The Scarlett Letter

Mike's graduation

2010-09-29T11:41:00.008-05:00

Mike now has his AAS!!!! For two years straight he drove to Omaha ITT Tech(it's like driving to Temecula for all you Cali's) 3 days a week after working full time, sometimes working 50-60 hrs a week. He got his degree in Visual Communication and he is focusing on Graphic Design. This is his passion, his one true love (other than me of course!!) He graduated with Highest Honors for his grades...note the yellow cords. Then as a big surprise to Mike and all of us he was also inducted in to Alpha Beta Kappa which "means recognition and praise for those who have worked valiantly and successfully in one or more fields of the applied arts and sciences."

Mike and His Grandma
My Parents

Mike walking to his seat

Getting his diploma

The Graduate!

What a stud!!!

Now he is attending Bellevue University and working on a accelerated program to get his BS degree in Market Management. He will be done with this degree in May 2011.

Thanks for the hard work baby, we love you and support you!

Sophie's blessing day

2010-09-29T10:57:00.004-05:00

The Blessing Circle Men, from left to right, Tim Porter, Bishop Cody Hollist, (daddy) Mike Scarlett and the princess, (grandpa) Bob Katz, Kevin Smith, and Ted Rodewald.

Being away from family it's nice that we have been able to rely on close friends. Tim and Kevin are in the Young Mens Presidency with Mike. Ted Rodewald and is family are close family friends, I call him Mike's Bromance. They can talk for hours and have a bunch in common. Right now they are working together at La Grande Excavation.

Mom and Dad

Hunny came from California to see Sophie on her special day

Grandma and Grandpa

Sophie's 1 month

2010-09-29T10:30:00.003-05:00

Sophie is 1 month and my oh my has she grown. She is very strong and is able to lift her head. she is 50 percentile for her head, weight and height! She is my good little girl. She is sleeping about 6 hrs during the night. She is very calm and very patient. Good thing 'cause her sisters aren't :)

Sophia Jean

2010-08-25T20:48:00.006-05:00

After the amneo, I felt a lot of pressure in back for the rest of the day. Mike and I went to bed at about 10:30 on the 18th and that's when the contractions started. Well I was not going to have another false alarm, so I ignored the contractions and went to sleep. I was up every twenty minutes in massive pain, having some major contractions that night. Since they weren't 5 minutes apart waited till it was time to go to the hospital at 5am on August 19th. We got to the hospital and I could barely walk! The contractions were now 5-10 minutes apart and way painful. They got me to a room and I told the nurse that I wanted an epidural whenever I could have one. So she checked my and said, "you might want that epidural now" I was like why? How far dilated am I? She said a 6!!!! dang! No wonder it hurt so much :) I went to Bryan LGH East and let me just say what a great delivery and stay I had. The Anestegeologist was there with in 20 minutes and he hooked me up! My last to deliveries were at Riverside General in Riverside, CA. They weren't horrible experiences but nothing like this one.

Dr. Lovegrove came in a bit later and broke my water and said I was at an 8. I flattened out at 8 so they gave me a bit of petocin and I shot to a 10. I started pushing at 9:55 am and Sophia Jean Scarlett was born at 10:46am, she was 8lbs exactly and 20 inches long.

My Parents brought Abbey and Maddie over that evening. The girls had waited so long for their new sister and she was finally here! My Mom said that Abbey didn't want to go to school that day. She told my Mom that she was sick. My Mom said why are you sick? Abbey said because I want to see the baby. Abbey, the big sister
Maddie, the big little sister Sophie, the little sister
Mike and his girls
Sophie's first bath, at the hospital...She is truly Mike's girl :)
Ahhhhh all clean

The Scarlett Girls
Getting ready to go home My Mom and the girls made us this great banner :)
Maddie feeding Sophie
Abbey's turn!

check out those lashes!!!

Sophie is a very good baby. She wiggles and whines a bit when she's hungry. But she is never demanding. If it's not time for a bottle I'll hold her or pat her and she'll go back to sleep or just hang out. She only wakes at night to eat and then goes back to sleep. If you know all the hoops I jumped through dealing with Abbey and Maddie, all of the crying, them and me, then you will appreciate how great it is to have a low maintenance baby. We are blessed to have this little love in our lives.

Kindergarten

2010-08-18T19:52:00.004-05:00

So my baby's in Kindergarten, today was her first day and it was very exciting. Last night Mike gave her a blessing. He explained to her that he would give her a blessing so that she would have Jesus with her at school. This way she would be comforted and have a good day. When she woke up this morning she smiled and said "Mommy today is my first day of school!!" She was so excited. Mike packed her a lunch and gave her a dollar for a drink and we all got ready and walked her to school. Her teacher is Mrs "K" and she seems real sweet and nice. Abbey loves her already. She is attending Arnold Elementary School, which is the same school that she went to for preschool last year. Kindergarten in Lincoln is all day. They start at 9am and end at 3:38pm. So it's a long day for my baby. This week they will end early and end the day at 2:38. After my amneo, I wasn't up for picking her up. So Mike and Maddie went to pick her up. When she got home she showed me her change from her lunch and some work that she had done today. I gave her a big hug and said "I am so proud of you, you were so brave today and you weren't scared at all to go to school" (some kids were bawling). She said "Jesus was with me." I said "was Jesus with you because Daddy gave you a blessing?" As she walked away she said "yup Jesus was with me all day so I wasn't scared. It was fun."

My Tummy

2010-08-18T17:28:00.003-05:00

So this is my 3rd pregnancy, and it's been quite a 9 months! After my miscarriage last year I have been scared to share the pregnancy.

So here's my story. In December Mike and I talked about how we'd love to have medical insurance. I thought, well why can't I see if i could get a job that had benefits. So I put in a bunch of applications and got an interview with Nelnet. They are a student loan company. My interview was for collections! I guess I fit the collector role and I was hired!!! I week later I found I was PREGNANT!

Mike changed his schedule as a tow truck driver and watched the girls during the day, and worked at night. My first day of training was Monday, January 4th and I loved everything I was learning, when on Friday I started feeling hot and sweaty, my pants were too tight and i just wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep. That's when the morning sickness started. For the next month and a half I spent ALOT of time getting to know the Nelnet restroom, while I was trying to be a model employee. My hours of work were 11am-8pm. I was told if you worked real hard you could get a morning shift, So I worked overtime, signed up for extra hours like working on holidays and Saturdays, and didn't miss a day...even if I was puking my brains out on my breaks. In February Mike quit his job so that he could focus on his last quarter of school and more on the girls during the day.

Mean while I had met with my Doctor, for the baby. When I was suppose to be 11 weeks, I first met with her and she listened for a heart beat. Couldn't find one (immediately I thought I had had another miscarriage). So she scheduled an ultrasound for that thursday. They found a heart beat and decided that the baby was only 9 weeks along not 11weeks. Yay! Baby #3 was healthy and looking good...just a little younger than we thought :) The doc talked to me about my age and how I would be 35 by the time the baby was born and asked if I wouldn't mind seeing a specialist to run some tests to make sure that the baby would be born with nothing wrong. I figured better safe then sorry, lets do it. So I met with a doctor at Bryan LGH, whom we fell in love with! The tests they run requires the baby to be in a certain spot at a certain angle so that they can test the fold at the back of her neck. Of course my baby would not cooperate! After the 3rd appointment they got the perfect reading. After the test came back all looked perfect. I was due to come back at around 20weeks for more tests and to find out the sex of the baby. Meanwhile my doc and I discussed my family history and because of that and the fact that I am overweight and would be 35 at the time of delivery, she wanted me to do a glucose test at 17 weeks...I FAILED the one hour. So I took the 3 hour test...and FAILED! I had gestational diabetes! So I got hooked with a nutritionist who helped me to see what I could and couldn't eat, and do. AND I had to prick my finger 4 times a day, and keep track of my readings so that I could report them back to the doc.

I went to the specialist appointment and all looked great with the baby...and we found out it's a girl!!! Sorry Mike! After that things seem to quiet down and bit and I started to grow (although I do need to brag that at the end of my pregnancy I have only gained 7 pounds!!!)

In June Mike decided to get his bachelor degree and continue school. He is enrolled at Bellevue University in an accelerated Marketing Management program, this will go perfect with his AAS in Graphic Design. So we had a talk again and decided to have him go back to work. He put in a couple of calls and that same day at the beginning of July got a call back from La Grande Excavating, they hired him as a Dump Truck Driver. This was tuesday and they wanted him to start that friday!!! Now we had to find a babysitter.

One of the girls from church came to watch the girls that friday and I left early to check out daycares. Well, it is so hard to find daycare! The good ones are way too expensive and the others are well, not the good ones. Also with my schedule of working till 8pm and Mike's job as a driver which is never a steady time off that was hard to find a daycare that was opened that late. What were we to do??? Mike loved his new job and I was still pretty happy at Nelnet, neither of us wanted to quit so now what? We decided to just have friends watch the girls until I went on Maternity leave and then we figure it out.

I was 8 months went I woke up one morning and felt contractions. I knew it was too early so I called my doc and she said to go into the labor and delivery. This was a wednesday close to the end of July. I got to l&d, they got me all hooked up to the machines to see the contractions and found that I wasn't having any. But I swear I was having pain in my pelvic area, the doc prescribed a medicine to "help me sleep" and said that it was just ligament pains. Turns out the medicine is also used for anxiety and stress. It really helped me to relax. Monday I went to see the doc for a regular appointment, and asked if she gave the meds because she thought I was stressed. She assured me it was just to help me relax and sleep. That's when I lost it...right there in her office. I started blubbering about daycare and the cost of insurance and how I was killing myself to stay in the top 20 at work so that I could get a morning shift. I told her I didn't know what to do and I figured out on my own that I was stressed beyond belief. She patted me on the back as I apologized for crying and told me to give myself a break, I was pregnant after all and I had a lot on my plate! I decided right then that I would quit my job and stay home with the girls. I put in my two weeks that very day.

After 3 non-stress tests to make sure the baby was doing OK and 3 ultra sounds everything looked great with the baby...BUT, She was 8lbs 3oz!!! Holy night. Abbey was 7lbs 4oz, Maddie was 6lbs 9oz. Over 8lbs??? Are you kidding me? Get this kid out now!!! They set up an appointment again with the same specialist as in the beginning to do an amniocentesis on August the 18th to make sure the baby's lungs were developed enough, and then I would be induced that night.

On August 16th I had a routine appointment with Dr. Lovegrove my OB as I sat waiting for her I kept having contractions. I told her and she checked me and found that I was thin and 2 1/2 cem dilated. She told me to go home and time the contractions, if they got to be 5 min apart to go into to l&d. I called Mike, he was on a job 1 hour away and had a flat on his dump truck. I told him not to rush but my contractions were 7 minutes apart and had been steady for 2 hours. I called my Mom and she said she would take the rest of the day off and come over. Mike got home and we decided to go on a family walk, maybe we could push these contractions along. After we got home we timed them again and they were 5 minutes apart. Mike and I left for the hospital, we kept timing the contractions and now they were 3-5 minutes apart. This was it!! The baby was coming all on her own no need for an amneo, no need for an induction!!! After 2 hours of sitting in labor and delivery again all hooked up, the contractions went from 5 and stayed steady at 7-8 minutes. They sent me home :( Now I had to rush home because I could still make it to Abbey's back to school night. Mike and I were way disappointed, but we got to meet Abbey's teacher and see her cute new Kindergarten room.

Today was Abbey's first day of school and we walked her to school (more to follow) then we took off to meet with Dr. Malee the specialist at Bryan. She did the amneo and everything went fine. The poke of the needle didn't even hurt. She sent me home and said she's call in the afternoon with the results. She called me and told me that the baby was cooked and well done!!! Since I am dilated and basically ready to go they are having me go into to Bryan LGH at 5am tomorrow tursday the 19th to start the induction.

Sophia Jean Scarlett should be here by tomorrow....lets hope.

Ballerina's

2010-08-18T17:12:00.004-05:00

This summer we joined the Y and enrolled Abbey and a bunch of different classes. The last class they too was Creative Movement. It's like a mini Ballet class. Abbey's been in ballet before but this was Maddie's first time. They were both great!!! Abbey takes learning very seriously and really got the movements down. Maddie loved it! She is very good at following directions and she was able to watch the teachers and follow the moves. These pictures are of their dance recital at the end of the session. Aren't they adorable!

Did you have a Mama?

2010-05-21T09:38:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, Mike and the girls went to the Library and rented The Jungle Book movie. After they got home, they sat down to watch the movie and

Mike said to Abbey, "you know, I used it watch this movie when I was a little boy."

Abbey turned to him and said, "Did you have a Mama?"

Mike - "yeah I had a Mama."

Abbey -"where is your Mama now?"

Mike - "she's with Heavenly Father now."

Abbey - "why is she with Heavenly Father?"

Mike - "cause she had a bad heart."

Abbey - "where is your Daddy?"

Mike - "I don't know."

Abbey - "is he with Heavenly Father too?"

Mike - "nah, I don't know where he is"

Abbey - paused and looked at Mike with a blank stare and asked, " Well how did you go places?"

Mike - "I had Hunny (Mike's Grandmother), Hunny was my Mom and Dad. Hunny bought me clothes and bought me food and took me to school, Hunny is my Grandma"

Abbey - "oh" now satisfied :)

Patricia Scarlett, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Great Grandma. Our "Hunny"

Family updates

2010-05-14T08:31:00.007-05:00

Well it seems as though March, April and a bit of May have just flown by. So much has happened that I haven't been able to keep up!

In March Maddie turned 3. She is so glad to be 3 and tells everyone she sees that she is 3!!! She also insists on getting everything in 3's, 3 kisses, 3 candies, 3 songs, etc. Let's hope this doesn't continue as she gets older. It could get so expensive!

Presents!!!
Abbey helping to make Maddie's Cake

Mike and I had out 5 year anniversary on March 12th. We wanted to have an extra special and expensive anniversary but due to reality we had a wonderful time right here in Lincoln. We had sushi and saw a Alice in Wonderland in 3D.

I turned the big 3-5 in April. It's all down hill form here :) Mike surprised me by having my mom take the girls overnight. We again had Sushi and the went to a movie. We saw Date Night. It was so funny, if you haven't seen this movie YOU HAVE TO! We stayed out till 11:30 and didn't have to hurry home to a sitter!!! Then we slept in till 10am!!! Ahhhhh!

In April we put Abbey and Maddie in Gymnastics. They had fun tumbling and walking on their toes and practicing cartwheels. Their favorite move was the Candle Stick. You put both hands on top on your head palm to palm and hop until you reach the end of the strip.
Their last day was May 8th we signed them up for another session, since it was such a success!

For Easter this year we met up with some friends from church and had a little Easter egg hunt at Pioneers Park.

Abbey is getting ready to graduated from preschool and move on to Kindergarten. Her teacher says that she is well prepared for Kindergarten. We asked Ms. Summer what we should work on with her and they said nothing she knows all she needs to. So we are working on teaching her to tie her shoes. Ms Summer said that she is the only one in the class that after counting 12 items, if you then ask her how many items are there she says 12. I was like duh...but Ms Summer says this is a big deal cause all the other kids will start counting the items again and then say 12. My little genius :)

Mike is finishing up he 2nd to last quarter at school. He starts his last quarter on June 7th...YAY!!! Now starts the job search!!!

We are also expecting! We should have a brand new Scarlett Girl by September 1st. That's right, you read it correctly, ANOTHER GIRL!!! The girls are excited and are always kissing my tummy. Abbey asks me EVERYDAY, "how many more days till the baby is all grown and comes out of your tummy??"

Here's some fun that Mike and girls had recently, at a safety show in Lincoln:

Abbey?? oh no a true Scarlett after all!

Abbey escaping from a pretend "smoke house"

Maddisms

2010-03-08T13:02:00.003-06:00

My Maddie's is almost 3 and I thought I should record some of the cute things she says.

One day while shopping with Dad, Mike had to use the restroom. Maddie was sitting in the cart and didn't want to go into the bathroom. So Mike placed the cart up close to the opening and went inside. He could hear her as one of the Wal-mart Associates came over to talk with Maddie.
Maddie says, "My daddies going potty lady. Don't you take me lady, cause my daddy's in the potty." Mike and the Associate had a good laugh.

After a nap one day the covers had fallen a little and Mike was showing a bit of skin (on his back). Maddie says, "cover up! no one wants to see that Daddy!"

When we drive she reminds us to drive slow and only go if it's green. "Or else the police will stop you and take you away, then we won't have a Mommy or Daddy and we'll be all alone."

For her birthday this year I have promised her that we will take her to the mall to get our nails and toes painted by the "doctors there at the mall...as long as they don't poke me." (the nail tech use masks :) (and doctors give shots...pokes).

When Abbey doesn't share she tells her "remember my teacher said you have to share" (only Abbey the only on in school and it was here teacher that said that :)

When we are driving in the car she says, "put on the music...louder and put on a girl song" (She loves Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson, Kesha, Pink, etc.) She also knows tons of primary songs and can sing then to you without the music.

That little girl is something else she is 2 going on 12...how will I keep up?

Flying like an eagle

2010-01-08T11:22:00.002-06:00

Yesterday we were driving and Maddie wanted to sit in my lap. Later that day Abbey says to me "Maddie wants to be an eagle" I said, fun! Then she said "Yeah when we were in Daddy's truck Maddie wanted to be an eagle" I said really why was that? She said "Maddie wanted to sit on your lap and that would be an eagle." (illegal).

White Christmas

2009-12-25T20:03:00.006-06:00

This year we had a White Christmas. The snow started yesterday and it still has not stopped! There is so much snow that Mike's boss canceled all Tows!!! I'd say there is up to 5 feet of drifts! It's been nice though, we actually got to see Mike all day long, Merry Christmas to us :)

Santa stayed up to 2:30 putting this kitchen together. Good thing 'cause the girls LOVE it!

Mike gets George Straight CD

ELEFUN!!!
I got new work clothes
Shoes, Braclets and rings, oh my!

Christmas Cuties

2009-12-25T19:55:00.003-06:00

Grandma bought these beautiful Christmas dress! The girls loved them and pretended they were princesses

My Favorite!! What sweet sisters

I love a man in uniform

2009-12-25T19:52:00.002-06:00

Mike's new job, Towing, has him out in the snow ALOT! So he suits up to stay warm....isn't he so cute!!!!

SURPRISE

2009-12-25T17:58:00.014-06:00

At the end of November I was feeling all sad and missing my family in California. I had called my sister Melissa, and told her that I missed her. (This is very rare for me :) But it was the end of the month and she couldn't talk becasue they are always swamped at work at that time. I forgot all about that day when a couple of weeks later I was in the basement with the kids and I got a call from my mom. She told me to come upstairs and open the door. There was my sister and her two boys!!!! Well I was so suprised! I cried!!! My dad and she had been planning this for a while and here she was in Nebraska!!!

We took this picture from my phone and sent it to Mike becasue he was at work. Then I called him, and he was all confussed he was like is this Brenda or Melissa, how did Melissa get my stocking??? (we look alike and sound identical!)

The boys loved the snow and EJ didn't want to get out.

Goooooooooooo Huskers!!!

EJ's birthday is in December so we had a mini party at my parents

The Cousins, Danny 3, Abbey 4, EJ 5, Maddie 2

Snow Daze

2009-12-10T22:34:00.002-06:00

Monday night we got a call from Lincoln Public School that school would be closed due to the weather. So Tuesday all the kids I watch after school were here all day long as it snowed outside. It snowed and snowed and snowed! By Wednesday morning the snow was so bad that no one went to work....except Mike. He's been working like crazy...yay!!! The kids were still off school today due to the snow drifts and the temperature. It's been interesting trying to keep everyone busy, but it's been fun too.

Here's what the girls and I did on Wednesday. We made a gingerbread tree. It took 2hrs!!! I was exhausted afterward and we all had a nice long nap :)

The girls and the tree...after a few samples of the frosting :)

The Scarlett girls say the darndest things

2009-11-30T22:11:00.003-06:00

ABBEY

One night Abbey was taking a bath and Maddie had to go potty. After she was done I got the "Mommy come wipe me!!!" call. So I went into the bathroom, took care of Maddie's business and as I was standing up I was squirted in the face by Abbey. She was standing up in the tub and spitting water out!! I gave her the lookd of DEATH. She looked mortified and said "I was being an elephant."

MADDIE

Maddie was brought to my class at church from the nursery because she had to go potty. I could tell by her breath that she had just had crackers. I said to her "did you have crackers today? You are so lucky, I wish I could get crackers in my class." Maddie said " Mommy when you get small like me you can get crackers in nursery too."

ABBEY AND MADDIE

It was bed time and Maddie already had her jammies on. I told Abbey to go to her room and put her jammies on. After a bit of time went by, I started down the hall to check and see if Abbey had her jammies on. I heard the girls playing. So, I continued down the hall, gearing up for a good yelling :). As I got closer this is what I heard: Abbey - "I love you Maddie" Maddie "I love you too Abbey". Well no yelling that night, both girls got a big kiss from Mommy.

What life is all about

2009-11-23T21:37:00.004-06:00

Life has been so stressful lately. Mike started a new job. He is towing cars and while it should get super busy when the winter right now it is slow, very, very extremely slow! Always worrying always stressing about making ends meet SUCKS! But then you have a wonderful day and life is great and it doesn't cost a dang on thing!!! Today I had a full house. I was watching three friends children. I watched (including my girls) 4 four year olds, a 2 1/2 year old, an almost 6 month old, and a 2 month old. I thought I'd go crazy, but everyone played so nice and the babies took turns sleeping and eating so I wasn't over whelmed at all :)

Here are the kids after lunch...this is what life is all about. This is what brings a smile to my face and makes it all worth it. Times may be tough but my girls are happy and healthy, and that's what make me happy :)

Halloween '09

2009-11-15T09:26:00.006-06:00

Maddie was a ballerina. She twirled and danced all day.
www.staciepowersphotography.com Our friend Stacie is an amazing photographer and she took pictures of the girls this year at a park here in Lincoln. Check out her website to see the girls pics. They are AMAZING!

Abbey was a princess. She said she was Cinderella before she got her blue dress
Mike and I went as Bikers....pretty convincing huh? The funny part is that we didn't have to buy anything for these costumes! Mike drew us tats, we were representing the IE in So Cal.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Pumpkin Carving

2009-11-15T09:17:00.004-06:00

Mike and the girls carved pumpkins this year. Mike asked the girls what they wanted their pumkins to look like. Abbey said she wanted a mean pumpkin and Maddie said she wanted a happy pumpkin.

You've got sand, we've got leaves

2009-10-30T13:08:00.003-05:00

Roca Berry Farm

2009-10-30T12:47:00.005-05:00

This year we went to Roca Berry Farm. We went with the Smiths and had tons of fun. Mike was working at is new job so it was just me and the girls.

Maddie, Noah and Abbey
The girls love witches!

My Catapiller

The cute couple

Naturals!

Scarlett girls

HOLY cupcake!

leave it to Maddie to eat the decoration!

What a day! Abbey picked out a pumpkin, Maddie wanted popcorn :)

Abbey's Birthday

2009-10-30T11:10:00.006-05:00

Abbey's 4th Birthday was Monday, October 5th. We decided to have a low key family Birthday. On Saturday we spent the day at the Omaha Zoo. It is way bigger than the Lincoln zoo and we all had a great time.Abbey, Maddie and the Lions Den
Maddie takes Abbey on a Safari ride.

SISTERS

Riding the Rhino

in the arms of an Orangutan
I love Butterflies!

Maddie HATES bees!

After the Zoo we came back to Lincoln. Northstar High was having a show of The Wizard of OZ. A bunch of the youth in our ward were in it. The girls LOVED it! The show was so good and the actors are forever famous in the girls eyes.

On Sunday Mike and Abbey made her Birthday Cake

Check out her tongue!
Grandma and Grandpa came over and we sang Happy Birthday and ate CAKE!

On Monday Maddie, Hannah and I, went to Abbey School to have lunch with her on her Birthday.

A school friend Lyric, Hannah, and Abbey

After class all the kids line up and wait to be walked out to the bus. From left to right, Hannah, Abbey, Brooklyn, Carson, and Cindy.

Conversations with Abbey

2009-09-11T13:26:00.002-05:00

Today after preschool, Abbey and Tanner were playing in her room. I went to put something in my room and this is what I heard:
Abbey: Here you go Tanner, this is for you (giving him a piece of paper)
Tanner: Thank you
Abbey: You're Welcome, do you want to give me a kiss?
Tanner: Yes
SMOOCH!!

I bit later I pulled Abbey to the side to talk with her.
Me: Abbey did you kiss Tanner?
Abbey: Yes
Me: Well, maybe you shouldn't kiss Tanner.
Abbey: Why not? His lips are clean.
Me: Well you should only kiss your mommy and daddy and sister. When you get married like mommy and daddy got married then you can kiss your husband.
Abbey: It's ok if I kiss Tanner, but I'm not going to marry him!

Labor Day in Utah

2009-09-11T09:43:00.004-05:00

This weekend we drove to Ogden, Utah. Mike's Sister Kristy and her kids live there and her oldest Makenzi was getting baptized. Kenzi ask Uncle Mike to baptize and confirm her.

Little Miss Kenzi
Uncle Mike and Kenzi

The Cousins, Kenzi (8), Sean (3), Maddie (2), Abbey (3)

The Cousins with Hunny (Mike's Grandma)

The Scarletts and Evans

Mike best friend Randy and Janna came up from Provo and Randy stood in the circle to confrim Kenzi

Mike and Hunny. Mike is very close with his Grandma. She raised him and they talk and text every day. She loves our girls so much and we are lucky to have her.

Mike was so overwelmed at the Baptism that he forgot all the words he was suppose to say. He was all choked up. It makes me love him even more when I see how much his family means to him and how important holding the priesthood is to him.

On Sunday we went to church with Kristy and her family. As we were sitting in Sacrament meeting the conductor announced that there was a new Missionary service couple that was serving at the ward. Their name was Zaugg. Mike's Grandma Pat leaned over and said to Mike, "when I was about Kenzi's age we had a Missionary by the name of Zaugg, wouldn't it be funny if that were him?" Later in the service Elder Zaugg got up to bare his Testimony. He talked about when he had first served his mission some years back in the Colorado Pueblo Mission. His first assignment had been to Colorado Springs!!! HE WAS THE SAME MISSIONARY!!! That was 60 years ago! Pat met up with him and his wife and He invited us all over to their home. We had a great time. We met their Daughter and her family who lived next door. He is an amazing man with a ton of great true stories. We stayed for about 4 HOURS! Then for the icing on the cake they served us Pear Pie and cookies and cream ice cream...yum yum!

We had such an amazing trip, that the 18 hrs it took to get home was no bother at all :)

Abbey the School Girl

2009-08-26T14:40:00.005-05:00

Abbey had her first day of Preschool Today!!! She was so excited and we counted down the days.

When I applied for her to go I was told that not all the kids that apply would get in. I was really hoping she would be able to go. I am babysitting a little boy whose parents also signed him up and we were hoping that they could go together. On August 1st I got a letter that said Abbey was not accepted. We were bummed :( Tanner the little boy did get in and would be going to the morning class. I was trying to figure out how I was going to explain to Abbey that she would not be going to school, but Tanner was going. Then a week latter we got another letter from the School. SHE GOT IN!!! She was in the Afternoon class. Honestly I wanted her in the morning class so that she could come home and go straight to a nap....hee hee. A couple of days later we got a call from her new teacher and she asked if we could move Abbey from the afternoon class to the morning class because another student needed the afternoon class. I was so excited!!! This was perfect. Both her and Tanner could ride the bus home together, and then on to naps :)

Abbey this morning already to go. (We had a crazy summer storm and it was pouring outside)

Abbey in the Hall at School

Abbey walking with her class, that's Tanner in the Cars backpack
Her class room
Her cubby
At the end of the day. Abbey and Tanner getting dropped off.

Park Fun

2009-07-31T13:41:00.006-05:00

This summer we have been doing lots of outdoor stuff! The weather is great. Since we moved into a new neighborhood, the girls and I have done a ton of walking to check it all out. We have a park nearby and are able to walk to it. The girls love it and I love getting them out of the house :)

Do you see Maddie at the top?? That little daredevil!
Here's Abbey, ever the Drama Queen, posing for me.

Maddie in a big girl swing

Abbey Swinging all by herself!!!!

Mike's 30

2009-07-07T08:47:00.003-05:00

The big 3-0! Mikes Birthday is today he is 30. Finally he can't say that he is still in his 20's :) He loves to tease me and tell me that he is SO much younger than me. We celebrated on Friday as a family by taking him to a great BBQ place. It's called Parker Smokehouse. It was so good. We ordered a 2 person meal and after the 4 of us ate all that we could we took the rest home and had left overs on Saturday and Sunday...yes it was that big!!!! Then last night my mom watched the girls so that I could take Mike on a date. We went on a picnic to Pioneer Park. It was so nice to sit and talk just the two of us. It was a perfect day, perfect weather and perfect company :) Then of course you can't have a Birthday with out Ice Cream so we headed to dairy Queen to end the date. Ahhhhhh Delicious!
Happy Birthday my Love!!!

My Green Thumb

2009-06-16T21:38:00.003-05:00

I have always wanted a Garden! So I tried this year for the first time and look what I got!!!

Tomato Plants
Cucumbers

and Lettuce!!

California here we come

2009-06-08T22:27:00.008-05:00

Nine months ago we moved from Riverside, California to Lincoln, Nebraska. This last week we went home to visit. We left Thursday night and drove straight through. Mike loves to drive, so he drove for 12 hrs and then we switched. I drove for an hour and then we switched again and he drove another 12 hrs. Okay so I'm weak and can't drive that long!!!! But I kept offering and he kept saying, "I'm good". We FINALLY got to Riverside, (we stayed with Mikes Grandma "Hunny") and this is what we were greeted with:

TRAFFIC!!!

Saturday I went to a Baby Shower for my Sister in Law Liz. She is having a Girl!!! Yay! (I had so much fun I forgot to take pics) Then Mike, Me, My Sister Melissa, Our Friend Sarah, My Brother Kent, Liz, My Mom and My Dad went out for Sushi!

Sunday we went to church and saw all the old Ward. It was nice to see everyone again. Then we went to see Mike's Cousin Natasha and Bryan her husband. They are having a baby in October. Then we went to have dinner with Mike's cousin Mike and His wife Stacy. Mike and Stacy Belton are such fun. Mike drives a concrete truck and Stacy works in a Doctors office.
Monday I went to my friend Melissa's and hung out with her and my friend Sarah. We have all been friends since the Moreno Valley Singles ward so it's always cool to all get together and let the kids play. From left to right there is Dylan and Luke Gargalis, Trevor and Hollie Herdan and My girls. They all had so much fun and played all afternoon.
Then for dinner Mike's good friend Grant Winn came over

Tuesday we went to my Aunt's home. From the left, Kyra (my Brothers Daughter) Abbey, Maddie, Uncle Al, Auntie (or Auntie Grandma) Me, My Mom and Dad
Then we went to Downtown Disney

Maddie, Kyra, and Abbey at Build a Bear

Thanks Auntie Grandma

Checking out the pond

Daddy and Daughter how cute!!!

Tuesday night we took Hunny out to dinner at Don Jose's. YUMMY! For a belated Mother's Day gift. (guess I was having too much fun again...forgot to take pics)

Then we went over to our friends Candy and Joey Marcroft's home. They have an adorable 2 yr old Sariah. We had so much fun chating and the girls loved playing together.

Wednesday we ate In-N-Out for lunch. YES!!!!!! So good.

That Night we went to my Sisters home, EJ, Danny, Abbey and Maddie

The Kids beat up Mike

Me and my Sister Melissa

Danny, Maddie, EJ, Abbey

Thursday I Hung out with my Sister in Law, till my Brother got home. Then we went and got pictures taken of the kids. Here's my Brother Kent (he totally hates pictures) and My Sister in Law Liz.

Before the Pictures we ate at Hot Dog on a Stick and got these way cute hats for all the Kids. EJ 4 1/2, Maddie 2, Danny 3, Kory 2 1/2, Abbey 3 1/2, and Kyra 4
Friday we packed up and drove to Provo, Utah. We said good-bye to Hunny and were sad to leave her and all the good cooking and great hospitality. (Seriously if you want to have a great vacation and eat like a King...stay with Hunny) Abbey threw-up the ENTIRE drive and we got a Ticket in Beaver :( But we finally got to Utah and stayed with Mike's Best friend Randy and His Wife Janna. They are Pregnant and are due in December. Fun stuff coming their way :)

Mike and Randy

Saturday we had lunch in Provo with another of my Mo Val Singles ward friends. Jen and Sean Gallacher. They have a little cutie Carson.

Then we headed up to Ogden to hang with Mike's Sister Kristy and her two cuties Kenzi 7, Sean 2 1/2.

Kristy and Mike

Me and Kristy

We took off from Ogden, Utah at 9pm Saturday and headed home. Mike drove till about 2am and then we switched. I thought I could do it this time :) I guess not because I stopped and 3:30 and we got a hotel room in Laramie, Wyoming(don't tell any of the Scarlett's....it's a big no no, they are all drive truck :) We left Sunday Morning. On the way home we ran smack dab in the middle of a Hail Storm!!! Holy Night SCARY! So after what seemed like a Thousand hours and a Million honks from Truckers as Abbey and Maddie pumped their arms to "make that truck honk" we were home. I'm glad to say that Lincoln, Nebraska is my Home. Life here is slow. The people are friendly. There isn't so much traffic. Everything on the ground is green and the sky is blue. After 9 months of being home sick for California I think I got my fix. Nebraska is where I belong...for now :)

Bike-isuls and a Gooter

2009-05-28T10:27:00.004-05:00

A couple of weekends ago the neighborhood we live in (The Highlands) had a huge garage sale. A lot of the homes opened up their garages and sold their up wanted stuff. We walked around and there was some pretty cool stuff for sale!!!

Well everytime Abbey see's a kid on a Gooter (scooter) she tells me how she is going to get one and ride it. She's pretty detailed on how to do it.
Also everytime we go to Wal-Mart, Mike will put her on a Bike-isul (bicycle) with training wheels and she rides and rides.

So as we walked the Neighborhood, Mike found a great Princess Bike for Abbey...$8.00!!! And I found the Scooter for $1.00. What a deal! My dad also got a TMX Elmo for Maddie for $0.25!!! Can't beat that!

Abbey is so excited about her Bike-isul and say that her tricycle is her Bike and her new bike is her Bike-isul. She loves her Gooter and even lets Maddie ride it!!!

Me, my Man and a Dump Truck

2009-04-15T21:15:00.003-05:00

Tonight Mike is working super late so I offered to bring him dinner and he asked if I wanted to go for a ride. I got to see what he does everyday.

First the trucks all line up and wait to get Loaded with Concrete. When the Concrete hits the bed of the truck it feels like your smack dab in the middle of a big 'ol earthquake! Then they take off and get on the Interstate (that's a Freeway for all you Cali folks). Then cut into the middle of the Instate do a U-turn then drive forever (okay maybe not forever..but i had to pee and it was a dirt road!!!)

Then they back up into the machine that they dump the concrete onto. The machine has a little conveyor belt that drops the concrete onto the ground.

Then, they drive back on the bumpy drit road and down the side of the freeway, to go back to the yard and get more Concrete. Yup in those big trucks with all that weight behind them they go down this hill...SCARY!!!

But no worries, my Mans a pro! He Drives Truck, and he's pretty good at it too :)

Easter Fun

2009-04-12T20:25:00.009-05:00

We had tons of family fun this Easter. Mike has been dying to go fishing, ever since we moved here. So for Easter we bought the girls fishing poles and little chairs and their very own tackle box (or fishing box as Abbey calls it). Saturday we set up at Holmes Lake (Hiedi I think of you every time I hear about it) and waited for the fish to bite!

The proud Daddy and his fishing girls

Then we came back home and went to an Easter Egg hunt put on by the Neighborhood Assosiation here in the Highlands
After we came home and Dyed Eggs for the Easter bunny.

On Sunday after Breakfast Mike
asked Abbey and Maddie to look outside and see all the birds. Maddie said "eggs!" The Easter Bunny had come and left tons of eggs out back!!!

Abbey was screaming and jumping around she was loving it!

And he left Presents inside

THANKS EASTER BUNNY!!!

We had a great lesson on the true meaning of Easter and the girls got to color, then we had a big yummy family dinner.

Cooking with Grandma

2009-03-31T20:30:00.005-05:00

Tonight after dinner, my mom said she wanted to make cookies with the girls. How fun!!!!

Mixing Ingredients

It was too hard to stir with the spoon so they used their hands

Getting ready for the oven

Are they done yet???

YUMMY!!!!

Thanks Grandma....what fun!!!

My baby is 2

2009-03-22T20:19:00.009-05:00

Today is Maddie's 2nd birthday!!!!! I can't believe she is already 2! She is such a bright little girl. She speaks in full sentences and sings lots of songs. She loves baby dolls and likes to play "mommy". She is such an attitudey little girl (she reminds me of me :) and knows just what to do to get what she wants. She loves to copy Abbey and repeat any and everything that she says...it's kind of cute and Abbey doesn't seem to mind.

Saturday my mom bought us tickets to the Shrine Circus here in Lincoln. The girls LOVED it!

Here we are on an Elephant!!!! Oh My Goodness, I am on top of an ELEPHANT!

Maddie in Heaven, eating cotton candy.Abbey and Daddy loving it up
All pooped out...what a fun day!
Sunday, today Maddie's Birthday. Grandma bought the new dresses for church....soooooo adorable!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADDIE!!!!!
Maddie got this Barbie phone from Auntie Grandma ( my Mom's sister), it lights up and talks and she LOVES it!
Abbey got in on the action and got a Cinderella doll for the tub
Kissing Elmo
Grandma and Grandpa got her this great Tricycle. It is a rocking horse, a tricycle with a handle and you can remove the handle when she gets older. What a great idea!!!!

Abbey's first Primary Activity

2009-03-21T23:01:00.008-05:00

Today Abbey went to her first Primary Activity. The Activity was about the Prophets and about General Conference that is coming up. She started off in the Primary room with a lesson then moved to another room to make a booklet that she can color and draw on during General Conference. Then dessert!!!

Abbey listening to the lesson with her friend Cara

Abbey Coloring next to Gabby
Maddie got in on the coloring and cutting action too! Dessert with Gretchen and Hannah...YUM!

The Ballerina is Back

2009-03-21T22:04:00.008-05:00

Abbey has started Ballet class again. She was so excited, she asked every day to go to ballet. So we found a rec. center here in Lincoln that taught dance. We made paper chains and each day Abbey got to pull a chain until the first day of ballet. She loved counting down the days and would tell anyone who would listen, "3 more days...i pull the chain then 3 more days till ballet!" The class is wonderful! I have to say I am very suprised and very impressed!!! I was a bit bummed to have to sign her up at a rec. center instead of a dance studio, but money is very tight, and ballet is ballet...right? So we signed her up and let me just tell you, that the teacher is wonderful. The studio they dance in has a bar and the room is huge!!!! There are maybe 10-12 little girls all Abbey's age in the class. All the girls are so cute and seem so excited to be dancing. They are being taught the names of positions and bends and jumps and do a lot of creative learning with the dance moves. Here are some pictures and videos of Abbey dancing. Doesn"t she look adorable????

4 years and counting

2009-03-12T19:49:00.003-05:00

Today Mike and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary. Saturday we went on a date to celebrate. We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant (yeah! we FINALLY found a good Mexican restaurant in Lincoln...El Toro) and went to the movies (Paul Blart mall cop...soooooo funny!) We had a good time just being together. I am so lucky to have married a such a wonderful man! Today he was off work. He took the girls out all day so that I could work on my crafts (I am in a craft show on Saturday) and tired them out so much they were asleep by 7pm!!! Then he took off to school. What a stud!!! I love you Baby, Happy Anniversary!

Our first visitor

2009-03-08T18:22:00.005-05:00

Friday night we had our first out of town guest! Natasha, Mike's cousin was driving from Michigan to California and stopped in for a short visit. Mike made BBQ drummetts and we had a great dinner with her. The girls had fun with her friend Sam's son who was with them. Michael, Sam's son is 18 months and the girls had fun running around the house with him. It was nice to have family over. Thanks Natasha, Sam and Michael for stopping in :)

Mike and Natasha

Maddie, Natasha, and Abbey

Maddie took this picture of Natasha and Abbey

Abbey took this picture of Natasha and Maddie

My perfect day

2009-02-05T19:36:00.008-06:00

There are very few things in this world that I live for. One of them is getting my teeth cleaned. I know, weird huh!!! But I absolutely love it. I look forward to it, I crave it, I need it. So every 6 months when it's my day to get my teeth cleaned I am the happiest person in the world. The last year with all that we have been though we have not had insurance and I have missed 2, count them 1, 2 cleanings!!!! That's a whole year with uncleaned teeth. I was totally dying. So today I had my initial dentist appointment. I was to see the dentist, have him check out my teeth, get a full set of x-rays and then schedule an appointment for a cleaning. I had waited so long just to see the dentist I was happy just to start the process. While I was having my check up I mentioned to the assistant that I really just wanted my teeth cleaned. Well guess what!!! She checked and there had been a cancellation for today I could come back and get a cleaning. Luckily my friend Kim was watching the girls (we did a swap) so I had the whole day free!! I had a couple of hours to spare so I went to Michael's, my most favorite place in the world and took my time running a few other errands. Then it was time for the wonderfulness to happen. Now I have sore gums and slimy shiny teeth!!! Yeah me! Thanks Kim I needed this day...oh and by the way the girls were asleep by 7:30, what more could a mom ask for. I think I'll end this perfect day with a nice long soak in the tub with my book (I am finally reading Twilight, and it's so good). Ahhhhhhhhhh.

Surprise snow day

2009-01-26T21:24:00.005-06:00

On Saturday, Mike surprised us by coming home early from work. So we decided to have a snow day!!!! Abbey was so excited because she got to use Grandma's snow disk. We took it in the front yard and Mike built a little hill from the snow he had shoveled off the driveway. That was fun, but then I remembered this little hill near us by the elementary school....Abbey and Maddie loved it and Mike and I even took and trip down the hill!!!

Maddie's turn...weeeeeeee
CHEESE!Abbey coming back up the hill, she is so happy. She could be in the snow all day!

Randy and Janna's Wedding

2009-01-04T09:29:00.006-06:00

Two years ago on December 23 Mike and I and Abbey were sealed in the Redlands Temple. As Mike an I were driving Mike hit a pot hole and we got a flat tire. We made it to the bottom of the hill that the Redlands Temple is on. Randy, one of our closest friends was already waiting at the Temple. He was Mike's escort since it was his first time. (Randy had driven to Trona (near Las Vegas) to pick up his mom the day before and then driven back for our sealing. They were going to Vegas for Christmas.) Randy came down the hill and saved us! We made it to our sealing.

Last year on the same day as our anniversary we drove to Utah to attend a sealing at the Mt Tipanogas Temple. Our friends Jen and Sean were getting sealed to their son, whom they had adopted 6months earlier.

This year our friend Randy has met the women of his dreams and they were getting married in the Boise, ID temple! How cool to spend another anniversary for us at the Temple!! So we planned our trip. My mom was going to watch the girls and during the day when she was at work the Schafers would watch them everything was taken care of. We were set to take off from Omaha Dec 30th at 5:00am on Northwest Airlines. We arrived at the tickets line at 4:35am we were told that we were to late to check in and had missed our flight. The next flight available was at 2pm the next day!!! The sealing was at 10am!! I freaked and started to cry. The lady gave us the number to reservations and told us to check with them maybe they could find us something. They said the same thing. So Mike says "we'll drive". Crazy man that would take 18 or more hrs!!!! But we had no choice! Randy is very special to us. He has always been there for us and by all means we were going to be there for him!!! So we started driving, we were about 1/2 and hour from Lincoln (we had driven about 1 1/2hrs) when Mike woke me up. He said to call the reservations desk and see if we could fly out of another airport, we would just drive to that other airport...Brilliant man!!! I called and after talking to the lady it would cost us $800-$2000 to fly from anywhere else....but wait, did we want to fly out of Omaha today? YES!!! There was an open flight at 4:30pm today and would get us to Boise at 11pm that night. WOW! I told the lady I would kiss her if I could!!! We would miss the family dinner but we would be there tomorrow for the sealing and reception. So we got to the airport at 1:30...just in case we didn't want to miss this fight! We just hung out at the airport and waited for our flight. When we went through the metal detectors they pulled us aside and checked us real good! I guess were had been flagged at terrorist :) Finally we were on the plane. We made it to Boise. The sealing was beautiful. Janna was a gorgeous bride and Randy couldn't stop smiling. Mike and I had a fun time and even got to eat some great food :) Congrats to the Langhams we are so happy for you both!!!

We found a Fuddruckers!!!

Boise, Idaho Temple

Chrismas Blessings

2008-12-25T22:47:00.001-06:00

Our first Christmas in Nebraska was pretty great!!! Santa visited us this year so we must have been good kids!!! For dinner we had the Missionaries over, and Jeremy, Jenny, Matthew, and Caleb Prestwich. The kids all played till about 9pm! They had a blast and we all enjoyed the food and company. We are so blessed this year. We are able to live with my parents and have Grandma and Grandpa around. They have been so generous to us and we will never be able to trully repay them. We have met some great people here and we have tons of loved ones elsewhere. I know that the Lord has a plan for us. He guides us each day and I am truly thankfully for the path he leads us on. Merry Christmas.

My Christmas card wall!!! Thanks friends and family for the beautiful cards! This is my favorite part of Christmas. I love to see the pictures and see what is going on with you all.
Grandpa, Elder Jones, Elder Heggie, Abbey, Me, Maddie, Mike and Grandma

Mike and Elder Jones

Elder Heggie, Jenny, Jeremy, Grandpa, and Grandma

Matthew, Abbey, Maddie, and Caleb. Cute huh?!?

Mike with his Harley Gear....Thanks Hunny!!!

Me in my Snow gear...Thanks Hunny!!

Mike's first Lincoln, NE Harley shirt....Thanks Grandma!!

Maddie with her Glow worm...Thanks Auntie Kristy!!

Abbey with her Littlest Pet Shop...Thanks Hunny!!

Grandma in her Christmas Jammies

Santa's been here!!!

I Saw Grandma Kissing Santa Clause

2008-12-20T20:39:00.000-06:00

Last night was our Church Christmas Party. We had lots of fun and Santa Came to visit. My mom REALLY enjoyed Santa!!!! Maddie and I thought he was pretty neat too! Mike and Abbey were delivering his work Dump Truck to Grand Island were his boss lives, so they missed the party. Abbey was a bit bummed that she missed Santa, but she got to see goats, horses, a donkey, dogs and cats at the Otto's home (Mike's boss). So tonight we took to the girls to the Mall (Santa said he'd be there tonight) and got their picture taken. They were so cute, they love Santa and Abbey told him she wanted Barbies and a Castle for Christmas.

Naughty Grandma!!!

Nice Grandma

Mommy, Maddie and Gra...Santa Wow!!!! I totally look like my mom!

My apple

2008-12-17T09:52:00.000-06:00

When I have the Schafer kids Abbey, Joe and Hannah do a project while Maddie naps. They look forward to it all day long...well except poor Maddie who wants to be a big kid too! So yesterday we decorated a Christmas tree with stickers I was helping Abbey and Hannah take the backs off the stickers and giving the stickers to them and then, I looked at what Abbey was doing with her tree. Oh the pride! The excitement! The JOY!!! This is the Best Christmas Present anyone could have ever given me. Abbey was sorting her stickers and placing them together in a pattern...who does that remind you of???? Her OCD Mom of course!!!! I love to group things, have them match and be organized. I've seen her do this before but in a smaller scale. When Mike leaves the silverware drawer a bit open, she runs by it and closes it without a thought. When Mike or my mom put a pink sippy cup lid on her purple cup she asks "why you do dat?" So now I can see that she might not look just like me, but the apple does not fall far from the tree. Abigail Mae Scarlett December 16, 2008

Snow day

2008-12-06T23:12:00.001-06:00

On wednesday this past week we got out first real snow in Lincoln!!! It snowed during the night and in the morning this is what we woke up too! The girls were so excited they wanted to go and make a "no man"(snowman).

Abbey in her snow Gear

Maddie in her snow gear. She loved the beanie so much she wore it to dinner!

Abbey, Maddie, Joe and Hanna playing in the front yard

Winter Quarters

2008-11-25T13:30:00.000-06:00

Saturday was Mikes last day of the Fall Quarter for School. So we all decided to go to Omaha with him that morning. We dropped him off to take his last test and my parents the kids and I went to Breakfast while we waited. Then we headed to see the Temple. We went to see the Winter Quarters temple. I had forgotten why it was called "winter quarters". Well, as the pioneers traveled from Navoo, they stopped here in Nebraska, in Omaha and stayed for the winter. HOLY NIGHT!!! Nebraska is cold!!! Not a very comfy place to cozy on up to in the Winter. But this is where they stayed. We went through the visitors center and they showed the covered wagons that were pulled, the clothes that the pioneers wore, a little cabin that would house sometimes fifteen people!!! They went through so much! We also saw the cemetery next to the Temple. The sister missionary said that most of the people buried there are children under the age of 3. I wanted to cry. I looked at my two little ones and was so grateful for the times that i live in. I am also so grateful to my parents for letting us live here with them. It was a great family day!

a shade of red

2008-11-19T12:38:00.000-06:00

I started my own business! I am pretty excited. I have a friend, Sarah who does vinyl work in Cali and I absolutley love it! So out here I thought well why not! So I've made a few signs and I signed up to show my stuff at a craft show on December 6th. So I've been working to fill this booth! It's a 10x10 and it's for 2 days. I am excited and so stressed, but in a good way. If you want to see more stuff I have a new Blog http://ashadeofred.blogspot.com/ .

Our new friend Johanna

2008-11-06T19:32:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we watched some children from the ward, they also live down the street. Kim their Mom is one of my Visiting Teachers and a new friend. Kim has 6 kids and her two youngest are the ones we watched their names are Joe and Hanna. Abbey calls them Johanna. I guess there is no time to waste when you're playing so might as well cut out the "and". We had so much fun. I was very worried because Abbey is very possessive of "her" toys. We talked about them visiting and playing with her toys and how it is nice to share with friends that visit. I was just worried that it hadn't sunken in. So Wednesday Joe and Hannah came over and let me just tell you, it was heaven. Hannah and Abbey are the same age they were so cute. Abbey pulled Hannah right over to her dress up box, she said I'm going to be Aurora and you can be Cinderella. WOW I was shocked! NOBODY and I mean nobody can touch Cinderella! Auntie Mastissa (Melissa) gave her that! She even let her wear the crown and...the glass slippers. I was so proud. Joe is 5 and he decided that he wanted to play to so he dressed up too. When I called his name he let me know that he was not Joe...he was now Josephina. I think Maddie has a little crush on Joe because she followed him around all morning! We are so glad that Johanna will be back next week, we can't wait for more fun :0)

Trick or Treat

2008-10-31T21:59:00.000-05:00

For Halloween this year we found this really cute Strawberry costume for Maddie. So I thought Abbey could go as Strawberry Shortcake. Easy right? Not so much! The Strawberry Shortcake I grew up with was super easy to make as a costume, but his new one has such a weird hat. We looked and looked and finally found a new Strawberry Shortcake costume online for only $27.00. I was going to order it when my Mom said that I could make it for so much cheaper. Well I totally fought her on it and then decided she was probably right. So I ordered the pattern, $6.75, then spent a whole day at Jo'anns and Hancock fabric getting the perfect fabric, $27.65, plus the Rolo candy that Abbey opened and started eating while I was paying! Man, it cost more to make it and I wasn't even making the pants!!!!! So now I was out $34.40 and I still had to make the dang on thing. I was so mad! Well I did it, I made her shirt and hat ALL BY MYSELF! I am so happy and I thanked my Mom for forcing me to make this costume. We had a great Halloween, it was a beautiful day. We went to trunk or treat at the Church and then came home and went trick or treating with new friends, Kevin, Nicole and Noah Smith. We had fun and the kids were all pooped out at the end of the night.

My first Tag

2008-10-30T21:04:00.000-05:00

Husband tag
1-WHAT IS YOUR HUSBANDS NAME? Michael Jayson Scarlett
2- HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN MARRIED? 3 years
3-HOW LONG DID YOU DATE? 27 days
4-HOW OLD IS HE?29
5 - WHO IS TALLER? He is
6 - WHO CAN SING BEST? I think he can but I bet he'd say he can't
7 - WHO IS SMARTER? Me on book stuff, Him on useful stuff
8 - WHO DOES LAUNDRY? Me!!!!!
9 - WHO PAYS THE BILLS? Me
10 - WHO SLEEPS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE BED? Him I think...which way is the right side of the bed?
11 - WHO MOWS THE LAWN? My dad's lawn guy :)
12 - WHO COOKS DINNER? I do most of the time. Except for Sundays when he BBQ's.
13 - WHO IS THE FIRST TO ADMIT THEY"RE WRONG? Usually him, only cause I cry.
14 - WHO KISSED WHO FIRST? We kissed each other on my couch.
15 - WHO WEARS THE PANTS? He does but I pick them out:)

I tag Candy, Susan and Staci

He's at it again

2008-10-14T22:23:00.000-05:00

In California Mike was a big fan of KCAL (96.7) the radio station. He loved the music but what he really loved was that he could call up every 30 days and and win something. The last thing he won was the 6 Disneyland tickets we used to go to there with the family this past Summer. Well he's at it again, he has found a new radio station here in Nebraska. The station is KTGL (the eagle 92.9). He called up and won tickects to a local pumpkin farm. But, Vala's Farm is no ordinary pumpkin patch. Oh no, this place was HUGE!!! It is 152 acres of scary excitment. It had Haunted houses, a Storyland, Pumpkin launching (my favorite), Petting zoo's, a graveyard, play areas and so, so much more. They also had a Hayride to the pumpkin patch were you could pick your pumpkin right off the vine. Thanks KTGL you're our new favorite radio station!!!

Happy Birthday Abbey

2008-10-06T09:07:00.000-05:00

My Baby is 3!!! We celebrated Abbey's Birthday and had a blast. Her birthday was on Sunday but we started celebrating on Saturday. Grandma and Grandpa took us to the Lincoln Zoo. It's a pretty tiny zoo but the girls loved it. There's a train that goes around the outside of the zoo and we got to go around twice. Inside they had a petting zoo and pony rides. The girls loved the "ammimals". They saw monkeys, bats, alpaca, camels, a leopard, turtles, and lots more. Maddie squealed the whole day and Abbey was dragging us around 'cause she wanted to see more, more, more.
Then on Sunday Abbey woke up to presents presents and more! It was like Christmas. Maddie got some goodies too from Hunny and Grandma. Abbey got an Aurora Dress, shoes, crown, doll, movie, and purse set. She also got clothes, stick on earrings, rings, a baby stroller and a vespa tricycle!!! Then after Conference we had Cupcakes and sang "Happy Birthday"! I was pretty sad because we couldn't have Linda Baer Cake, but I think I did a pretty good job with the cupcakes :)

Mike's new job

2008-09-23T22:18:00.000-05:00

MIKE HAS A JOB!!! Yeah our prayers are answered, he is working for a company that hauls different materials in Dumptrucks. He started yesterday. Right now they are working on the Highway here in Lincoln. They will be hauling mud (concrete) till the winter hits. Which is about the end of November. Then they will be working in Grand Island hauling feed to different farms all Winter. He is so happy and feels right at home. The video above is what he is does all day long. The big white machine on the left is filled with concrete, he pulls under it and they load up the truck. Then he pulls out and drives to where it needs to be dumped. He unloads and starts the process all over again, and again and again till the day is done.

Nebraska here we come

2008-09-18T19:41:00.001-05:00

So we've moved. Friday August 22, we packed up our house into 1 1/2 26 foot Penske trucks. Saturday we went over to my parents house and loaded the rest of the 26 foot truck. Then...we ran out of room! We had to go and rent a 14 foot U-haul for the rest of the stuff. So off we were, Mike leading with one Penske truck and trailer for our Fit, my dad in the middle with a U-haul and a trailer for my Mom's Corolla, and me following in the other Penske truck. We stopped in Vegas for the night. The next day we drove through Utah and stayed there. The next day we drove to Colorado, we visited and stayed with his Uncle Paul. Then the next day we made it to the west of Nebraska and entered Corn Country! I have never seen so much corn in my whole life!!! We stayed in North Platte for the night. Finally Wednesday we made it to Lincoln, Nebraska! Yeah!!! We live in "The Highlands." The neighborhood is very nice. All the homes are beautiful and well kept. The streets are all concrete and are very narrow. We have already met neighbors and gone to a small get together. Everyone is very friendly. It seems very family oriented here. When you look at the backyard, you can see all your neighbors backyards and more than half of the block has playsets and toys. In the evenings you'll see the block filled with children riding bikes, playing ball with Mom or Dad, having lemonade sales or just going for walks. There is a ton of things to do here with the kids. There seems to be a park on every corner, and libraries everywhere. We have gone to the state fair, two parks, the mall play area, and the children's museum. The weather has been perfect. The day we got here it was a bit humid. It stayed like that til Monday, then Monday it rained!!! Can you believe it??? Rain in August! After that, the weather changed. It has been probably in the high 60's low 70's and just lovely. I can totally handle this! Lets hope this lasts....from what I hear it won't, but hey a girl can dream right???

The Disneyland take over

2008-09-18T19:41:00.000-05:00

On August 21st before we moved, my whole family went to Disneyland. Thats right, My Mom, Dad, Kent my brother his wife Liz, their children Kyra and Kory, My sister Melissa, her husband Ernie, their children EJ and Danny, Me, Mike, Abbey and Maddie. Yup, yup I know we're crazy right? Well Mike had won 6 free Disneyland tickets, the kids were free and well, we're moving away forever. It was a great day! The kids got see lots of Characters, we got to hang out, and Grandma and Grandpa had their entire family together.

He loves me this much

2008-08-19T21:46:00.000-05:00

Friday my last day of work, Mike came to my office for a visit and then asked me to walk outside with him. He had just brought me a chocolate shake so I really didn't want to. I wanted to drink my shake, but I walked out with him anyway. He told me that he had bought us tickets to see WICKED!!! At the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. I was so excited! We went with our good friend Randy and we got to meet his girlfriend Janna. We clicked right away and had so much fun. We had matinee tickets so we left a little early and went to lunch in Hollywood. Then we saw the play and it was amazing. Mike enjoyed it too, which really made me happy :) I loved the story line and the way it worked into and around the Wizard of Oz. I also loved the songs. Then we walked down Hollywood Blvd. We went to the Hollywood Wax Museum, Manns Chinese Theatre, and then for dinner we went to the Geisha House. It was so much fun! Then when we were walking back to our car we saw that there was a red carpet event going on. So we stood around with the papparazzi and we got to see Neil Patrick Harris (aka Doogie Howser), Katherine Heigel, Bi Ling, Tia Tequilla, and Antonio Sabato Jr. What a great ending to a perfect day!!

We are moving

2008-08-06T14:19:00.000-05:00

Wow! What a month. Mike and I have decided to move to Nebraska and live with my parents. As most of you know, we had to close down our Concrete Business and are now in the process of short selling our home. We have really begun to struggle and have decided that moving to live with my parents for a short time will be the best for our family. Mike will still be able to attend school and we will be living in their basement which is the same square footage as the house. So we will have some privacy :)
We have been packing and getting the house ready and while all that has been going on our little ballerina has performed at a recital. She was so cute. The girls in her class are all 2-3 and they all performed to the Lion King's, "I just can't wait to be King." They were so cute and I personally think they were the best performance that day!! My Mom brought my niece Kyra and she had a blast watching her "friend". Hunny, Mike's Grandma came too, then we all went to celebrate at Don Jose's. We had such a blast. I just have to Thank my friend Sarah for watching Maddie...I got to watch the whole show with no interruptions!!!
In preparations for the move we have put Abbey in a "big girl" bed (a twin bed) and gave Maddie the Toddler bed. The picture is Maddie passed out on her first night in bed. She loves being able to crawl in and out of her own bed.

I did it

2008-07-02T16:02:00.000-05:00

Well I finally did it. I figured this Blog thing out. I've been wanting to start a Blog forever and can never find the time, and when I finally did my computer crashed!! So now all is better and here is my Blog..yeah!!!
Well we have been busy busy busy. Mike was able to sell both Concrete Trucks and we are officially out of the business of having your own business. Mike is working for Alpha Materials which is a Concrete delivery business. He is loving it. He is also attending ITT Tech and loving that as well. He is taking math, computer and art classes and is doing well in all three. Abbey is now in Ballet and she is so cute. She likes all her little ballerina friends and loves to march, march, march. She is in a recital in August and I just can't wait to see her little costume. Maddie is learning fast everyday. She copies everything she sees. She has recently been having little temper tantrums. She throws herself on the floor and rolls around screaming and crying...oh the drama! I am still working at Choice Transportation and am loving it. I also love my Mondays with the girls. We have been going to the library and seeing different shows. I think sometimes it's more fun for me then them!