well...volleyball is almost over, clifton is doing well in school, and curtis is growing up too fast. he's a happy boy. below are some pics from a while back, but they are too cute to pass up. enjoy! Eating birthday cake!
having fun with birthday cake
cheese face!
enjoying his birthday present. (it a tunnel thing that colapses)

A year ago today....

As i sat here last night, just thinking about everything that has happened this year, and the biggest change in our lives has been the birth of our baby boy! After hours of walking around the hospital, (and about 2 weeks too late) Curtis was born at 1:11 in the morning. It's hard to think that he almost didn't make it, with his cord in a true knot, and wrapped around his neck twice. The doctor was truely amazed that Curtis was alive. We love our little boy and don't know what we would do without him! He's walking and showing off his new tricks everyday. We have so much fun with our little boy and are loving every minute of him. We are looking forward to getting to know him better, and sharing his life. I had a baby a year ago, and now he's a toddler! Happy Birthday Curtis!!

Sorry...long time no blog

Things have been busy the last couple of weeks, but that is still no excuse for not updating my friends and family on what has been happening in our lives. We have MANY new things that have gone on, i hope that i can get it all in.
~Janiel~
I love my job. I have so much fun with the volleyball girls. It certainly doesn't pay what it should (for the hours i put in) but i love it. From time to time, I get frustrated with the girls only because I want to get out there and play...but my time has passed. Now I enjoy loosing my voice twice a week yelling at the palyers as if they cannot hear me.
I have my Commercial Drivers Licence Permit. Driving the bus will give me a great opportunity to make more money for our family. I will be making minimum wage plus 35 cents a mile. A one day trip (up to Mesa and back) I will make about $150. Plus $30 for food per day. Tournament trips is where the money will be made for sure. Hopefully I will be able to take my driving test soon so I can be driving and making the money!
Because I am the only one working (thank heaven for student loans), I have been doing some side jobs as well. I teach a class at the college called Beginning Body Conditioning. I get paid per person, so I have mom, dad, Clifton, and a bunch of other people in there that have never shown up. Oh well!
~Clifton~
Nursing classes have begun and I think he really likes it. He is one of 3 men in the program and is having a good time (so far). He's been taking some classes online which leaves time for him to watch Curtis while i'm out of town on volleyball trips. Our scheduals work out really nice.
Clifton has been also focusing on our house. Things are running slowly and we are getting kind of worried about it. We still dont have a closing date, and are hoping things will get finished up soon!
~Curtis~
Many milestones have happened and he has learned a ton of new things! Curtis started WALKING about 3 weeks ago and hasn't stopped! Leah brought the twins over and a switch turned something on in his head..."they're little people, and I can walk too!" Ever since then, he's been cruising everywhere. He runs in spurts and hardly crawls. My baby isn't a baby any more!
Curtis points at everything and says some little phrase I can't understand. Sometimes I cannot stand how cute my kid is! His words consist of dad, mom, nana (banana), ball, dut (that), and sign language for ALL DONE! He also does sign language for milk but to him that means 'bye,bye'.
Sorry there are no pictures, but i cannot find the cord that connects the camera to the computer. As soon as i find it, i will post a picture frenzy! Also, sorry for the grammar and spelling...done in a hurry! Much love to all!

Cool Dude!

Curtis loves sunglasses! He gets this silly hypervetallating laugh that cracks me up. He's getting so big these days too. I can see the changes happening every day. Today he took a 3 hour nap from 10 to 1 and then fell asleep again from 2:30 to 4:30. A nap total of 5 hours today. Growing boy needs his rest!

Happy Birthday to me!

Thanks everyone for the Birthday wishes. I had a good birthday...who wouldn't if they were playing volleyball all day? Anyway, I would also like to say congrats to my friends Stephen and Lisl Quinn on the birth of their baby boy on my birthday! So fun, but weird because i just went to her baby shower last weekend (note the pictures below)! Yeah for Birthdays!

The Diaper Cake

I went to Sierra Vista today for one of my best friends (Lisl Quinn) baby shower. There were fun games with prizes to be won, and lots of BLUE presents. I had a ton of fun making this Diaper Cake for her last night. I dressed it with binkie's and linka-do's and ribbon. It was a big hit at the party!

Elder Simpson (Udall)

Here is Elder Udall as a Simpson...and suprisingly, i didn't have to make any adjustments. All I did was upload the photo and this is how it turned out! Enjoy!

Simpsonize ME

How would you look as a member of Springfield? This was fun to do during Curtis' nap!

Video Attempt, but no such Luck

I tried to post the video of my sisters and I performing our rendition of "Africa", but I just cannot figure it out. So to satisfy the need to hear this song (or at least hear it in you head) here are the lyrics that we made up to "Africa by Toto".

We feel the love around here tonight.
We’ll each take turns engaging in a final conversation.
He’s leaving on a 10:30 flight
Headed for the MTC to learn about salvation.
After months of learning Portuguese,
Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies
They send him off as if to say, Hurry Boy they’re waiting there for you.

CHORUS:
It’s gonna take a lot to keep the mission rules
Don’t drink the water, you’ll get runny poos.
Baptize a town down in Africa
Gonna take some faith to do the things he knows are true.

Living the missionary life
Rising early, praying, reading, serving, loving, teaching.
We know that he will do what’s right
As sure as Kilimanjaro rises above the Serangetti
He’ll seek to change what’s deep inside, helping those around him find the truth.

CHORUS

(Instrumental break)

Hurry boy, they’re waiting there for you

It’s gonna take a lot to bring you home to us
We will be missing you so very much
Sing with the natives down in Africa
May find a black girl down in Africa
Stain a lot of white shirts down in Africa
Wear through some shoes down in Africa
Be the tallest white guy down in Africa
When he comes home, we’re sure to find he’ll be a better man.

First Hair Cut

Shaggy boy! He really needed this one...it was hard to let go at first because he had the beginnings of curls in the back of his head, but it was OUT OF CONTROL. I couldn't maintain the beast any longer. So here are some before and after shots! Who would have thought that he would be so blond? Enjoy!

Cute Boy

Sorry it's sideways, but i just thought this was too cute to wait to figure it out! I'll put up more pictures of these moments later.

Busy but Fun

This week, I have been working with 3rd - 6th graders, and 7th-8th graders on their volleyball skills. It has been so much fun, but stressful. My cousin Sarah has been watching Curtis for me. He loves Sarah! There are few people he will reach for, and she is one of them.
Volleyball camp is wearing me down. My shoulder is not what it used to be and i really need to get it back into hitting shape. I'll be hitting the weight room for the next couple of weeks before we start pre-season training...those two weeks will kill me, but I am so looking forward to it! I plan on working out with the girls and helping them train for the season (you know, showing them how it's done)!
We still have another full week of camp next week with the high school kids, but they (hopefully) wont be as clingy as these younger girls. So Much FUN!

Take me out to the Ball Game

Last night (Saturday the 14th) My dad's company had a party and bought tickets to the Diamondbacks game for all its employees and family members. The entire family (including the Kids) was there. They also fed us dinner. We had decent seats behind left feild about 30 seats from the wall, but we couldn't see the jumbotron. We were too far under the overhang/balcony. We were losing until we left at aobut the 6th inning. Then the D'backs pulled it through. It was so much fun! Thanks Grandpa!

Such a big helper!!

So, my mom has kind of been stressed out with Chris leaving on his mission, me moving in, etc. Plus my mom is one of the busiest ladies I know...she didn't get home last night until 8:30. Anyway, I thought since i am living here now for a while, I would help out around the house. Project 1) Painting the Kitchen...we did this about 3 weeks ago and it looks fabulous. Thanks Leah for the idea.

Project 2) CLEAN the kitchen floors... I mopped a couple of days ago, and it really helped, but i thought it wasn't clean enough. Last night I went to Wal-Mart and bought some cleaning suplies to really get a deap clean in the grout. It makes such a difference!

I don't know what the next project is, but i'm sure i'll figure something out...Maybe i'll paint the family room!

Before the Deep Clean...

And After!!!

"my new favorite toy"

A couple of days ago we were at "Autie Leah's" house and Curtis found this Push-along toy. HE LOVES IT!! Almost too much...I have to hide if from him because he wants to walk with it all the time. But there is one thing about Curtis that you have to understand...He has this competitive nature (who knows where is got that from) where he wants to do everything right the first time! So ever time he runs into a wall, or hits a couch, or gets snagged in the carpet, y'all better watch out cause somethin' fierce is comin' your way! He's only 10 months old and I'm not ready for him to walk yet! Don't you just love his chiken legs?

Rub-a-dub-dub!

Curtis loves his baths! This is in Grandma's old kitchen sink in the laundry room (the perfect tub for babies). Every time i try to get him out of the bath, he cries. He can sit there and play for an hour. Unless he's bathing with his cousins, then he sits in the corner and watches them play. What a cutie!

One thing about Curtis' hair, the majority of the growth is on the top. He has a comb-over that is so sweet! Just like an old man.

So Long, Farewell

Well, we sent Chris to the MTC yesterday. All of the family was there at the airport to send him on his way. A few tears were shed, but there was this calm assurance in my heart. I felt peace knowing that he was doing the Lords will. Good Luck Elder Udall, we will be praying for you!

What's up with THAT? sorry no pictures

You know what happens, when life happens? You fall behind on your blog…or at least I do. It’s been about 2 months since I posted and I don’t even know where to begin with an update, so forgive me if this post seems a little long winded.
At the end of May, we began negotiations to purchase an acre of land in Thatcher, because as many of you know, Clifton got accepted in the nursing program at EAC so we get to move back HOME!!! With the way the market is down there, we have found out that it is cheaper to pay a mortgage than rent. Thus began our search for a place to live. My mom found several pieces of land that seemed to be a great deal and so we put an offer down and the owners accepted! Now what do we do with the land? We found a company in Chandler that builds manufactured homes and sells them at factory prices. This has several perks because we got to choose our own layout, size, additional options, colors, etc. We found a model that we liked and it just happened to be on sale (about $11,000 off the original price)!!! I just got back from the factory last Friday, and it is in process and we have set a tentative date of delivery in the beginning of September!!! Until then, my wonderful parents have offered to let us live in their house until ours is finished. After all, Chris is leaving on his mission in a week, so there will be an empty house!
Chris got his mission call to the Mozambique, Maputo Mission in AFRICA. He will be speaking Portuguese and he reports to the MTC on July 11th. We are all anxiously waiting to get rid of our little brother and send him to a foreign country!!! Just kidding Chris…We love you!
Things have been a little crazy the last couple of months…we have had family parties, family reunions, trips to the hospital, trips to Arizona, the joys of moving, the joys of buying a home, several milestones (like sleeping through the night!), and some bumps and bruises, but we’ll make it through okay!
Last Wednesday (June 27th) I was visiting my family in Mesa, and also ordering my home. Curtis was playing well with his cousins for about 5 minutes…he was supporting himself on a cruiser/walk along toy with wheels. One of his bigger cousins wanted that toy so she just walked away with it. Curtis fell down bonking his head on the ceramic tile. He screamed for a second, and then I picked him up. The next thing I knew, he was dead weight. I looked at his face and his eyes had rolled in the back of his head and he had no response to his name or any other noise. Lucky for me my brother-in-law Doug was there with me to reach for the phone to dial 911. However, before he could dial the numbers, Curtis came to. I was shaking so bad that I could barely stand. Never in my life have I experienced such terror. To feel your own child in your arms, go limp as if he had no life…I get sick just describing it. After regaining some composure, I called every medical person I knew, to ask what I should do. They said take him to the emergency room…so I did…at 9 pm. Everything checked out fine with Curtis…he plays normal, acts normal, and now we know that passing out is common. However, because it was related to a head injury, you can never be to cautious.
Speaking of Curtis, HE IS SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! We had a family reunion in Flagstaff a couple weeks ago, and Curtis woke up and wanted to play in the middle of the night. After that weekend of hardly any sleep, I decided that was enough. It’s been two weeks and he is sleeping like a BABY! And so am I!
Curtis wants to walk so badly. He has just started cruising and standing tall from a squatting position. I have no doubt that he has the strength, but his balance could use a little more work. Give it another week or two and I’ll be chasing him around!
Clifton and I are doing just fine. Currently, we have moved all of our belongings to Thatcher, and are living separately. Mostly because his job is too good to leave Grants, and my job begins in a week in Thatcher. It will take some getting used to, but I think that we will survive a month and a half!
We are just looking forward to our new home and a fresh start in Thatcher. We feel so blessed that Clifton got into the nursing program (by the way, he just took a medical calculations test and got 95 out of 100). We have many things to look forward to here in the near future and we just could not be happier!