Claire's first food

Hi friends! Yesterday we took Claire to the doctor and she is still in the 95th percentile for height and weight. She is so big! He also gave us the go ahead to starting feeding her. Today we fed her rice cereal. She seemed really weirded out by the texture (but most babies are) and she was so funny. It was really a blast. Being a mom is the greatest thing in the world!

Just saying hi!

Hey everyone! It has been a long time since I have posted and although I don't have a lot to share, I'll share what's going on right now with me!

Quickly Happy Birthday to Emily Waltman on the 23rd, which is in a couple of hours here! Justin's birthday is Sat., on the 24th and it is his golden birthday! 24 on the 24th! We are driving to Star Valley, WY tomorrow after 5 for the weekend to celebrate with his family. We haven't been up since Christmas, so it should be really fun! Justin's youngest brother Brad who is a freshman here at BYU received his mission call at his parents house and he will be opening it either tomorrow night or Saturday, depending on when the other siblings arrive!! We are very excited for him.

Work is going well for me. We are working on launching American Founders Academy (14-18 yr. old kids) and University. We are teaching morals and principles that schools no longer teach these days in public schooling in our courses. For the kids who may be attending school, this will be a supplement to their education. We are teaching classes on the Constitution, classes on economic prosperity, family studies, a bunch of other classes. Anyway, I could say a lot about it, but there's an idea!

Justin is still going to school full time and working 32 hours on the weekends! I'm really excited that I get to spend some time with him this weekend!! He plans on attending spring and summer terms at BYU and will study in the meantime for the LSAT which he will take either Sept. 29th or Oct. 1st. He will only take two classes fall semester to finish up and graduate in December of this year. He will then work full time starting in January of '08 until law school at the end of August...that's the plan anyway! He will start taking his prep class for the LSAT this summer again and he feels confident he will do well, so we hope he will!

I also wnat to report that Layers is very soon going to be introducing their spring line! I am really excited because I've seen a couple of pics and they are going to have some really cute stuff! Of course I'm supposed to say that, but I would say it even if I weren't a distributor! :) They are coming out with swim suits, boy shorts for swimming, spring/summery dresses, and of course shirts! I plan on having a party with our friends sometime possibly in April, so I will post about that when the date is sure so you can all come! Primarily it will be fun to just have a hang out so we can see everyone! It feels like it's been a while!

Well I hope things are going well with each of you. Christine your pics make me want spring to be here really soon! Ah! If only I lived in Vegas!!

Love, Nicole

My Reaction

I just can't believe all of these babies!! Are we really that old? Crazy!!!

Summer

So, since Kathryn mentioned summer, I had to brag about this weekend! We tried the pool out for the first time this season. The water is 80 degrees! A little too cold for Claire, but still lots of fun. Feel free to come visit anytime :)

Pinch!

I hope you're wearing green! Happy St. Patrick's day!!! And it's almost summer, I'm so excited!

Good day mate! (is that Irish? I don't think.) Top o the mornin!

Watch Out!

Okay, I've decided to be brave and post a picture of myself and my belly. Christine requested pictures of the little ones; this is the best I can do. :) In answer to the most common questions/exclamations I receive: Yes, the belly is huge. Yes, I still have two months to go, even though yes, it looks like I could pop any day now! At least this pic can give you a fair warning so you don't die of shock if you see me...

More Posts!

Hi everyone. So I have decided that people need to post more. I know you might think that you have nothing intersting going on, but you do! I want to know what everyone is up to, and I want pictures. I especially want to see pictures of the kids. They grow so fast and I want to see them change, so please post! Well, Claire is almost 5 months and we just took our first flight to Utah. She did pretty well. She is as big as her one year old cousin (in the pics). It is now in the 90's here in Vegas and I am not looking forward to the summer! Well, hope to hear from everyone soon!

Save some money!

Hey guys - As you're doing your tax returns this year (if you haven't already done them), here's a couple of things you might want to check out.

First, for those of you that moved in 2006, you might qualify for a deduction. I did and was able do deduct almost $500! Go to http://www.irs.gov/publications/p521/index.html to see if it applies to you (it's kind of long to read through, but you have to be sure you meet all of the qualifications).

If you paid tuition in 2006, you may be able to get a credit (even better than a deduction) for it. Go to http://www.irs.gov/publications/p970/index.html and check it all out. I was able to take the Lifetime Learning Credit and save $250.

If you made a contribution to a retirement savings plan (like a 401K or IRA), you can take a credit for up to $1,000 or $2,000. Check out http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=107686,00.html. Note, you cannot take the credit if you were a student for any part of 5 months during the year.

Make sure you take the credit for federal excise tax paid ($30 for single and $40 for married filing jointly). Everyone gets this one.

There are other deductions/credits that you might qualify for, but I think these are the most common for the situations most of us are in. It can get pretty complicated, so if you do it yourself, make sure you are really thorough and fill out the forms correctly. It would probably be worth it to hire someone. Let me know if you have any questions!!

Miss you all!! xoxo

Diapers

Hi guys

So, I receive a monthly email from a conservation organization called NRDC. (National Resources Defense Council)
The topic this month was the most eco-friendly way to use diapers; whether cloth diapers are better because they reduce waste, or worse because they require water and chemicals to clean. The answer was that it is hard to say, but they talked about a new company that offers flushable diapers. I think the general idea is that you buy fabric diapers, but there is a snap-on thing that you flush when it gets dirty.
I don't totally get how it works, but here is their website, if anybody is interested:
http://www.gdiapers.com

It seems cool, but not being a mom and having to deal with messy diapers, I don't know how it would really work.

Also, here is a link to the whole article about diapers:
http://www.nrdc.org/thisgreenlife/

Sorry if you're bored by now, I just thought it was such a cool solution!!!
Just for fun, here are some pictures from our President's Day climbing trip to St George.
It was 76 degrees! It felt soo good!!! (:

Me climbing at Chuckawalla

Jared bouldering at Moe's Valley

Happy Birthday Nanette!

Nan,

just wanted to wish you a happy birthday! Hope you are doing well

Baptism

Hey friends,

I wanted to make a new post but I couldn't think of any big news...then I remembered that a couple of weeks ago Adam baptized his grandma! She's almost 90 years old! Adam's mom Suzi converted to the church at 16. Her mother, the one that just got baptized, was totally against it and wouldn't let her get baptized. So Suzi got baptized when she was 18, and around 30 years later she converted her mom! It was an amazing spiritual experience to see my husband baptize her. He'd been hoping so long that she would join the church, and she finally did. She is the sweetest lady in the world. Here's a couple of pictures!

Before...



After...

Anyway, Christine your little girl is so cute! I hope everybody's adorable little ones are doing great, and those who are pregnant, I hope you're doing well also! (Even though I know that's probably not the most fun part!) I hope everyone had a great Valentine's day. I got Adam two little African Dwarf frogs for his valentine! They're so cute, they're tiny water frogs and they stay in a little tank with our Betta fish. He loved them! We also dressed up and went to a formal Valentine's dance at studio 600! It was way fun. Hope this isn't too boring of stuff to be posting...I guess for us, the small and simple things are fun too!

Not much else is new with us...although we are going on an Alaskan cruise in May. I guess I'll post a couple more pictures after that! Stay happy everyone!

--Meredith

Claire is 4 months!

Just thought I would share some recent photos of Claire. Patrice was right, they do grow up so fast. It is crazy! When I was pregnant each day just crawled and now they are flying.

High School Reunion

So I had a quick question: Does anyone know any information about our High School Reunion this summer? I am sure that Meghan does, but since she never publishes anything to this site, has anyone talked to her? We are going to be in Utah in August for a week before moving to VA and I was curious if it would miraculously be during that time.

Sports Broadcast.

Hello all. Just thought I would give you the option of watching my first televised sports report. For my final semester I am in a class that completely creates a 15 news broadcast. I am solely working in sports which I love, and I will get to anchor twice and report two more times. So if you are bored check out http://www.newsbreak.utah.edu/ The title says something about history being made and my name is under the title. I think it is the 4th story? Anyway. . .I'm super busy with two jobs and full time school. But I love school this semester, quite sad I am almost done to be honest. My friends and I are taking a week trip to Hawaii in May, right after I graduate. That's about it. School, Work, and Utah sporting events. That's all I do. Oh I am training for the half marathon in March. It's right before spring break. Then my friends and I are going to play in St. George for the week. That's it. Hope all is well. Hope you had a lovely president's day!

Karen's Update

Well...I think it's kind of ironic that I created this blog for everyone and I am one of the people that never writes on it! :) I just don't have much to say I guess! All I do is work every day from 8-5 and then go home and watch Bryce study (not really, but that's all he ever does...he is even having to study on Friday and Saturday nights now!) So happy I'm done with school!!!!! I guess there is one update I can tell you about...but it's not happening any time soon, but it's still exciting I think! Bryce and I are taking quite the big trip this year (again) and will be going to Europe for 2 weeks. We are starting in France and then we'll be traveling to Italy and then to Austria and the areas around there (Germany/Switzerland). It's just the two of us this time and I'm really excited to go. We will be going in July so it's still a couple months away, but it will probably be here faster than I think. We are also going to Cancun in March with my parents. I've figured out that in the time period of one year Bryce and I will leave the country 3 times on vacations: China, Mexico, and Europe. There's a very (VERY) slight possibility that that number could go to 4 if we end up taking one last trip in December. Bryce has always wanted to see 2 things in South America: Iguacu Falls and Machu Pichu. So if things work to our advantage we may go to Peru and Brazil in December...but that's just an idea for now! We both are figuring that we may as well get our vacationing in now when we don't have kids and while he is still in school and doesn't have a full time job. So...I guess we'll have to see what really happens. (Oh and keep in mind that this list does not include the many football games Bryce will probably want to see this fall.) HA...football! I'm glad it's over for 8 months! Not sure how many of you know how much I watch football...but it sure is a lot! Good thing it doesn't bug me too much huh?! But that's pretty much it for me at this time. No baby news yet...probably won't happen for a bit longer! :) Definitely can't be prego while in Europe, just in case I have the Christine pregnancy! :)

Hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day and that it's more romantic than mine! Bryce has a killer test the next day so he'll be in one room and I'll be in the next! :)

One more thing...I had to update the blog from the blogger account to a google account. I believe that when anyone tries to add a post now you are going to have to get a new sign-in or something. Sorry. I didn't want to do it, but it finally made me when I was trying to write this post. The website didn't change, just the login information will change. If any of you have any problems let me know!

East Coast in January

Hi everyone! I don't have anything very exciting to report, but I thought I'd post some pictures. The first one is Jeff and I hiking in Marland on a beautiful, sunny, 75 degree weather in January! It was wonderful all month, seriously I was outside in shorts every weekend. Very sadly, in the past couple of weeks it has gotten freeeezing cold. Brrrr! (it's times like these when I wish I was living in California or Hawaii or something!) The next picture is from a trip we took to New York a couple of weeks ago. It was my first time there and we had a blast. Do you guys remember Megan Fairchild? She got us tickets to one of her ballet performances and it was amazing! I don't know anything about the ballet but I thought it was great and she had a big solo part. The last one is at Mount Vernon (George Washington's old house).

Happy Birthday to Karen!!

Miss you all! xoxo

It attached the pictures in the wrong order, oops.

Big Kicks, Big Decisions

Well, I thought I’d clue you all in on the latest for Adam and me and the baby.

We have decided to name our little guy Colt. The pregnancy is going well, except my increased knack for being clumsy, scatter-brained, and emotional. Colt is ultra active and busy in my belly. I don't think he ever stops! It has gotten wild the last few days; I cannot imagine how it will be right before I deliver. Last time I visited the doctor he told me I was having a contraction. What the?! I couldn’t even feel it. But then, I’m sure I’ll be feeling it later. :)

Adam has an intense school load this semester – 23 credits! We decided it was worth it for him to take it all on right now, not have a job, and graduate in June (six months earlier than anticipated). He’s doing great; I rarely see him flustered, stressed, or doing any homework at home. I know he works REALLY hard while at school to manage his time and get everything done. Man, I love my husband!!

A lot of plans have changed for us in the last few weeks. Adam learned about some career opportunities with a construction company and was immediately called in for an interview. The company extended him a competitive offer as a Project Manager/Estimator… in their St. George office. We felt so good about it and decided to accept! Yep, we’ll be moving mid-summer. I am excited and know this is the right fit for our little fam right now.

That about sums it up. I am feeling fine and keeping busy with work. There is always something for me to do – travel, recruiting, HR tasks. If all goes well I will be working till the beginning of May. Hope this letter finds all of you happy and thriving!

THE END.

Oh, and I almost forgot – HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAREN!! We love you.

About the FranklinSquires Companies

Hello all. I wanted to let you all know more about the company that I work for. Here is a little info that I pulled from the FranklinSquires website:

FranklinSquires is a private capital and consulting firm built on the philosophy of Prosperity Economics-- the “ancient principles” of prosperity rediscovered by America’s founding generation.
A person or society locked in serious financial bondage ultimately loses all other freedoms. Since its inception in 1999, FranklinSquires has been committed to helping individuals, families, and businesses worldwide achieve self-reliance, economic independence, and the liberating consequences of prosperity. This is accomplished through FranklinSquires’ commitment to developing a global infrastructure of education, media, and finance by working with inspired entrepreneurs building world-class companies dedicated to this mission.

Working here has been a great opportunity and blessing in my life. I have learned so many things and continue to learn more each day. There are many ways to get involved if you are interested in what we do and stand for.
-The owner of the company is Rick Koerber and he has a radio show...called Free Capitalist radio. You can go to www.freecapitalist.com and listen online or you can listen on 630 AM K Talk. He is a great speaker who talks with lots of passion and power and is very motivating.
-The Producer Revolution is a membership for those who want to rub shoulders with those who are like minded. They have forums once a week in several places in the nation...including several in Utah. There are many things included with the Producer Revolution including an online forum and message boards, a daily email, etc. You can find out more about this at www.producerrevolution.com.
-American Founders University is very soon going to open. It will offer classes four times a year with 8 50 min. blocks. Then the next 90 days will involve activities where you apply what you have learned in real life situations. Right now we are still working on the curriculum, but we are soon going to launch! You can find out more at www.americanfoundersuniversity.com.

If you would like to know more information or have any questions, let me know! I just thought I would share so you can know more about what I am involved with!!

Have a great day! Nicole

P.S. If you have seen billboards with people that say I earned such and such amount of money using my 700 credit score, those are from my company! Also there are billboards that say Free Capitalist radio and have Rick, the owner on them.

Just for everyone's info Ben Luikart's wife Andrea is pregnant! She's only about 6 weeks along, so she's got quite a ways to go. Ben is so excited! He prays every night that it's a boy, it would be hilarious if he ended up with all girls.

One of the rare moments when Blake is attacking Hallie! Other than that not much is going on. Blake is the sweetest little thing when Hallie's down for her nap and he's in the spotlight. If he gets too hungry all hell breaks loose! He takes after his daddy. Hallie's in the copy cat phase and is now telling me to 'hang on one sec' and 'stop it'. It just goes to show that they really are listening. She does have a jealous bone, Ryan cant give me a hug without her complaining about it. It's hillarious!

They just put our cabinets in our house and are starting to stucco, it's nice to see it turning into a home. We cant wait to move in!

Hope everyone it doing fabulous! and planning babies, ha ha ha; but I'm totally serious!

HAPPY VALENTINES MONTH!