Holy Cow Moly!

I realize that it has been approximately 66 days since my last post. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Life has been absolute chaos for me the past two months. So, to recap...
Halloween... Very fun! Our little "B" was a "Bee," naturally. He loved running with the big kids from house to house, saying "Pees," and "Ank You." He even stayed up until midnight to take in all of the festivities.

Thanksgiving...We had a wonderful dinner at our friends the Nielsens. It was a the year to go with my family, and the event was held in St. George this year. So, because of my school schedule we were unable to attend. The Nielsens were kind enough to let us in to their home for an excellent home cooked meal. They were even nice enough to let me win the "Turkey Bowl," later that evening at the bowling alley. It was a very exciting game! Not only did I get a turkey(3 strikes in a row for those of you who aren't big on bowling0, but I also beat both Riley and Kole.

Precepting...I survived precepting! I was a little disappointed when I requested Labor and Delivery and got CVTU (Cardiovascular Thoracic Unit,) but I ended up absolutely loving it. Hearts have always scared me to death, but I faced my fears and ended up really loving the heart unit. Go figure...


Graduation... Yep, it's official. You may now start referring to me as Nurse Kate. I graduated, and was pinned an RN by one of my very best friends Stefani Layton. It was a very exciting day for me. Not only was I the class elected speaker, but Rob through me a really nice party with some of our family and friends afterward.

Christmas Break... Well the girls came up from St. George, and then came up again. My Sweet little Grandma Allen (Grams) passed away on December 22nd. The girls had been home for about 12 hours when it happened. So, the day after Christmas they turned around and came back up. Grams passing made Christmas hard for me this year, but watching Bennett with all the cousins and toys helped a lot. It also helped a lot to know that she didn't have to spend another Christmas alone. The Friday before Grams passed, all of my siblings, our spouses, and our children went to see Grams. It was so nice to see her, and it was almost like she waited for us to say goodbye. It was especially nice for me to be able to tell her that I finally graduated and was officially a nurse. She was very proud, and that meant so much to me. We had Grams viewing the day after Christmas, and her funeral the 27th. I had the opportunity to dress her, and do her makeup. I think she looked really beautiful and so peaceful. I am so glad that I have been able to do that for both my Mother and Grandmother.


Christmas...Despite the following days events, Christmas was really nice. We loved coordinating with "Santa," and had so much fun with Bennett Christmas morning. He got spoiled rotten, and loved every minute of it. Rob surprised me with an awesome video camera. So, once I figure it out, I will start posting video of the dude growing up. We were so crazy and busy that we didn't even get our Christmas cards sent out. We did attempt it though...

New Years... New Year's was pretty chill this year. We were so exhausted from all the excitement over the last two weeks that we just stayed home and hung out. I barely made it to midnight to welcome in the new year.

So, there you have it. I will try to be better at posting, once a week rather than once a quarter. But hey...at least you know that Eli is home and doing well.

Girls & Drivers....BEWARE! Eli's Home!

Our nephew Eli finally made it home safely from India. After some confusion in India, as to whether or not they should let him out of the country...Two days later, he made it. We are so glad he is back, and it just feels normal to have him home. Welcome Home Elder Story!

Funny Little Dude

"Cleaning Ears"

"Daddy's Shoes"


My Bennett is starting to be such a funny little guy. He loves clomping around in whatever shoes he can get his feet into, even if his own shoes are already on. He loves being a big boy, and being able to take care of himself. He cleans out his own ears, brushes his own teeth, combs his own hair, and helps do whatever else he can. He loves to sweep and swiffer the floor, and loves to get chased by the vacuum. My friend Tammy came over on Friday with her little baby Beckam, and I was a little nervous that B would get jealous of him. He didn't get jealous at all, he just wanted to show that little guy all the stuff he could do. He kept wanting Beckam to "watch him" while he went down the slide, danced, jumped, and ran around. It was really cute, and fun. He is 19 months old today, and I wonder where the time has gone. He is so fun, and we can't love him enough. He still always has either a car or a motorcycle in one of his hands, and has to have a bink and a blank most of the time. I know he is getting big, but he is still my baby.

Yikes...

Just so you know...
There is a snake in my front yard.

Eli...

I was wishing today that I could chop my hair off, and be done with this whole long hair phase. Then I got thinking...when is Eli coming home? All of the "Story Girls" + Rob and Kent, have been growing our hair out, and have not cut it for what seems like forever. Just to clarify, I have still had a trim every 8 weeks, so it really isn't that bad. So, I was so excited to realize that we only have 20 more days without our Eli. We are so excited for Eli to come home, and all of the reasons have nothing to do with hair cuts....
Here are my top 10 reasons for Eli to come home.
1. Eli has never met Mr. Bennett Race.
2. We get our $Free.99 welder back.
3. We get random visits from Eli late at night wanting to hang out.
4. We have a movie buddy.
5. We have a sand dunes buddy.
6. We may have another free babysitter, pending #1's response.
7. Someone else besides me, who LOVES mashed potatoes.
8. Chuck will have someone else to blame for missing tools, besdies Rob & Jacob.
9. The entertainment of watching Nat & Al share a room again.
10. We have missed him terribly, and can't wait to see him again.
We are so proud of Eli, and the work that he has done in India, but we are so ready for him to come home. The Story's haven't been the same without him. So, E...hurry up and get home, we miss ya!

18 Months!

Our little "B" is now a big 1 & 1/2 year old boy. I can't believe how big he is now. He weighs just about 24 pounds & is 33 inches tall. He is still in the 25% for his weight and is still in the 50% for height. Over the past 18 months he has grown 16 inches and has gained 18 pounds! He now has 14 teeth, and is able to run, climb, and jump! All of which he LOVES to do! He is saying so many words, and is being such a funny little guy! I tried really hard to take some pictures of him, but every time I bust out the camera, all he wants to do is look at the pictures.

Catching Up...

We have been crazy these last few weeks, trying to get back into the swing of things I guess. We went on another trip to St. Anthony over labor day weekend. It was a ton of fun, but I didn't take any pictures. Bennett was a wild little boy self as usual, making the sand dunes a bit difficult for "MOM." He never calls me mama anymore, he just screams...Moooom whenever he needs me. It is pretty cute! He is getting so big, and constantly is learning and exploring. He is really good at his please, thank-you's and love you's. He can tell you what a dog, cat, and a snake say. I need to invest in a video camera so you can see. He loves to kiss me, but still just head butts Rob for his kiss to his daddy. He wants to do everything that Rob does, every time someone drove by us on their bike/quad at the dunes he would say "ride a bike?" He wanted every person to take him on a ride. It was so funny. Rob got my bike all dialed in with the new exhaust, every time someone would come over to check it out, B's would say, "mama bike." He definitely loves anything that has wheels and makes noise. Grandpa Chuck got his sandrail going, and we had a lot of fun riding around in the rail. I can't wait until Rob gets ours done. Maybe before Eli comes home?? With Rob's hair getting so long, I bought him a bandanna to keep it all together while we were riding. Bennett would not leave the store, until I bought him the one with the puppy paws on it. So, here is My B, hanging out my trailer window saying hello and waiving to everyone with his puppy bandanna on.