Welcome Home Elder Andrew Gooch!!!

Once again, it has been soooooo long since I have posted on my blog, that's life I guess. I just wanted to welcome home Fred's youngest brother Andrew who got home from serving a mission in Chile. It's amazing how fast the two year went but at the same time it seems like it had been forever since we last saw him.

The Girls with their signs for their uncle.

Andrew is the one waving!

Andrew and Jon

Camille, Fred, and Andrew

All the little nieces and the new little nephew were so excited to see Andrew!

Ellsee, Andrew, and Emma


We are so happy to have our uncle, brother, and brother-in-law Andrew back from serving the Lord. We are so proud of him and all the many lives he changed or touched by being a great missionary. It's so amazing to see how these boys leave for their missions and come back men! I just hope we can be as good of parents to our children as Tammy and George have been and continue to be to theirs.

Welcome home Andrew, we hope you are adjusting to life !

The Latest News!

Once again, just like my journal at home, it has been forever since I have posted on here. That's what happens when school starts, it's harvesting time, and being pregnant all at one time. We are staying pretty busy around here. I had my ultrasound on the 1st of this month and the ultrasound tech said she is a 100% sure.....

I could tell right away before she even said anything. McKenzie was very sad a first, she had her head berried in the chair, because she wanted it to be a girl. Afterwards we had to go to the store, once we were there she was okay but very concerned that we didn't have boy clothes or boy toys. She doesn't quite understand how long it will be before the baby is actually born. It's good that we will have some time, because Fred and I can't seem to agree on a name for this little one. He just might have to go by two different names! Anyway we are very excited, and things will be quite different around here come February. I keep wanting to start on the nursery but right now it is the girls toy room. I have compromised, I guess mostly with myself, and said the girls can have that room until after Christmas. Then we will begin the process of moving this around and making it into a nursery. They don't understand why it can't be the nursery and the toy room. I just smile and say "Sorry, that's not going to happen!"

As for McKenzie she got into this great preschool program where she goes every day, stays just as long as the kindergartners, and she gets to ride the bus. It has been so good for her, it has really started to give her more confidence, and I think she really enjoys being kind of independent. So kindergarten should be a breeze for her next year and she won't be so nervous about riding the bus with all the big kids. I just hopping Emma can get into the same preschool when the time comes.

Emma is taking dance lessons and loving it! I wish it was more than once a week, but she still enjoys going and dancing with all the girls. I think Emma is going to be that girl on stage that is just looking around not really paying attention to what the other kids are doing. Oh well, at lest she is having fun now, and that is very important in a child's life!

My Latest Crafts

It's been a crazy busy summer, but I've managed to fit some crafts into this fun summer. These are a few of things I have done...

A little boy tie onesie.

It turned out to be a great present of my new little nephew William!

Little girl ruffle bum onesie.

That also turned out to be a great gift for friend.

Emma's t-shirt dress, it looks so cute on her!

McKenzie's t-shirt dress!
She insisted on having an Ariel dress, she loves it!


Hair bow holder in the girls bathroom.
The picture didn't turn out so good, but it's a big flower, and the bows hang on the stem.

This is my nursing cover I just made yesterday! It would have been a lot easier if I didn't line it, but I figure I'm going to be having a winter baby so I might want the extra layer. Do you think it will work for a boy or a girl? I guess we will just have to wait and find out!


I have a ton of other crafts on my list of things I want to do. We'll just have to see if I can get them all done!

Oh yeah, on a side note. I just want to say Happy Anniversary to my husband, Fred, a day early. Tomorrow is our 6 year anniversary! Where does the time go? I love you so much and I am grateful for all that you do for the girls and I.

My husband is famous! Who would have known?

Fred is becoming well known in the Mortgage Technology industry these days! He has written many articles in mortgage lending and technology magazines, that are published nationwide. For those who don't know (as it says in the article) "Fred Gooch is Chief Legal Counsel and Director of Compliance Department at Idaho Falls, Idaho-based DocuTech Corp. Since 1991, DocuTech has provided compliance services and documentation technology for the mortgage industry. DocuTech's software interfaces with leading loan origination systems (LOS) and enables mortgage professionals to generate documents locally." Basically, I don't really ask a lot of detailed questions about his job or "what did you do at work today?" because I will get a length answer that I hardly understand. He really enjoys the work that is doing at DocuTech and is becoming well known around the nation in his profession. Congratulations honey, we are all so proud of you!

This is a link to one of his latest articles that has been published:

http://www.mortgage-technology.com/newsletter/guest/?story_id=924

Our Wonderful Cruise Vacation to Alaska

This is where our wonderful trip began, the great city Seattle! I love going there, I don't know if it's b/c I had a great time there when we went on road trips in college. I love it every time!

Great picture of Mt. Rainier in the background.

This was part of our room, it's where Mark stayed.




The dinning area


Sitting/TV area and balcony

This was our bed, so romantic at night!

The bathroom, with a window in the shower (to the right) also.

I actually saw some whales when I was taking a shower one day!
It was one amazing room! Thanks Mark!!!!

Our first dinner on the ship, so good.

Fred and I at dinner!

Mark getting ready in case of an emergency!

Our first stop Juneau, Alaska were we went to Mendenhall Glacier.

The first glacier I have ever seen, wow!

WOW!!!

Water fall that was to the right of the glacier.
There were a lot of locals playing in the water that day b/c it was 80 degrees!

Fred found a friend!

This Bald Eagle had been shot and can't fly higher than a few feet off the ground. She was so pretty!

Another wild life we saw in the great state of Alaska.
It looks like a ground hog to me but I'm not sure.

Fred trying to spread his wings out as far as a Bald Eagle.

Here we are on top of the WORLD! Just kidding we are just to the look out area on Mt. Roberts in Juneau, Alaska.

That is our cruise ship below us!

So cool carving in the tree on the mountain top.

White Pass and Yukon Route train ride in Skagway, Alaska

A must if you ever go to Skagway. So pretty and amazing that a train can go on the side of a mountain like it does.

I was so happy when we didn't go over that bridge! It was built in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush in Alaska and B.C.

The top of the pass where our trip ended. The train we were on only goes one way during the day. So if we didn't get off, we would have ended up Carcross, Canada.

Fred enjoying the train ride!

Back to Alaska after being in Canada for maybe a half hour.

We stopped for a visit at Liarsville, Alaska.
I had a great time there, very interesting place.

Teaching us how to pan for GOLD!

Panning for GOLD!!!

During the gold rush there were about 70 brothels in the city of Skagway. It is a tiny town with a population around 862 during the off seasons, and doubles during the tourist season.

Bar in Skagway!

One of the trains!

This was amazing, they use this train to clear the snow off the tracks during the winter.

Another train

Mark and Fred on the hand cart.

Fred and some more friends.

Our ship The Norwegian Pearl.

Leaving Skagway.

I think it was about 11 o'clock at night when I took this picture.

A cruise ship that was following us into Glacier Bay

The water was just full of little blocks of ice and silt from the glacier. I say little b/c that is what they looked like to us up on the big ship, but we saw some people kayaking out there and the little pieces of ice where huge compared to them. It was amazing!

Our camera doesn't do justice to how big and how pretty those glaciers are.

Fred and I at Glacier Bay

More glaciers

On the top level of the ship looking at the glaciers.

Some sweet guy in the pool, who looks like he is naked at first sight.

So pretty!

The guy who discovered this land back in the day, thought from afar that this rock was a enemy ship coming to fight him!

The Misty Fjords

Fred and I in front of a waterfall in the Misty Fjords

Which were not misty on the day we went b/c there weren't any clouds in the sky that day.

Seal on the rock, they blend in so well.

Rain Meter in Ketchikan

They get an average of 160 inches of rainfall a year.

Did you know where Darth Vador is these days?

Playing his violin in Victoria, Canada!

Very pretty, I loved all the old building in Canada.

Last day

We got off the ship in the moring and our flight didn't leave until that night. So, we caught a MLB game, which I love. There is just something about pro games, I love them.

Take me out to the ball game....

We had a great vacation, it was so relaxing and so pretty, great food, great room, etc., etc. etc.

Thanks Mark for taking us on a wonderful trip.