Bye Bye Nursing School!

So I finally did it! I graduated the RN Nursing Program! It has been one of the hardest things that I have ever done and probably ever will do, but it feels so good to finally accomplish this goal of graduating college! It was an awesome night with my wonderful family and friends cheering me on! I had Sayler and Ridge put my nursing sashay and pin around my neck, they were so adorable and brave walking across the stage. The moment I saw them, I couldn't hold back the tears, just knowing all that they have been through these past 2 years. Their sweet little pleas for me to not go to work or school and stay home with them. They are still to young and innocent to understand why I had to be gone so much and that I was doing this so they could have a better life. They have literally almost been without a mommy these last couple of years, but have taken it so well and have been almost perfect children. Next is my fiance John, he has been my rock. He has been there for me on countless nights, listening to me cry, complain and completely stress out about an upcoming test or a 22 page "Careplan" I had to write! He would always give me the love and encouragement I needed to pull me through! He always helped out with the kids without complaining (we won't talk about the housework though lol), made dinner and ran errands and pretty much anything I asked him to do! Then there is my mom, she has also been amazing! My first year of nursing school I lived in Eagar and I couldn't have made it through that first year without her! She was always there for me and the kids. She is the the best mom ever! And finally to all my friends, thank you for all your love and support (and watching my kids), and for not giving up on our friendship even when I was to busy to respond to a text or a phone call. You all have been so understanding and I love you dearly!

We Eat Worms!

Ok, not really, but Andrew wanted me to take a picture of him acting like he was eating a worm! I've been meaning to post this for awile because I just think it's so cute how obsessed the kids were with the worms! That's all they cared about! It was such a beautiful day at Saguaro lake and we had a lot of fun!

HECTIC, but FUN and sad it's already over!

We prepare and look forward to this day all year long, but in a few minutes of paper ripping and ooh's and awe's, it's ALL OVER! Well this year for Christmas we packed up the kids and headed to Eagar like we always do! I mean come on, who would miss the great "Finch Christmas Eve party" right? I said we weren't going this year, because it's just so hard to bring all our presents up there for one day of fun, (we had to come back to Mesa Christmas day to see the other side of the family) but when it came right down to it, we knew we would be sad we weren't up in the snow seeing all my family at the Finch Christmas Eve party. We always have so much fun and John was adamant that we were going. He loves it up there and he wanted to have a "snowy" Christmas. So off we went! We also said we weren't going over-board on the kids this year, but by the time you get everything out and wrap it, you can't remember what you had already bought them and so you end up spoiling them rotten again (at least that's what I do)! The kids got a Wii, and a trampoline, but I think the one that topped it all off, was this fat little fuzzy hamster my parents got for Ridge! He was the hit of Christmas! Hell, if I would have known a $29 hamster was going to be so popular I wouldn't have spent so much on a $240 Wii! LOL And the hamster also comes with a funny story: So my mom was keeping the hamster in her room before Christmas so the kids wouldn't see it. Well on Christmas eve, after the kids had fallen asleep, my mom told me to go put the hamster down stairs by the Christmas tree. Then at about 5:00 the next morning my mom jumps out of bed and yells at my dad "Ronnie, something just crawled across my legs" and my dad was like "your just having a dream, go back to sleep!", and my mom was like "no something was on me!" So she gets out of bed and the thought crosses her mind, "could it have been the hamster?" So she runs down stairs and checks the cage and the hamster is gone! So she runs back up stairs and shuts her door and told my dad "it was the hamster, you have to help me find it." So they are crawling around on the floor and my mom spies it hiding in the exact corner she had his cage in the night before! It was so funny! He came all the way up stairs to my parents room to find my mom and the familiar place he had slept the night before. I didn't know hamsters were that smart. We had a good laugh over it though!

Here are some pictures of our Christmas:




Our family at the party on Christmas eve at my Grandpa's house

My brothers, Kylee and Lance and John and I

My mom and dad

Santa Claus came to our Party.....

....the kids were in awe!......

.....Ridge was so shy, he said he wanted star wars toys, and that's exactly what Santa had for him, it was so funny.......

.....Andrew said he wanted a Wii, and he did get it...... the next morning!.....

....Sayler just walked right up to Santa and told him she wanted a Barbie, she wasn't shy at all!

Sayler helped the adults play the "Dollar game", she was so cute!

.....Dreaming of getting a Wii.....

Dreaming of Santa Claus!

....also dreaming of Santa Claus........

They opened 2 presents on Christmas eve, PJ's and sleeping bags!

Too many presents at my parents house!

Christmas morning there were Elk in my parents front yard!

Andrew got his Wii!

Ridge was so excited!

Sayler loved this doll that she can put make-up on!

It DID snow Christmas Day on our way home.

Then we did Christmas with John's family, it was so much fun, this is John's step-mom Lisa & Ridge.

and John's dad and Sayler..

Then Ridge (AKA Davie Crocket) & Sayler goofed off with Optimus Prime at home.