Thanksgiving

The day before Thanksgiving Ty told me his throat hurts. Kinda strange because although we have gone over the body parts, I wasn't aware he remembered where his throat was. It was one of those moments where I was so proud and concerned at the same time. My smart mother in law told me his symptoms seem like Strep throat. So I took him to the doctor and OF COURSE she was right. We started antibiotics immediately and was told he would not be contagious after 24 hrs. We have family to visit the next day being Thanksgiving and all. Obviously, bringing Ty would not be a option. Tyler and I had decided he would go with his family in the morning then drive home and I would drive to my parents and eat there later in the day. Sounds pretty good. I was pretty pleased with being able to eat delicious food. I had told my mom our brilliant plan and she was concerned that we wouldn't be together as a family at all that day. Then it hit me. The people I am MOST thankful for wouldn't be with me while I ate delicious turkey, mashed potatoes (MMm), stuffing and pie. So I called Tyler and we decided to have a Thanksgiving at home.. just the three of us. At 11pm that night, we decided to go to Safeway to pick up a turkey and all the fixings we'd need. Don't worry, Ty was awake so we didn't just wake him up for food ;-) Surprisingly, barely anyone was at the store. $60 later we left the store with hope our food would come out as delicious as we had been thinking. Well, it came out BETTER! It was Tyler's first year cooking a turkey and it came out SO good! So moist and flavorful! It was different not being with our families but in the end we were able to be with each other and enjoy each others company. I wouldn't of wanted it any other way.

P.S

We went around the table and said what we were thankful for. Ty said, "Cake... Dad." Then smirked at me. What.... a.... butt!

Temple

Our family had the most amazing opportunity to go to the temple and be sealed for-ev-er. It was awesome. We also got a cool picture taken by my lovely cousin in law of the temple the day of our sealing :)

Ty was SO amazing inside the temple and just so peaceful. For those of you who know our son, know he is anything BUT peaceful. He is the one screaming in church, running around, throwing balls everywhere, and knocking any little kid down. So Daddy has been prepping him ALL night telling him he will need to be a good boy and very quiet. And it worked. My son is nuts but at least he is reverent in the House of the Lord. I guess that's what counts ;-)

All in all, it was a AMAZING opportunity and it took a lot for us to get there. Tyler was so excited to have his family there to watch us as we came out a eternal family. I know it was a bit difficult for them not to witness it and understand the purpose but they were all so supportive and we appreciate them for coming and supporting us! But we couldn't be more thrilled. Eternity here we come!!!

Finally Christmastime :)

I'll admit a little quirk about myself. My BIGGEST *Holiday* pet peeve is celebrating Christmas before Dec 1st. I have NO IDEA why. It absolutely annoys the crap out of me. Oct= Halloween mode. Nov= Thanksgiving mode. Dec=Christmas mode. Now, I love Christmas just like the next guy but I love the anticipation of putting up everything on Dec 1st. So naturally, I waited until 12:02am on Dec 1st to change my blog :)

Everyone should also be getting their Christmas cards (if you gave me your address) within the next few days! I loved that Shutterfly giveaway. This will be my second year in a row sending out Christmas cards.. I should specify FREE Christmas cards.

x0x0 Candace

Family Stone

I am thankful I married someone who loves to do little projects with me. Last Christmas we received a stone to decorate. I have been keeping it for a project to do when we got our first home :) We are now finally settled and decided to do this as a project as a family. It came out really cute!! We can't wait to put it in our front yard!

Christmas Cards!!!

I love this time of year! The colors, smells, music, cozyness, and CHRISTMAS CARDS! Last year we sent out Christmas cards and I sent them out early so they would be delivered by Dec 1st or 2nd. All of my mother in law's friends were so proud that I had remembered to send them out as well as send them out on time. So now, I have big shoes to fill to ensure they get sent on time!

I found this cool deal from my cousin-in-law, Jenn Clegg about receiving 50 free Christmas cards! SCORE! I was happy about the free part but even more elated after I found out the company! Shutterfly has awesome gift ideas which are perfect for the holiday season. I have made photobooks, cards, calenders, and different items you can use to decorate your home using Shutterfly. Shutterfly always have amazing quality items at affordable prices.

Being a stay at home mom, I always make sure to shop sales and bargains and Shutterfly always have things at good prices for a young family like us! They also offer free shipping over $30 and with affordable prices you will get a lot of bang for your buck! If you're new to shutterfly check out their website at http://www.shutterfly.com/ you won't be sorry!!!

Or check out their other products by clicking on the link :

http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/photo-mugs
or
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

We LOVE LOVE LOVE our house :)

I am taking a little break from studying to update on our family! Well, we did it!! We bought our first house! We are very excited and just love it. It hasn't hit us how this beautiful house is ours. It has been so nice for Ty to have a backyard it is definately worth it to see his smile on his face. I am so proud of my husband for working as much overtime and allowing me to be a money nazi. Tyler and I both had this goal of buying a house and we sacrificed extra trips and fancy items to achieve it. :)

We also will be getting sealed next week as a family. We are so excited because we are so excited to have a eternal family! Tyler and I have been working on our relationship to always ensure we are speaking to each other in a respectful manner, putting each other first, and making lots of love ;-) haha

Anyways, back to studying :)

Love this!!

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.

I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.
I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children.

I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden.
I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.
I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."
— Marjorie Pay Hinckley

NEW CLOSE DATE

October 28th we will OFFICIALLY be homeowners :)

Whew wee... Loan Approval COMPLETE!

For the past week or so, Tyler and I have been silently FREAKING OUT! We were suppose to remove our loan contingency last Saturday but we still had not heard from the underwriter that everything with the loan was complete. We asked the asset manager (who makes decisions on the property since it is a foreclosure) if we could have a extension until the 22ND. They declined. We had two options: back out of the house and get our deposit back (which is $8,000) or remove the loan contingency and IF the loan doesn't fund we LOSE the $8,000. We didn't feel comfortable removing contingencies even though we were previously approved. Tyler received a raise last year and this year so his income is A LOT more than it was last year. So we have had problems with his income because it was a recent increase.

Finally Friday night, they agreed to extend our loan contingency on Wednesday (today) and we had to remove it by today. Monday came and went and nothing happened! Tuesday came and went and we heard nothing. We find out Wednesday morning that if we did not give them a answer by 5pm, they would re list the house. I was in a panic ALL DAY! Tyler and I were anxiously waiting by the phone. We were calling our lender, realtor, and trying to remain calm but we had not heard anything. We prayed and prayed that everything would work out. We also prayed that if it didn't work out that we would understand this is the Lord's will and this is not meant to be our home.

Well at 3:40 pm, we heard that we could remove loan contingency and we have met EVERY condition and qualification! Whewww wee! I was SOOO EXCITED!!!

We will now be closing on the house Nov 5th! We have two weeks left and we are soo excited to be homeowners! We have been saving and penny pinching and I am so glad to finally have something to show for it! We are so excited to not have to pay rent but pay towards a mortgage that eventually has a end! 30 years, but hey! ;-) It's an investment! And in this market- it's awesome. We have a super low interest rate, super low house payment and the opportunity to make money when the market picks up!

One Year

It was one year today when Tyler joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was a decision that came with a lot of thought, prayer, and preparation. I was honestly surprised how willing he was when he met the missionaries. But I truly feel like the missionaries he had were meant for him.

When I started dating Tyler, I remember him telling me, "I will get baptized so we can marry in the temple". That was a goal I had when I met him and something I lost sight of two years after we started dating. We found ourselves pregnant, and marriage was something we knew was the next step. I was still very hesitant to go back to church because of the previous wrongdoings I had made. For the first year of our son's life, church was not something I felt I needed. I made EVERY excuse of why we didn't attend church. In reality, I knew the church was true and it was what our family needed. However, I didn't want to go through all of the work, repentance process, which was essential. I remember talking to my mom who told me not using the atonement is a slap in the face because we are not taking advantage of a sacrifice that was made. I felt I could be forgiven and it is essential to the plan and not something that should be looked at as "unnecessary"

I'm not sure exactly how everything happened and what exactly was the turning point but after we blessed Ty in the church on July 5th 2009, Tyler wanted to take the discussions. We tried one set of missionaries and he wasn't feeling like it was right. Then we ended up finding a town home in a different town and moved to a new ward. We met with two missionaries but they were quickly (and unexpectedly) switched to two new missionaries, Elder Vea and Elder Lee. They are the reason that Tyler was converted. Everything clicked. They had gotten through to him like no one else was able too.

I remember the peace I felt when he was baptized. I remember looking at our son and knowing that this would change the rest of our lives. I am so thankful for those two missionaries who were sent to us, to help us achieve everything we are capable of. We are now preparing to enter the temple to be sealed for eternity. I look forward to our life together and I am so fortunate to have such a wonderful husband who values me and does all he can to provide for his family.

I am so grateful that he made the choice when he was ready. I know too many guys who convert because of a girl and I did not want him to do it solely for me. I have seen people get baptized and then quickly fall away from the church when the relationship soured. I am proud of the man he is and I cannot wait to be by his side and watch his testimony continue to grow in the church.

Appraisal!!!

Our house appraised for 60k more than we are offering .... Uh hello there INSTANT EQUITY!

So now all there is left is loan funding :) Whooo hooo!

Inspections

All inspections came in clear :)

Started packing. Our house looks like a MADhouse!

We got a house!!!!

After about 4-5 months of house searching we finally found our house!! We submitted an offer on the 22nd of September and we found out we got it on the 27th! We were sooo surprised because it is in a really good neighborhood, a neighborhood we thought we couldn't afford. The house is close to a bunch of shops, schools (which btw, are really good), and semi close to the freeway.

It has a ginormous backyard which is totally what Tyler and I wanted. We could stay in this house forever and add a pool(eventually), play structure, fishing pond (Tyler's idea), and still have room for lots of grass! It has hardwood floors and granite counter tops!

We are so grateful and know this is possible because of the Lord. We owe everything to him for us being in the position to buy a house! We have already attended our new ward and absolutely loved everyone and we can't wait to attend!

We start inspections this week so hopefully there arent any major problems.... so I guess we aren't totally in the clear!

Keep you all posted!! :)

Potty Training... so far.

Potty training has been going a lot better than we anticipated. He tells us when he has to go numero 1, however has been "forgetting" to tell us when he goes numero 2. Which of course, makes clean up so much fun!! If we are in the car he is pretty good about holding it until we can get somewhere or we pull over and he goes in his potty seat that we store in the car.

So far so good. I think he was more than ready to get rid of the diapers during the day. He still wears diapers during nighttime. I had just bought a new pack of diapers so once we get rid of them we will get pull ups :)

I would post a reallly cute pic of him in his big boy undies but most of you reading are friends with me on facebook so I'm sure you've seen em.... Plus the world has too many creepers who do not need the privilege of seeing em :)

Potty Training Day 1

A couple days ago we decided we would try potty training. It has been something I have been somewhat dreading because I was not ready for the accidents, every half hour putting him on the potty, and putting myself on house arrest. However, I don't have class on Monday because of Labor Day and thought Thursday- Wednesday would be a good time to introduce it and not have to leave the house.

I started Thursday morning by putting him in his big boy underwear and putting him on the toilet every 40 minutes. We would set a alarm and he would listen to it and when it hit 40 minutes it would start buzzing and he would know when to go. The very first time I put him on there he peed! I was soo excited! We went to the store to get him his prizes for each time he went potty. We bought a bag of candy, hot wheels cars, stickers and books. Each time he goes potty he gets to pick something out that the "Potty Fairy" brings him. We came home, put everything together and put him back on the toilet. No luck. He boycotted for about 2 hrs. After, I knew it was coming. I went outside to grab something out of the car and as soon as I did that he ran outside and said "mom pee" and he was peeing! We changed underwear and continued on. He had one more accident but that was it for the day! Before bed time he told me he had to pee and he actually did! He loves the potty and loves loves loves wearing his big boy underwear.

When Daddy got home from fishing we went to target to have Daddy pick out some new underwear and his new potty seats. The potty seats seem to work a lot better because it has handles which was something Ty was struggling with.

So far: Day 1 was awesome! A lot better than I anticipated however, it is a lot of work!! Hopefully tomorrow is just as awesome!

Family Day!

My husband is so sexy :)

The only ride he can go on :-/ 1 inch too short!

Showing Daddy the lions

My husband is famous :) His name is at the zoo!

He got a trading card of a animal. He held onto it all day!

Tyler was sooo fascinated!

Daddy and Son

After Ty's first "activity class" we decided to have a whole family day out of it! Tyler was going to take it off anyways so we thought we would go to the zoo and have a fun picnic! Tyler works like 50 + hours a week and so it was much needed and very much worth it! We had such a fun day as a family and look forward to doing it each month (fingers crossed). Ty LOVED having Daddy showing and explaining all of the animals.

We had yummy sandwiches and walked around the zoo for a couple hours.

Ty's "Activity Class"

Singing his closing song



I love getting the Summer/Fall Community center guide! I have been waiting to enroll him in something fun and a class named "DynoTikes" opened up. It is listed as a gymnastics class however, Tyler does not allow it to be referred to in that way. We actually got into a little argument about enrolling in it because he believes he should only be enrolled in sporty things. Hmmm. Anyways, we went to the class and it's full of running, jumping, just the type of stuff he would love! When Ty turns 3 we can sign him up for basketball, baseball, or soccer. But until then, I get to have fun :) So every Monday in August we go to his "Activity Class" :) He also gets pretty cool stamps which he is very proud of ;-)

Haven't blogged in awhile!

My sister texted me last night asking if I have given up on blogging-- I have not! Along with being a full-time mama, I am also taking summer classes! Summer classes, for those of you who have taken them are super fast paced so I have absolutely no time!! So let's see what I can update since the last time I posted which was Ty's Birthday.

1) Mother's Day was awesome! Had a delicious breakfast in bed, cute card, and lots of love and kisses from my boys!

2) We put an offer on a house in the Tri-Valley, a week later found out an all cash offer came. Sucks.

3) Paid off our credit card debt!! Yay! No more debt. We didn't have extreme debt, I mean no collection calls, thank goodness. But we have ZERO debt. I'm a little excited.

4) I graduated.. I got my AA in Liberal Arts and Sciences

5) We got a King size bed-- it's AWESOME. We highly recommend them ;-)

6) We had a family reunion! I saw my beautiful nephews, sista and bro in law!

7) Tyler got a raise! :) Whoo hoo!

8) Put an offer in a house and we should hear soon!!!

Marriage Survey

1. When is your "engagement" anniversary: Dec 25th, 2007


2. When is your "marriage" anniversary: Feb 14th, 2008


3. How long have you known your spouse: 10 years.


4. How long did you date/court before you were engaged: Two Years

5. Where did you meet your spouse for the first time: Middle school, Grade six :)


6. What is your spouse's full name: Tyler Alexander Andujar


7. Do you have any children yet: Yes


8. How many: 1, a beautiful boy


9. Do you have any house pets: One darling shih tzu, Gabby.


10. Do you own a house or rent: We own.


11. Do you live in the country or town/city: We live in Suburbia..


12. What is one of your favorite activities together: Going out to dinner...watching seasons of shows in one day...traveling...kissing :)...anything!


13. Do you have a favorite vacation spot: My favorite would be Hawaii! Course that's just cause we just got back.


14. How many siblings (including in-laws): 4 on my side, 5 on his side.


15. What church do you attend: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

16. Is this the church you were married in: We married in the Sacramento Temple. We preferred an eternal marriage. :)


17. What town is your current address: Antelope


18. Do you work or stay at home: I work like a maniac, a job and a half :)


19. Where did you honeymoon: San Diego & San Luis Obispo..course wherever we go people think we're on our honeymoon :)


20. Leave a piece of marriage advice: Never begin a sentence with "You always" or "You never"

Being married is the best, isn't it?

My 2 year old

Ty's 2nd Birthday Party

Ty's 2nd Birthday was April 26th and we decided to have a party for him on that day. I love love love planning parties and throwing a party for Ty was no exception. We were going to have a Yo Gabba Gabba party but decided to have a Monkey party for him because he is in love with monkeys. The party was pretty cheap because I shopped sales -- of course :)

I can't believe my little boy is now 2-- wow it goes by so fast!

The monkey cake for Ty!
Drink Area

Front of our home

Salsa, Guacamole, and fondue :) Peanut butter- Marshmellow/Chocolate & Chocolate Fondue

Dessert Area

The slide was a big hit!

Outside tables!

Ty and his monkey cake!

Party Favor bags! It included a "make your own Sundae" kit! It was such a big hit!

Ty has a GREEN thumb :)

Since I am a Stay at Home mom I NEED to find fun things to do. If I don't we are bored out of our mind which then equals an unhappy cranky toddler and mama! So we decided to go to Home Depot and get a bunch of gardening supplies to start some planting flower pots and tomatoes. First we went to the dollar store to get some pots and seeds. I was VERY hesitant to get seeds from the dollar store but I figured if they didn't work we would get some different ones somewhere else. I am not very garden savvy so I was a little nervous but I decided hey, what the heck we will have a lot of fun doing it! Here is a little chart of our adventure thus far!

April 2nd, 2010

Ty is in charge of watering them two days a week :)

The pretty pots!
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April 18th, 2010
Yay! Finally something!
Whooo hooo :)

Our first cherry tomato!

We cannot wait until we can eat all of our yummy stuff we plant!