Happy Birthday, RYLIE!!!!!

Rylie's blessing day!
1-month-old

My baby girl turned 2 years old today!!! Time flies when you're having fun! Which is exactly what we've had with her!!!! I remember being so nervous when we learned I was pregnant with Rylie. Connor was a bit difficult for me so I was extremely scared about how this would be, especially since we were living so far away from our families and having a baby in an unknown land, or at least an unknown hospital. I remember when I first had thoughts that I was having a girl. I've been right on each child, when I guessed the sex. But, I remember being so very, very sick thinking, "This has got to be a girl!!!" However, I wanted a baby girl so badly that I didn't dare get my hopes up and with not finding out the sex it was an anxious 9 months for us. I tried to play off that she was a boy but, I was wrong! It all became more and more exciting when it came time to choose the date of the c-section. My original due date was March 25th. They like to do the c-section a week early, so that would've been March 18th. However, with Mike's background being Irish, I asked if I could have our baby on St. Patrick's Day. The day of the c-section was SO EXCITING!!! My Mom had flew in from UT to help us out. I remember so scared and excited at the same time. So, in we went into the surgical room, green toenails and all! They began and I grew more and more anxious until I heard the cry and I started to cry! Then, they told us that our baby was a girl! Then the tears just started to flow!!! I was so happy, giddy, and excited!!!! The fun just grew fromt here! Rylie was born at the Ingham Regional Medical Center, in Lansing, MI. She weighed 6 lbs. 5 oz. and was 19 1/4 inces long. For her name we were deciding on Leah or Rylie. We named her Rylie because it was an Irish name and loved it. Originally we were going to spell it Riley but, I came into contact with a very special friend of mine and she spelled hers Rylie. I instantly loved it!!!! So, we then decided to change the spelling to Rylie. Her middle name is Anne, which is my middle name. Rylie was an EXCELLENT baby! She was very, very mellow, content, and super happy! If wanted to take a nap, she'd take one too! She would go to anybody! She felt too good to be true but, it never stopped! We fell in love with her instantly!!!! From there her personality just grew and grew! She's always been happy, giggly, spunky, easy going, loving, and loves to giggle! She especially loves to copy-cat Connor, play with Connor, steal toys from Connor, torment Connor, and bite/hit Connor! She really loves her brother, so much! Her current loves are french fries, corn, green beans, steak, fish sticks, rice, milk, fruit, popcorn. She just loves food, basically. She loves to play with trucks, babies, balls, dancing & music, and watching movies with Connor. She's quick to give kisses and hugs and has been jabbering up a storm! Even though I think she's entered the "Terrible-Two" stage with a vengeance, she's still so loveable and can get into your heart! We love you Rylie!!!!

Connor's B-day Party Pictures

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CONNOR!!!!

Connor - newborn

On February 27, 2005 (Sunday), Connor Price McGinnis entered into our world!!! After much prayer, faith, hope, and great anticipation....Connor arrived and has been blessing our lives ever since!!! I went into labor with Connor on February 26, 2005 (Saturday), while Mike and I were on a date. I had had a long day at work and Mike had had a stressful day at school. We decided we'd go on a date that night and then we'd go see a movie, Mike's choice. We decided to go eat dinner at Ruby Tuesday's, since we had the infamous 2-for-1 coupon! I remember that we both ordered the steak with broccoli and Mike also had soup and salad! After we finished eating I mentioned to Mike that I did not feel good. It was still about an hour before the movie started. Mike loves his movies and was set on going. So, we decided to go home and I would rest, and then we'd go. Well, we never made it to the movies. I got home and we decided I was in labor. I was crampy, in pain, and was ready to get the "party" started. I was very anxious!!!! Luckily, we had a very good friend who was a nurse at the hospital. Lucky for us, she was working that night. So, we kept in close phone contact with her. She had us try many things to try and relax to make sure these were actual contractions. The contractions grew to be more and more painful so, we decided to go in. We pulled up to the hospital emergency entrance. Mike wanted to get me a wheel chair but, I insisted I would be fine. Well, 45 minutes later and after leaning on many walls to catch my breath and breathe through the pain, I made it to Labor & Delivery where they had a room waiting for me. They hooked me up and the waiting game began. They checked me and I was only to a 1, barely, and that was about it. I was in extreme pain though. In previous appointments my Dr. was concerned that the baby didn't appear to be dropping and may have to go c-section. Well, unfortunately, my Dr. was on vacation that weekend so we got put with the Dr. on duty. He was the most uncompassionate man on the earth and refused to give me an epidural, even though I was in tears and wanted to die!!!! 3 or 4 hours had gone by, the contractions grew worse, but my body wasn't changing and my Dr. was not any kinder. I mentioned the concerns of a possible c-section, etc. He didn't listen. So, Mike and I said a little prayer that something would happen to where my Dr. would come. Well, shortly after that the Dr. on duty became sick to his stomach and had to leave (whoops). So, a new Dr. came on board and he was from heaven!!!! He was such a sweet man and reminded me of my Dad, and just happened to work with my Dr. in the same office! He continued to monitor me, quickly approved an epidural, and watched me closely. After 10 1/2 hours of labor, the Dr. and us came to the conclusion that a c-section would be the best route, since I was still at a 1 and the contractions were super intense (we later found out my tailbone is curved the wrong way, preventing a baby from dropping into the birth canal). So, they began to prep. me. I was scared to death but, anxious and excited!!! We didn't know if we were having a boy or girl so, it was very exciting to think that we would know so quickly!!!! Shortly after that I delivered a very healthy, 7 lb. 13 oz., 20 1/2 inch baby boy. We named him Connor (Irish) Price (Mike's Grandpa's name) McGinnis. Connor has always had a lot of spunk and hasn't been one to calm down and just relax. From the day of his birth, getting him to sleep was tough! He was always wide eyed and either crying or just looking around. He's got a heart of gold and really does want to make everyone happy. He's also very energetic, very stubborn, and doesn't give up easily. He loves to be read to, loves to run around outside, loves to play with super hero's, loves swords and guns. He even enjoys helping out by cooking, vacuuming, soing laundry, and is EXCELLENT at cleaning his room when he really wants to! I know that he and I have butt heads a lot of times. However, I hope that he never loses his never-give-up attitude in life and that no matter what happens, he pushes himself to his full potential!!!! We love you, Connor!!!!

Elena's Baby Blessing

Laura & Elena (sister's baby)
Elena Claire Sagers

My sister's kids have this chicken trained. They tap on the window and it comes running and jumps up to their dining room window! Breakfast with a chicken! Life doesn't get more exciting than that!

My sister, Stacey, and I hanging out in SLC before I headed back to St. George!

Me with Jacob, Allison, and Kristen Sagers

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I was able to go to Tooele and be part of my niece, Elena's, baby blessing! I was able to see everyone in my family and we really had a great time! It's pretty rare to have everyone together in one place! The only ones missing, sadly, were my hubby and kids! When all of us get together, with my parents, siblings, their spouses, and kids, there are 29 of us! It is definitely a party!!! I love my family so much and feel so lucky that I got to go up! I am grateful to my husband for allowing me a weekend to myself too! What a sweetie!

Ireland's B-day Party

Dumping the measured flour into the mixer

Ireland helping Connor to measure the flour

Connor and Isaiah making their pizza's

Chef Connor

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Ireland, who is Connor's cousin, had a birthday last week. For her party they went to a little place called Little Chefz! They were able to help make dough for their pizza's, design their own pizza, and help make dessert pizza. They had so much fun and felt so grown up, being able to mix and measure! Thanks, Ireland, for letting us come!!!!

Nielson & Jeppesen

Me (Sister Jeppesen) & Caren (Sister Nielson)

Transfers July 2000

Rego Park (Queens), NY

Caren Leeds & Laura McGinnis

February 2010

St. George, UT
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Today I got to hang out with one my mission companions that I served with while in New York City! Caren and I were together in the Flushing (Queens) area! It's been a long time since we have seen each other. We had a great time thinking about all the fun times we had and also the hard times! We are both married and have children now and live in different states. It's nice to know that we'll always have bond with each other!

Mini-Mike

Mike's Mom was cleaning out some things in her attic and ran into this picture of Mike. It was when he was the same age that Connor is now!!!! I thought it was such an adorable picture and reminds me so much of how Connor looks! Connor saw it and said, "Hey Mom! It's me!" He is still not convinced it's his Daddy!

Rylie's Christmas Dress

I've been trying for weeks to get pictures of Rylie and Connor in their new Christmas Sunday clothes. Either one or both have been sick, or I've been sick, so it just hasn't happened. On Sunday, I finally got around to getting a picture. Connor wasn't in his Christmas clothes so, his picture will be coming. Rylie was really wound up before church so, I am lucky I got the pictures I did! I think she looks like a little princess in this dress! She's so fun to dress up!

America's Next Top Model

I love it when I have friends that are super talented. Such as being able to sew! I'm lucky to be able to sew a pillow case! Heck, that's even difficult for me! I have been blessed and lucky enough to come into contact with amazing people and friends who have this talent! One of which is my friend, Brittney, from work! She sews things ALL the time for her daughter! She whips them out like it's nothing at all! So, she offered to make some skirts for my daughter! Rylie is modeling one of the them! I love it!!!! It's so fun! I can't wait for her to wear the other one! And I can't wait to see how the other skirts and dresses turn out that Brittney is making for me!

CHRISTMAS 2009!

Christmas was great this year! It was especially wonderful because we got to spend it in our own house!!!! It was so relaxing and so enjoyable! Connor was so funny this year because he totally understood who Santa was! So, he was so excited! He reminds me of myself,when it comes to Christmas! He couldn't wait to open his presents and loved everything!!!! Rylie, on the other hand, reacted quite differently than I expected. Instead of wanting to rip open her presents and play with her toys she was the exact opposite! The first present that Connor opened was a Batman cave. Well, after Rylie saw that she was no longer interested in anything else. She just sat and played with that, pretty much the whole day. So, by the time noon came, Connor and I decided to open Rylie's presents. She was mildly interested in her new cabbage patch baby, her new couch, and pretty interested in her cozy coupe car. Once again though, she went right back to the Batman cave and played with that for hours!!! The rest of day was spend playing, putting things together,and putting batteries in toys! Mike and I were exhausted! Mike's parents also came by to visit and bring presents. They also dropped off cinnamon rolls and a breakfast quiche'! Yummy! I really enjoyed and loved Christmas with my little family! Connor is already asking if it's time for Halloween because he knows Christmas isn't too far behind. I'm in big trouble! Ha ha!

Artistic Animals

For Christmas, Connor received a paint set from Mike's brother's family. So, we opened it up yesterday and, as you can see, the kids had a BLAST!!!! They painted for over an hour and were so happy and content! The funny thing about these pictures is I have a picture of me, when I was around Rylie's age, where I painted my face with watercolors! Like Mother like daughter.

The Sound of Music

One thing I feel I have been very much blessed with is the gift of music. I don't say this to be overly confident. I say this because because I feel like we each have something in our life that we feel comfortable in, just made for that something. Music is that something for me. I was blessed to be part of a musically talented family. My Dad and Mom felt music was very important in our home and I'll be forever grateful for that. My Dad is also an excellent singer and my Mom is too, if she allows herself to realize that. For as long as I can remember, my Dad has been working with us, teaching how to sing, and giving up many opportunities to sing. One of my fondest memories is when we would go to rest homes, every Christmas, and sing for all the sweet Grandma's and Grandpa's there. They always seemed so happy and grateful to have us there. It really impacted my life. My parents also enrolled us in piano lessons at the age of 7. I remember hating to practice. My parents told us that we had to stay in until we were 14, then we could decide if we wanted to continue. Well, they knew best, again! I remember around the age of 10 or 11 having the strongest desire to play better. It became a goal of mine that I would be able to play whatever piece of music that was sat in front of me. So, when the age of 14 came along, I was LOVING piano lessons and didn't want to stop. I finally reached my goal. Now, I'm no Beethoven but, I can hold my own, ha ha! As the years have gone by, I have been given countless opportunities to use my talents and abilities. I loved being on a mission, being able to play the piano. I have loved accompanying people, whenever needed. I have also enjoyed singing. I'm grateful that I can read parts because it makes singing so much fun! I love singing with my Dad and my family! For my farewell my whole family (including in-laws) sang a Janice Kapp Perry arrangement of "Armies of Helaman". It was SO EXCITING! There were 5 women (me, my sister, my Mom, and 2 sister-in-laws) and 5 men (my Dad and 4 brothers) included and it gave me chills. My most recent challenge with music was receiving the call as a joint Ward Organist. I don't have much experience or training when it comes to the organ. It has always intimidated me. Plus, I LOVE to play the piano. Well, the experience of playing the organ has been awesome. I've still got a long ways to go but, I have loved learning what I have so far! I have loved being challenged and having to learn and grow. Anyway, I know this is a random post. I've just been thinking on this a lot lately and feel grateful! It seems like I have been participating in musical numbers a lot these last 2 weeks. I'm sure people are thinking, "Oh no! Laura's singing AGAIN!!!!" I cannot blame them. I'm just grateful for the opportunity. I feel very passionate about music and feel it's one area that I can truly express myself and also feel things deeply so, it brings me a lot of peace to sing or play the piano. In a couple weeks we will be going to a different ward, since we have moved into different boundaries. With that change comes the change of callings in my ward! I will really, really miss and am saddened to lose the chance to play the organ every other week! I have so enjoyed it! I'm sure that I'll have other opportunites but, I have loved being in this particular ward and sharing in music with others around me. There are so many talented people in our ward. Today we performed our Christmas cantata. It was BEAUTIFUL, I thought! Nothing makes me more happy than to see a large group of people coming together to sing parts. Especially the men. Something about men singing in harmony is just amazing! Ok, I'm done and am jumping down from my soap box. I just had to share some feelings I was having. THE END! :)

I'm Dreaming of a "BLUE" Christmas!

We decided to have a "blue" Christmas this year!

Rylie helping out with the Christmas ornaments!

Connor is so very excited for Christmas this year! He's been counting down since September! Every day he comes to me and says that Christmas is tomorrow! So, we finally got a tree and decorated it one night. It was so fun because we got the tree, the ornaments (we had to get new ones because all of our others were crushed in the move from MI), pizza, drinks, and blasted Christmas music. The kids had a BLAST!!!! Of course, it's never always that perfect. We had to rearrange the living room 5 different times, including moving our beast of a bookshelf. We finally got everything to fit just right and I love our tree!!!!! It's beautiful and fun! The kids did a lot of the decorating and it all ended up in one chunk of the tree. So funny and cute. However, being OCD, I waited until the kids went to bed, and then fixed the decorations. We also put lights on our entertainment center, around the bookshelf, and around the tops of the walls. I also decorated outside with lights! We are so excited about being able to be in our own place this year! I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS!!!!

I'm Seeing Stars!

So, Saturday was a nice and steady day at work. Lots of people needing beautified for the holidays, I'm guessing. Towards the end of the day a couple brothers came in needing a haircut. So, I took one of them back to my chair. First he request a fohawk on top. Ok, no big deal, right? Next, he requested steps on both sides of his hair. Ok, haven't done that type of thing in YEARS but, no big deal AGAIN, right? Well, just when I thought I conquered this haircut and would be moving onto the next one, well, I thought wrong. He then asks me shave a star in the back of his head. I laughed and thought he was just being funny. However, he was completely serious. So, I decided to try and attempt it. So, we practiced first by drawing on the back of his head with a pen. I felt like I was a tatoo artist, preparing to give his first tatoo or something. So, after a few attempts of drawing the perfect star he approved. The time came to shave the star. So, with deep breaths from both he and I (and me trying to control my tremors, ha ha) I went for it. Well, you can see how it turned out. I have to say that it turned out better than expected, THANK HEAVENS!!!! My client loved it and left a great tip! Oh happy day!!!! Good times!