Eight Months

True Love

Today we have been married 5 years! I still don't know how I got so lucky. I didn't know it when we were first married, but I am almost positive I have the greatest husband in the entire world. Happy Anniversary Daver!

A little story about debt.

David and I have been married now for almost five years. In that time we have had 2 children, 3 cars, 5 couches, moved out of 5 homes, painted and cleaned enough apartments to last a life time and now we can say we are debt free.

After moving from Ogden to Centerville in May of 2008 we were able for a short 6 months to be part of a fantastic ward. There were so many great people and they taught us so much. Around September the elders quorum had a lesson on finances. The guy teaching the lesson introduced David to Dave Ramsey and the total money makeover. He bore testimony of how much better his family life and relationship with his wife had become by getting and staying out of debt. David told me all about it and within the week we purchased this book:

Now don't get me wrong I am not trying to tell anyone that they need to do the same thing we have done I just wanted to share our experience.

After getting the book David read it and then tried to get me to follow the financial plan set up in the book. At that time we had about 20,000 of debt (our mini-van , a student loan, a credit card and some medical bills). We decided that we would start budgeting and get the ball rolling.

In November we moved in with Mike and Emily Black (David's brother) and payed down our student loan, medical bills and credit card. Life was going great and after only two months of living with the Black's we found and purchased our home (finding out the same day we were expecting Brinlee). We knew our home needed some work and we budgeted for it and only spent what we had. A few weeks after living here a window salesman talked us right into some new windows for the house. We still had the van and added an additional 5000 to our debt making it once again nearly 20000. We were stupid.

We continued following the program and budgeted our money. David got a second job working for the DATC as a janitor and started working graveyards at Walgreen's. We were going to use the extra $500 dollars a month to put toward our windows that we had to start paying for in October. It was a great plan on paper but then life hit and the whirlwind began. Summer came and went and then our little Brinlee was born. Our first bill came for the windows and the spit hit the fan. We didn't have near enough saved and were paying 26% interest on $5800. We knew we shouldn't have put the windows on credit but did anyway.

In January the stress of having this debt hanging over our heads was really getting to me. I wasn't really a fan of the Dave Ramsey program and had thought that it really wasn't that big of a deal having so much debt. One night after reading my patriarchal blessing I had the impression that we needed to sell our mini-van. The Van I never wanted but fell in love with(I know it sounds ridiculous). That night I put it on KSL and we had it sold within 24 hours.

The following month we paid off the windows with our tax return and have felt light as a feather ever since.

So in the last 18 months we have paid down (including selling the van) $28,000 of debt making around 2,000 more than that a year.

Let me tell you something. Life has been soooooooooo much better. We always have money and we are now saving like crazy. We don't have to have that weight of living pay check to pay check on our backs. We still budget everything to the penny and have started the profit sharing program with Walgreen's.

I am so Thankful we were part of the Centerville ward for those short six months. I am so grateful I have a husband who looks out for what is best for our family. I am so thankful that I was able to realize that it was important for our family to become debt free. We have been so blessed and hopefully now we can bless the lives of other by sharing what we have been able to accomplish.

David recently was promoted into the management program and starting out with a salary being debt free is the best feeling I have ever had.

If you are interested in becoming debt free check out Dave Ramsey online or purchase his book the Total Money Makeover.

Old roll of film.

I haven't really been updating the blog lately because our digital camera died. We have been using our Canon Rebel 35 mm. It is a great camera it just uses film and isn't as convenient. When we realized the digital camera had died we pulled out and wiped the dust off the old Canon. There was a roll of film in it and this is what we found........
This is a trip to the Ogden temple David and I made one day for FHE. We took pictures of the flowers and of course the temple. I love this little gem. It is so David!

This is our first Halloween. I only put this up to show you how messy our house was. I can't believe I let David take this picture with all of the crap in the back!

Look how young and skinny (mostly me) we are. I love the modeling Daver. You still got it.

Now please behold the gem of all gems on our roll of film. Halloween 2005, I have no idea what I am suppose to be. I bet you can guess who David is though. Trust me he has on the snow boots and the rustler jeans. This was the Black family Halloween party at Curtis and Kristin's. I believe Kirstin was an old grandma? Who knows I completely forgot about this. I hope you all enjoy as much as we did.

Guess who is 7 months?

That's right, our little Brinlee is seven months old already. Where has the time gone? She has been such a great little addition to our family. A few things you might like to know are:
*She weighs 14 lbs 5oz (at her six month)
*She is 25 inches long
*She loves to eat eat eat. You wouldn't know that by looking at her but she does.
*She loves her brother Chandler. She will squawk at him until he pays her some attention.
*She is very happy. I am pretty sure she is the most pleasant baby in the entire world(still wondering how we got so lucky)
*Sometimes she likes to just lay in her crib and talk to herself
*She loves the backpack and enjoys gardening and hiking with us.
*She sleeps from about 7-7.
*Is quite the roller and sitter upper.
*She loves to scream (happy screams).

She is quite the drama queen and really like to have things her way. She definitely gets that from her father.

We love this little girl and are so thankful she is part of our family.

Three Years Old!

My little cutie pie Chandler turned three April 7th. I can't believe it! He is so crazy fun. Some interesting facts about him are:
*He loves playing with cars
*Shooting targets with dad (wii game)
*Helping mom make cookies
*Running around outside
*Riding his spider scooter
*Playing with his friends next door
*Loves loves loves nursery
*Is really good at making Brinlee laugh
*Knows who everyone in the Frist Presidency is (his favorite is President Ukdorf)
*Loves reading and going to story time
*Loves to sing and dance
He is awesome!
Our digital camera died and so we have been using the old 35 mm. I took these pictures on his Birthday. Isn't he such a cutie!

We had to have a sponge bob cake again this year. I had originally purchased a rainbow chip cake and showed him. He told me it was "Too boring I want a sponge bob cake". He has some real attitude :)

Happy late Birthday Chancho! We love you.

I guess I better update.

We had a great holiday season this year. This post has lots of pictures so I will just tell you a little something about everything. Winter is starting to get to us at the Black house. Chandler is stir crazy and we make frequent trips to Toys R US just to get out of the house. I came in to the front room one night to find him sporting this awesome outfit. We have also resorted to face painting as a past time when Dave is off. Isn't he a cute little kitty cat?

Brinlee is now and has been for a while sporting a ponytail. She doesn't really like it but she will get use to it (didn't we all? at least she doesn't have ceiling high bangs and a side ponytail with sponge rollers in it.).

Chandler has become quite the photographer. I found theses pictures he had taken of Brigham one day. There were about 50 extra photos on my card. We laughed so hard.

He really likes taking ones of himself.

Like I said we are a little stir crazy and can 't wait until spring. Neither can Chandler(notice the Easter basket on his head and in his hand).

We had a great Christmas this year. We spent it in Santaquin with my family and had a really good relaxing time. Chandler was a little under the weather on Christmas Day but had a good time overall.

My little sister Mckenzie who is 17 almost 18 was SO excited to open presents she insisted we all open on Christmas eve. Chandler open sponge bob underwear and as you can see he has no interest in ever being potty trained.

This is Mckenzie's favorite part of Christmas. My parents have some reindeer in their front yard and Kenz "stacked" them. Yes we are from Santaquin and we stack our own deer. We are trashy and proud of it. It was hilarious! I am pretty sure there may have been some wet pants.

Chandler and his nativity scene.

Christmas eve at Great grandparent VanAusdal's. Isn't he a cutie in that train sweater?

We have had some problems with Chandler wanting to be like mom and dad. He decided one day to put on mascara.

It took a while to get it off.

Look at these two cuties. We are so grateful to have these little kiddos in our family. I even think they might like each other. Brinlee loves to watch Chandler all day and she just giggles at all of his silly sounds. Chandler likes her, sometimes, when it is convenient.

WE hope you all had a great holiday season and can't wait for what the new year has in store for us.

Purple Paisley Designs

My awesome cousin Erica Pratt Dixon has started her very own design blog. She does everything from Wedding Announcement to just about anything your little heart can think of. She is AWESOME and designed this adorable birth announcement for Brinlee. I posted her button on my blog so check out the right hand side. If you don't...............you better watch your backs people! :)
Thanks again Erica!

Merry Christmas

Warning: Big post with lots of pictures.

It has been a while since my last post. With Halloween and lots of other stuff going on I have been busy.
Brinlee is now two months old and is cute as ever. She is a very happy, calm, good sleeping, good eating baby. I haven't been to her two month appointment so I don't know how much she weights or how long she is. Sorry. Chandler is her best friend, or at least that is what he told me while I was taking her pictures today. She was crying and he said he needed to hold her hand so she would be happy. Guess it worked.

We blessed Brinlee on the 1st and it was great. We had lots of family support and are so grateful for all of them. Dave did a great job and Brinlee didn't even cry. She did however fill her diaper as soon as the blessing was done resulting in a wardrobe change in the chapel.

Our costumes for Halloween this year had no rhyme or reason to them. Brinlee was a flower and was not happy about it.

We carved pumpkins and Chandler dug right in. He didn't want to save the seed and was constantly trying to throw them away. It was funny.

Chancho and his BIG pumpkin.

Here are our costumes this year. Chancho was a puppy and we were a white trash couple. I even had a black eye. It was awesome!

Chancho getting ready to trick or treat.

Before and After....again.

When we purchased this home we knew the space under the front windows was a really strange space, not very functional. Some people with similar homes have put their TV or couch in front of the windows and it looks stupid. I can't figure out why someone would want to put something in front of a window especially low windows. So after watching lots of home improvement shows we came to the conclusion we needed more storage.

So this is what my handy man came up with. Four storage shelfs with a blanket box in the middle. It is awesome and the front room is staying clean.

I love it and Chandler loves driving his cars on it. Thanks to Ikea we now have lights above it and baskets to put our crap in!

More Before and After.

From this.................. To this.........................

What do you think? I love it! We bricked the front on the house, had new vinyl windows installed, a new garage door, new exterior door, and new lights.

LeGrande and Marcia did a great job on the brick and we are so thankful they were willing to do it.

I don't know if I will ever be able to leave our "little red brick house".