well hello again..

It has been over a year and a half that I've done anything on here...And I usually have a few hrs a day to myself(during naptime) so I figured I'd try keeping things more up to date around here! There is so much that has gone on in our lives, there's no WAY I can even start to write about it all! But I will just give a little summary!

• Maimoa started crawling, walking, turned 1, started saying a few words, got lots and lots of dark CURLY hair, started saying a few more words, turned 2 and is the sweetest, funnest girl there is. She is SO full of life, very dramatic, 140% girly and the reason Sam & I smile everyday! She's the best!

• We have had 2 deaths in the family. My Grandpa Myers passed away last Nov. It wasn't a surprise, but it was still a sad time for us. And this May, Sam's sister Ana passed away from complications of having ovarian cancer. It was, and still is, very very hard. Sam and Ana were very close and it has definitely been the hardest thing Sam has dealt with, and probably me too. I felt completely helpless and my heart broke into a million pieces watching my husband suffer and go through that. Her death was VERY sudden and unexpected, so it was hard on everyone who knew her. 

• I started a new job last June. I still nanny.. I watch 2 boys. Johnny is almost 2 and Ryan is 2 months! So I def have my hands full with 2 toddlers and a baby! But its a pretty good job overall and I'm SO thankful I'm able to bring Maimoa with me everyday! 

• Last October I got bit by a spider on my left hand, and my hand was swollen and red and after a few days I started getting a red streak all the way up my arm. So I went to the ER to get checked out, and the red streak was infection spreading up my arm. And so they had to transfer me to a hospital in PHX and I had to have 2 surgeries to get all the infection out of my hand and was in there for 3 nights and 4 days. NOT FUN AT ALL!! I was expecting to go to the ER, get some meds and go home. It was hard to be away from home like that, especially when i wasn't prepared at all to be gone! But I'm just glad I went to the hospital when I did, before the infection spread to other parts of my body.. I could have been in biiiiig trouble and had major complications! I hated spiders before then, and I hate them even more now! 

• Sam took me to Vegas for my birthday this year.. We had a BLAST!!!! We saw some really cool exhibits and saw the Jabbawockeez show, which was awesome, and walked around and did touristy things. It was so much fun

• Sam started going to school in Sept to become a pharmacy technician. He is doing SO well in school and so far is really enjoying it! We're very excited for him to be done next year, so he can have a stable job! The plan is for him to finish, find a job..then I'M going to go to school the get my LPN. We have finally decided to take life seriously.......we're only like 4 yrs late. No big deal, right?! :) 

• We recently went to Idaho to spend Thanksgiving with my side of the family and it was SOOOO fun!!!! Probably the most fun we've ever had being up there. It is so fun to have all 11 grandkids together and watch them play. We also experienced Black Friday for the first time. I have never wanted/neeeded anything bad enough to deal with the crowds, & sam has always had to work so neither of us had been. So we went with my mom, bro in law Brad and little bro Andy. We only went to one store, were there or 2 hrs..and that was enough for me! haha. We had a good time, but I don't know how soon I'll do it again! 

I guess those are all of the MAIN things that have happened as of late. We're just living life and trying to get by for now.. We're a happy little family. :) I have a bazillion pictures I'd like to post, but I'll try and pick a few favs to share! They are NOT in order at all, so sorry about that!

 us at her 1st bday party

 cute little birthday girl!

 Ana & Maimoa 

  my sister Anneke's youngest, Kara & Maimoa. They are only 19 days apart! So fun!

 for a few months this is how she would smile when we'd say "say cheese!" 

 When we got home from our bday trip to Vegas, Sam surprised me with a nice meal and flowers. So sweet.

 Sipping on our SPRITE in Vegas :)

 April 2011

 crazy bedhead!!

 I had mascara in my purse, and I left my purse on the backseat next to Maimoa, and I looked back to check on her cause it was awfully quiet..and found her like this.:)

 Visiting Ana's grave

 Maimoa and her cousins, Uliti, Seti and Mele on the 4th of July

 Bones it

 Johnny & Maimoa

 She loves that giraffe. She has to have it to sleep,and she tucks the green strings under her nose.. They got stuck behind her binky and it she was passssed out with them like that. funny little thing.

 The Levatau grandkids Oct 2010

 My hand after surgery. I had to keep it on for 2 weeks. No fun.

 Dad & Maimoa

 Talking on her hand phone :)

 At the Mesa Temple lights last week with the kids I USED to nanny

 Maimoa and Ryan

 so so so sweet

 Kara and Maimoa watching a movie on Grandma's bed

 Kali, Maimoa and Mel 0ct 2011

 Little Tinkerbell Oct 2011

 Schoolboy Sam. 

 Opening presents on her 2nd bday

Cute Sam