Baby Crook!!!!!!

So we might finally become better bloggers after all, since we now have something to blog about! Yes, we're finally joining the club and expecting our baby on June 18, 2009. This ultrasound picture is a few weeks old, we are 3 months along now. We figure until we know what it is, it will still be a little peanut in our mind. We are sooo excited and a little surprised but we can't wait! Our baby is nameless though, so any good ideas that go with "Crook", we're open for suggestions. We made the big announcement to our families this last weekend and they are thrilled. This will be the first Grandbaby for Rachel's parents, and we'll be the last to have kids in Bill's family; so it should be a spoiled child.
We hope everyone is doing well, we will keep you all posted when we find out girl or boy, but most bets are on a boy so far (which will make Bill very happy).

Xade is Home!

So I have been waiting because I was going to let Sabrina post first, but since she has her hands full and hasn't had a chance yet I thought I'd share the good news with everyone. Last Saturday 10/25 Xade was able to come home from the hospital. He stayed with his family at our house for a few days and went to his own house in Snowflake, on Monday, for the very first time. He is doing well and the Yates family is overwhelmed with joy to have him home! Thank you for all your prayers and support, we appreciate each and every one of you who has kept Xade in your thoughts. We Love You All!!
P.S. I'm sure Sabrina will post some pictures soon.

Nephew Came Early (Update)

As you can see our baby Nephew came a little early. Xade is Alma & Sabrina's son, he was born about 3 months early. Baby Xade and Mom are both doing okay. Xade will be in the hospital until he gains some weight, most likely until his actual due date. Please keep him in your prayers, he is a fighter and will grow to be strong. Until he is able to leave the hospital, Alma and Sabrina (or at least Sabrina) will be staying at our house. Xade has had lots of visitors the last couple weeks, so our house has been full and fun. We will be sure to keep you all posted.
UPDATE--We have received numerous calls and emails from family and friends wondering how they could help or if there is anything that could be done, We wanted to make it available for anyone who is asking or wanting to help a place to donate to help the family through this trying time. Donations would be used for time off work and medical bills. There has also been an account set up through Wells Fargo. Email us for the account number if interested. Thanks in advance to everyone who has expressed concern. More importantly thanks on behalf of Alma & Sabrina for your love and prayers.

LOOK AT THEIR BLOG FOR MORE UPDATES AND INFO!!

SOLD

All our puppies are gone... They were so much fun we will miss them lots and I think Jomby is missing them too. Each one went to a great home where we know they will be loved. Check out "Junior" below enjoying his first fishing trip and spending time with his Dad.... doesn't get any cuter than that!

Wow a month has flown by since we last posted. Well all the puppies are sold except 1. He is amazingly smart and has a very strong personality. I guess that's what boxers are known for huh. If you know anyone that might like to add this cute puppy to there family feel free to pass this blog on. We are selling him for $800.00 he is a 9 week old Tiger Boxer.

Week 3 for the Puppies

They are growing fast and doing well. They just started walking yesterday so Jomby gets frustrated that she can't keep them together. Funny stuff!!!!!!

Runter

Well today was a happy and sad day rolled together. One of the puppies "aka the Runt" has had some challenges since he was born. The first few day's we had to bottle feed him. Once he learned how to nurse we were finally getting some sleep. Over the last week though we realized his intestines weren't working properly so we had been trying all different kinds of things to help him along with no avail. Finally we decided today that we needed to put him down. So we have 2 boys and 2 girls. Kind of ironic because that is what we thought we were getting in the beginning until Jomby surprised us with an extra. They are big enough now so anyone is welcome to come see them if you want.

Friends Good Deed Gone Bad!!!!

This is Brandon and I giving Sparky Dog a haircut.... Maybe its time to call in the professionals!!!

NEW PUPPIES

I know we told most of you that there were only 4, but then came one more! Jomby had 5 puppies early this morning, 3 boys and 2 girls. They are adorable! Jomby is doing good and so are all the puppies. She is being such a good mom, except for when she sits on them, we're assuming thats an accident; I'm not sure if I'd be able to keep track of where 5 kids were at one time ;) The birthing went well, we were actually asleep through all but the last pup and it looks like Jomby took care of it all. It amazes me how that mother instinct kicks in....and she is so protective of them, as any mom. If you try to pick one up she trys to cover it up so you can't grab it. We're lovin it! What an amazing thing to witness. In a couple weeks when the puppies are a little bigger, come see us, we'd love to show off these adorable guys!

Suns VS. Jazz

We got to go to the Suns game the other night. It was so much fun! I (Rachel) have never been to a pro basketball game live, it was way better than on TV. Our seats were totally in the nose-bleed section but since they were free we definately won't complain. It was a good game, until the end when the Suns lost :( They were winning the whole game too until the very end. We definately had a good time though and it always helps to have some crazy fans around to laugh at. It was such a good experience I want to go again...but definately for free, even those nose-bleeds were expensive!

Nauvoo, IL.
So much to say I don't even know where to start, what an amazing trip!! I never expected to learn and feel so much from one place. We feel soo lucky to have been able to make this trip and enjoy the experiences which came from being there. I gained such a great respect and a better understanding of what people went through to bring the Church to the hearts of the people.

If we look cold that would be because it was only -4 outside! Unbelievable that the Saints lived here and traveled during this bone chilling weather; what an amazingly strong group of people.
A replica of the wagons they used during their relocation due to religious persecution. Can you believe they used those wagons to cross the frozen river below??
Behind us is the Mississippi River, frozen over. Yes, those are gynormous sheets of ice washed ashore when the river began freezing. I have never seen such a thing!

Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. What amazing men to aspire to become like. With their strength and courage we stand beside them hoping we can someday be closer to them.

As I'm sure you can see, we had an amazing week being in Nauvoo and St. Louis. We had experiences we never imagined and being there while it is sooo cold, there were only a few other tourists so we were able to receive very personal tours by the missionaries serving in the area. We truely feel blessed to have had this experience and feel our testimonies have been strengthened by the knowledge and feelings felt from this experience. I know that we will all endure our own personal struggles; however, I truely cannot imagine facing the challenges they were given. These people had a great Spirit and understanding of the truthfullness of the Gospel, I admire their testimonies and the legacy they have left for us to protect.

We love you all and hope you someday will have the wonderful opportunity to visit these historical sites and witness the amazing stories of our ancestors and their incredible belief and courage.

St. Louis

We had so much fun at the Leadership Convention and learned more than expected, as we do everytime. We are so greatful to be able to learn from great leaders with integrity and courage, driven with a purpose.

Below is the girls, havin too much fun waiting for things to start.

This is everyone up inside the St. Louis Arch
Can you believe we were in the top of this?? What an amazing site!
I know everyone wants to see lots of pictures, sorry I'm low on words to describe, but we had a great trip, even stuffing 8 people in a hotel room we had a blast! We took lots of notes at the seminar and have a renewed vision for the future. We so look forward to great things to come and the blessings for everyone's patience will be great. We love you all and hope those of you who were there with us had as much fun as we did!

Nauvoo, IL

We are here in Nauvoo, IL and we have seen and heard some of the most amazing stories and evidences of people before us. The people who left Nauvoo for safety from religious persecution was the largest community to ever move as a whole; moving their families, religion, trade, commerce and culture. It is truely amazing the trials these people faced and still stood strong because of the strength of their Faith in God and his plan for them. We feel so lucky to be here walking in the footsteps of the heroes before us. It has been an enlightening experience being here, visiting has made us feel so grateful for the things we have.
**We will have more details and pictures to come (I promise we will be in a few of the pictures as requested by some of you).

Our Pregnant Dog!

So we finally did it; we made our dog take the plunge before us, we bred her! I am so excited! We bred her with the most beautiful papered Stud (male boxer). The best part is, dogs only have 2 month pregnancies; so her due date is March 20!
This is all assuming that it worked because there are really no "official" signs of pregnancy until they are one month in. And can you believe Jomby will not even know she is pregnant until a week or so before she has puppies??

The puppies will be so cute, Jomby (above) is ours, and Skidder (left) is a rare colored boxer, so their babies will be awesome! From the looks of Skidder they may look pretty fierce too. We will keep you posted when we start to see signs; although she is already showing small behavior changes, like eating less, so that should be a good sign.

Now that our baby is having babies we will be happy parents of puppies for the next little while!

Kentucky and Tennessee

This last October we took an awesome trip to Louisville, KY and then on to Huntingdon, TN. We had so much fun! While we were in Ky we went to the most amazing seminar we've ever been to. We also were able to hang out with our closest friends, see some historical sites, and enjoy the beauty of the changing trees that we don't always get to see here in Az.

Driving over to Tn. was fun and when we arrived we got to see our friends brand new home they have been building; it was beautiful. It rained the entire time we were there! Coming from Ca and Az we have never seen so much rain in our lives (except when Bill lived out there). We had fun relaxing and went down to Nashville one night where we went out to an Indian food restaurant. I've never eaten Indian food and it was delicious. *Speaking of restaurants, while we were in Kentucky we had the best Cajun food you will ever taste in your life! So if you ever find yourself in Louisville, KY you have to eat at "J.Gumbo's".

Overall we had a lot of fun and it was a nice time to get away for a while.