Yep, it is the yearly update!

Well what can I say we are the best bloggers in the world. Well for a quick update... We are still in Lovelock, (and still adjusting to small town life) my job is going well. Since most judicial clerkships last a year, I have started to look for future employment I have had a few interviews and hope to hear back soon.

Chelsea and Maddie are doing pretty well. They spend a lot of time at the library and hanging out. Maddie has done a little better this year with her OI there was a serious leg break in September of last year and she had another bad leg break in June, however other then that she is doing better then last year.

Over the past year we have spent a lot of time driving back and forth to Utah to visit family. In June we were able to go to Disneyland as a family and it was amazing! Disneyland through a two-year-old's eys is priceless.

Well that is the update hopefully I will be more proactive but if not, next July/August there will be another update:)

A year! Wow we stink at blogging.

Hello to all, I know there is probably no one reading this because, well we haven't posted in over a year. True, the music we have on our blog is great to listen too, however how long can you listen to the same 5 songs?

Anyway here is a quick update on what has happened.

I (Craig) Graduated from Law School in May. I had a job working in Salt Lake, but due to budget cuts, I got cut. I was subsequently able to get employment as a Judicial Law Clerk. I am currently working for Judge Wagner in Nevada's 6th Judicial District. We cover the awesome areas of Nevada like, Battle Mountain, Winnemucca, and Lovelock. We live in Lovelock, and are slowly adjusting to small town life.

Chelsea is working a little bit as well out here. She is helping the judge implement a new family program to help families that are contemplating divorce. She is counseling with the parents and all that stuff. It is a really good program.

Finally, our little bug Maddie is doing well. She has had some tough breaks in the past year she has broken I think 10 bones since the last post. In May after 5 breaks we found out that she has a bone disorder that makes her bones brittle. It is called Osteogenisis Imperfecta. She is a trooper though and even though she has had two broken legs she is still running around and happy.

Maddie

Here's some of Maddie's cuteness the past couple of months.

Smiles for Dad at the hospital

This smile didn't last too long--who likes being in a duck hamper, anyway.

One of our first few times experimenting with Maddie eating what we eat at dinner

Experimenting with pigtails

A sweet one of Craig and Maddie

Our little scavenger

She thought this pillow pile up was hilarious

Evidence of Maddie's first big bump on the forehead--but she's still too darn cute in her new Earth Child outfit--thanks Auntie Lycia

Maddie loves to be part of everything. This is our mode of viewing General Conference

Eating and watching "Backyardigans"

In a hamper again--I don't know my obsession with putting her in hampers?

Maddie and her frog, Arro. She loves this little guy.

Here she is playing peek-a-boo.

Visitors!!!

Craig's parents came to visit us a couple of weeks ago. We got to show them some of our favorite Omaha sites even though it rained the entire time. It's been in the 70's for about a week now, so I don't know why we always get rain and 40 degree temps when we have visitors. Anyway, we visited De Soto National Park. I guess a ship wrecked on the Missouri river in the 1800's, but then the river changed routes, so the ship was buried under silt in the middle of a corn field. They dug it up along with a lot of really fascinating articles from the 1800's. We also went to Nebraska City, which is the birthplace of Arbor Day. We had some amazing apple pie. We visited our cute little downtown Omaha as well as West Omaha where all the new Omaha is. To top it off we took them to our favorite steak place that's located about 45 minutes from Omaha in a beautiful little town called Hooper. We had a lot of fun, and we're glad they made us a stop along the way.

This is Halloween

Halloween is probably in a tie for my favorite holiday all year long. I love that we get to dress up as whatever we want. I used to love to dress all "risque" like. I don't know why--probably that "sweet mormon girl" had a little devil wanting to burst out--I don't know. Every once in a while I still love to crank up Blink 182's Buddha so loud that I can't think--that's of course, when Maddie's not in the car...which is never. Well OK. So, for Halloween this year we were able to go to a couple of fun parties. Some of our friends' parents have a fabulous home near Omaha with a cool backyard. We made dip from our way-too-spicy chili, and we had fun time. On Halloween we went to our Branch Halloween party which was amazing. We had a chili cook-off (for which we won "Best Name"), trunk-or-treating, and fun games. We also won Best Family Costumes. We went as Tinkerbell, Peter Pan (sans tights), and Wendy (with tights). There were a few other adorable Tinkerbells around (including one of Maddie's sweet friends and one of our friend's dogs), sot that has motivated us not to buy costumes at Hell-Mart again. The night was awesome, and although we got home around 9 o clock we realized that this Halloween was one of our favorites.

"The Summer" all-in-one

Utahntastic Summer

So, because we didn't blog almost all summer. The next few slideshows are a catch-up on all the fun stuff we did while we were in Utah. I can't believe I didn't have one picture of the dogs we got to hang out with all day.

Craig's Appendices

So, who knew--2 posts in 2 days. I guess I have a little extra alone time lately, and not having the pressure to have pictures to post has lessened my blog anxiety. I'm slowly warming up, so hopefully we'll have some pictures soon. So, yeah, Craig's in the hospital. He had his appendix out 2 weeks ago, and then last Monday, he started to feel a lot of pain. By Wednesday he had a fever, so we called the doctor, who brushed us off. He told Craig to wait it out, but he could go to the ER if he really wanted to. So, we waited because the doctor made it sound like not such a big deal. By Friday, Craig had unbearable pain and a spiking fever. He, of course, still went to hear Justice Alito of the Supreme Court speak at Creighton (okay okay, with a bit of my prodding, since I was so jealous that he got to go), and we took him to the ER around 11 that night. They immediately admitted him, scanned him, and stuck a drain in his side to drain the MASSIVE abscess that had set up house where his appendix was 2 weeks ago! He's still there today, but if all goes well tomorrow, the plan is to have him home by tomorrow night. He's still in a fair amount of pain, but thanks to loritab and vicodin, it's mostly controlled. K, well, there's the story.

We're Still Here

I know, I know...a lot has gone on since we last posted. Thank you, Craig, for that bit of a blurb a few weeks ago. I got really disillusioned there for a while after I read a spoof blog. I realized that I've been playing into all that cliche' blogging that I have so long made fun of. You know what? Who cares--all you wonderful bloggers, whether you're being cliche' or not, good for you. I give props to all of you who go out of your way to show family and friends what you're up to. Living 1000 miles from family is difficult, especially when grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles and cousins can't see the cute grandbabies growing up so fast. K, I still don't have too many pictures, because in the time I haven't blogged, we stripped the wire on our AC adaptor to the computer with all the pictures, but someday I will. At the rate I blog, look forward to seeing Maddie's year old pictures. As soon as we get that up and going again, I promise, I will set up some slideshows of our Utastic summer...sometime in the next year or so. Until then, fellow clichers!

ONE MORE YEAR

So Chelsea, lil Maddie, and myself returned from Utah for our final year in Omaha. It is crazy to think that I am almost done with school for ever.