Nanny Diaries

A couple weeks ago I went and babysat four kids for 6 days while their parents went backpacking in the Grand Canyon. I've been babysitting for this same family for the past 5 years now so I know them really well and was more than happy to babysit for them while they went on a fun trip :) 

Here are some of my highs and lows from that experience:

Lows:

- Trace (6 months) was sick almost the entire time. He had a double ear infection the week before I babysat and was still getting better from that. Their mom told me he might be a little sick still and may throw up once in the night but probably not..

He threw up a ton every day for 3 days straight. It was AWFUL.

 I've never seen a baby throw up before. When she told me he might throw up I was like, "Oh ok the usual spit up only a little more.. no biggie..

Nope! He was gagging and throwing up like a normal kid only I had to hold him and catch his vomit in a burp cloth while he cried and was miserable. It was so sad. :( Definitely something I did not want to experience at this age, but I'm also kind of glad I did because now I know what to expect when I have my first kid someday.

- The three girls (Evee 3, Aubree 6, and Talee 8) are very energetic so they were pretty crazy the whole time which was fine most of the time, but there were times when I literally had three girls screaming in my ear, running circles around me telling me a million different things at once while I was catching Trace's throw up in my hands.. so yeah that was a little overwhelming.

But they sure are cute!


- And all three of the girls are addicted to this weird wii game.. Every day they kept begging me to come watch them play it or wanted me to play it with them, but it's seriously the most pointless, boring game I've ever played where you're a disney character (they always fight over who gets to be Queen Elsa) and you walk around this magical world.. and that's it. you just walk. and jump. and run. so pointless.

A 3 year old playing the wii... what
is the world coming to??

Okay Highs:

- When Trace was with his grandma over the weekend, the girls and I did lots of fun things with our time. :)

We went to the public library :)

Went swimming in the neighborhood pool

Made homemade sidewalk paint

 Walked around the beautiful Gilbert Temple
after church on Sunday

 Walked around Crossroads Park

and we had lots of fun just hanging out at home too. :)

 Trace is so cuddly all the time!!

 Dropping the girls off at school!

 Trace is so stinkin' cute! Love those big blue eyes :)

 Silly girls

I had fun doing the girls hair for school every day :)

So yeah! Even though it was crazy and stressful at times, it was a great learning experience for me and it was way fun! I love being around kids because they're always so happy and positive and don't focus on all the bad in the world like we sometimes do. They think the littlest things are so amazing and they help you see life from a whole new perspective. So that definitely made it all worth it :) 

-- Sarah Laurel <3

Mormon Lake Camping Trip

This weekend my parents, Ash and I drove up to Mormon Lake, Arizona for an overnight camping trip.

We were originally planning on going to Beaver Creek which is the "#1 place to camp in Arizona" according to a website I found.. but the campsite wasn't even open when we got there.. so... we just kept driving! 

We ended up at Mormon Lake, which is said to be the largest natural lake in Arizona... only... right now it's like completely dried up. But it made for a great big open space for our dogs to run!

Thank goodness my dad is always really prepared for any possible weather situation because when we got there, it was really cold. He brought lots of extra warm clothes for me and Ash to put on over our t- shirts and jeans. :)

When we got there, we set up camp, made tinfoil dinners and a yummy raspberry dessert in our dutch oven and then sat around the campfire just enjoying each others company. It was so fun!!

then it got super cold at night and really windy in the morning so we packed up camp and drove home early. 

It was definitely a really cold, short camping trip, but I'm really happy we still did it anyway because even just a little bit of wilderness and time away from the world to be with people we love is so worth it to me. :) 

Here's some of the pictures we took while we were there :)

-- Sarah Laurel 

About Me

Welcome to my very first blog! I've always wanted to make a blog, but then talked myself out of making one because I didn't think anyone would care to read it..

But, then I realized.. I don't really care if anyone reads it! I still want one for myself to help me keep a journal about my life and keep my family updated while I'm away from home. So to start off this first post, I'm just going to share 20 random facts about myself...

1. I'm 19 years old, but I still feel like I'm 17.

2. I have a nephew.. he's kind of adorable.

This is Jackson David
















3. I love nature and being outside more than anything. The world is such a beautiful place!

4. My favorite places in the world are my family's ranch in Idaho, Lake Powell, Zions National Park, our cabin in Utah, Salt Lake City, Rocky Point Mexico, Havasupai, and San Diego, California.

MEXICO!! 

My #1 favorite place-- our ranch in Atlanta, Idaho

5. I live in Gilbert, Arizona, but Utah has my <3

6. I've had a few different jobs throughout my life, but babysitting has always been my favorite. I love kiddos.

This is Aubree and Talee 

7. My dream is to TRAVEL the world.. First stop: Prague, Czech Republic in Europe this fall to visit my cousins who live there!!

8. I love the beach, but I think I love forests and mountains more.. I change my mind on that one a lot.

9. Music has always been a huge part of my life. I play a few different instruments, but piano is my favorite.

10. I hate everyone else's cats except my own.

This is Rue

11. I love learning. There are so many fascinating things to learn about in the world and I want to know all of them.

12. High School Graduation was one of the best days of my life.

13. I'm a thinker.. I always wonder about random things all the time like... hair.. why do we have hair??

14. No. I am not and have never been anorexic. I hate when people ask me that.

15. I'm a homebody. I love being home in sweats and a t-shirt watching movies with my family more than going out and partying with friends.

16. I'm a latter day saint. I know it. I live it. I love it.

The Beautiful Gilbert Temple

17. Lakes..oceans..rivers..waterfalls..streams.. I love water. <3

18. Rock Climbing is so much fun.. I hope to make this a hobby of mine for the rest of my life.

19. I have a pretty awesome family.

20. I'm a gypsy soul.


-- Sarah Laurel