(picture from New Years Day. We went up to Payson to play in some snow.)


We just got our computer back today. It's been sick for about 3 weeks. I was sure it was a gonner. There was a guy at my work that is in school for fixing computers (or something like that) that offered to fix ours for free just to get some experience under his belt. He said we had over 100 viruses on it! Sheesh. He not only fixed it but got rid of silly things that were downloaded to our computer, put virus protection and spyware on for free, and got us Microsoft Office which we didn't have before.

So here's an update:

Joseph is working hard at school. He's taking Trig and Biology II. He seems to like his teachers and is pretty diligent at doing his homework. He is hopefully getting a job at DI to pay for school (DI has a program where they'll pay for all your school expenses up to $3000 if you work at least 8 hours a week with them) and just got switched from part time to full time at Walmart so if we thought we never saw him before...we definitely don't see him now.

We finally moved out of my parent's house and into our own apartment. (hallelujah!) I've been holding down the fort and trying to keep up with the perpetual cleaning as well as the unpacking. Uuhgggg. Our home is finally starting to look like a home and I can finally decorate because, unlike all the other places we've lived in, I know we'll be here a while. We just got a washing machine today. And hopefully it won't take too long to get it all set up.

Ella is SUCH a big helper. She can get a little whiny at times but I couldn't ask for a better helper. She's really in to Ariel (Little Mermaid) and LOVES to go shopping. (where'd she get that from?) We'll be going to the car after an hour or two of shopping and she says, "Mom? Can we go to another store?" She also loves her vegetables. Yesterday we went out to play with some friends in our complex and I got to talking with some of the moms. Some of the kids had snacks (ie:fruit snacks, gold fish, lolly pop) that they were sharing. Next thing I know I see our front door wide open and Ella is trying to pass out something in a tupperwear bowl to the kids. Nobody wanted what Ella had. I came over to see what she had and it was cold left over canned green beans from the night before.

Carly is a little firecracker disguised by a darling face, squishy cheeks, and soft brown curls. She is so sweet and cute, mild and soft. Unless she wants something and she'll push, hit, scream, scratch or whatever it is she has to do to get it. Her and Ella are like night and day. Carly doesn't like any veggie, she will go to bed with out a fuss, and doesn't need our constant attention. She can pretty much hold her own. But she loves to giggle, wrestle, be tickled and play with us. She loves Ella to death. She loves baby dolls and will hold as many as her arms will let her as she crawls around the house. Still not walking...nor does she care too. She'll say "dad" and "Momma", sign "more", and says, "Tickle tickle tickle" and giggles when she wants us to play. She's so cute and we can't get enough of her

Here's what you've all missed out on:


Daddy and the girls on New Years Day. Hanging out in the snow.




Carly chill'n with friend Dakota in the back of a truck to keep her safe from crawling in the snow.




Ella's first time sledding. Check out that big smile!




First day of Primary!!

First dentist visit. 2 small cavities but has since gone in to get them filled and got some sealants. She did great.

Long, I know

Swank, This is for you. I can't remember how long ago it was that I decided to type out 50 facts about myself but it had to be over a month ago. I finally finished it so if you are dinking around on the computer and happen upon my blog then maybe you won't find this post a complete waste of your time and totally useless. I just wanted to take on the challenge to see if I could actually do it.

1. I've had to call 911 a total of 4 times in my life.

2. I'm afraid of the dark. ...and scary movies .....and ghosts.

3. I still tattle on my little brother. (don't worry about him being 21 years old.) I guess some habits die hard.

4. Joseph and I only knew each other for 3 weeks before we started talking about marriage...3 weeks later we were engaged...3 months later we were married.

5. I'm a certified aerobics instructor and I love to teach aerobics classes.

6. I got put in jail the week Joseph flew out to meet my family for the first time. (remember, we'd only know each other for 6 weeks.) talk about your shocker. lol (don't worry it was a big mistake...the court's fault. They let me out 3 hours later but were too prideful to say "sorry for the mistake"--jerks.)

7. I was proposed to in Victoria's Secret...in front of about 50 strangers.

8. I am a girly girl through and through. I tried to hide it back in high school but I couldn't deny it. Now I embrace it.

9. I have enough baby names ready (thought up in my brain) that I could have 6 more kids all with 1st and middle names.

10.I secretly want 6 girls. (Not that I wouldn't love to have a boy!)

11. Sometimes I want to have another baby, not b/c I'm ready for it, but just for the pure excitement of seeing a positive pregnancy test and the excitement of seeing another newborn Killian baby for the first time. Ahhh, I love it.

12.I've recently become addicted to the Twilight series. It's bad. I've seen it three times in the theater and would totally go again if someone would agree to go with me a fourth time. I'm contemplating bootlegging it so that I can watch it in the comfort of my own home.(that's not even the bad part...Joseph is the one who's seen the movie with me all three times :)

13. I am such a cheapskate. In college I refused to spend more than $50 a month on groceries. I would buy whatever was on sale and try and get asked on dates so I could have a free meal as much as possible. I remember eating tomato soup for a week straight because I didn't have any money left. I worked at Taco Bell for about 2years and would bring home ANY left overs that wouldn't make me seriously ill. When Joseph was in St. Louis for training right after we got married I ate some form of chili (ie:chili, chili and rice, chili and corn bread, taco soup, taco salad w/ chili) for dinners and canned soup for lunches for two months straight. Because I hated the fact that I had to spend hard earned money on something I'd just poop out later. (And yes, I just said that)

14. I'm a shopping addict. I LOVE it. My favorite holiday is Black Friday. (day after Thanksgiving sales to all you new to the shopping world) If I can find a good deal then I feel like I've just had a victory. I would go as far as to say it's an adrenaline rush. I don't spend more than $5 on a single clothing item for my girls unless I just HAVE to have it. But I can find cute shorts, skirts, dresses, shirts, pants, etc. at Old Navy, Gap, Gymboree, Children's Place for the prices I'm willing to pay for them.

15. I LOVE to travel. We used to just get up and go somewhere just for fun. Joseph would come home and say, "lets go to SLC" so we'd pack some stuff and go right then. It didn't matter what time of day it was.

16. I can bear the 120 degree heat in the summers but cower down and stay inside at the 50 degrees in the winter.

17. I love being a mom more than I ever dreamed possible.

18. I like to dress up and look pretty.

19. That being said, my husband teases me b/c it's like pulling teeth to get me into the shower. I guess I feel like I don't have enough hours in the day for frivolous things like showering, eating, sleeping and going to the bathroom. I've got better things to do with my time.

20. I love photography and my ambition in life used to be to work for Bazaar magazine and do some awesome cover shots.

21. If I'm at home, doesn't matter who's there (unless we have guests) I will leave the bathroom door open when I'm in there doing .... well, you know. I don't know what it is, maybe I'm afraid I'll miss out on something if I shut the door.

22. I love to talk.

23. I loved clubb'n and I'm sure if I went now, I'd still love it.

24. I have a lot of hobbies but I can't do them for very long b/c I get burnt out.

25. I like to scrapbook and make cards but only about 1 time a month. Any more than that and I have to take about a 3 month break.

26. It's hard for me to see a movie more than once. If it's good I'll see it twice. If it's Twilight....there's no limit.

27. I'm a hopeless romantic.

28. I can be a really sweet thoughtful,laid back, and polite person but if you cross me there is this crazy beast that rises inside me and I can get a little scary.

29. I'm a pretty fast learner.

30. You don't want to be there when I'm in between asleep and awake. It's no Neverneverland I'll tell you that much. I've been known to make my friends cry and my husband wonder who I am when they've woken me up on accident or tried to talk to me while I am sleep talking.

31. My favorite Disney movie is Cinderella.

32. I am very protective over my younger brothers... but wouldn't ever tell them that. They just think I'm mean to their girlfriends. But the girlfriends that've stuck... have definitely earned their right to be there and I love them. :)

33. I always wanted to be a cheerleader but always said I didn't and made fun of them. (I've grown since high school, I swear.)

34. I'm the biggest procrastinator you'll ever meet. But sometimes I'm not. But usually I am. :)

35. I kinda sorta want to go to hair school. I think I'll do it when my husband is out of school. Mostly because I'm too cheap to want to pay to get my kid's hair cut and I want to know how to actually do my own hair.

36. I like those really stupid tween movies like "Bring it on" and "She's All That" or something gay like that. It's not so much that I like them...I know they're going to be really stupid, but it's just like a train wreck....I know it will be bad but I can't tear my eyes away from it.

37. I can't stand Jim Carry or Robin Williams. I know lots of people think they're funny but I can't stand them and they're so annoying I can't bear to see the trailers for their movies. I really can't stand anyone who craves attention that much.

38. I like to have fun and party but when the center of attention gets put on me I start to cower down.

39. I hate clutter. I can't stand it, it makes me claustrophobic and a little crazy. Sometimes I get busy and the clutter starts to get a mind of it's own and pile up. I feel like I can't breath and kind of hyperventilate. I'll just kind of snap, take a day and completely clean house. Joseph knows not to stop me when I get like that. He might get his right arm gnawed off.

40. I can't stand little toys.(ie:McDonalds happy meal toys, little rattles and toys that newborns need for about 2 weeks, anything that is fun for kids for about 1 day and then ends up on my floor) Big toys are fine but little toys are just clutter*. *see #39

41. When I stay up too late at night I still get all giggly like a 14 year old girl at a slumber party.

42. I like to stay up late and sleep in. But I never get to sleep in so I end up just getting about 5 hours of sleep a night for about a week and then crash. You'd think I'd learn but I don't.

43. Sometimes Joseph and I bring all our pillows and blankets out to the living room to watch movies and eat popcorn and sleep on or floor.

44. I love summer and the feel of the sun on my skin.

45. I still love going to Grandma's for Christmas. But if we go somewhere where there is a lot of family, that's good too.

46. I love to exercise. Although, now that I've had kids, every time I try to jump (ie:jump rope, jumping jacks, jumping steps...) I pee my pants. I could have just gone to the bathroom and fully emptied my bladder just to come out and jump rope and still pee will trickle down my leg. Not fun...or pretty to hear about. Sorry.

47. I've been sick about 4 times in the last 26.5 years.

48. If I could hang out with anyone in the entire world for a whole week straight it would be my husband. He's my best friend and, sorry to all my girls out there, my very favorite person to be with and I don't ever get sick of him when we're together.

49. I love to pop zits. But not just anyone's. That would be gross. Mostly just mine, my husband's and my sister's. It isn't so much a bad habit as it is an addiction.

50. I think if money was not an issue, I'd go boating and wake boarding every week all summer long.



Wow, that was hard and it took forever. (Over the course of about 2 months!) But it was fun to read on other people's blogs so if your up for the challenge go ahead and type out 50 interesting facts about you. I'll read it.

Gotta Love 'Em

I love technology, always and for NEVER!
So as I was going to finally put the pictures we have of our family up on the blog from New Years Day, I came to find out that we have a ridiculous amounts of viruses and spy wear on our computer and I can't even get past the Windows Start up. Then it just shuts down. Awesome. I kinda want to give my computer "shaken baby syndrom". Is that morbid?

Anyway, out here in AZ we don't get snow so we traveled all the way up to Payson, AZ(about 2 hrs from Mesa) just to play in hard, icy, almost melted snow for 2 hours and drive home. Never thought I'd opt for that but I did. It was fun though and the girls had a blast. Especially Ella. She got to go sledding and our whole family was together playing with friends. Can't beat that. We have some cute pictures. I'll do my best about getting them up here. (I'm on my mom's computer right now.)

Also, we found an apartment and we're moving in on Wed. Well... a partial move in. We're moving all the stuff out of my parents house into the new place on Wed. and then going to Vegas for the weekend to pick our stuff up out of storage and visit with the people we love. This should be the last move for the next 4 years. Lets cross our fingers on that one! Anyway, that's about all I have patients for to write right now. So when I can, I'll write more and get the pictures up.

Oh! and I might even share the new business venture I'm getting myself into as of now. More on that later. Instead, I'll post a questionair that I've been working on FOREVER. That should keep y'all busy till I get this pesky computer thing figured out.

What a feeling, bein's believin'

What a feeling, bein's believin'
I can't have it all, now I'm dancin' for my life
Take your passion, and make it happen
Pictures come alive, you can dance right through your life



...Found 'em at Target on clearance for $2.08. Be jealous. Be very jealous.

Our Holly Jolly Christmas

It was a good Christmas this year. We were supposed to be going to Joseph's family's house this year but couldn't make it. So we stayed with my family here in AZ and it was fun. I do finally realize why my parents never wanted to wake up at like 5 am to open presents and made us wait till at least 6 am. It was because they were up playing Santa till 4 am. The girls got way to many gifts. They still don't really know what to play with b/c there's so many to choose from. I don't know what I was worried about. For some reason I thought this was going to be a small Christmas this year. HA! I guess with Ella, Carly, and Joseph's birthdays all being the same week as Christmas that just wouldn't be possible. I kinda skipped posting about Joseph's birthday...(sorry babe) But I think he did have a fun birthday (on the 23rd of Dec.) I attempted to make him a nice surprise stake dinner with sushi delivered (by one of our good friends that works at our favorite Sushi restraunt) But once Joseph saw me trying my hand at making steak he kindly took over. (last time I made steak we ended up just having to throw them out.) Then we had some nice veggies to go with our meal but that was a flop (litterally). The squash and zuccini slid out of the pan and landed on the floor. There was enough left in the pan for 1 serving so I told Joseph to go ahead...ya know, it being his birthday and all. Then the sushi was 2 hours late. Our friend got stuck at work so I finally picked it up about 10 min. before I had to leave for work. I hope Joseph had an alright birthday. Sometimes I feel like it gets lost between the girl's and Christmas. We love you though babe and Happy 26th!

Here are some Christmas pictures to enjoy. :)

After the Birthday Parties came the Christmas parties. (I'm pretty sure we had about 10 parties we went to this month.)This is our Ward Christmas party. It was a pretty cute idea. The theme was "Christmas Morning". Everyone wore their jams (or lounge clothes) and they had breakfast for dinner, read Christmas stories, and had the families take "Christmas Morning" pictures.


Here's Ella at the Anual Christmas party that Joseph's aunt throws. It was fun to be with more family for Christmas. They do a nativity "play" that takes about 5 minutes to do but it's cute. Ella was the only girl above 1 year old so she was asked...begged, bribed,threatend,tricked to be Mary. She just wouldn't do it. I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the amount of attention she was getting from everyone when they were trying to presued her to play the Mother of Jesus. Finally, after LOTS and LOTS of trying I gave up when she shouted in the quiet room full of watchful eyes and listening ears, "I dont WANT to be Mary!! I wanna be a rockstar." that was immediately followed by her shredding the air guitar. Everyone was laughing and my face was red hot. I stood there dumbfounded. I seriously have no idea where she got that but I have to admit, it was pretty dang funny. This picture is of her dancing around being a rockstar. This poor "play" was SO ruined by all the 2, 3, 7 year olds and 2 lost baby sheep running this way and that while the narrator was putting in her best efforts to stay focused and read the script,while short little bursts of laughter slipped out of her sealed lips. It was quite the show.


Carly was one of the sheep. Her and another baby that was 9 month old were super cute little lambs.


Carly, spreading some Christmas cheer. I was trying to get a good picture in before Christmas of the two girls by the tree. Ella wouldn't stop shouting "Book of Mormon Stories" at the top of her lungs while Carly was in histarics b/c I wouldn't let her have my Camera.

We obviously ended up getting a good one. Ella sure seems to be happy in this one.


I thought I'd throw this one in there b/c I finally found away to get Carly's hair to stay in the pigs I put them in. (Thanks Samantha! I stole the idea from Michaela's hair :)





Ella discovering what Santa brought her. (don't worry about the nasty cold sore. poor girl. everyone was sick on Christmas except for me....I'm just sick now.)



Opening presents together. I was surprised at Carly. She did a great job and caught on real fast.




Carly is REALLY into baby dolls lately. Every time we pass them in the toy aisle she grins so big and gets really excited. She'll pull them off the shelves if you get to close. She got these twins and ADORES them. She started bawling when Joseph had to take the box away to get them out.


30 seconds later she's happy again b/c she's got her two little babies.


Ella's pink Barbie guitar. Now she can rock out and won't have to blister her fingers on that air guitar of hers.



Trying on new clothes.





Carly's loot.




Cute jams from Aunt Ashley and Uncle Sam. Thanks guys!




A few days after Christmas we went to this park in Scottsdale that we thought was just your average park but what caught our eye was a train ride in the park. So we planned to go and it was much much more! It had real train engines and box cars turned into a museum, a carosel, train rides with a real mini steam engine, and tons more of that touristy gift shop and food stuff. We were pleasently surprised when we got there but a little sad that it was closing in 1 hour. We didn't get to do as much as we wanted but still go to have fun for a little while.

Carly and Daddy happy to be here.




Ella and I on the train ride.



Carly and daddy hanging out on the train.


The girls and I by the real steam engine.





On the carosel. Sorry Carly girl. Your face got chopped off and then the camera died. :) I felt quite talented at being able to hold both girls securely on sthis ride. I had totally forgotten that the horses not only move in a circle but they go up and down at opposite times.



Daddy and the girls playing around.