.

Thanks to Trevor.....

2010-10-08T16:24:00.000-07:00

...my blog is now fixed! I'm still not making any promises that I will update it more often than I have been in the past, but in the meantime, my blog is "going private"--so if you want access to my blog e-mail me at aubryreno@hotmail.com with your e-mail address. The deadline to e-mail me with your address is.....November 1 :)

“Aubry, Never say never.”

2010-05-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

On this Mother’s Day, I was reminded of a phrase my mom always used to say. “Aubry, Never say never!”

Growing up, when referring to having my own children I would say things like:
----I will NEVER let my kids have a nasty nose, and on the rare occasion that they may (due only to sickness of course), I will NEVER wipe their buggers with my hand (or their drool for that matter.)
----I will NEVER let my baby taste something off of my finger and then lick it off my finger myself!
----If I decide to breastfeed, I will NEVER do it in public! (restaurant, sacrament meeting, etc)
----I will NEVER let my kids wear their pajamas out of the house.
----I will NEVER name all of my kids starting with the same letter, or the same letters as me and my husband. (Ex: using all “A’s” since my name is Aubry and all “T’s” for Trevor.)

Last but not least I WILL NEVER NAME MY BABY BEFORE THEY ARE ACTUALLY BORN! (Because how do you know what their name is without looking at them?!?! It’s okay to have a few names picked out, but actually naming them….??---NO!)

Well, I am here to admit that I all ready see myself breaking the rules. Before Trevor and I got married we talked about a lot of things, but we obviously NEVER talked about my list of “my kid will never….or I will never” because he has named our baby Alivia and no matter how many times I call her Norah or Lydia or anything else her name IS and WILL BE Alivia so I might as well start calling her that now! He is breaking 2 rules: He has named her before she is here AND her name starts with an “A!” (Funny because the 2 boy’s names that we like start with “T’s!” ) Heaven help me that I will not break anymore of my rules!

One happy husband!

2010-05-05T16:48:00.001-07:00

Today Trevor took his last final at ISU.......for this semester anways.......(only 2 more semesters to go!) I'm confident he passed all his classes with flying colors. I know he's excited to be done for a few months! Now next semester is going to be brutal, but we try not to think about it and will just enjoy the break for now!!

He has also been golfing a lot. Like, everyday a lot!! He joined a men's golfing league and needs to put in a certain number of rounds of golf before he can be eligable to play. I know he has just hated having to tell me "well, Aubry- I have to get at least 9 holes in today so I can get my handicap so that I can play"---poor, poor, Trevor!!

Today was my 20 week ultrasound which confirmed that we are in fact having a baby girl like the rest of the Jones' and that everything looks great at this point in time! Hopefully the last 1/2 of my pregnancy goes as well as the 1st half went. Tonight we are going to start assembling the nursery with what decor we have (which is very minimal!) Trevor hasn't let me buy anything yet. He wanted to wait until after this ultrasound so that we were 100% sure that it was a girl (which I was 100% sure she was a girl the 1st time), but I was true to my word and have restrained from buying "girl" things! But now that it's confirmed that she is a girl...............well.........I think you know where I'm going!

5 years ago...

2010-04-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

President Monson was attending a viewing of a close friend and shared this story: “Suddenly the smallest child, Kelly, recognized me and took my hand in hers. “Come with me,” she said, and she led me to the casket in which rested the body of her beloved mother. “I’m not crying, Brother Monson, and neither must you. My mommy told me many times about death and life with Heavenly Father. I belong to my mommy and my daddy. We’ll all be together again.” Through tear-moistened eyes, I recognized a beautiful and faith-filled smile. For my young friend, whose tiny hand yet clasped mine, there would never be a hopeless dawn. Sustained by her unfailing testimony, knowing that life continues beyond the grave, she, her father, her brothers, her sisters, and indeed all who share this knowledge of divine truth can declare to the world: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

How grateful I am for my testimony that families will be together forever. This is one truth that I have never questioned, never doubted. I find such comfort in knowing that the day will come when I will be reunited with my dad again. I love him so much. I look at my life and think of all the things in the past 5 years that he has not been here to be a part of, but I know he’s very much aware of me and my life and has probably be there more than I know. Elder Paul H. Dunn said, “All of us have parents, friends, or other loved ones who have died. They too exercise faith in our behalf. Do parents stop caring because they die? Does caring stop at the grave? I want you to know that it does not. Life is eternal.” Elder Dunn continues by talking about our unborn children who also are cheering us on from the other side of the veil. I can’t help but think that my dad has already met and formed a great relationship with our baby girl that will be joining us in 5 short months. I wonder what they are doing today when family and friends on Earth morn his loss 5 years later….if only we could take a glimpse into Heaven. I think all sadness would depart!

3 1/2 months later.....

2010-03-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

Wow. It’s been a while and I don’t even have an excuse! Christmas was great as it always is. We were able to spend lots of time with family and friends and that’s what makes the holidays so great. I love living so close to both of our families. I would hate to have to take turns spending one year with his family and the next with mine.

I am including one of the few pictures I actually got of Trevor and I during the holidays. We were at Rock Creek looking at the amazing lights. Just a couple days after Christmas Trevor and I took off and went to San Diego to spend New Years. We had such a great time. We went to the San Diego Zoo, spent a day at Balboa Park, went to the San Diego temple, had GREAT seats (10 rows up) at a San Diego Chargers Football game, and ended it by taking a helicopter ride through the Grand Canyon (defiantly recommend doing that sometime you are in Las Vegas!) Trevor and I have been able to do a lot in such the short time we have been married. We have been so blessed.

Of course a long with being able to play comes lots of hard work. We have been doing lots to our house (it seems to be never ending). The latest project was adding cabinets in our kitchen and installing new counter tops. I will post pictures of our kitchen once we get it 100% finished! We (I really should just say Trevor J) also has been spending lots of time in the yard doing some spring clean up! We moved in our house last April and last spring/summer the fixing up the outside wasn’t our priority. Getting the inside live-able was! We made the outside presentable and went as far as killing all the dandy-lions and mowing the lawn but now it’s time to clean up the flowerbeds (get new bark etc) and give the exterior some much needed attention!

Well for some reason I can't get pictures added, so that will have to come later. Hopefully not 3 1/2 months later!

2009-12-12T07:00:00.001-08:00

I was looking at some of my families blog’s thinking, “Gosh I wish I could sew. You can make so many cute things with scraps, a sewing machine, and a little creativity.” (which I have none of the above)

Trevor hates spending money, therefore, when his pants get HUGE holes in them, he wants me to repair them rather than buying a new pair. I always take his pants over to my Grandma Harper and she fixes them in no time at all. She makes it look so easy. She tells me she got lots of practice raising 5 boys on a farm. Well one afternoon I called my grandma and said, “I have another pair of Trevor’s pants that need to be patched. His wallet keeps falling out of his back pocket, so I guess it’s time you work your magic!” I headed to my grandma’s house, stopping at my mom’s house on the way to get an old pair of jeans out of the “scrap jeans” box so I could cut a patch. (I figured if grandma did all the work, the least I could do is supply my own patch!) When I got to grandma’s house she said, “You have watched me enough. Why don’t you try this pair on your own. I will be here to help and supervise.” I thought, “Great! I should have paid closer attention all those times before.” Well, grandma and I got visiting and laughing like we always do and she would coax me along the way. Hours later, the pants looked as good as new! I took them home to Trevor SO PLEASED with the way they turned out. You could hardly even tell they had been fixed they looked so good. All I can say is, leave it to Trevor to find the flaw! He began inspecting the jeans, starting at the back pocket where the problem was. He got a smile on his face, raised his eyebrows, and started nodding his head like, “Not to shabby!” He was totally impressed! He then turned the pants around and looked down the pant leg, still nodding his head. I was ticked! He really was impressed! Then he turned the pants around, to inspect the back one more time. Suddenly he burst out laughing. I said, “What the heck are you laughing at?!” He then pointed to the little 2” x 2” square hole that had been cut out of the leg of the pants. WOOPS! We both just rolled on the floor laughing!

Moral of the story: Don’t cut your patch out of the pants you are trying to fix!

Home improvements....

2009-12-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

I posted some pictures of our before & midway pictures of our house, but haven't posted any as of late. Trevor has put 100s of hours into fixing it up, and I am so grateful for all his hard work. It's been such a blessing to own a home and we have made many great memories working together to make our house what it is. We still say "someday we will..." (ex: someday we will get new counter tops in the kitchen, someday we will get shutters, someday we will rearrange the kitchen appliances and add more cupboards, and the list goes on and on), but we are happy where we are right now. Trevor, however, deserves a little shout out! To the man who laid the carpet, textured the walls, painted the walls and ceilings, hung all new doors, tiled the bathroom floor and shower, fixed the plumbing, hung all new fixtures, replaced all the heaters, built new cupboard doors, planted the garden, assembled the shed........I LOVE YOU!

The reason...

2009-12-10T14:53:00.001-08:00

The reason I haven’t blogged in a while is because I haven’t had anything spectacular to blog about. I don’t have cute kids to brag about, nor is anything worth blogging about taking place in our lives right now! I did have my birthday last month, but birthday’s aren’t even worth blogging about anymore!

BUT something exciting has to happen sooner or later----in fact at the end of December something exciting is scheduled to happen. I dream of someday going on an African Safari! Someday….but for now the San Diego Zoo will do! Trevor and I decided to go on a little get-away to Southern California to say goodbye to 2009 and welcome the New Year! So I guess you could say we are “skipping Christmas” this year (or at least the gift giving part of Christmas) and going on vacation instead!

"Teacher, teacher, teacher...."

2009-09-04T11:11:00.001-07:00

"Teacher, teacher, teacher" was all I heard yesterday! It was my 1st big day as Mrs. Reno: substitute teacher. (Yes, I decided I needed to find one more thing to do in all my "spare time!" :) ) I don't know how many times I heard, "Are you a teenager? I'm taller than you. Do you go to school at the Jr. High with my sister/brother?" Yes, I know I look 15 but come on! Does EVERY STUDENT really have to make a comment like that?! :)

I decided I have a love-hate relationship with 3rd graders. Some students were great, while the others.....well... no comment! My mom always told me, "Aubry, if you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all!" I will say that I have a whole new respect for elementary school teachers. I am sure if I was the actual teacher, and not just the substitute it would possibly be easier--or at least that is what I am going to tell myself. I was looking more forward to the bell ringing at 3:00 than I am for Christmas!

Moral of the story: Aubry has no patience and will avoid substituting another 3rd grade class at all costs!

ON A HAPPY NOTE: Last night I started my much anticipated opportunity of staying with 6 kids while their parents are on a cruise! Those of you who really know me, know that I LOVE doing things like this. I am going to be able to experience a little dose of "motherhood" (my dream) without having to go to all the work and pain of bringing them here and raising the kids to this point! Playing "house" for a week with REAL kids, in a REAL house is way better than with dolls in a doll-house! I know I can handle 2 kids overnight because I have done it before, but 6 (yes, SIX) kids until next Saturday is on a whole new playing field for me! So far there have been no accidents, (well, let me be more specific... accidents in the pants, yes, but no physical injury type accidents), no tears, no comments like, "when will my mom be home", etc. It has been GREAT so far! Of course all I have done is gotten the 4 school-aged kids up and off to school, and right now the 2 youngest boys, Ben and Luke are napping. I am under the impression though that after school at this house-hold is when the real craziness begins, so unlike yesterday....maybe I don't want 3:00 to come! :)

7:00 p.m.?!

2009-09-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

I was definatly wishful thinking when I said, "You know summer is over when it's 7:00 p.m. and Trevor still isn't home!" It's more like, I know summer is over when it's 8:30 p.m. and Trevor still isn't home!" Someday school will be over and it will be summer again......someday!

Goodbye Summer!

2009-08-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

I know summer is over when its 7:00 p.m. and Trevor still isn't home :) Reality has hit and summer is officially over in the Reno house hold! Trevor is back to school full time at ISU (driving to Pocatello 3 times a week...AGH!) and that means BUSY-BUSY-BUSY and less and less time at home. He is taking 19 credits and working 2 days a week, on top of all the responsibilites that come along with his church calling. He seems to somehow stay on top of it all though. He's pretty amazing. I am just grateful that I married such a hard worker who is willing to sacrafice so much in our behalf.

Speaking of Trevor, we have almost been married 1 year! Our anniversary is next Sunday. I can't believe how fast this past year has flown by. I look at all that we have done and accomplished over the past year and it's far more than we had ever dreamed or planned. We have been so blessed in more ways than one.

On a side note, Trevor was talking to his Grandma tonight and gave her our blog address, so I am going to really try to update our blog more often for the sake of our grandparents who live so far away. We miss you guys and hope that this blog is a good way for you to see a small glimps into our lives. We love you all so much.

Parenting practice

2009-07-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

My cousin and his wife are building a new home, which means I have been able to spend lots of time with their 3 children. (Thanks Jas & Jenn for trusting me with your kids and for letting me watch them!) I am convinced they have some of the cutest kids. (I'll post pictures to prove!) It has been fun to spend time with them and practice my parenting skills......which I still have many to develop and a LONG way to go before I'm ready for my own! I admire you super moms that stay at home all day with your children. I was exhausted after a few hours, but it was SO worth it!

A work in progres....

2009-05-12T14:12:00.001-07:00

I am posting some before and mid-way after pictures of our house. None of these pictures are the final product because we still have lots of work to do (closet doors to hang, things to unpack, pictures to hang etc), but here is the progress thus far! Feel free to stop by anytime! We have an open-door policy :)
P.S. Thank you to all those people who have helped us so far. (Abram, Brigitte, Aunt Michelle, Aunt Bonnie, Uncle Jeff, Grandma Harper, mom, Delta, Jaram, Alex, Katelyn, Megan, Bryan, Cliff, Danny, Erica, Shellie, Tressa, Kay, Joey, etc. etc. etc. Sorry if I have forgotten anyone!)

Pictures thus far

2009-05-12T13:44:00.001-07:00

MASTER BEDROOM

ENTRY WAY

LIVING ROOM

KITCHEN

GUEST BEDROOM

It's official.....

2009-04-17T13:54:00.001-07:00

Trevor and I bought a house! We won't be moving in until the end of this month, because we have some projects (paint, new carpet, tile the bathroom, hang new doors, etc) that we want to work on before we move our "stuff" in! We are excited though and can't wait to have everyone over for BBQ's and volleyball in our big backyard! (It's in Heyburn for all those who are wondering.)

2009-03-16T10:20:00.000-07:00

Trevor and I leave for Mexico in approx. 96 hours! We are SO excited! :)

2009-03-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

Iwas telling Trevor the other night that we need start taking more pictures! I am a terrible blogger, but we do occasionally break away from school and work and do fun things! This past month was crazy and I can't believe it's all ready March. Trevor and I are coming up on our 6 month anniversary-I feel like I have been married a lot longer than that, but I suppose that's due to us dating forever (in comparison the the Jones family and typical LDS standard!) before we tied the knot! February was a month filled with basketball games. I think I have some of my Grandpa Jones' blood in me where I HATE to miss a ball game. I haven't been to half the games my Grandpa has, but I still have a long life ahead of me. One of my goals in life is to watch more basketball than Grandpa Jones. (Those of you that know him are probably thinking GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!) I do love supporting my sibblings though and cheering on the Burley Bobcats! Also in February my Grandpa Harper passed away. This was a sad time, yet I know that there was much rejoicing in Heaven as he was greeted by loved ones that have passed on before him. I was telling Trevor I was sort of jealous of my Grandpa because he got to see my dad :( Jealous in a good way. I will miss my Grandpa greatly though. We also celebrated Trevor's birthday at the end of February. He is no longer a teen! He's all grow up now! And last but not least my mom was married February 28th.....all I will say is it's finally over and we can only go uphill from here right?!?! I will post a couple pictures that I did take from last month, and hopefully March will be a better month for picture taking!

Walking with the Dinosaurs!

2009-01-19T10:17:00.000-08:00

Trevor and I were able to go to Salt Lake to "Walking with the Dinosaurs" with Trevor's family. It was a showing at the Energy Solutions Arena. (Check it out on youtube) It was AWESOME and we had so much fun with Trevor's family.

2009-01-19T09:59:00.000-08:00

The Holidays have come and past once again and I have very few pictures to show for all the fun times and good memories we made. We were able to spend lots of time with friends and family, however, I had a hard time this year getting into the Christmas spirit. I can think of multiple reasons why, but all in all it was fun to spend time with family and friends and reflect on the birth of our Savior. I look forward to a great new year :) Here are some pictures as of late.

Mexico here we come!

2008-12-08T15:54:00.000-08:00

Trevor and I have been wanting to go on a cruise, so we deicded we better go now while we don't have kids to worry about or we will probably never go! I know March is forever away, but we are SO EXCITED!

2008-12-08T15:09:00.000-08:00

Maichael, Erin, Kaitlyn, Aubry, & Katie at dinner at Macaroni Grill!

We celebrated Maichael's 21st Birthday!

Our EARLY morning temple trip!

This past week I went to Provo to visit my friends from BYU. My friend, Maichael, is going on a mission after this semester, so we wanted to get together before she left. We had so much fun being able to spend one last time together with all of us there. We had lunch at Panda Express, an afternoon of shopping, dinner at Macaroni Grill, our traditional sleepover by Erin's Christmas tree, and an early morning temple trip the day I left. I love my friends so much. We have made so many wonderful memories over the past 2 years. It's always hard to say goodbye, especially when we are at such crazy times in our lives. Everyone is going in all different directions, but we are all counting on re-uniting when "the girl" returns from Chile!

2008-11-10T09:31:00.000-08:00

This is our kitchen/laundry room!

Our living room.

This was one of my 1st baking experiences with the oven in our apartment, and as you can tell, I wasn't very successful! I have always had a hard time making good bananna bread, because the sides and bottom always get cooked, but the top and the middle are always doughy! I was beyond frustrated so I thought, "Maybe Trevor could help me figure out why I can't get the middle of the bread to cook." (NOT A GOOD IDEA!) Trevor said, "I know. Just turn the oven on broil for a while and it will cook it perfect I promise!" I thought I would give it a try and like 30 seconds later I said, "Trevor! Something is on fire!" I opened the oven and here is what we found....the top of the bread in flames! Trevor said, "This bananna bread will be perfect after we cut off the top!" Trevor sliced off the top burnt layer and we enjoyed some delicious bananna bread!

Happy Halloween!

I'm still trying to figure out how to add pictures and get my blog fully up and running, but my cousin Kristi informed me that I need to update my blog! I have a few spare minutes this morning, so I thought I would try to add some pictures for Kristi to look at :)

2008-09-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

We are officially a part of the blog world! For many months now I have been "blog stalking," family and friends, but never creating a blog of my own because I felt like one of the requirements of having a blog was to be married. Now that I am married I feel more comfortable in the blog world! I will update you as soon as I can on the exciting things going on in our life!