Phoenix Zoo

While Dad, Grandpa Pulsipher, and Uncle Toby were hunting, the women decided to take the kids to the Phoenix Zoo for the day. Aunt Becky has a pass so we went and had a good time. Thanks, Aunt Becky! We ate lunch, thanks Grandma, and then started walking around. It was fun to watch the kids and their reactions to the animals and to let them play for a little while, too. It was also nice to get out of the house, since I seem to be stuck at home a lot... with babysitting and Kris hunting on the weekends for 10 days or so in November.

Grandma Pulsipher and Kaylee watching the turtles and ducks.

Turtles on a log

Cousin Fun at the Zoo- Kaylee, Jonathan, and Isaac

Jonathan was so cute to hold Kaylee's hand but Isaac just wanted to be free.


Isaac, Jonathan, and Kaylee watching the monkeys.


More monkeys... (I can't remember what kind the monkeys are right now... duh!) After watching the monkeys, Kaylee has started cleaning out lint or fuzzies from between her toes. I don't know if she saw them doing it or it's just something that she has learned on her own. Anyways...

Kaylee watching the monkeys. She was so excited- as you can tell by her facial expression!

Grandma Pulsipher and Kaylee- Kaylee is saying what a monkey says, "Ooo, Ooo" and doing the action.

The turtles were mating while we were there and when we walked away, Kaylee was "mooing"! I was a little confused at first, but then caught on that the turtle was grunting and she thought it sounded like a "moo". I thought I might have to explain to everyone why my daughter thinks that turtles "moo". Thankfully, she has forgotten! It was an educational day at the zoo.

Kaylee usually loves animals, but this horse was so big that it was a little intimidating for her.

Kaylee in the petting zoo area.

My little mermaid

Kaylee and the monkey... she didn't really care to sit here.

Kaylee the turtle

Kaylee and the crocodile... I love this pose and facial expression!

I don't know why but giraffes are just so majestic looking when they run. It was so cool!

Kaylee's friend, Boston, was at the zoo so we stopped to visit a few times when we saw them.

It was a fun day at the zoo! Thankfully it was nice weather, too... not too hot and not too cold. Thanks Grandma and Aunt Becky. It was fun to see everyone and to watch the kids play with each other and get excited about the animals!

Kaylee and her Baby

Kaylee loves baby dolls. On this particular day, she had found the baby pack and wanted to wear it. The funny thing is that I can still put her in it, so it was a little difficult to get it small enough where she could put her baby in it and not fall in the process. She walked around with it on for quite a while. She is so much fun! She comes up with the funniest things to do. One night Kris and I were watching a movie and she was playing in the car seat in the living room. She figured out how to unsnap her pajamas, took them off, stood in the middle of the floor with her arms stretched out to the side, and said "TaDa!" It was just so cute and funny, too. She is growing so fast. She is now in nursery and loves it. She walks in and starts playing and doesn't even care that mom and dad aren't there. Anyways...

This was the first picture that I took and she was biting her baby on the head. It was just at the right level for her. Silly girl!

This picture is my favorite one! She felt like such a big girl getting to hold her baby like mom sometimes holds her (or Danica, the baby that I watch).

This picture is a little blurry but you can still see how cute she is.

Halloween

Our day seemed to slip by us and I ended up taking some pictures of Kaylee while we were waiting for Katelyn (my youngest sister) to be done with volleyball practice. Then, we rushed off to the church for the Halloween Carnival and then to the park for the Trunk-or-Treat. I forgot to take any more pictures. Our friends that we hung out with that night took some pictures so I'll have to get a copy of them. Kaylee was the cutest pirate! I didn't think she would leave the hat on, but to my surprise, she only took it off a couple of times. She had a blast and wanted to eat the candy as fast as she could get it. Kris was gone hunting but we still had fun!

(I'll have to edit the red-eye on these but I thought they were pretty cute!)

Update

So, nothing has really changed in our lives yet. We are still endlessly searching for a new job. Kris spends a lot of time on the computer and we are hoping that we will get an offer somewhere. It's hard not being able to go to the companies and talk to them about the job he applies for. He posts his resume, fills out applications, and waits. Kris doesn't particularly like to be on the phone, so the follow-up has been difficult. I told Kris that this has become a trial of my patience more than anything else. It's hard not knowing when or where we will be moving, what we're supposed to do with our house, and where our next pay check will come from.

Fortunately, Kris was called by a client at Tetra Tech and has been working for a couple of weeks. Since Kris was the one that had been working on his project, the client went in and talked to the boss and asked him if Kris could finish the project for him. The boss said that would be fine as long as the client paid Kris, since he couldn't put him back on the payroll (since corporate had just laid him off). So, we have been blessed so far. Between paid time off, severance pay, this temporary project, and odds-and-ends jobs, we have received a paycheck regularly, even though Kris was laid off a month ago.

I know that everything will work out. Heavenly Father will not give us anything that we can't overcome. Thank you all for your comments, your thoughts, and your prayers. So many people have called us and kept their ears open for us. Thank you! We know that we couldn't make it through this without the support of our family and friends. We love you all and hope that you have a wonderful Christmas season. It's such a wonderful time of year that we can enjoy. I am really trying to focus my thoughts on the good things that surround us and not to dwell on our hardships. We hope all is well with each of you and wish you the best during this special Christmas season.

Hard Times

Kris and I are asking for your prayers and support in our behalf. On Sunday, we were told that Kris was laid off on Friday (by someone at church!!- I'll tell you that story in a minute...) It's not because he wasn't doing a good job but because there is a shortage of development in our area (which is what Kris works with being a Civil Engineer in Training). So, he being the newest to the company, was let go. There were also 4 other people laid off too. It's just a hard time for a lot of people. So, much to our surprise, we now have no income, a house payment, and other bills. Basically everything is up in the air and the only way we are going to get through all of this is with your prayers and trust that the Lord will take care of us. It's all happening for a reason, we just don't know why. For some reason we're not supposed to be in Payson anymore. Kris is going to be doing some job searching and hopefully we can find something fast. Since Kris and my dad were hunting, I called my home teacher and he and a good friend came to give me a blessing. In the blessing he said that we would come to understand the true meaning of Zion and rely on the Saints. He also said that we would know very clearly the things that we would need to do. I felt such comfort as he blessed me.... but it's still a really hard thing! Please pray for us that we can be led to where the Lord wants us to go and that Kris can find a job s0 we can take care of our little family.

I don't think that Kaylee has ever seen my cry before but the tears just don't stop right now. She kept coming up to me and wiping my tears and giving me hugs and kisses. She knows that something is wrong, but isn't old enough to understand what. It was such a comfort to me but also a heartache since I don't know how we can give her what she needs right now. Both my parents and Kris' parents have assured us that we won't go hungry and are welcome in their homes. I am so grateful for families and the love and support that is there.

So, this is the worst way to find out that you were laid off from your job... On Sunday, after Stake Conference, a member of the ward came and asked my mom how Kris and I were doing. She said that we were fine and he was a little confused by that remark... He asked how we were since Kris lost his job on Friday. My mom was very surprised by his question and said that Kris was out of town hunting for the weekend and he left on Wednesday and we weren't aware of him losing his job. The brother (#1) was asking out of concern for our family but was surprised that we didn't know about it. My mom called me over and told me what the brother (#1) had said. In the meantime, the brother (#1) went and got another brother (#2), that had apparently told him (#1) about Kris being laid off. He (#2) just looked at me and really couldn't say anything. (My mom talked to him (#2) later and he said that he didn't know what had been said so he didn't want to say anything.) Apparently, when Tetra Tech lays someone off, they call the Civil Engineer from the Town (brother #2) so that he knows that people aren't with the company anymore. Then, Tetra Tech also emails the town employees that work hand in hand with the company to tell them the same information (brother #1). So, since they had been contacted, they just assumed that the employees that were laid off were contacted as well, which is how is should happen! But since Kris was out of town, he had no idea what was going on. So, I tried to compose myself but burst into tears. We went out to my car and I got out the phonebook. I called 3 people that Kris works with and couldn't get a hold of any of them. So, I called Kris but his phone went straight to voicemail. Where they are hunting (down by Safford) there isn't any signal. My mom called my dad and Kris was with him. Apparently they had gone into town the night before to stay with Grannie and Grandpa Curtis and then go to Stake Conference. I told Kris what I had been told and told him that he needed to call his boss and then call me back. He called his boss who said that the information was true but he wasn't sure how the information got out. Kris has to go and talk to him when he comes home on Tuesday. I think we will get severance pay for 2 weeks and then the paid time off that Kris has accumulated which should be about a week. So, 3 more weeks of pay and then what?? Hopefully, we can find a job and someone to rent our house before that. We could try to sell it but with the market being down right now, we couldn't get what we owe. I'm not even sure we can rent it to cover our mortgage, but I'll be happy if we can rent it for the majority of the payment. Only time will tell what will happen. I have been babysitting so I do have that income, but it's not much at all. Anyways, enough rambling. Please just prayer for us!! We appreciate every one's love and support.

Little did I know how directly Stake Conference and President Packer's talk applied to us. His very last comment was "...gather your families around you and prepare for the difficulties ahead..." or something to that affect. I just didn't expect it to be that soon! I know that we will get through this and be stronger because of our experience. I know Heavenly Father's hand is in it and He will protect us and keep us safe. As I have thought and reflected about things, the only thing that really matters right now is that we can provide food and shelter for Kaylee and that our little family is together. If we loose everything, it'll be okay... it's all just stuff that can be replaced. It's easier said than done, but it'll all work out. I know it will. It has to. Please pray for us. We love you all and wish you the best during this time of turmoil in the world we live in. Love the Pulsiphers

Pictures of Kaylee

We had some pictures taken in July of Kaylee and a couple family ones, but I haven't done anything with them. I am really bad about printing pictures or anything of that sorts since they are all digital. I need to figure out a method though so I can have physical pictures in case something ever happens to our cds. Anyways, here are some pictures that I thought were cute. My favorite ones are the ones of Kaylee and the flowers. (Oh, there aren't too many of Kaylee smiling because she wasn't feeling very well... she had a high fever that night!)

Silly expression

Kaylee "smelling" a flower

Mary Kay Sale

I am having a Mary Kay Clearance Sale for anyone who is interested. I am trying to reduce inventory as soon as possible, but definitely by the end of the year. If anyone is interested, you can email me at brittanypulsipher@marykay.com and I will send you a list of the inventory that I am trying to reduce. Everything is 1/2 price and you don't have to pay shipping. If you want to look at a catalog you can go to www.marykay.com. Thanks for your help in reducing my inventory! Also, please let anyone know that you think might be interested.

Playing in the Rain

We were over at my parent's house on a Sunday afternoon and it started to rain. We went to the door to watch the rain, but before I knew it, Kaylee was running around and playing in it. She was having so much fun and we had to force her to go inside because she was shivering!

Catching rain from the rain gutter

Kaylee and Dr. Pepper

Unfortunately, Kaylee loves soda especially her dad's Dr. Pepper. We were packing to go camping and she opened the ice chest and got herself a soda. Fortunately, she can't open it herself. These pictures were just too cute!

Never Ending Yardwork

Over the 4th of July, we worked on trenching our backyard to put in a french drain, which helps get the water away from your house and out to the road or wherever.

Kaylee and Daddy
Kaylee and Daddy trenching

Dad, Dave, and Shauna working more on the trenches
While we had the bobcat, Kris also went up on the hill in the backyard to try to level it out a little bit before we finish putting our fence up.

He seemed to be having just a little too much fun!

Kaylee was being a helper too. She had seen other people do this, so she figured she would give it a try! Too cute!

She loves carrying buckets around. Sometimes she will put things in it, but most of the time, she just carries them.
We recently had a friend of the family extend our driveway. It will be nice for resale of the house and also if we ever have a trailer/RV... in the future. It also just allows for extra parking, which is especially nice since we live right by Green Valley Park where they do the fireworks and all sorts of other activities.

This section of the concrete had a big crack in it so the builder paid to have it replaced.

The driveway is done but I haven't taken a picture of it yet. It looks good!

We still have a lot to work to do, such as putting in plants, lining the driveway with castle stone, adjusting the fence... but it all takes time and money. The backyard is another story!